the Back Alley at FastCats outdoor open....
05-11-2006, 07:44 AM
#1
Tech Regular
Thread Starter
the Back Alley at FastCats outdoor open....
Hey racers,
Thanks to all for coming out this weekend. Although the wind was still a little brisk it was a Great day to be outside enjoying the sport that we all love. OUTDOOR racing has returned to the Back Alley.
As you already know, the BackAlley track is larger than the indoor area and it allows for the lanes to be wider and more forgiving. This season I’m going for even more flowing tracks than I did last year. For the newer drivers a slight mistake doesn't mean that you hold a “board meeting“. Yet for the fast drivers carrying all the speed into the corners, it will still challenge them, as it did on Sunday.
It was good to see many of the carpet electric racers convert to the smooth asphalt of the outdoor track. In the 1/10 OPEN TC there were a number of new drivers moving from the indoor slower classes and had great fun in their own heats.
The fastest class this weekend was the OPEN 1/12th. Wow, can these cars move. Now running the modified motors, these drivers were showing how to control incredible speed yet last the 8 minutes required on the four cells. They kicked butt with an exciting A-Main finish.
With the return of the spring come the NITROs. This year we’re trying 10-minute qualifiers. I have always pondered, that after 2-3 minute warm-up it seemed silly that we only let them run for 5 minutes. With this extension the nitro drivers will get even more time on the track as well as practice their refueling cycles with their pit partners. It was great to see the Nitro drivers back and we can expect exciting racing as they all regain the driving edge that makes Nitro so special. There were even some newbie Nitro drivers that came out to challenge themselves with a new class. They survived and will “definitely be back”.
A new outdoor class was the mini sports. These cars seemed to have more problems controlling their new found speed, MAX'ng out their drive ratios and surplus RPMs from the newly installed black cans. I’ll have to get mine out for the next heats and see if I can control it.
All in all it was a great weekend and hopefully the weather will continue to shine down on us as we exercise our outdoor priviledges.
Off to work now… designing some new sweepers to go along with the new large radius dots…. Always trying to make it as car friendly as possible.
Thanks
Thanks to all for coming out this weekend. Although the wind was still a little brisk it was a Great day to be outside enjoying the sport that we all love. OUTDOOR racing has returned to the Back Alley.
As you already know, the BackAlley track is larger than the indoor area and it allows for the lanes to be wider and more forgiving. This season I’m going for even more flowing tracks than I did last year. For the newer drivers a slight mistake doesn't mean that you hold a “board meeting“. Yet for the fast drivers carrying all the speed into the corners, it will still challenge them, as it did on Sunday.
It was good to see many of the carpet electric racers convert to the smooth asphalt of the outdoor track. In the 1/10 OPEN TC there were a number of new drivers moving from the indoor slower classes and had great fun in their own heats.
The fastest class this weekend was the OPEN 1/12th. Wow, can these cars move. Now running the modified motors, these drivers were showing how to control incredible speed yet last the 8 minutes required on the four cells. They kicked butt with an exciting A-Main finish.
With the return of the spring come the NITROs. This year we’re trying 10-minute qualifiers. I have always pondered, that after 2-3 minute warm-up it seemed silly that we only let them run for 5 minutes. With this extension the nitro drivers will get even more time on the track as well as practice their refueling cycles with their pit partners. It was great to see the Nitro drivers back and we can expect exciting racing as they all regain the driving edge that makes Nitro so special. There were even some newbie Nitro drivers that came out to challenge themselves with a new class. They survived and will “definitely be back”.
A new outdoor class was the mini sports. These cars seemed to have more problems controlling their new found speed, MAX'ng out their drive ratios and surplus RPMs from the newly installed black cans. I’ll have to get mine out for the next heats and see if I can control it.
All in all it was a great weekend and hopefully the weather will continue to shine down on us as we exercise our outdoor priviledges.
Off to work now… designing some new sweepers to go along with the new large radius dots…. Always trying to make it as car friendly as possible.
Thanks
05-11-2006, 07:44 AM
#2
Tech Regular
Thread Starter
update
Sunday May 7th......
Wonderful Weather Once again.
We have new boards. Although not entirely complete they were very ready-for-use. Some paint and minor tweaks and they'll be set. I'll add some pictures later.
The racing was exciting and again very fast. ( see Todd's WOW topic ) I know I'll be saying that ALL summer long. This week's layout was more technical than the opening day track but just as flowing. As Brenno C. stated, "I love it, If you hit the line you can rip through but hitting it every time is not easy". Unfortunately he had some bad luck in the A-Main warm-up and didn't start. Ty Grant went on to win over Morgan Johns ( coming out of winter hibernation). We used the 10-minute qualifiers allowing the nitros, to maximize their track time.
Martin C. pulled an exciting Open-Modified win (running his rubber tire REEDY race practice setup) on the last lap, taking honours away from the ever-consistent Nick (Bawdy Shop) Imineo.
Johnnnnnny (Postman) P. posted a 12th scale modifed win and the fastest lap overall (including the Nitros).
As for the Minis...... Scott Smither showed us how to turn Tamiya MO4 Miata into a Tomahawk ROCKET as he spanked us all ( this author included).
Generally the outdoor driving was fast. All the racers that have converted from our indoor track have had the advantage of extra wide lanes and longer straights. Both have combined in allowing all the drivers to kick it up a notch.
I am hoping to add a faster more novice class as numbers permit. A sportsman class maybe....
Another word on the tracks layouts.. I will try posting this last weekend's design as a test, and if it works well I will post more in advance of each weekend's race.
Thanks for the turnout. It was another great weekend. Please keep coming back... And bring your Friends.
John
Wonderful Weather Once again.
We have new boards. Although not entirely complete they were very ready-for-use. Some paint and minor tweaks and they'll be set. I'll add some pictures later.
The racing was exciting and again very fast. ( see Todd's WOW topic ) I know I'll be saying that ALL summer long. This week's layout was more technical than the opening day track but just as flowing. As Brenno C. stated, "I love it, If you hit the line you can rip through but hitting it every time is not easy". Unfortunately he had some bad luck in the A-Main warm-up and didn't start. Ty Grant went on to win over Morgan Johns ( coming out of winter hibernation). We used the 10-minute qualifiers allowing the nitros, to maximize their track time.
