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dodint
December 31st, 2018, 10:31 AM
SCCA is starting a Nationals level Time Trial Tour. They did some primer events last year but this is the first full season. They're promoting a very chill 'fun with cars' atmosphere. It's basically Track Night in America with stopwatches.

https://timetrials.scca.com/ if you want to read about it and see the calendar:


April 13-14: Thunderhill Raceway; Willows, California
April 27-28: Pittsburgh International Race Complex; Wampum, Pennsylvania
May 25-26: Carolina Motorsports Park; Kershaw, South Carolina
June 8-9: Portland International Raceway; Portland, Oregon
June 15-16: High Plains Raceway; Deer Trail, Colorado
June 22-23: Heartland Motorsports Park; Topeka, Kansas
July 5-6: Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park; Thompson, Connecticut
July 27-28: GingerMan Raceway; South Haven, Michigan
September 27-29: NCM Motorsports Park; Bowling Green, Kentucky. (Tire Rack Time Trials Nationals)

I post a thread because I intend to run in three to four of these events. Tyler is running one of them with me (Kansas), and I believe Russ is looking at doing the Thunderhill event. I will be at Carolina and Kansas for sure, and am planning on also doing GingerMan and if I can swing it the Nationals event at NCM. Unfortunately I can't make it to PIRC because I have class that weekend, go figure.

The program is new but I have worked with some of the guys that run it and know it's a quality experience. Wanted to raise some awareness on it if anyone wanted to come out and drive, or just come out and spectate/party. I know for myself I intend to camp at the tracks for the weekend and try and enjoy that as much as the seat time.

I'll be towing the E46 to the events this year; Tyler is working to get the Z07 ready.

Just wanted to extend an open invitation to anyone that might want to come out and compete or just have a little GTXF get together at the track. Many of the tracks have karting during the weekend as well, etc.

Cheers!

dodint
December 31st, 2018, 11:10 AM
Oh, Ash will be at Carolina and probably Kansas for sure if that sweetens the deal for anyone. ;)

Cam
December 31st, 2018, 11:44 AM
:cool::up:

Tom Servo
December 31st, 2018, 10:17 PM
There is a smaller than zero chance that I'll be out of the country for Thunderhill, but if I'm not, I'd love to make it up there (though I feel a little lame showing up in a RAV4).

Cam
January 1st, 2019, 05:45 AM
I cannot participate, but would like to meet you at the track. I'll bring a camera. Unfortunately, there are no spectator facilities at Carolina Motorsport Park. You can only view the track from a small area near turn one or the paddock. :|

CudaMan
January 1st, 2019, 08:43 PM
< Needs a track car!

dodint
January 1st, 2019, 09:30 PM
A Ford Probe stole the show at the Nationals event last year. Run whatever. ;)

dodint
January 2nd, 2019, 05:12 AM
I cannot participate, but would like to meet you at the track. I'll bring a camera. Unfortunately, there are no spectator facilities at Carolina Motorsport Park. You can only view the track from a small area near turn one or the paddock. :|

We'd be thrilled to have you. :up:

Yeah, many of the tracks on the Tour are club-level and thus lack proper spectator amenities. PIRC is nice in that it has geography on its side, so there is a 'spectator hill' where you can see probably 80% of the track. NCM isn't great for spectators, but they have an observation platform on the roof of their main building so you can see all of pit lane and maybe 60% of the course. I have never been to CMP and I'm just going by the information online.

For CMP we're planning on getting in Friday evening and setting up camp, then staying at the track until the events are done Sunday afternoon. Registration is in February so I assume by then we'll have a proper schedule and supplemental regulations to give a clearer picture of what's happening.

CudaMan
January 3rd, 2019, 12:30 PM
The MR2 is too nice/rare to track, I think. And the Z would require thousands in cooling/brake upgrades for safety and longevity of the car. Next car is likely to be more a DD than a track type car, unless I end up with a fantastic deal on an FR-S or something.

dodint
January 3rd, 2019, 05:40 PM
Rent a C7. :hard:

dodint
January 3rd, 2019, 05:52 PM
Cuda, I mentioned it in an earlier thread but if you wanted to get out to one of these I am happy to share the E46. I am fairly certain we won't be in the same run group. :lol:

I made the same offer to Tyler, but it looks like he is on course to get the Z07 finished in time. Kansas is halfway.

