Weekend full of racing :)

So I decided to race both Friday night and Sunday this weekend in preparation for the 1st race of the OCRC Saturday Series, to be run next weekend. I wanted to shakedown my truck and was still working on getting my buggy dialed in...

Friday night:
Stock Truck
My truck felt dialed during practice! I was trying out my Blade tires on the front end to see if they added any steering compared to my Edges. I decided to run these and some worn(ish) Holeshots on the rear.

My race was up early in the round, and the track would be really damp for our race. Traction was good! I started in 4th, but took the lead by the end of the 1st lap. I cruised around in 1st, taking the win and setting the TQ with a 12:03 run. Most of my lap were in the low 26 second range. However, since the track was so damp, the pins on the Blades and Holeshots filled up with dirt.

Since there were 14 heats of racing on a Friday night, we went straight into round 2, with no track watering. This prompted me to switch over to new Holeshots. This time I would be starting in the back and would need to work through a lot of traffic to get to the front. My laps were not as consistent or fast because of all the traffic I needed to deal with. I finished in 3rd with a 12:17, losing the TQ to a 12:01 run, by the winner of round 2.

I was qualified in 2nd for the main. Before our race Jeremy announced that a pair of JConcepts DoubleDees rear truck tires would be given to the winner, to promote the JConcepts Wave race coming up in May. I took it easy on the start and tucked in behind the leader. I followed him around looking for a place to pass, when a few laps in he crashed in the quad section! I went by into the lead! I then kept my nose clean and driving mistake free, taking the win and tires with a 13 lap run :)

Stock Buggy
My buggy still needed more steering on power. To get it I tried using Panther Bobcats up front. It felt ok, but I really slow :( I finished last with a 11:10. For round 2, I moved the rear shocks upper mounting position from the "4th" hole to the #1 hole. I wasn't sure if the change made any difference, as I didn't have a very good run, finishing last again with an 11:15.

For the main, I decided to go back to my ribbed fronts, as the Bobcats didn't seem to helping much. My car also felt slow, as I was still waiting to get one of the new 72t spur gears, and running a 78:33 gear ratio in my car. This is the same ratio I use in my truck! I cruised around in the back of the pack, finishing with a 12:16 in 5th. Hey! I went 12 laps :)

Sunday, Stock Buggy
I would be only running my buggy tonight, as it still wasn't working how I wanted, and needed to get it dialed in for the 1st OCRC series race. I also decided that I couldn't wait any longer for an AE 72t spur (they're not in stock yet everywhere I've checked), so I picked up a regular Kimbrough 72t spur gear and Traxxas slipper friction pegs. The pegs go into the holes in the spur gear and perform the same function as the stock slipper pads. I ran it with a 34t pinion during practice, but after a 5 minutes, the motor was stone cold! I could put my finger on it and leave it there. I temped it at only 110°F. So I geared up to a 35t pinion.

Mike Fisk was on fire! He won both rounds of qualifying, taking the TQ with a 13:25. As for myself, the correct gearing made a big difference! I placed 2nd in both rounds with 12 lap runs (12:13 and 12:23). It was alot easier to put in a 12 lap run with the correct gear. While I could do it with the "truck" gear, I needed a clean run to do so. My lap times also dropped about a second.

Just like Friday, the winner of the main tonight would win a pair of JConcepts Groovy 2wd front tires! On the start for the main, I tucked in right behind Mike over the triple and quads, then looked for a place to pass. He stuffed a pipe, and I went by into the lead! I kept the lead for about half the race, until a bad landing in the quads allowed him to go by :( I got into some tumbles after that and wasn't able to catch back up to Mike. Mike took the win with a 13:29, and I finished in 2nd with a 12:00.

Check out the vids of my races below, as my dad tagged along and recorded them.