LINCOLN, Neb. (Sept. 1, 2011) — What has a Chevy engine, a Ford rear end, a Doug Nash transmission and a Toyota Yaris power steering unit? Easy — a Jeep! Del Long has long been running Modified classes in SCCA Solo competition for years, winning multiple championships, most recently in D Modified with the car now owned by Jeff Cashmore. He now has his newest weapon, an E Modified class 1946 Jeep Y-CJ. The “Y” stands for yellow. The decal on the hood says “It’s a Jeep Thing…You Wouldn’t Understand.” Looking at options to compete with the E Modified class-dominating turbocharged rotary powered Sprite of Jeff Kiesel, Long felt that the short 80″ wheelbase was the way to go. “At 80 inches, it could have been a Sprite,” Long said. “But the Jeep body was easy to build. It has a lot of square panels.” E Modified rules specify that the wheelbase of a car match the size of the belly pan and the body shape, with the car needing to resemble that of the stock version. Beyond that, the rules are pretty much wide open. The car started life as an Allison Legacy–a scale tube-frame stock car. Long acquired the car, sans body, and began the build in October 2010. He fit a 2.0-liter Chevrolet Cobalt SS turbo motor to the right and forward of the driver’s legs, dropped a Ford 8″ rear end in the back and mated the two with a two-speed Doug Nash transmission. The car initially didn’t have power steering, and driver Bob Tunnell, of Broomfield, Colo., admitted it was difficult to drive. The solution was simple–drop a power steering unit in out of a Toyota Yaris. Tunnell said that the car has around 400 hp and 400 lb-ft of torque running on E85 fuel at 1750 lbs. Despite the massive slicks off of a Formula Atlantic, Tunnell admits the car is a bit of a challenge to drive due to its short wheelbase, but has great potential. A six-time Solo National Champion, Tunnell was invited by Long to drive the car for 2011 after his own supercharged BMW M3 was not ready for the event following a blown motor in 2010. He is joined by another multi-time Champion, 3-time titlist Jeff Ellerby, of Marion, Iowa, giving Long a great pair to try to take down the mighty green rotary turbo Sprite. Bob Tunnell’s wife, 13-time National Champion Patty, will also drive the car Thursday and Friday in E Modified Ladies. Long admits that while the car may say Jeep, it’s hardly from 1946. “I told Jeep Magazine that 20no Jeeps where hurt building this vehicle.'” A complete gallery of images is available here.Long’s 1946 Y-CJ will compete in E Modified during Heat Two on Thursday and Friday. Follow all the action at http://www.scca.com/solonats, on Twitter @SCCALive or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sccaofficial.

