2006 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour Begins This Weekend in Ft. Myers

For Immediate Release

 

2006 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour Begins 

This Weekend in Ft. Myers

 

TOPEKA, Kan. (Feb. 17, 2006) - The pylons are standing tall, for now.
Lining the course at Buckingham Airfield, they diligently wait, ready to
make or break the weekend for the more than 220 competitors who will
start their 2006 Tire Rack(r) SCCA Solo National Tour season this
weekend in Ft. Myers, Fla.

 

And while winter has revisited much of the country in the past week,
weather conditions will reward those competitors who made the trip into
the Sunshine State as temperatures are forecast to hover in the lower
80s under clear skies and light winds.

 

Though this event is the first of ten stops on the National Tour in
2006, enthusiasts may get a glimpse into potential Tire Rack SCCA Solo
National Championship match-ups in a couple of classes.

 

Back in the class after finishing 2005 as Solo Nationals Super Stock
Runner-up Ian Stewart, of Lake Mary, Fla. will compete in a 2005 Porsche
911 GT3 this weekend, where he take on the formidable likes of G.H.
Sharp, of Kernersville, N.C., who will sport another Porsche, a 2006
Cayman S.  The former F Stock National Champion finished a solid ninth
out of 32 drivers last September in his bid to win the B Stock national
title. 

 

Three-time champion Mark Chiles, of Mount Joy, Pa. is getting his 2006
season off to an early start also, as he will share the familiar blue
Mini of Charleston/Miniusa.com/Helix MiniSports/Sirius Satellite Radio
2005 Mini Cooper S owned by friend and teammate Jeff Jacobs, of
Philadelphia, Pa.

 

The pair will have the chance to knock of defending GS champion Robert
Carpenter, of Knoxville, Tenn., who will begin his title defense driving
a 2001 Toyota Celica.

 

Others to watch this weekend who could make noise not only throughout
the year but at Solo Nationals in September at Heartland Park Topeka are
Jesse Naughton, of Gainesville, Fla., who will compete in E Stock this
weekend in the Team Underdog 1993 Toyota MR2; Andy Hollis, of Austin,
Texas, who is once again behind the wheel of his Street Touring
S-prepared Soulspeed 1989 Honda Civic Si, which he drove to a
third-place finish at last year's Solo Nationals; C Stock competitor
Darren DiSimo, of Coral Springs, Fla., in his 1999 Mazda Miata; and
Robert Palmblad, of Orlando, Fla. who will pilot the C Street Prepared
Fuji-Racing.com/TheMeetingGroup.com 1995 Mazda Miata.

 

Action at the Airfield begins Saturday morning at 9:15 when the first of
five heats takes to the course.  Sunday's run begins at 8 a.m., followed
by an awards presentation in the afternoon.

 

For a full schedule, entry list or other general event information,
visit www.scca.com <http://www.scca.com/> .

 

-30-

 

Photo Credit: Digital Race Photography (c) 2005

Photo Caption: Jeff Jacobs (shown here at the 2005 Tire Rack SCCA Solo
National Championships) will have his Mini Cooper S back in National
Tour competition this weekend in Ft. Myers, Fla.

Curt K.
_______________
Curtis Kitchen
Public Relations Manager
Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) Inc.
ckitchen@scca.com  
800-770-2055