I also read that someone had gotten the dirt that made SoCal famous, and was opening a new track in the OC! OC RC raceway was born! (http://www.ocrcraceway.com/) Long live SoCal! as the dirt was from there :) I knew I had to check out this track! I would have to race on Sundays, as I live an hour away from the track. But, now I could race at Hot Rod on Saturdays and OCRC on Sundays!
I arrived at OCRC a little after opening time (1pm on Sunday). I went inside and looked for a spot to pit. At OCRC you can buy memberships, some of which include a reserved pit space. After making sure I wasn't pitting in reserved spot, I picked a spot near the track and an LCD monitor, so I can keep track of the races.
I put a practice pack in my truck and headed out to the track. Traction was good as the dirt was a little damp. Nice! I can punch the throttle and not worry too much about wheelspin or getting sideways. The layout was challenging with 2 big doubles, and double-triple section, and an option lane in the middle of the track. One lane heads for a big double, which can save some time, but you had to line it up right and make the distance, or you'd hit a pipe on the landing and wreck. The other lane went over a hump and around the big double and was a longer path but safer. I picked the longer, safer line, after trying the double a few times and crashing. If you can't do a section consistently, you'll lose alot of time from crashes, so I went with the lane I can make 100% of the time. The biggest jump on the track was a table top followed by a single jump. Only the modified cars could make the distance from the table top to the single, downsiding the single from the table top. As I was running a stock motored truck, I downsided the table top and rolled the single jump. Man! Those mod cars sure fly high and far downsiding the single from the table top! The track was then closed for controlled practice, where 1 class was allowed on the track at a time (buggy, truck, 4wd). That way the track is not so crowded.
While waiting for my turn on the track, I signed up to race and purchased a "discount" membership. I'd get my 1st race for free and $5 off practices and club races. I signed up for Amature (Intermediate) Stock Truck. This class is meant for drivers just coming out of the Rookie/Novice class, and since I was driving a 10 year old truck and having only raced a handful of times in the last 5 years, I figured I'd start here. Normally, I'd just sign up for the "normal" (sportsman) stock class, but at OCRC (i.e. SoCal) the driving talent is much better than other tracks, since alot of pros/expert level drivers race here. If I dominated the Amature class, I'd bump myself to Sportsman the next time I race at OCRC. BTW, driving skill is usually ranked from beginner to pro in the following manner: beginner-amature/intermediate-sportsman-expert-pro/factory. Finally the truck classes turn on the track. I went out to get more track time, because practice make perfect! :)
In the 1st round of qualifying, I dominated the field. I just drove smooth and went to the front. I was so far out in front that the announcer (Jeremy Felles), began making comments about my truck. He noticed it was a T3 (10 yr old truck) and he recognized my paint job that I've been using since 1998. LOL! Then he remembered my name from when I used to race at MnM Raceway in Corona. Anyway, I lapped the entire field and won the heat.
The second round was more of the same, but I didn't improve my qualifying time, as I tried some different front tires to get more front traction (M3 Holeshots), and it was a bit too much, and harder to drive. For the main event I'd go back to my R3 Edge's, since they were alot easier to drive more consistently.
I was the top qualifier (TQ) and started in the front of the pack. Again I went straight to the front and won the race by a lap! Not very challenging, but it was fun for me! Next time I race at OCRC, I'll be running in the Sportsman class.
Here's a pic of my T3 Truck!
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