Winner Winner! Chicken Dinner! 2 times!

Race day! Woohoo! I wondered how the turnout would be tonight as the Reedy Truck Race was running out at Hot Rod's and I bet a bunch of the OCRC locals were running that race. Although I had my T4 working well, I was still on the fence about running both Stock Truck and 4wd Mod tonight. The last time I ran two classes, it wasn't much fun, as I was struggling with the B44. As I walked up to the counter to sign up, I thought thought to myself, f*** it! My T4 and B44 are dialed, so the only thing I would need to do is clean tires and charge batteries, no chasing setups, so I signed up for both Stock Truck and 4wd Mod! I only took 1 practice run with each car, just to warmup for racing, as I practiced on Saturday.

Sportsman Stock Truck
Stock truck had a full heat of 11 trucks, despite the Reedy Truck Race running at Hot Rod's! The race director from Hot Rod's (Notch- his screen name on RC Tech, not sure what his real name is) was running the show tonight, since both Robert and Jeremy were racing the Reedy Race. Our race would be up early in the round and the track was going to be wet, as the track crew was being very generous with the water! I would be starting the race mid-pack and wasn't sure what to expect, as I wasn't familiar with most of the drivers. I just wanted to keep it clean for the first few laps and let the order sort itself out, then make a push for the front. I had a great start and moved up to 3rd place off the line! I then moved into 2nd through the hairpin after the step-up jump on the 1st lap. Time to chase down the leader! I was right on his tail and followed him for the next few laps. He then made a mistake :) He took the turn after the double too slow and to the inside, while I took it wider and jumped into the whoops section, setting myself up for the inside of the wagon wheel. I was able to make a clean pass here and took the lead! From that point on I checked out :) I had to slow for traffic a few times and I think I ended up on my lid once or twice, but I never gave up the lead. I won the heat with a 16:19, 1 lap ahead of 2nd place :) Fast lap was a 19.443! :) And had the TQ! :)

The track would be drier for the second round of qualifying. Woohoo! It was a pain to clean all the wet dirt off the tires from the 1st race. This time I would be starting in the back of the pack and had my work cut out for me if I wanted to keep the TQ position. I came across the line in 7th place and passed a few trucks on the 1st lap, crossing the line in 5th for the 2nd lap. I then passed 2 more trucks and took 3rd place. I was in 3rd for a few laps and then took 2nd when the 2nd place truck crashed. Time to chase down the leader! I didn't know who it was or what the truck looked like, until Notch started calling the interval between us and what color the leaders truck was. He was on pace to set a new TQ, so I really had to "Strap it up!" (as Jeremy would put it) to catch him and make a pass, to keep my TQ! It would take me most of the race to catch up, but I was doing it! I was finally on his tail and close enough to make a pass with about a minute left in the race. Going through the S-turn in front of the driver's stand, he went wide and left me a hole to stick the nose of my truck in, and I went for it! We were side by side going into the Surf City Berm and touched wheels! He got the worst of it and flipped off the track :( Sorry dude! I waited for a split second, but since I couldn't see where he went and with the horrible turn marshaling (several times during the race marshals were not paying attention and drivers and Notch had to call for them to get cars), I decided to take off before I lost the lead or got hit, as there were 11 trucks on the track and alot of traffic. I kept my nose clean for the last few laps, secure in knowing that since I was in the lead, there would be no way I would lose the TQ :) I won the heat with a 16:14, beating my TQ time by 5 seconds :)

It was time for the Mains! Cool! I would be starting in the TQ position :) I do know that there is the TQ curse though. Since you start in the front of the pack, if you make a mistake, it will take forever for a marshal to get you, since all the cars behind you block their path. And you can't be too conservative, since the 2nd place car might run into you. You need to get away clean, fast, and make no mistakes for the 1st few turns. No pressure :) The track would also be very wet as we were the 2nd race and the track was well watered during the break. Great! I would end up with dirt clogged tires again :(

My brother was watching the race on LiveRC.com and got this screen capture of me sitting on the pole before the start of the Stock Truck A Main :) Thanks Ran!

I got a great start and stayed away from the field! But, there was alot of yelling on the stand during the 1st lap, as a marshal was standing too far in front of the driver's stand, blocking the view of the finish line turn. Everyone was yelling for him to move (including myself). It was the guy in the white shirt in the picture above in front of the driver's stand to the left. He didn't move though, as he didn't realize we were all yelling at him. Finally another marshal ran over and pulled him back toward the stand, clearing the view of the finish line turn. The amazing thing about all this for me was the fact that I could see this going on in front of the stand, out of the corner of my eye as I drove my truck around the track! After all that drama, I checked out and ran away with the lead :) I had to slow for traffic a few times, but I didn't push the issue and looked for enough room to pass or they gave me room to go by :) I think the 2nd place truck got to within a 1/4 straight of me, but made a mistake and wrecked, giving me some breathing room. Another marshal incident occurred, that almost cost me the win :( A truck was on its lid after the double, right behind the marshal in the center of the track. A bunch of people started yelling at him to turn around, but he never did. Two other marshals ran to get his truck as I was about to go over the double. I lucked out because I landed between the marshals feet as they were spread apart enough to get through! Whew! That nearly gave me a heart attack! No other issues occurred (mistakes driving or marshal related, for me anyway) and I won the race with a 16:08, 6 seconds faster than my TQ time! Woohoo! Winner Winner! Chicken Dinner!

