1979 MCSCC Driver of the Year - Richard Ellingson
1979 MCSCC Formula Atlantic Champion – Richard Ellingson
1980 MCSCC Formula Atlantic Champion – Richard Ellingson
2003 MCSCC Rookie of the Year – Brad Ellingson
2004 SCCA Central Division Club Formula Continental Champion – Brad Ellingson
2006 SCCA Central Division Club Formula Continental Champion – Brad Ellingson
2006 SCCA Club Formula Continental Track Record - Blackhawk Farms – Brad Ellingson
2006 SCCA Club Formula Continental Track Record - The Milwaukee Mile – Brad Ellingson
2010 SCCA Central Division Formula F Champion – Brad Ellingson
2010 SCCA Formula F Track Record – The Milwaukee Mile – Brad Ellingson
7 full seasons of racing with 5 championships in 3 different open wheel classes
3 track records in two different open wheel classes
Wins in 6 different open wheel classes – Formula Atlantic, Formula Continental, Club Formula Continental, Formula Ford, Club Formula Ford and Formula F

What started out as a season of promise and excitement turned to one of major disappointment, then back to excitement, and what a ride it was! At the end of last season I was approached by a team to drive their D Sports Racer in the SCCA National series with the sights set on qualifying for the SCCA National Championship Runoffs. The winter was spent on the phones trying to secure funding and parts for the car. I spent no time on my own car assuming I would be driving for someone else. As the season approached, I went for a seat fitting and helped get the car ready. I did my usual stint as an instructor at the April driver’s school and watched the first regional race instead of racing in it.

I then, got the call saying it didn’t look like we would be able to put together a proper effort to get to the National Championship race. I suggested we take the money we had raised and do a couple of regional races. The benefit would be two fold, the team would get exposure and I would get valuable seat time. It seemed as though the team was interested in this option. Five days before the second regional race of the season, I got a call saying the team had decided to sell the car, leaving me without a ride and my own car unprepared for the season. I was crushed. The upcoming race was a 4 race format and at that point I just wanted to do enough races to keep my license. I made a call to my friend John Taylor who has a Reynard Formula Ford. I inquired if the car would be available for the 4 race weekend. He told me to get my car down to his shop and that we were going racing in 5 days….in my car.

You can read more on that weekend below….I see I’ve gotten a little off topic here. Well after winning the 4 races, I looked at the schedule and saw that the next race was Milwaukee. I like racing at that track and the entry for this particular race, for me, was already paid for, so…we loaded up and went to Milwaukee and won two more races and set a track record (you can read more about that below too). I looked at points and the schedule. After starting 24 points in the hole, I found myself with a 20 point lead in the Championship. I talked to my family and the decision was made to make the trip up to Brainerd, MN. for another 4 race weekend. Decent success coupled with one of my competitors crashing his car had me with an even bigger points lead.

The next race was at Road America and I decided with my lead to skip the event banking that my points lead would hold. I attended the event with my wife and two boys. I got to visit with some friends who I wouldn’t normally get to spend too much time with on a regular race weekend. I also discovered one of my competitors showed up unannounced. Drat, this will have championship points implications. It was a small field already and with a couple of cars experiencing mechanical failures, my points lead had shrunk to just 38 with 56 available for the rest of the season.

Back to the headline. The race Aug 7th - 8th would also be at Road America. My plan was to finish well enough to only have to race one day. As we rolled out for qualifying, I was confident in a good finish. That was until I got to turn 10 of the 14 turn course and it felt like I was running on just 3 cylinders. It felt like that because I was. We had a plug wire come off. Thanks to the quick work of Bruce Lindstrand of Lindstrand Motorsports (www.lindstrandmotorsports.com), we were back out and were able to secure P2. Something didn’t feel right in the car though and after further inspection we found that we had broken a rear sway bar. That is an item we don’t have any extras of so we were forced to run with no rear bar. I finally got a good start and before turn 1 found myself leading but the pole sitter was right on my tail. As we rounded turn 14 and made our way up the front stretch, I knew the draft was working against me and that I would eventually get passed. No worries, it was a 12 lap race and I anticipated this would go back and forth. I did lead the first lap, but that would also be the last lap I’d lead. As the race went on the car got more and more difficult to drive at speed. The leader and I had pulled enough of a lead that I had a bit of a cushion on P3, but with the car handling like it was, that cushion was gone and by lap 9 and I got passed putting me down to P3. To my surprise though, I got the position back the next lap when P2’s car just quit and he pulled off course. Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good I guess. The race wasn’t over by any stretch though as there was another car hot on my tail. We did survive to finish in P2 and clinch the 2010 SCCA Central Division Formula F Championship.

