NESCCA Time Trials





				"Volunteers are not paid, not because they are worthless but because they are priceless." - Anonymous

Performance Driving Experience (PDX) - The PDX is the first level of the program and provides an instructional environment for drivers who want to improve driving skills and increase their enjoyment of driving their street vehicle. PDX is SCCA’’s unique version of “track” or “lapping” days. It is at this level where a driver can take his/her car directly to the track with no modifications or changes. And as in Solo events, they would not need to be an SCCA member as no special licensing is required.

Club Trials - Club Trials is the second level of the Time Trials program. This level combines elements of PDX instruction with the excitement of running against the clock to determine individual class winners. Cars range from street cars to fully prepared race cars.

Track Trials - Track Trials, the third level of the program, offers closed-course track time, and winners are determined by fastest time around the course. Cars prepared for both Solo and Road Racing competition are eligible for Track Trials.

Hill Climbs - The fourth and top level of the Time Trials program. Hill Climb events offer short-distance, timed events for race-prepared vehicles on paved mountain roads, with winners determined by fastest times.

NER PDX at New Hampshire Motor Speedway – May 26, 2008

Registration is open:

On-line at http://www.axwaresystems.com/axorm/calendar_main.php?curmonthindex=4&curyearindex=2&selectclubid=18

or by mail - information at www.ner.org

“PDX” stands for “Performance Driving eXperience.” In that little three letter nutshell is crammed both what PDX is and also what you get when you participate. According to the manual (the official SCCA Time Trials Rules), PDX is the first level of SCCA-sanctioned Time Trials events. It is intended to be “non-competitive and based on the practice and instruction of performance driving and car handling.

It was Fun while it lasted . . . . . .

Sometimes good things must come to an end. That is the case with the Tri-Region PDX program. After three years of losing money on the event (less each year, but never in the black), Tri-Region decided that it could not afford to continue the program.

The interest was high, the smiles were big, the post-event comments were generally very complementary, and those who participated learned quite a bit about their cars and about themselves. There was the driver who found out that the dealership had added DOT 3 rather than DOT 4 brake fluid to his high performance car causing the brake fluid to boil out of the master cylinder, the instructor who spun his student’s car, and many who realized just how much wear occurs in the transmission and braking systems during high speed maneuvers and how much mental and physical strain occurs when driving towards the limits.

If circumstances change, Tri-Region might again host Performance Driving Experiences, but for now, they are events we can all remember fondly.

Judy Bloeser. Registrar
Tri-Region PDX 2005-2007

2008 PHA/SCCA Time Trials Schedule

The 2008 PHA/SCCA TIME TRIALS Series starts on Memorial Day Weekend with a Level 3 track event on the Jefferson Circuit at Summit Point Raceway, and continues with an event scheduled every 2 weeks until the final event - Weatherly Hillclimb in mid-September. This is a total of 9 events, 7 Level 4 hillclimbs and 2 Level 3 track events.

Here is a brief description of each event - the course and my perceptions of them…

The Jefferson Circuit, located in Summit Point, WV, is a 1.1 mi. course with 7 turns including "esses", off-camber, and decreasing radius. While not a hillclimb, it is an excellent place to dial in both you and your car after a winter of inactivity. The course is run in the clockwise direction during the Memorial weekend, and counterclockwise over the Labor Day Weekend; this gives drivers an opportunity to run essentially 2 different events at the same circuit. A warning, however, the course can be very "greasy", so drive cautiously until you know the course conditions. The facilities are excellent, with adequate parking, restrooms, a classroom, room to camp and a patio for parties.

Weatherly Hillclimb, located in the PA coal-region town of the same name, is a 1 mile course with 6 very challenging turns including turn 3 - the "wall", and turn 5 - the "jump". This driver considers this hill to be a "finesse" course; if you get all 6 turns "right" on one run, you're really driving! Warning! Don’t relax too much after you cross the finish line because the finish is on a crest followed by a downhill turn, and you have to both steer and brake…it can be nasty in the wet. The townspeople are friendly and welcoming and the facilities are improving each year. The event is run both in the Spring and the Fall, so you get a chance to correct your mistakes the second time around.

