Time Trial Techniques: 2021 Champions

The NASA Championships at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca are right around the corner. With that in mind, we’re revisiting our Time Trial Techniques series, and we hope contenders at this year’s Championships event in Monterey, Calif., will use the information to help their efforts this year.

We sent out questionnaires to podium finishers from the 2021 NASA Championships at Daytona International Speedway, and we heard back from three of them who wanted to take the time to answer questions for the benefit of any Time Trial driver interested enough to read them.

Hailing from the NASA NOLA Region, Joey D. Dumas is the 2021 TT3 national champion. Dumas finished first at Daytona by 2 seconds over the second- and third-place finishers.

2021 TT1 Champion Johnny Miller also responded with some great information as did NASA Florida’s TT4 standout driver David Farrar, who finished second in TT4 at Daytona.

Whether you’re a Time Trial driver or not, there’s some great information here that could help you turn faster laps. Read on to find out how these drivers dig deep to turn faster laps throughout a day, and an event like the NASA Championships.

Name: Joey D. Dumas
Region: NASA NOLA
Car: 2014 Porsche Carrera 4S
Years Racing: 4 1/2 (4 years of HPDE)

Q: When you go out for a TT session, what is your approach?

A: I get a good night’s sleep the night before and on track day I rid myself of any distractions so I’m focused on one thing: driving as best I can. It’s game time and I take it very seriously, but I also have a lot of fun.

Q: Does your approach change as the temperatures change throughout the day?

A: As temperatures increase throughout the day, especially in the south, hydration is important for the driver and tire pressures are important for the car. My Chillout Systems cool shirt helps big time with keeping me cool in the car. I even have one for the paddock for in between sessions. Heat drains me and I don’t drive as well as the day goes on if I’m sweating the whole day. All of these things make a huge difference for me.

Q: What are the small things you can do throughout the day to maximize the car?

A: If I’m at a new track, we might make minor changes to my rear spoiler to increase or decrease downforce in the rear, but generally Mike has already researched all that ahead of time and it’s dialed in. Tire pressure adjustment is of great importance, too. It’s the first thing I adjust as quickly as I get out of the car so the tires are still hot. Basically, I’m thinking about the next session as soon as I get off track.

Q: How do you keep tabs on your competition?

A: For the National Championships, I looked at how they compared to other drivers on other tracks and looked to see if they’ve ever run at Daytona. We also kept up with how they did throughout the weekend on the Race Hero app so I’d have an idea of what I was up against and how much I needed to improve and where I could improve.

Q: What role did car construction play in your success in this year’s Championships?

A: I have zero doubt that if my car had not been built (suspension and aero) by Michael Jordan, the Gulf Coast’s Porsche guru, of Jordan Automotive, I wouldn’t have even made any level of the podium. He knows his stuff and I trust him unconditionally. He’s also a TT2 Porsche GT3 driver. My car was clearly disadvantaged on the outside NASCAR portion at Daytona, but he had it dialed in for the infield. It was handling amazing. We knew that the infield, Bus Stop, carrying speed going onto the outside and late braking coming in to the infield was where I’d have to shine, because I’d be slower in the long high-speed areas.

Q: What role does car preparation play in your success, in general?

A: Preparation and setup, particularly track alignment and tire pressures, are everything for maximizing grip. We consulted with Johnny at Track Day Tire on air pressures for my Hoosiers since it’s so critical at Daytona. Those guys are great! Every single employee at Track Day Tire is super nice and genuinely cares. They don’t just sell tires and wish you luck. They’re there to help.

Q: How did you choose your car for TT competition?

A: It was pretty easy for me. I had the car already, and loved it. I went to law school later in life and it was my graduation present to myself. It’s my baby! I didn’t do anything special to make it a TT3 car and try to get any unfair advantage playing with the ECU. I just took the car to where most everyone in the NOLA region goes to, Pelligrini Performance, and asked Jay to weigh and dyno it for me, help me fill out the paperwork and tell me my car class. It naturally fell in TT3. I had zero desire to try to make it fit in a lower class or get close to any gray areas. I just wanted to let it fall in whatever class it should naturally be in and make myself a better driver to win, and win with integrity. That’s the only way I’d enjoy any victory. Plus I lack the knowledge to try to game the system even if I wanted to. The spirit of the rules is more important to me than winning by trying to game the rules.