The downside for you is that I am doing the midwest and east coast events. But, if you have the time and some travel money stashed away, come play.

Godson
January 3rd, 2019, 11:21 PM
Same applies with me, the Z07 will be available if you want to come back out to KC.and this car is not too nice to run ;)

dodint
May 8th, 2019, 06:46 PM
I'm doing some promotional work for SCCA TTN Tour. As a thanks they've given me a promotional code I can hand out to friends that will give you $50 off registration for any TTN event. If you use it I get $25 off TTNT Nationals at NCM at the end of the year. If anyone other than Tyler, who already has it, wants it let me know and I'll send it over.

Car sharing is also an option at TTN events if you don't have a ride of your own. No comp license needed, they'll give you one when you sign up.

dodint
May 8th, 2019, 06:50 PM
I cannot participate, but would like to meet you at the track. I'll bring a camera. Unfortunately, there are no spectator facilities at Carolina Motorsport Park. You can only view the track from a small area near turn one or the paddock. :|

You're welcome to stand on the van, at your own risk. The roof is 7ft in the air, might gain you some perspective.

Cam
May 9th, 2019, 04:35 AM
I was just wondering yesterday when this was happening. Just a couple of weeks away! :cool: Height is not really the problem. Only getting to take photos from one spot is the problem. :(

Cam
May 25th, 2019, 11:05 AM
It was great to finally meet the Gesses in person. I even got a ride in the car. It is a freakin' hot day today. The car's thermometer got up to 102F (39C)! Anyway, here's some photos. :D

3259 3260

Kchrpm
May 27th, 2019, 08:17 AM
Looking great :up:

CudaMan
May 29th, 2019, 09:44 AM
Good times! Nate you look tired.

dodint
May 29th, 2019, 10:11 AM
That was at noon on Saturday when Cam left. It was 102F when he was driving home and I had 40 minutes in the car already. :P

I didn't feel tired through the weekend; dragging ass now though.

Phil_SS
June 3rd, 2019, 08:46 AM
Do you get money off for the stickers on your car?

dodint
June 3rd, 2019, 12:11 PM
They're required by the series. They're sponsors so, yeah, in a way. But TT doesn't have a contingency program, unfortunately. Unless you count TireRack Rewards.

The TireRack sticker over the rear wheel arches were optional, stuck them on for the hell of it.

dodint
June 25th, 2019, 08:22 AM
Had a really exceptional weekend with Ash, Tyler, Dakota, and Murphy at Heartland Motorsports Park.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3323&d=1561478361

Dakota took first and Tyler rounded out the podium. Really happy to see Tyler and the C4 turning hot laps this weekend.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3324&d=1561478384

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3325&d=1561478848

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3327&d=1561479010

Tyler turned up after 9pm on Friday and worked until something like 3am. I made it to 1am with him but I had a 5k foot race to run in the morning so I went to bed.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3326&d=1561478913

That is Dakota's blue Camaro. It was proper fast, and the course was wet. I think he took 5th overall and 1st in Sport 2. He has a video of him almost eating some wall but he wrangled it back under control, thankfully.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3328&d=1561479028

This is us sheltering in place during a very bad storm. Our camp was destroyed but our friend Charles had rented a garage so we salvaged what we could and slept in there for the night.

http://gtxforums.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=3329&d=1561479040

Just a really good time with friends at a fun track to learn. Very different than CMP for sure.

Godson
June 26th, 2019, 07:46 AM
I had a blast, I'll be getting my post weekend experience up once some things slow down a touch!

Trying to figure out how to pull NCM!

dodint
June 26th, 2019, 08:16 AM
NCM has the potential to be a really big event. I'm angling towards making sure I get to NCM and sacrificing Gingerman if I have to.

Godson
July 8th, 2019, 06:03 PM
Just got word that I am approved off for the entire weekend for this!!!

dodint
July 16th, 2019, 06:47 AM
Yeah, I just put in my leave slip as well, including the Holley Day. I'm going to leave Wednesday at noon, so I'll get there around 8ish on Wednesday night.
It might be smart for me to put on a fresh set of pads after Gingerman next weekend as we're going to get a ton of seat time at NCM.

My Hankook RS-4s are holding up very well. Some shoulder wear on the fronts from CMP but other than that they're good as new.

