Well it’s that time of the year again, a time where some of the nation’s top drivers pack up for a race but leave their beloved 2WD Mod buggies at home in lieu of something a bit different. That’s right, its time for the 2012 Reedy Truck Race of Champions at Hot Rod Hobbies in Saugus, CA!
This year the crew from RC Insider.com has teamed up with Pro-Line Racing to bring you a day-to-day coverage from this prestigious event and fill you in on the fun facts that the other sites might miss. We will be speaking with some of the nations top drivers along with the up and comers to give you the real Reedy Truck Race experience and hopefully make you want to come out next year… because lets face it YOU LOVE RC AND WISH YOU WERE HERE!!!!
Thursday:
This year the HRH Track Crew really out did them self and came up with a very fast, flowing, and technical layout that is sure to challenge the top-level drivers but still allow the up and coming drivers to run fast consistent laps. Jimmy and the crew are known for a few signature things such as the Hot Rod Hump and big banked turns, both of which this track include.
While talking with Pro-Line’s Cody Tuner about the layout he felt there were two very important sections to this layout that will make or break your weekend.
The first section was pretty obvious to most those who looked at the track as the Triple Double is a real eye catcher and surely the main feature on the layout. The tricky thing about this according to Cody is landing in between the 2 features and maintaining enough momentum to get over the double as well. Not only do you have to downside the triple but there is also a small dog leg before the double making it that much more fun.
The other very important part of this layout is the small double just before the sweeper coming into the main straight away… Blow that and you will be leaving the door wide open for faster drivers to hop inside and leave you in the dust.
As I tested today I found myself most comfortable on Pro-Line Suburbs up front and the new Pro-Line Ion on back. The New Ion was super hooked up with its smaller pin and really locked my truck in and allowed me to put it exactly where I wanted it.
Friday:
With one of the hottest summers in history, Southern Californians have been running a lot of indoor and today was the day that the heat wave broke. Racers from across the Nation as well as the top teams in the industry made their way to one of California top outdoor tracks to get some fresh air. The track and event they all picked was Hot Rod Hobbies 2012 Reedy Truck Race.
As the RC Insider crew pulled in 8:45 AM it was apparent that the 2012 Reedy Truck Race was definitely going to be a race to remember for the 2012 year. The parking lot was packed with drivers such at Pro-Line’s Cody Turner, TLR’s Mike Truhe and Billy Fisher, and AE’s replacement BT for the weekend… Kody Numendal.
This years Reedy Race of Champions is a 2 day race, so morning practice was a little light due to people being at work, giving an advantage to those who could slip out of the office a bit early. As the day ran on more and more people came out of the wood work and getting on the drivers stand was a bit tricky.
While talking with the top Divers today the biggest piece to the puzzle was tires. I spoke with some of the quicker guys here and most have gone to a tire with a lower carcass and a firm foam. In the Stadium Truck class most drivers were running the Pro-Line Scrubs tire on the rear with something less aggressive up front such as a Pro-Line Suburb.
In the Short Course Class the guys who were on pace had opted for Pro-Line’s new ION tire.
Today’s practice was fairly uneventful and saw plenty of smiles and joking around between all the teams that had made their way out to HRH. With perfect weather, great company, and the top drivers just hanging in a great mood, it made all of the factory drivers super approachable.
I saw on numerous occasions the sportsman level drivers heading to the Factory Pits car in hand for a little setup advise and the occasional picture.
Saturday:
When high profile events such as the Reedy Truck Race arise there are a few things that are expected of a facility and the staff. The nice thing about Hot Rod Hobbies, Host of the 2012 Reedy Truck Race is that the staff and facility are always top notch. Jimmy Babcock of the JBRL and Hot Rod Hobbies is one of Americas top announcers with arguably the best RC Race Program known to man kind.
With 3 rounds of qualifying on the agenda for today having a knowledgeable staff behind the tech program really helps things flow smoothly. Couple that with an amazing track crew and Jimmy on the mic and getting through all of these races were not an issue.
Today the gates opened at 6 AM with an hour of practice, a drivers meeting, a quick track prep and racing promptly at 8 AM. As round one kicks off, the track was a little colder than normal causing tire wear to drop a little but making the track a little looser than racers had encountered in previous days. Now with most race programs this may cause an issue with the round being considered a drop in the eyes of many but since the Reedy Truck Race has adopted qual points, this put us all on a level playing field.
