Originally Posted by
jimmypet
Hey Guys,
My name is Jim Pettinato
I'm a Time Trial (Solo 1) junkie from the Northeast.
I'll chime in on this subject just because I think I Time Trial with just about every club possible(at least in the Northeast).
I have Time Trialed with EMRA, SCCA, COM, CART & NASA, plus a few other clubs that maybe do one TT a year.
For those who have not Time Trialed yet I'll take a shot at a few observations.
These are all just my opinion,,, and in my personal experience here in the Northeast (Pocono, Lime Rock, The Glen, Summit area...)
By far the best of the best, the most organised,,, yet still fun, not stifling, yet safe is EMRA. This is not a slag on any of the other clubs, but just my opinion.EMRA is still the benchmark for Time Trialing in the Northeast.
The way they work is you get 3-4 open practice sessions on track like a DE. Grouped by experience again like a DE. No mandatory point bys though. Just lapping / practice. Then they stop and start doing timed laps.
They do 3 cars on track at a time (tedious part). You get a half a lap "in lap" then two flying timed laps, then half a lap cool down out lap.
Then you wait for all the cars to do that, and you do trophies.
It wastes about 3 hours if they have a good turnout.
NASA Northeast: was ok,,, it was a Long Long time ago, they needed lots of experience. Got a fair bit of track time, but their run groups for practice was pretty messy. Tried to do a similar day structure as EMRA. Practice by groups, then timed runs. I must admit it was one of their first TT events.
The new improved NASA Northeast does not have a TT Program yet but it may be in the works.
I hear NASA on the west coast is doing a ripping good TT series, using transponders. Hopefullly this will catch on not only to other NASA regions but on to all TT clubs as this is the way to TT in the 21st century.
SCCA SOLO 1 (PHA): Great organisation,,, dont do enough "racetrack" events for my taste, still mainly concentrated on hills here in the Northeast. Very safe. You will need FULL safety gear (cage, fire suit, real helmet, shoes, gloves, etc.) Completely different format than EMRA. Upside you get way more "shots" at a good time. Cheap entry fees. Downside you get a bit less less actual seat time. It depends on whats important to you, great times, or seat time on track. Its held more like a hillclimb. They put 3-4 cars on track at a time, spaced out (no passing) you get 5 timed laps per "run". All laps are timed. You do this 6-ish times a day.
CART: Great group of people. LOADS of practice track time due to open track format for practice.TT format is same as EMRA,,, the wait.
I love this club. Watch out for a brutally fast C5 vette. The guy will eat your lunch. The only downside is a slightly ambiguous class structure. If your into just driving and seeing where your time puts you in the overall picture,,, this is your club.
COM: Very organised as well,,, alot like EMRA. Practice by groups in sessions, then timed runs. Can be a bit more uptight. Dont count on actually "doing" a TT your first time with this club. They take the TT license thing a bit far. Its easier to get a full SCCA Solo 1 license than a COM TT license. Hell its probably easier to get an SCCA Club Racing license. Even possesing an EMRA TT license, AND an SCCA Solo 1 license may not get you in the door with them. You still have to do a very tedious check out licensing procedure that may last over several events. These guys are for the most part a great TT club with some great drivers, but take themselves a bit too seriously sometimes.
It also looks like there is a THRIVING Solo 1 / TT scene over the border in Canada,,, but I have not had the time to venture up there to actually check out their scene. Last time I looked they had something like a 16 event Time Trial season all on racetracks. Very cool.
Hopefully the future will bring all these TT clubs into the 21st century where everyone runs a transponder in open lapping sessions and every lap,,, all day counts. Thats the simple version,,, but its the way it should start moving.
I like Time Trialing because you get as much track time as possible,,, along with the added bonus of having an "outcome" at the end of the day,,, as opposed to just driving in circles and talking sh*t afterwards...
Lapping days are fun,, but there is no outcome.
I love to Time Trial because there is an outcome, and its all me,,, I live or die on myself. No one is dive bombing me for a position and track space that doesn't really exist.
If I rock, I rock, if I suck, I suck. But its up to "me" to pull it off.
I think this is why I Time Trial not club race.
Hopefully more clubs will get on board with Time Trialing. Its a great sport.
Cheers
jimmy p.
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