TT2 - James Burke won the ST2 class and took the win in TT2 with 2:01.039 he set in his C5 Z06. Geffrey Sawtelle came in second, just a few ticks behind in his Z06 with a 2:01.216. Greg Vanucci, who took third in ST2, also took third in TT2, scoring a 2:03.364 in his Lotus Exige Cup car.
If you’re going to drive all the way to Utah to race at Miller Motorsports Park, you might as well get as much track time as you can. Lots of NASA competitors run Time Trials only, but TT is also where you’ll find lots of racers from Performance Touring, ST1 and ST2 and Super Unlimited.
Early in the week, running Time Trials is a great way to get more familiar with what, for many competitors, is an unfamiliar track. Look closely at this year’s TT winners and you’ll see a lot of names you see among the ranks of the top racers. Track time is valuable, and if you can put your name in the record books while improving your skills for a National Championship race, so much the better.
TTB
David Schotz, who won the PTB and TTC at this year’s National Championships, also won TTB, with a lap time of 2:06.974 in his Pontiac Firebird. That might be a NASA first. He bested Emilio Cervantes’ 2:09.697 in his 1999 Mazda Miata. Ricky Johnson brought home third with a 2:10.095 in his Mini Cooper S.
TTC
It was good to be David Schotz at this year’s National Championships. In addition to his wins in PTB and TTB, he also won TTC. He jumped in the No. 75 Chevrolet Camaro to set the fast lap at 2:13.170. Brad Kettler took second in his BMW M3, just over .500 seconds behind Schotz with a 2:13.681. Mark Melchior piloted his Honda S2000 to a third-place spot in TTC with a 2:14.979.
TTD
In what would turn out to be a consolation prize for the heartbreaking mechanical failure of his Mazda Miata in the PTD race, Sonny Watanasirisuk won TTD with a lap time of 2:13.382, which was faster than all but one of the TTC times and three seconds quicker than the old TTD record. SoCal Region’s John Magnuson drove his Mazda RX-8 to second place with a 2:16.598. Also from SoCal, Fulton Haight wheeled his BMW M3 to third with a 2:16.703.
TTE
Jason Kohler showed his speed in TTE with 2:16.360, a time he set in an NB Mazda Miata. It’s noteworthy that his time was faster than all but one of the TTD times. William Chen took home second place with a 2:17.145 in his Mazda Miata. Walter Carlos brought home third with a 2:27.047 in his first-generation Mazda RX-7.
TT1
Talk about different approaches to TT1 racing. Shawn Murphy scored a win in his all-wheel-drive Subaru WRX STi with 2:03.201. The heavily boosted boxer four cylinder bested Terry Free in his Chevrolet Corvette Z06. Free took second of two in TT1 with a lap time of 2.:06.861.
TT3
Christopher Mayfield made good use of his BMW 325is and scored 2:03.052 to take the top spot in TT3. Kenneth Smith, who won the ST3 race on Sunday took second in TT3 with a 2:03.328 in his C5 Z06. In another BMW M3, Steve Nagel nailed the third spot with a 2:05.454.
TTU
Call Kyle Schick’s car the silent killer. With his Nissan GTR, Schick whooshed to the top spot in the fastest Time Trial class with a 1:55.416. He bested the Subaru-powered Radical of Team Arizona Pain, which came in second with a 1:57.065. Team Greenbaum snared third with a 2:16.242 in their BMW 318ti.
