Race Report July-August 2013
What a summer. The weather in the Midwest has been very strange to say the least. It has been very cool compared to previous years and still very wet. We have had very little chances to race due to the weather and the rain here.
First up in July was the Futaba OS Nitro Challenge. This is one of the main staples in St Louis for the past 5 years. It has always been a well-attended race for a lot of Midwest racers. This year we had a slew of fast guys here with Ryan Lutz, Josh Wheeler, Josh Glancy, Kurt Kellum, Nick Gibson, Michael Paige, Carson Wernimont, Dylan Gerard, Matt Gosch, Justin Wheeler, Mitchel Gardner and Mark Pavidis all in attendance. With all these fast guys the Amains would be a tough feat to make.
The weekend started out on Friday with open/controlled practice. This layout that we put in for this race was a challenging but very flowing layout. I started out my practice with truck, I had to change me shock oil to get the truck to settle down but that was it, It was dialed. After that I went out for practice with buggy. I tried a couple of different tire combos to see what would be the most consistent and fast on the black hard groove that was developing. I settled for the X3 Blockade for buggy and M3 Blockade for truck. Both vehicles were feeling very good and my practice lap times were good.
Qualifying started with truck up first on Saturday morning. I had a good run with a 5 overall for the round. Round 2 was about the same, but I made a couple of mistakes that put me back for a 10. Round 3 and 4 were about the same again, my truck being really fast but not being able to stay consistent for the full 7 minute qualifier. I ended up 9th overall in the A Main.
Buggy qualifying did not go as well as truck. Round one was the best of the weekend. I ended up 6th overall. Round 2 I make too many mistakes trying to push the car to hard. Round three I ended up 9th overall. Finally in round 4, my car felt awesome. I was on a top 5 pace then pop. While screaming down the front straight, the engine made a pop and my car stopped. I knew that was not good and walked off the stand. I broke a rod in my motor. With that qualifier I ended up 3rd in the B Main. Not what I wanted but this would give me a chance to bump up.
Main day. I would start out with buggy up first. With my backup motor in, I started. The first lap I followed Dylan Gerard around the first corner pileup. I ended up in second and following Dylan Gerard around for the first half of the race until the first pit stop. When I came in my motor was running on really bad and it died on the wall. My pit crew could not get it restarted and my chance for a bump to the A Main was over.
In truck, this race features double 20 minute A Mains with the combined points as the placement. In the first main I started out 9th and made my was up to 6th. That is where I ended the main in. The second main was better. I made my way up to 4th and was battling for 3rd until my pit stop. I came back out on the track and rounded the first corner and the truck died. MY pit crew got me restarted but I was down almost a lap. I stayed out and finished the race in 8th place. This gave me the overall result of a 5.
Next up was the final round of the Missouri State Pro series. In Buggy, there was some good talent with Local Kyosho driver Zach Phillips, Aaron Pucci, and local Xray driver Nate Jaskot in attendance.
In Buggy, I started off with a bad qualifier 1, but turned it around for the overall TQ in rounds 2 and 3. I ended up 3th overall after the main.
In Truck, I was able to TQ all rounds of qualifying and win by 5 laps.
I would like to thank my sponsors for great products and support.
Equipment I used this weekend
Serpent Cobra B 2.0
Serpent Cobra T\
Top Plus 5
Nova Rossi Keep off XL
O’Donnell Speed Fuel
Pro-Line X3 Blockades
Pro-Line M3 Blockades
Trakpower Batteries
PTRC Racing Oils
Futaba Radio and Servos
BCE
Avid Bearings
