Richfield's Bilicki taking in historic event at Road America

Daily News (West Bend, Wis.)
Published: Sept. 20, 2013

By NICHOLAS DETTMANN
Daily News Sports Editor

ELKHART LAKE — Josh Bilicki’s biggest worry at 4 years old wasn’t about when to take the training wheels off his bike. It was to get maximum speed on the straightaway and the corners in a go-kart that could reach speeds of at least 30 mph.
That’s right. At 4 years old, Bilicki, an 18-year-old native of Richfield and 2013 Slinger High School graduate, was racing before the training wheels came off his bike.
“I knew how to drive a go-kart before I could ride a bike,” he said with a smile.
Bilicki is one of three drivers from Washington County competing in the historic SCCA National Championship Runoffs at Road America, which start today. It is the 50th anniversary of the event and it’ll be the last time the event will be held at Road America, which has hosted it since 2009. Next year, the event will be at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California, followed by Daytona in 2015 and Mid-Ohio Sportscar Course in 2016.
With all the historical significance surrounding the race, Bilicki believes it’s almost imperative to have a good weekend. His goal is to finish in the top 15.
He will start today’s race today in 38th.
“I didn’t get that great of a qualifying position,” Bilicki said. “But everybody was slower today because it was humid out. The engine just didn’t put out as much horsepower. But I know I can move up.”
Also competing from the county is Hubertus’ Greg Gauper in the H-Production class and Erin’s Dave Yahn in the Spec Racer Ford class.
Gauper was the regular season champion in 2012 in his class and won the Runoffs in 2011. He will start today’s race sixth.
The SCCA championship points season allows drivers throughout the country to compete in an attempt to qualify for this event. Then once at the event, it’s all or nothing. This is the SCCA’s Super Bowl.
Past winners of this race include 1986 Indianapolis 500 champion Bobby Rahal, Roger Penske, actor/driver Paul Newman and Mark Donohue to name a few.
There are almost 700 drivers in the event amongst 28 classes of various sports cars.
Bilicki will compete in the Spec Miata division, which has a record 70 cars registered for the race. In Bilicki’s first Runoffs last year, there were 25.
“It’ll be chaotic, especially if it rains,” he said.
“Top 15 will be nice,” he added. “There’s a lot of fast guys here.”
Another driver to watch is Jim Downing of Atlanta.
Downing, who is competing in the C Sports Racing class this weekend, was the polesitter for the first Runoffs in 1964 at Riverside International Raceway in California. He competed in the Formula Vee class and finished 10th. This will be his 11th start at the Runoffs. Last year, he finished third in the CSR class.
He still can’t believe he’s racing because when he started at 21, his only goal was to just make the next race.
“It’s ridiculous,” he said when asked about what 50 years of racing meant to him.
It played out well for him as he won five series championships with the International Motor Sports Association and won 41 races.
Downing has also been a life-saver off the track as he was one of the co-inventors of the head-and-neck restraint system, the HANS device, which minimizes drivers’ head movement inside a car, especially during a crash.
Fourteen years after learning to whip through corners and soar down straightaways, Bilicki is still racing, even teaching people twice his age.
“At first it was a little different,” Bilicki said. “But all of the guys are awesome. I meet a lot of cool people.”
Bilicki got started in racing because his father, Mike, was racing and still is. Mike Bilicki races a 1965 Ford Mustang with the Vintage Sports Car Drivers Association.
Being that the young Bilicki is a racing teacher at Road America and it is so close to home, nothing would mean more to him than a victory this weekend. In 2008, he had one of his racing highlights — winning the 2008 Supernationals at Road America, a go-kart event on the 4-mile road course.
“I was never scared,” he said of racing a go-kart at 4 years old.
Next month, he has a test session scheduled with a USF2000 open-wheel Indycar in New Jersey. He likes racing sports cars because of its wheel-to-wheel competitiveness, but will consider other options, if they come up.
“I want to make a career out of racing,” Bilicki said.
“Next year we’d like to find sponsorship so we can race Trans-Am (Series),” he added. “I like to keep my opportunities open.”