In the “wake” of the 2018 Tire Rack SCCA® Solo® Nationals, the Solo National staff and SEB have come together to not only address some issues encountered at past Nationals, but also begin renovating the look and feel of the event by first defining what Solo Nationals should be. With a focus on the future, and knowledge from the past, they will begin to implement new procedures and policies, realign and redefine roles and responsibilities, and adjust the event as a whole in an effort to provide the best experience for all participants and attendees of the 2019 Solo Nationals and beyond. 

In an effort to keep the Club’s members up to speed on said renovations, we are introducing “News on Nationals”, which will be an ongoing part of the SoloMatters electronic newsletter.  The purpose of this feature is to communicate any changes or adjustments to Solo Nationals, as well as provide some insight into the reasons behind them.

With that said, here is the latest news on updates to Solo Nationals for 2019:  

• Entry into the 2019 Tire Rack Solo Nationals will be capped at 1325. This cap should allow for nearly two hours of contingency time for any delays from weather, car breakage, course surface issues, etc.  This will also help mitigate any unforeseen class popularity variances from past years.

• A major contributor to the Tues/Weds issues in 2018 (besides weather, video, etc) was the total number of entries and their spread over the pairs of days. 2018 saw a 60/40 split between Tues/Wed and Thurs/Fri, with the normal spread being only around 5%. This was due to a few classes having a surprisingly high level of participation, as well as the usual class hopping.  With this situation in mind, the initial Run Order to be released in a week to 10 days will include six or seven sets of classes (Open/Ladies) that will be studied over the first half of the 2019 season relative to attendance, with their run order being announced the first week of June.

• Registration will be in two Tiers as the beginning of a process that will play out over the next couple of years in defining what the Solo Nationals should be. Specifically, the plan reflects several comments received in post-Nationals surveys and discussions – Rewarding and acknowledging the “Best of the Best,” those that clearly support the event, and those with long-term support of the program.

• Tier 1 will open in mid-June for the following: 2018 class winners and second place finishers (when a trophy was awarded), plus 2019 Nationals Chiefs, plus 100%ers – a total of just over 200 potential entrants.

• Tier 2 will open a week later for all other members.

• FJ will run on Tues/Weds in the same Heat as KM

• There will be a defined end to the competition day in the supplementary regulations that will be a certain number of minutes prior to the official sunset for Lincoln, Nebraska on that day. An example would be that if sunset was at 7:31 p.m., competition would end at 7:01 p.m.  Exact language will be in the Official Supplementary Regulations that will be released in early June.

 

We appreciate all the constructive feedback we have received from our members. It is our every intention to use that feedback as a data point as we move forward to create the best Solo Nationals experience possible for all of you.  Please keep an eye out for future “News on Nationals” as we continue on the journey.