NASA Utah Round 1: Time Trial
Many TT drivers had moved up to the road racing classes, and several had not completed their off season builds yet. Absent was everyone’s favorite Wyoming local, TT1 Champion Shawn Murphy, but he came down to visit and show his support and supply NASA Utah’s own Matt Guiver with a well deserved malty beverage. Smith-Burke racing ran fast laps in both the racing group and the time trial group. Paul McGarvey joined the Vette with his V8 powered Miata, but Paul was one man splitting time between two different classes, while J.R. Smith and James Burke could split seat time. Hard work paid off and the Vette managed to break Danny Popp’s four year old TT1 track record with a 1:58.09.
-
Greg Valdez
Scott Corsetti chasing down Josh Miller
In TT2 Greg Valdez picked up right where he left off at Nationals last year. His 2:04.356 was more than enough to take the win over Scott Corsetti’s 911 turbo. Greg repeated his victory on Sunday. Both TT2 drivers were good sports and spent a great deal of their day instructing new drivers in the HPDE program.
TT3 saw new and old Porches battle a Corvette and a WRX wagon. Rookie time trial driver Trip Hunter took the class win in his Martini Liveried Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS, posting a 2:11.793, 2.8 seconds ahead of Corry Perkins’s 911. Rounding out the podium was John Carver, who put his black and silver Corvette in third with a 2:15.329. Josh Miller drove his WRX wagon to a fourth place finish (2:16.879), and James Pasquier posted a best time of 2:18.657 in his yellow 993 chassis 911, the oldest, but perhaps classiest, car in the field.
Reigning TTU Champion Kyle Schick was learning how the RaceCo/OS Giken/Ohlins Racing/VP Fuels/AMS GTR handled in rear wheel drive configuration. 2:04.185 was his best time during Saturday’s sessions.
Will we see Shawn Murphy next round? Will Trent Smith get all four wheels of the GTR spinning together? Can there possibly be more Porsches on track? Find out all of this and more next month! The next race weekend is April 25-27 on the West track. Registration is open and we look forward to seeing everyone return for Round 2 of the NASA Utah racing series
Words by Michael Chandler and Matt Guiver. Photos by Michael Chandler