Martin C. pulled an exciting Open-Modified win (running his rubber tire REEDY race practice setup) on the last lap, taking honours away from the ever-consistent Nick (Bawdy Shop) Imineo.
Johnnnnnny (Postman) P. posted a 12th scale modifed win and the fastest lap overall (including the Nitros).
As for the Minis...... Scott Smither showed us how to turn Tamiya MO4 Miata into a Tomahawk ROCKET as he spanked us all ( this author included).
Generally the outdoor driving was fast. All the racers that have converted from our indoor track have had the advantage of extra wide lanes and longer straights. Both have combined in allowing all the drivers to kick it up a notch.
I am hoping to add a faster more novice class as numbers permit. A sportsman class maybe....
Another word on the tracks layouts.. I will try posting this last weekend's design as a test, and if it works well I will post more in advance of each weekend's race.
Thanks for the turnout. It was another great weekend. Please keep coming back... And bring your Friends.
John
05-23-2006, 04:35 AM
#3
Tech Regular
Thread Starter
Monday Victoria Day recap!
Monday Victoria Day - race report by Morgan Johns
So the weather forecast all week and even Monday morning showed a Sunny with brief cloudy periods and a high of 17deg. Well those weather people need a slap on the back of their head! LITERALLY!!! Monday was anything but sunny and even "semi" warm.
The race day started off later then usual as no one was quite sure whether to cancel the race day due to cold weather and just run a general practice day. However all our egos eventually decided on to run a full-fledged race day!!!
The race day brought some new and old faces, I was a little depressed that my favorite class to watch (12th Scale Open MOD!!!!) was not being run as it truly is spectacular to see those lil guys rip up the track and make the nitro cars look slow! The day was comprised of three 1/10th Nitro heats, one 1/10th 19t Sportsman, one 1/10th Open Mod, and yes of course the fan favorite Mini Outlaw class!!! (Black can).
The track layout stayed the same as the last race; although the layout was well known by most of the racers it still proved to be very challenging. The traction was med-high as the cold weather left a lot of drivers questioning their tire choice. The new barriers were appreciated by all of us drivers, as very little breakage occurred due to hitting the barriers, a testament to the ongoing course engineering by FastCats own John C and Nick I.
So lets get to the action!!!! the first qualifiers were the 1/10th nitro class, during the first round of Qualifying it was up in the air as to who was going to be sitting pretty with TQ, the 3rd heat of the nitro class was a star studded event; Brenno C, Ty Grant, Ross C, Francis L, Wally E and yours truly. The 10min qualifiers allow for some great action, Ross C had the Mondayearly TQ pace and everyone was throwing down some incredible laps and heroic theatrics. By the end of the qualifier I landed the TQ position by over 2 laps, this wasn't to say that I was that much faster, I credit it to luck and lack of traffic as Brenno, Ty and Ross had traffic problems.
The 19t Sportsman class was owned by Berrick, however Andy B (Stoneman the marble guy) was close behind and has really improved over the past few months posting lap times "comparable" to his son the wonder child, the protégé, Safety Steve B. The RC Wife Rita D was throwing down some incredible laps proving that RC racing isn’t just for the boys anymore!!!
The 1/10th Open mod class was dominated by FastCats own; Bawdy Shop entrepreneur, racing guru and uber handy man Nick I, Bill R didn’t disappoint as he kept Nick on his toes, the RC Dad and Son put on a good show as well proving that practice makes perfect and with each weekend that comes and goes there skill level increases significantly, soon the Dawes will own the RC Ontario racing scene!
So the last heat in Qualifying was the Minis, unfortunately missing the Mini King John C(he had to run the race day, scoring and timing or so he says) Fiona had her mini "HOOKED" literally as it seemed her car had a fish hook with com drops for bait attracting all the minis to it! Fiona dominated the first round of qualifying showing us boys what minis can really do! I mean who ever though a mini could run so well upside down!!!
The second round of Qualifying..........Short and quick, nothing changed! Except for a few casualties (RC) and Danny making a strong Q run and making it up to the 3rd heat of 1/10th Nitro Class (3rd heat usually represents the fastest in the class [3rd = last heat of that class]). Congrats Danny on a great qualifier!
(P.S. Sorry if I'm forgetting to write about others / you, but there’s a lot to remember and if I don’t write about you it doesn’t mean I don't like you.....Goooo John Doe!!!)
The third round of qualifying started off with a bang!!! Literally, as the first class of 1/10th Nitro's made a lot of noise hitting the "soft" barriers, it didn’t matter though as the first round was a group of friends battling it out and having fun, which is really what it is all about!!!
As I decided to sit out the 2nd and 3rd round of qualifying because I thought I was safe on pole / TQ and also to save my car (from myself) it was up to Brenno, Ty, Ross and Francis to really let it rip!!! From the get go Brenno was flying (please note "flying") by the 3min mark Brenno was on a 54 lap qualifying pace bettering my time by over 2 laps!!! Ty was on a 53 lap pace and Ross and Francis both posting early 52 lap paces. My eyebrow raised and I made a few changes and threw my car on the track to see where I was at compared to the top runners, I was pretty happy and took my car off to let everyone else duke it out and make me look silly for sitting out the last qualifier.
I was feeling pretty dim as Brenno was looking to beat my TQ pace by over 2 laps when within 2 minutes to go Brenno did the impossible.....why impossible???? Well Brenno hooked a turn a little to soon and gunned it (floored it / pedal to the Metal) into the soft barrier and launched his car over 6ft in the air (remember the note about "flying") literally his car flew in the air for over 20ft, somehow that can only be explained as an RC guardian angel (please reference: Angels in the Outfield http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109127/) landed as soft as a babies butt on the cold hard unforgiving asphalt. This gave me a glimpse of hope to keep my TQ. As the time was finally up, John C read off the results; Ty Grant pulled off the TQ by 2.5 seconds, and 1st to 4th was seperate dby only 5 secs, the main was looking to be good one!!!!
The rest of the qualifying again stayed the same, however John P seemed to find a little extra HP in his Mini battling it out with Robert (sorry if that’s not your real name) LOL!!! Roberts’s car was definitely the supreme being of the mini world, as it seemed he could just about dust all of us off without thinking twice.
