38th SCCA Tire Rack Solo Nationals Under Way

Photo: Rupert Berrington

LINCOLN, Sept. 8, 2010: The 38th installment of the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships began Tuesday, with the opening day of competition for the first half of nearly 1,200 competitors that will battle for National Championships through Friday at the Lincoln Airpark.

A cold front brought high winds Monday evening that eventually settled into cool temperatures for the opening runs at 8 a.m. Tuesday. The rest of the day was picture perfect, providing plenty of sunshine and grip.

The annual “Nationals” is split into two, two-day events in which competitors run three runs per day on two separate courses.

Of the 35 classes running Tuesday and Wednesday, only seven defending Champions carry the lead heading into Wednesday’s deciding three runs, meaning there could be many new faces taking class wins.

One defending Champion showing that his back-to-back titles have not allowed him to become complacent is two-time, defending E Modified Champion Jeff Kiesel, of Poway, Calif.. Driving his No. 143 Goodyear Tire KFR Turbo Sprite, Kiesel showed that his development in the car and as a driver in the last 12 months have paid off, holding an astounding 3.192-second lead over six-time National Champion Bob Tunnell’s No. 199 BarekAub/Hoosier/H&R/Chase Cam BMW M3.

Other defending Champions holding the lead going into day two are: Jimmy Crawford (H Stock), Mark Madarash (E Street Prepared), Denise Kugler (G Prepared Ladies), Jeff Cashmore (D Modified), Patty Tunnell (E Modified Ladies) and Paul Russell (Formula 125).

A trio of husband/wife teams lead their respective open and ladies classes, including Andy and Ann Hollis (Street Touring® X and STXL); Jinx and Ginette Jordan (F Street Prepared and FSPL); and Jeff and Denise Cashmore (D Modified and DML).

In Solo competition, a pair of drivers often share the same car, and E Prepared is shaping up to be a battle royal between teammates Kevin Wenzel, of Longmont, Colo., and Christopher Dorsey, of Littleton, Colo. Wenzel leads Dorsey by 0.136-second in their 034 EFI/Apikol/TRD Toyota Corolla GTS.

Kinch Reindl, of Denver, Colo., has a slight lead over David Barkley, of Hot Springs, Ark., in D stock, with a margin of 0.086-second. That margin is an eternity, though, compared to Laura Harbour’s slim 0.005-second advantage over Kim Whitner in Street Touring Sport Ladies.

Wednesday’s Championship runs begin at 8 a.m. (Central). A full listing of results and the run order is available at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship web site at www.scca.com/solonats. To follow live timing, visit sololive.scca.com.