Date: 12/12/14 and 12/13/14
Event: WRL 4.3 (Series Race)
Track: Sparks RC Raceway in Columbus, OH
Race Setup: 3 rounds with single 6-min A-Mains
Pro-Line Tires Used: SC – ION MC, E-Buggy – ION MC
Classes Raced:
1:8 E-Buggy– Tekno EB48.2
4×4 Short Course– Tekno SCT410
Fridays Practice:
On 12/12/14 there was evening practice from 4PM to 10PM that we attended. I took both Tekno cars with the same setups as the last time when I left there. After getting them setup and talking to a few people I went out with the Short Course. Right off the bat it was feeling super smooth as I used the whole round of the practice session learning the new track layout. After making it back to the pits after practice I took the E-Buggy out. After a few laps the Buggy felt somewhat tight coming out of the corners and not soaking up the bumps on exit. So I wound up some information and decided to move the front camber link on the hub. With this change being made, I skipped a round of Short Course and waited for Buggy. The first few laps back out and already I started dropping my lap times from the Buggy letting me stay on the gas coming out of corners and holding more corner speed. With that my practice time ran out and we packed for the hotel and a long race day ahead of us the next morning!
Qualifying:
Round 1-
(Short Course) heading out with a fresh car with a good setup on it. I was feeling confident in doing well and putting myself in a good spot early. As the race started I crossed the line to start my time 6th so when I realized I was faster than most of the drivers in my heat I found myself having to work through traffic early. With a small bobble or two I finished the 1st round in 3rd overall.
(E-Buggy) the heat I was in for my first round with my buggy had some decent drivers and some not so decent drivers so I knew I would have to work for a good spot overall. As the race started I made my first few laps with ease and some pretty consistent times while catching some slower drivers toward the end and putting myself in 6th overall.
Round 2-
(Short Course) For the second round in SCT I wanted that 2nd position to put myself behind Joe Bornhorst and I did it! I put in one of the most consistent and fastest runs I have ever had indoors. When I looked at my time sheet that said I went from 3rd overall to 2nd overall and over 10 and close to 15-laps total with nothing but 21-second times….
(E-Buggy) I wanted to do the same with the Buggy as I did earlier with my truck which was to move up my overall spot to start better in the main. I went out early and put in a consistent run throwing me up the list into 3rd position only 5-seconds off TQ!!!
Round 3-
(Short Course & E-Buggy) My goal was to improve my spots or at least hold them so I would be in the top 3 in both classes by putting solid runs in while not messing myself up. Afterwards the sheets were posted for mains and I was heading into them 2nd in SCT and 3rd in E-Buggy!
The Mains:
(Short Course) Starting in second behind Joe with the goal of not letting him get too far ahead so that I could keep a good pace throughout the race. Early on I noticed that he was only gaining on me a small amount each lap which told me I was on a good run. So all I did was run to the best of my ability and not have any small mistakes. I ended up holding this spot the whole race and finishing in second in the A-Main.
(E-Buggy) My strategy for this A-Main was to start easy and get around the first few laps without any crashes. As I was coming around the second turn on the first lap, it was nose to tail first through fifth. As second place stuffed the inside pipe I rear-ended him due to no time for reaction and got stuck on him, throwing me straight to the back of the pack and having to work my way back up with the slim five minutes to go. So basically starting from twelfth position working my way through the field I pulled some nifty moves working my way up to the fifth spot before time ran out. Some of my lap times while doing this were faster than what they were in qualifying.
Overall, the whole weekend was fun as I got to see and meet some people from the Ohio area as well as pitting with teammate Joe Bornhorst. Both cars felt very good throughout the whole weekend and I was very pleased with my equipment and its performance.
I would like to thank Tekno RC, Pro-Line Racing, Venom batteries, PT Racing Oils, and Carpy’s for the continued support.
