MOTOR RACING / SHAV GLICK : After a Big Season, Schmidt Is Driven to an Even Bigger One

G.R. Schmidt, a Cal Club racer from Acton, was honored last year as driver of the year for the Sports Car Club of America’s Southern Pacific region. This year he wants an SCCA national championship.

Schmidt, 36, drives a 1991 Camaro in the Showroom Stock GT class. So far this season he has won five of five national events, setting track records in four of them, and has clinched the Southern Pacific class championship and qualified for the Valvoline Runoffs Oct. 10-18 at Road Atlanta.

Last year he was selected as driver of the year among more than 1,000 Cal Club racers. The award is based on driving improvement, overall image and professionalism on the national and regional level.

Schmidt, whose given name is Galen, won the regional championship, finished fourth in national points and was eighth at the Atlanta runoffs.

“I’ve been running Cal Club races for three years, but I’ve been racing one place or another for about 15 years,” he said. “I started out running on dirt and asphalt ovals in the Midwest before I moved to California from Nebraska in 1974.

“I tried racing NASCAR sportsman cars at Saugus and Ascot before it closed, but I was never more than a mid-pack runner. I even tried off-road and drove in a Baja 500 one year.”

His career really took off this season. Schmidt set track records at Willow Springs, Phoenix International Raceway’s road course, Las Vegas Raceway and Holtville Raceway. He also won at Firebird Raceway, near Phoenix.

At Willow Springs, which he calls his home course, Schmidt averaged 91 m.p.h. over the nine-turn, 2 1/2-mile circuit, reaching 120 m.p.h. on the straightaway.

Before the Atlanta runoffs, Schmidt will drive his Camaro in one more national series at Willow Springs, a Pontiac Firebird in a three-hour International Motor Sports Assn. enduro Aug. 8 at Watkins Glen, N.Y., and a Pontiac Trans-Am in the Toyota Super Production series in two races at Willow Springs.

“My No. 1 goal is to win the runoffs at Atlanta, but I like to keep busy racing something as often as I can,” Schmidt said.

“My business (Specialties Inc.) helps me keep in touch with the GM motorsports program because we prepare and transport autos for TV commercials and one of our clients is Pontiac,” he said.

Next year, Schmidt hopes to run a GTO Camaro in the IMSA series.

“I’d like to go to IMSA with the (Super Stock GT) championship,” he said. “That would really cap off the year.”

Briefly

STOCK CARS--Grand American modifieds, street stocks and hobby stocks will compete Saturday night at Saugus Speedway in a Winston Racing Series program. . . . NASCAR sportsman cars will headline the Saturday night show at Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino. . . . Late models will run Saturday night at Santa Maria Speedway and Bakersfield Speedway in Oildale.

MIDGETS--The San Bernardino County Fair in Victorville will hold what is believed to be its first auto race Friday night when United States Auto Club three-quarter midgets run in a championship program. The track, an eighth-mile oval, is normally used for speedway motorcycle racing. Friday is the opening night of the 10-day fair. The full midgets are on a swing through Colorado and Kansas and will return Aug. 22 at Ventura.

SPRINT CARS--California Racing Assn. drivers will try their hand at pavement racing Saturday at Cajon Speedway in El Cajon. Vintage cars and Formula Vees are also on the program. Pavement specialist Davey Hamilton of Boise, Ida., will be in the Morales Bros. Tamale Wagon. Hamilton holds the Cajon track record.

SPORTS CARS--The Porsche Owners Club will hold an Invitational Driving Challenge this weekend at Willow Springs Raceway in Rosamond. Featured will be a relay involving six-car teams open to all makes of sports cars. The charity event will benefit the Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities.

SPEEDWAY BIKES--Qualifying rounds for the U.S. Nationals on Oct. 3 at Costa Mesa begin with competition Friday night at Auburn and Saturday night at Sacramento. Fourteen of the 16 starting positions in the nationals will be determined in the six-race series. The two others will by filled by American riders from the British League.

OFF-ROAD--The High Desert Racing Assn. has called off its scheduled event Aug. 14-16 at Brian Head, Utah, because of permit difficulties with the National Forest Service. The next HDRA event is the Gold Coast 300 in Las Vegas, Oct. 9-11.

MISCELLANY--Maury Kraines has resigned as co-owner of the Galles-Kraco Indy car team but Kraines’ Kraco company will remain a sponsor of the car driven by Al Unser Jr. and owned by Rick Galles. . . . Al Teague, holder of the world land-speed record for piston-driven cars, warmed up for the 25th Bonneville Speed Week starting Aug. 16 with a run of 418 m.p.h. last week at the salt flats.