There are at least eight towns in the United States named Frederick. Only one, however, hosted the Tire Rack SCCA® Oklahoma ProSolo® this past weekend, April 5-7, 2024, with help from SCCA’s Oklahoma Region.
Number four on an 11-event calendar this year, the latest ProSolo was held at Frederick Regional Airport, which is also home to the World War II Airborne Demonstration team. Things actually got cranking Friday with a welcome party dinner at the Great Plains Technology Center. Thanks to the Tillman County Historical Society, there was plenty of pulled pork, potatoes, and deserts for all.
This was only the second time SCCA ProSolo conducted an event at the Frederick, OK, venue, the first taking place last June with some pretty toasty temperatures included. Conditions were a bit cooler this time around, with the thermometer topping out in the upper 70s or low 80s under gorgeous skies. It got pretty windy at times, but any competitor who has been to the Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Finale or Solo National Championships in Lincoln, NE, knows how to cope with that situation.
The courses were designed by Roger Johnson and offered two similar, but not quite asymmetrical, layouts that kept everyone on their toes. The designs offered a good mix of line choice and speeds. One change this year was that the action took place at the south end of the massive concrete pad. After extensive surface prep and patchwork executed by airport operations staff and SCCA’s Oklahoma Region, competitors were greeted with a surface offering consistent high levels of grip over the entire weekend.
Andie Albin, who drove the Doof Wagon in the Ladies 1 (L1) class, was the SCCA Women on Track Driver Development Program recipient in Frederick. That initiative aids one randomly selected woman at each Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour and ProSolo Series event with an opportunity for a one-on-one, 30-minute virtual coaching session with a top-tier driver from the sport.
This level of coaching seeks to help drivers meet their performance driving goals, and Albin made the most of it. She was runner-up in L1, just 0.419sec behind Laura Harbour in a 2000 Toyota Celica GTS. Albin also made it to the Ladies Challenge finale, where she finished second to Kim Whitener, who was driving a 2015 Scion FR-S.
Competitors Eric Hunter and Aime Kisler also got a helping hand in Oklahoma thanks to complimentary first appearances made possible through the Howard Duncan ProSolo Greenlight Fund. Kisler ran a 2017 Subaru BRZ in the hotly contested Ladies 2 class; and Hunter drove a 2016 Audi S3 to 13th in the well-subscribed Street 4 class won by Cameron Goode in a 2020 Tesla Model 3.
Donations made to the SCCA Foundation can be earmarked specifically for the Greenlight Fund here.
Fast Times in Frederick
The Bump class was big in Frederick with 18 entrants and produced a tight finish. Daniel McCelvey earned the victory in a 2019 Mazda MX-5. Only 0.135sec behind was Kerry Coughlin in a 2020 Mazda Miata, and 0.038sec further back was third-place finisher Christopher Dunn in the 2021 UTA-MOD car.
Todd Roberts took home a trophy in the Bump class by finishing fourth in a 1990 Mazda Miata, and Brandon Olvey was fifth in a 2018 Porsche 911 GT3. Rounding out the Bump trophies was sixth-place finisher Geran Rose in a 2003 Toyota MR2.
Drivers in the Classic American Muscle (CAM) class also put on a show over the weekend. The margin of victory in that 14-entrant group ended up being 0.055sec, with David Rock taking victory in a 2001 Chevrolet Corvette Z06.
The runner-up spot in CAM went to Terry Neuville in a 2021 Chevrolet Camaro ZL, and Mark Madarash took a 1988 Pontiac Trans-Am to third. Fourth went to James Geck in a 2003 Ford Mustang Mach 1, and the fifth and final CAM trophy was earned by Kevin Beavers in a 1997 Chevrolet Camaro SS.
Solo Spec Coupe (SSC) competition was decided by only 0.119sec as Justin Harbour took his first-ever ProSolo victory in that 11-entrant field driving a 2015 Scion FR-S. Paul Brown was second in a 2016 Scion FR-S, Joey Green third in a 2015 Subaru BRZ, and Matt Morhardt finished fourth in a car shared with Harbour.
Competition in the Race Tire (R1) group was nearly as close. Sharing a 2014 Tonykart Shifter, Larry MacLeod beat his son, Jackson, by only 0.177sec in the nine-entrant field. Jason Hobbs, in a 1999 Novakar J9 Mojave, claimed the final R1 trophy by finishing third.
More coverage from Oklahoma can be found at the recently renamed Tire Rack SCCA National Solo Facebook page. A full rundown of class results from the event can be accessed by clicking the red button below.
The Oklahoma Challenges
As noted earlier, the Ladies Challenge was won by Ladies 3 victor Kim Whitener, and Andie Albin finished second. The runoff for third was won by Laura Harbour.
The Bonus Challenge came down to Bryan Troutman, who drove a 1982 Chevrolet Corvette in CAM, and D Street competitor Bernie Kaeferlein in a 2022 Toyota GR86. Troutman ended up out front in that matchup.
Sunday was a big day for Justin Harbour. Following his first-ever ProSolo win in SSC, he went on for a first-time victory in the Super Challenge over Bruce Lukens in a 2018 Subaru BRZ from the Street Touring™ Xtreme class. Brian Meyer, in a 2020 Ford Shelby GT350 from F Street, won the third-place shootout.
Crows Landing Next out West for ProSolo
Shortly, the ProSolo Series cranks up action again, this time out west in California for an April 19-21, 2024, engagement east of San Francisco and San Jose. That’s where the Tire Rack SCCA Crows Landing ProSolo takes off along the Interstate 5 corridor. It’s a very popular location and event, with registration open now. Reserve your ticket to the party today before the entry cap is reached.
Ann don’t forget that ProSolo meet is followed one week later by the April 26-28, 2024, Tire Rack SCCA Crows Landing Solo National Tour at the very same venue. Crows Landing Solo National Tour registration is open, too, for those who can handle back-to-back weekends of #funwithcars and fun with friends.
Photos by Kelsey Karanges
