The Speedway Motors SCCA Classic American Muscle Invitational will take center stage during Sunday’s lunch break of the Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Finale at the Lincoln (Neb.) Airpark, on Aug. 31.
One of the unique features of this competition will be the ‘classic’ nature of the cars. Iconic models like the Corvette, Challenger, Mustang and Barracuda in the Traditional and Sport classes date back to the mid 1960’s, while the Contemporary class is home to newer versions of these vehicles.
With interest from over 50 drivers, 24 entries made the cut for this year’s inaugural event. Many notable drivers from the muscle car competition world have committed to making the trip to Lincoln to display not only their classic Detroit iron, but also their skills behind the wheel.
Topping the notable names included on the entry list is Robby Unser, son of Indy 500 winner Bobby Unser. Robby is also the nephew of ‘500’ winner Al Unser, Sr. and cousin of Indy 500 Champion Al Unser, Jr.
Coming from a lineage of motorsports standouts, Robby began racing karts at age eight and was behind the wheel of full-sized cars by his teens. Robby won the American IndyCar Series Championship in 1989, and was a nine-time winner of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. He also made two starts in the Indianapolis 500, with a best finish of fifth in 1998, and was the Indy Racing League Rookie of the year in 1998. As part of the CAM Invitational, Robby will be at the controls of a 1964 Chevrolet Nova.
Also of note in muscle car circles is the Leisinger family, includingbrothers Josh and Jared and their mother, Karen. Josh is slated to be driving a 1964 Chevrolet Corvette, while his brother will be behind the wheel of a Chevrolet C10 pickup. The matriarch, Karen, will be putting a 1970 Chevrolet Camaro through its paces.
After winning two Goodguys Rod & Custom events, Jeremiah Stotler will also be attending the meet in his Contemporary-classed 2010 Chevrolet Camaro. Also on the entry list is three-time SCCA National Solo Champion Jinx Jordan, driving a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro.
Sunday’s competition will begin at 7:30 a.m. with as each driver will get the opportunity to make timed runs on the ProSolo courses. Those times will also set the bracket for the afternoon’s competition. The top eight drivers will get a bye, while the remaining 16 face off in head-to-head races. The bracket competition will continue until one driver remains. The top eight drivers during the elimination rounds will be awarded small prizes, while the top four will receive a prize from SCCA and Speedway Motors as well as a custom Speedway Motors jacket.
Additional information on the Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Finale and the Speedway Motors SCCA Classic American Muscle Invitational can be found here.
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2014 ProSolo Finale
Courtesy of Keith Lightfoot and Warren Elliott
After a three-year run at Tulsa (Okla.) Raceway Park, the SCCA RallyCross National Championship moves to a new venue for 2014. This year’s championship event will take place at I-80 Speedway, near Greenwood, Nebraska. The Nebraska Region SCCA, which hosted the first RallyCross championship event in Hastings in 2005, will coordinate this year’s championship during the weekend of Oct. 3-5.
Multiple courses will be set up on the speedway’s large dirt parking areas. If the weather remains dry, expect plenty of grip on the hard-packed racing surface, which has a reputation for being fast and durable. However, if it rains, locals say be prepared for slippery, greasy conditions that will reward drivers who exercise patience and smoothness in the search for traction. This year’s event will feature three courses (Saturday AM, Saturday PM & Sunday AM) and competitors should expect four to six runs on each course, depending on course conditions and event flow. Unlike Solo events, all runs count in RallyCross, so consistency is paramount.
As in past years, our annual Who Will Win prognostications can be difficult since many RallyCross competitors are notorious procrastinators who often wait until the final few weeks before the event to register. At the time this article was prepared, 53 drivers of an expected 120 total entries were registered, so readers should be mindful of this when evaluating our prognostications. And with that disclaimer, here are our predictions for this year’s national championship winners.