Pagoda Hillclimb, located in City Park, Reading, PA, is a 1 mile course with 7 turns and a run around the side of the mountain that allows you to build up speed before you are faced with a blind left-hander (turn 6) followed almost immediately by a 90 degree uphill lefthander (turn 7). This combination is fondly known as "Oh, S**T!" either because you feel you could have gone faster through turn 6 or you just discovered you’re going way too fast for turn 7! This course comprises the bottom half of Duryea Hillclimb, starting at Duryea's turn 2 and ending after turn 8. This is an event worth running in its own right, but definitely as a primer for Duryea Hillclimb. The facilities are good with camping available at the top of the hill by the fire tower, and a number of good motels and restaurants in the Reading area.

Giant's Despair Hillclimb, located in Laurel Run (a suburb of Wilkes Barre) PA, also in PA's coal region, is one of the oldest hillclimbs still in existence. First run in 1906, it celebrated its 100th Anniv. in 2006. The course is 1 mile long with 6 turns with a 22-degree grade from turn 6 to the finish line! Turn 2, known as the "devil's elbow", is no longer as violent as it was, but it is still a challenge to get right and carry any speed up the course. Ever-expanding facilities, always a large entry, and a variety of motels and eating places, make Giant's a worthwhile event to enter.

Rose Valley Hillclimb, Trout Run, is located in north central PA in what are known as the "Endless Mountains". It is a 1.2 mile course with 7 turns. The start line is a short distance from the pit/paddock area, but this does not present any real problems. A series of "S" turns followed by an acute, uphill left turn can be very tricky. The course road is somewhat "crowned", so cars with low ground clearance need to be careful. Drivers need also to watch the off-camber in the last turn before the finish. The local fire company personnel who man the hill are friendly and welcoming. The scenery is breathtaking! Nestled in a valley and surrounded by mountains, the location itself is worth the trip.

Polish Mountain Hillclimb (aka Flintstone - for the town where it is located) held its' inaugural event in 2007 and this driver had a great time! Located in western Maryland not far from the PA border, Polish Mtn. HC is 1.2 miles long with 7 turns, including a 2A&B and a 6A&B, and a separate return road. The course is deceptively fast with a couple of decreasing radius lefthanders that will catch out the unwary. It took this driver until Sunday morning to figure out the course - and then it rained! The promoters and townsfolk are most enthusiastic and welcoming. This event is a "must" for this driver!

Duryea Hillclimb, located in City Park in Reading, PA, is, in this driver's estimate, the best and most challenging course in the series. The course is 2.3 miles long, starting with a series of tight climbing "180's" followed by a long "straight" around the side of the hill…then more tight climbing "180's" past the "Pagoda" (yes the building does look like a pagoda)…a climb up to a crest - a quick right-left then a sweeping downhill run past a model airplane field on the right; the apex for this driver is a large tree right at the edge of the course at the bottom of the downhill - if the corner workers step back, you know you're moving! The upper part of the course from the Pagoda on is a high speed, horsepower section; cars have been clocked in excess of 130 mph over the finish line! The finish line is located at the "fire tower" at the top of the hill. Drivers are cautioned to keep left after crossing the finish line since the waiting area (turn around) for cars that have already run is down the road on your right. Good facilities on site, and a number of motels and restaurants in the Reading area make this a "must do" event.

Following Duryea, the series returns to the Jefferson Circuit in WV for Labor Day weekend. As mentioned earlier, the course is run in a counter-clockwise direction as opposed to Memorial Day weekend, but the facilities are the same and the course is just as enjoyable. Some drivers say they go faster in one direction as opposed to the other, why don't you find out for yourself.

The series ends with a return to Weatherly for the Fall running of the Hillclimb where, as I said earlier, you get a chance to correct your mistakes. This driver considers this to be one of more enjoyable events to compete at - not that any event is not enjoyable, but we all have our preferences.

Joe Foering, #37 ITB

See Calendar for dates.

Results

2007

Fall Weatherly Hillclimb - September 15-16

Fall Jefferson Track Trials - September 1-2

Duryea Hillclimb - August 18-19

Polish Mountain Hillclimb - August 4-5

Rose Valley Hillclimb - July 21-22

Giants Despair Hillclimb - July 7-8

Pagoda Hillclimb - June 23-24

Spring Weatherly Hillclimb - June 9-10