Lincoln, Neb. (Sept. 5, 2014) — On the West Course the day began with the crowing of four new Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Champions. Super Street, B Street Ladies, Super Street R and Street Touring Sport Ladies were the opening act for a full day of racing.

In SS, Chris Cox, of Morgan Hill, Calif., picked up the pace to secure himself top class honors in his No. 178 Porsche GT3. Cox is no stranger to winning at the Tire Rack Solo Nationals, but it has not happened since 2005 in a different class. On the more technical West Course, Cox was able to erase his deficit and beat out overnight leader John Ma in the No. 30 Clingongrip.com Lotus Elise by 0.062-second.

“I’ll tell you a phrase that sticks,”Cox. “Tom Kotzian says this every year, ‘Whenever I leave Super Stock, I miss it dearly. This is the premiere class to run and everyone wants to win it.’

“He’s right, this is the class everyone wants to win. I may be a little biased, since I’ve been in this class for the past five or six year and tried mightily to win, but I think this is the one everyone wants to win.

G.J. Dixon, of Scarsdale, N.Y., claimed the SSR National Championship in his No. 186 Monticello Motor Club/Grand Prix New York Porsche GT3. He beat out Sam Strano, driving the No. 141 StranoParts.com Chevrolet Corvette, by a mere 0.368-second to claim his third consecutive National Championship title.

“My approach was to go for the three-peat,”said Dixon. “I knew I had to come back and try for the third title in a row since it hasn’t been done in this class. An opportunity like this doesn’t come very often, so you have to make it happen.

“It took a lot for me to come here and get this done. I’ve had some personal issues, at home, and this car has been in the body shop for the last two months. We just picked it up last Friday. We’ve had no testing time in the car. We haven’t driven this car since Nationals last year. The win is amazing.”

STSL saw a first-time National Champion crowned, in the form of Lily Liu, of Gardena, Calif. She drove her ProParts/Toyo/Mackin/Evasive/West End Honda CRX Si to a 0.705-second victory over Hilary Anderson, who was driving the Team Undercoat Racing/Meineke/Chuck’s Sheridan Auto/Black Armor Helmets Honda CRX Si.

“I don’t know what to say,”Liu said. “it’s my first National Championship, so I’m a little overwhelmed and happy.

“We were here for the ProSolo Finale and knew that the car wasn’t up to snuff. I knew there were some fast ladies here, so I just came in with the mindset that I would do my best and it worked out.”

Barbara LeRoy-Boehme, of San Diego, Calif., claimed her second consecutive National Championship, this time in BSL while driving her No. 23 C2 Motorsports Mazda MX-5. LeRoy-Boehme was the decisive winner on the day as she outpaced her nearest competition, Dina O’Donnell in the No. 193 Honda S2000 by 3.692 seconds.

“This West Course was the most fun of those I have run all year,”LeRoy-Boehme said. “My approach coming into the week was to have the best event I could have, as I had just met these Ladies this week.

“Starting today with such a substantial lead, I just wanted to come in this morning and secure the lead with what I thought was a conservative run. But I think I ended up standing on my first run from both days.”

The Tire Rack Solo National Championships wraps up this afternoon. More information can be found at SCCA.com/SoloNationals.

2014 Solo National Championship

LINCOLN, Neb. (Sept. 5, 2014) — Heat two of the Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals on the East Course was headlined by four classes — F Street, B Street Prepared, Street Modified FWD Ladies and Street Modified Ladies.

David Corsaro, of Denville, N.J., was the big winner on Friday after claiming his first National Championship as he drove the No.76 Hamfist Racing/NJ Drive/SJF Performance Chevrolet Camaro. He finished just 0.074-second ahead of James Yom in his No. 92 BMW M3.

On Thursday, Corsaro set the bar high ripping off the fastest time of the top three finishers in class. With Friday’s conditions threatening rain, Corsaro slowed but had built enough of a lead to seal his Championship after setting only the fifth-fastest time on course.

“The trip out here was not short on drama,”Corsaro said. “I drove out on my competition tires. They’ve had several events on them. Being as the Street classes are new, I wanted to prove a point that you can drive out on your competition tires and win.

“Going into yesterday’s competition, I felt like I had an advantage on the East Course. I have a lot of horsepower available to me, and it was more open over there. Going to the West Course, I knew it was an uphill battle. So, I was able to stay clean on the third run and stay level headed.”

