The guys over at Speedway Motors have done it again. Another great recap video from SCCA Solo National Championships in Lincoln, NE. Just in time to get all of us in the cold weather parts of the United States pumped for the upcoming autocross season to get underway. If you’ve never been to Nationals before, this video will give you an excellent idea of all the fun and excitement you have been missing. More…
featured, SCCA, Solo, Solo National Championships, Speedway Motors, video
Yup it’s that time of year when some sort of formula determines how each SCCA Autocross will compare to another class. After a full year of stock class cars being on street tires there have been some changes that should make things more accurate. CSP, STF and SMF also had some rather large adjustments. Also of note is the addition of a new Street Touring class, STP.
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With SCCA Rallycross Nationals in Colorado Springs, CO coming up in just a couple weeks, I am reminded of the differences between Solo and Rallycross driving, and have begun preparing myself mentally for the switch. For SCCA Solo I have used a STU-prepped 2006 STI. Plenty of power, grippy nissan tires, and stiff suspension the idea in the drivers mind is to be precise, and attack each element individually, yet constantly scanning and looking ahead, trusting the car to complete the element. However, SCCA Rallycross is a whole different beast.
With Rallycross, I am switching to a FWD, low-power 1992 Nissan Sentra SE-R, on the original tires. First, every corner is just a ‘fraction’ of an element, and Rallycross requires you to string them together. Looking ahead is just as essential, if not more, although the elements tend to be less intense and most-often naturally flow into each-other. Weight transfer into corners is key, as the grip will not be present and the car’s motion will propagate from one turn into the next. I’m hoping that I can effectively make the switch between the styles, as ProSolo and Solo Nationals are two weeks following, and the goal is to do my best in all of them.
Wish me luck as I attempt to trophy in all three!
Rallycross, Sentra, Solo, STI
The Texas National Tour event for 2010 was the first real ‘travel’ event. I’ve never traveled farther than 5 hours for a solo event, being fortunate enough to have the 2009 and 2010 nationals in our own backyard (Lincoln is only an hour away). However, there isn’t enough seat-time doing just local events.
I planned on attending, alone if I had to, just to have a chance at a national-level course first thing in the year. Luckily I had a partner willing to travel with me, even if it was only to take photos. So there we were, packing up the STI. 4 wheels in the backseat, tools and jack in the trunk, along with all of our clothes for 4 days, and a Diff for delivery (see the 2010 grassroots motorsports build from Vorshlag). New shocks required adjusting on the road for optimum feel, although it was still bone-crushing. I now understand why people trailer their cars.
It felt weird being the only ones from our Region, but we were still among family. Doing solo even for a few years I’ve gotten to know friends that are just as competitive and passionate about the sport as I am, and always show up.
I’ll do it again in a heartbeat. It was a fun trip. And having a gold medal doesn’t hurt either. 🙂