Godson
July 17th, 2019, 03:06 PM
I registered at 1230 today. Looks like the will be a ton of people here.

dodint
July 18th, 2019, 02:35 AM
Registration was over 100 by the time I went to bed. The cap is 200. I'm still not convinced they'll hit it but it'll be interesting.

Godson
September 20th, 2019, 01:39 PM
Just found out THE Andy Pilgrim is going to be at the Holley test day this Thursday. Literally a dream come true for me. Andy is a super cool dude who can flat out wheel.

This trip is getting better and better. Just hope I can keep the car together.

Godson
September 23rd, 2019, 07:47 PM
Clothes are packed, Dakota's tow rig is ready, I need to get an oil change for the truck before we head out.

So I need to get the jeep off the trailer (it doesn't run, that POS), the Corvette loaded, and tools packed.

Full send time!

dodint
September 24th, 2019, 05:21 AM
https://media.giphy.com/media/xT5LMPMM9ohBpKfF5u/giphy.gif

Cam
September 24th, 2019, 05:58 AM
:(

dodint
September 24th, 2019, 06:01 AM
When I put this date on the calendar last year I didn't consider it would be in the mid-90s the whole week. I thought it was going to be my relaxed event. Of the four events I competed in only one had reasonable temps, and that's because it was raining almost the whole time (Heartland).

dodint
September 29th, 2019, 08:05 PM
Despite blowing two motors that was far and away the premiere motorsports weekend of my life. Where do we from here, T?

One Lap? :devil:

Godson
September 30th, 2019, 07:30 AM
I'd like a national win before I chase out one lap. :)

Kchrpm
September 30th, 2019, 09:13 AM
Some pictures

https://photos.app.goo.gl/97WAAJiYMQL3ZiH68

CudaMan
September 30th, 2019, 10:19 PM
:up:

Both Vette and BMW lost their engines?? And what happened to the kidney? :)

dodint
October 1st, 2019, 06:53 AM
The Vette threw a rod at the end of Thursday. Since timed events were not starting until Saturday Tyler tried to source a motor but the nearest we could find was in Arkansas. Failing that, we put Tyler in my car as a co-drive.
The BMW lost the oil pump in the very last lap of the very last session on Saturday. From the sound of things it's terminal so we shut it down. That ended Tylers weekend and I accepted a co-drive in an '18 Focus ST.

When the BMW blew up on Saturday night we still had two time-attack sessions left to go on Sunday, the best time of which would count for our total event time. I posted on the Facebook group "it was a great weekend, good luck everyone!" Four people walked over to my garage and offered me a co-drive for Sunday. A caged BMW M3 in T3, a caged BMW SpecE46 build in T4, a Ford Fiesta, and a Ford Focus ST. The last two offers were in-class, which meant my time would count. Because the Focus driver was from Pittsburgh and I hung out with him at other Tour events this year I took him up on the offer.

It was an incredibly gracious offer that ultimately contributed to him being given the Spirit of TT award at the end of the event, which was really great. It let me off the hook a little bit because I hopped in his car and took second place, knocking him off the podium. I got 4 total hot laps in the Focus spread over two sessions and I came within a second of the owners time in the car, which was good enough for 4th in class for that day (2:37). I've never tracked a FWD and/or turbo car before so it was an all around new experience and challenge for me. I'm really grateful Dan gave me the opportunity.

The Focus, you can vaguely see the '93' chalked onto the back windows:

http://nathangess.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ncm-focus-1.jpg

Tyler and I were doing some video review, shot right before the session he took it out and experienced the oil pressure loss:

http://nathangess.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ncm-tn-1.jpg

I ran the fastest lap of the weekend in class with a 2:33. Tyler was able to get down to 2:38 which was faster than two of our class competitors; he also had the fastest in-class TrackSprint (point to point) time, which was great, his auto-x background shone through there.

It stung a bit to have the win slip away because of a mechanical, and I'm not coming back to that class again next year, but the program is experiential and I went through a wide range of scenarios and emotions this weekend. It was formative, for lack of a better word. I've been improving all year and I very often wonder if I'm doing very good, or very bad. Getting to co-drive two completely different cars and wheeling them both very well went a long way to validating my skill and potential. This was my first time ever at NCM and I was ahead of some guys that ran this event last year. It was fun coaching Tyler and Dan and collaborating with them on strategy and setup.

