The 2024 Southern Sweet Tea Classic RallyCross was held in Hollytree, AL, on Aug. 10-11 – the third of four stops on this year’s RallyCross National Tour. Featuring 62 drivers from 11 classes, the competition was in full force despite the Alabama dust.
Leon Drake designed the courses for the Tennessee Valley Region-hosted event, and the summer weather in Alabama cooperated, with temperatures being mild for mid-August. This meant sunshine was abundant, and fun was plentiful.
In many ways, this was a preview of things to come at the 2024 RallyCross National Championship this October, which will be hosted at the same location.
Into The Action
Stock All Wheel Drive was exciting to watch all weekend with the top four finishers running away from the rest of the class and finishing some 20 seconds ahead of the closest competitor. The two Ford Focus RSs shared by these drivers were genuinely a sight to behold. Father-and-son duo Charles and Shelton Wright finished first and second in class in their Focus RS, with Shelton driving impressively fast to come from behind on day two for the overall win.
The top three drivers in Prepared Front Wheel Drive drove exceptionally clean all weekend, with a mere single cone hit over 33 runs between them. Jason Fuller drove his borrowed Honda Civic to a first-place finish, keeping the Ford Fiesta of Matt Tompson and the Acura Integra of Christian Retterer at bay.
In the Truck Mod class, Steve Cerqueria drove his Ford Ranger to a narrow win over Preston Niebuhr by only 0.168sec over the course of two days. Truck Mod is a Regional class started by the TVR Region to allow a place for two-wheel-drive trucks to compete – think of it as “spec mini truck.” The class has seen some of the closest competition the Region has to offer, with drivers at each event.
Check out the event results for all the action.
One More, Then Championship Time
Up next on the RallyCross National Tour is the Aug. 30-Sept. 1 stop at Jackson County Junior Fairgrounds in Cottageville, W VA. Hosted by Southern West Virginia Region, this is the last chance for RallyCrossers to get National-level wheel time before the RallyCross National Championship.
Speaking of which, the 2024 RallyCross National Championship takes place Oct. 17-20 at Hollytree Offroad. The event isn’t sold out yet, but it’s getting close, so register now to reserve your spot.
