Mazda drivers clinch seven more Solo National Championship titles

The second half of the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships concludes with Mazda drivers winning in CSP, CSPL, DP, ES, SSM, STR and STRL

The weather was more cooperative for the Thursday-Friday competitors than it was for the first batch of drivers during the Sept. 4-7 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships in Lincoln, Neb. While torrential downpour plagued the action on Monday, the rain held off for much of Thursday and Friday, although some run groups had their share of inclement weather – for those, it was often a matter of getting it done in one run.

When Friday competition wrapped, seven Mazda drivers were among the newly crowned SCCA national champions, four of them claiming that title for the first time. That included sweeps of both Open and Ladies class in C Street Prepared and Street Touring Roadster.

E Street is always a hard-fought class that doesn’t always go a Mazda driver’s way. But this year Mazda drivers took the top four spots, with Bartek Borowski claiming a 1.117sec victory over Andrew Canak thanks to quick times on both days. Charles Mathews was third and Matt Waldbaum fourth. 

Street Touring Roadster is a mix of fourth-generation Miatas and Honda S2000s, with both capable of running top times. This year, however, Miata drivers took the top seven positions, with Jonathan Lugod emerging on top. Lugod’s consistency was astounding – his East course times varied by only 0.7sec, and he was the only driver in the 66-second-range. He was quickest on the West course as well, and ended up taking the win over ProSolo winner Ken Motonishi by nearly a second-and-a-half. Speaking of consistency, Motonishi’s West course times were all within three-hundredths of a second. Daniel McCelvey was third, and all three piloted 2016 Miatas.

Jessica Pao won her first national championship in STR Ladies with the quickest times on both courses, claiming a combined time two seconds better than Jen Fox, who was also in a 2016 Miata. Michelle Knoll was third.

First- and second-generation Miatas often dominate in C Street Prepared, and this year was no different, with Miatas taking all the trophy positions. Neal Tovsen was at the top of the list, 1.435sec ahead of Todd Cochran for his first national championship. Matthew Hodges, Billy Davis, Bob Bundy and Aaron Zanger rounded out the trophies. Stephanie Humphries took C Street Prepared Ladies with a 1.1-second margin of victory in the all-Miata class. She was followed by Laura Johnson and Sharon Eberlein.

D Prepared is home to a host of roadsters and other four-cylinder Japanese and British cars, heavily modified for competition. This year the top five were in NA Miatas, with Todd Roberts taking the No. 1 position. Both Ward Marshall and Stephen Simonds were quicker on the East course, but neither could overcome Roberts’ significant day one lead. Marshall was second, 1.18sec behind, Perry Simonds was third, Stephen Simonds fourth and Ian Marshall fifth. 

Randall Wilcox once again came out on top of Super Street Modified driving Eric Anderson’s 1996 Miata. Wilcox came into the second day on the East course three-tenths behind, and put some respectable times on the board on his first two Friday runs while several competitors struggled. But on his third run he improved by more than a second-and-a-half, and that was his margin of victory for his second national championship.

After a week of competition at Lincoln Airpark, Mazda drivers won five ProSolo victories, a ProSolo Super Challenge victory, and 12 Solo national championships. 

SCCA Tire Rack Solo National Championships
Lincoln Airpark
Lincoln, Neb., Sept. 4-7, 2018
Thursday-Friday Mazda Winners
E Street: Bartek Borowski; Elmwood Park, IL; Mazda Miata; 1.117 (eighth national championship, sixth in class)
C Street Prepared: Neal Tovsen; Apple Valley, MN; Mazda Miata; 1.435 (first national championship)
C Street Prepared Ladies: Stephanie Humphries; Elizabeth City, NC; Mazda Miata; 1.104 (first national championship)
Street Touring Roadster: Jonathan Lugod; Gardena, CA; Mazda MX-5; 1.465 (third national championship, second in class)
Street Touring Roadster Ladies: Jessica Pao; Alhambra, CA; Mazda MX-5; 2.032 (first national championship)
Super Street Modified: Randall Wilcox; Bowie, MD; Mazda Miata; 1.576 (second national championship, second in class)
D Prepared: Todd Roberts; Austin, TX; Mazda Miata; 1.180 (first national championship)