If a perfect, late-summer getaway was imagined at a racetrack, it would look exactly like what occurred this past weekend in Wampum, PA, at Pittsburgh International Race Complex (PittRace). That was the site of another SCCA® multi-day “mash-up” event that included a Track Night in America® Driven by Tire Rack, two Regional autocrosses, a Regional Road Race and Drivers' School, and the Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour at PittRace Powered by Hagerty (TTNT).
Temperatures maxed out in the lower 80-degree range, and the mostly sunny skies included some Bob Ross-esq “happy little clouds.” Equally happy, thanks to the hard work of SCCA’s Steel Cities Region, were the hundreds of SCCA members on hand to have #funwithcars in varying manners, and that certainly included the 71 entrants that took part in the PittRace TTNT.
The TTNT party opened Saturday morning with a TrackSprint session on the North Course. Drivers then headed out on PittRace’s 1.8-mile, eight-turn South Track for TrackAttack sessions. The event also included TrackAttack runs on the immense and undulating 2.78-mile, 19-turn Full Course at PittRace.
Track Warriors in Wampum
It was a great couple of days for Chevrolet Corvettes at PittRace. Ranging from 2003 to 2019, Corvettes claimed four of the top five finishing spots after two days of on-track action.
However, a 1996 Ford Mustang driven by Devan Wade Keeling in the Unlimited 1 (U1) class stole the show. He took both the U1 and overall victory, and was fastest of all in each of the three timed, but very different sessions. The only missed mark for Keeling was breaking the 1:48.769 that stood as TTNT’s PittRace record around the Full Course. But that’s OK because Keeling holds that record anyhow, which he established last year.
Below are the overall top five finishers from PittRace with name, class, car, and overall time produced from three scored segments during competition:
- Devan Wade Keeling, Unlimited 1, 1996 Ford Mustang, 3:18.271
2. Daniel James Dobalo, Tuner 1, 2009 Chevrolet Corvette, 3:27.534
3. Derek Meinke, Sport 1, 2006 Chevrolet Corvette, 3:29.378
4. Jeff Schoeppner, Sport 1, 2019 Chevrolet Corvette, 3:30.733
5. Jason Anderson, Tuner 1, 2003 Chevrolet Corvette, 3:30.816
While TTNT’s overall PittRace Full Course track record wasn’t reset, a handful of other records did fall across the 18 car classes. Provisional new high marks for PittRace are:
- Max 5: Nicholas Garrett Johnston, 2001 Mazda Miata, 2:01.466
-Sport 4: Andrew Lunsford, 2023 Toyota GR86, 2:03.190
-Sport 5: Steven Duran, 2018 Subaru BRZ, 2:04.496
-Tuner 1: Daniel James Dobalo, 2009 Chevrolet Corvette, 1:53.214
There were lots of tight battles, too, across several TTNT classes at PittRace. For instance, the Tuner 4 (T4) field was the event’s largest with 11 entrants. Vincent Mak, driving a 2005 Honda S2000, came home a winner there by 3.136sec over a 2017 Toyota 86 hoofed by David Best. Third in T4 was Park Wiker in a 2014 Subaru BRZ.
Sport 5 (S5) was a nailbiter with Sarin Kodappully, driving a 2014 Subaru BRZ, being fastest of the group through the first two timed segments. But Steven Duran, in a 2018 Subaru BRZ, poured it on during the Full Course segment to emerge victorious by only 0.689sec over Kodappully. Finishing third in S5 was a Ford Fiesta ST driven by John Li.
Honors for the closest finish on the weekend goes to Max 3 (M3). Jason Wong, in a 2014 Porsche Cayman, was only a few tenths faster than Toby Weber, in a 2003 Nissan 350Z, after the opening two TTNT timed challenges. On the Full Course, Weber made up the difference and earned a 0.450sec victory over Wong. Aaron Smith, in another 2014 Porsche Cayman, came home in third.
Check out the full TTNT record book by clicking here. To review results from this weekend’s event at PittRace, click the button below.
Additional PittRace Performers
Sunday’s KONI Podium Celebrations included a few superlative awards. For starters, Sport 6 winner Jack Nguyen was named Top Novice for what he accomplished behind the wheel of a 2015 Honda Civic.
Spirit of Time Trials recognition went to Chris Carlisle and Mario Scaramouche. Both men had planned to drive at PittRace during TTNT’s visit, but car troubles made that impossible. Nonetheless, Carlisle and Scaramouche still made it out to the event, and helped make the weekend a success. Carlisle worked grid, and Scaramouche was a driver coach. In fact, the two even jumped in to help out during the Track Night in America event.
The award for being the fastest rear-wheel-drive competitor went to U1’s Keeling and his ‘96 Ford Mustang. The fastest all-wheel-drive honor was earned by Max 2 (M2) driver Logan Carter in a 1999 Subaru Impreza; and M2 class winner Ian Creps was recognized as the fastest front-wheel-drive competitor in a 2019 Honda Civic.
Now, It's Time Trials Nationals
While there’s a nationwide SCCA Time Trials series, there’s only one Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials Nationals Powered by Hagerty, which takes place this year on Oct. 12-15, 2023, in Bowling Green, KY, at NCM Motorsports Park.
A favorite amongst Time Trials drivers, NCM Motorsports Park is no joke, with fast portions and too many bends to mention. But that’s why SCCA uses the circuit to properly herald the best of the best each year when it comes to Time Trials competition.
But the event is also well known for being a complete blowout party. It’s kind of like Coachella, but with no annoying techno DJs. Instead, the festival is filled with the sound of roaring cars – and the food is always a can’t-miss.
This year’s Time Trials Nationals also features the Grassroots Motorsports Ultimate Track Car Challenge (UTCC). You can learn more about the whole shindig here, but it’s best to just click the button below and register today.
Photo by Michael Berchak