THE MAINS!!!!!!!!!!!
1/10th Nitro B Main
Ron D made the B main a thing of beauty telling the entire A Mainers that next week, I'm coming for ya! The group of friends had fun battling it out with each other however RC causalities and attrition played apart in there race.
1/10th Nitro A main
The biggest and most competitive class of the day, a who's who for 1/10th nitro racing in Ontario was in attendance!!! (Minus Howard its to cold for me Cho) Ty sat on TQ, Myself in 2nd and Brenno the Aviator in 3rd (sorry I don’t remember the exact starting order of everyone else) and the rest of the class comprising of Francis L, Wally E, Danny B and Bill R.
Ty made a fatal (RC) error during warm-up as he stopped on the straight to get his engine tuned, whilst Danny B with nowhere to go careened into Ty's rear end leaving Ty with 3/4's of a car left. Ty unfortunately was unable to fix his car for the race.
Now sitting 30secs to the start of the race the straight was closed for refueling. Now sitting back in 1st spot with a clear track ahead of me I focused my attention on Steph C the "flag girl" for the start of the race. The flag was lifted and everyone was off to what has to be the cleanest start in RC history, congrats to everyone on keeping it clean for the first few laps. The race had little drama as Brenno and myself separated ourselves from the rest of the field it wasn't going to be easy to win this race as I knew Brenno is fast, not only fast he’s the Canadian champion, he is the man to beat, completely dominating the competition in 2005. I had to race hard and consistent, which for me is more of a challenge then tying my shoe laces (I wear slip on shoes!!!) Luckily I had nothing but luck for the short 15min main, Brenno ran into a few traffic problems which eased my lead, however I was not going to ease up at all as I knew that Brenno and I were running between 10.8 and 11 sec laps so any mistake and Brenno would pass me!!!
At the end of 15mins I ended up taking the win, and yes I was very happy, sorry not just happy but ecstatic, I credit 50% of my win to a great pit man John the Postman who did an absolute magnificent job and helped me stay in front!!!!!
The 19t Sportsman class was won by Beric putting just a couple of laps on his competition, however Andy stayed strong and won the 2nd spot!!! as Rita D gave him great competition.
The Open class, Nick I dominated again with what seemed like he was running a 1 turn single with 22 cells great job NICK!! Bill put fourth a great 2nd spot showing as the Dawes followed up with a close following positions but as always they all finished with the biggest smiles on their faces which again is what really matters in RC racing!!!
The Mini Class was a toss up between Fiona, RC dad, John P and Robert!! Fiona owned the first ¾ of the race, with her fish hook strategy Fiona really made the guys sweat as Robert and John squeezed everything out of there Minis. Unfortunately Fiona tried some last lap heroics that ended up costing her 15 laps (DON’T ASK ABOUT MY MATH) Robert convincingly won, as John the Postman who usually delivers “posted” a 2nd spot finish!
Yes, Yes, Yes, and one more YES! That’s it from FastCats Monday May 22 Victoria Day Race Recap!!!!!!! Again all our thanks go out to Pam & John, Stephanie, John, Matt, Michael Catricala & Nick I the honorary Son for putting together another flawless day of racing and fun whether it’s a major trophy race or a day like today; a general club race, your efforts will never go unnoticed!!!
See you next Race Day!!!!!!
SPECIAL NOTABLES: Good Luck Martin C, Corey “The Great Whyte Hype” Whiteman and Steve “the wonder, child the protégé” Bortolotti
The 3-mentioned above have been practicing for this coming weeks major race in California. The Reedy race is known to e the Daytona 500 of RC racing. Lets all give our best hopes and wishes to these 3 who will be representing Canada and FastCats
_________________
So the weather forecast all week and even Monday morning showed a Sunny with brief cloudy periods and a high of 17deg. Well those weather people need a slap on the back of their head! LITERALLY!!! Monday was anything but sunny and even "semi" warm.
The race day started off later then usual as no one was quite sure whether to cancel the race day due to cold weather and just run a general practice day. However all our egos eventually decided on to run a full-fledged race day!!!
The race day brought some new and old faces, I was a little depressed that my favorite class to watch (12th Scale Open MOD!!!!) was not being run as it truly is spectacular to see those lil guys rip up the track and make the nitro cars look slow! The day was comprised of three 1/10th Nitro heats, one 1/10th 19t Sportsman, one 1/10th Open Mod, and yes of course the fan favorite Mini Outlaw class!!! (Black can).
The track layout stayed the same as the last race; although the layout was well known by most of the racers it still proved to be very challenging. The traction was med-high as the cold weather left a lot of drivers questioning their tire choice. The new barriers were appreciated by all of us drivers, as very little breakage occurred due to hitting the barriers, a testament to the ongoing course engineering by FastCats own John C and Nick I.
So lets get to the action!!!! the first qualifiers were the 1/10th nitro class, during the first round of Qualifying it was up in the air as to who was going to be sitting pretty with TQ, the 3rd heat of the nitro class was a star studded event; Brenno C, Ty Grant, Ross C, Francis L, Wally E and yours truly. The 10min qualifiers allow for some great action, Ross C had the Mondayearly TQ pace and everyone was throwing down some incredible laps and heroic theatrics. By the end of the qualifier I landed the TQ position by over 2 laps, this wasn't to say that I was that much faster, I credit it to luck and lack of traffic as Brenno, Ty and Ross had traffic problems.
The 19t Sportsman class was owned by Berrick, however Andy B (Stoneman the marble guy) was close behind and has really improved over the past few months posting lap times "comparable" to his son the wonder child, the protégé, Safety Steve B. The RC Wife Rita D was throwing down some incredible laps proving that RC racing isn’t just for the boys anymore!!!
The 1/10th Open mod class was dominated by FastCats own; Bawdy Shop entrepreneur, racing guru and uber handy man Nick I, Bill R didn’t disappoint as he kept Nick on his toes, the RC Dad and Son put on a good show as well proving that practice makes perfect and with each weekend that comes and goes there skill level increases significantly, soon the Dawes will own the RC Ontario racing scene!
