Shawn Marie Kiesel is a relative newcomer on the national Solo scene but in the short time she has been in the sport she has notched two National Championships in two different but related cars. Both have been powered by turbocharged Mazda rotary engines with her latest victory coming behind the wheel of the family 2008 KFR Turbo Sprite on Goodyear tires. Shawn Marie resides in southern California and is a member of the San Diego Region SCCA.
RR: Is this your first attendance at Nationals?
SMK: No, 2008 was my third trip to Nationals. My first year was in 2006 with only doing a couple of events before Nationals.

RR: Is this your first National Championship? 
SMK: No, I have one other in B Prepared Ladies in 2006.

RR: What was your favorite memory of the competition?
SMK: Looking over and seeing my husband and kids screaming and jumping up and down with joy when they found out that I won.

RR: What do you think was your key to success?
SMK: Walking the course many times and listening to Jeff when he is giving me advice.

RR: Who has most influenced you?
SMK: My husband Jeff. He kept telling me I should start autocrossing and at first I didn’t want to. He knows that I am a competitive person and thought I’d be good at it. He finally talked me into it and I’m glad he did. It is such a fun sport.

RR: Who inspires you?
SMK: Jeff and my father-in-law, Mark. Watching the two of them working as a team has really inspired me. They really enjoy this sport and are fun to watch.

RR: Do you have any special pre-race routine, or any superstitions you follow?
SMK: No.

RR: Do you have any driving aids or tools you use to help you?
SMK: A seat insert so that I can reach the pedals.

RR: What do you think you do differently than your competition?
SMK: Not sure.

RR: Have you attended any driving school?
SMK: No

RR: Describe your driving style.
SMK:  I only started in 2006, so I’m still learning!

RR: What was your first and favorite autocross car?
SMK: A 1997 BMW M3 was the first; this car is my favorite…

RR: If you could change one Solo rule – either for your specific class or in general — what would it be?
SMK: Not sure.

RR: Who would you like to thank for your success?
SMK: Jeff. He built a car that is fast and fun to drive. He has the car working really well. So I trust the car the more I drive it.

Photos courtesy of GotCone.com & Shawn Marie Kiesel

For copies of photos email david @ evorticity.com

As an individual who is adept at thinking outside the box Jeff Kiesel has one again shown with a little imagination and a lot of hard work in a class that doesn’t have a lot of restrictions he can rise above the rest. He put the smack down again on E Modified in 2008 to claim his second jacket in an exceedingly well turned out 1958 Austin Healy Bugeye Spite using turbocharged Mazda rotary power on Goodyear tires. Jeff is a member of the San Diego Region SCCA.

RR: Is this your first attendance at Nationals?
JK: No, I have attended Nationals since 2004.

RR: Is this your first National Championship?
JK: No. I have won two previous Solo Championships in 2006 driving my Mazda RX-7 in B Prepared and in 2007 I won E Modified driving the same Sprite I won with in 2008. I also have won two consecutive Pro Solo Championships in the Sprite.

RR: What was your favorite memory of the competition?
JK: In 2006 my wife won her first jacket, two run groups before me.

RR: What do you think was your key to success?
JK: Picking the right car, good set up, great family support and great talent in Solo to push me hard.

RR: Who has most influenced you?
JK: My Dad, he autocrossed when I was a kid and dominated in our San Diego region through 1985.  He got me interested in the sport and races with me now.

RR: Who inspires you?
JK: My Dad and my Wife and Kids; Gary Thomason and Andy McKee.

RR: Do you have any special pre-race routine, or any superstitions you follow?
JK: No.

RR: Do you have any driving aids or tools you use to help you?
JK: No.

RR: What do you think you do differently than your competition?
JK: Not sure.

RR: Have you attended any driving school?
JK: No.

RR: Describe your driving style.
JK: Aggressive but smooth.

RR: What was your first –and favorite autocross car?
JK: 1993 Mazda RX-7.

RR: If you could change one Solo rule – either for your specific class or in general — what would it be?
JK: I would go back to the 2005 rules for EM, 1500 pounds without driver and no weight penalty for larger motors.  At the old rule with me in the car I would weigh 1655 min.  At nationals this year and last I had to weigh in at 1855 with me in the car.

RR: Who would you like to thank for your success?
JK: My Dad for getting me interested in this great sport and passing down some of his abilities to me, also for his advise help and co driving the past two years.  My wife for putting up with the busy race schedule, many hours in the garage and racing the car with me.  Goodyear Racing Tire, Bogart Racing Wheels, Ankeny Racing Enterprises, Maier Racing, Danzio Performance, Racing Beat, 7parts.com and Carvin.com

Photos courtesy of GotCone.com

For copies of photos email david @ evorticity.com

In a class that has inarguably been the providence of the Toyota MR2 for that past few years Meredith Brown has once again proved that she has the measure of her competitors by adding another jacket to her closet. As a member of the Sports Car Club del Valley Rio Grande (a chapter of the Rio Grande Region SCCA) the 2008 E Stock Ladies Champion drove a 1993 Toyota MR2 on Hoosier tires to her third National Championship.

