BRYAN, Texas (March 20, 2012) – The Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour returned to Texas A&M University’s Riverside campus, in Bryan, Texas, last weekend for the first time since 1995 when the Southwest Division hosted the Sun Belt National Tour, Round Two on the 2012 schedule.
The airport site has a distinct x-shape where the runways cross, featuring a layout and a surface similar to the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship site in Lincoln, Neb. – making the event a popular one for those with an eye on a title this fall.
On the circuit, the closest class battle came in F Prepared. Jerry Centanni, from Austin, Texas, closed the gap on the second day behind the wheel of a 1999 Road Trip Racing Team Porsche Boxster, but fell just 0.049-second short of Tom Holt. The Round Rock, Texas-resident led both days a 1974 Road Trip Racing Team Datsun 280Z to take the class win.
Nearly as close was the Street Touring Xtreme class. Mark Sipe, of Keller, Texas, held just more than a half-second lead in the Toyo/Cobb Tuning/TrueChoice Mazda RX-8 after the opening day of runs over James Wilson. Wilson closed the gap on the final day, however, driving his TexasRallySport.com/Gillman Subaru Subaru WRX to within 0.087-second, with Sipe taking the victory.
H Stock matched STX in margin of victory in a battle amongst Mini Coopers. David Sponberg’s Red River Raiders Mini led the opening day of competition and hung on to top Joseph Austin’s MiniUSA.com/On A Dime Racing Mini and grab the H Stock crown.
In the 16-car STR class, the battle came down to the final runs of the weekend. Austin’s Jason Minehart took the first-day lead in the Team Underdog Racing Mazda MX-5, but Robert Irish wrestled away the top spot with his final run on Sunday in the CobbTuning.com Honda S2000. Minehart came back on his final run of the contest to take the class win by 1.071-second.
Des Toups, of Blue Ridge, Ga., scored a first on the Solo National Tour, taking the first class win in a hybrid. Toups drove a Honda CR-Z to a win in the supplemental Road Tire FWD class, a new class at the national level that utilizes road tires.
The Tire Rack Solo National Tour gets a respite from back to back weeks to open the season and returns to action April 28-29, at the San Diego National Tour in the parking lots at Qualcomm Stadium. More information on the SCCA Solo program is available at SCCA.com/solo.
Results from the Sun Belt National Tour are available on the event page here.
2012 Texas National Tour
