If you’re not an ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv® autocross devotee, Lincoln is the name of a U.S. President. If you’re an ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Solo® enthusiast, then Lincoln is Nebraska’s capital city, and where you’ll find Lincoln Airpark – an expansive cement playground for experiencing tremendous #funwithcars.
That second Lincoln (the one in Nebraska) is where 234 entrants gathered to party and rip around cones on May 23-25, 2024, during the Tire Rack ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Lincoln ProSolo® made possible with support from ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv’s Nebraska Region. It’s one half of a Memorial Day weekend tradition now known as Spring Nationals, which also includes a Tire Rack ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Lincoln Solo National Tour experience.
Following pre-event tornado warnings, strong winds, and enough rain to float several cones and porta-johns away, drying conditions and wispy clouds in blue skies welcomed competitors during the competition portion of the points-earning ProSolo, with temperatures topping out in the 80s. In other words, the conditions were great for attendees to enjoy the Mike Razny-designed courses.
Laurie McCelvey, driving a 2019 Mazda MX-5 in the Ladies 3 class, was the ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Women on Track Driver Development Program recipient for this event. That initiative aids one randomly selected woman at each Tire Rack ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Solo National Tour and ProSolo Series event with an opportunity for a one-on-one, 30-minute virtual coaching session with a top-tier driver from the sport.
This level of coaching seeks to help drivers meet their performance driving goals, and coach Andrew Salazar helped McCelvey achieve a seventh-place finish in the 12-driver class.
Lincoln ProSolo Class Contests
Big fields and close competition ruled ProSolo’s Spring Nationals.
The largest class was Street 1 (S1) with 25 drivers. Robert Pendergest won there in a 2005 Mazda RX-8. Only 0.165sec behind was Erik Strelnieks driving a 2001 Porsche Boxster S. The third-place trophy went to Mark Canekeratne in a 2002 BMW 330Ci, and the fourth-place finisher was Craig Wilcox driving a 1999 Honda Civic. Randall Wilcox finished fifth in a 1996 Mazda Miata, and Federico del Toro finished sixth as Strelnieks’ co-driver. Eric Anderson grabbed the seventh and final S1 trophy co-driving with Wilcox.
Street 4 (S4) produced the tiniest winning margin as Brandon Slater, driving a 2022 Subaru WRX, eked out a 0.042sec victory over Mark Shrivastava in a 2013 Nissan GTR. Competition for the three remaining S4 trophies was equally tight, with Chase Gintner finishing third in a 2017 Ford Focus RS just 0.176sec behind Shrivastava. In fourth, only 0.043sec behind Gintner, was Carter Heaton in a 2016 Subaru WRX. The fifth and final trophy was earned by Brent Schneekloth in a 2006 Mitsubishi Evo, who was only 0.164sec slower than Heaton.
Combined, the four different Ladies classes saw 42 entrants. Ladies 2 was the largest with 15 drivers, and Kelsey Karanges emerged victorious there in a 2011 Porsche Cayman. Julie Heaton finished second in a 2016 Subaru WRX, and Cindy Duncan was third in a 2024 Ford Mustang. Fourth was Olivia Hammac in a 2020 Lotus Evora, and the final trophy went to Meghan Lapeta finishing fifth in a 2022 Toyota Supra.
Solo Spec Coupe was ludicrous in Lincoln during the ProSolo thanks to 14 entrants. Matt Morhardt, in a 2015 Scion FR-S, came out ahead by only 0.143sec on runner-up Joey Green driving a 2015 Subaru BRZ. A mere 0.180sec further back in third was Kevin Dietz driving a 2014 Toyota FR-S. Paul Brown finished fourth in a 2016 Scion FR-S, a scant 0.103sec off Dietz’s total time. Rounding out the trophies in fifth was Justin Harbour, who was co-driving with winner Morhardt.
CAM was cool, too, at the Lincoln ProSolo. Atop the 13-entrant field was Mark Madarash in a 1988 Pontiac Trans-Am. Finishing second was Dave Whitworth driving a 2012 Ford Mustang, and third was Terry Neuville wielding a 2021 Chevrolet Camaro ZL. The fourth and final trophy went to Chase Cochrun in a 2020 Ford Mustang.
More ProSolo coverage from Lincoln can be found at the . Meanwhile, a full rundown of class results from the event can be accessed by clicking the red button below.
Lincoln Challenge Winners
The Ladies Challenge came down to Dee Dietz in a 2013 Scion FR-S, and Kelsey Karanges driving a 2011 Porsche Cayman. Karanges won it all, and Kim Whitener took third in a 2015 Scion FR-S after besting Holly Schwedler in a 1999 Honda Civic.
Then came the Super Challenge, where Mark Madarash and Neal Tovsen faced off for supremacy. After dueling red-light launches between Tovsen and Doug Rowse in the quarterfinals, Madarash and his 1988 Pontiac Trans-Am took the win over the 2022 Toyota FR-S driven by Tovsen. Donour Sizemore, driving a 2011 Lotus Evora, claimed third after besting Rowse in a 2018 Porsche GT3.
Maine Now Main ProSolo Destination
The ProSolo Series’ main focus is producing #funwithcars, and that continues June 7-9, 2024, in Maine at Brunswick Executive Airport. closes in a few days for that event, so it’s best to reserve your spot right now. The registration window is also open for the June 28-30, 2024, Tire Rack ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Cleveland ProSolo taking place at the I-X Center in Northeast Ohio.
The Tire Rack ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Bristol ProSolo happening July 3-5, 2024, in Tennessee at Bristol Motor Speedway is sold out, but there is a waitlist you can get on. Hey, it never hurts to try!
Then for West Coast autocrossers, it’s not too long before open registration happens for the July 19-21, 2024, Tire Rack ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû51xxtv Packwood ProSolo at what is known as the Hampton Mills site in Washington.
Photos by Kelsey Karanges