RR: Is this your first attendance at Nationals?
MB: Although I began racing in the early 1990s, I did not go to Nationals until 2002. I have competed every year since.

RR: Is this your first National Championship?
MB: I was picked to win in 2002 but did not live up to the billing until the next year. I won again in 2004 and then went through a dry spell until 2008. All my championships are in ESL.

RR: What was your favorite memory of the competition?
MB: The first year I was at Nationals it was to watch Paul, and I decided spectating was for the birds. Driving was where it was at and I have been having a great time behind the wheel ever since.

RR: What do you think was your key to success? Who has most influenced you? Who inspires you?
MB: My husband introduced me to the sport and has patiently and generously shared his knowledge with me over the years. It took quite a while for me to absorb and translate that knowledge into success on course, and I still rely on him to set me straight after I walk the entire course thinking I don’t really need to use the brakes. I also had the good fortune to become friends with many experienced racers such as the Fletchers, Baileys, Tunnels, Tom Berry and many others who exhibit great sportsmanship along with tremendous driving skill.

RR: Do you have any special pre-race routine, or any superstitions you follow?
MB: I don’t do anything special right before driving but I do like to be strapped in and ready to go with plenty of time to spare so I do not feel rushed and I can go through the course a few times in my head.

RR: Do you have any driving aids or tools you use to help you?
MB: We do not run any data collection systems or cameras on the car but I do find it very helpful to get feedback from Paul when he can watch my runs.

RR: What do you think you do differently than your competition?
MB: It often seems to come down to who can get clean runs, and at Nationals the weather conditions are frequently a significant factor.

RR: Have you attended any driving school?
MB: I have not attended any formal schools.

RR: Describe your driving style.
MB: I would have to describe my style as aggressively methodical. I have never really developed the skill of on the fly driving. I need to have a plan before I attack the course, but once I am out there I try to drive the tires off the car.

RR: What was your first –and favorite autocross car?
MB: The first car I race in was a Chrysler Conquest. My favorite car is the ES MR2 – hard to argue with success!

RR: If you could change one Solo rule – either for your specific class or in general — what would it be?
MB: If we could add more runs to the Solo format I certainly would not complain.

RR: Who would you like to thank for your success?
MB: My wonderful husband and the great SCCA family of racing enthusiasts who always make racing so much fun.

Photos courtesy of GotCone.com and Merideth Brown

For copies of photos email david @ evorticity.com

In a car that puts down power from an end of the car that he is not the most familiar and one that is also not commonly perceived to be competitive, the 2008 F Street Prepared National Champion Kevin Wenzel showed that he still has the moxie to compete at the highest level. Moving away from his Volkswagen roots Kevin claimed the 2008 title driving a 1968 BMW 2002 on Hoosier tires. He is a member of the Colorado Region SCCA.

RR: Is this your first attendance at Nationals?
KW: Nope – I’ve been to 10 Nationals events (’97-’08, missing ’03-’04).

RR: Is this your first National Championship?
KW: No, 2008 was my fourth win – the first three were 2000, 2005 and 2006, which were all in 1981 VW Sciroccos, run in FSP.

RR: What was your favorite memory of the competition?
KW: My second run on the first day – I had doubted my ability to drive at that level since 2007 (the only year I didn’t at least trophy at Nationals).

RR: What do you think was your key to success?
KW: Sweating the small stuff, although not always the same small stuff that other people were sweating… Also, having a very clear idea of how I wanted a given car to behave.

RR: Who has most influenced you?
KW: For driving, I’d have to say a combination of Bob Tunnel and Dave Fauth – Tunnel for being *so* fast, *so* consistently, and for being generally unflappable to whole time.  Fauth is a very different kind of driver than I am – I’m amazed to watch how precise he is, and how well he executes the plan he creates during course walks, so I’d like to develop more of that skill.  For car preparation, my biggest influence has been my friend and former employer, Dave Stone of Performance Machine Works.  He has a breadth of knowledge and attention to detail that I will always envy.

RR: Who inspires you?
KW: Largely, the folks that I run with in X class at local Colorado Region/CDR events.  The level of competition has been very high for so long in these regions that local events sometimes feel like National Tours, and facing a challenge like that all year long can go a long way towards making up for not attending lots of Tours/Pros (which I’ve not always been able to do).

