With 2,630 miles to cover, a resolute Tire Rack SCCA® Solo National Tour staff had barely enough time to collect all the orange cones from last weekend’s competition at Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, and lay ‘em all back down at the former Hampton Mills facility in the State of Washington to execute the July 7-9, 2023, “perpetually last” Tire Rack SCCA Packwood Solo National Tour event.
All joking aside, this could be one of the last SCCA National Solo events to take place at the Hampton Mills facility, a spot long favored by SCCA members. The venue’s covered paddock is unmatched anywhere, and the lush environs within eyeshot of Mt. Rainier are simply mystical. That property, however, was sold to a real estate developer last fall, so the Solo site’s future is very much up in the air.
Perhaps with that in mind, 266 entrants devoured the experience Saturday and Sunday during an event hosted by SCCA’s Northwest Region. You really couldn’t ask for better weather as the upper 70s was where temperatures peaked both days. A touch of moisture passed through early Sunday, but skies were cloudy to mostly sunny throughout the event. The courses designed by John Hunter, who has sculpted a few Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships layouts, offered plenty of challenges for even the most seasoned competitors.
And speaking of devouring, the hungry hoard at Packwood did a number on Saturday night’s dinner spread offered by the Region. Copious amounts of BBQ, mac-n-cheese, coleslaw, and baked beans were put away; and it was all washed down with various beverages chilled in three different kiddie pools. That’s right, it took three pools filled with ice to house the bounty. If 2023 is indeed a last hoorah for Hampton Mills, the SCCA Solo community made sure the venue will be fondly remembered.
Harvesting Winners at Hampton Mills
It was D Street (DS) that presented the largest field at Packwood with 17 entrants. Garrett Cogburn, in a 2021 Honda Civic, proved dominant by winning the class with 1.276sec on Des Toups in a 2023 Hyundai Elantra N. Third was Dhiraj Jadhav in a 2022 Subaru, followed by Brent Vitolins who was co-driving with Toups. The fifth and final trophy went to Ricky Bang in a 2023 Subaru BRZ.
Nearly a half-dozen classes at Hampton Mills saw a dozen entrants, one of which was Super Street (SS) where Jay Balducci nailed the win by 0.704sec over co-driver Jason Bucki, both in a shared 2022 Porsche GT4 machine. Monty Pack finished third and Tom Bruck fourth, both driving different 2018 Porsche GT3 cars.
Nail-biting Super Street action happened in the Ladies division where co-drivers Ewelina Szarkowicz and Dee Dietz did battle in a 2019 Porsche Cayman GTS. Szarkowicz led the way after Saturday runs by being 0.133sec faster than Dietz. But Dietz clawed back the time Sunday, and ended up with a 0.147sec victory over Szarkowicz.
While the Dietz vs. Szarkowicz battle was close, E Street had an even tighter competition. The 10-entrant class was led Saturday by Blake DeWit in a 1999 Mazda Miata. After all three runs were done Saturday, he was only 0.036sec faster than Rich Blake in a 2002 Mazda Miata, and Carson Orud was another 0.579sec back in third piloting an additional 1999 Mazda Miata. DeWit stayed on task Sunday and went on to win, but that victory was a scant 0.123sec over Orud who wheeled up to the runner-up spot. Blake dropped to third with his co-driver, Chris Heady, rounding out the trophies in fourth.
None of what you read above, however, resulted in the closest finish at Hampton Mills. While Solo National Tour competition routinely produces tight results, it’s rare to see a tie. Still, that’s what happened in Super Street Prepared. Co-drivers Cam Withell and Ryan Clark both posted times of 93.870sec after six runs in the same 2023 Porsche GT4. Withell was awarded the victory based on the fastest time across other runs, and Clark finished second. But it’s pretty certain they both had one fantastic time at Hampton Mills.
Lastly, a quick shoutout to Cameron DeGroff. He and his 2019 Chevrolet Camaro SS made a first Solo National Tour appearance at Packwood, and led the eight-driver F Street crew by 0.167sec when the sun set Saturday. Ultimately, he finished second to James Paulson who built a 0.590sec advantage after six runs. Mark McCooey, in a 2021 Ford Mustang, finished third to close out the trophies.
Rounding Out July
The 2023 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour hammers on with two more stops in July. Next is the July 14-16 Tire Rack SCCA Chicago Solo National Tour taking place at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL; followed by the July 28-30 Tire Rack SCCA Finger Lakes Solo National Tour in Romulus, NY, at the former Seneca Army Depot.
Registration is open for these events, but the clock is ticking because online registration is closing shortly. After that, we’ve got the 50th Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships on tap, taking place Sept. 5-8 in Nebraska at Lincoln Airpark. Check the Solo National Tour webpage for more details.
Photo by Joe Goeke
