A Wet Side Story: Heavy Rains Slow Soloists on Tire Rack SCCA Solo Nationals First Day
TOPEKA, Kan. (Sept. 13, 2005) - With early morning downpours delaying the start by more than two hours, and more rain moving in during the afternoon, action-stopping weather was the story during day one of competition at the 2005 Tire Rack(r) SCCA Solo National Championships in Topeka. Just as the pavement at Forbes Field had nearly dried from the morning's deluge, multiple rounds of water, albeit much shorter-lived, moved through during the afternoon, ensuring that nearly every one of the 32 classes that ran Tuesday would have to do so partly wet. The rain also caused enough delay throughout the day that not all competitors scheduled to run were able to do so. Of the six heats that ran on each the North and South courses, the final heat on the North course (C Prepared, Street Modified 2 Ladies, Formula SAE Ladies) was not able to run because of darkness, and those competitors will begin their quest for a national championship at 7:30 a.m. (CDT) Wednesday. While the rain affected every participant in some form or another, there were several Soloists who found themselves in familiar territory regardless. Entering her sixth year of Solo Nationals competition, Kyung Wootton, of Austin, Texas, has never lost. Through day one of two in C Stock Ladies, five-time Solo Champion Wootton is right on track for crown number six. Driving her Lone Star 1999 Mazda Miata, Wootton didn't let the wet pavement slow her down, rebounding from a first-run DNF in the wet to post the class' fast time of the day (67.732 seconds), and take a 0.316-sec. lead over Tristan Kotzian-Coulter, of Hillsboro, Ore., who is looking for her first title. Marchell Fletcher, of Durango, Colo., is in third in her SoloArts, LLC/Continental 1999 Mazda Miata - 1.011 seconds behind Kotzian-Coulter's Kumho/Loyal Kittson Excavating 1999 Miata. Former Topekan Ryan Buetzer, now of Redondo Beach, Calif., claimed the first title of his career last year and looks poised to repeat as E Stock champion after day one. On his final attempt, Buetzer knocked nearly five seconds from his first time, good enough to top the class leaderboard with his The Dent Guy 1993 Toyota MR2. Brian Priebe, of South Bend, Ind., is second currently, 0.436-sec. back in his Kumho/TRD/Koni 1993 Toyota MR2. Jeff Cashmore, of New Berlin, Wis., is third in his Inacom Information System 1993 MR2. Ian Stewart, of Lake Mary, Fla., is halfway home to his first-ever National Championship. Co-driving a 2005 Porsche 911 GT3 in Super Stock, which boasts one of the event's largest fields with 56 drivers, Stewart turned in his best time on his final run, moving past Erik Strelnieks, of Austin, Texas, who will begin Wednesday down 0.253-sec. to Stewart in his Lonestarcraft.com/Jungle Cat Racing/Lone Star 2004 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Patrick Salerno, of Danbury, Conn., finished second last season and is third currently, 0.434-sec. back, in his Lorenco/Kumho/Evolution 2003 Chevrolet Corvette Z06. In Street Touring Ultra, Brian Hanchey, of Allen, Texas, leads by 0.655-sec. in the BimmerHaus/motor-force.com 1997 BMW M3 over Tim Bergin, of Dallas, Texas. Bergin's Equipe Rapide 2004 Subaru WRX STi is just barely in front of the Terry Fair-driven BMW, which is also being piloted by Hanchey. The top spot is unfamiliar territory for Hanchey, as he his best showing previously was 19th two years ago in A Stock. Who wins in Street Touring Sport Ladies may only be a formality going into Wednesday as Michelle Wyant-Seelig, of Edmond, Okla., (who won her first and only title in 2001) owns a huge 2.643-sec. lead in her Kumho/Redline/Carbotec 1989 Honda CRX over Bridgette Olson, of Salt Lake City, Utah, in her Utah Imports 1990 Mazda Miata. Kim Littke, of Seattle, Wash., is third currently in the No. 77 Utah Imports 1990 Mazda Miata. The first wave of National Champions will be crowned upon completion of Wednesday's action, and the rest of the 70-class Solo Nationals field (32 classes) will begin its portion of Championship Week beginning Thursday at 8 a.m. and ending Friday afternoon. For more information, including results when they become available, visit www.scca.com <http://www.scca.com/> .