Salazar working the B-Mod grid at Solo Nationals

I have driven in the narrow streets of the Monaco F1 Grand Prix, on the long 4 mile plus straight  at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, started in the front row of the Indy 500, navigated the desert of the Dakar Rally, competed against the great Loeb in the World rally Championships, etc., etc. But...

I had never been on a Paddock with 1,000 cars plus!

It all started when I decided to do something that could benefit safety on the streets of my native country of Chile, a small way to try to eradicate illegal races.  We lack proper racing tracks, so autocross was a good alternative. We called it SoloRace Chile.  I had the fortune to have the invaluable help of my friend Roger Johnson. We launched the program in Chile with 30 entries and within 3 months had grown to 120 cars fields.

In my racing career I've always shot for the pinnacle of every discipline, so what better than make our graduates come to the biggest event, Solo Nationals. We did so with 3 guys. To say that it was a learning experience, it's a big understatement.  We found very dedicated competitors, with a lot of experience. Our guys had done only 3 events on their life, so it was a struggle on the track, but a great time sharing cars with the gracious owners who let us drive their vehicles.  The organizers were very helpful and we ended up having a great time.  I personally did a few runs, without official times, to get the feeling of it and I would definitely like to do it properly next year.

Thanks to everybody who made the experience an unforgettable one. We will be back!

- Eliseo Salazar

The Chileans enjoying their 4th autocross experience.