As the rounds unfolded it was apparent that there wasn’t going to be just one fast guy this weekend cleaning up all the classes. If I remember correctly all but 1 class took the entire 3 rounds to decide a winner with a few finding a different leader as the flag dropped.
Expert Stock Truck:
No matter which race you attended here in CA this year there have been two guys battling it out non stop in the stock classes. These 2 drivers are AE’s Nolan Anderson and the newest AE Driver Kevin Motter. If I recall correctly Nolan won stock truck at the ROAR Nat’s while Kevin cleaned up in Stock Buggy. As expected these 2 were at the front of the pack but the real surprise was privateer Wayne Wyrick stealing the TQ and showing these factory guys the quick way around the track with his Boosted Tekin 17.5 and Pro-Line Tires.
Pro-2 SC:
In the Pro 2 class there were three 0′s handed out to 3 different people. Each of these drivers also collected a second place finish throughout the day creating a 3 way tie. As the numbers were totaled Team Associated’s Kody Numedahl came out on top just ahead of Kyosho/Pro-Line’s Cody Turner and Drew Moller. With the high traction and good flow Pro-2 SC is looking to be the premier class to watch at this years Reedy Truck Race.
Open 2WD Truck:
While some may argue that the Truck Race is supposed to be about Stadium Trucks its obvious that Short Course Trucks are the future of RC. With only a A, B, and C main on the schedule for tomorrow the class did not turn out the entries expected. Even with a smaller field the racing was incredible. Pro-Line’s Drew Moller was able to take 2 wins and lock up the TQ with Kody Numedhal taking second and TLR Driver Mike Truhe wrapping up the top 3.
Finals:
Main day at the 2012 Reedy Truck Race started off a little different from most big races as the drivers that would grace the Triple A-Mains were not up first. Instead, Jimmy and the Hot Rod Hobbies crew decided run a program that would allow one bump up from each class giving racers that one last shot they may need to get their truck in the big show.
As the lower mains came to a close you could tell that today’s competition was going to be close as the top Drivers in the B-mains were all within a few seconds of each other.
OPEN 2WD TRUCK:
Open 2wd Truck: 1) Drew Moller 2) Mike Truhe 3) Kody Numedahl
I don’t think anyone saw it but TQ of the weekend in Open Truck was Pro-Line’s Drew Moller in his RT-5. With a bobble in A-1 Mike Truhe was able to get by take the win. In A-2 Moller would drive true and hold off Mike Truhe leaving a battle for A-3. As A-3 started Mike was collected by a racer and pushed back to mid pack. While Truhe was faster on the track Moller was able to drive a perfect race and would take the overall win leaving Truhe in second and Kody Numedahl in 3rd.
EXPERT STOCK TRUCK:
Exp. Stock Truck: 1) Wayne Wyrick 2) Kevin Motter 3) Matt Gilbert
1 year ago if you told me Wayne Wyrick would TQ over Kevin Motter, Nolan Anderson, and Matt Gilbert there is no way I would have believed you. With a change to new cars Wayne has really made an improvment and is now one of the nations top Stock Drivers. In A-1 Kevin Motter would edge out Wayne taking the win with Wyrick in a close second.
Round 2 put Wayne back on top while Motter slipped to third with Jeremy Chaussee taking Second. A3 is what it all came down to and as the points were added up Wayne would take the win with Motter in 2nd and Matt Gilbert and his MIP ride in third.Note: Special Props to Matt Gilbert for rocking the Jones Cancer Foundation Shirt! Keith was a good guy!
2WD ROOKIE TRUCK:
2wd Rookie Truck: 1) Bryan Wyrick 2) Dylan Chaussee 3) Ryan Didomizio
Just like his Older Brother Wayne, young Bryan Wyrick takes TQ in his class this weekend but one upped his brother with a win in A-1 and A-2. Taking Second would be Dylan Chaussee of CCR with a second and a win in A-3.
2WD ROOKIE SHORT COURSE:
2wd Rookie Short Course: 1) Mason Templeman 2) John Barnett 3) Matt Heiman
Mason Templeman was the man to beat in the Rookie SC Class taking TQ over some of the much older racers and putting his flamed SC truck up front for A-1 and A-2. We look forward to seeing this young driver moving up through the ranks in the upcoming years.
Source: RCInsider.com
