Soloists to the Rescue at Rainy Milwaukee Tour

MILWAUKEE, Wis. (July 22, 2008) – Rain caused problems for the Tire RackŪ SCCA Solo National Tour stop in Milwaukee, Wis., on Saturday, but competitors worked together to save the day and were rewarded with clear weather on Sunday and close Solo competition at Miller Park.

Heavy rain combined with a clogged drain created a veritable lake at one corner of Saturday’s course, which stopped all runs. Civil engineer and Wisconsinite Steve Wynveen was quickly on the scene and, with help from several other volunteers, dug the “Wynveen Canal” to drain the area. The crew had little more to work with than their bare hands, a tennis racquet, a shovel and some brooms, but it wasn’t long before the course was reopened and competition resumed.

While the rain continued throughout Saturday, Sunday was all dry, and it was clear that Jeff Cashmore had hit one out of the park with his course design.

Chris Fenter, of Appleton, Wis., and Bartek Borowski, of Elmwood Park, Ill., had a fantastic battle in C Stock, the largest class of the weekend. Borowski got a bit behind the ball on Saturday in the Solstice by coning two runs, but came charging back on Sunday. It wasn’t enough to catch the Mazda MX-5 of Fenter, however, who took the win by 0.083-second.

For a true comeback look no further than D Stock. After Saturday, Adam Ansorge, of Austin, Minn., found himself more than two seconds behind the leader. When Ansorge started Sunday with three cone penalties on his first run it seemed Sunday wouldn’t be his day either, but Ansorge continued to push in the Lucky Lugnut Racing Acura Integra and managed to pull 0.066-second out over JT Letkeman, of Winnipeg, in the 90 Run Hoosiers Audi TT Quattro on his final run.

A three cone penalty may sound impressive but is meager compared to the seven cones Patrick Washburn, of Wausau, Wis., punted in his first run on soggy Saturday. It was all business for Washburn and the Zzyzx Motorsports Mitsubishi Lancer from there though, as he walked away from the Street Touring Ultra field with a 2.624-second win.

What happens when you have nary a cone penalty on your time sheets? You win Super Stock, at least that’s what Matthew Braun, of Northville, Mich., did in the PowerPlug Lotus Elise. Braun topped the Chevrolet Corvette of Alex Tziortzis, from Palatine, Ill., by a solid 1.132 seconds.

If Braun’s SS win was solid, than Danielle Engstrom’s Super Stock Ladies win was rock solid. Driving a Chevrolet Corvette, Engstrom, of Frankfort, Ill., had more than seven seconds on her competitors!

Darrel and Desiree Padberg, of Muskego, Wis., did a couple’s sweep of C Prepared and C Prepared Ladies in commanding fashion. Darrel’s CP win in the duo’s Ford Mustang was by 3.772 seconds, while Desiree had more than five seconds on the rest of the CPL field.

Formula Junior was the site of another family sweep. Siblings Joey and Anthony Montelo, of Schaumburg, Ill., went one-two in FJA competition, while Michael Montelo took the FJB victory.

Though they don’t share any genes, Jason Frank and Craig Mankiewicz did share a Bridgestone/Redshift/Datatoys.com Honda Civic Si that captured the top two spots in Street TouringŪ S. The teammates took it down to the wire with such comparable times on their final runs that the difference between winner Frank, of Racine, Wis., and runner-up Mankiewicz, of Milwaukee, Wis., was only 0.083-second.

That was child’s play compared to the finish in F Prepared, where Andrew Canak, of Milwaukee, Wis., hustled his J&M Autocrosser Datsun 240Z across the line a slim 0.006-second ahead of Michael Tews, of Sussex, Wis., and his American Leak Detection Datsun 240Z. It certainly wouldn’t have been as close had Canak not coned away three runs over the course of the weekend, but it was entertaining all the same.

E Stock’s Sam Karp, of Menomonee Falls, Wis., earned Saturday’s Pace Lap Challenge award for the most consistent run times of the day. Karp’s Saturday runs in a Mazda Miata R had a difference of only 0.564-second. Dennis Bay, of Livonia, Mich., was Sunday’s winner. Bay’s C Stock times in a Solotech Pontiac Solstice were separated by 0.114-second. Both drivers are now entered to win a new Pace PursuitŪ trailer in a drawing at the end of the year.

The Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour crosses the country to Washington state for its next stop: The Packwood National Tour. Hampton Mills will once again serve as the site, Aug. 16 – 17. For full results from Milwaukee and more information on upcoming Solo events visit www.scca.com/solo.