SRA-West Formula Sidecars Preview The 2011 Season The SRA-West Formula Sidecar series begins this weekend at Willow Springs Raceway March 19-20. The off season has brought some changes, and it will be exciting to see who’s efforts in the garage pay off the most. Defending champions Team Becker Moto Works spent much of the winter months preparing other team’s machines, as well as beginning production of a several vintage-spec BMW powered sidecars. Still, they managed to add an active cooling system to their rear brake, which should help them immensely at the tighter tracks on the 2011 schedule. Last year’s second place Team Johnny Killmore made a geometry change to their Windle/Suzuki, hoping to cure a persistent instability under braking. However, lack of pre-season testing leaves a question mark over their heads going into the season. The biggest buzz in the sidecar paddock though is by far from Wood Brothers Racing. The duo of Chris and Phillip Wood made their debut last year in a wild 2-stroke powered machine, but were plagued all season with technical glitches and bad luck. Wiping the slate clean for 2011, the pair will field a New Zealand-built A.R.T. chassis with Suzuki GSX-R1000 power. The all-aluminum monocoque chassis will no doubt take some getting used to, but much is expected from this new team as the season progresses. The series also welcomes back Bad Cat Racing of Santa Cruz, California, who were noticeably absent in the latter half of 2010. Driver Mike Jones will be working with a new passenger, and several teams are surely hoping to take advantage of the situation. Among them is Team Roadkill Racers, who have made geometry and suspension changes to their Spike Taylor/ Yamaha machine. Veteran passenger Gary McEwen will team with driver Sean Bakken to make the assault on the 2011 championship. The 8-event calendar will take the SRA-West throughout California, Nevada, and Utah. Racing will center around Willow Springs Raceway, utilizing the 2.5 mile main course, but also the tighter, 1.8 mile Streets Of Willow course with host club WSMC. Following the success of 2010, the SRA-West will add a second date at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s Classic Course, running with WERA both times. Rounding out the venues for 2011 will be the East Course at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah. Running with ARHMA, the Bonneville Vintage GP always brings a large grid of vintage and modern sidecars. Onboard again for 2011 as a series supporter is Barnett Tool And Engineering (www.barnettclutches.com) and Cycle Gear (www.cyclegear.com). The SRA-West would like to thank them again for their loyalty and support, as well as host clubs WSMC, ARHMA, and WERA. With so many changes in the field, the SRA-West looks to have a fresh and exciting year ahead of them! For the full 2011 calendar, visit www.sra-west.us. The SRA-West is owned and operated by Sidecar Racers Association Inc.; a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and support of sidecar racing and racers.