SCCA Time Trials

The 2022 Time Trials National Tour (TTNT) season came to a close Nov. 5-6, 2022, in Braselton, GA, during the Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta Powered by Hagerty. There was plenty of excitement as Time Trials drivers shared the circuit over two days with SCCA road racers competing in the annual American Road Race of Champions (ARRC) hosted by SCCA’s Atlanta Region.

Weather over the weekend was quite pleasant, with temperatures in the upper 70s under mostly cloudy skies. Those conditions allowed Max 1 (M1) driver Ian Stewart to turn the fastest lap of the event, a 1:28.822, in his 2002 Chevrolet Corvette. That set a new M1 class record on the 2.54-mile, 12-turn course. However, that time was well off the overall TTNT record of 1:23.789 set in 2021 by Unlimited 1 (U1) driver Eric Fleming in a 2006 Chevrolet Corvette.

The Georgia visit also produced a “first” for TTNT. Saturday afternoon on the front stretch of Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, TTNT played host to its first-ever nuptial. Participant Ryan Cheek married Kyle Quattromani in a ceremony overseen by fellow driver James Currie, who got ordained online beforehand so he could conduct the wedding. For that, doubled with his fun-loving nature and enthusiasm throughout the weekend, Currie received the event's Spirit of Time Trials award.

Class Pursuits

The Unlimited classes produced two of the closest finishes. In Unlimited 2 (U2), Heikki Rinta-Koski and his 2005 Lotus Super 7 had the fastest class time on day one. However, Zachary Grant and his 2000 Mazda MX-5 posted the quickest class time Sunday. But Grant’s effort fell short by 0.406sec as Rinta-Koski got the U2 victory, and Justin Barbry finished third in a 1987 Pontiac Fiero.

U1 was a family affair between Aidan and James Currie, co-drivers of a 2020 BMW M4. Aidan’s dad, James, was actually 0.069sec faster on Saturday. But Aidan fought back during the second day of competition to emerge with a victory of 1.147sec over his father. Stephen Miller, in a 1994 Mazda RX-7, finished third in the class.

The Sport 6 (S6) finish was equally close. Thomas Lackey, driving a 2014 Scion FR-S, was actually the fastest S6 driver both days, but he wasn’t too much faster than Karl Rickert in a 2013 Scion FR-S. Only 1.529sec separated the duo at the end, with Lackey earning the win. Justin Tyler Wingfield, in a 2013 Subaru BRZ, finished third only 7.699sec behind Rickert.

Tuner 3 had the largest field of the weekend with seven drivers. Kevin Batten was fastest there in a 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer. Runner-up Sheldon Solan was only 3.277sec behind in a 2017 Honda Civic. Terrence Singh finished third in a 2003 BMW M3, and a mere second behind Singh in fourth was a 2011 BMW 335d driven by Randall Prince.

Below are the overall top five finishers from Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta with name, class, car, and overall time.

1) Ian Stewart, Max 1, 2002 Chevrolet Corvette, 2:57.860
2) Andrew Brownfield, Max 1, 2021 Toyota Supra, 3:03.908
3) John Roeder, Max 3, 2021 Porsche Cayman, 3:06.091
4) David Marcus, Tuner 2, 2020 Toyota Supra, 3:10.053
5) Casey Henry, Sport 1, 2019 Chevrolet Camaro, 3:10.495

 Full Results

Additional Road Atlanta Rewards

The final KONI Podium Celebration of the year took place Sunday afternoon, and some superlative honors were handed out along with awards for top finishers.

Novice driver Charles Patteson received the Most Improved honor. He and his 2002 Honda S2000 picked up a lot of pace from Saturday to Sunday on the way to a fourth-place finish in the competitive Max 2 field.

Tuner 3 driver Jim Bunch received the Time Trials Champion award for highlighting his experience across social media. Bunch has taken part in several TTNT events and has been a strong supporter of the program. On this particular trip from Texas to Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Bunch again shared his adventure with others on social media, and showed just how much fun he was having the entire time.

Lastly, Justin Barbry received the Crossover award bestowed upon a participant coming from some other SCCA discipline. Barbry is a longtime autocrosser, endurance racer, and is heavily involved in SCCA Track Night in America Driven by Tire Rack. But this weekend at Road Atlanta was his very first TTNT event as a participant.

Next Up: 2023

The year 2023 will see a fifth season of Time Trials National Tour action, with organizers currently sorting out the full schedule. Already announced is the SCCA Time Trials Nationals, which will take place Oct. 12-15, 2023, at NCM Motorsports Park in Bowling Green, KY, running alongside the Grassroots Motorsports Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge.

Check back to timetrials.scca.com for the latest news and updates, and be sure to ‘like’ and ‘follow’ the SCCA Time Trials Nationals Facebook page.

Photo caption: Brian Sowders finished second in Tuner 2, just 2.742sec behind the class leader.

Photo by Tradd Slayton