No, no…don’t do drugs and Autocross. I’m talking about The TireRack SCCA ProSolo Series, “America’s Premier Autocrossing Championship series”!
Never done a ProSolo? Well, thats where the Autocross-on-steroids comes in. If you get off on the adrenaline and competitive challenges of Autocross…you’ll LOVE the ProSolo series. This year some huge changes make the sport even better…I’m talking about big cash prizes, special CAM awards, more runs etc.
What is a ProSolo?
It’s still an Autocross, but with two courses, side by side and mirrored (although in the 1st Pro of this year in Peru, Indiana…it’s the first time I’ve ever seen two different courses…one 3rd gear fast, the other tight and technical). Drivers of the same class line up, side-by-side, on each course and start off, with engines revving to perhaps 6000rpm for some, drag-racing style–when the “Christmas Tree” lights drop, inducing heart pounding excitement as your adrenal gland dumps its load in your veins. A perfect reaction time (RT) is .500 and anything above that means you left precious time on clock that adds to your overall course time…anything under .500 means you left early and is known as a Red Light (RL) and your run doesn’t count. This is all just the very beginning of the adrenaline release and impending madness.
When you come off on your side of the course you immediately come back around and line up on the other course ready to run again…all within just maybe 30 or so seconds in between. By now you’re out of breath, your hands are shaking…if you have a clutch you’ll notice your leg trembles every time you inch forward towards the start. Now you have to add hyperactivity in to the mix…to all this… that’s going on, all you can hear is the fast-talking loud blare of the announcer’s speakers just a few feet away…launches of other cars ahead and you still have to mentally “fix” any mistakes you did on the last side…knowing, in just a few seconds, you’ll have the next course to concentrate and drive to the best of your abilities (my “favorite” part is when I do my own tire pressures myself—while in line…I jump out of the car, Chinese-fire-drill style, only to add FRET to my emotions when I have trouble lining up the tire gauge end with the air valve because my hands are trembling so badly…all while keeping an eye on the forward progress of cars in line in front of me).
You’ll repeat this diabolical mixture of fun a total of four runs in the morning on Saturday and another white-knuckled 4 runs in the afternoon…the madness continues with yet another four on Sunday morning. After all 12 runs, your best time on each side is combined and is used to score and rank you in the ProSolo. Class podium winners can win tire(s), money, brake components, etc. (depending on contingencies and number of drivers in your class). Although you are competing against your class competitors, you are also working for a chance to enter the “Super Challenge” or the “Women’s Challenge.” You could also get into a (limited to 8 drivers) randomly selected “Bonus Challenge.” Win one of these and its more tire(s), etc. The winner of the Bonus gets a free entry.
Finally, after all the carnage, on Sunday afternoon the Women’s Challenge is held, then the Bonus Challenge, now it’s the new CAM challenge, then the big one…the Super Challenge. It is a bracket made up of the top 32 drivers (class winners get in automatically) and go head to head in a single-elimination round. If a driver can, in a heart clutching manner…avoid hitting cones or making a mistake or red-lighting…there way against 12 of the best drivers in a row, they are crowned the winner! Are you getting my drift about ProSolo, now?
For 2020, besides Covid-19 induced changes, including online/digital tech and check-in, ProSolo also has seen these new changes:
CAM CLASS has its own challenge and special year-end award.
- NEW classes for women and 4 new street open classes. For example, my STU classed Evo is in “S4” a group made up of nothing but all-wheel drive cars.
- NEW “Christmas Tree” lights, that got many people into Red-Light country, until they got the hang of them…if they ever did. (The cadence of the lights got me to RL 3 times in Peru)
- ONE PRACTICE RUN on one side for all challenge drivers if they choose, just before a competitor’s actual run. No cones will be called and no stopping for downed cones for a rerun on the practice run.
- CASH PAYOUT for the year-end Super Challenge overall winner increased to $5000…up from $600 from last year, with prize money increase for other winners, also.
So, if you missed out on the Topeka ProSolo June 27th and 28th, and I’ve got you interested – just a three hour drive from Kansas City is the Lincoln Summer Nationals Solo Tour and ProSolo (it’s the spring Nationals that where postponed from May to Mid August). Registration opens July 15th. Anyway, it’s a great time to get seat time just two weeks from the TireRack SCCA Solo National Championships. Also keep in mind the Lincoln Midiv August 8-9th.
CONGRATULATIONS!
AT THE JUNE 27-28th TOPEKA PROSOLO:
- KC region’s James King (#185 AS Corvette) winner of the Bonus Challenge.
- Kansas region’s Brian Tefft Jr. (#185 E Street MR2 Spyder) 2nd place win in the Super Challenge.
ALSO, KCR & KS region class trophy winners:
- Rusty Henderson (#123 CAM Camaro)–5th
- Jeremey Scotton (#83 CAM Mustang)–9th
- Craig Wilcox (#198 S1 Civic)–2nd
- Greg Reno (#36 S5 Mini Cooper)–2nd
- Mark Hill (#45 S4 Evo)–2nd
- Brad Smith (#188 RT 1 Doofwagon)–3rd
- Ron Williams (#97 Bump Civic)–1st
- Brian Tefft Jr. (#185 ES MR2)–1st
See you out there!
Mark Hill,
3-time SCCA Champion, 500+ class AX wins