There ain’t no tomorrow for the first set of gunslingers seeking Championship jackets at the 2024 Tire Rack SCCA® Solo® National Championships, held Sept. 3-6 in Nebraska’s capital city at Lincoln Airpark. Ride hard today, or ride home trophyless from the Wild West-themed 51st running of Solo Nats.
Things happen quick out yonder, so track everything from this autocross rodeo at sololive.scca.com. Up-to-the moment timing/scoring is found online there, as well as audio coverage throughout each day. Additional info and other cool stuff is also available at the Tire Rack SCCA National Solo and SCCA Official Facebook pages.
No Western Experience is Complete Without a Guitar
Campfires and guitars – no true Western experience is complete without that combination. While this year’s stampede of around 1,300 rustlers at the 51st running of the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships are gunnin’ for red Championship jackets, a few rip-roarin’ riders will sling over their shoulders the slickest of trophies on the way out of swingin’ saloon doors – traveling down dusty roads with prized artwork from Kiesel Custom Guitars.
Five Kiesel Guitars are on offer as trophy instruments in 2024, each embracing this year’s Welcome to the Wild, Wild West Solo Nats event theme (which should explain all this cowboy talk). They are adorned in a custom, whiskey-stain finish applied by Kaila and Jeff Kiesel – both of which are top-tier SCCA autocrossers with multiple, record-setting Solo National Championships to their credit. The pieces of functional art include exclusive SCCA inlays and traditional Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups, resulting in a classic sound no matter how ham-handed recipients might be.
“The fingerboard and neck of each guitar utilizes master-grade, roasted, high-quality maple wood,” Jeff said. “Kiesel Custom Guitars has been crafting bespoke trophies since 2013 to honor top performers within the SCCA Solo community the Kiesel family holds dear. Themes SCCA generates each year open up a world of creativity on our end.
“This has been a fantastic project for more than a decade, and I sure hope 2024 trophy winners enjoy their guitars,” Jeff added. “SCCA has been a big part of the Kiesel family, and the Kiesels hope our trophies give back in some way to the Solo community we love so much.”
The extremely rare musical instruments created for SCCA members have been handcrafted by a small set of skilled artisans at Kiesel Custom Guitars in Southern California. Each piece requires about 35 hours of painstaking delicate effort from craftsmen, and the worth is valued at $4,299 apiece – although they’re kind of priceless.
A couple drivers have already hogtied the competition and carried off coveted Kiesel trophies. Eric Stoltz, the Johnson Clark Johnson Cup recipient recognizing ProSolo’s Super Challenge Points Championship victor, earned one guitar. Kim Whitener, recipient of the Fletcher Cup recognizing ProSolo’s Ladies Challenge Points Championship winner, earned hers with sharpshooter precision akin to Calamity Jane.
Two more guitars are earmarked for the Solo Nats top PAX performers from Tuesday/Wednesday and Thursday/Friday. That leaves one doggone, designer axe up for grabs to the cowpoke in 2024 who emerges victorious in the Super Street class. Who will that be? Keep your ear to the rail at SCCA.com to find out.
Known for high-quality workmanship, industry leading craftsmanship and use of exotic woods, Kiesel has been building worldclass guitars, basses, and pickups since 1946 for pro and hobbyist musicians alike. Made exclusively in the USA, Kiesel Custom Guitars offers countless combinations of custom options so you can design your own custom shop instrument at an affordable price point.
If you don’t earn one of the five limited-edition trophy guitars this year, head to the Kiesel Custom Guitars website and order up something nice to make yourself feel better. Or just window shop, because they’ve got some really, really beautiful stuff.
Mustn’t-Miss Wednesday Evening Activities
Before the sun sinks below a western horizon on Wednesday, the first herd of ‘24 Solo Nats winners will be known. Those quick varmints will be branded as Champs during Wednesday’s Tire Rack Solo Awards Celebration starting around 5:45 p.m. within the TREC Tavern. Grub will be served, quenching beverages available, and adulation doled out. It’s all free for attendees – so you’d be a downright idjut to miss the fun.
An emotional moment takes place at 7:45 p.m. Wednesday just as the sun sets on Lincoln Airpark. That’s when everyone is invited to gather for the Sunset Remembrance Toast, which occurs near the Solo Impound Scales located between the two competition courses. It’s a chance for the Solo community to join together and remember those who have departed, but who will always be part of SCCA’s spirit.
What happens after that? Well, that’s up to Solo Town’s citizens. It’s certainly not uncommon for celebrations to go late into the evening as cowboys and cowgirls recap their experience or ready themselves for the rodeo’s next two days.
But Before Wednesday’s Party…
That’s what takes place this evening – there’s still lots of action to be had between the two Solo Nats autocross courses before then. What’s happening, who’s leading, and how are your friends doing? Keep track of all that at sololive.scca.com where you’ll find live timing/scoring, as well as audio coverage throughout the day. Also follow the Tire Rack SCCA National Solo and SCCA Official Facebook pages on social media for updates and photos. There’s also the Solo Nationals Morning Show, a daily video broadcast archived at the SCCA Official Facebook page.
Photo: One of the five Kiesel Guitars awarded as a trophy in 2024 during the Tire Rack SCCA ProSolo Championship Finale and Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships.
Photo by Jon Krolewicz
