Northwest Region hosted the final Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour prior to the 2022 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships, with the July 8-10, 2022, event taking place in the Pacific Northwest at the scenic and popular Packwood, WA, Hampton Mills site.
Boosting the popularity of the 232 participants that took to the courses were 30 competitors from the Great White North who crossed the border to have their fun with cars. The weather was picture perfect for the first time in a number of events, with temperatures hanging in the mid-70s for a fun weekend under the sun.
Northwest Region gave the people what they wanted during the Friday night party carrying a Prom theme – barbecue, live DJ, dancing, and door prizes, including $500 in cash.
Ralph Elder, from Folsom, CA, was awarded the weekend’s Roscoe Spirit of the Solo Award for his tireless work on the event and his eagerness to share a ride with most anyone in need.
Competition in Packwood
Who says you can’t put on the event and still drive well? The event Admin and Timing Managers, Kerry Gonzales and David Rock, were tied for second place in CAM-S in their shared Corvette after the first day, with Brian Coulson in the lead. Rock took the trophy spot in the end, 0.444sec behind Coulson’s win.
To win the 15-car Super Street class, you have to bring it until the end. Jay Balducci did just that, ripping off a lap on his final run of the weekend to top the class by just 0.283sec over co-driver Jason Bucki in their GT4 Porsche.
Jim Daniels took the D Prepared lead on his final run, but as a double-digit number, he had to sit and wait to see what Austin Clark had left in the bag. The answer? Plenty. Clark threw down his best run on his last go-round to win by 0.496sec.
Xtreme Street A and Xtreme Street B had their largest combined turnout of the season, with 11 in XA and five in XB. John Tritsch topped XA, with Mark Ayers taking a 0.212sec win in XB.
Following the Points Chase
The Solo National Tour points chase for 2022 is wrapping up and currently being totaled.
Points are updated a few days after each event – and remember that a driver’s three best-scoring performances count toward their season total – so soon, we will know who the points leader is in each class of the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour.
That said, the points race is far from over. Competitors must also attend the 2022 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships in Lincoln, NE, on Sept. 6-9 to be eligible for year-end points recognition. However, results from the Solo National Championships will not count toward the points totals. Rather, Solo Nationals finishes will be used as tiebreakers.
On to Solo Nationals – and more!
That leaves the granddaddy of them all on the calendar: the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships at Lincoln Airpark, taking place Sept. 6-9, 2022.
While that is the one marked on many an autocrosser’s calendar, there are two “post season” events on the schedule as well – the Tire Rack Charlotte National Tour, Oct. 14-16, and the Tire Rack SCCA Allied vs. Axis National Tour at Spence Field, Dec. 2-4.
Check out the Solo National Tour event calendar here.
