No Solo Nationals?

Unfortunately, I will not be going to the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championship as planned for this year. A lot of the work and stress for this season was to have the car fully prepped with a solid setup for Nationals, but there are too many factors in which it wouldn't make sense to go. I could have gone to just have fun of course, or possibly even ask someone from my region to co-drive, but that would defeat the whole purpose of all my work with Serenity, no?

I really wanted to meet some of the competitors in BSP, as well as other RX-8 racers in STX, and just any racer or rotorhead in general. I was hoping to really challenge myself and see how far both my co-driver and I have come with our skill and the RX-8 at the big event. Not to say I was expecting to go there and win or anything, but I was expecting to give it my best and battle with everything I've got.

What's holding me back? Well, it's a lot of money for starters. Finding a truck and trailer to get out there is another big problem. A fresh set of Hoosier A6 tires isn't cheap either. Then lastly, even though we may finally have a strong setup at Devens right now that could work for Lincoln, the car is still missing some important parts. I still do not have my final header, nor the final tune to match the header. Aero would be a huge help, especially as we learned at the last Devens event by seeing the Davis' CSP Miata. Having the rest of the bushings made in delrin and some offset bushings for the front would be a great help as well. All that and more are just the beginning of the list.

Do I regret my decision of not going? A bit, but deep down I know it's the right choice. Doing this helped remove a lot of stress from my shoulders and allowed me to enjoy the rest of the season at Devens. If you're interested in viewing live results and listening to their live audio feed (there may be video as well?), be sure to check out SCCA Solo Live. I'll definitely be tuned in everyday next week, wishing everyone the best. To my friends from NER; Good luck and bring home that jacket! Show them what NER is made of!