After the previous weekend we reported that TTA was all about Ryan Willson and Kevin Smith (both driving Griggs-prepared late model Mustangs) dominating the competition in this group. And, it looked as if this was going to happen again this weekend with Kevin Smith taking 1^st with a 2:04.1 That was until Percy Howard with his Mitsubishi Evo launched a full-scale attack on TTA and took 2^nd place on Saturday with a 2:04.5.  However, with Percy off the starting grid on Sunday, Ryan and Kevin were up to their old tricks -- taking 1^st and 2^nd, respectively.  Faisal Qaisi in his I-Prepared BMW M3 also made his presence felt by securely holding down 4^th and 3^rd place on Saturday and Sunday.

TTB

Still proving that the old Mustangs are still a force to be reckoned with, John Anderson in his ’65 Mustang GT350R took top honors on Saturday with a rousing 2:07.4.  He was closely followed by his arch-rivals Team 3S as well as newcomer Patrick Wong in his ’93 Porsche 964 RS America.  Unfortunately, older cars do not come without problems, and John was forced to retire early on Sunday just after the 1^st session with a blown right front shock and bushing. With John out of the way, Team 3S and Team Bell went to war on each other.  By the time the dust had settled, it was Team 3S on top with a 2:07.0 followed by Team Bell with a 2:09.0 and Team Right Foot Racing with a 2:10.1.  Clearly, the overall points-battle is squarely with Anderson and Teams 3S and Bell.  Only 88 points separate all three, and this will come down to the last session in the last event of the season.

TTC

This weekend in TTC was all about Ken Baer and David Snelson.  Picking up 190 and 185 points, respectively, both were hell-bent on proving newcomer Jeff Cavano that he will to go through them for top honors at the end of the year. Baer placed first on Saturday and 2^nd on Sunday.  Snelson placed 3^rd on Saturday and 1^st on Sunday.  Interestingly, Cavano placed 2^nd on Saturday but left (to attend a friend bachelor party, I’m told) before his session on Sunday.  Given the threat this guy presents, we can only speculate how the weekend would have concluded had he stuck around.  The annual title for this group is still very much in the air.  Ever-consistent (and ever-fast), Team AntiHybrids came up for one day on Sunday to turn a 2:09.6 and claim 3^rd place.  Freshly promoted to HPDE-4 from G3, Jeff Hampton in his moderately modified Audi S4 made his TT début this weekend.  While way down in points for the year, Hampton held on to secure 4^th place on both Saturday and Sunday.  Watch out for this guy next season, fellas.

TTD

Since the beginning of the season, Team Brown-Heyer has been the dominate force in TTD.  And, on Saturday, Doc Brown in his Spec Miata was in fine form placing 1^st with a comfortable 2:12.5.  But, after the track went cold on late Saturday afternoon, the competitive face of TTD was about to change.  A young (but experienced), HPDE-3 driver (Will Dunbar) was taking his oral exit exam and being provisionally placed in HPDE-4/TT. And, once the smoke had cleared after the 4^th session on Sunday, young Will had emerged as the dominate force in TTD with a blistering 2:09.3 – a new track record. As mentioned earlier, Will drove 3 perfect sessions with peer-impressing lines and clean passes. With respect to the points chase, Team Brown-Heyer (880) is still way out in front with Jeff Galletta (610) who remains a distant 2^nd. The real battle for 2^nd and 3^rd places will be between Galletta, John Bachan and Al Magenity.

TTE

This is the second largest of all the groups in Time Trails, is proving to be one hotly competitive group as well.  On Saturday it was Ben Brandt on top with a 2:11.6 followed by Team TNL (formerly Team Thomas-Kurtz) with a 2:13.6.  For some reason, Brandt opted to not run on Sunday (could this mean that he is out of TT permanently and has moved on the Spec Miata race group?) which left the door wide open for Team TNL and Greg Barron.  In the end, it was Team TNL edging out Barron by 9/10^ths of a second. Unfortunately, Barron broke a spindle in an earlier session and was out for the day. With regard to the points chase, it’s a 4-way race.  Depending on whether or not Ben Brandt (who has racked up 835 points thus far) runs in TT, the chase could come down to Team TNL, Greg Barron and Patrick Canlas.  In looking over the past finishes, it looks like Brandt and Canlas are pretty evenly matched with Team TNL right on their heals.  However, if Brandt has left TT for Spec Miata and Canlas does not return for the remainder of the season, this could open the door for 1^st and 2^nd for regular attendees and consistent top 3 finishers Team TNL and Greg Barron. Keep your eyes on this race, folks, it’s going to be good!

TTF

Until the 4/29-30^th events at Infineon (and the re-emergence of Steve Fuss), TTF was clearly Dave Rowsey’s domain. However, this weekend proved that Steve Fuss is launching an attack for his place at the top of the heap.  In addition to placing first on Saturday and Sunday, Fuss drove his ’84 VW GTI to a new track record with a snappy 2:16.5. Even though Fuss has won the last 4 events and looks to be a dominate force in TTF, he is still numerically barred from taking the top honors at the end of the year on points as long as Rowsey shows up to at least half of the events that Fuss does. In the end, this battle will be decided by Rowsey’s attendance.

TTG

Despite being the only competitor in this class, Hugh Carter still finds ways to beat the competition – in this case, himself!  On Sunday, Carter drove the wheels off that ’90 Honda Civic of his to claim the track record with a class-burning time of 2:22.7.  Congratulations, Hugh.  If the competition won’t come to you, you bring it to the competition – in this case, yourself. With respect to points, it’s all Hugh.