Christopher Mayfield, of Fort Collins, Colo., was able to edge his co-driver, Robert Thorne, for the BSP title driving the No. 80 3R Auto Racing/Weston Auto Gallery/Thanks Robert! Honda S2000. All that separated the two racers was 0.038-second in the consolidated times. Between the two drivers, Thorne was the best on the West Course. But, Mayfield was able to make the most of his time on the more technical East Course.

“I didn’t get out here until about 7 o’clock, on Wednesday night,”Mayfield said. “I felt like I was running behind this whole week. I got one course walk in on Wednesday and didn’t do very well on Thursday. Robert [Thorne] had me by quite a bit, and I knew I had to come out here and get things moving.

“On my first run the tires were cold, and I was way off the pace. We were also fighting with the sound meter to make sure we were under the specified level. We were doing everything but what we usually do, which is focus on the driving and the car. I sat down before my second run, put my helmet on a few minutes before the run, and calmed myself down. Then, I was really able to do what I needed to do by carrying speed and making my car skinny through the slaloms.”

In SMFL, Rachel Baker, of Westford, Mass., cruised to the class National Championship win. After putting down the quick time of the class on Thursday in her No. 137 Pixie Posse Racing/Karcepts/Thanks Kuehls! Honda CRX. She followed that up with another run on the West Course that proved to be the best of the class.

“This is the fifth time I have driven the car,”Baker said. “So, it was really just trying to learn the car, and it’s a great car. This is my second time at Nationals and I was able to finish second at the ProSolo. So, I’m having a really good year and I’m really excited.”

Laurie Hyman, of Fall City, Wash., took home her second consecutive National Champions’ jacket in SML, while driving her No 191. Cobb Surgeline/GT-RR Nissan GT-R. She finished a comfortable 2.093 seconds ahead of her closest competition, Stephanie Reeve in her No. 199 G-fab/Big Budget Racing/Thanks Corraleses Nissan 240sx.

“We’ve had a rough year,”Hyman said. “We’ve had a lot of breakage with the car. During the ProSolo Finale, we had a front differential break. Fortunately we had a spare.

“Last year was my first Championship, so this year I just wanted to have the car stay together and drive my drive. Yesterday was a great day, because I felt like the course suited my driving style well. Today was a little tougher, between the weather and the nerves.”

The Tire Rack Solo National Championships wraps up this afternoon. More information can be found at SCCA.com/SoloNationals.

2014 Solo National Championship

LINCOLN, Neb. (Sept. 5, 2014) — Following heat three on the East Course at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals, three new National Champions were crowned in Super Street Prepared Ladies, Super Street Modified and F Modified. Formula SAE also named a winner.

Jocelin Huang, of Edina, Minn., dominated SSPL in her No. 90 Porsche 911 Turbo. The margin of victory for her second National Championship was a massive 5.572 seconds.

“I was really just trying to drive my own race,”Huang said. “I was trying to execute that plan. The rain was a bit of a challenge.

“There was a thin coating of water that made things difficult after the first run. We didn’t have any wet tires and these already have 30 runs on them, but we were able to pull it out. It means a lot to me to have a second jacket.”

Matthew Glagola, of Atlanta, Ga., was able to make a significant turnaround from his performance on Thursday in SSM. His overnight deficit to the class leader was a manageable 0.625-second while driving his No. 88 Lotus Elise. Glagola claimed the Championship with a 0.158-second margin of victory.

“Coming into this week it was about making a no excuse car,”Glagola said. “I was just going to drive the best I could and see where I placed.

“Yesterday, Tom O’Gorman drove my car and I got to see the in-car footage of it and I realized left foot braking is not needed in this car. I got lucky with a dry second run, today. Everything came together, and that’s just luck.”

In FM, Darren Seltzer, of Orlando, Fla., took home his second consecutive National Championship in convincing fashion. In the No. 75 Darrenseltzer.com Raptor F500, Seltzer finished the two-day competition with a 3.019-second gap over Jason Hobbs in the No. 140 Vision Speedworks Novakar F500.

“Last year we came here with no expectations because we hadn’t run with anyone before,”Seltzer said. “This year everyone knew what we were going to do. So, mentally, it was tougher for me. I had to really get in the zone and focus more than usual. It was really a lot of pressure. Boy, did that rain today make me nervous.

“We had a good crew of people on the car that kept everything dry, clean and organized. We just took it one run at a time. I couldn’t change the weather, but I knew that every run had to count.”

Christopher Moulckers took the win in Formula SAE, but not a National Championship as it is supplemental class for this event.

The Tire Rack Solo National Championships wraps up this afternoon. More information can be found at SCCA.com/SoloNationals.