The 39th annual Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals saw 29 drivers crowned National Champions on Wednesday, as half of the SCCA Solo classes completed competition at the Lincoln (Neb.) Airpark under hot and sunny skies. Ten drivers grabbed the lead for the first time on the second day of runs to earn the title of National Champion in their class. In Heat One on the East course, C Street Prepared’s top-heavy class crowned the first National Champions in dramatic fashion. Chris Robbins led overnight after the wet session, but Tim Aro, of Glen Allen, Va., was the seventh car on the course on Wednesday morning and immediately set the time to beat in his SoloPro Driving School Mazda Miata. Aro had to sweat out nearly the entire field’s final runs before earning his second CSP National Championship, as defending Champion Scott Fraser’s Ankeny Racing Ent. Mazda Miata, two-time Champion Matt McCabe’s 949 Racing/ProEFI/Meyers Auto Mazda Miata and Robbins’ Genghis Grill/Robbins Performance Management/RPM Mazda MX-5 all took shots at knocking off the leader before finishing in that order behind Aro. Andy Hollis, of Austin, Texas, was nearly a second behind overnight leader Tim Smith’s Toyo/Moton Honda Civic Si prior to the group moving to the East Course, which was designed by Hollis. Hollis took advantage of that knowledge to turn the fastest time of the day in class behind the wheel of the GRM/AST/PowerCurve/Soulspeed/JCAutoSpec Honda Civic Si and earn his third Solo National Championship. Brothers Jeff and Stefan Colegrove traded the lead overnight in F Modified. Sharing the Thanks Uncle Paul!/All Star Graphics Red Devil F500, older brother Jeff took over the lead during Wednesday’s run with a 57.272-second lap on his first run of the day. The 57.891 that Stefan ran on the final run left him just 0.148-second short of the National Championship in just the second time either driver has been at the event. A three-time bridesmaid, Todd Farris earned his first National Championship with a win on Wednesday in C Prepared. Farris turned his fastest time on Wednesday during his third and final run in his Strohs Bar & Grill Chevrolet Camaro, taking the lead from co-driver Jeff Stroh by just 0.094-second. After finishing runner-up two out of the last three years in Super Street Modified, Andy McKee, of San Jose, Calif., took his sixth National Championship, holding serve on his Tuesday lead in the Goodyear/ARE/Sias Tuning/7Parts.com Mazda RX7. McKee extended his 2.2-second lead to 2.403 seconds over defending Champion Erik Strelnieks, who battled running issues in his Mazda RX7. Defending B Street Prepared Ladies Champion Christine Berry, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., was just a tenth out of the lead coming into Wednesday, but her clean runs rewarded her with a fourth National Championship in the Berry Family Racing/Hoosier/OS Giken Mitsubishi Evo 9. Chief competitor Lorien Feighner, of Howell, Mich., had the raw speed on the West Course Wednesday, but coned all three of her runs to finish 0.529-second behind. The top three in Super Stock; Christopher Shay, Matthew Braun and Sam Strano, were separated by a scant 0.064-second after Tuesday’s runs on the East Course. Braun, of Northville, Mich., put fresh, cool tires on his Power Plug Lotus Elise for each run and topped second-place Strano by 1.406 seconds to take his second-consecutive title, and fifth overall. Strano topped day one leader Shay by 0.001-second to score the runner-up finish. At the conclusion of competition, E Stock National Champion Bartek Borowski topped nine other Champions from Wednesday competition on the last of two runs to take the inaugural Gumout All Star Challenge and a $500 cash prize. C Street Prepared winner Tim Aro was second, followed by A Street Prepared winner Courtney Cormier. Each of the 10 drivers took a pair runs in the Gumout Project Car Volkswagen Golf. Competition continues tomorrow for the second half of Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship classes, and will conclude on Friday afternoon. Follow the action through live timing at http://www.sololive.scca.com, live audio from the east course at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/solo-nationals-east and from the west course at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/solo-nationals-west, or on Twitter @sccalive. More information on the Tire Rack SCCA National Championship is available at http://www.scca.com/solo. Follow SCCA on Twitter @SCCAOfficial. LINCOLN, Neb. — The top two runners in each of the 35 classes competing Tuesday and Wednesday in the 39th Tire Rack® SCCA Solo National Championships at Lincoln Airpark with class, leading driver, hometown and car; second place driver, hometown, car and gap behind first place. *asterisk denotes change in lead from Tuesday. Super Stock*: Matthew Braun, Northville, Mich., Lotus Elise, second-straight SS Championship, fifth overall. Super Stock L: Shelly Monfort, Saratoga, Calif., Lotus Elise, Third consecutive SSL National Championship, third overall. E Stock*: Bartek Borowski, Elmwood Park, Ill., Mazda Miata, Second Consecutive E Stock National Championship, fourth overall. E Stock L: Tara Johns, Murfreesboro, Tenn., Mazda Miata, Second National Championship. F Stock: Mark Daddio, Beacon Falls, Conn., Ford Mustang GT, 10th National Championship. F Stock L: Heather Everett, E. Amherst, N.Y., Ford Mustang Shelby, First National Championship. Street Touring*: Andy Hollis, Ausin, Texas, Honda Civic Si, Second National Championship. Street Touring Ladies: Nicole Nagler, Moorpark, Calif., Honda Civic Si, First National Championship. A Street Prepared: Courtney Cormier, Glen Allen, Va., Chevrolet Corvette Z06, First National Championship A Street Prepared L*: Jodi Fordahl, Bremerton, Wash., Nissan GT-R, 11th National Championship. B Street Prepared: Corey Ridgick, Allentown, Pa., Mitsubishi Evo 9, First National Championship. B Street Prepared L*: Christine Berry, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Mitsubishi Evo 9, fourth National Championship. C Street Prepared*: Tim Aro, Glen Allen, Va., Mazda Miata, Second National Championship. C Street Prepared Ladies: Sue Eckles, Malcolm, Neb., Mazda Miata, Third National Championship. D Street Prepared: Doug Rowse, Phoenix, Az., BMW 330, Second National Championship. D Street Prepared Ladies: Olga Bogdanova, Clifton Park, N.Y., BMW 330Ci, First National Championship. C Prepared*: Todd Farris, Bryan, Texas, Chevrolet Camaro, First National Championship. C Prepared Ladies: Donna Bartling, Katy, Texas, Ford Mustang, Second National Championship. X Prepared: Fred Zust, Tempe, Az., Lotus Elise, Fourth consecutive XP National Championship, Fourth overall. X Prepared Ladies: Katie Lacey, Apple Valley, Minn., Subaru Impreza, Second National Championship. F Prepared: Toby Larsson, Anaheim, Calif., BMW 328is, First National Championship. F Prepared L: Beverlee Larsson, Anaheim, Calif., BMW 328is, Fifth National Championship. Street Modified: David White, Chicopee, Mass., Nissan 240SX, First National Championship. Street Modified FWD (supplemental class): Brian Karwan, Fredrick, Md., Honda Civic. Street Modified FWD Ladies (supplemental class): Rebecca Zacharda, Sherwood, Ore., Mini Cooper S. Super Street Modified: Andy McKee, San Jose, Calif., Mazda RX-7, Sixth National Championship. Super Street Modified L: Tonya Langley, Umatilla, Ore., Chevrolet Corvette, Second consecutive SSML National Championship, second overall. F Modified*: Jeff Colegrove, Rochester, N.Y., Red Devil F500, First National Championship. F Modified Ladies: Michelle Quinn, Dublin, Ohio, KBS Mk 7, Second Consecutive FML National Championship, seco

