Welcome to the April 5 2026 PHA Newsletter! Even though it’s early in the season, PHA has a lot going on.  Our first event is less than a week away.

I’ve decided to try a new format for these types of announcements. In addition to messages sent to the email list and posted to all of the regular places,  a newsletter format allows me to make several announcements at once.  When I do release a newsletter, I’ll be posting it here as well. I do recommend subscribing to the email list for more timely notifications:

https://pahillclimb.org/mailing-list/

On Tue April 7, 7-8PM, Rich Rock and Grace Huntzinger will be guests on The Racing Line on WVLT 92.1 FM, hosted by Bill Von Suskil. Be sure to tune in.

Pocono Track Sprint, the first event in the 2026 PHA Championship Series, is next weekend — April 11-12. Currently, entries are only at 53, so let’s get that entry count up!

Jefferson Time Attack, the second event in the PHA Championship Series, will be held May 23-24 (Memorial Day Weekend) at Summit Point Motorsports Park, Summit Point, WV. A decision on whether or not to hold this event will be made on April 20, and will be based on number of entries and sponsorship funds. Help keep this event alive by registering early!

PHA will be at the Carlisle Import and Performance Show May 15-16 (Fri-Sat). This is one of our biggest promotional events of the year, and we need your car for our display.

For more details on these events, keep reading…

The Racing Line

On Tuesday April 7 from 7-8 PM ET, Rich Rock and Grace Huntzinger will be joining Bill Von Suskil, host of The Racing Line, to talk about the PHA Championship Series and hillclimbing in general. The Racing Line is a weekly talk show that is broadcast by WVLT 92.1 FM every Tuesday Night from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and is devoted to all types of auto racing.

WVLT 92.1 is based in Vineland, NJ, and serves South Jersey, the Delaware Valley, and parts of Philadelphia.  You can tune into WVLT 92.1 FM, or listen online at www.wvlt.com or www.sjr-scca.org.

If you miss the live broadcast, you can listen to a rebroadcast of The Racing Line show at selected times on www.performancemotorsportsnetwork.com. Or visit Bill’s website, www.theracinglineradio.com.

Pocono Track Sprint

The 2026 Pocono Track Sprint will be held April11-12, 2026 at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, PA.  Registration is online only via motorsportreg.

Photo credits: Daily Driving / Hashira DD

A track map can be found on the Pocono Raceway Website. We will be running the North Course, Option 1.

Cars running in the Time Trial National classes are invited to participate in this event (in addition to the regular PHA classes). For cars running in SCCA National TT classes, safety requirements are as per the SCCA National TT rules. This means that if your daily driver is eligible for one of the National TT classes, it can be entered to compete at this event.

Note that for cars running in PHA classes, safety requirements are still per the PHA Supplemental rules. For more information on safety requirements and car classing, see the Rules page on the PHA website.

The Pocono event format is a Track Sprint, which means we have a start and finish line, and won’t be running laps. It’s similar to a high speed autocross, but without cones. Maybe a better description is a horizontal hillclimb.

We do allow multiple cars on track at the same time, but passing is not allowed. The release of each car is timed to prevent catch ups, but if you do catch up to the car in front of you, you’ll be given a re-run. Like an autocross or a hillclimb, you will get as many timed runs as possible, and your fastest run is the one that counts for the weekend. At the Fall Pocono event (our first one back at this track for many years), 28 runs were offered, and we had close to 80 entries.

This event is a great format to test a race car. Many of us love having a track event at the beginning of the season so that we can test out the upgrades we made over the winter and shake our cars out before the first hillclimb.

This event is also a great format to try a track event without having to invest in a full race car. It can help you learn whether hillclimbing or even road racing is something for you.

Jefferson Time Attack

The 2026 Jefferson Time Attack event will be held May 23-24 2026 (Memorial Day Weekend) at Summit Point Motorsports Park. Registration for this event is open on motorsportreg.

Photo credits: Bob Helton

We will be running the long course at Jefferson. A course map and other course information can be found on the Jefferson Circuit Course Description page on the PHA website.

As with all of our track events, cars running in the Time Trial National classes are invited to participate in this event (in addition to the PHA classes).

For cars running in SCCA National TT classes, safety requirements are as per the SCCA National TT rules. This means that if your daily driver is eligible for one of the National TT classes, it can be entered to compete at this event.

For cars running in PHA classes, safety requirements are per the PHA Supplemental rules.

For more information on safety requirements and car classing, see the Rules page on the PHA website.

NOTE: Summit Point Motorsport Park does not allow EV or EV Hybrid cars on track.

The format for this event is a Time Attack.  Groups of 3 cars will be sent on track with staggered releases to prevent catch ups, and each car will be able to make two timed full laps. As with our Track Sprint events, this event is a great way to try out one of our events without having to invest in a full race car.

IMPORTANT: This event is still labeled as tentative. Due to rising track costs, this event is in danger of being cancelled. A final decision regarding this event will be made on April 20, 2026. The outcome depends on the number of entries and the total amount of sponsorship funds received by BMR as of that date.

If you plan to participate, please register as soon as possible after registration opens on April 1.

Interested in supporting the event as a sponsor? Please send your sponsorship check payable to BMR SCCA to the treasurer, Mike Daley. For Mike’s mailing address, reach out to Rich Rock or Grace Huntzinger — contact details can be found on the Contacts page of the PHA website.

If the event does not take place, any registration and sponsorship fees will be refunded.

Carlisle Import/Performance Show

Registration for the PHA Race Car Paddock display at the 2026 Carlisle Import and Performance Nationals is open. The show will be held Friday May 15 – Saturday May 16.

Since 2006, the PHA has enjoyed a major presence at this show. Our display has served well to publicize and promote the PHA as well as the events in the PHA Championship Series. In addition, it is a lot of fun!

The PHA Display – aka the Race Car Paddock – always attracts hundreds of visitors. The Race Car Paddock will be located in Building R and surrounding spaces (under a tent) again this year. Building R is just north of the vendor/swap meet area on the west side of the fairgrounds.

Thanks to our volunteers, our visitors learn who we are and what we do. Our display includes constantly running video, printed literature, a staffed information table, and a large and attractive display of PHA race cars along with their (equally attractive of course) drivers and crew.

And that is where you come in. Our race cars and members have always been the most popular and interesting part of our exhibition. We need a minimum of 25 PHA cars, but more would be better. In addition, if you have some time to stay and interact with visitors, you will help make our display even more interesting.

Please come and display your car and enjoy the rest of the show. Participation is completely free, including entries for car owner and crew, and space for your race car, tow vehicle and trailer. Camping is available for anyone who wishes to stay overnight. The signup link and instructions can be found on the Current Schedule/Results page of the PHA website:

https://pahillclimb.org/schedule-results/

For questions, contact Brian Serfass at abserfass@gmail.com.