RR: Do you have any special pre-race routine, or any superstitions you follow?
KW: At the start, I tend to do some specific things with my hands, which amounts to rubbing the steering wheel and checking the gear and parking brake position over and over again.  I’ll also spend some time looking at the first few significant cones, and intentionally change my focus from the first gate to the next, and back again.  Before running I tend to do the same visualization that every else seems to, although I don’t walk around in circles with my eyes closed (I’m clumsy enough without *trying* to trip over things).

I also like to drink orange Moutain Dew before running, although I’ve been less consistent about that in the last year or so.  No idea if the sugar and caffeine helps or is ultimately a hindrance, but it’s tasty!

RR: Do you have any driving aids or tools you use to help you?
KW: Video, definitely.  Data as often as possible, although I’ve never been able to afford (or been able to prioritize in a budget, compared to Other Things to Do) the acquisition system that I’d really like to be using.

RR: What do you think you do differently than your competition?
KW: I think that when I’m really in the right place mentally, I’m quick on the first run – I think it helps to put the competition in as big a hole as possible right off the bat.  I tend to be aggressive in slaloms and transitions (and try to set cars up to allow this, more than anything else), and I think a lot of folks don’t quite place the same importance on that particular aspect of autocrossing – this seems odd to me, because I think it’s often the difference-maker.

RR: Have you attended any driving school?
KW: I attended at least a couple of local autocross schools in 1997 (in Colorado, that tends to be a nearly Evo-like experience, IMHO, since we had names like Ames, Bailey, Klingler, Raymond, Ott, Tunnel, Fauth
etc., etc. as instructors…! ).  Other than that, just a Colorado-based road racing school to get my club racing license.

RR: Describe your driving style.
KW: Other than aggressiveness in transitions, I’m not really sure.  I tend to have very fast hands, and I’m not as precise as I’d like to be.  I try to apply the “strong opinions, weakly held” maxim to course walks, since I don’t seem to be very good at predicting exactly what I’m going to need to do in a given corner, and thus I approach driving as a friction-circle-tactile situation – do whatever I can to keep the car at the edges of it *and* stay ahead of the course *and* maintain a tight enough line, but I tend to rely on adaptability to get that done.  If I’m looking ahead and am on top of things, it works out pretty well most of the time.  If not, I suddenly end up in thrash-land and I’m playing catch-up.  At least that’s how it feels. The video often looks so boring that I have to doubt my own perceptions of what happens in the car.

RR: What was your first –and favorite autocross car?
KW: First car was a 1981 VW Scirocco (one of three) in DSP (at the time). Favorite (and most-hated) would have to be the 1984 VW Rabbit I built for EP (and ran between 2001-2002): http://www.timelord-racing.com/alba/ . That car changed my understanding about what was really important about developing autocross cars.

RR: If you could change one Solo rule – either for your specific class or in general — what would it be?
KW: Having spent at least a little time on an advisory committee, I have a hard time focusing on one rule.  The difficulty is that it’s very hard to both correct clear inconsistencies and errors and also adapt the rules and classing to match the constantly-changing automotive marketplace (and level of technical skill/commitment within individual classes, which is also not very static), so it seems like more of a continuum to me.  I personally dislike the tendency towards inconsistent naming conventions between parent classes, but maybe that’s a meaningless aesthetic preference…

RR: Who would you like to thank for your success?
KW: Three people – one, my long-time co-driver Iain Mannix, Dave Stone at Performance Machine Works, and my ex-wife (and still a dear friend) Carol Coen, who, along with her whole family, got me addicted to this racing thing in the first place.

Photos courtesy of www.gotcone.com

For copies of photos email david @ evorticity.com

watch?v=mCb-d1kSgjcStill run as a Supplementary class Formula SAE has nevertheless shown an increase in participation. Heavily promoted by Professor Bob Woods of the University of Texas, Arlington the class is poised to become a fixture of the SCCA. With a second consecutive Championship Hailing from Texas Region SCCA driving the UTA FSAE car on Hoosier tires Eric Leichtle has shown that he is an able student of mentor and advisor Bob Woods.

RR: Is this your first attendance at Nationals?
EL: No, this was my second time to attend Nationals.

RR: Is this your first National Championship?
EL: No, I won my first National Championship last year, also in FSAE.

RR: What was your favorite memory of the competition?
EL: On the first day, the 2008 car I was driving broke while my co-driver Alejandro was in it.  Fortunately the SCCA let us make the rest of our runs by doubling up in the 2007 car.  For my last run I had to wait the mandated 5 minutes from the last drive in that car.  So, I was sitting at the line for almost 5 minutes, all the course workers are ready to be done, and I’m just sitting there waiting and trying to calm down.  When the five minutes was up, I went out and clinched 1st in my class.

