SCCA Time Trials

It was a fast couple of days for Time Trials drivers in South Haven, MI, as 107 participants descended on the lakeside town July 21-23, 2023, to take part in the Tire Rack SCCA^® Time Trials National Tour at GingerMan Raceway Powered by Hagerty (TTNT). The sold-out event – made possible thanks to members of SCCA’s Indianapolis Region – was so quick that many changes had been made to TTNT’s record book by Sunday evening.

Conditions were awesome, with temperatures hovering in the mid 80-degree range most of the weekend. A breeze coming off Lake Michigan kept things pleasant, and rain only slowed the action for a little bit Sunday morning. But it wasn’t track conditions that led to all the quick laps – development of both drivers and cars was the most likely culprit.

What made the weekend even greater was the addition of a sold-out Track Night in America® Driven by Tire Rack event on Saturday, the participants of which joined alongside TTNT drivers for free food during the Hagerty Social Dinner Party. In all, there was a hearty amount of food and car talk that evening for more than 140 people who love having #funwithcars.

Top Performers at GingerMan

Unlimited 1 (U1) driver Dallas Reed had one heck of a weekend. On Saturday afternoon, he went out in his 2004 Mazda RX-8 and turned a lap of 1:31.010 on GingerMan’s 2.14-mile, 11-turn circuit. That ended up being the quickest anyone went all weekend, and earned him the U1 and new overall TTNT track record. In the combined-time scoring, he emerged victorious in the six-driver U1 field by 19 seconds over runner-up Devan Keeling in a 1996 Ford Mustang. Finishing third in a 2002 BMW M3 was Paul Darling.

The Tuner Category produced some of the weekend’s closest finishes. In Tuner 4, Eric Jancsovics and his 2020 Subaru BRZ topped the 12-driver field by only 0.718sec over a 2017 Toyota 86 driven by David Best. Liam Parkes, in a 2013 Scion FR-S, finished third.

Tuner 3’s (T3) margin of victory ended up being only 0.654sec as Daniel Brindley, in a 2008 Nissan 350Z, bested a 2004 BMW M3 driven by Vito Jin. However, Jin turned a lap of 1:40.825 on Sunday to set the new T3 track record at GingerMan. William Rori wheeled a 2022 Hyundai Elantra N to third in the seven-driver field.

Also of note was Tuner 5 (T5), which had the largest field of the weekend with 16 entrants. Christopher Heideman, in a 1989 Honda CRX, was victorious in T5 by 1.744sec over Ryan Carwile in a 1999 Mazda Miata. Kevin Gu, in a 1989 Honda Civic, finished third only 0.666sec behind Carwile.

There were nine contestants in the Max 2 (M2) field, which was won by Tianyi Ma in a 2016 Porsche 911. Ma set the new M2 lap record with a 1:35.983 turned on Saturday, and ended up winning the class by 3.598sec over Jacob Besemer in a 2017 Chevrolet Camaro. Nicholas Hendrix finished third in a 2013 Chevrolet Corvette.

Sport 2 also produced excitement in Michigan. Karl Riggs, in a 2020 Chevrolet Camaro, emerged atop the six-person field by only 4.025sec over Ken Lampert in a 2023 Chevrolet Camaro. Jesse Plant, in a 2017 Ford Mustang, finished third.

Below are the overall top five finishers from GingerMan with name, class, car, and overall time produced from three scored segments during competition:

1. Dallas Reed, Unlimited 1, 2004 Mazda RX-8, 4:36.154
2. Kyle McKiou, Max 1, 2022 Toyota Supra, 4:45.544
3. Tianyi Ma, Max 2, 2016 Porsche 911, 4:49.050
4. Matt Simpkins, Max 1, 2021 Toyota Supra, 4:49.448
5. Jackie Ding, Max 1, 2023 BMW M2, 4:50.341

As noted earlier, several new track records were established during the weekend. In fact, 10 new records emerged across the 18 different classes. The provisional new high marks for GingerMan are:

• Unlimited 1: Dallas Reed, 2004 Mazda RX-8, 1:31.010
• Max 1: Kyle McKiou, 2022 Toyota Supra, 1:34.941
• Max 2: Tianyi Ma, 2016 Porsche 911, 1:35.983
• Max 3: Yinbing Li, 2018 Porsche 911, 1:36.551
• Max 4: Josh Owens, 1994 Mazda Miata, 1:39.238
• Tuner 3: Vito Jin, 2004 BMW M3, 1:40.825
• Sport 1: Christopher Bickford, 2023 BMW M3 Competition xDrive, 1:37.858
• Sport 3: Michael Janssen, 2017 Honda Civic, 1:43.531
• Sport 4: Hiroshi Witt, 2012 Chevrolet Camaro, 1:48.381
• Sport 5: Sarin Kodappully, 2014 Subaru BRZ, 1:46.133

Check out the full TTNT record book by clicking here. To review results from this weekend’s event at GingerMan, click the button below.

 Event Results

Outstanding Awards at GingerMan

Several superlative awards were distributed during KONI Podium Celebrations on Sunday. One such award went to Sport 2 driver Karl Riggs, who was named Top Novice for the event.

The Crossover Award, bestowed upon a participant coming from another motorsport discipline, went to Kristin Lingenfelter. She has ties to Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, which produces aftermarket parts for vehicles. It was her very first TTNT event, and she seemed to greatly enjoy the experience driving a 2023 Chevrolet Corvette in the Max 1 class. As part of her award, Kristen was given a TTNT trackside banner to hang in the Lingenfelter Performance Engineering shop.

Certainly, we can’t forget about the Spirit of Time Trials honor. At GingerMan, that award went to Tuner 1’s Jeff Tucker. His absolutely impressive attitude and sportsmanship was on display all weekend, and he helped put everyone in a good mood while driving his 2018 Chevrolet Camaro to a first-place finish in the class.

The award for fastest rear-wheel-drive competitor went to U1’s Dallas Reed and his 2004 Mazda RX-8. The fastest all-wheel-drive honor was earned by Sport 1 winner Christopher Bickford in a brand-new 2023 BMW M3 Competition xDrive. And the award for being fastest among front-wheel-drive cars went to William Rori in a 2022 Hyundai Elantra N.

Planning for PittRace

The Time Trials National Tour next heads to Wampum, PA, for the Aug. 25-27, 2023, Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour at PittRace Powered by Hagerty. It’s a fabulous track surrounded by fantastic facilities, and the weekend usually includes a whole host of additional SCCA activities. Plus, this will be the last TTNT event before October’s Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials Nationals Powered by Hagerty at NCM Motorsports Park in Kentucky.

Click the button below to learn more about TTNT at PittRace in Western Pennsylvania. Then don’t delay and reserve your spot for the festivities.

 PittRace TTNT Info

Photo by Nathan Vestal