You REALLY need to circle it on the calendar next year Cuda, these events are a lot of fun and Nationals is over the top. Ride with Tony R. :D

It's hard to believe that meeting and picking Andy Pilgrim's brain was not the most memorable thing of the weekend. :lol:

Cam
October 1st, 2019, 07:22 AM
:cool:

dodint
October 1st, 2019, 07:44 AM
Oh, the kidney. It fell off while driving in the parking garage at work a few months ago. I found it the next day, after it had been run over a few times. I cobbled it back together and super glued it in until I could source a new one. The intense heat and direct sun of the Kentucky weekend weakened the glue enough that it got loose, so we took it off on Saturday. I ended up throwing it away, Keith has some pictures with it in the link above.

Godson
October 1st, 2019, 11:05 AM
Cuda, you definitely need to make it to one. It is awesome fun.

My experience was also amazing.

I arrived on Wednesday night around 615 and began unloading things and getting ready. Thursday started up and I passed on the first session of the day because of getting the car stickered up, tires swapped, etc. I passed on my second session to listen to Andy Pilgrim give us his track breakdown. Which ended up being invaluable. It was very cool. His breakdown was also streamed online, so I will post it up.

My first on track session ended up being in the rain, which was fucking terrifying with a c4 Corvette. The bilsteins I bought have less than decent valving. I'm pretty sure I would be comfortable calling them shit. They have like 3 k miles on them too. The wipers would wipe, water would roll of the windshield and splash into my eyes. I wasnt able to see a damn thing. It was miserable.

On session 2 of car, I do a once over and check fluid levels, and I SWEAR I saw bronze on the dipstick. I top off the oil and go out for another session at the peer pressure of others, and because I wasn't going to just let this weekend by after all the prep work I put into it.

Halfway through the session my oil temps, which had been 240-250, spike to 295 with a loss of power in like 10-15 seconds. I put the car in 6th and get the revs down as much as possible and limp to pits. I let it cool, top off oil, and check it again after dinner. Definitely a rod knock. I'll post video up later tonight.

Nate offers me a co-drive and I take it because the closest engine I trust is 6 hours away. I get my class swapped, and familiarize myself with his car on Fridays first session. I'm in the back of the pack and stuck behind an early SN95 Mustang THAT WILL NOT POINT 3 of us by. On the last lap, he blows his radiator and spews coolant everywhere outside of 1b to 2 as I am waving my arms like a wild man to get him off track.

We pit in at end of session and have the coaches talk with the mustang about it. Next time I go out, I'm gridded 15th, behind the mustang...... After two laps of me up his ass, I finally get a point by on the front straight. He stays full throttle the whole way up.... I wasn't happy but made the pass at my breaking zone, he dives in behind me and almost gets rear-ended by another mustang going for the pass also. I give myself the option to blow the corner and take the safe exit to avoid the corner but ultimately don't need it.

I quickly pull from him, then give the next car, an S550 mustang, a point by where he then goes wide later in the lap at sinkhole. The S550 was a very erratic driver. I get down to a 2'42 here, still not happy but getting the feel for the car.

The next practice session goes without too much drama, I'm still not much faster because of traffic and just not sure what the car is going to do, or the track for the matter.

Track sprint comes up and Nate and I elect for us to run all 3 as one driver, switch, then do the other three. I'm first to run. We start at turn 6, go down through 13, then jump on the front straight to 1a through 3 with the timing lights outside of 4. First run was slow and not sure about my breaking point for turn "14" onto the straight. Second run is better, and ultimately my fastest time, I think. Nate has the videos on this.

My first timed session I drop down to the low 2'40s. Still not happy yet, but I am making headway. Nate was clipping 2'34s pretty consistent, and I knew I needed to be down there if I wanted a chance at podium. Even with my Time Attack lead.

Next session of the day I prepare to go out and Nate tells me to get under 2'40 or don't bring the car back. Smacks my helmet, and I head to grid.

First lap out I'm stuck behind traffic and trying to get a point by, it finally happens and I take it with vigor. After 1 lap he isnt even in my mirror anymore. Another 2'40 clicks off. Lap 3 comes up and I start tossing the car into the corners and over the curbs at Nate's recommendation. I can feel the car sliding and slipping, tires are working but not squealing. I tuck the front end in tight out of the sinkhole and load the cars suspension for the esses and feed throttle for a good drive down the front straight. 2'38.8 pops up on the timer to a checkered flag. I am happy as hell. Finally felt like I knew where to place the car and what to do with it.

