About
Central Louisiana Region (CENLA) is a chartered region of the Sports Car Club of America. Based in Baton Rouge, the club is one of four in Louisiana (New Orleans/Delta, Lake Charles/Sowela, Shreveport/Red River). The club main focus is Solo racing, however, a small group of members road race as well.
A Little History
The CENLA Region was chartered in May of 1956 as the 60th member of the rapidly expanding Connecticut bases SCCA .
Louisiana was a hotbed for racing in the ‘50’s when airports would shut down for a day or two to allow racing. Delta had Hammond; Red River, Mansfield; Southwest, Lake Charles; and Cenla, Opelousas. Up to 100 racers would come from all over the country – racers including A.D. Logan from Tulsa with a semi containing an A.C. Bristol, which he raced, and a Ferrari driven by Carroll Shelby. Ed Rose from Houston raced a Maserati; Jim Hall, designer of the Chaparral, raced a Formula A, and Roger Penske would show in a Birdcage Maserati. Local racers from Baton Rouge would arrive and drive Bugeye Sprites in these races. It was said that if you had a roll bar, a seat belt, a helmet, and $10, you could race.
CENLA’s races in Opelousas were called the Jim Bowie Races. The trophies featured a Bowie knife mounted on the plaque.
Today, CENLA consists of 100+ members from all walks of life that all share a common interest in motor sports. CENLA hosts local SOLO events, co-hosts the Nationally recognized Trans Louisiana Autocross Challenge (TLAC) series, and has a number of members that participate in SCCA sanctioned Road Race Events.
If this sounds like something you would be interested in, or perhaps you are tired of living your life 1/4 mile at a time, come see what the SCCA is all about.
