The 2024 Tire Rack SCCA® ProSolo® 11-event season got the green light March 8-10, 2024, during a fabulous weekend at Naval Air Station Chase Field in Beeville, TX, for the Tire Rack SCCA South Texas ProSolo.
The first ProSolo event of the year was hosted by SCCA’s Houston Region, which also produced a great feast Friday night. The venue’s layout offered a unique combination of grippy concrete for one course and asphalt for the other. Seemingly endless room at the site also allowed for creation of asymmetrical course designs that proved open, fast, and flowing.
A total of 165 competitors posted times during the weekend in conditions that were good – albeit a bit chilly in the mornings, and a tad windy at times. One of those drivers was Rachael Acosta, a Ladies Class 3 competitor who was enjoying her very first ProSolo event and received guidance thanks to the SCCA Women on Track Driver Development Program.
That initiative aids one randomly selected woman at each Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour and ProSolo Series event with an opportunity for a one-on-one, 30-minute virtual coaching session with a top-tier driver from the sport. This level of coaching is aimed at helping drivers meet their performance driving goals, and Acosta made the most of it by driving a 2005 Acura RSX to a ninth-place finish in the class.
A couple other drivers got some help, too, thanks to the Howard Duncan ProSolo Greenlight Fund. Those drivers were Dawn Sullivan and Evan Russo, who enjoyed complimentary first appearances at a ProSolo courtesy of the SCCA Foundation. Sullivan ran a 1991 Mazda Miata in the Ladies 4 (L4) class, and Russo a 2022 Hyundai Veloster in D Street.
Donations made to the SCCA Foundation can be earmarked specifically for the Greenlight Fund here.
Texas Class Competition
With 13 entrants each, the Classic American Muscle (CAM) and Street 4 (S4) classes shared honors for sporting the largest fields in Beeville. Terry Neuville took the CAM victory in a 2021 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and second went to Kyle Krzesinski in a 2017 Ford Mustang. Third was David Rock in a 2001 Chevrolet Corvette Z06, and the final CAM trophy was claimed by Chris Cargill in a 1985 Chevrolet Camaro.
Cameron Goode grabbed the S4 victory in a 2020 Tesla Model 3, and Chase Gintner piloted a 2017 Ford Focus RS to the runner-up spot. Donovan Brown earned third in a 2023 Tesla Model 3 but was only 0.035sec ahead of fourth-place finisher Brandon Slater, who claimed the final trophy spot in a 2022 Subaru WRX.
Some of the tightest battles over the weekend came to pass in a couple Ladies classes. For instance, the winning margin in the 11-driver Ladies Class 3 (L3) was only 0.126sec, with Kim Whitener wheeling a 2015 Scion FR-S to victory over a 2021 Mazda MX-5 driven by Jordan Towns. In third was Casey Coughlin in a 2020 Mazda Miata, and the fourth and final trophy went to Laney Blume in a 2019 Honda Civic Si.
The closest finish went to Ladies Class 2, which had seven competitors. Kelsey Karanges came out on top of that field driving a 2011 Porsche Cayman. She was only 0.058sec faster than runner-up Kasey Gintner in a 2017 Ford Focus RS. The third and final trophy went to Carmen Rowlands driving a 2006 Subaru STi.
Additional coverage from Beeville can be found at the SoloMatters Facebook page. A full rundown of class results from the event can be accessed by clicking the red link below.
Beeville Challenge Winners
In the Bonus Challenge, the final faceoff included Street 1’s Dan Giro and L4’s Mary Lou Holmes. It was Holmes who came out on top in a 2016 Scion FR-S.
The Ladies Challenge came down to L4’s Meredith Brown and L3’s Kim Whitener. In the end, Brown took the win in the exact same car Holmes drove to victory in the Bonus Challenge. Third place in the Ladies Challenge then went to L2’s Kasey Gintner in a 2017 Ford Focus RS.
It was Mazda vs. Honda in the Super Challenge, where the final two participants were Race Tire Index 2’s Todd Roberts and Street Touring Sport’s Mason Herrick. Roberts, in a 1990 Mazda Miata, was quickest – thus earning him the first ProSolo Super Challenge victory of the year. David Whitener, driving a 2015 Scion FR-S from the Street Touring Xtreme field, finished third.
Next: ProSolo Doubleheader in Vegas
The ProSolo Series will next conduct back-to-back events in Sin City. The first ProSolo of the “twins” hits Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS) on March 15-17, 2024. Five days later, the ProSolo Series returns for a March 22-24 weekend.
Thankfully, LVMS will allow competitors to stash their trucks and trailers on site between events. Please note that storage availability is on a first come, first served basis.
Click here to learn everything there is to know about these ProSolo twin events.
Photos by Kelsey Karanges
