SOLO: Topeka Solo Natonals Tuesday notes

38 SCCA Soloists Halfway Home To Championship After Tuesday Runs

TOPEKA, Kan. (Sept. 26, 2006) -- After more than 1800 runs on the two courses by over 600 drivers, only 38 can say they are halfway home to collecting a Championship at The Tire Rack® SCCA Solo National Championships, held at Heartland Park Topeka.

The Tuesday-Wednesday classes got the first taste of the brand new asphalt at Heartland Park Topeka, and some were surprised to find that the new surface rewarded some different car types and setups than the old concrete surface at Forbes Field. All wheel drive and front wheel drive cars faired better than some expected in classes generally ruled by rear-wheel drive.

The closest battle going into the final day for the first half of the classes competing for Championships in 2006 was that in X Prepared, a new class for this year. Richard Beecher, of Davie, Fla., ran his No. 24 KMW/Fordahl/CSC Porsche 911 RSR to a best time of 51.866 seconds on the east course, just 0.064-second ahead of David Newman's No. 189 Used911Parts.com Porsche 911.

Another close battle emerged from the annual duel between Vic Sias and Bob Tunnell in Street Modified. Sias, of Santa Clara, Calif., has had Tunnell's number the last two years, as well as in 2001. However, Tunnell, himself a four-time Solo National Champion, took the season-long Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Championship in his BimmerHaus/Hoosier/H&R BMW M3 this past weekend. Tunnell led today's runs early, but Sias uncorked a time 0.100-second faster on his final run to lead the class in his Siastuning/Kumho/PLX Development BMW M3.

Jason Isley, of Ladera Ranch, Calif., got off to a good start in defense of his 2005 B Stock title, leading the class in his Mazdaspeed/Kumho Mazda RX8. Wife Jennifer, a two-time Champion in A Stock Ladies, paced the B Stock Ladies field, topping defending Champion Anna Hedly Goeke, of Kirkland, Wash., by just 0.133-second.

Wednesday'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 Wednesday's, will be added together to determine the class Champion.

For complete results from the event, please visit www.scca.com.

Top two runners in each of the 38 classes competing Tuesday and Wednesday in the 34th 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.

A Street Prepared: Christopher Cox, Morgan Hill, Calif., Porsche GT2; 2, Michael Johnson, Glen Allen, Va., Corvette, -0.277 sec.

A Street Prepared L: Pilar Miranda, Morgan Hill, Calif., Porsche GT2; 2, LiNay White, Puyallup, Wash., Dodge Viper, -0.309 sec.

B Street Prepared: John Tak, Clarkston, Mich., Mitsubishi Evo; 2, Andrew Lieber, Bay City, Mich., Mitsubishi Evo, -0.302 sec.

B Street Prepared L: Valerie Furrer, Pinconning, Mich., Mitsubishi Evo; 2, Patty Tunnell, Superior, Colo., BMW M3, -0.158 sec.

D Prepared: Lloyd Wilson, Bowling Green, Ky., Toyota MR2; 2, Steve Hoelscher, St. Augustine, Fla., Toyota MR2, -0.172 sec.

D Prepared L: Kim Bullis, Bowling Green, Ky., Toyota MR2; 2, Tina Reeves, Rochester, N.Y., Mazda Miata, -1.815 sec.

E Street Prepared: Sam Strano, Knoxdale, Pa., Chev. Camaro; 2, Fedja Jeleskovic, Arlington, Mass., Eagle Talon AWD, -0.204 sec.

E Street Prepared L: Lorien Feighner, Howell, Mich., Ford Mustang; 2, Jennifer Merideth, Westland, Mich., Ford Mustang, -0.434 sec.

A Stock: Jeff Cashmore, New Berlin, Wis., Chev. Corvette; Jonathan Roberts, Richmond Hill, Ga., Subaru STi, -0.434 sec.

A Stock L: Denise Cashmore, New Berlin, Wis., Corvette; 2, Karen Rafferty, China, Corvette, -0.647 sec.

B Stock: Jason Isley, Ladera Ranch, Calif., Mazda RX8; 2, Carter Thompson, Murfreesboro, Tenn., Nissan 350Z, -0.415 sec.

B Stock L: Jennifer Isley, Ladera Ranch, Calif., Mazda RX8; 2, Anna Hedly Goeke, Kirkland, Wash., Mazda RX8, -0.133 sec.

