Words by John Hunter
We’ve said a lot about how great the Tire Rack Time Trials National Tour Presented by Hagerty is, so instead, we’re letting others help with their own words! We caught up with SCCA autocrosser extraordinaire John Hunter after he left High Plains to find out what he thought of the event:
I can call myself fortunate to have participated in various motorsports venues, and in just about every program the SCCA offers, at one time or another. I’ve autocrossed for almost 20 years and feel blessed to say I have earned a National Championship along the way. I’ve done track days and time attacks, both as a participant and an instructor. I’ve even been involved, from instructing to planning and operating, with programs like the Starting Line School and Track Night in America presented by Tire Rack for the SCCA. I’m also currently the editor for SCCA’s SoloMatters newsletter, which by default makes me one of the head cheerleaders for SCCA’s largest program.
So, sure, you can take my endorsement here with a grain of salt. But, to be fair, people that know me will tell you that I’m also capable of giving an objective opinion (at the very least, I would have just declined this piece if I didn’t believe it!). But what I’m saying is that I’ve seen this Time Trials program evolve. I’ve seen the countless hours, not to mention the blood, sweat, and tears, that went into getting it from the drawing table to the National Tour that is traipsing across the country as we speak. They say you’re not supposed to know how the sausage is made but, in this case, I know they used all the best ingredients and practices to come up with this program. And in this instance, the whole is even better than the sum of the parts!
When I found myself with a free weekend (trust me, that doesn’t happen often!), and an ND Mazda MX-5 that was on the wrong side of the garage door when a golf ball-sized hail storm blew in, I knew “Dimples” and I were headed to High Plains Raceway for the Tire Rack Time Trials National Tour presented by Hagerty. On the trip there, I got the call from my insurance company and learned that Dimples was, indeed, going to be totaled. And while you might think that would give me the green light to brake a tiny bit later, and maybe push just a little bit harder, it had the opposite effect. Knowing that the car needed to be back in one piece to get the insurance money out of it, meant that I needed to leave some on the table. And that is the great thing about SCCA’s Time Trials. You push as hard as you are comfortable with and are always encouraged to make sure you drive within your means.
There’s nothing more fun than stretching your car out and pushing it to the limit on a race track. I’ve always wanted to go road racing but, to be honest, I haven’t felt the calling to take on the commitment it requires. I admire it; I’d love to jump in a car and race; but I don’t envy the late nights in the garage, the trailer maintenance, the tear-down and rebuilds. Those are all great things, but it just doesn’t fit into my life balance and other hobbies.
I love autocross, and always will. It is my primary passion. It scratches my competitive itch, and I’ll continue to run local and national programs every chance I get. The ever-changing course layouts, and the “get it done in 3 runs” aspect has always appealed to me. I just love the challenge.
Time Trials, however, combines all of the positives for me. I drive my car to the track. The maintenance for Time Trials is the same as what I do for autocross – check the tires, check and change brake pads, change the oil, etc. I can (and probably will) make modifications to whatever car I get to replace “Dimples”, but it’s not a requirement for having fun. And, I still get to compete – which is an aspect that I love, though it won’t wreck my month if I get beat.
When I boil it down, it feels like an autocross event to me, just at a different venue. With the parties and the paddock and the beer exchange (if you’ve got a local beer and we’re going to be at the same event, hit me up – I’m always looking for a good trade!). I’ve never met a stranger, and I find the different backgrounds of participants fascinating.
Who do I think SCCA Time Trials is for? It’s for autocrossers who want to get on track. It’s for road racers who want to drive more and wrench less. It’s for Track Night enthusiasts who want to push a little bit harder, or maybe just see what kind of times they are running. And it’s for the person who has been on the sidelines watching but doesn’t know how to get on track. Basically, it’s for everyone. And that, honestly, is my favorite part of Time Trials.
Words by Geoff Thomas
It was a sunny Friday afternoon in June as competitors started rolling into Chillicothe, Ohio for the 2019 DirtFish SCCA RayllyCross® Great Lakes Challenge. Friday was reserved for setup, tech inspections, course walks and a welcome party thrown by the Ohio Valley and Western Ohio Regions of SCCA.