Thankfully we did clinch as the car was not fun to drive with the broken sway bar and as we pulled into the pits after the race, we ruptured a clutch line. I felt as though someone was telling me it would be a good idea to put the car back on the trailer and be done with the season. I was actually happy to do so. A bit of trivia for you, I have raced three full seasons with the SCCA and have won championships in all three seasons in two different classes. In those three seasons, I have also set three track records at two different tracks in two different classes. It’s been a great season thanks to my family, friends and sponsors!! Thank you dad, Robin, Anthony, Alex, Two Dogg, Inc., SBS Batteries, Ranger Up, Red Line Photo and my “fan club” Beth and David!

We have a few things in the works for next season so stay tuned. If you’d like to get involved, please send me an email.

-Brad

My dad and I made the tow up to Brainerd, MN. to participate in the first SCCA event at the Brainerd International Raceway in 9 years. A bit of a haul from Madison, WI, but traffic wasn't bad even with it being a holiday weekend.

My first impression upon arrival was that we'd never find a place to park. The paddock was packed as we were sharing the facility with the drag racers for the weekend. We found a patch of grass, near the grid, dropped the trailer and took a look around. I'd instructed at the BIR Performance Driving School a few years ago but hadn't been on the new track. We watched a bit of testing and called it a day.

Saturday morning we were paid a visit by former Indycar driver, Herm Johnson, who took me for a lap of the track. Within a couple of laps in our first session, I felt comfortable. The car seemed pretty loose but I chalked that up to a dusty track. At session's end, I had qualified P2. The start of our first race was around 10:30 that morning. I was running P3 when I noticed a car off in the weeds and up against the wall. It was the second place Swift of Steve Barkley, who is second in the points and with whom I had an awesome battle with at Blackhawk Farms. Steve was okay but, unfortunately, I don't expect that car will see the track again for quite awhile. After a couple of laps, I also noticed it was getting harder to keep the back end of my car from becoming the front end. I struggled for a couple of laps then conceded the position and settled for P3.

Race 2 of the day had us gridded by our finish position from the previous race. We donned a newer set of tires and the car was MUCH better. I was able to pass for P2 but seemed to lose A LOT of ground to P1 on the long stretches of track. At the end of the day we settled for third and second place finishes and extended our lead in the season championship.

I woke up Sunday morning to a monsoon. We arrived at the track after making a quick stop at the local WalMart to buy my dad a rain suit. The rain stopped about 15 minutes before the start of the Group 1 race. They all went out on full rain tires. COme time for our race we had to decide if the track was still wet enough for rains. I decided to gamble that the track was dry enough and put on the slicks.

The pole sitter arrived to the grid on full rains. Of course at the start, he took off like a rocket. I took it easy for a couple of laps while I figured out just how hard I could push. I easily passed for P3 and within another lap dispatched P2 and set my sites on the leader. I easily ran him down but was cautious trying to pass him after seeing him take some unusual lines and make some aggressive lane changes. He would also walk away from me on the long straights. On the last lap I was able to pass him, but in the next corner he made a dive bomb, tire smoking pass. Had I turned in on my normal line, we both would have been fixing racecars. With the championship in mind, I decided it would be better to settle for P2.

The second race of the day and again I was on the front row. It was a drag race to the very low speed first corner. Something told me to check my mirrors before turning in. It was a good thing I did! The driver in about P5 decided to try to win the race right then and there. Another instance where not turning in when I was supposed to saved several racecars. Had I, at least four of use would have been ordering parts. I came out on the short end of it all too, all the way back to P5. I got around P4 and P3 right away and was off chasing P2. After a couple of laps I was able to take the position. Unfortunately, a few corners later I had a rocker pedestal bolt break leaving me with only 3 cylinders worth of power. Race over.

