SCCA Solo Nationals- Who finished where?

We want to send a big congratulations to Howard Duncan of the SCCA. He borrowed our MX-5 project (which is set up for STR class competition) and proceeded to nail a trophy position in C Street Prepared.

Tim Aro took the win in CSP, which is pretty cool to see since he was my instructor when I took the Evolution school for the magazine a few years back. Good to see him doing well in the always tough CSP field.

Also, congratulations to GRM's own Alan Cesar, who made his Solo Nationals debut this year and co-drove with Howard.

Who else is out there running? Who's got a great story? (Looking at you, Dave Hardy! Good luck out there.)

GRM contributor Andy Hollis is the unofficial champion in ST.

Has FSP still not run?

92CelicaHalfTrac wrote: Has FSP still not run?

FSP doesn't run until Thurs/Fri.

Be patient young jedi.

B-b-b-b-but I WANT IT NOW!!!!

Holy cow- the ENTIRE CSP class is the "Answer".

Poor other cars that are in CSP....

Major congrats to our own Dave Hardy - 2nd in SMF with his co-driver Jim Reyenga in 3rd.

There were 18 cars in the field and all of them were Civics.

oldsaw wrote: Major congrats to our own Dave Hardy - 2nd in SMF with his co-driver Jim Reyenga in 3rd. There were 18 cars in the field and all of them were Civics.

I didn't realize that a 2006 Mini Cooper S is a Civic.

(4th place....)

I'll add congrats to:

Tim (guilty by association) Smith, Jim (Cubby) Reyenga, and Marc (Gravyballs) Osgood!!! 'Grats homeez!!!

In reply to alfadriver:

My bad. Feel better now?

In reply to oldsaw:

Not really- I'm still a cranky a-hole as I was before correcting you.

Although, it does bring up a question- how many classes is it ok for one car to basically dominate like that?

CSP is all Miatas; ST-F is all, but one; Civic, ST is all, but 3, civics.

seems a shame that you have to be part of a flock to be competetive.

alfadriver wrote: Although, it does bring up a question- how many classes is it ok for one car to basically dominate like that? CSP is all Miatas; ST-F is all, but one; Civic, ST is all, but 3, civics. seems a shame that you have to be part of a flock to be competetive.

I don't think you do. If John Thomas drove a KIA in SMF, there would be 10 KIA entries the following year. I think most folks just go "Well, it worked for so-and-so...."

Good question. So far the 2011 Nationals results say:

• FS - 16 Mustangs
• ST - 40 Civics, 4 others (2 cars both co-driven, 18th highest)
• SMF - 16 Civics, 2 others (co-drivers of MINI S/C, 4th highest)
• CSP - 27 Miatas

I imagine there will be more to add to this list.

In reply to Javelin:

Look as ES; 33 entries and only(?) nine are not Miatas.

The "lemming theory" holds water because the time/cost of finding and developing a different competitive car doesn't appeal to most competitors. People like Jason Rhodes are exceptions.

Sometimes evolutions in car development mean one car will dominate at one time or another. In CSP, there used to be a large selection of cars. Now, those "other" cars have been re-classed to places like FSP, re-worked to run in P or SM classes, retired or sold to road racers.

Javelin wrote: Good question. So far the 2011 Nationals results say: * FS - 16 Mustangs * ST - 40 Civics, 4 others (2 cars both co-driven, 18th highest) * SMF - 16 Civics, 2 others (co-drivers of MINI S/C, 4th highest) * CSP - 27 Miatas I imagine there will be more to add to this list.

Out of 35 drivers in ES, there are 5 MR2's (I think 2 of them codriven), 1 944, and the rest Miata's.

HS is almost entirely MINI's. A few Proteges, 2 Corolla's, and a single Mazda3.

This is why STR is such a good class. Two clearly dominate cars (MX-5 and S2000), with a few others not far behind at all (Solstice, NB Miata, Z3/Z4 (I know one Z3 is competing this year, 2 drivers) and 350Z).

alfadriver wrote: seems a shame that you have to be part of a flock to be competetive.

For the most part, unless they go into a NASA-X type classing, this is pretty much always going to happen. The only way that I can think to change that up is to make one course entirely wide open, almost drag-stripish, and the other course mind-numbingly technical and frustrating.

Javelin wrote: Good question. So far the 2011 Nationals results say: ... I imagine there will be more to add to this list.

Updating...

• ES - 29 Miatas, 6 others (2 MR2's by 5 drivers, 1 944, 12th highest)
• FS - 16 Mustangs
• ST - 40 Civics, 4 others (2 cars both co-driven, 18th highest)
• SMF - 16 Civics, 2 others (co-drivers of MINI S/C, 4th highest)
• CSP - 27 Miatas

They also have a lot of Spec classes (FM, F125, FJA, FJB, and maybe even FSAE).

(edit) Oh, guess you guys already had that conversation! lol What I meant to say was "yeah!"

alfadriver wrote: Holy cow- the ENTIRE CSP class is the "Answer". Poor other cars that are in CSP....

