The Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour held its second event of the 2023 season on March 31-April 2 in Nevada at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS). Some 144 entrants competed across 33 different classes under sunny conditions both Saturday and Sunday, with temperatures topping out just below 80 degrees.
It’s been action-packed back-to-back Solo weekends for Las Vegas autocrossers. Last weekend was the Tire Rack SCCA Las Vegas ProSolo, and now the Tire Rack SCCA Las Vegas Solo National Tour; both of which were made possible thanks to volunteers from SCCA’s Las Vegas Region.
The LVMS venue remains one of the most scenic Solo sites, partially due to the speedway’s RV Hill that offers an elevated viewing area that puts courses on full display, and the Vegas Valley is the backdrop. Of course, that sight includes the Vegas Strip lights at night.
Vegas Competition Recap
One of the tighter winning margins of the weekend went to B Modified. Co-drivers Jason Swindle and Marshall Grice – sharing a 2020 Unbalanced Eng Lynx – kept things interesting, with Swindle having a 0.149sec advantage on Grice by Saturday’s end. But Grice battled back and took the win Sunday by 0.196sec over Swindle.
By no means was that the only tight competition at LVMS. Elliot Speidell, in a 1995 BMW 325is, had the lead Saturday in Extreme Street A by 0.077sec over Chris Bartley’s 2006 Mitsubishi. But Sunday saw Bartley turn the best lap, which ultimately earned him a 0.393sec victory over Speidell.
Super Street Prepared and its eight entries was led Saturday by Brian Peters in a 2019 Porsche 911 GT3RS. He had a 0.247sec advantage on Jeff Wong’s 2019 Chevrolet Corvette, which was the only non-Porsche in the field. But Wong poured it on on Sunday and ended up with a 0.252sec victory over Peters. Michael Yanase, in a Porsche GT4, claimed the third and final trophy.
Then there was CAM-T, where James Eaton and his 1985 Ford Mustang ended Saturday with a 0.068sec advantage on a 1976 Pontiac Trans Am driven by Thomas Kamman. That gap, however, evaporated as Kamman cranked off a run that resulted in a 0.377sec win Sunday over Eaton. The CAM-S class looked poised for a close finish, too, as Jeff Woodbury and his Chevrolet Corvette Z06 had a scant 0.010sec lead Saturday evening over a 2001 Chevrolet Corvette driven by David Rock. But Woodbury increased that gap on Rock to 1.474sec Sunday to scoop up the win.
The largest field of the weekend was Super Street. Jason Bucki, in a 2022 Porsche GT4, triumphed in that 13-driver group by 0.835sec over co-driver Jay Balducci. Eric Stoltz finished third in a 2018 Porsche GT3, and Ryan Johnson drove a 2023 Porsche Spyder to the fourth and final trophy spot.
The Las Vegas National Tour was the second of three test events for the new Ladies Bump classes. In the Ladies Street Tire Bump class, Meredith Brown drove a 2016 Scion FR-S to victory over Carla Russo in a 2022 Subaru BRZ, and Julie Woodbury came third in a 2022 Volkswagen GTI. Then in Ladies Race Tire Bump, Kendra Mabie and her 2016 Porsche GT4 took the win over Shawn Kiesel in a 2020 KFR Turbo Sprite.
Amassing Points
The Las Vegas Solo National Tour was another opportunity for drivers to amass points towards the 2023 Solo National Tour points chase. Competitors score points for a specific class during each Solo National Tour event from March to November, with the opportunity to also earn points at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships in September. An individual’s three best-scoring performances in the same class during the year count toward the season total.
Points at National Tour events are awarded on a performance-based scale using a specific formula. That points formula is: 100 - (900 x ((Entrant’s Time - Class Winning Time) / (Class Winning Time)).
Participation in the same class at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships is required in order to qualify for the season-long points title. To resolve a points tie, finishing position at the Solo National Championships will be used to decide the winner.
Click here to learn more about the scoring system and check out the current class leaders.
Heading Over to California
Next on the 2023 Solo National Tour calendar is a quick drive over to Patterson, CA, for the April 21-23 Tire Rack SCCA Crows Landing Solo National Tour, followed by a trip to Texas for the Tire Rack SCCA South Texas Solo National Tour, which takes place May 5-7 at Naval Air Station Chase Field in Beeville. The month of May then closes out with the Tire Rack SCCA Lincoln National Tour May 28-29 in Nebraska at Lincoln Airpark.
Online registration has already begun for some of these events. Be sure to check the Solo National Tour webpage for more information.
Photo by Joe Goeke