RR: What do you think was your key to success?
EL: Practice, and learning how to relax.  The single best thing I can do for myself before driving is to relax.  Runs that feel slow are almost always the fastest.

RR: Who has most influenced you?
EL: My Dad, and my co-driver and best friend Alejandro.

RR: Who inspires you?
EL: Anybody who works hard to make their dreams a reality.

RR: Do you have any special pre-race routine, or any superstitions you follow?
EL: Check tire pressures, make sure the car has gas, study the track map, then joke around and relax.

RR: Do you have any driving aids or tools you use to help you?
EL: Live For Speed- a computer racing simulator.  I’ve broken more bad habits racing on the computer than in real life.  On the computer you can make a conscious effort to see if you’re lifting the throttle, or braking too late, or whatever.  It’s a perfect opportunity to train yourself to drive better.

RR: What do you think you do differently than your competition?
EL: I’m not very good at walking the track, so I always take a relatively easy first run to familiarize myself with the track.  I find that if I try and go 100% my first time out, I usually mess up, and then spend my second run trying to learn the track.

RR: Have you attended any driving school?
EL: The Dr. Bob Woods driving class at UTA.

RR: Describe your driving style.
EL: Slow in, fast out.  It’s far quicker to be in control during corner entry and set up a proper line, than to get the last little bit of braking performance out of the car.

RR: What was your first –and favorite autocross car?
EL: I have only ever autocrossed the UTA Formula SAE cars, so I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for all of them.  My first winged car I ever drove was the 2004 car, but I’d have to say that my favorite is the 2008 car, AKA the Italian Stallion.  It’s powered by an Aprilia SXV-550 with 2 cylinders named Hellfire and Vengeance.

RR: If you could change one Solo rule – either for your specific class or in general — what would it be?
EL: FSAE winners would get a National Champion jacket as well!

RR: Who would you like to thank for your success?
EL: Everyone at UTA who makes Formula SAE possible, especially the team members who help design and build the car.  My family for always being there to cheer me on and help turn a wrench when something breaks. My best friend Alejandro, who constantly pushes me to be better and faster. And of course, my girlfriend Tracy for putting up with me paying more attention to race cars than to her!

We have spent a lot of time profiling the National Champions from both the 2008 Solo National Championship and 2008 Pro Solo Championship. While we think everyone finds these glimpses into the life and mind of the Champions useful and sometimes entertaining there are many more people who make up the sport of Solo. As in everything in life there is always someone who finds themselves on the bottom of the food chain. Yes, those among us who are DFL. Just to show everyone that rogues-racing.com has a sense of humor we are beginning this (hopefully) series with our own Mike Hearne. Mike earned this ‘honor’ by co-driving Dan Costello’s Honda CRX on Hoosier tires to last place in CSP at the 2008 Solo National Championship. He resides in Massillon, OH and is a member of the NEOHIO Region SCCA.

RR: Is this your first attendance at Nationals?
MH: Yes, 2008 was a year of firsts. It was my first Tour, Divisional, and Nationals.

RR: Is this your first DFL?
MH: Yes, by a wide margin (18.251 seconds). Based on PAX 1037 out of 1058.

RR: What was your favorite memory of the competition?
MH: Meeting lots of great people. Being a part of the largest participant motorsports event in the world. Somehow Solo brings people together and it’s a rewarding, fun experience.

RR: What do you think was your key to your lack of success?
MH: The intention was to drive our Hearne EP CRX Tuesday/Wednesday by myself. My co-driver Scott (my father) was now co-driving Chris Raglin’s EP Civic. I managed 2 runs during the Sunday warm up and the car felt great. I was being touted as a tire warmer for hire, but a few competitors declined. Later on Sunday, my father had a conversation with Dan Costello and offered my services to Dan. I accepted his offer to drive his CRX in CSP. After my first run on Thursday it was clear that I was in over my head. The car was setup very differently than what I was used to. The lack of seat time coupled with the car’s willingness to snap hard from the rear had me doing donuts even Jimmy Johnson would have been envious of.

RR: Who has most influenced you?
MH: My father Scott without question. He’s been to every Solo Nationals since 1993. He truly runs to have fun and socialize. Seeing him have a chance to win the 2007 EP National Champion and ultimately finishing 4th (his best Nationals performance) was a great feeling.

RR: Who inspires you?
MH: This could be entirely separate conversation all together. Jason Saini, because he’s been so accessible, gracious, and he’s shown that you can succeed beyond the Solo ranks. Mike “Junior� Johnson, because he can drive anything, tells it like it is, and is a great guy. Chris Raglin has shown me it’s not all about money to win and watching him win his 1st jacket was special. Also, his knowledge about CRX / Civics is immense. Jason Tipple is another guy I look up to. Jay Storm is a mad scientist always trying to figure out ways to make his Subaru fast. Also, Raleigh and Velma Boreen, because they have the best interests of Solo as their top priority.