E Stock is getting close. It's a bummer. I'm not nearly good enough to know if the MR2 is dead in E Stock at that level or if there's just no one with the right car and skill anymore to make it work. Since Paul Brown sold his and Barry Ott made his visit to MR2 land a short one I don't know anyone running in the class anymore at the National level.

What's up with the 240SXs in Street Mod? What engine do they run? That would be a fun car.

I'm looking forward to FSP too, since I'm building my car. I'm rooting for anything that isn't a Honda Civic.

I heart the SCCA's press machine. Hot off the presses:

For Immediate Release

First Set of Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Champions Crowned on Wednesday

LINCOLN, Neb. (Aug. 31, 2011) – The 39th annual Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals saw 29 drivers crowned National Champions on Wednesday, as half of the SCCA Solo classes completed competition at the Lincoln (Neb.) Airpark under hot and sunny skies.

Ten drivers grabbed the lead for the first time on the second day of runs to earn the title of National Champion in their class.

In Heat One on the East course, C Street Prepared’s top-heavy class crowned the first National Champions in dramatic fashion. Chris Robbins led overnight after the wet session, but Tim Aro, of Glen Allen, Va., was the seventh car on the course on Wednesday morning and immediately set the time to beat in his SoloPro Driving School Mazda Miata. Aro had to sweat out nearly the entire field’s final runs before earning his second CSP National Championship, as defending Champion Scott Fraser’s Ankeny Racing Ent. Mazda Miata, two-time Champion Matt McCabe’s 949 Racing/ProEFI/Meyers Auto Mazda Miata and Robbins’ Genghis Grill/Robbins Performance Management/RPM Mazda MX-5 all took shots at knocking off the leader before finishing in that order behind Aro.

Andy Hollis, of Austin, Texas, was nearly a second behind overnight leader Tim Smith’s Toyo/Moton Honda Civic Si prior to the group moving to the East Course, which was designed by Hollis. Hollis took advantage of that knowledge to turn the fastest time of the day in class behind the wheel of the GRM/AST/PowerCurve/Soulspeed/JCAutoSpec Honda Civic Si and earn his third Solo National Championship.

Brothers Jeff and Stefan Colegrove traded the lead overnight in F Modified. Sharing the Thanks Uncle Paul!/All Star Graphics Red Devil F500, older brother Jeff took over the lead during Wednesday’s run with a 57.272-second lap on his first run of the day. The 57.891 that Stefan ran on the final run left him just 0.148-second short of the National Championship in just the second time either driver has been at the event.

A three-time bridesmaid, Todd Farris earned his first National Championship with a win on Wednesday in C Prepared. Farris turned his fastest time on Wednesday during his third and final run in his Strohs Bar & Grill Chevrolet Camaro, taking the lead from co-driver Jeff Stroh by just 0.094-second.

After finishing runner-up two out of the last three years in Super Street Modified, Andy McKee, of San Jose, Calif., took his sixth National Championship, holding serve on his Tuesday lead in the Goodyear/ARE/Sias Tuning/7Parts.com Mazda RX7. McKee extended his 2.2-second lead to 2.403 seconds over defending Champion Erik Strelnieks, who battled running issues in his Mazda RX7.

Defending B Street Prepared Ladies Champion Christine Berry, of Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., was just a tenth out of the lead coming into Wednesday, but her clean runs rewarded her with a fourth National Championship in the Berry Family Racing/Hoosier/OS Giken Mitsubishi Evo 9. Chief competitor Lorien Feighner, of Howell, Mich., had the raw speed on the West Course Wednesday, but coned all three of her runs to finish 0.529-second behind.

The top three in Super Stock; Christopher Shay, Matthew Braun and Sam Strano, were separated by a scant 0.064-second after Tuesday’s runs on the East Course. Braun, of Northville, Mich., put fresh, cool tires on his Power Plug Lotus Elise for each run and topped second-place Strano by 1.406 seconds to take his second-consecutive title, and fifth overall. Strano topped day one leader Shay by 0.001-second to score the runner-up finish.

At the conclusion of competition, E Stock National Champion Bartek Borowski topped nine other Champions from Wednesday competition on the last of two runs to take the inaugural Gumout All Star Challenge and a $500 cash prize. C Street Prepared winner Tim Aro was second, followed by A Street Prepared winner Courtney Cormier. Each of the 10 drivers took a pair runs in the Gumout Project Car Volkswagen Golf.

Competition continues tomorrow for the second half of Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship classes, and will conclude on Friday afternoon.

Follow the action through live timing at www.sololive.scca.com, live audio from the east course at www.ustream.tv/channel/solo-nationals-east and from the west course at www.ustream.tv/channel/solo-nationals-west, or on Twitter @sccalive.

More information on the Tire Rack SCCA National Championship is available at www.scca.com/solo.

Follow SCCA on Twitter @SCCAOfficial.

LINCOLN, Neb. – The top two runners in each of the 35 classes competing Tuesday and Wednesday in the 39th Tire Rack® SCCA Solo National Championships at Lincoln Airpark with class, leading driver, hometown and car; second place driver, hometown, car and gap behind first place. Bold and *asterisk denotes change in lead from Tuesday.