Stock Front Wheel Drive (SF) With only three registered entrants at this time in an expected field of 10 drivers, Stock Front is a difficult call. Ron Foley (Honda Civic Si) has a shot at taking the top spot but Solo standout Drew Little (Acura Integra) will keep things close. Rumor has it that 2014 champion Tim Hardy will be making the trip to Nebraska with his trusty Ford Escort. Plenty of unknowns in this class, particularly since past front-runners James Wilson, Micah Nickelson and Damon Guy Cuccia are not yet registered, but here is our best guess:
1. Tim Hardy 2. Drew Little 3. Ron Foley Stock Rear Wheel Drive (SR) Like Stock Front, Stock Rear has only three registered entrants in an expected eight-car field. This year SCCA luminaries Howard and Linda Duncan have swapped their slow but reliable Hyundai Elantra for a tail-happy and slightly faster Mazda Miata. And Nathan Usher who competed in Modified All last year is making the move to Stock Front in another Miata. Expect some of last year’s top competitors, including runner-up Patryk Matecki (Mazda Miata), to show up too. Here’s our call for the top finishers:
1. Nathan Usher 2. Patryck Matecki 3. Howard Duncan
Stock All Wheel Drive (SA) Stock All will be close, with one or two cones separating the winners and losers. Gonzalo San Miguel (Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS) is a perennial favorite with his smooth driving style and will be sharing his car with fellow Utahan Karl Sealander. John Voegeli (Subaru 2.5 RS), Z.B. Lorenc (Subaru Impreza) and Mark Hill (Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS) will be in the hunt as well. If 2013 champion Jan Gerber joins the fray, it will be nearly impossible to predict the outcome. Despite a plethora of fast Subarus in this class, watch for 2013 Champion Charles Wright to wheel his rock-solid Mitsubishi Evolution to a repeat win.
1. Charles Wright 2. Gonzo San Miguel 3. Karl Sealander 4. Z.B. Lorenc 5. Mark Hill
Prepared Front Wheel Drive (PF) Prepared Front will once again have an old-tech look, with classic cars from the 1980’s and 90’s. Bryan Tippens and teenager Alex Hunter will be co-driving the Hunter family’s diminutive Honda CRX. Don Hardy, running his Stock class Ford Escort in Prepared, Mark Smith (VW Golf) and Robert Seelig (Honda CRX Si) will be competitive if they enter. Last year’s champion Chang Ho Kim (Honda Civic Si), Antonio Serracino (Acura Integra) and Jim Rowland (Nissan Sentra SE-R) will battle each other throughout the weekend for the top spot. The winner will need to be cone-free. We predict Rowland will avenge his second-place finish to Kim last year, unless he cracks under the pressure of being picked to win.
1. Jim Rowland 2. Chang Ho Kim 3. Antonio Serracino 4. Bryan Tippens
Prepared Rear Wheel Drive (PR) Prepared Rear is perennially the smallest class at the national championship. In fact, there are no entrants at this time. Historically, this is the place where old Miatas, Porsche 924s and RX-7s come to relive their glory days. Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to buy a clapped-out Crown Victoria Police Interceptor Special and race your spouse, significant other or kid sister for a national championship.
1. You 2. Your kid sister
Prepared All Wheel Drive (PA) Expect very close competition for the top trophy positions in Prepared All. Defending Champion Edwin Cunill, who drove Charles Wright’s Stock class Evo to victory last year, will be fast but catchable in his MAZDASPEED6. Harold Denham, driving Warren Elliott’s Mistubishi Evo, has the fastest car in the class, but will he be able to utilize its full potential? Jake Blevins is showing some speed this season in his Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS after making the move from Stock class. Mark Macoubrie (Subaru WRX STi) and Keith Lightfoot (Plymouth Laser RS) will be in the hunt as well, if they can avoid cones. Nebraskan Alex Reinkordt (Subaru Legacy SS) will be on his home turf, and things will only get more interesting if past champions Cody Hatfield and Kubo Kordisch decide to show up. Come Sunday afternoon, the final standings will read: 1. Edwin Cunill 2. Jake Blevins 3. Keith Lightfoot 4. Mark Macoubrie 5. Harold Denham
Modified Front Wheel Drive (MF) Modified Front will provide the closest racing of the weekend, with several former national champions running in class. Leon Drake (VW Golf) will be on hand to defend his 2013 title. Jon Olschewsk, fresh from a visit to Team O’Neil Rally School, will return with his great-looking Nissan Sentra SER-V, but will it succumb to mechanical woes? Brett Hunter and son Ian Hunter will be compete in their newly-built Honda CRX. Aaron Miller’s Honda Civic will once again be a top contender and Kent Hamilton will be making the trip from Alaska to co-drive with Miller. And don’t overlook Washington’s Kito Brielmaier (Toyota EL31 Tercel) who will be making his debut at Nationals. This will be an exciting class to watch and the winner will be determined on the final run. Here is our prediction:
1. Leon Drake 2. Kent Hamilton 3. Aaron Miller 4. Jon Olschewski 5. Brett Hunter
Modified Rear Wheel Drive (MR) Lots of RX-7s in this class, with Pete Remner, Aaron Dewey, and Bee and Theresa Thao all driving classic 80’s Mazda iron. Will Lincoln resident Kris Martison (BMW 325is) be able to capitalize on his home track advantage? Plymouth Arrow enthusiasts will be cheering on Jim Rowan. And don’t be surprised to see Will MacDonald show up in his Pre-Cambrian era Volvo. Expect a few last-minute entries in this class that will shake up the final results.