So the last heat in Qualifying was the Minis, unfortunately missing the Mini King John C(he had to run the race day, scoring and timing or so he says) Fiona had her mini "HOOKED" literally as it seemed her car had a fish hook with com drops for bait attracting all the minis to it! Fiona dominated the first round of qualifying showing us boys what minis can really do! I mean who ever though a mini could run so well upside down!!!
The second round of Qualifying..........Short and quick, nothing changed! Except for a few casualties (RC) and Danny making a strong Q run and making it up to the 3rd heat of 1/10th Nitro Class (3rd heat usually represents the fastest in the class [3rd = last heat of that class]). Congrats Danny on a great qualifier!
(P.S. Sorry if I'm forgetting to write about others / you, but there’s a lot to remember and if I don’t write about you it doesn’t mean I don't like you.....Goooo John Doe!!!)
The third round of qualifying started off with a bang!!! Literally, as the first class of 1/10th Nitro's made a lot of noise hitting the "soft" barriers, it didn’t matter though as the first round was a group of friends battling it out and having fun, which is really what it is all about!!!
As I decided to sit out the 2nd and 3rd round of qualifying because I thought I was safe on pole / TQ and also to save my car (from myself) it was up to Brenno, Ty, Ross and Francis to really let it rip!!! From the get go Brenno was flying (please note "flying") by the 3min mark Brenno was on a 54 lap qualifying pace bettering my time by over 2 laps!!! Ty was on a 53 lap pace and Ross and Francis both posting early 52 lap paces. My eyebrow raised and I made a few changes and threw my car on the track to see where I was at compared to the top runners, I was pretty happy and took my car off to let everyone else duke it out and make me look silly for sitting out the last qualifier.
I was feeling pretty dim as Brenno was looking to beat my TQ pace by over 2 laps when within 2 minutes to go Brenno did the impossible.....why impossible???? Well Brenno hooked a turn a little to soon and gunned it (floored it / pedal to the Metal) into the soft barrier and launched his car over 6ft in the air (remember the note about "flying") literally his car flew in the air for over 20ft, somehow that can only be explained as an RC guardian angel (please reference: Angels in the Outfield http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109127/) landed as soft as a babies butt on the cold hard unforgiving asphalt. This gave me a glimpse of hope to keep my TQ. As the time was finally up, John C read off the results; Ty Grant pulled off the TQ by 2.5 seconds, and 1st to 4th was seperate dby only 5 secs, the main was looking to be good one!!!!
The rest of the qualifying again stayed the same, however John P seemed to find a little extra HP in his Mini battling it out with Robert (sorry if that’s not your real name) LOL!!! Roberts’s car was definitely the supreme being of the mini world, as it seemed he could just about dust all of us off without thinking twice.
THE MAINS!!!!!!!!!!!
1/10th Nitro B Main
Ron D made the B main a thing of beauty telling the entire A Mainers that next week, I'm coming for ya! The group of friends had fun battling it out with each other however RC causalities and attrition played apart in there race.
1/10th Nitro A main
The biggest and most competitive class of the day, a who's who for 1/10th nitro racing in Ontario was in attendance!!! (Minus Howard its to cold for me Cho) Ty sat on TQ, Myself in 2nd and Brenno the Aviator in 3rd (sorry I don’t remember the exact starting order of everyone else) and the rest of the class comprising of Francis L, Wally E, Danny B and Bill R.
Ty made a fatal (RC) error during warm-up as he stopped on the straight to get his engine tuned, whilst Danny B with nowhere to go careened into Ty's rear end leaving Ty with 3/4's of a car left. Ty unfortunately was unable to fix his car for the race.
Now sitting 30secs to the start of the race the straight was closed for refueling. Now sitting back in 1st spot with a clear track ahead of me I focused my attention on Steph C the "flag girl" for the start of the race. The flag was lifted and everyone was off to what has to be the cleanest start in RC history, congrats to everyone on keeping it clean for the first few laps. The race had little drama as Brenno and myself separated ourselves from the rest of the field it wasn't going to be easy to win this race as I knew Brenno is fast, not only fast he’s the Canadian champion, he is the man to beat, completely dominating the competition in 2005. I had to race hard and consistent, which for me is more of a challenge then tying my shoe laces (I wear slip on shoes!!!) Luckily I had nothing but luck for the short 15min main, Brenno ran into a few traffic problems which eased my lead, however I was not going to ease up at all as I knew that Brenno and I were running between 10.8 and 11 sec laps so any mistake and Brenno would pass me!!!
At the end of 15mins I ended up taking the win, and yes I was very happy, sorry not just happy but ecstatic, I credit 50% of my win to a great pit man John the Postman who did an absolute magnificent job and helped me stay in front!!!!!
The 19t Sportsman class was won by Beric putting just a couple of laps on his competition, however Andy stayed strong and won the 2nd spot!!! as Rita D gave him great competition.
The Open class, Nick I dominated again with what seemed like he was running a 1 turn single with 22 cells great job NICK!! Bill put fourth a great 2nd spot showing as the Dawes followed up with a close following positions but as always they all finished with the biggest smiles on their faces which again is what really matters in RC racing!!!
The Mini Class was a toss up between Fiona, RC dad, John P and Robert!! Fiona owned the first ¾ of the race, with her fish hook strategy Fiona really made the guys sweat as Robert and John squeezed everything out of there Minis. Unfortunately Fiona tried some last lap heroics that ended up costing her 15 laps (DON’T ASK ABOUT MY MATH) Robert convincingly won, as John the Postman who usually delivers “posted” a 2nd spot finish!
Yes, Yes, Yes, and one more YES! That’s it from FastCats Monday May 22 Victoria Day Race Recap!!!!!!! Again all our thanks go out to Pam & John, Stephanie, John, Matt, Michael Catricala & Nick I the honorary Son for putting together another flawless day of racing and fun whether it’s a major trophy race or a day like today; a general club race, your efforts will never go unnoticed!!!
See you next Race Day!!!!!!
