Weather and Speed: 2026 Central Division SCCA Drivers School & Double Regional Recap
- whelser
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
The Central Division SCCA season opener featured weather that was unusual even for
Northern Illinois. From 80-degree heat, nearby tornadoes, and flooding rain on Friday to
snow flurries and wind on Saturday, the weekend tested everyone’s resolve. Despite the
elements, the newly repaved surface proved to be incredibly fast, resulting in a flurry of
new track records.
The Friday Drivers School had 18 novice drivers participating in on track practice and
coaching. But with a high of 81°, severe storms rolled in. As an EF1 tornado touched
down in Roscoe—just seven miles south of the track—sirens forced the final group to
end early and everyone into shelters. The evening concluded with heavy rain.
Saturday brought cold winds and snow flurries. However, the drop in temperature didn't stop the record-breaking pace:stop the record-breaking pace:
SR3 Record: Caleb Roethel (Milwaukee Region) set a new benchmark of 1:09.097 in his 2022 Radical.
SC Record: Jon Glover (Land O' Lakes Region) pushed his 1999 Corvette to a record 1:23.897.
SRF3 Dominance: 17-year-old Evan Hameetman (Chicago Region) put on a clinic, winning the Saturday race by nearly 30 seconds.
The sun finally emerged on Sunday, and the field took full advantage of the conditions. Five more track records fell:
SRF3: 14-year-old Isaac Roethel capped off his Drivers School weekend with a win and a record time of 1:14.782.
SMT: 14-year-old Benym Abernethy (Milwaukee Region) clocked a record 1:21.144.
ITA: Justin Clark – (Chicago Region) 1:22.387 record in his 1994 Mazda Miata
SMX: Nathan Dement - (Chicago Region) 1:19.433 record in a 2007 Mazda Miata
T3: John LoGiudice – (Milwaukee Region) set a record lap of 1:17.378 in his 2012 Ford Mustang and took 1st place overall in Group 4
A massive thank you to our racers, volunteers, crew members, and guests. This weekend proved once again that rain, snow, hail, or even a tornado can’t keep this community away from the sport we love.
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