Over 200 drivers representing nearly half of the states in the nation are slated to take to the concrete at the Tire Rack Blytheville ProSolo in just a few days. While the weather forecast promises mild temperatures and a low chance of rain for competition on Saturday and Sunday, experienced Midwesterners know that this could change with a simple shifting of the winds. Weather has already wreaked havoc on the area in the form of torrential April rains, causing flooding and road closures encompassing much of southern Missouri just to the north of Blytheville. Travelers are cautioned to check their route for possible closures and detours before hitting the road. A map of road closures in Missouri is available on the Missouri Department of Transportation website at http://traveler.modot.org/map.
Weather notwithstanding, the atmosphere in Blytheville promises to be festive this weekend. Besides the celebratory air that a ProSolo traditionally supplies, this weekend is graced by two additional holidays – Cinco de Mayo on Friday and the first Saturday in May, Derby Day, considered a major holiday by Kentuckians and other fans of Thoroughbred racing. Rumor has it that competitors may be trading their Friday sombreros and serapes for more stylish (or absurd) headgear for an impromptu Derby hat competition during Saturday course walks.
The most exciting sub-two minutes in motorsports this weekend will be featured in a variety of well-subscribed classes. The Street category is thriving with a full roster in all classes from AS through HS; Super Street at three entrants being the only class in jeopardy of not making a full class. AS leads the way among all classes with 18 competitors signed up, mostly in C5 and C6 Corvettes with one Saturn Sky thrown into the mix for good measure. It promises to be a good battle from around the country, with a pair of last year’s Tire Rack Solo Nationals AS Trophy Winners, David Entz of Tennessee and Laurence Casey of Maryland, looking to duke it out with perpetual threats Michael “Junior” Johnson of Virginia and Chris Harvey of Indiana. John Laughlin and Michael and David Potocki may also be out for vengeance on dry pavement after facing each other in the wet at last weekend’s Pitt Race Match Tour.
C Street boasts 11 drivers, all fighting to see who has the fastest Mazda, with 10 drivers choosing the new ND Miata and one piloting the familiar RX-8. E Street is likewise a two car contest featuring a nearly equal distribution of NB Mazda Miatas going up against Toyota MR2 Spyders in this 12 car field. Speaking of two car classes, STS fields the expected showdown of the EF Honda Civic and CRX Si against the NA Miata. Mark McKnight, Ron Williams, Sean Greer, and Gerry Terranova head up the Honda side. They will face setup guru David Whitener who, despite boasting previous national championships in both a CRX and a Civic, has chosen to develop a Mazda Miata this year. STR mirrors the STS Honda versus Miata showdown, in this case with S2000s waging war against ND Miatas. Look for Jed Peterson, Ricky Crown, Kerry Coughlin, Vivek Goel, and Robert Carpenter to be jockeying for the top spot in this 13 car class.
On the R compound side of things, SSM is anybody’s race. Expect a close battle and blistering fast times from Matt Glagola, Carter Thompson, Randall Wilcox, and Eric Anderson. Among the index classes, R2 features an impressive 15 driver field. It is sure to capture the interest of any gear head, with fresh builds squaring off against proven championship cars, classics from the 1960s and 70s going head to head with modern automobiles, and front wheel drive hatchbacks doing battle with rear wheel drive roadsters. The Ladies’ Index classes are likewise stacked. Cumulatively, the drivers in L1, L2, and L3 own enough national championship jackets to fill a very generously sized walk-in closet. L1 and L2 are especially thick with stout competition, featuring 8 and 15 drivers respectively; the winners of these indexed classes will likely be determined by who’s driving style and car happens to click best with the courses and conditions.
If you can’t make it to this thrilling event in person, be sure to tune in to all the Tire Rack Blytheville ProSolo action via UStream and Solo Live. You won’t want to miss Round 4 of the Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Series action!
Words by Laura Harbour