All in all it was a pretty good weekend. Most of the guys raced clean and were fun to race with. I did have several people come and tell me I should have won that third race but made the right decision by not pushing the issue. "Win at all costs" was how the other driver was described to me. No room for that in regional racing in my opinion. I also had several ask why his engine sound so much different than everyone else's. Things that make you go hmmmmm...

Not sure what is in store for us next. We'll get the engine fixed and see if we can't find some more sponsorship to help us make another race or two. Stay tuned.

Thank you to Sherri Leu for providing the picture for this post!!
- Brad

I wanted to make mention of a couple of new supporters. First is Red Line Photo and the other is Storage Battery Systems. I appreciate your support!! Check out their sites through my Ad Partners page.
- Brad

What a weekend!! We picked up right where we left off from the last outing. This weekend would be MUCH more relaxed though with only two races over two days. Saturday morning qualifying was first. I hadn't been to this track since 2006 and it was in a different car. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a little smoother than it was four years ago. I went out, put my head down and got to work. We were grouped with some cars that we don't usually run with. They were faster D Sports Racers and Formula Continentals which both have larger engines that what my car has. We also were grouped with the Spec Racer Fords as well as Club Formula Fords, Formula Vee and Formula First Cars. At the end of qualifying, I found myself on the pole position...not just in class, but over all. What a great feeling that was. It was my first ever pole position. I'm thrilled that it happened at such a historic track on such a historic weekend. The Indy cars traditionally ran here the week after The Indianapolis 500.

We lined up to race in the afternoon. I am pretty sure that the thrill of being on the pole got the best of me as when the green flag dropped people started passing me like i wasn't moving at all. Before the first corner, I was already back in fourth place. Leading was Jim Roemer in his much faster Formula Continental and he would go on to win in his class and overall. The other two cars ahead of me were John Spinello in his Reynard Formula Ford and Del Bardell in his Tiga Club Formula Ford. I was able to track down Spinello within a lap or two and then set my sights on Bardell. Catching him was one thing....getting around quite another. Not really many good places to pass on the infield section of this track. I knew if I were to get by him, I'd have to do it on the oval. I got a good run on him just before getting on to the main straight and as we got in to the braking zone, I was able to out brake him and make the pass. He later shared with me that he didn't even realize that I was there. I was able to pull away after getting around him and crossed the line in P2 over all but P1 in my class for my fifth win of the season.

Sunday brought us a fresh track with the rain the night before. I wasn't sure the track would be any faster especially with the wind. I was wrong though. I went out for qualifying and in my second lap I turned my fastest time. I did a few more laps in traffic and then another flyer and my lap timer said I was on pole position. I decided after 7 laps that I would take my chances with the time I had already set and parked the car. I was beaten to the pole by Bardell who, in his 20th of 21 laps was able to turn a faster time. That put me on outside pole for the race.

Coming up to the green, I was paying a bit more attention. Being on the outside though, I had to give up the first corner to Bardell. I followed close and as we got back out on the oval, I could see I was reeling him in. Coming off the last corner, I had a great run and was able to make the pass without much trouble and pulled away after that. Wow....now I was leading overall...first time for that too. I lead for 6 laps or so until Roemer and the D Sports Racer of Andy Graff got around me. I ran pretty much by myself for most of the race. Towards the end I could tell that my tires were about shot and could see Bardell gaining. I was able to hold station and finish third overall but first in class for my sixth win in six races this season. The icing on the cake came when the official results came out and it showed that I had set a NEW TRACK RECORD!! I now hold track records in two different classes at The Milwaukee Mile. I certainly couldn't have done this without the support of my family and sponsors. Thank you to all of you!!

Now comes the hard part. I need to find some additional partners to help me run the rest of the season. Next up for us will be another four race weekend in Brainerd, MN. over the July 4th weekend. If you are interested, please contact me!!

What a start to a season!! 5 days before this event, I was informed that the team I had been planning to run with was selling the car, leaving me with an unprepared car of my own to deal with. A quick call to Two Dogg, Inc. and a late night trip to the shop was in order. I hadn't been in the seat of my car since winning a Midwestern Council sanctioned event in August of 2009. This race weekend was a little different than most. Instead of the usual two races over two days, we would do two races EACH day. Due to the compressed schedule, there would be no practice, just a qualifying session and then the first race. Your finishing position would then determine where you would start for the second race. At the end of qualifying, I found myself in P3 overall and the fastest of the Formula Fords. At the start the two fast cars in front took off leaving those of us in the Formula Ford and Club Formula Ford classes to fight. My battle would be with the Club Ford of Phil Kingham. I would get around him after a few laps but he would find a way back around me a few laps later and that's how we would finish. I ended up P4 overall and P1 in class for my first SCCA win the Formula Ford.

