SCCA Time Trials

Way back in May when we announced the opening of registration for the Aug. 24-25, 2024, Tire Rack SCCA® Time Trials National Tour at Pitt Race Powered by Hagerty, we talked about what a thrill ride the Pitt Race circuit is. That part is true.

We also talked about Pittsburgh natives George Ferris and Jeff Goldblum – both of which, we can now confirm, will not be attending the Time Trials despite earlier rumors to the contrary (note – those rumors were never true).

But what we can confirm is there will be some celebrities there. Who, you might ask? How about Devan Keeling, who holds the Time Trials National Tour (TTNT) track record at Pitt Race in his Unlimited 1 Ford Mustang? He set that time way back in the Jurassic days of 2022. Or Daniel Dobalo, who is the quickest person at Pitt Race in the Tuner 1 class – a record he set last year in his Corvette.

The ghost we’re chasing, though, is that of Tom O’Gorman. O’Gorman ripped around back in 2019 with a lap of 1:48.907 in a Camaro … classed for Tuner 2! It’s an incredible benchmark of a time, and a target for even Unlimited and Max class drivers. The only person to go quicker, so far, was the aforementioned Keeling. So who’s up for the challenge this time around?

Where My Goals At?

Let’s face facts: Not all of us are chasing Keeling or O’Gorman. The best part of the Time Trials National Tour is that the most fun is chasing ourselves, trying to better our times from previous visits.

While we don’t (yet!) have the technology to create a ghost car on track, we can track everyone’s career bests. Here’s a direct link to the records and personal bests pages on the website that can serve as a target for you in your adventure.

At quick glance, though, keep an eye on some of the tops in class for your benchmarks:

- Unlimited 1: Devan Keeling, 1996 Ford Mustang, 1:48.769
- Tuner 2: Tom O’Gorman, 2016 Chevrolet Camaro, 1:48.907
- Max 1: Michael Laffey, 2007 Chevrolet Corvette, 1:48.984
- Sport 1: Dan Ireland, 2017 Chevrolet Corvette, 1:55.111
- Sport 3: Thomas Phillips, 2018 Honda Civic, 2:02.997

It’s All in the Details

The most important detail is this: This year’s TTNT at Pitt Race is Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 24-25. That’s a good baseline of when you should plan to be there.

Friday is registration and tech from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., though we’re about to hit you with a “but.”

Ready for it?

BUT – Friday is also a Track Night in America® Driven by Tire Rack event. Because Track Nights offer no lap timing and a more relaxed vibe, this is a great opportunity to get a street car on course. Even if you don’t register for the event, the Touring Laps are open to anyone – so it might also be a great opportunity to see the track before you do it at speed for the TTNT.

Saturday begins the competition. We’ll run a practice on the South Track in the morning, followed by two Time Attack sessions that count for part of your score. Once you’ve completed that, forget it – because it’s time for the Full Track.

Saturday afternoon is practice on the Full Track to figure out how to approach the corners you didn’t learn in the morning. We’ll break that evening for the Hagerty Social Party, then come back with a vengeance on Sunday morning.

Sunday’s full-course Time Attack sessions are sandwiched around road racing groups, which is a nice bonus portion of SCCA activity.

As always, we’ll cap the day with a KONI Podium Celebration to cheer for the weekend’s stars!

Register for TTNT     Register for Track Night

Help Me, Oprah!

The full course at Pitt Race is a lot of fun, as this in-car footage from Keeling’s record-setting lap shows:

Here's another “but” …

BUT – it can be a handful to squeeze those last few tenths out of it. If you need a hand maximizing your potential, we can’t recommend the team at Blayze more.

With Blayze, you’ll get connected with a dedicated full-time coach for less than $1/day. Hop on an intro call with them, easily upload your video (and data if you have it) for in-depth personal coaching sessions, chat message with them, and join Blayze+ Live calls twice a month.

It’s truly the most economical way to get high-end, personalized coaching – and way better than using your paddock neighbor to guess why you can’t go any quicker.

Photo by Michael Berchak