1. Pete Remner 2. Kris Martison 3. Jim Rowan
Modified All Wheel Drive (MA) Power, speed and traction are the hallmarks of Modified All. With only eight registered entries so far, and another ten or so expected, this class will be difficult to predict. This year Dan Quiet jumps from PA to MA in his newly-built Subaru Legacy 6-cylinder, arguably the best-sounding RallyCross car ever. The usual suspects Peter Zlamany (Plymouth Laser RS), Wayne Stockel (Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS), Orion Fairman (Subaru Impreza 2.5 RS), Ryan Sealey (Subaru Impreza), and Jeff Timpe (Subaru Impreza) will be on hand to make things interesting. And a host of other top drivers, including past champion Eric Genack (Subaru WRX), 2013 runner-up Brian Ballinger (Subaru WRX) and some of the Texas RallyCross mafia, including 2013 champion Brianne Corn and Kevin Corn, may show up to make things interesting. At the end of the day, expect Brianne to take the crown back from last year’s champion Warren Elliott (Mitsubishi Evolution). When the dust settles, here are the final results:
1. Brianne Corn 2. Dan Quiet 3. Warren Elliott 4. Peter Zlamany 4. Orion Fairman 5. Wayne Stockel
Although the seers have spoken, every RallyCrosser knows that anything is possible once the dirt begins to fly. We hope to see you in October!
2014 RallyCross National Championship
With 2014 being the first year we at SoloMatters have done in-depth coverage of the entire National Solo schedule, we’re going to take a stab at making some strategic calls for the biggest event of the year. It’s the SoloMatters 2014 Choose the Champs! We found some of the most influential autocrossers in the country, gave them a secret identity and let them loose at picking all the big classes at Nationals this year. We don’t have picks for all of them, but we’ve poured over the results from dozens of events around the country, including all the Tours and Pros, and are ready to take the plunge at making our picks in the lead-up to this year’s SCCA Solo Nationals. For those who are currently on the way to Lincoln, this should entertain you for a bit. Don’t forget to give your insight into our picks on Facebook and who you think will be crowned a champion in 2014.
We’re going to start off Part 1 with the Street and Street R classes. We’re going to look into the future, beyond space and time, to bring you the winners of next week, today. Today’s picks come from the dark and mysterious Cones McGee. Born in the Rockey Mountains, Cones started chasing elk through the forests of Colorado as a child, honing his skills avoiding pine trees… and you know what they say: “If you can dodge a tree, you can dodge a cone.” Cones is going to give you a quick run-down of all the Street and Street R classes for the Solo National Championships. So, pull up a chair (or a front seat) and hold on for a look into the future…
- SS – A fairly light class throughout the year at Tours and Pros, it’s a tough call when you don’t have a lot of data, but our sources have mentioned the name Charles Kim out of the Milwaukee Region. With a strong showing in places like the Toledo Pro, Charles will be taking his Hankook 911 GT3 to show that a loads of horsepower and a rear weight bias make this Street car a the one to beat. If course dependancy comes into play, keep an eye out for the likes of Nick Myers or Patrick Washburn. Patrick has been running his Elise in the “Street” classes since last year and has had a lot of time to develop the car.