2014 Solo National Championship

LINCOLN, Neb. (Sept. 5, 2014) — Heat four on the West Course at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships saw four drivers take home top honors in B Street, F Street Ladies, Street Touring Sport and B Street Prepared Ladies.

Lane Borg, of San Angelo, Texas, took home the BS Championship at the wheel of his No. 199 StranoParts Chevrolet Corvette. Following day one, Borg was the class leader. The more technical nature of the East Course did not play to the strength of his car, but he did what needed to be done to seal his title bid.

“My biggest challenge was to get enough sleep,”Borg said. “I tend not to at these things. I had a lot of fun. I’ve never had the break between the ProSolo and the Nationals, so it was fun to see a bunch of my friends run.

“I ran a couple test and tunes and the car felt great. So, I decided not to touch it. Heading into today I had the rain tires ready to go after looking at the radar. I had to be ready for anything, but it’s just hard to prepare. This win is a little validation, especially when everyone keeps telling you that you’re going to win.”

In FSL, Jackie Mutschler, of Houston, ended the day on at the top of the standings in her No. 89 StranoParts/Raft Racing/Koni/Team Minardi Chevrolet Camaro. Leading the competition both days, Mutschler finished with a 2.270-second margin of victory.

“We bought the car in April,”Mutschler said. “We ran it bone stock until the beginning of August. Then, we used the ProSolo as a test bed for the car. We played with a bunch of tire combinations, including mixing different brands. We just needed to figure out exactly how we wanted to set the car up.

“This means a lot to me. The last time I won F Stock Ladies was 17 years ago. I was six months pregnant with our first child, at the time. I came back to Nationals a few times since 2002, but I had never run a full season. This year we put a lot of effort into it, and to see some payoff means a lot.”

Andrew Canak, of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was a Championship contender for the STS title after day one while driving his No. 195 Toyo Tires Mazda Miata. He started the final day of competition in second, trailing by 0.003-second, and finished with a 0.379-second margin of victory.

“At home we race against Jason Frank, so that’s a person everyone tries to chase,”Canak said. “We’ve been chasing him all year. At the beginning of the year, we were pretty close to him, but ran into some problems at the Spring Nationals. We did some things to the car before this event, and it’s back on pace. We didn’t have the most confidence going into the race because we were behind Jason [Frank], but after running the practice course the car felt good. After day one the car felt even better.”

Amanda Hahn, of Littleton, Colorado, won her second consecutive jacket in BSPL at the controls of her No. 80 3rAuto.com/CorSportUSA.com/EAPW.com Honda S2000. Following three runs on the East Course, Hahn held the lead. On the West Course, she grew her lead to 2.235 seconds over Lana Tsurikova in the No. 27 Lang Motorsport/Ratchet Head/OS Giken BMW M3.

“I’m very excited to have been able to repeat as National Champion,”Hahn said. “It was a good day, and the car was doing everything I wanted it to once the tires got up to temperature. Once that happened, I was able to put in a fast, clean run. Watching other drivers on course, it seemed like being clean was most important today.

“It was nice to have a full class this year. Having four National Champions as the competition was also great because it showed me I can compete with them. I hadn’t realized Patty Tunnell and Jodi Fordahl were going to be entered, so it was a little bit of a surprise. But, I didn’t let it get to me too much.”

The Tire Rack Solo National Championships wraps up this afternoon. More information can be found at SCCA.com/SoloNationals.

2014 Solo National Championship

LINCOLN, Neb. (Sept. 5, 2014) — Heat five on the West Course marked the end of the 2014 edition of the Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals from Lincoln (Neb.) Airpark. Champions in Super Street R Ladies, Super Street Prepared, Street Modified, Street Modified F and F Modified Ladies were the final ones to be decided.

The newly ordained Solo Driver of Eminence, Shelly Monfort, of Saratoga, California, showed one of the reasons she received that award. She drove her No. 41 Strano Performance Parts, Shameless Tea Chevrolet Corvette to a 1.397-second win in conditions that fluctuated between wet and dry.

“After I found out I won the Driver of Eminence, I just needed to break the curse,”Monfort exclaimed. “I had a pretty good advantage on the first course. I was very conservative with my first run, just to get one in the books. And then you just build from there.”

Ryan Johnson, of Draper, Utah, made the most of unfavorable weather conditions late on Friday afternoon and scored the SSP National Championship. His margin of victory, in his No. 59 Ryno Management IncBlackwatch Racing Lotus Elise, was a scant 0.192-second, but it was enough to earn the title.

