The Pro-Line sponsored 2015 Summer BBQ Shootout was held at Pit Stop Hobbies in the scenic little town of Mount Joy, Pennsylvania. This being my summer home Track I knew it all too well. This is one of two Saturday races scheduled this year at a facility that is well known for running under the Friday Night Lights. The other big difference is The Summer BBQ Shootout is a day race which makes for a dramatically different track surface. My go-to Tires would normally be the Electron M4s however with the hot summer sun beating down on the track it becomes much looser. Here is where my trusty Hole Shot M4s love to play.
With 3 rounds of qualifying and single Mains I was ready to put in some work. My weapon of choice is my Pro-Line PRO-2 Mid-Motor. It was a hot and humid day and there was a threat of a passing thunderstorm. The track got blown off and watered and we were ready to throw down. By the time my heat came up the track had dusted up a good bit. At the sound of the tone the Hole Shot M4s bit into the surface and gave me great forward traction. I push the truck harder and half way through the race I notice the rear end was loose in turns so I pulled back a bit. After the dust settled I was sitting in 5th overall.
I inspect my truck and found that the rear shocks were in need of replacing the shock oil. So I quick change the shock oil in my Pro-Line Pro-Spec Shocks and I’m almost ready for round 2. Since this is the Summer BBQ Shootout I must of course partake in some of the great grilled food they have to offer. The grill master at Pit Stop Hobbies did not disappoint and was able to keep the line moving just as fast as the race program which has been on point all day.
Again at the sound of the tone my PRO-2M takes off and feels great. My plan for this qualifier was not to push it as hard and try to make a nice consistent but fast qualifier. Once again it started feeling loose This time I brought my overall position to third. I go to look at my results sheet and noticed that my lap times are very consistent until about 3 minutes into the 5 minute qualifier where they start dropping off. At this point it hits me like a ton of bricks… the high temperatures that day are causing the M4 compound tires to not work once they get hot. What is probably happening is the pins are getting so soft that they’re just rolling over instead of biting into the surface.
So now armed with this revelation I promptly threw a set of Hole Shot M3s on the rear of my Pro-Line PRO-2 and ready to make a move in the final qualifier. I keep the Hole Shot M4s up front since I still have plenty of steering. At this point it’s the hottest point of the day and the track is very dry and dusty despite the constant watering and upkeep by the diligent track crew. *BEEP* and my truck takes off. The Hole Shot M3s are tearing into the track like I haven’t felt all day. My only worry was can they keep this up through the entire 5 minute qualifier. The slightly stiffer pins are allowing me to make passes outside the groove where I normally wouldn’t have which greatly helped me weave through traffic with ease. As the 5 minute clock winds down I noticed that these tires remained consistent through the entire race. While I was able to finish this qualifier in the top spot it was not fast enough to take the TQ since the track was much faster in earlier rounds.
It’s now time for the A-main event. It’s still just as hot and the track surface is a little bit less dusty than the 3rd round of qualifiers. I qualified third in the A-main. Since the positions are staggered down the straight away so I’m sitting behind the TQ. After a failed start we were forced to do a restart. At the sound of the tone I shoot out between TQ and second place into the lead. I start pulling away and I’m in the zone. The Hole Shot M3s were certainly the tire of choice for these track conditions. I hold the lead through the entire 8 minute race cross the finish line to take that emerald green trophy home.
All told it was an awesome day filled with good people, delicious food, awesome door prizes, and some really great racing.
Once again I went with my favorite set up for this track. Click here to view it.
This is the first time I’ve experienced a situation where the M4 compound did not work due to the temperature. Moral of the day is to learn something new every race.
I would like to thank my sponsors for your continued support : Pro-Line, Viper RC, Xpert RC, and Boca Bearings