I put in and review what I did and talk more with Nate and all about next plan. I go out and first flying lap I money shift at table top from 4th to 3rd. I catch it fairly quick and get the car back into the right gear, engine still feels good. No noise that I could tell. Lap botched. I prep for next lap. Next lap starts and going strong on the lap. I get onto the esses and I hear engine noise and lift, I get off the racing line on the front straight and shut it down and park on the backside of 1b and wait for a tow. After reviewing the video the low oil light illuminated in t5 and I didn't notice it. After changing oil and checking things out, we decide it is most likely an oil pump failure.

My racing at this point was over, and I am ok with that. I had a blast driving Nate's car. The track is amazing. Very technical and extremely fast in places. Turn 1a is usually 65+ mph. It's freaking nutty how to take it fast.

I can't wait to do it again.

dodint
October 1st, 2019, 12:16 PM
Turn 1a is usually 65+ mph. It's freaking nutty how to take it fast.

"You can take Turn 1a at 80mph." -Andy Pilgrim.

Yes, Andy, YOU can. :toast:

CudaMan
October 5th, 2019, 08:08 PM
Cool stories, bros! :) Engine troubles aside.

Everything I've heard is that people really enjoyed themselves at this event. Makes me wonder if it's one of those things that can't be replicated, or may change its face over time. Regardless, it sounds like it's worth the trip somehow, even if just to hang out geeking out at the track for a while.

I don't know about riding with Tony R, I've done 3 hours in a stock S2k and that was quite enough thanks. :lol: He's hardcore driving that thing as far as he has. And his gf is very generous and trusting, given that the S2k is her baby.

Nate, you talked elsewhere about maybe doing a Single Tour of the USA as a next step. After next May I'll be able to tell you from experience whether it's a good time or not. :cool: But I suspect you already have a good idea.

dodint
October 6th, 2019, 10:02 AM
Cuda, it's the second year of the TT Nationals and by all accounts it's been a fantastic social event that happens to have some on-track action with it both years so far. I got to bring Ash and my Uncle to hang with Tyler, Keith, Dakota, and everyone else I've met on the tour this year. I'm not a very extroverted person but this series has a way of getting me to open up and dialogue with people. The event has a cap of 200 entries; last year it had about 130 and this year it had 194. The consensus is that it will fill up next year.

I have a high interest in the program and have talked at length with the program leads (mostly JonK, but also others) and there is a reserved concern that the #OneTeam mentality will melt away over time as people begin to put together SRS BZNESS builds specifically for the program. So far we don't seem to be there. That said, the Tour is going to look a little different next year. The SCCA as a whole isn't happy with how the non-Nationals tour events are under attended and won't support them without partner contributions. So they're shifting the branding somewhat to a pro-am/ladder mentality and co-sponsoring events with professional time trial organizations like Global Time Attack. Next year's Tour will have fewer dates and most of those dates will be shared with other organizations. In my opinion that will dilute the jovial atmosphere the tour enjoys now simply by putting a focus on winning and also sharing the paddock with professional racers that are not just there to turn laps and eat sausages.
All that said, the Nationals date at NCM is entering year three of a ten year deal and I don't anticipate that specific event changing much, particularly if it's capped at 200. I think to do more entries they'd have to do more days, because right now they're running 6 groups w/33 cars per group and it's pretty much maxed out.

The pointy end of the field is sharp, but everyone seems to be having fun. You really should come out if you can make it. I am anticipating that Tyler's car is completely sorted by then, if he doesn't need a seat you're welcome to co-drive the E46. It will be in SpecE46 trim by then, so in Tuner 3.

Regarding your May travel plans, that's fantastic. Any idea what you'll be traveling in? Might be able to see you in Ohio if you don't mind the company. I have a very reserved idea about making that trip myself one day. I think it takes more than just being quick, but rather a certain compatibility with your partner and that's why I've talked about it with Tyler in the past, he might be the only person I know that I'm that comfortable with across that many disciplines. I'm still several years away from doing it. Good luck!

CudaMan
October 7th, 2019, 04:24 PM
Sounds like you have found Your People. It was like that for me when I discovered autocross in 1999.