- AS – This is a tight one, but with the strong finishes this year in Lincoln, we have to choose Mike Johnson to win AS this year in his Z06 Corvette. Mike put on a show at the Wilmington ProSolo and and schooled the rest of AS at the Wilmington Championship Tour. We think it’ll be close, with names like Ryan Otis and Han Henze nipping at Mike’s heels, but it’s tough to beat a guy who makes a living teaching others how to Solo. This also means our pick for ASL has to be Kandy Johnson.
- BS – Do we even need to mention Lane Borg’s name here? Lane has dominated the BS class in his yellow and black terror.
- CS – One of the largest classes, C Street is going to be a brawl. With names like Rhoades, Fenter, Stuart and Harvy, it’s going to be one of the most watched classes. However, after the dust settles, we’re going to put our bets on Chris Fenter. Chris has had some epic battles this year in his MX-5 and given guys like Mark Andy fits (so much so, that he’s threatened to re-class the car 😉 If he can be as consistent as the rest of the year, Chris is a shoo-in. Familiar with RX-8s in a different class, our CSL pick is Teddie Alexandrova.
- DS – With two of the biggest names in the class missing, this will be a tough call in 2014. However, with his performance at the DC ProSolo, we have to choose Rusty English. For DSL, we need to pick Gwen Habenicht. Strong performances all year and the car to have make Gwen a force to be reconed with.
- ES – Lightweight car and heavy hitters. This is one of the tougher calls with how well our top picks have done. However, we have to go with the MR Spyder of Eric Peterson. The cars have done incredibly well on street tires and Eric hasn’t lost to anther National ES car this year. As for the ESL crew, we have to go with the perenial competitor, Tara Johns. Always a force in any class she runs, Tara has what it takes to win in Lincoln.
- FS – We think the switch to street tires won’t have much influence on this one and Brian Burdette will continue to kick butt in his 2012 Ford Mustang. With that being said, we’d still love to see the M3s give these Pony cars a run for their money and mix up the class a bit more. Maybe it’s because it’s the best looking car in the FS grid, but we’re going to pick Jackie Mutschler for the FSL win. That Camaro makes all the right noises, goes like heck and looks incredible. Being only a few seconds back from the top times in Wilmington, we think Jackie can get the job done in Lincoln!
- GS – He’ll be the first guy on course and the first guy in our pick for G Street – Trevor Jones. Solid performances and the current “car to have” for the class, we think Trevor will bring home the gold. If there’s anyone that will upset him, our pick will be Ian Steward in his 2014 Volvo S60R. With a spectacular performance at Dixie this year, Ian will the dark horse who would throw a wrench in the ST’s current reign. As for GSL, we need to go with the 2013 STXL National Champion, Jordan Towns. Jordan brought her Celica back out from mothballs this year and with a strong Wilmington performance, we feel she and her car will be in full fighting trim come next week.
- HS – As with FS, we’re going to pick the guy who has shown to do well back when he ran on Hoosiers – Greg Reno. He’s got the car to have. He’s got the experience to win. It’ll be hard to catch Greg. Unless you’re on foot 🙂 A perenial competitor, we’re going with Holly Schwedler to take the HSL title.
- SSR – Can we just say there are too many to choose and be done with this one? No? Fine. Big names. Tons of horsepower. It’s got to be SSR. Though guys like Grant Reeve, Sam Strano, GJ Dixon and Gary Thomason have all done incredibly well this year, we have to pick Jeff Janzen to win. His performance at Spring Nationals was second to none. With a car that has stock, original shocks and a broken differential, Jeff ended up pulling away from the rest of the class. If nothing else, he’ll be right there with the rest of the top SSR drivers and it will certainly be one of the most interesting classes around… or Vivek will have fixed the diff and throw Jeff off. Time will tell… We’re also pretty sure with her past performance Shelly Monfort will take SSRL, continuing her domination of the class.
- ASR – Paul Kozlak has been strong and we think the FRC is still the car to have in this class.
- BSR – We’re goign to go with James Yom if he shows up, as we’ve heard James may not come without anyone to race against. Stay tuned here for more information regarding last minute changes!
- ESR – Can we just say Bartek? That’s what I thought…
Disclaimer: All picks are purely conjecture and are completely, 100% jinx proof. Really, we promise.
