(ed. note - changed to reflect the correct G Stock winner) LINCOLN, Neb. (September 5, 2012) – With the first wave of competition complete, 33 SCCA National Champions were crowned on Wednesday at the 40th Tire Rack Solo National Championships. Run under sunny skies at the Lincoln (Neb.) Airpark, those Champions were set to receive their awards at the Wednesday night awards banquet.
Two drivers were able to capture the prestigious Solo Triad Award, the top honor that any soloist can earn. To earn the award, a driver must win a Tire Rack Solo Tour event, a States Championship, and a National Championship in the same class. Mark Madarash, of Red Oak, Texas, drove a Pontiac Trans Am to the E Street Prepared title for the sixth-straight year to claim the Triad award, while Jeff Kiesel drove his KFR Turbo Sprite to his sixth-consecutive E Modified crown to win his.
The closest finish of the day came in the Kart Modified class, where Paul Russell, of San Diego, Calif., sealed the deal on his fourth-consecutive championship. Jeremiah McClintock, of Commerce Township, Mich., closed the gap on the final day in his Nut Pack Racing! Renspeed Honda, but Russell’s final run left his Seventh-Gear.com Tony Kart with a 0.020-second win.
Wednesday morning welcomed back Bryan Heitkotter, of Fresno, Calif., to the Solo National Championship stage in Street Touring® X. The Playstation/Nissan GT Academy winner is a four-time National Champion, but has joined a prestigious list of Soloists that includes Randy Pobst, Peter Cunningham and Jason Saini by also using his autocross skills to hone his road racing craft in the professional ranks. Heitkotter won the class in a BMW 325is.
David Whitener made the climb of the day in Street Touring Sport, moving from sixth place following the east course runs to claim his first National Championship on the West course in the Texas Track Works/Motion Control Suspension Honda CRX. Whitener’s fantastic means the ride home to Fort Worth, Texas, will carry two National Champions after wife Kim Whitener won the Street Touring Sport Ladies class for her second consecutive title.
Matching the Whiteners stride-for-stride were the Kuglers, of Springtown, Pa., in the G Prepared and G Prepared Ladies classes. It was the fourth-consecutive win for Denise in the GPL, and fourth overall for Allen in GP. The Kuglers shared the Karcepts/ImMotion/EvansTuning Honda CRX for their wins.
Jonathan Lugod, of Oceanside, Calif., took the top spot in the most contested class of the day, topping the 51-car Street Touring R field in the ARE/The Racers Store/More Greeks Honda S2000. Lugod trailed by just 0.043-second heading into the second day, but it wasn’t until his final round on the West course that Lugod snuck under Marc Pfannenschmidt’s time to win by 0.338-second.
Two drivers captured National Championships in their first attempt. Tristan Littlehale, of Saratoga, Calif., shocked the Street Touring Ultra field, taking the rookie win in his Bimmerworld BMW M3. Littlehale became the first STU winner in a two-wheel drive car, besting all of the Mitsubishi Evos and Subaru WRX STis. Ericka Pieracci, of Livermore, Calif., also scored a rookie win in her D Modified Ladies Dave Henry Lotus Caterham.
Chris Fenter, of Appleton, Wis., scored his second career National Championship, coming from behind to capture C Stock in his Mazda MX-5. Fenter, who has been a bridesmaid the last two years in C Stock, made up the 0.257-second deficit to best Bud Collins’ Pontiac Solstice ZOK by 0.280-second.
Coming into Wednesday, F Street Prepared had the closest battle, with defending Champion Kevin Wenzel, of Longmont, Colo., leading Ron Williams, of Topeka, Kan., by just 0.014. Williams, who challenged Wenzel for the 2011 title co-driving Wenzel’s BMW 2002, jumped to the lead on his second run and padded the advantage on his third to give his Honda/Hoosier Honda Civic a 0.304-second win, his third National Championship.
Fourteen year-old Julian Garfield, of Mount Airy, Md., captured his fifth-consecutive win in Junior Karts, topping the supplemental FJA class for the third-straight year after two wins in FJB. Garfield will be eligible for a sixth win in 2013, before reaching age 16, when he can run in open class competition for a National Championship.
