The Time Trials community got a massive burst of information on the Saturday evening of the Aug. 24-25, 2024, Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour at Pitt Race Powered by Hagerty when those in attendance were informed that the 2025 Time Trials Nationals – the crown jewel of SCCA’s National Time Trials program – was also going to be held at Pitt Race.
That bit of news during Saturday’s Hagerty Participant Party was readily welcomed among the 84 drivers on site, adding to the good time they were already having.
Their good time came despite the temperatures and humidity that were, shall we say, higher than optimal.
Less than optimal has never been a deterrent to a Time Trialer, however. Saturday’s first three sessions took place on the eight-turn, 1.2-mile South Course, and just as drivers were coming to grips with that configuration, they swapped over to a late-afternoon practice on the 19-turn, 2.78-mile Full Course.
The Full Course is the main attraction of the facility, and for those competing in this Time Trials National Tour, their Sunday run on the winding circuit counted as the second half of their total score.
Breaker, Breaker
We mention the temperatures weren’t optimal, but that doesn’t mean it’s an automatic lap killer. Four classes established new records during the Pitt Race weekend on the Full Course –to do it under those conditions means the record was earned. Those were:
- Sport 1: Jacob Glover, Chevrolet Corvette, 1:53.113 (previous best was 1:54.339)
- Tuner 1: Daniel Dobalo, Chevrolet Corvette, 1:53.211(previous best was his own 1:53.214)
- Tuner 3: Matt Hugenschmidt, BMW M3, 1:58.218 (previous best was 1:59.681)
- Max 2: Michael Kubiak, Chevrolet Corvette, 1:51.018 (previous best was 1:51.355)
Those (and many others) were spectacular laps on the Full Course.
The event’s final score was based on the best Full Course plus the best South Course lap, which led to this overall top five:
- Devan Keeling, Unlimited 1, Ford Mustang, 2:44.610
- Michael Kubiak, Max 2, Chevrolet Corvette, 2:45.294
- Dallas Reed, Unlimited 1, Mazda RX-8, 2:46.450
- Jason Anderson, Tuner 2, Chevrolet Corvette, 2:47.776
- Jacob Glover, Sport 1, Chevrolet Corvette, 2:47.964
Class Battles
“Overall” is nice, but it’s not necessarily the best way to measure how well your event went. The first, as always, is against your previous best time – luckily, the Time Trials National Tour has a record of all of that available online.
After that, the next best way is against others in your class, following the same rule set.
After two days of competition, the Max 1 class was one that everyone had their eyes on. Eric Franz and his Nissan 350Z was quickest on the South Course, but the Porsche 911 of Peter Lier was able to stretch its legs on the Pitt Race Full Course, and Lier ended the weekend with just a 1.7sec advantage.
Sport 4, the battle of twins, played out even closer. David Yu was quickest in a Toyota GR86 on the short course, the only driver in the six-car class to break the 61-second mark with a 60.121. Four others were in the 61-second range, however, which set up a Full Course showdown. Qi Yang came from fourth place on the South Course to the class win in his Subaru BRZ with the best time on the Full Course, followed by the Toyotas of Jonathan Crane, Yu, and Brad Kubiak.
All of the class battles, plus everyone’s best time, is available to view here.
The Fun of Superlatives
The Time Trials National Tour is, above all, a place to push yourself to improve, no matter the class standings. That’s where the event superlatives, given away at every stop on the Tour, recognize those who deserve it.
The Most Improved Driver at Pitt Race went to Arshia Akhtar, who was entered in the event as part of her SCCA competition school to earn her road racing license. The modifications of her B-Spec Mini Cooper placed her in the Unlimited 2 class – which, in another unanimous decision, is not exactly the ideal horsepower number for the Unlimited category. Still, Akhtar closed the gap throughout the weekend, earning the award. Even more impressive? She had just learned to drive a stick shift two weeks prior.
The Crossover Award at Pitt Race went to Bill Stewart, competing in his Porsche Cayman GT4. Stewart has long been a familiar face to road racers in the Great Lakes Division and those who attend Time Trials events. When he wasn’t competing, Stewart popped into his familiar roles working as black flag chief and in grid.
The Spirit of Time Trials went to the Washington DC Region, or at least a collection of DC Region members. An impressive 10 Region members – the most of any besides the local Steel Cities Region – made the trip to compete at Pitt Race. The Region’s strong track day and Time Trials program contributed to the weekend’s turnout and to the growth of the Time Trials program as a whole.
Want More?
The last remaining Time Trials National Tour event is the king of them all: The 2024 Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials Nationals at NCM Motorsports Park Powered by Hagerty. Opportunities still remain to attend the final Time Trials Nationals event at the track on Oct. 24-27, in Bowling Green, KY, so register now!
Photo by Michael Berchak
