SCCA Time Trials

Mark Pilson of East Tennessee Region loves to run SCCA® Solo®, HillClimbs, and Time Trials. Until recently, he had a Corvette Z06 for autocross and a Ford Focus for his other activities. That sounds like fun, but there were downsides.

"As you might imagine, the Focus is not really competitive against Miatas," he says. "That's why Club Spec was appealing, because I could buy a Mustang and run against other Mustangs. Then if I'm not fast, it's me and not the car."

Club Spec was a concept SCCA announced in mid-2023, where there was an approved “spec” kit for the early S197 Ford Mustang GTs and all NC Mazda MX-5s. The rules for Club Spec Mustang (CSM) and Club Spec MX-5 (CSX) were then integrated into SCCA Solo and Time Trials competition (and by proxy HillClimb), allowing someone to build one Club Spec car and be competitive in many types of motorsport.

To get himself started, Pilson located a clean S197 Mustang GT and prepared it for competition.

(Prepping his S197 Mustang to Club Spec rules was straightforward, although the build has involved replacing a few wear items along the way.)

"Obviously, you can choose 2005 to 2009, but after talking to a lot of people, I chose the 2009 for a number of reasons," he explains. "The 2007 to 2009 cars have additional bracing that the 2005 to 2006 cars don't have. Also, the 2009 has a different spark plug that's less prone to break when you're removing and installing them."

Building a Club Spec car is primarily a matter of making sure the street car itself is in optimal condition.

"The work went slowly because I did this on a budget," Pilson says. "I've been filling in things that I didn't necessarily have to do, but would be a good thing to do. I've just ordered new lower control arms for both the front and rear of the car because those bushings are original. All of those parts should be here [soon]."

The results are already achieving what Club Spec is designed for.

"I like the Mustang a lot," Pilson says. " It's my daily driver. I can go out and run Time Trials and HillClimbs with it, which was my primary idea. It's a different challenge from my ‘Vette when it comes to autocross, but it checks a lot of boxes for me."

Pilson took his Mustang to a Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour Powered by Hagerty event at NCM Motorsports Park in May for a shakedown, and entered two HillClimbs this summer.

"I ended up in third place at both of the HillClimb events out of six or eight cars in the class,” he says. "So, I feel pretty good about that."

Pilson also competed at the Tire Rack SCCA Grissom Solo National Tour event in Bunker Hill, IN, earlier this summer, and his Mustang will make its first appearance at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships in early September.

(With a little determination and a lot of fun, Pilson has now competed in SCCA Autocross, Time Trials, and HillClimbs in his Club Spec Mustang – and he has the stickers to prove it.)

"I didn't do real well [at Grissom], and part of that may be unfamiliarity with the car – and maybe my differential is not in very good shape," he says. "I've got a new one on order, so hopefully we'll be able to do a little bit better at Solo Nationals.

“I've signed up for the Invitational Shootout event on Saturday at Nationals, so I'll get a little seat time there on the Lincoln concrete, and hopefully we can do a little bit better than I did earlier this year."

Learn how you, too, can build a Club Spec car and do “all the things” by going to SCCA’s official Club Spec webpage.

Photos courtesy Mark Pilson