By: Nick Blais
JBRL heads up to Rainman’s raceway in Bakersfield to get round 3 started. I carpooled up after working a half day Friday, with friends Ricardo and Ed Bender from Benders Bodies. I got a lot of practice in with all my vehicles. All my vehicles were hooked up on Pro-Line clay IONs. It was going to be hardest to drive my Pro-Line PRO-2 truck as it would be hard to get a drive off the short runs before the jumps on such a small track. It would be up to my Venom/ Tekin powered cars to get the job done.
Qualifying went pretty smooth for me. I was to put together 3 sweet runs on the first run taking the TQ in both PRO-2 and 1/8 scale. I was to finish up 2nd in the Pro 4 class. On the second run the track would come together and I would be beat out in all classes but I was to qualify 3rd for the main events.
Race 36 Pro 4 started off to a little bit of a slow start. I was to get passed by David Jensen on the second lap and then Casper was to slip by right after. Casper would crash and I was to slip by and try and catch up to David. David would soon make a mistake and I would get by and this is when the real battle for third broke out. It was back and forth for most of the race and then about 30 seconds from the end I would get a weird hop on the landing of the triple. That would result in me having to give up my chances of a podium finish. I would make it to a happy 4th place finish.
Pro 4 A Main at Rainsman’s Raceway Round 3 2014 JBRL Electric Series
Race 39 1/8 scale was to a tight start as always trying to get those big cars around a small track. I was able to get by Rudy Rico on the first lap and start to chase down Ryan Dunford. There was a full duel in the back as the crowd started getting into it. I ran well till about the 5 min mark and then I came up short on the triple and then Rudy got by and right after I was to clip the pipe at the end of the straight and my car flipped off the race track. Then Casper and my brother were to get by. I ended up passing them both again and right at the end of the race my brother jumped the corner and got over the line first. Jimmy somehow called that fair and gave my brother third until he went up and said to give it to me. After all that my Venom/ Tekin powered 1/8 scale buggy would come away with a third.
Race 43 Pro 2 My Pro-Line PRO-2 SC truck was hooked up all day. I was off to a smooth start and was able to get by Kevin Motter on the first lap. He would end up getting back by but I gave him a run for his money. I was to stay smooth most of the race but the triple just kept getting me loose on the landing. It bit me a couple of times but I was able to put my Pro 2 truck on the podium in 3rd.
Pro 2 A Main at Rainsman’s Raceway Round 3 2014 JBRL Electric Series
I had a ton of fun and I will be prepared for my home town race OCRC. I would like to thank Coyote Hobbies Raceway, Pro-Line, Venom, Airtronics, Tekin and Blais racing Services for all the support. It wouldn’t be possible without all the great sponsors out there! See you all at the next race!
By: Chris Blais
Rainman’s Hobbies in Bakersfield, CA would be the location for the third race of the 2014 JBRL Series. Thanks to Jimmy Babcock for the fun and competitive series. We got there on Friday for some practice and the place was busy within an hour of opening. There would be 270+ entries at JBRL Round 3 with some great drivers present.
My first race would be 4×4 Buggy which is one of my favorite classes. I would have a decent 1st qualifying run with my Associated B44.2 but with a few crashes it pushed me near the tail end of the qualifying pack. I had an awesome 2nd qualifying run after switching to the new Pro-Line Suburbs VTR Tires, then with about 1 minute left I made a mistake and got hit by another car breaking my front a-arm. I would be stuck in the C-main with some other really good drivers including David Jensen and Jason Corl. I had a great run in the C-main but was beat out of transfer position and would finish 4th.
My second race of the day would be 1/8 E-Buggy. I had a great first run with just some small mistakes placing me about 6th qualifying position. Everyone went faster in the 2nd qualifying runs including myself but would end up getting edged out and in the B-main. I was able to take the B-main win and bump to the A-main. After a few minutes into the main event I was able to catch my brother Nick and we had a great battle for the last 5-6 minutes of the race. My 1/8 Buggy was working great with my Pro-Line ION tires and Venom/Tekin power. On the last lap I would make a last ditch effort to pass him but I cut off a little too much of the pipe before the finish line. I did get across first but I had to give that one up. I had a great time battling with Nick and it made it a great weekend.
1/8 Scale Buggy A Main at Rainsman’s Raceway Round 3 2014 JBRL Electric Series
Pro 4 would be one of the closest races of the day for our group. I had a good first qualifying run putting me in about 4th position. In the 2nd qualifier everyone went faster again including myself but I would just barely qualify 6th at the bottom of the A-Main. I had a great battle with Casper going on most of the race for 5th place and I would just edge him out by less than 1 second in the end. All in all it was a great weekend and I had a great time at Rainman’s Hobbies. Next stop OCRC Raceway this weeknd for Round 4. Thanks to all our sponsors for their support: Coyote Hobbies, Venom, Pro-Line, Venom, Airtronics and Tekin. We couldn’t do it without you guys!
Martin Blais would finish up the weekend with a 6th place finish in Sportsman 4wd Short Course A Main, 6th in Super Stock Short Course A Main, and 5th in 1/8 Scale B-Main.
Sportsman 4×4 Short Course A Main at Coyote Hobbies Raceway Round 2 2014 JBRL
Race Results
Check us out on Facebook by Clicking below or Scanning the QR Code!
Like Us on Facebook
Blais Racing Services is also now a proud dealer for Venom/Atomik products.
Check out the Blais website http://www.blaisracingservices.com/rc-products.html
Thanks for all the awesome Videos/Photos by Martin and Susan Blais at: www.BlaisWebCreations.com
Blais Racing Services offers engine rebuilding and online parts for all your Motorcycle, ATV, & UTV needs. Owned and operated by Chris Blais, former Factory KTM Dakar Rally Racer. We specialize in KTM/Honda, but can work on anything. I do all of the engine work myself. www.BlaisRacingServices.com
