SOLO: National Championships Thursday report

Second Round of Solo National Championships Begins In Topeka with Thursday Runs

TOPEKA, Kan. (Sept. 18, 2008) -- The second half of Tire Rack® SCCA Solo National Championship competition began Thursday at Heartland Park Topeka, with the final 32 class championships set to be decided Friday.

Solo is often about families competing together, and the Padberg husband-wife team of Darrel and Desiree, of Muskego, Wis., are searching tonight for a collective 0.010-second so that they can take home a pair of Championships on Friday. Two-time, defending C Prepared Champion Darrel Padberg sits just 0.008-second behind early leader and 2004 Champion Mike Maier, of Livermore, Calif., while 2006 C Prepared Ladies Champion Desiree Padberg is only 0.002-second behind day one leader Kathy Lang, of Mukwonago, Wis. All four competitors are in Ford Mustangs.

The C Prepared and C Prepared L gaps must make Frankfort, Illinois' Danielle Engstrom's 0.022-second advantage over Shelly Monfort, of Saratoga, Calif., in her Bunnies Go Fast Chevrolet Corvette seem comfortable. In all, nine classes have gaps of less than one tenth of a second heading into the final day of action.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, three-time Champion Kevin Wenzel, of Longmont, Colo., has built a relatively comfortable 0.655-second margin over the F Street Prepared field in his Sign Edge/Performance BMW 2002. Last year's runner-up, Jinx Jordan, of Terrell, N.C., sits second in his Hoosier Tire/Koni/RR-AX Honda Civic. Jordan's wife, Ginette, leads FSP Ladies over Lisa Krueger, of Midland, Mich., by an even bigger, 0.892-second margin.

In the Stock classes, Lance Adams, of Austin, Texas, whose career-best finish is 10th, leads a 57-car Super Stock field in his Road Trip Racing Team Corvette. The pressure is on though, as eight-time Solo National Champion Paul Kozlak, of Litchfield, Maine, is just 0.029-second behind in his Corvette. In C Stock, Ryan Buetzer, of Long Beach, Calif., is halfway home to his second-straight title, driving his Evo School/Chase Cam Mazda MX-5 MSR to a 0.444-second lead over Dan Pedroza, of Round Rock, Texas.

Friday's action gets underway at 8 a.m. (CDT) as the classes switch courses from West to East and East to West. Today's best times, along with Friday's, will be added together to determine the class Champion. For full results visit www.scca.com.

TOPEKA, Kan. -- Tuesday's two runners in each of the 32 classes competing Thursday and Friday in the 36th Tire Rack® SCCA Solo National Championships at Heartland Park Topeka with class, leading driver, hometown and car; second place driver, hometown, car and gap behind first place.

Super Stock: Lance Adams, Austin, Texas, Chevy Corvette; Paul Kozlak, Litchfield, Maine, Chevy Corvette, -0.029sec

Super Stock L: Danielle Engstrom, Frankfort, Ill., Chevy Corvette; Shelly Monfort, Saratoga, Calif., Lotus Elise, -0.022sec

C Stock: Ryan Buetzer, Long Beach, Calif., Mazda MX-5 MSR; Dan Pedroza, Round Rock, Texas, Mazda MX-5 MSR, -0.444sec

C Stock L: Mary Bahr, West Salem, Wis., Pontiac Solstice; Sierra Danielle Pedroza, Round Rock, Texas, Mazda MX-5, -0.035sec

E Stock: Jerry Jenkins, Vancouver, Wash., Mazda Miata; Gerry Terranova, Allen, Texas, Mazda Miata, -0.606sec

E Stock L: Meredith Brown, Los Alamos, N.M., Toyota MR2; Jodi Fordahl, Bremerton, Wash., Porsche 944, -0.974

H Stock: Jerry Irvine, Lenexa, Kan., Mini Cooper; Ron Williams, Topeka, Kan., Mini Cooper, -0.096sec

H Stock L: Wendi Allen, Jacksonville Bch, Fla., Mini Cooper; Stephanie Chang, Morris Plains, N.J., Mini Cooper, -0.689sec

