51°µÍø

TOPEKA, Kan. (March 11, 2011) €“ The 2011 Tire Rack 51°µÍø Solo National Tour begins this weekend with the season-opening Dixie National Tour in Cecil, Ga. 252 entrants are on the preliminary entry list for the event at South Georgia Motorsports Park, 12 miles north of Valdosta. Like most Tire Rack National Tour dates, the weekend begins with an Evolution Performance Driving School and a test and tune practice day on Friday before class heats get underway on Saturday morning. Competition will be stiff at the Dixie Tour, with seven defending National Champions and multiple National Tour winners entered into the event. Among the defending National Champions leading the way at the Dixie National Tour is Matthew Braun, of Northville, Mich., who has hauled his 2007 PowerPlug Lotus Elise south for the season-opener in the Super Stock class. Nearly on the path to Georgia for Braun is B Stock€™s Marc Pfannenschmidt, from Louisville, Ky., who will be competing at the event in his 2008 God€™s Blessings Honda S2000. Two defending champions will be behind the wheel of the same 1993 SoloPro Driving School/Hoosier Honda Civic at the South Georgia Motorsports Park. Jinx Jordan, of Terrell, N.C., will drive the car in F Street Prepared, while his wife, Ginette Jordan, will pilot the machine through the cones in the F Street Prepared Ladies class. Towing in from Harpers Ferry, W. Va., is defending D Prepared National Champion Steve Hoelscher in the 1986 RaceKeeper/Hoosier/terriehoward.com Toyota MR2. Proving and older car doesn€™t mean a slower car is John Thomas, the defending F Prepared Champion from Tampa, Fla., in a 1971 Zee Racing Nissan 240Z. Roberta Wetzel is another National Champion from Pensacola, Fla., driving a 2008 Honda S2000 in B Stock Ladies. More information on the Dixie National Tour is available at . Results from the weekend and an event recap will be posted as soon as they become available.