SCCA crowns 2017 champions at Solo National Championships

The 2017 Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships kicked off with a vengeance on Tuesday, Sept. 5, leading to more than 1,300 autocrossers taking to massive twin autocross courses at Lincoln Airpark in Nebraska. By the time the final car passed through the timing lights on Friday, Sept. 8, the winner-take-all event saw some 75 drivers claim national championship titles – all without a drop of rain to sully the event.

The lack of rain is a key point, as inclement weather at the Solo National Championships all too often helps determine championships. In 2016, for example, a deluge left competitors scrambling, with some facing wet conditions while their fellow competitors tackled a dry course. Rain, people often say, levels the playing field, but that's not the case when only half of the competitors in a class face the wet. With consistent conditions this year, the playing field was truly as equal as it gets.

One competitor finishing above the crowd was Jeff Kiesel, who races his KFR Turbo Sprite in the E Modified class. This year, Kiesel destroyed his class with a 3.579sec margin of victory, marking his 12th consecutive SCCA national championship title, matching the all-time Solo National Championship consecutive win streak set by Karen Babb.

Also of note is multi-time SCCA national champion Sam Strano ticking off another title, this time in the highly competitive Super Street R class. Strano was third in the 39-car class going into day two, trailing first place by 0.26sec, but he put together an impressive second run on day two to take the lead by 0.019sec. His third run was a flier and reinforced his victory, allowing him to solidly take the win with an impressive 0.399sec margin of victory.