Does it take Tour participation to qualify for TT Nats? That used to be the M.O. in autocross, but no longer. 'Course, Solo Nationals can handle ~1300 people so there's not a huge incentive to make it exclusive.

Seems like NCM is a really fun track. Kind of far for us on the West coast, but for anyone east of the Rockies it's in a great location.

It's too early for me to plan specifically for it but I'd definitely like to keep it on the radar. It'd have to be some kind of fly-in and co-drive arrangement. Thanks for the awesome offer too! :up:

At OLOA I'll be driving a lightly modded GT-R (aero, suspension, wide wheels/tires). The owner is just in it for fun, not to compete. In our discussions already on prepping for next year I'm finding it hard not to think competitively. :lol: I need to learn the event format and find out how much free time one may have at the track, but I understand people do swing by to watch and see their buds sometimes. It'd be cool to see you there! And yeah, from what I've heard, you have to team up with someone you can get along with for 175 hours straight. :p And who you can also trust not to wreck the car.

Godson
October 7th, 2019, 04:30 PM
"...not wreck the car."


What about blow it up?

Phil_SS
October 7th, 2019, 04:57 PM
At OLOA I'll be driving a lightly modded GT-R (aero, suspension, wide wheels/tires).

Sweet! Just had a look at the schedule and they are coming to Nelson’s Ledges.

Should be able to make a weekend out of it. As long as Mr Trivia Night and Sir Bionic Hip can take a break.

dodint
October 7th, 2019, 05:04 PM
SCCA TT National Tour Nationals is, technically, not recognized as a 'jacket' championship like Solo Nats or the road racing Runoffs. As such, other than having a 200 participant cap, it has no other entry restrictions. There were some novices (ask Tyler, haha, he was stuck with them) who showed up with this as their first track event. Luckily the run groups are based on experience and then broken down further by car potential/lap time (so, 3 advanced groups, 2 intermediates, 1 Novice).

Nashville and Louisville both have decent sized airports and are relatively close to Bowling Green, just sayin'.

Someone summed NCM up pretty well; it's a technical track that's also fast. I spent four days on track there and there are entire segments I was never able to unpack. Can't wait to go back.

Try not to sweat wrecking the car, even AWH can put a Mclaren on it's side so nobody is perfect. ;)

dodint
October 7th, 2019, 05:12 PM
"...not wreck the car."


What about blow it up?

I'll state again for the record:

My car failed because I failed to prepare it. I haven't done the forensics but we're all pretty sure a simple and well known $12 nut would've prevented this.

I can't say why your car failed. ;)

CudaMan
October 7th, 2019, 10:40 PM
LOL. And I wasn't referring to you Tyler, btw. :) So you got put in the Rank Novice run group? Sounds like there might be more stories there. ;)

Awesome Phil! Hope you can make it. I haven't been to Nelson Ledges, just heard of it. I'm looking forward to studying it and eventually driving it. Of the tracks on the schedule, I've only done Road Atlanta (one race) and VIR (demo laps in a stock GT-R). The rest will be new to me.

From their site: " If you are local to any of the venues please feel free to come on out. If you can't make it out in person, be sure to follow all of the action on our Facebook page featuring daily Live-Streams, team interviews, behind the scenes moments and more."

Andy discovered later what caused his off-course excursion. Basically, something rubbed a hole in a coolant hose and the flat floor of the car let the expelled coolant pool in one area, dumping it in front of a rear wheel kind of all at once under braking.

dodint
October 8th, 2019, 08:08 AM
Yeah, what really sucks is McLaren knew about the issue before Andy did.

dodint
October 16th, 2019, 05:16 AM
Sweet! Just had a look at the schedule and they are coming to Nelson’s Ledges.

Should be able to make a weekend out of it. As long as Mr Trivia Night and Sir Bionic Hip can take a break.

Nelson's Ledges has been replaced with Gingerman (South Haven, MI).
VIR has been replaced with Summit Point (WV).

Gingerman is a fun course, albeit short at like 2.2 miles.