RR: Do you have any special pre-race routine, or any superstitions you follow?
MH: I try and get in the car and buckled in with plenty of time to spare. I hate being rushed, because it adds chaos before you even embark on the chaos on course.

Being an experienced golfer, I try to use the same visualization technique I use in golf to visualize how I want a particular golf shot to look and how I want it to end up.

In theory that sounds great, but what I’ve learned is that things happen way faster on course than your brain can visualize.

RR: Do you have any driving aids or tools you use to help you?
MH: No, but I’m all for any help I can get. On the local level I want people to ride along and give me their pointers. I’ve seen how data loggers can be useful coupled with video. Hopefully, this year I will experiment with both.

RR: What do you think you do differently than your competition?
MH: Spin, hit cones, go off course, hit more cones, miss shifts, drive offline, go too fast and go too slow, overcompensate due to my enormous ego, and just generally drive poorly.

RR: Have you attended any driving school?
MH: I attended an Akron Sports Car Club autocross school when I was 16. Also, I participated in the Mid-Ohio Teen Driving School. I still use the skills learned at that school on the roads today. I can not stress enough how important a school like that is for new teenage drivers.

RR: Describe your driving style.
MH: Raw, overly aggressive, slow, and DFL hunting.

RR: What was your first –and favorite autocross car?
MH: A 1983 Civic S and I ran it one time. Next time out was in my 1999 Civic Si running in STS. Currently, and by far my favorite is the CRX that is in faux EP trim with the plan of converting to running GP.

It’s my favorite, because it’s fast and still hasn’t reached its potential. Oh and of course it’s a Honda!

RR: If you could change one Solo rule – either for your specific class or in general — what would it be?
MH: I really like Mr. Dahnert’s mantra of “Make it easy, Make it fun�. Whatever tweaking or writing of new rules that encourages new participants to enter the sport. Does that mean only single adjustable shocks in Stock? Allowing a choice of rear or front sway bars?

RR: Who would you like to thank for your success?
MH: Rogues-Racing.com of course. We’ve managed to create a close knit group of people. I’m hoping over the course of the year more people join the Rogues in our endeavors.

RR: What will you do differently for next year?
MH: The plan is to not suck as much. I call it my Mid Pack Attack. How will I do it?

1. Run more than 4 events all year. I’m thinking 15 events and close to 100 runs.
2. Go to school. An Evo Phase 1. I see all these winners swear by it, so it must work just like “Sex Panther�
3. I’m currently in the process of shedding weight. I need all the help I can get.

RR: Will you be attending next year based on how you did in 2008?
MH: Absolutely! I have a lot to look forward to. Like losing by 9 seconds instead of 18. Seeing friends and making new ones.

RR: What was the reason for finishing last, and who do you blame the most?
MH: To me Dan’s car was setup to buck like a mechanical bull set on level 10. I couldn’t handle the beast.

On day 1 on my final run on the West Course, I was on a good lap until I missed a shift into 3rd right before the finish, which resulted in coasting across the line.

On day 2 on my final run on the East Course, I was entering the slalom from hell in fine form. I got into the first couple of gates, but I was late on the 3rd, and then wham. I was spinning off course. That sealed my fate as DFL.

The blame rests solely on my narrow shoulders. I drove like a total newbie out of his element. For sure I was disappointed, but I understand that even the best of the best were not awesome when they first started out.

Also, I got to meet Dan Costello. He’s a great guy I hope to see in Lincoln.

RR: Did you still enjoy yourself, even with the result?
MH: The Nationals experience is a great one. I wouldn’t change anything about the week other than driving better. I can’t wait for the new challenges that Lincoln will bring!

If you found this piece entertaining and informative and you have enough self worth to subject yourself to a good natured public confession and would like to participate, please contact mike@rogues-racing.com . We will be happy to send you a questionaire!

Photos courtesy of www.gotcone.com

For copies of photos email david @ evorticity.com

Friend of Randy Herrick and daughter of Bill, Chris Cutrer has stepped out of the shadows to claim her Second G Prepared Ladies National Championship. A resident of host city Topeka, Kansas Chris drove the family 1979 Fiat X 1/9 on Hoosier tires to victory at the 2008 Solo National Championship. She is a member of the Kansas Region SCCA.

RR: Is this your first attendance at Nationals?
CC: No. I believe this was my 12th Nationals

RR: Is this your first National Championship?
CC: No, I achieved my first National Championship in the same car, same class last year in 2007.

