54 JANUARY 2018 scca.com
INSIDE SCCA
olo has two initial categories – one
is “Ladies,” which is self-
explanatory, and then there’s “Open.”
This offers women a pair of options of
where to compete. Many choose the
Ladies classes, but a few opt to
compete with the guys in Open.
Wondering about the motivation for
either choice, I checked in with a few
of the women who entered Open
classes for Solo events during the
2017 season or at the 2017 Tire Rack
Solo National Championships. As it
turns out, there are many reasons
why women choose to run in Open
classes, with few women having the
same motivation.
Rachel Baker has a couple of
National Championship jackets
earned in Ladies classes. “There’s
just more competition in the Open
classes,” she says, pointing out that
CLASS DECISIONS
Some of Solo’s top women autocrossers candidly
discuss their opinions of Ladies vs. Open
WORDS Paul Brown | IMAGES Rupert Berrington
there are simply more entries in
Open than in Ladies. “My goal is
always to be better, and the way to
get there is to run where the best
competition is.” She’s competing well
in her Cayman, with a close second
place at the Toledo ProSolo and a win
in a 12-driver B Street class at
Oscoda in 2017.
Lisa Valera ran in Ladies classes for
years but found that the social
aspects of running in the Ladies
classes were actually a detriment to
her driving. “While no less competitive
than Ladies, Open has focused me,”
she says about her driving skills.
Running in SSR, as she does, she has
found one of the toughest challenges
SCCA Solo has to offer.
Shelly Monfort has her own
collection of championship jackets
and finished a very competitive
DECIDING FACTORS
( TOP) Shelly Monfort ran an Open class at the
2017 Tire Rack Solo National Championships,
finishing a close fourth; her reasons for entering
Open classes are many. (ABOVE) Rachel Baker has
seen success running in Open during the National
Solo season, using the class competition to push her
skills. (ABOVE, LEF T) Lisa Valera finds Open classes
keep her focused on the competition at hand.