SPECIAL NOTABLES: Good Luck Martin C, Corey “The Great Whyte Hype” Whiteman and Steve “the wonder, child the protégé” Bortolotti
The 3-mentioned above have been practicing for this coming weeks major race in California. The Reedy race is known to e the Daytona 500 of RC racing. Lets all give our best hopes and wishes to these 3 who will be representing Canada and FastCats
_________________
05-31-2006, 04:28 AM
#4
Tech Regular
Thread Starter
May 28th update
Posted: 29 May 2006 03:28 am Post subject: May 28th Race Recap **********UPDATED***********
Well it definitely was shaping out to be a great day even before I left my house. Fernando Alonso captured another Formula 1 win! Never thought I could be so cheery at 9:37am however his win put me in the points lead for my Formula 1 Fantasy Team Subleauge www.f1manager.info
However just after the race I had what you all would describe as one of those "I am forgetting Something" moments. I walked around my house aimlessly for a couple minutes poured myself a glass of OJ looked outside and saw that it was bright sunny and warm, so immediately I thought "well this couldn't be race day at FastCats" or wait.... it could!!!!! and it was!!!!!
I never packed up all my stuff so fast and got to the track so fast, I couldn’t believe that it was so nice out and I was going to be able to spend such a gorgeous day outside and racing!!!! I got to the track in just over record time 12mins34secs Avg122kph (record time = 9min01secs Avg154kph) I pulled up the rear of the track and opened my door to the sweet sweet smell and aroma of a .12size Nitro Burning, tire eating 1/10th scale RC car ripping down the back straight, ahhhh I was home! I unpacked my entire RC assets in 2 trips, as I was feeling a bit lazy. After I unpacked and put my hump pack and starter box batteries to charge I made my way to the drivers stand saying hi and good mornings to anyone who would acknowledge me. I was quite curious as to the track layout as Pam C was spreading rumors of a track change over LiveRC chat, in which I made the comment “Wow John C changes tracks more then he changes his track clothes” I think Pam liked the comment.
The track was definitely different! Isn’t that the way it always works? Once you finally learn one track BAM another one pops up! But man let me say this track looked awesome!!!! So lets take a lap of the new track!!
Coming down the back straight you begin to really appreciate just how smooth this track is as you can lay down all the power without any hairy moments, off the back straight into the slightly banked Right hand Sweeper holding more G’s then possible or so it seems! Off the back sweeper into a tight chicane, missing the apex to this chicane and your next 3 corners are done for! Through the chicane or should I say “Nitro numbing chicane” and into a hairy off camber left hand sweeper, testing faith, through here it does (GOOO YODA) the sweeper is short lived as you are hit by a short shoot into a 180deg turn followed by another short shoot around another 180deg turn as you launch the car into a chassis tweaking high speed chicane if done right would yield many rewards, and boom back onto the straight!!! What? Sounds Easy? Try it!!!!!
1st Round of Qualifying
1/10th Nitro
Definitely not a qualifying anyone was proud of as most of us were still learning the new track. The new layout definitely made us look like amateurs as we all spent more times against the barriers then on the tarmac. Brenno, Ty and Ross C posted early 52lap paces but by the tiring end everyone was either broken or 50 laps and below, as Brenno held the early TQ.
This was the biggest class with 3 heats, and at the end of the first round of qualifying no one knew who was the top dog as everyone looked to be on the same pace.
1/10th Open Elec
It was clear in the first few laps that Leonard S and Nick I were in a league of there own, don’t discount Bill R or RC Kid (Dawe) as they were both flying as well. Leonard finished the 5 min Q on top with nick close behind.
1/10th 19 Sportsman
Beric last week’s winner was again on pace owning the class!!! Steph C made a special celebrity guest appearance and really pulled out a great Q time of 8 laps!!! She also had the slowest lap of the day with a 1min03sec lap!!! Wow that takes talent!!! Jeff Wheeler was also making a name for himself as he took 2 spot in the overall 1st round of qualifying.
Mini OUTLAW
The spectator favorite like usual put on a great display of aerobatics, Nick I found his set-up and just dominated the field, leaving Phil H, Rob B and Jim W to battle it out for who was 2nd best. Fiona proved the impossible as she actually made faster laps on her roof then with all 4 wheels on the ground.
2nd Round of Qualifying
Again nothing really changed as the week before, not that I am being lazy but really no changes occurred, okay so I am being lazy!
3rd Round of Qualifying
So all the smack talk anyone could handle had been laid down, and now it was time to prove it as 1st and 2nd round qualifying was very random and no real fast guy was prominent, so lets see how it went.
1/10th Nitro
Brenno, Ty, Ross and Myself were on pace finally Brenno posting an early TQ pace of 52laps and the rest of us in the 51-50’s. My car was really weird as it seamed I had no left rear suspension or something was jammed in my suspension arms as my car just could not handle laying down power or taking fast right hand corners. Brenno kept pace through the entire race only dropping down to 51laps after 10mins and Ty and I were close behind. Ross had a few bobbles and struggled a bit as Dave Lyons with very little track experience was up in the thick of it (a testament of skill). John was shouting out the lap times and paces but it really didn’t matter as I think all us rivers knew we were in for a great A main!!! Turn out in pre-warm-up a popped my rear suspension off the lower ball cup and it lodged itself in the upper suspension not bottoming out my chassis, WOW! Was I ever lucky it stayed lodged there for the full 10min Q!!!!!!
1/10th Open Elec
Again Leonard owned the track, however Nick I was definitely not off the pace as traffic and a few minor brain farts kept him from challenging the TQ spot. Bill R, Mike D, and Glenn G were all battling out for 3rd overall.
1/10th 19t Sportsman
Again Beric threw down the time to beat, but Steph C our celebrity driver of the day was not going to let him win easy, as Beric was posting faster and faster laps Steph began doing the unthinkable and rapidly making each lap longer and longer, I think someone forgot to tell her this was not golf whereas the lowest laps count! Jeff W posted a great 2nd overall time and pace, As Marc and Jason struggled to find their set-ups.
Mini OUTLAW!!!!!
Again Nick I dominated TQ by over a lap, which in mini this spells or means eternity. Phil, Rob, Jim and yes John C fought it out for 2nd best. Fiona again amazed us all by showing that the mini doesn’t need a track to run on as she off roaded(not a real word….I know…its made up…bite me) half the qualifier.
Final Qualifying Standings
1/10th Nitro C Main
George Triffiletti 39/10:25.510
Ron Dziuban 37/10:12.971
Henry Rogers 31/10:09.952
Adam Jacob 13/7:47.267
1/10th Nitro B Main
Jimmy Crawford 44/10:13.038
Roger Cobbs 42/10:00.270
Fred Cobbs 41/10:05.701
Danny Burgic 40/10:00.235
Dustin Scheinder 40/10:01.403
Anthony Giannace 40/10:04.015
1/10th Nitro A Main
Brenno Crosara 51/10:11.836
Ty Grant 50/10:00.407
Morgan Johns 50/10:09.114
Dave Lyons 48/10:05.373
Ross Chiramonte 48/10:09.394
Bill Rae 45/10:01.590
1/10th Open Elec
Leonard Schinzano 26/5:09.947
Nick Imineo 25/5:13.495
Bill Rae 22/5:03.495
Mike Dawe 22/5:04.884
Glen Garbutt 22/5:09.500
1/10th 19t Sportsman
Beric Leung 22/5:12.218
Glen Garbutt 21/5:03.615
Jeff Wheeler 21/5:10.016
Marc Sinclair 20/5:06.244
Jason Kraemer 20/5:19.468
Curtis Joy 16/5:10.557
Steph Catricala 11/5:45.999
MINI OUTLAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!
Nick Imineo 19/5:12.863
Phil Harris 18/5:17.560
Rob Brandow 17/5:15.798
John Catricala 17/5:16.401
Jim Wheeler 16/5:08.009
Jason Kraemer 15/5:10.559
Fiona Kraemer 10/5:23.961
Andrew Seath 4/1:49.043
The Mains!!!!
Sunday Sunday Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(shouted in Dave Lyons voice not mine…..OF COURSE not mine I think Ty would punch me if I shouted that)
So I will only recap the A mains as really I was not watching the others as I thought the C,B and A mains were in sequential order and was working on my car to get it ready for my main, however John C decided to put the A Main Nitro last and trick all of us…sorry Jimmy wudda pitted for ya!
1/10th Open Elec
It was clear from the start this race was between Leonard and Nick, however a few bobbles off the start and Mike Dawe found himself with the lead!!!! These Dawes I tell ya there getting fast!!!! However Mike’s lead was short lived as both Leonard and Nick soon re-gained the lead and began to battle it out, they were within a few seconds of each other for the majority of the race but a few bobbles by Nick lead Leonard to a commandable lead, and eventual victory!!
1/10th 19T Sportsman
Beric again owned the class but Jeff wheeler was hot on his toes, and Steph C was making it around the track aswell!!!! Jason and Marc were definitely trading comparable laps and battling it out for 3rd, however battery problems and attrition found the best of them as Beric went on to win with Jeff close behind.
Mini OUTLAW!!!!!
Nick I squealed off the line and left his rubber dust on the windshields of everyone else, Nick was definitely the man to beat as he wanted the new title of the king of mini trying to take the crown from John C, I mean seriously whoever thought the fight to be king of the slowest class would be so hair raising. Think about it for a sec….Hey guys I am the slowest fast guy!!!!…WOOOT!
Nick lead from the begging and never looked back however the action between Phil, John, Rob and Jim was awesome as each traded paint for the entire 5minutes!! Great fun!!!!
1/10th Nitro
So who was going to win?? No one knew not even the drivers, finally during warm-up no casualties happened leaving all the contenders in the field. Throughout warm-up it looked like everyone had finally got there cars settled and hooked. We all came in with 20secs to go and refueled.
Steph C the celebrity flag girl dropped the flag and all cars were lowered, the flag was raised and RRRRWWWAHHHHHHH all of us were off. Another great and clean start for 90% of us as Ross C found himself at the back of the field by an early bobble. Brenno, Ty and myself just took off with vigor and played it cool as we knew it was a long race, Ty began to take an increasing lead so I began to make a push, Brenno let me by to catch back up as Brenno was conserving his car. I began to catch up to Ty and Brenno was keeping pace, Dave L and Ross C soon joined the hunt and the top 5 were all within 5 seconds of each other going into the first round of pit stops.
At 5mins Myself, Brenno, Dave L and Ross came in to re-fuel as Ty decided to sty out for an extra lap, this pit decision really hurt as he flamed out at the end of the right sweeper coming off the straight allowing 2nd, 3rd and 4th to pass and all jump up a spot. The racing stayed close again for the next 5minutes as again the top 4 now were all within 4 seconds of each other. John C called out the 10minute mark and we all came in for pits, Brenno leap frogged me by his uber fast pit dad and I was back into 2nd with Dave L and Ross C close behind. The racing stayed close and drivers began to stop breathing, Brenno had a bobble that let me past to re-gain the top spot which I kept until of course pit time, and by no means was my pit guy slow Jim Wheeler was amazing and super fast, but Brenno’s dad is just way way to fast!!!! I came in for my final pit and shot back out, by this time Brenno and I had made some distance on 3rd and 4th, 4th was now comprised by Ty who made up an entire lap!!!!
As I came out of the pits Brenno was in the lead staying out another lap, as we came around Brenno again jumped in front of me, and had a commandable 4sec lead over me, at the pace we were both running I knew I could not catch up, however unfortunately Brenno’s dad had not lifted his car off the track for the final pit and was given a 2sec stop and go penalty. WHAT!!!! I know!!! That’s what I thought I glimpse of hope!!! However rules are rules and they have to be followed.
Brenno came in for the stop and go and by the time he accelerated I way I was close on his tail, the last 2 minutes were going to be close!!!! Brenno bobble in the first chicane and I slipped through, however I wouldn’t consider it a lead as Brenno was no more then a 100th of my butt.
We stayed neck and neck into the final minute and the nerves were building up, and building up fast, John announced that we had just 6 seconds to go as we were on the back straight, I was trying to keep it clean as I knew that’s all I had to do but nerves got the better of me as I bobbled every corner…yes! Every corner. Brenno going into the short shoot past the drivers stand made a last ditch effort and tried to take me on the outside. We came out of the last corner in a drag race and only separated by a few car lengths.
We both passed the line and waited for John to announce who won, I heard my name and almost fainted as I don’t think I had a breath of air for the last 3minutes of the race. But wow what a race after 20mins to be so close!!!
So what will next week bring???????????
Guess you will all have to come out to see and race!!!!!!!