I'll probably still make an effort to get down to Summit Point to watch. It's about 3.5 hours for me. It's also more accessible to The359 if he wants to come out, so that's cool.

dodint
November 20th, 2019, 06:31 AM
New year, new schedule:



https://timetrials.scca.com/articles/2013165-2020-tire-rack-scca-national-tour-powered-by-hagerty

Round 1: March 28/29, Location TBA, CA
Round 2: May 8/9, Road Atlanta, Braselton, GA (with Global Time Attack)
Round 3: May 23/24, Carolina Motorsports Park, Kershaw, SC
Round 4: June 6/7, Eagles Canyon Raceway, Decatur, TX
Round 5: June 13/14, The Ridge Motorsports Park, Shelton, WA (with Global Time Attack)
Round 6: July 3/4, Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park, Thompson, CT
Round 7: July 18/19, GingerMan Raceway, South Haven, MI
Round 8: August 8/9, Nelson Ledges Road Course, Garrettsville, OH
Round 9: August 29/30, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ (with Global Time Attack)
Time Trials Nationals: September 17-20, NCM Motorsports Park, Bowling Green, KY



I will be at Carolina, Thompson, Gingerman, Nelson, NCM, and maybe but not likely NJMP.

I'm putting out feelers with some folks to see if we can turn Gingerman into a mini-GTXF meet. It's in South Haven, Michigan which is a few miles from lake Michigan. It's a really pleasant piece of property, even has a pond you can fish in. These events have a very large social component, Fri/Sat nights they provide a cookout dinner and free beer. It's a camping thing for me and most folks, but you could conceivably go into South Haven for a hotel if you want. This track has nice showers, a social hall, refreshment stand, and somewhere to charge phones and stuff. Generally there is no entry fee for spectators unless the track charges independently.

My car will be prepped to NASA SpecE46/SCCA T3 level for next season. Fully stripped interior, cage, harnesses, spec exhaust, suspension, and a new-to-me motor. I've invited Phil to co-drive for Gingerman and/or Nelson Ledges. I'm hoping to get other people into the car throughout the season as well.

I know Tyler is in for Nats at least, and maybe Road Atlanta. Would be fun to get the Gingerman thing going. The Nelson Ledges track has improved a lot, but the guest facilities are basically non-existent. That's why I'm encouraging meeting up at Gingerman.

2ndMoparMan
November 20th, 2019, 02:10 PM
I might have to attend the Road Atlanta event since it's so close.

dodint
November 20th, 2019, 05:16 PM
If you do I have a promo code I can give you that might knock a few bucks off the price. They told me it would be good for 2020 but they say a lot of stuff that ends up getting conveniently forgotten.

Cam
November 21st, 2019, 04:47 AM
Hopefully, it won't be 100F in Kershaw this time. Man, I couldn't stand it. :(

dodint
November 21st, 2019, 04:56 AM
Yeah, that was nuts. I didn't really feel it until I was done driving on Sunday, but it hit me like a ton of bricks when we were packing up.

My buddy Scott plans to come down and co-drive with me at Carolina. He's never done any kind of racing at all before, true novice. Should be a blast.

Cam
November 21st, 2019, 06:41 AM
:cool::up:

CudaMan
November 21st, 2019, 07:18 AM
The schedule looks pretty east-coast and midwest biased. Too bad Eagles Canyon isn't before OLOA. :)

Wonder why so secretive about the CA event...

dodint
November 21st, 2019, 08:02 AM
The contract isn't signed.

And yeah, there is a lot of grumbling about the lack of west coast events. And by not negotiating a date with Kansas or Colorado they've effectively punched a hole in the central midwest as well.

I'm very fortunate. They couldn't come to an agreement with Pittrace, a track 35 minutes away, so they're going to Nelson Ledges, which is 90 minutes away. It's a new venue for me and I won't have to take any time off work for it. :up:

Godson
January 9th, 2020, 11:56 AM
I just put in for my first event off, I will be trying to do Carolina Motorsports Park.

dodint
January 9th, 2020, 12:01 PM
Does this mean you're out for Road Atlanta?

I'm trying to be at CMP. The SpecE46 won't be ready, I'm almost certain. Thinking of trading the Z4 on an interim DD/track day car I can run in Sport class. Or I might try to find a co-drive. Or drive the Vette if Tyler does go.

I have no idea, really. I can't imagine not finding *something* though.

dodint
January 9th, 2020, 12:06 PM
The schedule looks pretty east-coast and midwest biased. Too bad Eagles Canyon isn't before OLOA. :)

Wonder why so secretive about the CA event...

Not sure if you follow the FB group, but all signs point to:

Autoclub Speedway

I have a really kind of out there plan to attend that one but there are a lot of pieces that would have to fall into place for that to work.

