Annually there is a lot of media coverage for the NASA National Championships, with the premier event moving around the country to different high-profile tracks like the Circuit of The Americas, Daytona, WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and in 2025 to Ozarks International Raceway.
But there is a lesser-known event, sanctioned by NASA, held in a picturesque part of the California Eastern Sierras, called the Lone Pine Time Trials. The Lone Pine Time Trials have been occurring for 55 years and May 17-18, 2025, the high-speed event was back with high attendance at Manzanar Air Field.
The event is run similar to an autocross, a single car on a course delineated with orange pylons. However, autocross events are usually run at second gear speeds in parking lots, whereas the Lone Pine Time Trials is an all-out speed fest with a course over 2 miles long on an abandoned World War II airfield. Competitors refer to the event as “Outlaw Autocross” and it’s for good reason. The course has long straights that provide opportunities for drivers to see triple-digit speeds.
Lone Pine, Calif., is at an elevation of 4,203 feet, which means there is less oxygen to feed the internal combustion engines of the competitor’s vehicles. In 2024, the Top Time of Day was set by Navid Kahangi in a Tesla Model 3 Performance, which didn’t require oxygen-rich air to go fast with its electric motors. Navid was back in 2025 to defend his title, along with 88 other competitors looking to go fast, compete for a class win and take their shot at the Top Time of the Day. The Lone Pine Time Trials is part of the California Autocross Championship, a six-race series at different events across the state. Lone Pine was round three of the 2025 season, and it was the fastest of the events on the calendar.
The Lone Pine Time Trials has a rich history of competition, with a lot of credit going to Craig and Renee Angel, who organized the event for many years. In more modern times it has been Bret Norgaard, who took the reins and has ensured the event continues year after year. Bret was awarded a plaque for his ongoing efforts to bring this unique and picturesque event to motorsports fans.
Once the green flag dropped on the weekend, cars hit the fast and flowing course with the gorgeous backdrop of the Eastern Sierras behind them. Lone Pine has to be one of the most picturesque race courses in the world. Some cars had great laps, some went off course and found the dirt while others suffered mechanical failures. The tow truck earned plenty of laps at the 2025 Lone Pine Time Trials.
The racing was intense, with drivers pushing the limits. With the speeds high, some drivers found themselves in fourth gear doing four wheel drifts, which gets your attention as the edge of the aging concrete comes into focus. The goal was to go hard, but not so hard that you turned your car into a tractor.
When the checkered flag few on the weekend of the 2025 Lone Pine Time Trials, it was turbo and electric power that dominated the Top Time of Day podium. Of the top five, only one car was naturally aspirated. Fifth place was Morgan Highman in 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance (120.693 seconds); fourth place was Earl Merz in 2018 Chevrolet Camaro SS 1LE (117.779 seconds) who also took the Combined CAM class win; third place was Edwin Liu in a 2013 Nissan GT-R (116.350 seconds) also winning the Street Touring Combined class; and second place was 2024 overall winner Navid Kahangi in his 2023 Tesla Model 3 Performance (114.961 seconds) also winning the Bump class.
And the winner with the Top Time of Day of 113.793 seconds, was Rob Krider in a 2018 Porsche 718 Cayman GTS who also took the A-Street class win.
“I have to give credit to the turbo power in the Porsche at this elevation,” said four-time Honda Challenge 4 National Champion, Rob Krider. “When you are over 4,000 feet, you need to bring your own oxygen and the turbo did that for me.”
Lone Pine is certainly a bucket list event, and because of that JG Pasterjak from Grassroots Motorsports Magazine came out and co-drove Bret Norgaards Acura TL, a vehicle that has scored 16 Top Time of Days in the past. JG was blazing fast and finished seventh overall.