With the National Champions crowned today, another wave of competitors takes to the courses on Thursday and Friday. Follow the action through live timing at www.sololive.scca.com, live audio from the east course at www.ustream.tv/channel/solo-nationals-east and from the west course at www.ustream.tv/channel/solo-nationals-west, or on Twitter @sccalive.
More information on the Tire Rack SCCA National Championship is available at www.scca.com/solo.
Follow SCCA on Twitter @SCCAOfficial.
LINCOLN, Neb. – The National Champion in each of the 33 classes (plus two supplemental classes) competing Tuesday and Wednesday in the 40th Tire Rack® SCCA Solo National Championships at Lincoln Airpark with class, leading driver, hometown, car, and total number of National Championships. Bold and *asterisk denotes change in lead from Tuesday.
A Stock: Lane Borg, San Angelo, Texas, rookie National Champion. A Stock Ladies: Meredith Brown, Los Alamos, N.M., fourth National Championship. D Stock: Mark Smith, Denver, Colo., second consecutive National Championship in DS, second overall. D Stock Ladies: Connie Smith, Santa Fe, N.M., second National Championship. C Stock*: Chris Fenter, Appleton, Wis., second national championship. C Stock Ladies: Learic Cramer, Columbia, Md., first National Championship. G Stock*: William Loring, Osceola, Ind., second consecutive GS Championship, second overall. G Stock Ladies: Wendi Allen, Jacksonville Beach, Fla., seventh National Championship. B Modified: Clemens Burger, Noblesville, Ind., third National Championship. C Modified: Brandon Lavender, Indianapolis, Ind., first National Championship. C Modified Ladies: Avril Morrison, Vancouver, B.C., first National Championship. D Modified: Jeff Cashmore, New Berlin, Wis., eighth career National Championship. D Modified Ladies: Ericka Pieracci, Livermore, Calif., rookie National Champion. E Modified: Jeff Kiesel, Poway, Calif., sixth-consecutive EM Championship, seventh overall. E Modified Ladies: Shawn Kiesel, Poway, Calif., third-Consecutive EML Championship, fifth overall. Kart Modified: Paul Russell, San Diego, Calif., fourth-consecutive KM Championship, fifth overall. Kart Modified Ladies: Suzanne Segal, Las Vegas, Nev., ninth National Championship. E Prepared: Chris Dorsey, Littleton, Colo., second-consecutive EP Championship, third overall. E Prepared Ladies: Amy Smith, Tucker, Ga., first National Championship. E Street Prepared: Mark Madarash, Red Oak, Texas, sixth-consecutive ESP Championship, eighth overall. E Street Prepared Ladies: Amy Fair, Fairview, Texas, third National Championship. F Street Prepared*: Ron Williams, Topeka, Kan., third National Championship. F Street Prepared Ladies: Nikki Edwards, Thomasville, N.C., first National Championship. G Prepared: Allen Kugler, Springtown, Pa., fourth National Championship. G Prepared Ladies: Denise Kugler, Springtown, Pa., fourth-consecutive GPL Championship, eighth overall. Street Touring R: Jonathan Lugod, Oceanside, Calif., first National Championship. Street Touring R Ladies: Kyung Wootton, Austin, Texas, second consecutive in STRL, eight National Championship overall . Street Touring S*: David Whitener, Fort Worth, Texas, first National Championship. Street Touring S Ladies: Kim Whitener, Fort Worth, Texas, second consecutive in STL, second overall National Championship. Street Touring Under: Tristan Littlehale, Saratoga, Calif., rookie National Champion. Street Touring Under Ladies: Michelle Miller, Federal Way, Wash., first National Championship. Street Touring X: Brian Heitkotter, Fresno, Calif., fourth National Championship. Street Touring X Ladies*: Debbie Kerswill, Reno, Nev., second National Championship. Formula Junior A (Supplemental Class): Julian Garfield, Mount Airy, Md., third-straight FJA win, Fifth overall. Formula Junior B (Supplemental Class): Tom Regganie, Joliet, Ill., third-straight FJB win.
2012 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship
