SCCA Time Trials

The Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour at New Jersey Motorsports Park Powered by Hagerty took to the track on Aug. 6-7, 2022, in Millville, NJ. The venue’s 10-turn, 1.9-mile Lightning Raceway was shared during the weekend with Global Time Attack, meaning there was fast cars and fun galore all weekend long.

New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) saw warm temperatures and muggy conditions in the afternoons during the Time Trials National Tour (TTNT) visit. The mornings, however, were a bit cooler, with competitors often setting their best laps early on.

Results from NJMP

The overall competition was exceptionally close at the top, with Max 2 driver James Avellina and his 2020 Toyota Supra eking out the fastest combined time by 1.99sec over a 2019 Chevrolet Camaro driven by Jeremy Lowder in the Unlimited 1 class. Avellina also had the fastest lap of the weekend with a 1:10.374, which didn’t quite best the current record of 1:10.187 held by Unlimited 1 driver John Gatzemeyer in a 2001 Chevrolet Corvette.

With nine entrants, Tuner 4 (T4) boasted the largest field of the weekend. Vincent Mak, in a 2005 Honda S2000, came out on top by 2.686sec over a 2017 Subaru BRZ driven by Tianao Jiang. Only 0.202sec behind Jiang was Carlos Caberol Prat driving a 2015 Scion FR-S.

The closest finish of the weekend went to Tuner 3 where Vijay Lorick, in a 2019 Volkswagen Golf, edged out Qiu Chen, in a 2020 Honda Civic, by only 1.697sec after all three timed segments of the event were completed.

Below are the overall top five finishers from NJMP with name, class, car, and overall time.

1. James Avellina, Max 2, 2020 Toyota Supra, 3:32.712
   2. Jeremy Lowder, Unlimited 1, 2019 Chevrolet Camaro, 3:34.702
   3. Chuk Hognell, Unlimited 1, 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, 3:36.488
   4. Daniel Dobalo, Sport 1, 2009 Chevrolet Corvette, 3:40.984
   5. Zhe Geng, Sport 2, 2021 Toyota Supra, 3:44.396

FULL RESULTS

Rewriting the NJMP Record Book

Lap records at NJMP were reset for several TTNT classes. Below is a list of these new marks with name, class, car, and best lap time on the 1.9-mile Lightning Raceway.

• James Avellina, Max 2, 2020 Toyota Supra, 1:10.374
• Qingzian Yuen, Max 3, 2016 Porsche GT3, 1:13.769
• Craig Krzywicki, Max 4, 2013 Subaru BRZ, 1:15.413
• Stephen Foltyniak, Max 5, 1986 Toyota MR2, 1:32.261
• Stephen Duran, Sport 6, 2018 Subaru BRZ, 1:18.983

Superlative Awards from Millville

Sunday afternoon, KONI Podium Celebrations wrapped up the event by recognizing top performers in each class. Superlative awards were also handed out, such as Top Novice honors given to Benjamin Smolen for finishing second in the Sport 2 class.

The Crossover award, bestowed upon competitors coming from other SCCA disciplines, went to Max 1’s John Bradley. He has done some autocrossing but has a lot more experience with drag racing – and the 1985 Chevrolet Camaro he drove at NJMP certainly backed up that fact.

Spirit of Time Trials honors went to Salvatore Baisley, Adam Wright, Josh Kuehne, and Bill Richter. Without provocation, these four kept the Time Trials program moving forward by jumping in to repair a damaged spring on the TTNT trailer that hauls equipment to events. It’s this type of “team-first” attitude from participants that really makes the Time Trials program so special.

Two Time Trials Champion awards were presented at NJMP. One went to James Avellina for his help in promoting TTNT events. The other went to David Dinh, who brought 13 friends with him to Millville so they all could participate in the Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour at New Jersey Motorsports Park Powered by Hagerty.

PittRace Extravaganza Up Next

It was an absolutely amazing event last year – so the Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour returns Aug. 27-28, 2022, to Pittsburgh International Race Complex (PittRace) for another two days of fun. And just like last year, the weekend in Wampum, PA, will be filled with a multitude of SCCA pursuits during the End of Summer Showcase Festival hosted by SCCA’s Steel Cities Region.

Registration is open for that event. Make your entry today by clicking the link below.

Register Now!

Photo by Geoffrey Bolte