Street Touring S: Andy Hollis, Austin, Texas, Honda Civic Si; Stephen Yeoh, Oak Park, Calif., Honda Civic Si, -0.374sec

Street Touring S L: Katie Elder, Folsom, Calif., Honda Civic Si; Megan Young, Milwaukee, Wis., Honda Civic Si, -0.973sec

Street Touring S2: Mike King, Jacksonville, Fla., Honda CRX Si; Ian Baker, Herndon, Va., Honda CRX, -0.489sec

Street Touring S2 L: Carrie Snyder, Elizabethtown, Pa., Honda Civic Si; Michelle Seelig, Edmond, Okla., Honda CRX Si, -0.232sec

D Street Prepared: Doug Rowse, Phoenix, Ariz., BMW 330i; Mike Shields, Temple, N.H., BMW 325is, -0.146

D Street Prepared L: Dianne Caraballo, San Jose, Calif., Subaru Impreza RS; Theresa Condict, Lexington, Mass., BMW 325i, -0.153sec

C Street Prepared: Tim Aro, Glen Allen, Va., Mazda Miata; Brian Peters, Litchfield Park, Ariz., Mazda MX-5, -0.643sec

C Street Prepared L: Kathy Wolfskill, Nederland, Colo., Mazda Miata; Tami Daniels, Gladstone, Ore., Mazda MX-5, -0.349sec

F Street Prepared: Kevin Wenzel, Longmont, Colo., BMW 2002; Jinx Jordan, Terrell, N.C., Honda Civic, -0.655sec

F Street Prepared L: Ginette Jordan, Terrell, N.C., Honda Civic; Lisa Krueger, Midland, Mich., VW Rabbit, -0.892sec

C Prepared: Mike Maier, Livermore, Calif., Ford Mustang; Darrel Padberg, Muskego, Wis., Ford Mustang, -0.008sec

C Prepared L: Kathy Lang, Mukwonago, Wis., Ford Mustang; Desiree Padberg, Muskego, Wis., Ford Mustang; -0.002sec

F Prepared: John Thomas, Tampa, Fla., Datsun 240Z; Andrew Canak, Milwaukee, Wis., Datsun 240Z, -0.484sec

F Prepared L: Elizabeth Leckey, Ann Arbor, Mich., Lotus Elise; Jacqueline Lawson, Venice, Fla., Lotus Elise, -3.326sec

Street Modified: Jarrod Hoops, Midland, Mich.; Mitsubishi Evo 9; Andrew Lieber, Bay City, Mich.; Mitsubishi Evo 9, -0.086sec

Street Modified L: Christine Berry, Alta Loma, Calif., Mitsubishi Evo; Elise Sias, Santa Clara, Calif., BMW M3, -0.649sec

Street Modified 2:Erik Strelnieks, Cedar Park, Texas, Mazda 3-Rotor RX7; Andrew McKee, San Jose, Calif., Mazda RX7, -0.398sec

Street Modified 2L: Sue Eckles, Malcolm, Neb., Honda S2000; Denise Stubbs, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Chevy Corvette, -0.582sec

A Modified: Dan Wasdahl, Massillon, Ohio, Special AM; Ryan Otis, Scappoose, Ore., LRC Raptor, -0.109sec

B Modified: Tommy Saunders, Southlake, Texas; Legrand Dragon; Perry Simonds, Irving, Texas, Legrand Dragon, -0.869sec

B Modified L: Brianne Corn, San Marcos, Texas, Legrand Dragon; Kiersten Scharnberg Koch, Stilwell, Kan., Ralt, -3.584sec

C Modified: Wendell Karr Ake, Yukon, Okla., Citation; Kenneth Hurd, Hinesburg, Vt., Citation, -0.094sec

C Modified L: Dawn Odoi, Palatine, Ill., Reynard; Beverly Carlile, Warner, Okla., Citation, -1.188sec

Formula SAE: Eric Leichtle, Coppell, Texas, UTA; Kenneth Hassler, Benbrook, Texas, UTA, -0.091sec

-credit: scca