Lots of drivers have described the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships as a life changing experience. If anyone has the right to describe it that way, it’s two drivers at the Lincoln Airport this weekend. PJ and Jenna Corrales (nee D’Amico) truly changed their lives this week, coming to Lincoln for the Solo National Championships and getting married at the Lincoln Court House the day before the event, celebrating the event with their Solo friends. “There was a lot of pressure and it kind of got away from us a little bit,” Jenna explained. “We wanted to make sure we were doing it for ourselves. This is what we do, all the time. It was a lot of fun, I’m glad we did it this way.” It was a fun way to celebrate one of those rare lifetime milestones with the people the young couple spends most of their time with. “Part of why we did it was because a lot of people that we care about are fellow racers,” PJ said. “This is one of the places they come to. It’s a nice place to go, knowing that you’re going there for more than just the racing — it’s the people you race with as well. Our region is very tight, and we’re very proud to be part of the New England Region. “On top of it, this is one of those places we look forward to coming to every year. It’s a big deal. Since it’s already special, we can commemorate it with our anniversary now.” Getting married around an event brought the relationship full circle. The newlyweds met through the 240SX Owners of New England car club that PJ helped start — though the details of their meeting have been blurred slightly. According to PJ, “randomly one day we started talking and hit it off. Eventually we met up and started hanging out.” Jenna implied that it may have been more than random. “I had a 240, and I needed some help,” she said. “He said he had to go there anyway and would help, and then take me out to dinner.” They both agree from there. The two clicked, she attended a Solo event of his, took a ride in his car, and decided she wanted to participate herself. She did, and it’s become a major part of her life as well. This weekend, Jenna is driving her Street Touring G-Fab Racing/240SX Motoring Nissan 240SX that she got last November as part of the engagement. “I got the car as part of an engagement deal,” Jenna said. “I could have a big ring, or a smaller ring and a new car, and I opted for the car. I had to sell my 240 a couple of years ago, and I cried the whole way home. I’ve wanted one bad for the last couple of years, and he said if I did ST, I would learn a lot and have my car back. So that’s what I opted for. We’ve been developing it for the last six months, and here it is.” In truth, though, both are happy with their wedding day decisions — as with every successful marriage, the two have gotten help and support from their closest friends, many who they share the paddock with. Those factors made this decision the right one for the new Corrales family. “Some of the most influential people in our relationship are people that I’ve autocrossed with for a long time — Chris Franson, who used to drive Mike Shield’s DSP National Championship car, Kathy Barnes, who is here and a multi-time National Champion,” PJ said. “It all comes down to, a lot of people who were most influential in our relationship were here. Our families were a big part of it, of course, but your friends are the people that you spend most of your time with, so we thought we’d do this for them.” So how do you top getting married? Well, you probably don’t. But PJ did manage his best career finish at the Solo National Championships, finishing third in his Street Modified G-Fab Racing/240SX Motoring Nissan 240SX, topping last year’s fourth place finish. His co-driver, David White, won the National Championship in the class. “It could have been better — we could have won!” PJ said. “This was the fourth year in a row that we’ve been to Nationals, and we’re climbing up the trophies every year. “It was great running with G-Pax Racing, our little autocross fraternity, and 240SX Motoring was a huge help. Jeff Ricca is the owner of that and he helps us out a lot.” Just another memory to add to an unforgettable week.

