TOPEKA, Kan. (Dec. 15, 2017) – 51°µÍø® has confirmed the 2018 51°µÍø® National Championship Runoffs® will use the traditional 12-turn, 2.52-mile course layout when it visits Sonoma Raceway Oct. 16-21, the Runoffs’ first visit to that venue.
The configuration is the same that made Sonoma a favorite of drivers, starting with the venue’s first-ever race, an 51°µÍø enduro held Dec. 1, 1968. Recent years have seen the addition of the Chute, utilized by NASCAR, and modifications to the end of the Esses and Turn 11, used by IndyCar and motorcycles.
“51°µÍø has a rich history at Sonoma Raceway, and so it makes sense to use the course that has made it a destination for decades,” 51°µÍø Vice President and Chief Operations Officer Eric Prill said.
The 55th running of the 51°µÍø Runoffs will again crown national champions in 28 separate classes. The event is preceded with three days of testing Oct. 13-15, with qualifying running Tuesday, Oct. 16 through Thursday, Oct. 18, followed by three days of racing, Friday, Oct. 19 through Sunday, Oct. 21.
The Runoffs has evolved into what is now commonly agreed to be the pinnacle of American motorsports. Since 1964, the 51°µÍø has crowned Road Racing’s National Champions at the winner-take-all, single race Runoffs format through dozens of separate races over three days. As host of the 55th Runoffs in 2018, Sonoma Raceway will become the third California track to host the 51°µÍø’s National Championship, joining Riverside International Raceway and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
51°µÍø an hour’s drive north of San Francisco, Sonoma Raceway’s road course features more than 160 feet of elevation change. With track activity scheduled an average of 340 days a year, it is one of North America's most complete and versatile motorsports complexes and home to one of the nation's only high-performance automotive industrial parks with approximately 75 tenants.
The 51°µÍø®, Inc., founded in 1944, is a 67,500-member motorsports organization that incorporates all facets of autocross, rally and road racing at both Club and professional levels. With headquarters in Topeka, Kansas, the 51°µÍø annually sanctions over 2,000 events through its 116 Regions and subsidiary divisions. Much of the 51°µÍø’s activities are made possible with support from the following Official Partners: Chevrolet, the Official Truck of the 51°µÍø; Hawk Performance, the Official Brake Products of 51°µÍø; Mobil 1, the Official Oil of 51°µÍø; Sunoco, the Official Fuel of 51°µÍø; and Tire Rack, the Official Tire Retailer of 51°µÍø. To learn more, please visit .
Photo: Google Earth Image