Saturday morning met competitors with overcast skies and the occasional raindrop. The grass-covered course started off slick but became grippier as the grass wore away, revealing the tacky mud underneath. The weather threatened occasionally, but only presented with slight sprinkles throughout the five morning runs. The weather continued to hold out during the afternoon runs until the fourth run started and so did a downpour. The course got slick fast and final runs slowed down with mud slinging and cars sliding all over the course. The downpour continued and as the final class started, lightning was throw lightning into the mix, ending competition for the day. Only three drivers were left without their final runs.
The rain continued as competitors showed up to the venue Sunday morning. As much as organizers wanted to run on Sunday, it was just too wet to continue safely and the decision was made to cancel Sunday’s competition. The driver’s meeting was turned in to the awards ceremony.
Stock All drew eight competitors and while Josh Armantrout laid down some quick times in a 2016 Ford Focus RS to stretch out a lead as the day went on, Don Carl drew the attention in a rental Audi. Carl and Trever Taylor had a great battle going all day for second place. in the end, Carl took home the second-place trophy with a 1.261-second lead over Taylor and his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution in third place.
In Prepared All, Orion W. Fairman commanded the class from first runs and built upon his lead from there to take the win by 25.355 seconds in his Subaru STI. Christian Retterer was the best of the rest in his Mitsubishi Eclipse GSX to claim the second-place trophy, 26.803 seconds ahead of the next competitor in the class of five.
Jason Fuller laid down some consistently quick times throughout the day in his Subaru Impreza WRX in Modified All, giving him the quickest single lap as well as the lowest overall combined time in the event. The result was a 11.114-second margin of victory over second-place finisher, ZB Lorenc in a Subaru Impreza. Justin Abide wheeled his Honda Civic Wagon to the third step on the podium, just 4.073 seconds behind Lorenc.
After Don Carl’s Dodge Neon couldn’t make the trip to Ohio, Stock Front became a faceoff between Chang Ho Kim in his Acura Integra and Warren Elliott in his Mini Cooper S. Early in the day, Kim had the obvious advantage, extending his lead by over a second with each run. As the day wore on, Elliott started laying down some faster times, but it was too little too late as Kim took the class win by 9.053 seconds.
In Prepared Front, ten competitors meant that four would walk away with trophies. A battle emerged quickly between Harold Denham and John Seaton in a Mini Cooper S and Ford Fiesta ST respectively. It was still a close contest, with Seaton staying within striking distance until the last run in the rain when he got held up a bit and tagged a cone, sealing his fate in second place, 11.874 seconds behind Denham. Alex Ashbaugh claimed the third trophy spot in his Dodge Neon SXT, 7.130 seconds back while Dan Hutchinson was on a charge, until a rerun on his last run meant that he ran in slimier conditions, putting him 6.308 seconds back in the fourth and final trophy spot in a Ford Escort GT.
Modified Front was the largest class of the event with 14 competitors. Because of lightning, three competitors were not able to make their final runs on Saturday, so the final run for all other drivers in the class were thrown out. Andy Thomas ran away with the first-place trophy in his Toyota Celica. Matt Wolfe led the rest of the pack, 15.907 seconds back in his Ford Escort GT. Willaim Ehrman finished just 2.807 seconds back in third in a Dodge Neon GLH, Jason Lang another 1.970 seconds behind in a Honda Civic Si in fourth and Greg Mercier rounded out the trophies in fifth, 0.046 seconds back in his Volkswagen Rabbit GTI.
In the seven-driver Stock Rear class, co-drivers Ryan Miles and Dan Shea dominated in the Porsche Boxter. Miles took the win, 7.551 seconds ahead of his co-driver. John Voegeli claimed the third and final trophy in a Mazda MX-5, 13.809 seconds behind Shea.
Prepared Rear was a small but mighty class of one as Katie Orgler stayed in the class while her co-driver Shawn Roberts moved up to Modified Rear, the second-largest class of the weekend with some of the closest racing and twelve drivers. John England and Vaughn Micciche set the early pace with Roberts and Brianne Corn taking a couple runs to find comfort on the surface. The result was less than eight seconds separating the four trophy winners at the end of the day. England took the win by 4.141 seconds over Micciche. Roberts was another 1.369 seconds behind with Corn claiming the final trophy 2.220 seconds back in fourth. All were in Mazda Miatas except for Micciche in a Porsche 924 S.
Complete results from the 2019 DirtFish SCCA Great Lakes National Challenge can be found here.
The final stop of the 2019 DirtFish SCCA RallyCross National Tour takes place July 20-21st at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri. More information about that event and the SCCA RallyCross program can be found here.
