It’s always a safe bet that Solo events held in Las Vegas, NV, are going to be a good time. Sure enough, that was the case April 1-3, 2022, during the Tire Rack Las Vegas SCCA Solo National Tour, where 175 entrants met 80-degree F temperatures at the year’s second Solo National Tour gathering, this one hosted by SCCA’s Las Vegas Region at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS).
The LVMS site offers EV charging and an elevated paddock with full RV hookups overlooking the event itself. The weekend was both fun and highly competitive when you add in the fact that the lot at LVMS consists of smooth, grippy asphalt with enough room to create fast and open courses.
A Glimpse at Competition
While this stop on the Solo National Tour opened on April Fool’s Day, there was no joking around when it came to the level of competition. Many classes ended Saturday with two or more drivers within one second of the leaders. That meant Sunday was an “all or nothing” scenario for those looking to triumph in Vegas.
In C Street, the 11-driver field was led on Saturday by Sean Velandia in a 2016 Mazda MX-5. His codriver, Maurice Velandia, was only 0.016sec back after three runs. Sean’s performance didn’t fade on Sunday, as he secured victory after three more runs. Brian Newport, in a 2020 Mazda Miata, charged from fourth on Saturday to claim a runner-up finish 0.851sec off the leader. Maurice Velandia came home third, and Scott Lewis rounded out the trophies in a 2021 Mazda MX-5.
Street Touring™ Ultra’s Justin Tsang had the class lead on Saturday evening by 0.519sec in his 2006 Subaru STI. But he couldn’t maintain that position in the seven-driver field, as Steve McLaughlin roared back on Sunday in a 2007 Nissan 350Z to win by 0.009sec over Justin. Mack Tsang, Justin’s co-driver, finished third.
Austin Clark, driving a 2016 Mazda MX-5, was Saturday’s leader in B Street Prepared with a 0.210sec gap on the 2019 Mazda MX-5 of Jonathan Lugod. Things got interesting on Sunday as Lugod turned the best BSP time with a 43.468sec run. That wasn’t quick enough, however, as Clark held tough and finished the event 0.126sec ahead of Lugod.
The 13-entant Solo Spec Coupe class was led on Saturday by Kevin Dietz, although that lead was only 0.024sec ahead of Michael Carpenter, with both men driving 2013 Toyota FR-S machines. Sunday saw a switch, as Carpenter moved to the front and went on to a 0.177sec victory over the 2015 Scion FR-S of Reed Gibson. Dietz fell to third, and Piotr Szarkowicz claimed fourth in a 2013 Toyota FR-S.
The Solo Spec Coupe Ladies battle another thriller, with Meredith Brown leading the way on Saturday by only 0.1sec in a 2016 Scion FR-S. Chasing her was Kendra Mabie in a 2015 Scion FR-S. Roles reversed on Sunday as Mabie put forth an amazing run to earn victory over Brown by 0.325sec after all six runs.
Monitoring the Points Chase
There is a points chase going on this year at each of the first 10 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tours on the schedule. An individual’s three best-scoring performances count toward the season total.
Points are awarded on a performance-based scale using the following formula: 100 — (900 x ((Entrant’s Time – Class Winning Time) / (Class Winning Time)). Drivers must attend September’s Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships in Nebraska to be eligible for year-end points recognition. However, results at the Solo National Championships will not count toward points totals. Rather, finishes at the National Championship event will be used as tiebreakers.
Learn more about the scoring system here. But also click the link below to track the points race throughout the Solo National Tour season. (Note: Points are usually updated a few days after each event.)
Visiting the Nation’s Capital
There’s no stopping the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour, with the next event taking place April 8-10 about a dozen miles east of the Washington Monument at FedExField in Landover, MD, for the Tire Rack WDCR Solo National Tour. The series then heads back west to Patterson, CA, for the April 22-24 Tire Rack Crows Landing Solo National Tour, followed by the May 6-8 Tire Rack South Texas National Tour at Naval Air Station Chase Field in Beeville, TX. Online registration has already begun for these dates, so check the Solo National Tour webpage for more information.
Photo by Joe Goeke