Super Stock: Matthew Braun, Northville, Mich., Lotus Elise, second-straight SS Championship, fifth overall. Super Stock L: Shelly Monfort, Saratoga, Calif., Lotus Elise, Third consecutive SSL National Championship, third overall. E Stock: Bartek Borowski, Elmwood Park, Ill., Mazda Miata, Second Consecutive E Stock National Championship, fourth overall. E Stock L: Tara Johns, Murfreesboro, Tenn., Mazda Miata, Second National Championship. F Stock: Mark Daddio, Beacon Falls, Conn., Ford Mustang GT, 10th National Championship. F Stock L: Heather Everett, E. Amherst, N.Y., Ford Mustang Shelby, First National Championship. Street Touring: Andy Hollis, Ausin, Texas, Honda Civic Si, Second National Championship. Street Touring Ladies: Nicole Nagler, Moorpark, Calif., Honda Civic Si, First National Championship. A Street Prepared: Courtney Cormier, Glen Allen, Va., Chevrolet Corvette Z06, First National Championship A Street Prepared L: Jodi Fordahl, Bremerton, Wash., Nissan GT-R, 11th National Championship. B Street Prepared: Corey Ridgick, Allentown, Pa., Mitsubishi Evo 9, First National Championship. B Street Prepared L: Christine Berry, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Mitsubishi Evo 9, fourth National Championship. C Street Prepared: Tim Aro, Glen Allen, Va., Mazda Miata, Second National Championship. C Street Prepared Ladies: Sue Eckles, Malcolm, Neb., Mazda Miata, Third National Championship. D Street Prepared: Doug Rowse, Phoenix, Az., BMW 330, Second National Championship. D Street Prepared Ladies: Olga Bogdanova, Clifton Park, N.Y., BMW 330Ci, First National Championship. C Prepared: Todd Farris, Bryan, Texas, Chevrolet Camaro, First National Championship. C Prepared Ladies: Donna Bartling, Katy, Texas, Ford Mustang, Second National Championship. X Prepared: Fred Zust, Tempe, Az., Lotus Elise, Fourth consecutive XP National Championship, Fourth overall. X Prepared Ladies: Katie Lacey, Apple Valley, Minn., Subaru Impreza, Second National Championship. F Prepared: Toby Larsson, Anaheim, Calif., BMW 328is, First National Championship. F Prepared L: Beverlee Larsson, Anaheim, Calif., BMW 328is, Fifth National Championship. Street Modified: David White, Chicopee, Mass., Nissan 240SX, First National Championship. Street Modified FWD (supplemental class): Brian Karwan, Fredrick, Md., Honda Civic. Street Modified FWD Ladies (supplemental class): Rebecca Zacharda, Sherwood, Ore., Mini Cooper S. Super Street Modified: Andy McKee, San Jose, Calif., Mazda RX-7, Sixth National Championship. Super Street Modified L: Tonya Langley, Umatilla, Ore., Chevrolet Corvette, Second consecutive SSML National Championship, second overall. F Modified: Jeff Colegrove, Rochester, N.Y., Red Devil F500, First National Championship. F Modified Ladies: Michelle Quinn, Dublin, Ohio, KBS Mk 7, Second Consecutive FML National Championship, second overall. A Modified: Gary Milligan, Richmond, B.C., Vancouver Special, ninth National Championship. A Modified L: Carol Wong, Vancouver, B.C., Vancouver Special, Second consecutive AML National Championship, second overall. Formula SAE (supplemental class): Michael Stanley, Glen Burnie, Md., FSAE TR11. Formula SAE Ladies (supplemental class): Lena Gerry, Arlington, Texas, UTA FSAE. Formula Jr. A (Supplemental): Julian Garfield, Mount Airy, Md., Arrow AX-9. Formula Jr. B (Supplemental): Tom Regganie, Joliet, Ill., Margay.

Image: Fred Zust earned his fourth-consecutive National Championship in XP on Wednesday. Credit: Rupert Berrington (For a web-resolution sized image, right click and “save as”)

-30-

Forgive me for having an opinion, but I don't see how the lemming idea makes the single marque classes any better. If that is the case, it's kind of sad that there are so many lazy car builders out there.

As far as I can tell, the fact that a single car wins all the time should mean that they are eligible for being bumped up a class.

But as a car club guy, it also tells me that unless I'm part of a few specific marque or even single model clubs, SCCA isn't for me.... I wonder why one of my friends still runs- since he's losing DSP by a wopping 20 seconds. But he's been there since the beginning, so it's part of his life. Still, even after making some sense with data, nobody is interested in Alfas. Since STS is displacement limited to 1.8l, you can't even have a Spider there.

Still, the lemming theory says that a couple of guys in the class are ones everyone, regardless- no personal development of their own. I don't buy that at all.

I run SCCA because of the people, not because of the classing structure. I am going to lose anyway, I may as well have fun doing it!

To me, the thing about SCCA classing is it becomes less about the car and more about fine tuning and competition. To many there, the car is simply a tool and they have no attachment to it. It's just a race car, regardless of what class they are running in. As far as I can tell, few national level cars are used as daily drivers, although I know the owner of the WRX that won the DS ProSOLO uses it as his DD.