Getting started in Solo 1

[Mini Mut]

Primarily, can anyone tell me if I have to take a school to partake in Solo1? I have done lapping on the DDT, Mosport and Shannonville in both Sedan's and formula cars. I am not particularily thrilled about having to pay $ for a school that may not help me that much. Secondly, I am looking to bring my Mini out this year for the series and have some questions about classifications. My car is an ex-race Mini (GT5) with all the race bells and whistles (adj susp, discs, upgraded exhaust .. the list goes on) but the motor has been tamed. What sort of class will I be running in and against what kind of cars? Wondering if I will be at all competitive? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Dave]

Hi Mini Mut,

No, you are not required to take a school to participate in Solo 1. For novices with no track experience or more experienced drivers who just want help improving their on-track performance, the school is very useful, but it's not a prerequisite to participate in the series.

As far as classifying your Mini goes, I'm happy to help you there (I'm one of the lucky fellows on the classification committee). The way classification works in Solo 1 is that we give each car a starting PI (which stands for Performance Index) which determines the car's starting class. The car's PI is based on an index that weights 70% of its total on horsepower-to-weight ratio and 30% on a suspension rating (that we base on suspension design, roll center, weight distribution, presence/absence of a limited slip differentital, etc).

With this starting PI, we then add on PIPs (or Performance Index Points, or what are more traditionally called prep points) for the modifications you've made to the car. So I'd need a complete list of all the mods done to your Mini so that we could then add then all up (each mod has been assigned a specific PIP level based on how much they improve on-track performance). Your PIP total is then added onto your starting PI, with this new number deterimining your final classification.

With this system your car should find a very competitive and fair class to play in.

Feel free to e-mail me at dpratte4@cogeco.ca if you'd like to take this conversation offline.

BTW, we have another classic Mini that participates in the series, so you won't be the only one!

Cheers,
Dave