SoloSprint is widely regarded as the easiest way to start competing in motorsports – all you need is a car and a helmet, and with a relatively small outlay of money, you’ll be thrown into some fierce and fun competition that beats everything else in the dollars-to-smiles ratio.

For those of you new to this whole “Solo” thing, the racing is split into two categories: SoloSprint and AutoSlalom, formerly known as Solo 1 and Solo 2 respectively. The major difference between them is SoloSprint race at road courses like Mosport, Toronto Motorsport Park and Shannonville, while you can find AutoSlalom at your neighbourhood parking lot. Of course, in SoloSprint you could easily hit 160 km/h at Shannonville with the right car, but you’d be lucky to get out of second gear at an AutoSlalom event.
Essentially, SoloSprint racing means a driver is out on the course alone, trying to put together the perfect lap without any traffic or other competitors to deal with. Think of it as Formula 1 qualifying, and the pole-sitter wins. It is the perfect way for people to get involved in motorsports without exposing their cars to the damage that can happen in a regular “fender-to-fender” race.

The track is where the ‘bull’ stops and the stopwatch rules. You have to have power, but you also have to be able to turn. The racing is one car at a time, and your best lap counts out of a day’s worth of runs.

SoloSprint allows everyone to ‘take it to the track’ to find out whether your RSX Type S can really wax that Celica GT-S, whether the ‘Vette or the Porsche will be ‘king of the hill,’ whether the WRX really is a BMW-beater, and whether you have what it takes.

The classes are designed to let cars of similar performance compete against each other. V8 muscle cars run against turbocharged imports, sports sedans from Europe against domestic and Japanese challengers, swift little front-drivers against small roadsters.

The Mobil 1 SoloSprint Championship Series consists of a total of nine events, run over five weekends. Events will be held at Shannonville, both Mosport’s Driver Development Track and ‘Big’ track. Points from the best six events count for the Championship; trophies for overall, class, and novice winners will be awarded at the Solo Banquet held in early November.

The Quebec weekend (labour day September 1-3) will also be scored as the ASN Canada FIA Canadian SoloSprint Championships, this is a great opportunity to test yourself against National level competition.

SoloSprint also caters to racers with many different levels of investment in terms of time and money. Someone new to the sport can pull up to an event in their daily driver, with no modifications made to the vehicle, compete for a day, and drive home afterward having only paid the $50 or so for the entry fee. It doesn’t have to be a provincial or regional event, as many local motorsport clubs will organize their own.

Conversely, some competitors will invest tens of thousands of dollars in upgrading their cars with innumerable performance parts, such as turbochargers, racing suspensions and brake kits, all in the quest to find a faster lap time.

The rules charge preparation points for different types of modifications, allowing you the freedom to choose which ones will make your car fastest. Pick your poison: will reworked camshafts and lifters work better than intake mods and a chip? Or will stiffer swaybars help more than either of them?

If you do modify your car, safety is encouraged by allowing the additional weight of a roll cage and extinguisher system to be offset with stripping out the interior. Or leave your car completely stock; lots do. Regardless, all cars must be scrutinized for safety at each event.

For those who really want to go fast, here’s a tip: tires rule. Good rubber will transform your car and allow it to live up to its potential. Many competitors bring along a set of race tires and change from their “streets” before every event.

To get involved, you first need to be a member of a CASC-OR affiliated car club. Secondly, you need to get a Competition Licence, Grade C, for which you’ll need your club membership card and $50. Then you’ll need a helmet (full face or open), preferably with a Snell 2000 or better rating. After that, a Solo school should be first on anyone’s recommended “things-to-do” list. They help get new drivers used to being on the track in high-speed situations, and are a great way to start being competitive right away.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next one hitting 160 km/h at Shannonville.