SOLO: National Tour Farmington preview

National Solo Returns to Farmington

FARMINGTON, N.M. (May 26, 2009) -- The fourth stop on the Tire Rack Solo National Tour rolled into McGee Park on May 16 -- 17. It was the first time a National Solo event had been held at the gorgeous fairgrounds in Farmington, N.M., since a ProSolo event in 2004. With close competition, prefect weather, helpful Rio Grande Region members and an immaculate site, it was any wonder National Solo hadn't returned sooner.

C Street Prepared had quite a bit of drama over the course of the event. Day One leaders and teammates Jeremy Foley, of Dallas, Texas, and Bill Schenker, of Corona del Mar, Calif., were unable to start their MiataRoadster/OSGiken/Chaseca Mazda Miata on Day Two, but were loaned a car by fellow competitors Steve Nelson and Michael Heinitz, which allowed the pair to make their runs and finish one-two, with Schenker taking the win.

Heinitz, of San Diego, Calif., and Nelson, of Albuquerque, N.M., must have accrued some good karma for their gesture, as the teammates placed first and second, respectively, with the Miata in Street Touring Sport.

Two more CSP drivers ran into trouble at Farmington. Mark Johnson and Dawn Maxwell, of Phoenix, Ariz., feared they would be stranded when the brake line on their Mazda Miata, which they drove to the event, broke on Day One. STS competitor Michael Stock came to the rescue, offering the brake line off his car (which he was not using for competition) so the two could run on Day Two. Once the event had wrapped up, the brake line needed to be returned to Stock, but another CSP competitor, Mark Gadway, was willing to sell Johnson and Maxwell the brake line off of his CSP Miata so the two could drive back to Phoenix.

The drama in Street Touring Ultra, was all about the close contest between Christopher Mayfield, of Fort Collins, Colo., and Jon Pomrenke, of Salt Lake City, Utah. Driving a cobbtuning.com/vorshlag.com Subaru STi, Pomrenke did his best to catch Day One leader Mayfield in the SCR Performance BMW M3, but ultimately fell 0.237-second short of the STU win.

The STU Ladies class was just the opposite, as Angela Hellstern, of Salt Lake City, Utah, dominated the competition. Hellstern took the class win by an astounding 8.152 seconds in her Subaru STi.

Another dominating performance went down in the Street Touring Xtreme Class. Timothy Dillin, of Sandy, Utah, had no trouble taking the win in his Mazda MX6, besting teammate Bridgette Olson, of Salt Lake City, Utah, by more than five seconds.

On Day Two of C Stock competition, it appeared as though Sean Morrill, of Maricopa, Ariz., might have what it takes to knock Matt Sooffner, of Mesa, Ariz., off the top of the leader board. Driving a Mazda Miata, Morrill hit the ground running on his first Sunday run, but was unable to improve on his second, and recorded a DNF for his final run. Though Soeffner could not match Morrill's fastest run on the second course, he built enough of a lead on the first course to take the CS win in his PF Changs/AZsolo.com Mazda Miata by 0.641-second.

The battle for the E Stock win came down to teammates Brian Haynes and Paul Brown of Los Alamos, N.M., who were sharing the Automotive Pros/Midatlantic/Isotope Racing Wheels Toyota MR2. Brown was on fire on Day Two, but Haynes was still able to take the win by 0.290-second.

The Farmington National Tour was also the Rocky Mountain Tire Rack Divisional Championship, with the top finishing RMDiv member in each class being crowned the RMDiv Solo Champion. Of the 32 classes run, 25 were won by RMDiv drivers.

The next stop on the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour is set for May 30 -- 31, in Blytheville, Ark., at the Arkansas Aeroplex. So prized is the space and concrete available at the Arkansas Aeroplex, the Blytheville National Tour has been designated the Eastern States Championship, welcoming the best Soloists the East has to offer in a preview for September's Tire Rack Solo National Championships. Winning at the Eastern States Championship is one part of winning the new Solo Triad Award, which also requires a competitor win a Tire Rack SCCA Divisional Championship and Tire Rack SCCA National Championship, all in the same class.

For more information on the Eastern States Championship at the Arkansas Aeroplex and for full results from the Farmington National Tour, visit www.scca.com/solo.

-credit: scca