Godson
January 9th, 2020, 08:05 PM
Heh, the partial oval with infield looks like a penis.


I'll probably skip RA, because honestly, I need to just get the car healthy first. That gives me an additional 2 weeks. Truth be told, I'll be fighting to make that happen most likely. I'm also under the impression that RA is hard on cars, and on drivers.

Dunno how accurate that ideas is though.

dodint
January 10th, 2020, 05:42 AM
Other than the surface being hardened gravel (repave is coming in 2020, just after the TTNT event) CMP is a pretty good place to shake down a build. Relatively flat, not a lot of stuff to hit. I'll probably get a 'garage' bay this year so if you do have to tear into it you won't have to do it on the sand. Road Atlanta is a tough place to start a season at with a car that is untested. Then again, that's a long tow to make if the car does shit the bed, and it's in the middle of nowhere so we can't just zip down to the parts store real quick.

My uncle lives in Maryville, TN. Last year we met up at his place on Thursday night and drove to the track Friday.

Cam
May 6th, 2020, 07:38 AM
If the current weather trend continues, it should be very pleasant at CMP. Difficult to predict two weeks out though. This time last year it was already 95+F (35C) every day.

dodint
May 6th, 2020, 11:22 AM
There is currently a conflict between the SC Phase 1 reopening and the TTNT format. The track can technically only support six cars on a rental weekend. We're kind of in a holding pattern until that gets sorted.

There are 69 (*giggity*) cars entered as of today.

Cam
May 6th, 2020, 02:44 PM
Hmm. :thppt:

dodint
May 11th, 2020, 06:57 AM
Yup, I'm out. I de-registered. I don't want to speak for him but I'm pretty sure Tyler is out as well, a combination of travel restrictions and mechanical concerns.

Cam
May 11th, 2020, 06:03 PM
Disappointing, but understandable. :(

Godson
May 11th, 2020, 09:01 PM
Likely I won't make it.


Most likely from me murdering someone.

dodint
May 12th, 2020, 06:38 AM
It's a real Cain and Able situation over there.

Godson
May 12th, 2020, 06:09 PM
Har har....

dodint
May 27th, 2020, 08:26 AM
Tyler and I will be at Eagles Canyon in Texas driving in the TTNT event June 6-7. If he can't get the C4 up in time we'll be sharing the SRT-4.

It's a 20 hour tow each way for me. But Eagles Canyon is on the schedule for One Lap in 2021 and Tyler and I are registered for that as well. So I'm doing this is as track reconnaissance effort.

dodint
June 18th, 2020, 05:46 PM
Eagles Canyon was a lot of fun. Beautiful track. Got to shake down the new car at a new track, a very informative weekend.

My best runs:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gv8-bFyw8U

Tyler's best runs:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0kTQFqmNEg

I absolutely love having a co-driver, particularly one with the passion, drive, and engineering acuity that Tyler has. I'd share any car with him at any track. Below is our best Tracksprint runs set side-by-side. If I could get this kind of feedback every race weekend I'd learn a ton more.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqCmWC6Upsc

I had fun. I don't feel like I came close to my potential but will do better as I get to know the car better. Also, we put over 4 hours of track time on an untested car in near triple digit heat and it didn't flinch; I couldn't be prouder of my $4500 shitbox.

Cam
June 19th, 2020, 05:29 AM
:cool::up:

Rare White Ape
June 19th, 2020, 05:48 AM
Sick laps bros. I love to see shit* cars like the Neon getting punished to within an inch :D






*Shit, but good

dodint
June 19th, 2020, 05:16 PM
Cam, how far are you from Road Atlanta? The spring event that was postponed is being moved to October/November sometime and Tyler and I will likely be there. Him with the Vette and me with the Viper or M6.

dodint
June 19th, 2020, 05:21 PM
Sick laps bros. I love to see shit* cars like the Neon getting punished to within an inch :D






*Shit, but good

I know what you mean. It's fun being able to flog something knowing I could leave it at the track and not be financially devastated if I rolled it.

I'll be taking it to Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park in two weeks. Should be a much calmer event with only one driver. ;)

Godson
June 21st, 2020, 06:23 PM
Nate, thanks for the kind words. I had an absolute blast.



I want back out there.

dodint
June 21st, 2020, 08:08 PM
Ginger...man.