RR: What was your favorite memory of the competition?
CC: Seeing that my times were competitive in the open class with each day of competition.

RR: What do you think was your key to success?
CC: Focus and the fun of competition.

RR: Who has most influenced you?
CC: Obviously, my father, who owns the car, and who got me interested in racing as a young child and encouraged me in the sport since I was 15 years old.

RR: Who inspires you?
CC: Again, my father, and other competitors who truly enjoy the sport and have great attitudes and are not concerned with only winning, but enjoying the time they spend in the sport.

RR: Do you have any special pre-race routine, or any superstitions you follow?
CC: No special routines, just try to take some time to chill out and focus on the task at hand after I get settled in the car prior to pulling out of grid.

RR: Do you have any driving aids or tools you use to help you?
CC: I usually work with the course maps when I am reviewing my strategy for each run. I look at the map and then visualize the turn/section in my head from the driver’s seat perspective, and try to talk myself through what I need to do to improve or tackle that area/obstacle

RR: What do you think you do differently than your competition?
CC: At this point, I have just had more experience than the current competitors in my class. However, I haven’t always been in that situation. I was once the baby/rookie in my class and had MANY less years of competitive experience than all the other ladies.

RR: Have you attended any driving school?
CC: Unfortunately no. School, work or mothering obligations have always interfered. I’d like to attend an Evolution school in the next few years.

RR: Describe your driving style.
CC: My first run is often tentative, and then I’m pretty much “balls to the wall� after that. You only get three chances to prove what you’ve got!

RR: What was your first –and favorite autocross car?
CC: Well, I’m a little spoiled I guess. This car is the same car I’ve competed in for the last 16 years. It’s obviously my favorite, as I haven’t got anything for comparison. At some point, I’m sure I’ll try something else. I’ve competed in other cars here and there, but nothing consecutively, so I really don’t know how I’d do when I haven’t got some “seat time� behind the wheel on a routine basis.

RR: If you could change one Solo rule – either for your specific class or in general — what would it be?
CC: I’d let our car lose some weight! We are much heavier than our competitors in our class. But overall, I’d change the rule that they have about minimum number of competitors in a class. I don’t think it’s fair to push a class of older cars into non-existence just because there is a select group that believes there isn’t enough interest to keep the class.

RR: Who would you like to thank for your success?
CC: My dad and his friends who have helped with preparing the car and giving me pointers along the way.

Multi-time National Champion Kim Wilson had to make room in her closet to add another jacket in 2008. Driving the Team Blender Blaster Toyota MR-S on Hoosier tires owned by the CEO of Team Blender Blaster, Tracy Ramsey, Kim became the 2008 D Prepared Ladies National Champion. Originally hailing from the Chicago area but now a resident of Bowling Green, Kentucky Kim is still a member of the Chicago Region SCCA.
RR: Is this your first attendance at Nationals?
KW: No, I have been participating at Nationals since 2000. I have competed in seven Nationals: 2000-2008 (excluding 2001 , we were there but we left early because of the terrorist attacks).

RR: Is this your first National Championship?
KW: No, this is my 5th National Championship. 2002 in A Stock Ladies; 2005, 2006, 2007 & 2008 in D Prepared Ladies.

RR: What was your favorite memory of the competition?
KW: Besides the blender…the announcer of our heat, Heyward Wagner and my husband Lloyd Wilson telling me I was .001 seconds behind my teammate Anne going into my last run. Then driving .6 seconds faster when all along someone had just done the math wrong and I was actually ahead by .001 seconds. It would have been the smallest margin in Nationals history but I was much happier with the extra .6 of a second.

RR: What do you think was your key to success?
KW: Experience and determination.

RR: Who has most influenced you?
KW: Mr. Les Schoeber, I don’t think I would have started autocrossing if it was not for him. He just kept egging me on to jump in the car. Once I did start racing regularly he figured out that if he agitated me enough my times would improve. He would say “Just get her mad enough and she’ll go fast.” Of course it was all in good fun. I learned some really great basics from him that I still use at every event.

RR: Who inspires you?
KW: My husband, Lloyd Wilson. He has been “Driver of the Year” for Chicago Region, he has been top driver and in the top 20 every year (that he raced) since he started autocrossing. He has had numerous Pro-Solo and National Tour trophies and wins. The “Big One” still eludes him but I am convinced he will win it. He loves the sport with great passion and is a joy to watch on the autocross course. He is a wonderful teacher and he wholeheartedly supports me in autocross and in life and he is a joy to be married to. Thanks honey!

RR: Do you have any special pre-race routine, or any superstitions you follow?
KW: I always have to put my left glove on first, if not it I feel very discombobulated.