LINCOLN, Neb. (Sept. 1, 2011) — The 39th annual Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships saw another 35 classes in action on Thursday as the second wave of competitors completed their first day of competition in high temperatures at Lincoln Airpark. Each class will crown a National Champion at the conclusion of Friday’s runs.

The weekend’s largest class began the day on the East Course, as all 64 competitors in Street Touring R made runs. The top 10 drivers are within a second of leader Nicholas Barbato, of Wethersfield, Conn., driving the Thanks Mark/For Liam Honda S2000. Closest to Barbato is James Yom’s Hardrace/VelocityShop.com Honda S2000 at just 0.197-second behind, followed by Robert Thorne’s SCR Performance Honda S2000 an additional 0.062-second behind Yom.

Defending Street Touring Sport National Champion Andrew Canak, of Milwaukee, Wis., has picked up where he left off, leading the class by 0.185-second in the Toyo Tires/Big Bear Tire Mazda Miata. Trying to dethrone Canak is Rick Cone, of Lawrenceville, Ga., just behind in the Bridgestone/Mazda Mazda Miata.

Jeff Wong, of Moorpark, Calif., backed up last year’s Street Touring Xtreme National title with the fastest time on Thursday, topping the 43-car field in the Toyo Tire/ProParts USA Honda Civic Si. Sitting 0.321-second behind Wong is Sebastian Rios, of Corona, Calif., in his ProParts USA/Blind Squirrel Racing Honda Civic Si.

Brianne Corn, of San Marcos, Texas, topped the B Modified class by 0.775-second in her Janco/Hoosier LeGrand Dragon in her attempt to become just the third “Glass Pylon” recipient for women who have won an open class National Championship. Two-time defending class Champion Clemens Burger, of Noblesville, Ind., is Corn’s closest competition in the LeGrand Mk18. Corn finished second last year and fourth in 2009 after winning B Modified Ladies in 2008.

Action was just as heated amongst the classes on the West Course. Looking for his fifth-consecutive E Street Prepared National Championship, Mark Madarash, of Red Oak, Texas, got a jump on the 23-driver field in his Pontiac Trans Am with a 1.522-second lead over second place Bob Anderson, of Darien, Ill., in his MLS Motor Racing/SPS Solotime Chevrolet Camaro.

Lisa Garfield, of Mount Airy, Md., watched her son, Julian, win Formula Jr. A on Wednesday, and hopes to bring another winning trophy home in Formula 125 Ladies. She’ll have to unseat eight-time Champion Suzanne Segal, of Las Vegas, Nev., though, who holds a scant 0.053-second advantage over Garfield after Thursday’s runs in her Birel Honda.

In F Street Prepared, Ron Williams, of Topeka, Kan., laid down a quick time on his first West Course run, but the engine of his Hoosier/Honda/A+ Collision Honda Civic expired upon completion, leaving the class leader without a running car. As is often the case in Solo competition, a fellow competitor offered up a co-drive in their own car.

Randy Hickman, of Wellington, Colo., will have karma on his side, as Williams joined him for the second and third runs in the Sign Edge Racecar Graphics Volkswagen Scirocco. Williams’ first time was eclipsed by 0.339-second on Kevin Wenzel’s final run in the Thrudvang Racing/www.bmw2002.com BMW 2002, but Williams is still in the game entering Friday’s runs, thanks to the generosity of a competitor. Wenzel, incidentally, used to own the Volkswagen that Williams is set to drive on Friday.

Competition continues Friday in all of these classes for the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship, crowning the final set of champions for the year following final runs.

Follow the action through live timing at http://www.sololive.scca.com, live audio from the east course at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/solo-nationals-east and from the west course at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/solo-nationals-west, or on Twitter @sccalive.

More information on the Tire Rack SCCA National Championship is available at http://www.scca.com/solo. Follow SCCA on Twitter @SCCAOfficial.

LINCOLN, Neb. — The top two runners in each of the 40 classes competing Thursday and Friday in the 39th Tire Rack® SCCA Solo National Championships at Lincoln Airpark with class, leading driver, hometown and car; second place driver, hometown, car and gap behind first place.