Thanks again to you Catricala family..can’t you guys ever do something wrong, I mean, please I need something to complain about I am getting old!!!
Morgan
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Well it definitely was shaping out to be a great day even before I left my house. Fernando Alonso captured another Formula 1 win! Never thought I could be so cheery at 9:37am however his win put me in the points lead for my Formula 1 Fantasy Team Subleauge www.f1manager.info
However just after the race I had what you all would describe as one of those "I am forgetting Something" moments. I walked around my house aimlessly for a couple minutes poured myself a glass of OJ looked outside and saw that it was bright sunny and warm, so immediately I thought "well this couldn't be race day at FastCats" or wait.... it could!!!!! and it was!!!!!
I never packed up all my stuff so fast and got to the track so fast, I couldn’t believe that it was so nice out and I was going to be able to spend such a gorgeous day outside and racing!!!! I got to the track in just over record time 12mins34secs Avg122kph (record time = 9min01secs Avg154kph) I pulled up the rear of the track and opened my door to the sweet sweet smell and aroma of a .12size Nitro Burning, tire eating 1/10th scale RC car ripping down the back straight, ahhhh I was home! I unpacked my entire RC assets in 2 trips, as I was feeling a bit lazy. After I unpacked and put my hump pack and starter box batteries to charge I made my way to the drivers stand saying hi and good mornings to anyone who would acknowledge me. I was quite curious as to the track layout as Pam C was spreading rumors of a track change over LiveRC chat, in which I made the comment “Wow John C changes tracks more then he changes his track clothes” I think Pam liked the comment.
The track was definitely different! Isn’t that the way it always works? Once you finally learn one track BAM another one pops up! But man let me say this track looked awesome!!!! So lets take a lap of the new track!!
Coming down the back straight you begin to really appreciate just how smooth this track is as you can lay down all the power without any hairy moments, off the back straight into the slightly banked Right hand Sweeper holding more G’s then possible or so it seems! Off the back sweeper into a tight chicane, missing the apex to this chicane and your next 3 corners are done for! Through the chicane or should I say “Nitro numbing chicane” and into a hairy off camber left hand sweeper, testing faith, through here it does (GOOO YODA) the sweeper is short lived as you are hit by a short shoot into a 180deg turn followed by another short shoot around another 180deg turn as you launch the car into a chassis tweaking high speed chicane if done right would yield many rewards, and boom back onto the straight!!! What? Sounds Easy? Try it!!!!!
1st Round of Qualifying
1/10th Nitro
Definitely not a qualifying anyone was proud of as most of us were still learning the new track. The new layout definitely made us look like amateurs as we all spent more times against the barriers then on the tarmac. Brenno, Ty and Ross C posted early 52lap paces but by the tiring end everyone was either broken or 50 laps and below, as Brenno held the early TQ.
This was the biggest class with 3 heats, and at the end of the first round of qualifying no one knew who was the top dog as everyone looked to be on the same pace.
1/10th Open Elec
It was clear in the first few laps that Leonard S and Nick I were in a league of there own, don’t discount Bill R or RC Kid (Dawe) as they were both flying as well. Leonard finished the 5 min Q on top with nick close behind.
1/10th 19 Sportsman
Beric last week’s winner was again on pace owning the class!!! Steph C made a special celebrity guest appearance and really pulled out a great Q time of 8 laps!!! She also had the slowest lap of the day with a 1min03sec lap!!! Wow that takes talent!!! Jeff Wheeler was also making a name for himself as he took 2 spot in the overall 1st round of qualifying.
Mini OUTLAW
The spectator favorite like usual put on a great display of aerobatics, Nick I found his set-up and just dominated the field, leaving Phil H, Rob B and Jim W to battle it out for who was 2nd best. Fiona proved the impossible as she actually made faster laps on her roof then with all 4 wheels on the ground.
2nd Round of Qualifying
Again nothing really changed as the week before, not that I am being lazy but really no changes occurred, okay so I am being lazy!
3rd Round of Qualifying
So all the smack talk anyone could handle had been laid down, and now it was time to prove it as 1st and 2nd round qualifying was very random and no real fast guy was prominent, so lets see how it went.
1/10th Nitro
Brenno, Ty, Ross and Myself were on pace finally Brenno posting an early TQ pace of 52laps and the rest of us in the 51-50’s. My car was really weird as it seamed I had no left rear suspension or something was jammed in my suspension arms as my car just could not handle laying down power or taking fast right hand corners. Brenno kept pace through the entire race only dropping down to 51laps after 10mins and Ty and I were close behind. Ross had a few bobbles and struggled a bit as Dave Lyons with very little track experience was up in the thick of it (a testament of skill). John was shouting out the lap times and paces but it really didn’t matter as I think all us rivers knew we were in for a great A main!!! Turn out in pre-warm-up a popped my rear suspension off the lower ball cup and it lodged itself in the upper suspension not bottoming out my chassis, WOW! Was I ever lucky it stayed lodged there for the full 10min Q!!!!!!
1/10th Open Elec
Again Leonard owned the track, however Nick I was definitely not off the pace as traffic and a few minor brain farts kept him from challenging the TQ spot. Bill R, Mike D, and Glenn G were all battling out for 3rd overall.
1/10th 19t Sportsman
Again Beric threw down the time to beat, but Steph C our celebrity driver of the day was not going to let him win easy, as Beric was posting faster and faster laps Steph began doing the unthinkable and rapidly making each lap longer and longer, I think someone forgot to tell her this was not golf whereas the lowest laps count! Jeff W posted a great 2nd overall time and pace, As Marc and Jason struggled to find their set-ups.
Mini OUTLAW!!!!!
Again Nick I dominated TQ by over a lap, which in mini this spells or means eternity. Phil, Rob, Jim and yes John C fought it out for 2nd best. Fiona again amazed us all by showing that the mini doesn’t need a track to run on as she off roaded(not a real word….I know…its made up…bite me) half the qualifier.
