Sharing some racing from the Niagara Region- CAN AM Challenge!
 

Greetings RC Techers.

I want to share some info about a race we had this weekend!

As some of you know, I am from a part of the country that doesn not have its own track. Buffalo, NY. Fortunately, just over the boarder- in St Catherines Ontario, Canada- there is a club that I have been racing with for going on 12 years. (on and off)

I have called this my home track for years- and every once and a while, they put on a killer race.

This year, Mark Frechette and company (list is just too long to post), organized a full on 3 day event- in the middle of a shopping mall in Welland, Ontario. The temporary track was set up in the center court (centre- as Canadians would spell it ;) ) and was roughly 70x50.

There were around 145 entries and we pit in vacant store fronts!

There was a Celebrity race and everything! Some of the event sponsors who have never raced an RC Car were given a tamiya mini and thrown on the track for 10 min! ONE of the participants was our very own Dale Epp, from Protoform race bodies.
Believe it or not- Dale has been in this industry for like 20 years- and before today- NEVER drove an RC car for any negligible amount of time.

Martin Crisp was super fast- I think he Won both rubber classes... Joe Glover was fast-- Steve Bortolotti was fast... Martin Pilmajier did well.. I ended up 5th in both rubber classes.

Jason Cramer (KRAMER) TQed foam 17.5 and won- good to see him win his first race...


Anyway- I think this is going to be a yearly event- in one form or another. There is already talk of another version of the race being run in the spring, in another- much larger mall. People were FLOORED by the event. MOST people- think this just started last week! They HAVE NO IDEA that this is even out there. No idea that this club has been running for over a decade.

It just goes to show you that if one of us stands up= and STEPS up.. BRING our hobby to the public- it CAN grow. The on site hobby shop= which was two 4x8 tables set up kiddie corner-- I think i heard they sold two kits this weekend to passers by. Which- if you think about it- is actually impressive as these passers by did not leave the house to go to the LHS and buy a kit.

the crowd watching the event all weekend made this a very exciting event.

Lets give a HUGE round of applause to Mark Frechette and his crew!

hats off-


KB

here are pics.. All taken by K&D Action Photo-- our local RC Photo Guru

http://kdactionphoto.smugmug.com/Pho...49_paBnP-L.jpg

http://kdactionphoto.smugmug.com/Pho...49_XEGJo-L.jpg

http://kdactionphoto.smugmug.com/Pho...81_9mXwk-L.jpg
http://kdactionphoto.smugmug.com/Pho...67_7i74G-L.jpg

http://kdactionphoto.smugmug.com/Pho...88_KKy9E-L.jpg

http://kdactionphoto.smugmug.com/Pho...23_VwMdh-L.jpg

http://kdactionphoto.smugmug.com/Pho...54_WGSR8-L.jpg

Looks like a blast. I hope to attend the next one as i will be moving into the area shortly.

I was actually wondering what there is near Toronto, for sedan racing indoors during the winter. I'm gonna need my fix:)

Where are you moving to exactly?

Toronto-- is the home of one of the best facilities in North America= Fastcats.

www.fastcats.ca

Keith

Haven't decided yet. What's up with the schedule at fastcats? Is it 2 weeks of offroad then 2 weeks of onroad type of thing?

Something like that.

St Catherines runs sundays.. they are about 10 min from the Lewiston NY Bridge.


Are you moving to this area in USA- or Canada?

Canada

Hey Everyone,

The results for the 2009 Can-Am RC Challenge are up. I just finished putting up the Celebrity race and the mains. They're on the main page ( www.canamrcchallenge.com ) on the right.
_________________
Mike Wilson
www.mwgraphics.ca