D Stock: Kinch Reindl, Denver, Colo., Acura Integra R; 2, Bartek Borowski, Elmwood Park, Ill., Acura Integra R, -0.128 sec.

D Stock L: Cindy Duncan, Louisville, Ky., Mazdaspeed Protege; 2, Mary Medicus, Lafayette, Colo., Acura Integra R, -0.239 sec.

F Stock: Jason Burns, York, Pa., Ford Mustang; 2, Dale Klein, Ferndale, Mich., Chev. Camaro, -0.487 sec.

F Stock L: Crissy Weaver, Beavercreek, Ohio, Ford Mustang; 2, Heather Burns, York, Pa., Ford Mustang, -0.764 sec.

G Stock: Craig Wilcox, Blue Springs, Mo., Mini Cooper S; 2, Mark Allen, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Mini Cooper S, -0.142 sec.

G Stock L: Wendi Lynn Allen, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., Mini Cooper S; 2, Annie Bauer, Kent, Wash., Mini Cooper S, -1.265 sec.

D Modified: John Ames, Colorado Springs, Colo., Lotus Europa; Jeffrey Ellerby, Marion, Iowa, Westfield, -0.252 sec.

D Modified L: Susan Anderson, Florissant, Mo., Lotus Super 7; No other competitors

E Modified: Jeff Christianson, Mechanicsville, Iowa, Westfield Seight; 2, Harlan Colburn, Littleton, Colo., Corvair, -0.375 sec.

E Modified L: Ann Vogel, Tulsa, Okla., Mazda Miata; 2, Debra Pruett, Kansas City, Mo., Lotus 7, -0.321 sec.

F Modified: Lawrence Edwards, Loveland, Colo., Maverick; 2, Gary Gramar, Arlington, Texas, Red Devil, -0.363 sec.

F Modified L: Jessica Gray, Blue Springs, Mo., Caracal B; 2, Elizabeth Lyle, Flemington, N.J., KBS, -1,427-sec.

Street Turing Ultra: Branden Burkhart, Kansas City, Mo., Subaru WRX; 2, Mike Simanyi, Santa Ana, Calif., BMW M3, -0.293 sec.

Street Turing Ultra L: Amy Fair, Plano, Texas, BMW M3; 2, Debbie Kerswill, Reno, Nev., Mazda RX-8, -1.556 sec.

Street Touring Xtreme: Jeff Barco, Studio City, Calif., Subaru WRX; 2, Steve O'Blenes, Garden Grove, Calif., Subaru WRX, -0.253 sec.

Street Touring Xtreme L: Cara Ness, Medford, Mass., Honda Civic; 2, Kathy Fitzpatrick, McKinney, Texas, BMW M3, -0.118-sec.

Street Modified: Vic Sias, Santa Clara, Calif., BMW M3; 2, Bob Tunnell, Superior, Colo., BMW M3, -0.100 sec.

Street Modified L: Christine McKinney, Fresno, Calif., BMW M3; 2, Elise Sias, Santa Clara, Calif., BMW M3, -0.595 sec.

B Prepared: Randy Herrick, Topeka, Kan., Chevy Corvette; 2, Jeff Kiesel, Poway, Calif., Mazda RX-7, -0.362 sec.

B Prepared L: Shawn-Marie Kiesel, Poway, Calif., Mazda RX-7; 2, Jan Knudsen, Napa, Calif., Chevy Corvette, -0.345 sec.

G Prepared: Christopher Imbeau, Monroe, Wash., MG Midget; 2, Bo Rader, Wichita, Kan., A-H Sprite, -0.175 sec.

G Prepared L: Rene Dunham, Woodstock, Ga., Triumph Spitfire; No other competitors.

X Prepared: Richard Beecher, Davie, Fla., Porsche RSR; 2, David Newman, Allentown, Pa., Porsche 911, -0.064 sec.

X Prepared L: Barbara Beecher, Davie, Fla., Porsche RSR; 2, Velma Boreen, Westfield, Ind., Mazda Miata, -1.366 sec.

F125: Jeremiah McClintock, Commerce Township, Mich., Rennspeed; 2, Paul Russell, San Diego, Calif., Havanna, -0.135 sec.

F125 L: Suzanne Segal, Las Vegas, Nev., Birel; 2, Karen Craner, Idaho Falls, Idaho, GPRacing, -0.918 sec.

-credit: scca