Final Qualifying Standings
1/10th Nitro C Main
George Triffiletti 39/10:25.510
Ron Dziuban 37/10:12.971
Henry Rogers 31/10:09.952
Adam Jacob 13/7:47.267
1/10th Nitro B Main
Jimmy Crawford 44/10:13.038
Roger Cobbs 42/10:00.270
Fred Cobbs 41/10:05.701
Danny Burgic 40/10:00.235
Dustin Scheinder 40/10:01.403
Anthony Giannace 40/10:04.015
1/10th Nitro A Main
Brenno Crosara 51/10:11.836
Ty Grant 50/10:00.407
Morgan Johns 50/10:09.114
Dave Lyons 48/10:05.373
Ross Chiramonte 48/10:09.394
Bill Rae 45/10:01.590
1/10th Open Elec
Leonard Schinzano 26/5:09.947
Nick Imineo 25/5:13.495
Bill Rae 22/5:03.495
Mike Dawe 22/5:04.884
Glen Garbutt 22/5:09.500
1/10th 19t Sportsman
Beric Leung 22/5:12.218
Glen Garbutt 21/5:03.615
Jeff Wheeler 21/5:10.016
Marc Sinclair 20/5:06.244
Jason Kraemer 20/5:19.468
Curtis Joy 16/5:10.557
Steph Catricala 11/5:45.999
MINI OUTLAW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!
Nick Imineo 19/5:12.863
Phil Harris 18/5:17.560
Rob Brandow 17/5:15.798
John Catricala 17/5:16.401
Jim Wheeler 16/5:08.009
Jason Kraemer 15/5:10.559
Fiona Kraemer 10/5:23.961
Andrew Seath 4/1:49.043
The Mains!!!!
Sunday Sunday Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(shouted in Dave Lyons voice not mine…..OF COURSE not mine I think Ty would punch me if I shouted that)
So I will only recap the A mains as really I was not watching the others as I thought the C,B and A mains were in sequential order and was working on my car to get it ready for my main, however John C decided to put the A Main Nitro last and trick all of us…sorry Jimmy wudda pitted for ya!
1/10th Open Elec
It was clear from the start this race was between Leonard and Nick, however a few bobbles off the start and Mike Dawe found himself with the lead!!!! These Dawes I tell ya there getting fast!!!! However Mike’s lead was short lived as both Leonard and Nick soon re-gained the lead and began to battle it out, they were within a few seconds of each other for the majority of the race but a few bobbles by Nick lead Leonard to a commandable lead, and eventual victory!!
1/10th 19T Sportsman
Beric again owned the class but Jeff wheeler was hot on his toes, and Steph C was making it around the track aswell!!!! Jason and Marc were definitely trading comparable laps and battling it out for 3rd, however battery problems and attrition found the best of them as Beric went on to win with Jeff close behind.
Mini OUTLAW!!!!!
Nick I squealed off the line and left his rubber dust on the windshields of everyone else, Nick was definitely the man to beat as he wanted the new title of the king of mini trying to take the crown from John C, I mean seriously whoever thought the fight to be king of the slowest class would be so hair raising. Think about it for a sec….Hey guys I am the slowest fast guy!!!!…WOOOT!
Nick lead from the begging and never looked back however the action between Phil, John, Rob and Jim was awesome as each traded paint for the entire 5minutes!! Great fun!!!!
1/10th Nitro
So who was going to win?? No one knew not even the drivers, finally during warm-up no casualties happened leaving all the contenders in the field. Throughout warm-up it looked like everyone had finally got there cars settled and hooked. We all came in with 20secs to go and refueled.
Steph C the celebrity flag girl dropped the flag and all cars were lowered, the flag was raised and RRRRWWWAHHHHHHH all of us were off. Another great and clean start for 90% of us as Ross C found himself at the back of the field by an early bobble. Brenno, Ty and myself just took off with vigor and played it cool as we knew it was a long race, Ty began to take an increasing lead so I began to make a push, Brenno let me by to catch back up as Brenno was conserving his car. I began to catch up to Ty and Brenno was keeping pace, Dave L and Ross C soon joined the hunt and the top 5 were all within 5 seconds of each other going into the first round of pit stops.
At 5mins Myself, Brenno, Dave L and Ross came in to re-fuel as Ty decided to sty out for an extra lap, this pit decision really hurt as he flamed out at the end of the right sweeper coming off the straight allowing 2nd, 3rd and 4th to pass and all jump up a spot. The racing stayed close again for the next 5minutes as again the top 4 now were all within 4 seconds of each other. John C called out the 10minute mark and we all came in for pits, Brenno leap frogged me by his uber fast pit dad and I was back into 2nd with Dave L and Ross C close behind. The racing stayed close and drivers began to stop breathing, Brenno had a bobble that let me past to re-gain the top spot which I kept until of course pit time, and by no means was my pit guy slow Jim Wheeler was amazing and super fast, but Brenno’s dad is just way way to fast!!!! I came in for my final pit and shot back out, by this time Brenno and I had made some distance on 3rd and 4th, 4th was now comprised by Ty who made up an entire lap!!!!
As I came out of the pits Brenno was in the lead staying out another lap, as we came around Brenno again jumped in front of me, and had a commandable 4sec lead over me, at the pace we were both running I knew I could not catch up, however unfortunately Brenno’s dad had not lifted his car off the track for the final pit and was given a 2sec stop and go penalty. WHAT!!!! I know!!! That’s what I thought I glimpse of hope!!! However rules are rules and they have to be followed.
Brenno came in for the stop and go and by the time he accelerated I way I was close on his tail, the last 2 minutes were going to be close!!!! Brenno bobble in the first chicane and I slipped through, however I wouldn’t consider it a lead as Brenno was no more then a 100th of my butt.
We stayed neck and neck into the final minute and the nerves were building up, and building up fast, John announced that we had just 6 seconds to go as we were on the back straight, I was trying to keep it clean as I knew that’s all I had to do but nerves got the better of me as I bobbled every corner…yes! Every corner. Brenno going into the short shoot past the drivers stand made a last ditch effort and tried to take me on the outside. We came out of the last corner in a drag race and only separated by a few car lengths.
We both passed the line and waited for John to announce who won, I heard my name and almost fainted as I don’t think I had a breath of air for the last 3minutes of the race. But wow what a race after 20mins to be so close!!!
So what will next week bring???????????
Guess you will all have to come out to see and race!!!!!!!
Thanks again to you Catricala family..can’t you guys ever do something wrong, I mean, please I need something to complain about I am getting old!!!
Morgan
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