Q: What do you during an event to plan and prepare for the next?

A: I’m a big believer in video. I watch my videos from my in-car camera ad nauseam looking for ways to improve, especially on curves. Before the Garmin Catalyst came out, I would use a stopwatch and time myself through various areas and take notes on my entry speed and angle of attack, my speed maintained throughout the curve and my angle and speed on exit of a curve. I also would look at my speed on straights, at certain landmarks, so I’d know if I exited the previous curve with enough momentum.

At Daytona in particular, I found I could drop time at the Kink, the Bus Stop, by late-braking before entering the infield and carrying momentum exiting the infield onto high banks. I had to do that to win because if I didn’t carry extra speed exiting curves, my competitors would gain on me too much on the straights for me to be able to make it up on the inside. Basically using the exit speed so it’s like getting a running start on the long straights.

My car was too slow on the high-speed outside to compete otherwise. In summary, it takes a lot of research and studying to win as well as good sleep, nutrition and hydration. I wasn’t there to go out at night and enjoy the city of Daytona. I was there to do my absolute best during the day at the track for me, my crew chief, my sponsors, my friends that traveled there from all over the country, my home region, and my friends I grew up with back home watching online from Citronelle, Ala., and along the Gulf Coast. It was a really big deal for all of us and it turned out to be one of the greatest weekends of my life. I’m still glowing!

Name: David Farrar
Region: NASA Florida
Car: 2003 Honda S2000
Years Racing: 8

Q: When you go out for a TT session, what is your approach?

A: It really depends on the situation. Is it a good, cool, early morning session? Or is it a later, hotter session? I tend to save my better tires for the fastest sessions of the day, but for my full-send sessions, I make sure to warm the car up exactly right on the out lap, give myself the right amount of room to the car in front and then let her rip. I run 95 percent on lap one and 100 percent on lap two.

Q: Does your approach change as the temperatures change throughout the day?

A: Yes, 100 percent. I usually only do the later afternoon sessions if I made a mistake in the morning, or if I am at a new track and just want to enjoy the seat time. Plus, you never know when some good cloud cover may come in!

Q: What are the small things you can do throughout the day to maximize the car?

A: I monitor tire pressures throughout the day. And even make some minor wing adjustments before going out on track depending on the conditions. Keep a note pad or something handy to record any changes you may make. This will come in handy later!

Q: How do you keep tabs on your competition?

A: I know most of the TT4 drivers in the Florida and Southeast regions. I also know what the drivers do in terms of lap times or what the car is capable of. I watch YouTube videos of other TT4 cars at different tracks around the country. Not to mention using Race Hero to see what is going on at other NASA events.

Q: What role did car construction play in your success in this year’s championships?

A: I spent the beginning part of 2021 updating the motor and getting closer to its class optimal power to weight. Also, since I knew going into Daytona that I was bringing the wrong car for that track, I made some big aero changes. And these updates made a massive improvement to the car’s
performance at such a high-speed, high-drag track. It also helps to have one of the greatest mentors, Ian Stewart, to help guide me on car setup decisions.

Q: What role does car preparation play in your success, in general?

A: I’m definitely a planner, maybe too much. So, I do most of my car preparation before I even leave. I also do a lot research for the specific track and set the car up how I feel it will get along with it best. Is it a high-speed, high-drag track? Is aero really not important? Is it really bumpy? What are the weather and temperature going to be like? All of these things and more play into the setup of the car.

Q: How did you choose your car for TT4 competition?

A: That’s actually a funny story and I bet it’s similar to other drivers. The S2000 is just the car I owned when I started tracking back in November 2014. I used it for my entire DE progression and carried it over into Time Trial. So, when I got to TT I just figured out where the car fit best and built it for that class. With all of the recent updates to the classing rules, I know the car isn’t optimized as best as it could be. But there’s just something incredible about pushing this car that I’ve spent 10 years owning and learning to its absolute limit. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

Q: What do you during an event to plan and prepare for the next?

