2017 Tire Rack National Solo Season Ignites in San Diego

TOPEKA, Kan. (March 9, 2017) – The 2017 Tire Rack National Solo® season kick-off at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California provided drivers with a chance to shake off the dust and get back into the swing of National Solo competition. Match Tour events take place over the course of a weekend, with two sessions per day.

Saturday saw the first two sessions, each a “traditional” three-run autocross. The best run from the morning and afternoon sessions are added together to determine class winners. On Sunday, the format ramps up with a three-run session to determine Challenge round qualifiers. The top eight from each heat qualify for the Top Dog Challenge and ninth to 16th place qualify for the Under Dog Challenge. Everyone else is entered into a drawing for the Lucky Dog Challenge. The fourth and final session of the weekend are the challenge rounds, where drivers who have made it into each challenge run a series of single-elimination rounds to determine overall winners for each and the Match Tour event.

On Saturday, a true battle of the ages was fought in G Street with the top four drivers separated by about two-tenths going into the afternoon, but it was Michael Parker that edged out Wiggy Greacen with Parker running a 50.066 in the morning and a 49.468 in the afternoon in his 2012 GTI. Greacen matched Parker with Mark Scrogg’s ex-championship car with a 50.215 and a 49.594. David Howdyshell put down a flyer of a last run in the afternoon grabbing the final trophy position running a 50.029 in the morning and a 49.958.

Jonathan Lugod stole the show in Street Touring Xtreme, not just due to the fact that he was able to put a flyer of a 47.284 on his first run, but because he was able to replicate that exact time for his third run. Lugod ended up slowing down by a little over eight-tenths in the afternoon, but still took the overall win here by a margin of 1.141 seconds. In second spot, Steve O’Blenes ran a consistent 48.343 in the morning with a 48.213 in the afternoon. Jeff Wong piloted their new FRS into the third spot trophy position keeping very consistent in the 48’s, but nabbing a cone in his last run in the morning. Wong would stand on his second run of the morning 48.428 and speed up a couple of tenths laying down a 48.206 in the afternoon.

B Street Prepared was a dramatic battle between 2016 BSP National Champion Anthony Porta and pro racer Tony Rivera. In a classic case of David vs. Goliath, Porta piloted the little Mazdaspeed to victory, putting down a huge improved morning run of 46.669 and a 46.191 in afternoon. Rivera suffered from ABS issues, with the brakes on full lock with very little application. Determined to make the best of it, Rivera decided to drive out on his last run in the afternoon to try and clean up the 48.8 plus cone. He stopped the clocks with a 46.654, his fastest run of the day without ABS, but was unable to catch Porta.

With the earlier start on Sunday by an hour, the dropping temperatures were a factor as drivers adjusted their cars to deal with the less grip the surface yielded as a result. Saturday’s results no longer mattered. Sunday morning runs were focused on qualifying for one of the challenges. Of the more than 200 competitors, only 72 qualify for one of the Challenges. At the end of the day, the Top Dog Challenge winner was Jeff Wong in his Street Touring Xtreme Scion FRS. The Under Dog Challenge was won by James Yom in a Street Touring Roadster Honda S2000. Finally, the Lucky Dog Challenge winner was Mark Wolfe in his E Street Mazda Miata.

In addition to the Match Tour competition, a CAM Challenge was held in conjunction. Jason Rhoades won both CAM Sport and the Overall CAM Challenge in a Dodge Viper. Faraaz Zaman emerged victorious in CAM Contemporary in a Chevrolet Camaro SS. Mary Pozzi claimed the victory in CAM Traditional in her Chevrolet Camaro RS.

Full results can be found at the Tire Rack San Diego Match Tour webpage. For additional information about SCCA Solo, visit www.scca.com/solo.

 Words and Image: Kaustav Acharya

Image:Jeff Wong claims the Top Dog Challenge Victory in San Diego.