RR: Do you have any driving aids or tools you use to help you?
KW: Without a doubt… friend, teammate and car owner Tracy Ramsey. For one reason he lets me drive the car which definitely aids in my driving, but in all seriousness he is also a master at car setup, and even though our driving styles are very different he tries to set the car up neutrally to suit all of the team Blender Blaster drivers. He will also set us up at every event where we can review our runs via video and data software. As always, a big thanks goes out to him. The DP Spyder is a blast to drive, it makes my adrenaline pump even just thinking about driving it and Tracy is the “nicest guy in autocross”, what more could I ask for?

RR: What do you think you do differently than your competition?
KW: I am pretty consistent and sometimes I can drive a bit of an unconventional line for rear wheel drive (sometimes it helps and sometimes it hurts). I also feel I am learning to adapt to course elements and surfaces better than I have in the past and most of the time I can “kick it up a notch” when I need to. Of course I wish I could drive at 100% all of the time but with my driving style sometimes I just need an extra push.

RR: Have you attended any driving school?
KW: I had attended a “Jim McKamey 1st phase” autocross school in 1998 with Jim being one of my main instructors. Then one Evolution Driving School in the early 2000′s.

RR: Describe your driving style.
KW: My husband has called it aggressively cautious with fast hands. I am definitely not detailed so most of the time I drive by “feel”.

RR: What was your first –and favorite autocross car?
KW: My first autocross car was my 1996 VW Jetta VR6 which was in G Stock. I only drove it for three or four events because I got a taste of the Corvette bug during an “instructional run”. My favorite autocross car had to be the 1995 Corvette ZR-1.  You just can’t beat going over 55 mph in first gear, engine screaming, gobs of torque and being in a four wheel drift through the sweepers in a 3500lb monster.

RR: If you could change one Solo rule – either for your specific class or in general — what would it be?
KW: Only one?

RR: Who would you like to thank for your success?
KW: Mike Bullis, he is an awesome racer. Whether it was motocross or autocross and he has taught me well by example.

With a supportive family and inter-brother competition, Joey Montelo emerged as the first ever FJA Kart Champion at the 2008 Solo National Championship. Residing in the Chicago area and a member of the Chicago Region SCCA, Joey drove a Blue Biesse Kart with a Yamaha KT- 100 engine on Bridgestone tires.

RR: Is this your first attendance at Nationals?
JM: Yes, this is the first year karts were able to race at Nationals, so it was my first year attending Nationals.

RR: Is this your first National Championship?
JM: Yes, this is the first year I have taken the National Championship, the first time for my class.

RR: What was your favorite memory of the competition?
JM: Driving back into the grid area after my last run, seeing the look on the faces of people watching on the sidelines, cheering for me.

RR: What do you think was your key to success?
JM: I’d have to say the key to my success was really my brother, Anthony, who took second place at the competition. Outside of Nationals he was usually the faster of us two, and with his trash-talking at Nationals, and getting a lead about 7 tenths after the first day, it really pushed me to try my absolute hardest on the second day, to try to beat him.

RR: Do you have any special pre-race routine, or any superstitions you follow?
JM: I don’t really have any special pre-race routine. All the practice before the race I did was to walk the course to get the feel for it. I don’t have any superstitions about racing.

RR: Do you have any driving aids or tools you use to help you?
JM: I don’t use many driving aids or special tools while driving.

RR: What do you think you do differently than your competition?
JM: I try to stay focused on myself, rather than my other drivers, and try to learn on the track how fast I can go around a corner before losing traction.

RR: Have you attended any driving school?
JM: I attended a kart driving school at Chicago Indoor Racing.

RR: Describe your driving style.
JM: I am a pretty experimental driver. I try to see how many ways I can take corners, and then near the last run figure out which is the fastest. I also see myself as accurate, sometimes reckless, and of course fast!

RR: What was your first –and favorite autocross car?
JM: My first kart was a Coyote Freeroller that my brothers and I shared when we started racing. My favorite kart is my Blue Biesse kart that I still race now.

RR: If you could change one Solo rule – either for your specific class or in general — what would it be?
JM: I had no problems or concerns about the rules, so I can’t think of one to change.

RR: Who would you like to thank for your success?
JM: I would like to thank my parents foremost; my mom for helping us prepare and work on the karts when a problem came up, my dad who built my amazing kart that helped me win Nationals and also helped work on the kart to make it perform its best, friends from the Chicago region for cheering me on to take first place on the second day, and my brothers, mainly Anthony, for pressuring me to do my best on both days of the competition. I am grateful to them all, and thank them for helping me achieve the success I did.

