TOPEKA, Kan. -- Sports Car Club of America’s Board of Directors announced today the most significant change to its amateur road racing program in 50 years. Following the 2013 season, “National” racing will be phased out, with the U.S. Majors Tour serving as the top level of a two-tier SCCA Club Racing program in 2014.

“As the U.S. Majors Tour gains momentum, it will take its natural position as the premier level of competition within SCCA’s amateur road racing program,” SCCA Chairman Jerry Wannarka said. “By 2014, amateur road racing will have two levels of racing – the U.S. Majors Tour and Regional Racing, with the Majors program focused on clustering the best and toughest competition and Regionals focused on local racing programs.”

SCCA’s amateur road racing program has been tiered for more than half a century, with “National” racing serving as the top level.

“Over the years, SCCA’s ‘National’ program has evolved across the country into something with little cohesion,” Wannarka continued. “With only a handful of General Competition Rules requirements separating a National event from a Regional event, these two programs have morphed, in many cases, into one type of event that is managed entirely at the local level.

“The changes over the next year will take the premier events, geared toward our National Championship drivers, and provide a better link through a series managed by the SCCA National Headquarters. For non-Majors events, this change will remove the limitations that holding a National event have historically placed on our Regions, providing the flexibility needed to customize their Regional Racing programs.

“The focus of the Regional Racing format is on the experience of getting on track and racing wheel-to-wheel. The U.S. Majors Tour takes that same experience and focuses on the intense competition of Championship racing within the SCCA.”

A path to the National Championship Runoffs will exist through both the Majors and Regional programs.

For 2013, that path includes Majors Conference Championships (comprised solely of Majors events) and the National and Divisional Point Championships (including all Majors and regular National events).

Details of the 2014 path are still being determined, although the Board has committed for paths to exist for Runoffs-eligible classes through both the U.S. Majors Tour and Regional Racing.

“The goal is to have a very direct path to the Runoffs through the U.S. Majors Tour,” Wannarka said. “But, there will continue to be an additional path through local events that a driver might support throughout the year. It is important for both the U.S. Majors Tour and the Regional Racing programs to thrive. The Runoffs need to support this initiative with a qualification path for each.”

Details on Championship point structures, 2013 events and Runoffs criteria will be announced in the coming weeks.

Additional information is available at www.sccamajors.com.