[LEFT]Well almost anyway… We’re less than a month away from the ProSolo, and it’s time for everyone to get in the ProSolo frame of mind. To help this along, I though I’d share some basic info about the upcoming ProSolo. I’ve never attended a ProSolo before - but then again this event is special because it’s a single course event, and it’s at SeAD. I do have some inside info and will also pull some of the high points out of the official rules doc. http://www.scca.org/_FileLibrary/File/2007NationalProSoloRules.pdf
The ProSolo is a three day event, Friday 7/20-Sunday July 22. It’s significant that it’s three days, because that means that we will have work to do all three days. Competitors are required to work during the event, but we are the hosts. All help is requested. You have to be a member to compete, but you don’t have to be a member to help. The details will be forthcoming, but there will be some sort of compensation for workers that volunteer their time.
Friday the gates are open from 8am-8pm. We’ll be setting things up in the morning. Competitors will be arriving all thru the day, and will be finding places to park their stuff/trailers/cars. In the early afternoon, there will be starting practice. One of the most exciting parts of the ProSolo is the drag race style christmas tree start. However, this will be new to most people so this practice is valuable. Registration, Tech, and the official “welcome party” happens from 5-7pm. This will also be the first chance for everyone to walk the course.
ProSolo courses are typically shorter and more open than other National level courses. For this event, there will be a start straight a couple of hundred feet before the “P”. We will be going clockwise around the P, crossing the full width of the runway a couple of times finishing across from the start line. This will be a significantly shorter course than our typical SeAD courses (about half). There will be a large tent up close to the start line that will serve as command central for the event. We will also have that area mowed for spectators.
The actual competition starts on Saturday. The field of competitors is divided into heats (typically four). Each driver will take three runs in the same heat. Each worker also works for a complete heat. So if there are 200 entrants, that’s 600 runs (about the size of our normal events). However, the start intervals are kept as short as possible so that once this is all done, we turn around and do it all over again! That’s one long day, but everyone gets six runs on Saturday. The classes run in numerical order in the morning session, with the run order (grid order) changing to class position order for the afternoon. This will add an exciting aspect to the event for competitors and spectators alike.
Sunday morning is another three run session just like Saturday afternoon. This will give the competitors a total of nine runs at the same course to put down their best time. Class finishing order is determined by the best single time in any of the nine runs over the two days.
Sunday afternoon is when the bracket racing style challenge rounds are done. There are three challenge sessions, open class, ladies, and bonus. The top class winners and those with times closest to the class winners fill the 32 slots for the Sunday challenge round. In order for cars from different classes to compete against each other, the differential in class winning times is added to the faster car in the pairing. So in order to have the best chance of winning overall, you should be able to win your class by a small margin, and still have something in reserve for Sunday. The cars don’t run head to head, but sequentially.
This event will have high visibility within the SCCA autocross community nationwide. Some of the fastest cars and drivers in the country will be on display. Don’t miss it!
George M (AS 91)
p.s. I’m coordinating the workers for the event, which includes the work assignments for the competitors, as well as non-competing volunteers. FLR is giving out free event coupons to non-competing volunteers. [/LEFT]