“I really didn’t come with the highest of expectations, just to try my best,”Johnson said. “It started with the ProSolo. Tom Berry has been beating me by a second each day of each Pro this year. To be really close with him here, I started to get it in my mind that I might have a chance. Just focused on driving the best runs I could.

“This really means a lot. That’s why we keep coming. You begin to think it’s elusive after the eight years I’ve come to the event. It just is good to finally get to the top.”

In SM, Todd Kean, of Wallingford, Conn., came from behind to win his first National Championship behind the wheel of the No.99 G-Fab Racing Nissan 240sx. Kean overcame his day-one deficit and finished with a 1.645-second margin of victory over Jason Merritt.

“I’ve only driven the car a handful of times this season,”Kean said. “I got some good pointers from other drivers that ran earlier in the day and earlier in the week. I knew that the car had the pace to get it done. Today, with the weather, my primary goal was to get a clean run in on the first run and then just work from there to get a little bit faster without getting too crazy in pushing it.

“This is something I’ve been working toward for years. I’ve been coming out most of the time with a darkhorse car–not the car for the class, or broken cars. it’s been a struggle. This really means a lot to me. P.J. [Corrales] has done a wonderful job putting the car together, putting me in Street Mod instead of SSM.”

Andy Hollis, of Austin, Texas, was the top driver in SMF, once the dust settled. In his No.1 GRM/HVT/949/OS Giken/Fast Brakes/Soulspeed/FTW/JC Auto Spec Honda CRX, Hollis took the victory over Brian Kuehl, and the remainder of the field, by 1.180 seconds.

“I came in here very laid back,”Hollis said. “I’ve had a lot of issues with the car coming into the week. The motor I put into the car for this event broke. I had 18 hours to put the new motor in, pack and leave to get here. By then, I wanted the car to last through the week and just drive well. The motor I put in–the old motor, and the transmission that goes with it, pops out of second gear. So I drove the whole ProSolo finale and this event with bungee cords holding the shifter in gear.”

In FML, Michelle Quinn, of Dublin, Ohio, walked away with the National Champion title while driving the No. 96 Thanks Jeff! KBS MK7. As the leader after day one, Quinn did enough to secure her victory in her second run of day two.

“I didn’t run at all this year,”Quinn said. “Jeff [Blumenthal] had an injury road racing. I came out here to just have fun. I didn’t care about times. I didn’t want anyone to tell me my times until I was done. I just wanted to go out and attack the course.”

More information on the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships can be found at SCCA.com/SoloNationals.

2014 Solo National Championship

The dates for the 2015 SCCA National Championship Runoffs® at Daytona International Speedway have been moved up a week to avoid a conflict with the season-ending IMSA race at Road Atlanta. The 2015 SCCA Runoffs will begin with a test weekend, Sept. 17-20, and run through Sunday, September 27.

The change moves the full calendar one week earlier than what was announced in May 2014.

“The event at Road Atlanta is an important one for our workers, drivers, teams and officials, so we worked with the staff at Daytona International Speedway to get the event moved as soon as we could,”Terry Ozment, SCCA Vice President, Club Racing, said. “Both events are important and there was no reason to compete head to head. Even though we’re more than a year out, we wanted to spread the word as early as possible to minimize any inconveniences with the change.”

The official running of the 2015 event will now be Monday, September 21 through Sunday, September 27. Preceding the event, the Central Florida Region SCCA will host test days from September 17 — 20. Parking, registration, and pre-event tech inspections will be good from test days through the length of the event for those who participate. Test day registration will be available as an option when registering for the Runoffs in 2015.

The 2014 SCCA National Championship Runoffs from Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca are approaching, with 500 cars on the entry list for the first West Coast appearance of the event in 46 years. Each of the 27 classes will qualify from Tuesday, October 7 through Thursday, October 9. Friday, Saturday and Sunday feature the National Championship Runoffs races, broadcast live on SpeedcastTV.com.

More information on the 2014 event can be found at SCCA.com/Runoffs.

2014 SCCA National Championship Runoffs

2014 SCCA Lincoln Solo Trials Welcome Letter

Dear Solo Trials competitor, Thank you for being one of the super awesome people registered for the upcoming Solo Trials event. We want this event to be the cherry on top of an amazing nationals week this year in Lincoln Nebraska. Included in this letter are a schedule, map, and detailed procedures for both working and driving. Please take the time to read through this as many of these practices and procedures will be new to even seasoned competitors.

Schedule

Run Work Order