As someone who has been perceived to be ‘other worldly’ due to his past success in a certain Honda Civic John Thomas has returned from whence he came the last few years to his own car, a 1971 Datsun 240Z, to again begin his winning streak. He continued streak #2 by adding yet another Championship in that 1971 Datsun 240Z on Hoosier tires to become the 2008 F Prepared Solo National Champion. John is a member of the Mississippi Region SCCA.

RR: Is this your first attendance at Nationals?
JT: Nope. In all I have competed eighteen years; 1989, 1991 and 1993-2008.

RR: Is this your first National Championship?
JT: Nope. I won in 1991 a Datsun 240Z, 1993-2003 in the Tom Lombardo Honda Civic and 2006-2008 in my Datsun 240Z. I hold the record for the most consecutive Championships, the record for the most open class Championships and I have eight other Pro Solo Championships including the Overall Pro Solo Championship in 1993.

RR: What was your favorite memory(s) of the competition?
JT: The first championship in 1991 in a car that was definitely out classed, planets aligned that day; 1993, First year in the Honda, Winning the Pro Solo Overall Championship; 2007, Beating Greg Fordahl in their 914. Greg is one of the best out there so it was a serious accomplishment for me and helped give me some confidence back on my driving skill that I thought I had lost.

RR: What do you think was your key to success?
JT: Overall I think have learned from the best in the sport by watching, listening and copying what they do. I believe our sport has, as a percentage of competitors, the highest quality drivers around. I have also been very fortunate to have great teammates (Tom Lombardo & Karen Christoff, (Tom’s wife) when I was driving the Honda. In addition I have been close friends with Grady Wood, Doug Gill and others close to the SCCA organization. It’s been a great ride so far.

RR: Who has most influenced you?
JT: I would not be as successful as I have been in the sport if it were not for Tom Lombardo so I would have to look to him as a significant influence

RR: Who inspires you?
JT: If we are talking about within the sport, I can’t say any individual person has inspired me. Rather every top notch driver, Eric Strelnieks, John Ames, Mark Daddio, the list is endless, inspires me to be as good as them. In addition if you have ever stood on course and watched a driver drift a car consistently within inches of a cone, you have to be inspired by the talent. So in short, the drivers.

RR: Do you have any special pre-race routine, or any superstitions you follow?
JT: Very diligent in course walking. Breaking the course into sections, standing off line as a corner worker and imagining the car going through the course. Finally, using a stop watch to time myself as I imagine driving the course. You would be surprised how close the good drivers can come to their actual course time.

RR: Do you have any driving aids or tools you use to help you?
JT: Nope, just the ‘ole seat of the pants

RR: What do you think you do differently than your competition?
JT: If I had to guess based on comments from others, I typically can get out of turns faster than the competition. To me exit speed is critical to consistent fast times. Slow in, fast out. Also if you look at my times historically on a National level my first run to last run typically varies less then 8 tenths. So I can typically lay down a fast first run far beyond the competition. However it’s always hard to watch them drop full seconds each run and close the gap as I am dropping only a few tenths.

RR: Have you attended any driving school?
JT: No professional schools. I have instructed for McKamey, Evolution School and local SCCA, Porsche and BMW clubs. I really enjoy instructing new competitors. Watching the light bulbs go off when they understand a new skill and get it right is very rewarding.

RR: Describe your driving style.
JT: Very aggressive, not as smooth as most. Hard on brakes. I like oversteer, in moderation of course. I recently rode with Danny Shields at a Porsche event. Danny is extremely smooth with inputs and transitions. I on the other hand am very quick and direct with inputs so it’s surprising to see how different we can be in driving styles yet within thousandths on actual time. I also am a firm believer in left foot braking. This is a skill that I honed driving the Honda. A fast front wheel drive car is one that throttle-off oversteers. Using the left foot is the only way to effectively limit the rotation.

RR: What was your first –and favorite autocross car?
JT: I would have to say my Z car. It’s been a good friend for a long time. The Honda was extremely fun and was always an attention getter due to the quick time we could turn. However the Z is the sentimental favorite

RR: If you could change one Solo rule – either for your specific class or in general — what would it be?
JT: I think SCCA has done a great job with the rules. Hey, there a so many different car and driver combinations that it’s an insurmountable task to make everyone and every car competitive.

RR: Who would you like to thank for your success?
JT: Again, Tom. Grady and Karen and I will add in Richard Holden a fellow Z car FP competitor whom I have known since the beginning. If it were not for them I might be playing golf or something much less significant than autocross. My closest friends have come from the sport and I have cherished every cone along the way. Where I have had the opportunity I have tried to give back to the sport, like organizing the Meridian National Tour back in the late 90s which seemed to be very successful events.

Pictures courtesy of www.gotcone.com & John Thomas

For copies of photos email david @ evorticity.com