Race two of the day and another terrible start. I dropped two positions right away. It was time to run down the Club Ford of Kingham and the Formula Ford of Steve Barkley. Barkley and I both got around Kingham and went on to battle amongst ourselves. Laps went by and I noticed that I was getting a little better run coming out of the last turn. I'd pull out to pass Barkely but was finding that out of the draft, he could stay ahead. I finally made my move and out braked him going into turn 1 and made the pass stick en route to my second win of the day.

Sunday was like Saturday all over again. Qualifying was pretty uneventful but another terrible start had me back in fifth again. I was able to get around Kingham, but this time Barkley and I would battle lap after lap, wheel to wheel, literally inches apart. I'll post some pictures taken by Nick at Red Line Photo. We drove side by side through turn 1 several times both trusting the other to not spin or drive wide. After several laps I finally made the pass stick and started to drive away. At the end, I was P3 over all and P1 in Formula Ford. Chalk up win number 3 of the season. After the race, you couldn't have wiped the smiles of either Barkley's or my face. We both agreed that it was the most fun race we have ever had. Unfortunately, a few laps after passing Barkley, he had a shift linkage issue and had to drop out of the race, which forced him to start dead last on the field for the second race of the day.

I thought I'd be starting P3 for the final race of the weekend but the faster D Sports Racer of Craig Bradley decided to pack it up and go home moving me to outside pole. I turned out to be a pretty uneventful final race, which was just fine by me. I logged my fourth win of the weekend and after starting 24 points in the whole, found myself just 8 points out of first place in the championship. Thanks to everyone who made this weekend so special!! Next up...The Milwaukee Mile!!

After a couple of seasons that saw me sitting on the sidelines rather than in the cockpit, I'm back. I'll be updating this a bit more regularly as I plan to make a run for the SCCA Central Division Regional FF Championship. I didn't plan to race my car this season at all, but after the team I was to drive for decided, just before the season started, to sell the car, I had to scramble. So...stop back often and enjoy the ride.
- Brad

Back running with the SCCA at the 2nd round of the East/West Challenge series. The famed Firecracker regional is where I first ran this car one year ago...and didn't do so well. Looking to redeem myself I was psyched up and ready to go. The first qualifying session was very wet, yet most of us decided to go out on slicks. It was quite slippery but we still managed to be the fastest in the Formula Ford class and 2nd overall. I really wonder how that guy would have faired had he not been on rain tires. At the end of the second qualifying session we were still second quick but seemed to have that electrical issue again. Finally traced it to a loose ground wire. With that fixed, it was on to the race. I dropped one position at the start but got it back quickly and went to chase down the leader. I wasn't able to track him down before the end of the race, but was very pleased with a second place finish.

Sunday came with better weather. I was excited that I was on new tires and had no known car issues. As I rolled out for the first qualifying session, I was stopped by a grid worker. Seems as the left rear wheel was wobbling a bit. I got out and with some help, took the wheel off and put it back on, thinking it didn't get seated initially. I take off again...still wobbly. I sent my dad for a new wheel and out we went. I got 4 qualifying laps but still managed P3. No wheel issues in the second qualifying. Faster lap times, but no position improvement. Race time and I drop a position on the start. No big deal...it's an 18 lap race and I can learn by watching the guys in front of me. After a few laps, I decide to make my move only to get chopped going into turn 1. I back off a bit and run the guy down again. I decide to make my move and get chopped again...nice. About 8 laps from the end, I feel that something isn't right in the back end so I back off a bit. At the checkered flag I am P4. Looking at the car after the race I discovered that I had broken a wheel stud. Probably a good thing the race ended when it did. Probably the end of the season for us as we are making our plans for next season.