A: Data, data, data and more data. During my DE days, I found reviewing video to be the most important. But in TT you may be looking for half of a tenth of second to make the difference between first and second place. The only way to see that is through reviewing real, detailed data. I’ve been using my AiM Solo2 along with bringing my laptop to the track for a couple of years now, and I would highly recommend that to a driver who is looking to take his or her driving to the next level. I enjoy reviewing data and coaching so much that I have actually turned it into a side job and cofounded Alliance Driver Academy. Watching and learning how others drive has made an impact on my own driving style as well.

Name: Johnny Miller
Region: NASA Southeast
Car: 2008 Chevrolet Corvette Z06
Years Racing: 40 years, starting with autocross, club racing, Trans-Am, NASCAR and IMSA

Q: When you go out for a TT session, what is your approach?

A: Beforehand, I review my handwritten track-map notes or data and video from the previous session or weekend. I find the most important track sections to focus on to repeat previous successes as well as a couple of areas where I can improve as the driver.

During the event, I abide by the rules and I am heads up and respectful – but not patient. I am aggressive toward the car and the track, but not other competitors. I drive the car “I have” for the session, work around car challenges and work on all aspects of the driving. All drivers make hundreds of decisions during a two-minute lap where the difference in a track position can be a few slow blinks of the eye. Drivers are far from perfect and can always improve.

I focus on fluids and tire warmup during the out lap and strive to achieve my lowest lap time during laps one through three. I run data acquisition, so sometimes staying out in traffic to the end of the session and working on specific sections of the track can be helpful for my after-session info download. If I stay out, I make it count for something.

Afterward, I hand-document notes about the session, lap, car etc., to a track map. I review the notes with data and video of the car to look for areas to improve as a driver first, and then include possible setup and prep changes either at the track or back home to the car to enhance its performance.

Q: Does your approach change as the temperatures change throughout the day?

A: Yes. I make sure I am ready for the early sessions. When it is cool, the track has more grip and my car makes more power than during a hot afternoon session. However, if traffic is more of an issue than the lack of grip or power, I will run in the afternoon when traffic is usually lighter to improve my grid position. Many regional event sessions in the afternoon have minimal traffic and would allow you to overcome the heat challenges with just a clean lap – then document and put it all together during a cool session. Ironically, I won the Mid-Ohio Championship in the last afternoon session on the last day of the event.

Q: What are the small things you can do throughout the day to maximize the car?

A: I run a consistent fuel load each session and focus on perfect tire pressure settings cold so the correct hot psi is achieved early in the TT sessions. As the tire technical resource for www.trackdaytire.com, supported by decades of on-track success, I am confident in saying tires are the most important vehicle component that enhances or detracts from on-track vehicle performance … period. If I make any additional car changes throughout the day, they are incremental shock or aero changes.

The most important thing throughout the day is not so much car changes and worrying about what you cannot control, but to focus on yourself and what you can control. Don’t get too distracted with the car or other activities, study your hand-noted map as well as data and video to plan conscious, specific changes and improvements for each session.

Q: How do you keep tabs on your competition?

A: You know the old saying: “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” Actually, I just review the results each session and look for interesting performance.

Q: What role did car construction play in your success in this year’s championships?

A: The construction / build of the www.trackdaytire.com Z06 with a focus on safety, speed and reliability delivered a vehicle that allowed me to focus on driving to win the 2019 and 2021 TT1 championships.

Q: What role does car preparation play in your success, in general?

A: Car prep prior to the event is the key to winning and having fun in any type of motorsports. I do all my car construction, prep and maintenance personally based on decades of experience owning race teams and running on most of the road course tracks in North America. If you are new to the sport or planning to run somewhere unknown, ask a local or ask for some help from experienced drivers and teams. Little nuggets of info go a long way to make a better weekend.

Unplanned issues occur, of course, but planning to do significant work on the car, even if I had a team of people at the track beyond my dedicated wife and son, distracts from my focus on driving.

Q: How did you choose your car for TT1 competition?

A: I have a history of success driving big power GT cars. I choose the C6 Z06 to use as my base vehicle because it is a very fast relatively low-cost lightweight vehicle in its factory configuration. It is versatile for use in multiple power configurations. It can be competitive from amateur to a pro level in multiple sanctioning bodies if constructed and prepared properly.

Q: What do you during an event to plan and prepare for the next?

A: Review map, notes and data and video from my most recent event as well as the last time I ran at where my next event is going to take place. Complete the car maintenance and prep prior to leaving for the track no matter how much time it takes.