When you think of San Diego you might think of beautiful weather, great beaches, and fantastic California Burritos. It鈥檚 SoCal living as one might expect, but has a more laid back flavor.
Autocrossers come here for another reason: San Diego鈥檚 Qualcomm Stadium (formally known as Jack Murphy Stadium) as it boasts one of the largest and most unique lots in the country.
Traditionally, Qualcomm hosts the Championship Tour on the larger section of the West Lot. The SCCA National Office brought a slight change to the schedule this year and gave San Diego the Match Tour, a new and fun format for those looking to ease their way into national level events. Dubbed the 鈥淥ceanside Showdown鈥�, San Diego Match Tour is slated to run on the Southeast Lot. Drivers will need to set their cars up for a more even surface compared to the much bumpier and rougher West Lot.
Aside from racing, there are a lot of options for those looking to change gears before the weekend of fun.
For the inner Safari-adventurer, check out some pretty awesome animals at the world famous San Diego Zoo. Want to go check out some polar bears or make a splash with Shamu instead? Check out Sea World located only a 15 minutes from the stadium. If you have little ones that love to build things, consider checking out Legoland at Carlsbad. If hiking is your thing, there are many trails around the county, about a half an hours drive from the venue (some of which even go along the beach).
San Diego boasts loads of great restaurants, many of which are a short drive from the stadium. If you鈥檙e feeling a bit fancier, check out any of the fine dining establishments in San Diego鈥檚 historic Gaslamp District. For those looking to sample some delicious micro-brews you鈥檙e in luck! San Diego is home to Ballast Point, Stone Brewing, Twisted Manzanita, and Indian Joe Brewing, just to name a few.
If you're looking to get your feet wet at a national level event without breaking the bank (it鈥檚 only $80 as opposed to the $100+ for a Championship Tour), get more runs (you get to run both days regardless of how you do on the first day), and just focus on growing as a driver over the weekend, this is the event for you. If competition is your thing, you鈥檒l find plenty of it, but let鈥檚 not forget that you鈥檙e going to be meeting new people and making new friends. Be sure to sign up today. I鈥檓 looking forward to writing about all the all action for this event and may even include you! Side note - I accept California Burritos as payment. See you in grid!