The end of June saw us returning to where my racing career all started. I entered a race with the Midwestern Council sanctioning body. I started racing with them in 2003, winning Rookie of the Year. Midwestern Council runs their events as single day events. The first practice was spent getting used to the car again. I hadn't been in it since July of 2007. The weather had been questionable for a few days and this day was no different. After the qualifying session, we were P1 in Formula Ford by nearly 3 seconds.

As race time approached, the weather took a turn. On and off showers seemed to be the order of the day. These are the most frustrating of conditions as you don't know if you need to change to rain tires or stay with slicks. Talking with the guy who qualified P2 in Formula Ford, Allen Wheatcroft, I suggested a gentlemen's agreement that we go out on the same tires and fight from there. It ended up that we both rolled to grid on slicks. 5 minutes before the start of the race...another period of rain. It stopped before the end of the pace lap but it was enough to make people nervous.

The green flag dropped and off we went. I stayed with the lead 6 cars, fighting for P6 overall with Eric Sandsnes in his Sports 2000. By lap 3 we had pulled away from the rest of the field. I ended up passing Eric when he cooked it going into the last corner of the course. He eventually got back around me when I started to have electrical issues. Unfortunately, I didn't have enough of a lead on P2 to take the win but did end up finishing second. This was a good tune up for the next SCCA event, The Firecracker regional.

If you are looking for a place to take your car to see what it can do, let me recommend the BIR Performance Driving school. Located at the Brainerd International Raceway in Brainerd, MN., the school allows anyone to bring their street car or rent one of the school's Spec Racers. I was recently asked by my friend and former Indy 500 driver, Herm Johnson, to help instruct at the school. It was a 6+ hour haul, up there but well worth it.

Thanks to Lead Instructor Gary Curtis for allowing me to come help out. Thanks to Jon Belanger for putting me in a couple of the Spec Racers during the day and thanks to the BIR Performance Driving School staff for making me feel welcome. I had a great time! If you are looking for track time, to improve your driving skills or just see what your car is capable of in a safe and legal place, it's well worth the money. Check out their web site at http://www.birperformance.com/.

The first race of the season in in the books. We ended up finishing a somewhat disappointing 8th out of 11 cars. The weekend started with the Friday test day. Last season I was turning 1.15 second laps at Blackhawk Farms in the middle of July. I sort of expected that the lap times would be comparable. I was a little disappointed to see high 1.16 second laps more the norm. That certainly wasn't going to get it done at a National. Saturday was our qualifying day. The first session was a bit crowded as we were out with both the Formula Vee and Formula 500 classes. It was difficult for everyone to get a good lap. The second session saw the Formula Fords qualify with the Formula 500's in a shortened session. Thanks to the Chief Steward Mike Engleke for making a much needed change.

Sunday's race was eventful. I was in a pack of 4 cars and at the start the group of us was Reid Hazelton, John Luxon, John Vlassis and me. Hazelton spent the better part of about 8 laps trying to keep the faster cars of Luxon and Vlasis behind him. Eventually with an ill handling car and wrecked tires, they both got by Hazelton and drove away. Driving a rather ill handling car myself I was content to stay behind Hazelton. Eventually after a little pressure I was able to get by. We had a bit of a battle until Hazelton attepmted an ill-advised pass on the outside of the carousel and spun. I took it easy for the remaining laps and finished 8th.

The car is currently at Lindstrand Motorsports to check the set up and get it ready for our next event at the end of the month.

After a torturously long off-season we are itching to get back on the track. I've spent the last couple of weekends at Blackhawk Farms Raceway instructing and watching my competitors run. I picked the car up from Lindstrand Motorsports last weekend and brought it back home to put new decals on and shine'er up a bit. I have posted some larger pictures on the Photos page.

Beyond this coming weekend we are planning to run a Midwestern Council event in June and the SCCA Firecracker Regional in July. Beyond that we aren't sure. Our racing fund has been frequently diverted to the diaper and formula fund with the addition of Anthony and Alex to our family. Hey...at least it has the word formula in it. See ya at the track!

Welcome to the new and improved bradellingson.com web site. I am planning to keep this site updated during the 2008 season. I am only planning to run 4 or 5 events this season but that could change should we find some funding. We will run a mixture of SCCA Regional and National events. Please take a few minutes to visit our ad partners sites.

We will be campaigning a 1984 Swift DB-1. Once we've run an event or two, I'll update my Photos page with some action shots. Enjoy!