SOLO: National Championship event preview

Nearly 1200 SCCA Solo National Championship Competitors Brace For Action

TOPEKA, Kan. (September 6, 2010) -- More than 1,170 competitors are on the entry list and registered to compete in the 2010 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships beginning Tuesday, September 7 through Friday, September 10 at the Lincoln (Neb.) Airpark. This year's event is the 38th running of the world's biggest motorsports competition event.

Drivers are signed up to compete in 71 classes during the four-day competition, making timed runs throughout the week to earn the honor of being named National Champion.

Entering the event, 32 drivers are eligible for the Solo Triad award, the highest award a Solo competitor can earn. The Triad recognizes those drivers that win championships at three levels of National Solo competition: a Divisional Championship, a States Championship National Tour, and a National Championship, all in the same class.

The always-competitive Stock Category contains 15 of those eligible drivers gunning for the award. Three of those come in the Super Stock class. Kevin Dietz, of Seattle, Wash., piloted his 2003 Infowars.com Chevrolet Corvette Z06 to a Northern Pacific Divisonal title and the Western States Championship. Great Lakes Divisional Champion Matthew Braun, of Northville, Mich., added a Southern States Championship win for the second leg and is hunting for a National title in his 2007 Powerplug Lotus Elise. Steve Wynveen won the Central Division title and the Northern States Championship from his hometown of Germantown, Wis., behind the wheel of a 2004 mercuryracing.com Corvette Z06. Beavercreek, Ohio's Crissy Weaver (2002 Body By Rick/Fatt Boyz/RAFT! Chevrolet Corvette) is searching for the award in the Super Stock Ladies class after Great Lakes Divisional and Northern States Championship wins.

In B Stock, Jadrice Toussaint, Paul Kozlak and Robert Thorne will battle each other and the field for the Triad. Toussaint (2008 Crown Honda Charlotte/Team FF Honda S2000), of Charlotte, N.C., won the Southeast Division title and the Southern States Championship; Litchfield, Maine's Kozlak (2007 Red Haus Racing Pontiac Solstice GXP) earned his titles in the Northeast Division and Northern States Championship, and Thorne (2001 SCR Performance/Autoparts Warehouse Honda S2000), of Littleton, Colo., earned the Rocky Mountain Division crown and the Western States Championship.

The C and D Stock classes have Triad possibilities. Brian Coulson, of Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Chris Fenter, of Appleton, Wis., are searching for the award in C Stock, while John Ma, of Fitchburg, Wis., and Mindi Cross, of Phoenix, are eligible for the award in D Stock and D Stock Ladies. Coulson (2007 Hoosier/MAZDASPEED Mazda RX-8) is the Northern Pacific Divisional and Western States Champion, Fenter (2007 My Three Girls Mazda MX-5) won the Central Division, Southern States, and Northern States Championship, Ma (2007 M2 MINI Cooper S) is the Central Division and Western States Champion, and Cross (2006 MINIUSA.com/Hoosier Tire MINI Cooper S Red) capitalized in the Southern Pacific Division and Western States Championships.

Bartek Borowski, of Elmwood Park, Ill., Jerry Jenkins, of Vancouver, Wash., and Robert Carpenter, of Knoxville, Tenn., are Triad competitors in E Stock, with Sam Strano, of Knoxdale, Penn., racing for the Triad in F Stock. Borowski's (1996 Mazda Miata) titles came in the Central Division and Southern States Championship, Jenkins (1994 America's Tire-Vancouver Mazda Miata) in the Northern Pacific Divisional and Western States Championship, and Carpenter (1993 Evo Driving Schools/Volunteer X-ray Toyota MR-2) in the Southeast Division and Northern States Championship. Strano (2011 Strano Performance Parts/Summit Mtg Ford Mustang) earned the top spot in the Great Lakes Division and Northern States Championship.

The Street Touring Category has five Triad eligible drivers in four classes. Andy Hollis, of Austin, Texas, pilots his 1989 Soulspeed/GRM/PowerCurve/FTW Honda Civic Si in the Street Touring class after a Northern Pacific Division and Western States Championship. Geoffrey Chambers, of Fishers, Ind., won the Great Lakes Divisional and Northern States Championships in a 1990 Aim Tuning/RRAX.com/SRSBZNSS Racing Mazda Miata in the Street Touring Sport Class. Geoff Clark (2003 Taco Time/CiroDesign Mitsubishi Evo VIII), of Monroe, Wash., and Indianapolis' Kevin Kent (2003 Wiki Wiki Racing/Myers Motorsports Mitsubishi Evo) represent the Street Touring Ultra class. Clark is the Northern Pacific and Western States Championship winner, while Kent took the Great Lakes Division and Northern States Championships. Christy Vehe (2005 Grand Subaru Subaru 4x4), of Bolingbrook, Ill., is a contender in Street Touring Ultra Ladies after a Central Division and Southern States Championship.

In the Street Prepared Category, eight drivers have their eyes on the Triad prize. Joe Tharpe (2003 R&S Racing/Loctite/Tire Rack/NGK Chevrolet Z06), of State Center, Iowa, leads the A Street Prepared class after Great Lakes Divisional and Southern States Championship titles. Aaron Miller (2005 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII), of Auburn Hills, Mich., and Craig Wilcox (2006 PPI/Oasis Tan/Got Grip/SoloRacer Mitsubishi Evo IX), of Blue Springs, Mo., battle in the B Street Prepared class. Miller won the Great Lakes Divisional and Northern States Championships, while Wilcox earned the Midwest Divisional and Southern States titles. Brian Peters (2003 Evolution/Hoosier/BWP Performance BMW 330i), of Litchfield Park, Ariz., won the Southern Pacific Divisional and Western States Championship in D Street Prepared, while Sante Fe's Connie Smith (2004 3zero3ms.com/SPE-ED.com/Ska/KW/SAMR Volkswagen Golf) has a shot at a Triad in D Street Prepared Laides after a Rocky Mountain Division and Western States Championships. Mack Tsang (2005 Kidder/Lubrify/Prot0x00e9g0x00e9 Garage Mazda3), of Fremont, Calif., can earn a Triad in F Street Prepared, having already claimed the Southern Pacific Divisional and Western States Championships.

The Prepared Category features two drivers in Triad contention. Toledo, Ohio's Kevin Lewis (2003 Pure Tuning Mitsubishi Evo VIII) won the Great Lakes Division and Northern States Championship in X Prepared. Scott Lewis (1997 Chevrolet Camaro), of Columbia City, Ind., matched Kevin's championships in the C Prepared class.

In the Modified Category, four drivers can win the prestigious Triad award. In A Modified, Dan Wasdahl (2008 Hoosier BBR/Phantom DVS-1), of Massillon, Ohio, has already won the Great Lakes Divisional and Northern States Championship. Clemens Burger, of Noblesville, Ind., can earn the title in a 1976 LeGrand Mk18 after winning the Great Lakes Divisional, Northern and Southern States Championship in B Modified. D Modified's Jeff Cashmore (2002 Del Long Sprinto 7 YC-3), of New Berlin, Wis., captured the Central Divisional and Southern States Championships. Paul MaGee (1989 Rogues-racing.com/Perrier/Saul's KBS Mk4), of Canton, Ohio, has a chance at F Modified after a Great Lakes Divisional and Southern States Championship this year.

The Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship begins at 8:00 a.m. CDT on Tuesday, with competition continuing through Friday afternoon. For information, daily recaps, and live timing, visit www.scca.com/solo.

-source: scca