Sportsman 4wd Mod
There were two heats of 4wd Mod and I was in heat 1 with 5 others. I was gridded in 3rd position, but 1 car dropped out before the race even started, so I came across the line in 2nd place. While going through the S-turn over the hill, I noticed out of the corner of my eye, that the marshal in front of the stand to the left was standing too far forward, blocking the view of wagon wheel hairpin after the whoops, and I started yelling for him to move. Soon everyone was yelling for him to move and thankfully he did before I reached that turn. Whew! I was in 2nd place and hunting down the leader! I was gaining on him fast, but I didn't even need to make a pass :) I think he crashed out and broke. Next thing I knew 2 more cars, broke and dropped out. I may have even been alone on the track at one point. The marshals were horrible for our race. I think the marshal's were jumping in front of oncoming traffic, causing wrecks and ending a driver's race more than once, as there was alot of grumbling/yelling on the stand. I just concentrated on staying away from the marshal's instead of the other cars, since by this point, there were only 2 other cars left on the track. I won the heat and set the TQ at 17:12. It would only last 5 minutes though, as the top 2 cars in the next heat of 4wd went faster than my time :(

The second round heat race for 4wd Mod would be one of attrition. Cars were dropping out like flies due to crashes and bad turn marshaling :( and I would be one of the casualties this time :( I had a clean start and settled into 2nd place after the 1st few laps, then started reeling in the leader. I could see him about half a straight in front of me. Then I hear a wreak has occurred on the straight and to go low. Next I hear a clear call and figure I can go full speed down the straight. But, apparently the straight was called clear because the marshal picked up the car, but was looking at it, while standing on the straight! I came down the straight at full speed, hitting him, and breaking my front a-arm and shock cap! I was pissed!@ Why was he just standing there on the straight anyway!? My race was now over due to a marshal being where he shouldn't be. I gaining on 1st place too! BOOO! I had to get the car fixed and ready for the main now and my chance at improving my qualifying position was shot :(

My time from the 1st round was still fast enough to seat me in 4th place for the main. While waiting for the race to start, I was talking with the other guys about my last qualifying race where I broke. They said that everyone in that race broke and that I wasn't the only one who broke because of a bad marshal. Who were these guys marshaling our race!@? I hope they weren't the ones marshaling our main!

As we set the grid for the main, the 2nd place qualifier had left the building and we were allowed to move up 1 spot. Nice! I moved up to 3rd before the race even started :) It was then announced that the main would be 7 minutes instead of 5 minutes. Cool! An extra 2 minutes to worry about losing the lead or getting the lead. Depending on what place you're in of course :) We all got a clean start and freight trained around for the 1st few turns. I was running in 3rd for the first few laps, then I think the leader broke and I moved up to 2nd. I was only a few turns behind 1st place and followed him for awhile, until he finally crashed! Woohoo! I moved into the lead! Could I pull off a win again!? I had just won Stock Truck 2 races ago too! That would be too cool if I could pull it off :) The order was me in the lead, Mitch in 2nd, and Jeremy in 3rd. I only held the lead for a few laps though, as I got sideways over the hill in the S-turn (wow alot of action has been happening in this S-turn for me, LOL!) and stuffed it into a pipe, losing the lead to Mitch :( I wasn't too far behind though and pushed to catch back up to him. Mitch crashed again, and I got the lead back! Whoohoo! :) I only kept it a couple of laps though, as I bobbled, allowing Jeremy to get through for 1st. I guess Mitch crashed again, dropping down to 3rd. I was making big time on Jeremy as the other guys were moving out of my way so I could catch him. One guy practically stopped in front of me, but luckily I didn't hit him! Whew! (again) We were the only 2 cars to make an extra lap and I was only half a section behind him! We went over the double and into the whoops and still had cars in front of us. I guess Jeremy got tangled up with some traffic on the outside, because I was able to sneak by to the inside of the wagon wheel hairpin leading to the straight and took the lead! WOOHOO! I got the lead back on the last lap in the last hairpin! WINNER WINNER! CHICKEN DINNER!! for a second time tonight! I couldn't believe it! I pulled it off! I won both Stock Truck and 4wd Mod! WOOHOO!! I was so jazzed! :-) Despite the bad luck I had in the 2nd round, I got my car fixed and pulled off a win in the Main :)

Man! Even though the mains went ok for me, the turn marshaling was horrible tonight. More than once in Truck and 4wd a turn marshal stood in a spot blocking the view of the turn (to the point where every driver on the stand was yelling for him to move, myself included); marshals running in front of oncoming traffic, getting hit by said oncoming cars, ruining your race or breaking your car; and marshals not paying attention to the cars and watching the race, leaving cars on their lid forever, again to the point of people yelling on the stand.

Despite the horrible marshals, I had a great night racing! (in the mains anyway) TQ and win for the 1st race for my T4! Come from behind win on the last lap of the race in 4wd Mod! When is the next race again? I can't wait! :)