VIRginia International Raceway in Alton, VA, has matured over the past several years, becoming an undisputed hot spot in the motorsports community. Knowing that, it was no surprise that when the Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour Powered by Hagerty took to the circuit over the March 10-12, 2023, weekend, things got fun in more ways than one.

More than just the Time Trials competition, this stop on the Time Trials National Tour included a car show from Driver Motorsports, sim racing from Apex Racing Lab, and track day opportunities (sans the timing equipment found during Time Trials).

The car show from Driver Motorsports — the company’s annual show — lined up with the Time Trials National Tour and brought a static display of more than 150 Japanese show cars, along with a host of car enthusiasts who may not be intimately familiar with SCCA activities, into the weekend.

In short, VIR was the place to be during the March 10-12 weekend, and the competition was everything you’d expect — and more.

On-Track Action

Saturday was chilly but dry, which in track lapping parlance means “fast.” Six classes saw new track records set before mother nature made Sunday slightly more challenging, with moisture falling from the sky — often in the form of snow.

Ryan Hargis threw down a lap of 2:39.524 on Saturday for a record in the Tuner 5 class, winning the class by an aggregate 4.608 seconds after two days of laps in his BMW 318ti. Remember the moisture that came on Sunday? For reference, Hargis’s best time was 40 seconds slower in the difficult conditions.

Robert Wilmoth set his VIR record on his way to victory in the Max 3 class. Wilmoth ripped around VIR in 2:04.729 on Saturday to set a fast lap, though only a second quicker than Jason Hobbs and his Mazda RX-8.

Max 4 had yet another circuit best of all time, this in the form of a 2:08.997 from Ben Thorn and his Honda Civic. His time was so fast that it was no surprise when Thorn held the top spot come Sunday evening by nearly 13 seconds over Brian Ross.

The Sport category saw track records fall in Sport 3, Sport 4, and Sport 5. Bowie Gray’s BMW M235i was quickest on Saturday by more than three seconds over any other competitor, and an impressive seven seconds over Luke Corl. Corl turned the tables on Sunday in the wet, however, with a lap in his Volkswagen Golf that blew the doors off of everyone else in the field and gave him a six second win, even as Gray took home the track record.

Derek Secord established the Sport 4 lap in his Honda S2000 with a 2:12.049, and while he wasn’t the quickest on Sunday (Sean Foley took that honor), he was close enough to hold the class victory. By contrast, Terrence Singh and his Volkswagen Golf left no doubt, establishing a 2:14.145 lap on Saturday for the record, and going quickest in class on Sunday to seal the victory.

Overall on the weekend, the top five looked like this:

  1. Ido Waksman, Max 1, Chevrolet Corvette, 4:45.116
  2. Robert Wilmoth, Max 3, Audi RS3, 4:47.106
  3. Ryan Matthews, Max 1, Chevrolet Corvette, 4:48.674
  4. Drew Vosk, Max 2, Toyota Supra, 4:49.975
  5. Luke Corl, Sport 3, Volkswagen Golf, 4:50.189

 Event Results

Additional Awards

In addition to being fast on track, Wilmoth has been instrumental in growing the Time Trials program within North Carolina Region, as well as using motorsports and his involvement with “Racing for ALS” to raise money for a worthy cause. For those efforts off the track, Wilmoth took home the Time Trials Champion award in addition to his Max 3 trophy.

The Top Novice award went to Corl for his driving ability and his situational awareness on track. His outstanding effort in both categories allowed him to take home the win in Sport 3, and even crack the top five in a class for mostly stock cars.

Jason Craver’s name didn’t show up in the top five overall at the conclusion of the weekend, but that’s not entirely his fault. He turned the quickest lap of the weekend when he tossed down a blistering 1:53.890 on Saturday in his Lamborghini Huracan. Not surprisingly, he backed off in the rain/sleet/snow of Sunday, finishing just seventh overall, but still took home the quickest lap of the weekend.

Moving West

The Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials National Tour Powered by Hagerty moves the full length of the country for the next event, from the East Coast of Virginia to Thunderhill Raceway Park in Willows, CA, April 15-16.

Registration for that event is open right now. If you want to drive the circuit at speed, but timed competition isn’t what you’re looking for, the weekend will also feature a Track Night in America Driven by Tire Rack.

More information about the Time Trials National Tour and Track Night at Thunderhill can be found through the link below.

 Tell Me More

Photo caption: Max 3 driver Robert Wilmoth puts down a blistering lap time at VIR in his Audi RS3.

The Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Tour series began its 13-event schedule for 2023 with the Tire Rack Red Hills Solo National Tour held March 10-12 at South Georgia Motorsports Park in Adel, GA. With temperatures peaking in the upper 70s both days, fantastic weather conditions led to incredible competition.

More than 210 entrants came out to compete across 33 different classes at the event hosted by SCCA’s Red Hills Region, with several class victories being decided by a fraction of a second. The site’s large area allowed for flowing and fast courses across the asphalt, making for an amazing weekend in southern Georgia.

Red Hills Racers

Honors for having the largest field on the weekend went to the C Street class. After Saturday runs, Christian Kolmers held a 0.123sec advantage on Rick Cone, with both drivers in 2019 Mazda Miatas. However, Kerry Coughlin was only 0.057sec back in third in another Miata, and Rob Clark was in the hunt, too.

But it was Will Teller, in another Miata, who jumped from fifth on Saturday to the top of the table on Sunday, earning a 0.105sec victory over Coughlin. Clark came home third, and Jason Ruggles pushed his 2023 Mazda MX-5 to the fourth finishing position. Cone held on for fifth, and Kolmers dropped to sixth. The final two trophies went to Will King and Dennis Sparks, who were also in Miatas.

An equally exciting battle arose in Solo Spec Coupe during the weekend. When the sun set Saturday on the 15-entrant class, who were mostly in Scion FR-S vehicles, Mike Lawson had a 0.059sec advantage over Darrin DiSimo. But Charlie Thompson and Stephen Tyszka were only about two tenths off the leader’s pace, too.

Tyszka turned it up on Sunday and earned a 0.181sec victory over DiSimo. Lawson slipped to third, only 0.037sec behind the runner-up. David Spratte moved up to finish fourth, and Thompson closed out the trophies in fifth.

E Street had a field of 15 competitors as well, and Trevor Renson came out on top of that group driving a Toyota MR2 Spyder. Over the course of two days, he built a 1.106sec advantage on runner-up Eric Peterson, who was also in a Toyota Spyder. The final three trophy positions went to Mazda Miata drivers George Schmitt, Harlan Williams, and Oliver Jones.

While the G Street field wasn’t as large, it still put on a big show. Tommy Pulliam, in a Honda Civic Si, had a 0.913sec lead Saturday on Evan Williams in a similar car. When all six runs were in the books Sunday night, however, Williams had a 0.086sec advantage and emerged victorious over Pulliam. The third and final trophy went to Thomas Austin driving a 2022 Volkswagen GTI.

The weekend also saw some ‘firsts’ of another kind.

The recently revealed Ladies Bump class pilot program saw its first weekend of competition. In Ladies Street Tire Bump, Jennifer Bedell claimed victory over co-driver Chris Peterson, with both women sharing a 2016 Scion FR-S. In Ladies Race Tire Bump, Karen Thomas bested co-driver Johanna Griest, with both sharing a Mini Cooper S.

Continuing the theme of ‘firsts,’ Jonathan Dove, in a 2017 Volkswagen GTI, took his first-ever victory competing in the Street Touring Hatch class; and Tim Mason, driving a 2019 Ford Shelby GT350, claimed victory in F Street, which was his first Solo National Tour win and comes just weeks after his Super Challenge triumph at the Tire Rack SCCA South Texas ProSolo.

 View More Results

The Points Chase Begins

The Solo National Tour points chase for 2023 began in Georgia. Competitors score points for a specific class during each Solo National Tour event from March to November, with the opportunity to also earn points at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships. An individual’s three best-scoring performances in the same class during the year count toward the season total.

Points at National Tour events are awarded on a performance-based scale using a specific formula. Judging on how exciting last year’s points chase was, the system has done well for the Solo National Tour. That points formula is: 100 – (900 x ((Entrant’s Time – Class Winning Time) / (Class Winning Time)).

Participation in the same class at the Tire Rack SCCA Solo National Championships is required in order to qualify for the season-long points title. To resolve a points tie, finishing position at the Solo National Championships will be used to decide the winner.

Learn more about the scoring system here.

Heading West to Vegas

Next on the 2023 Solo National Tour calendar is a journey to Nevada for the March 31-April 2 Tire Rack SCCA Las Vegas Solo National Tour at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. After that, the Solo National Tour makes a trip north to Patterson, CA, for the April 21-23 Tire Rack SCCA Crows Landing Solo National Tour before turning back east and trucking on down to Texas for the Tire Rack SCCA South Texas Solo National Tour, which takes place May 5-7 at Naval Air Station Chase Field in Beeville.

Online registration has already begun for some of these events. Be sure to check the Solo National Tour webpage for more information.

 Solo National Tour Info