TIME ATTACK

I am wondering if other countries have the same kind of series for speed enthusiast as we have in UK: TIME ATTACK.

From afar, TIME ATTACK might look like a glorified track day championship. Rather than racing, its drivers are sent out on track in sessions in order to record their fastest lap time. No race starts, no battles, it’s just you against the stopwatch. Some consider it one of Britain's best-value series .

Those who crave wheel-to-wheel competition – and can afford to fund the inevitable damage – may not find TIME ATTACK as appealing as a race series. But for those who love driving on the absolute limit and extracting everything from themselves and their car on every corner, TIME ATTACK might just be the perfect fit.

In UK, the TIME ATTACK CHAMPIONSHIP visits six tracks, including Brands Hatch, Oulton Park and Snetterton, and generally takes place between April and September.

This year’s series has more than 50 entries per race, split into eight classes that range from Pocket Rocket, in which the smallest capacity cars run, to Pro Extreme, where modifications are unlimited, with power outputs for machines mostly ranging between 200 and 400bhp. At the other end of the field in Pro Extreme, the most powerful car, a Mitsubishi Evo VI, is claimed to be running with 1200bhp.

The series welcome any car, from the "supped-up" Fiesta to a BMW M6, or from a Nissan GT-R to a Porsche GT3, and anything in between, including kit-car Cobras, LMP3, etc...
Front wheel drive, rear wheel drive, four-wheel drive, front engine, rear engine, atmos, turbos, anything goes.
The fastest cars are usually heavily tuned Japanese cars, with incredibly powerful engines, turbo galore, etc... and immaculately prepared.

The day’s running is split into four parts. After a 20-minute warm-up and 20-minute practice session, then moves into qualifying, and the final.
There’s no racing to think about, yet the pressure in Time Attack is supremely high because you have no time to make mistakes. Lock up and run wide or take things too steady into a corner and the lap is ruined, so you have to adjust your approach and head back around to the start line to have another go.

For the spectators, it’s like a GP qualifs session that lasts a whole day!

 

Yep, you have Time Attack in the States, as I can see from the link.

It's a grassroots sport where anyone can participate according to his budget, and I find that cool. It's a competition against the clock, but mostly against yourself.