If FOMO is a trigger for you, don’t read this recap of the May 18-19, 2024, Tire Rack SCCA® Time Trials National Tour at NCM Motorsports Park Powered by Hagerty. Instead, spare yourself the heartache and register now for the June Tire Rack SCCA® Time Trials National Tour at Pocono Raceway to correct your mistake.
For those still reading, the May Time Trials National Tour (TTNT) at NCM was fantastic in nearly every way, shape, and form.
A forerunner to the Oct. 24-27, 2024, Tire Rack SCCA Time Trials Nationals at the same NCM venue in Bowling Green, KY, drivers this past weekend got plenty of track time to hone cars and skills. That will undoubtedly be important come October as Time Trials Nationals is also the 2024 NATA Championship finale as well as the setting for Grassroots Motorsports’ Ultimate Track Car Challenge.
As for last weekend’s event, rain stayed away most of the weekend, with only one group running in the wet on Saturday. Things then got steamy on Sunday, with high humidity and temperatures reaching the upper 80s. Those conditions kept lap times down from previous visits to NCM’s twisty and challenging 3.15-mile course – although that didn’t stop a few drivers from setting class records.
Special thanks go to SCCA’s Kentucky Region, which showed up with a cadre of people to help make the event a success. SCCA’s Washington DC Region also had folks on hand to help with driver coaching.
TTNT NCM Overall Results and New Lap Records
NCM is no stranger to TTNT competitors, and there’s an extensive list of logged lap times for the circuit that can be reviewed via the Time Trials Records and Personal Bests webpage.
The previously established overall lap record of 2:02.759, set by Unlimited 1 driver Steve Luca in a 2020 Ford Mustang, didn’t fall this past weekend. Unlimited 2 (U2) driver James Rauck, however, came close when he posted a time of 2:03.863 in a 1999 Honda Civic – that was good enough to set a new all-time best for the U2 class.
Below are the top five finishers overall from TTNT’s visit to NCM Motorsports Park with name, class, car, and total time produced from three scored segments during competition.
1. James Rauck, Unlimited 2, 1999 Honda Civic, 6:15.686
2. Michael Young, Max 1, 2024 Chevrolet Corvette, 6:43.221
3. David Entz, Max 3, 2015 Porsche 911, 6:51.941
4. Timothy Lonergan, Max 1, 2007 Chevrolet Corvette, 6:52.115
5. Jacob Glover, Sport 1, 2008 Chevrolet Corvette, 6:53.844
This past weekend also saw a Club Spec Mustang and Club Spec MX-5 make appearances at an NCM TTNT weekend, with those drivers establishing lap times for others to target. The new lap records below for NCM include class, time, driver name, and car.
- Unlimited 2 - 2:03.863, James Rauck, 1999 Honda Civic
- Club Spec Mustang - 2:24.471, Trevor Kindlon, 2006 Ford Mustang
- Club Spec MX-5 - 2:32.260, Daniel Lohan, 2012 Mazda MX-5
Classy Competition from NCM
Several hot contests matched the temperatures at NCM. One of the closest emerged in the six-driver Tuner 5 (T5) field. After three timed segments, Joe Baker came out victorious, but by only 2.056sec over Cameron Albea – with both drivers in 1994 Mazda Miatas. Drew Brenner finished third in a 2001 Mazda Miata.
The Tuner 3 (T3) and Tuner 4 (T4) fields were brimming with action. The nine-entrant T4 class, which was the largest of the weekend, was decided by 6.685sec. Peter Lauzon was fastest in a 2021 Mazda Miata, followed by Nicholas Zelisko in a 2007 Honda Civic, and Liam Parkes in a 2013 Scion FR-S.
The T3 field, which had seven entrants, was topped by Josiah Douglas in a 2014 Nissan 370Z. He was 8.022sec faster than runner-up Alan Kim in a 2009 Porsche Cayman, and Jim Bunch was third driving a 2015 Ford Mustang.
Sport 3 had eight entrants, and Nathan Doyle proved to be the quickest in a 2022 Hyundai Elantra. Some 8.091sec behind was James Nelson in a 2023 Honda Civic, followed by Dave Kunes, who drove a 1999 Chevrolet Corvette to third.
Six drivers made up the Sport 2 class, which was ultimately decided by 5.314sec. The victor was Michael Digiorgio in a 2004 Chevrolet Corvette. Sam Strano was second in a 2021 Ford Mustang, and Timothy Mason was third in a 2024 Ford Mustang.
There were a healthy number of contestants in Max 1 (M1). Of the seven drivers, Michael Young took top honors in a 2024 Chevrolet Corvette. The runner-up, only 8.894sec behind, was Timothy Lonergan in a 2007 Chevrolet Corvette. The third-place finisher was Maxim Livchak driving a 2006 Chevrolet Corvette.
Complete event results can be found via the button below.
NCM Superlative Awards
KONI Podium Celebrations cap every TTNT weekend, allowing an opportunity to laud top performers and those who earned special superlative awards.
Tuner 4 driver Marcin Jablonski was selected as the Top Novice at NCM. In a 2011 MINI Cooper, Jablonski showed fantastic on-track awareness en route to a fifth-place finish in class.
Most Improved honors went to another Tuner 4 driver, that being Jeremy Mitchell in a 2022 Volkswagen GTI. From Saturday morning’s practice session to the final timed segment Sunday afternoon, Jeremy managed to lop 10 seconds off his lap time.
The fastest rear-wheel-drive competitor, who turned a best lap of 2:13.435 in a 2024 Chevrolet Corvette, was M1 driver Michael Young. The fastest all-wheel-drive performer, with a lap of 2:35.908 in a 2013 Subaru Impreza, was S3’s Jeremy Hensley. Recognition for being fastest in a front-wheel-drive car went to U2’s James Rauck with the screamer of a 2:03.863 lap we mentioned earlier.
That brings us to Sarin Kodappully. Because of his extensive involvement with indoor karting, he was selected as the Crossover Award winner. He was also one of nine people at NCM who shared the Spirit of Time Trials award.
During his very first session on track Saturday, on his very first lap, Kodappully’s clutch blew up in the very first corner. A less-than-optimal beginning, Kodappully headed into town to grab parts needed to get back on track.
Saturday night, the transmission was being extracted from Kodappully’s 2014 Subaru BRZ thanks to heaps of help from others in the paddock, including: Nicholas Zelisko, Marcin Jablonski, Liam Parkes, Justin Vandergriff, Andrew Jackson, Daniel Lohan, Sean McPike, and Gavin Lam.
Come Sunday morning, Kodappully’s car was back on track, where he managed a lap of 2:26.699 on his way to victory in the Sport 5 class. Because of their teamwork in the face of adversity, Kodappully and his eight impromptu teammates all shared the Spirit of Time Trials honor.
Stay tuned to SCCA.com, the SCCA Time Trials webpage, and the SCCA National Time Trials page on Facebook for the latest Time Trials news.
