~ 18th April 2010 ~
~ Race Report ~
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Written by Scott Guyatt
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On a glorious autumn day, and on a revitalised Latrobe track, NWRCCC members gathered from across northern Tasmania for an excellent day's racing. Jeremy Lunson (Electric), Scott Guyatt (Truggy), Faye Hodgetts (Beginner), Wally Sturzaker (Sport Buggy) and Tim Parsons (Pro Buggy) took their respective wins after some hard fought competition.
The track team should feel rightly pleased. Latrobe raceway is rapidly maturing into an outstanding race track, and was presented today in fantastic condition. I'd go so far as to say it's the best it has ever been, and lap times tend to bear that out - Matt Hodgetts being the first Truggy ever to dip in the 41 second bracket, while Tim Parsons took the Buggy mark down to.
Here then, is how it was run and won:
Miscellaneous Electric
A good field of 9 mixed electric vehicles put on some entertaining racing and some astonishing horsepower. A couple of short course trucks, a monster truck, a few Truggies and three EP 8th buggies were the contenders. Running without transponder, Tim Parsons joined the fray with a Mugen MBX6-e and had some close qualifying duels with Matt Hodgetts - Hodgetts grabbing the official TQ position.
Hodgetts an away over the first minutes of the EP final, leaving Jeremy Lunson to scoot away in turn from Phil Walch and Shaun Johnson. Lunson drove a solid race in his Truggy, that turned into a race-winning performance when Matt hit the pits for a long visit mid-race thanks to a disconnected battery lead. Matt returned in time to hang on for second behind Lunson, with Walch a good third from Michael Clarke and Shaun Johnson (who had a troubled run).
Within the race, the "non-transponder" pair of Tim Parsons (MBX6-e) and Scott Guyatt (LRP S8 BXe) were locked in a titanic duel with Hodgetts that looked like going right to the wire before Hodgetts plug failure. Parsons and Guyatt continued the battle, Scott sneaking away over the last minutes for the unofficial win in the battle of the buggies. Hopefully Tim will return with transponder in the weeks ahead to give a good comparison with GP buggy lap times.
Miscellaneous Beginner
Despite missing one heat, Faye Hodgetts proved the woman to beat in a good field of Beginners. Faye picked up a couple of wins and fastest time to go into the final favourite....But with Michael Clarke and Shaun Whatley hot on her tail. Kellie Viney, James Atkinson and Stuart Emergy also joined the fray, with lone Monster Trucker Peter Buck adding his awesome twin engine beast to the field.
Faye was untroubled after a strong drive to win the 10 minute final. It's a sign of her continued improvement and she's looking more and more comfortable with the RC8 on the challenging Latrobe circuit. Michael Clark punted his LRP buggy around nicely to chase Hodgetts throughout and finish a fine second, with Shaun Whatley overcoming a slow start to round out the podium. Bucky had earlier claimed maximum Monster Truck points for the round by starting the final - as I mentioned the lone MT pilot today.
1/8th IC Combined Truggy
Two new "Pro" Truggy drivers in the form of Andrew "Bartman" Barrett and Scott Guyatt added interest in the Truggy field today. Guyatt and Matt Hodgetts went at it throughout qualifying, both picking up wins, with Matt fastest to grab pole for the 30 minute final. Bart was building in confidence with his new Mugen MBX6-T and would start in P3.
Come finals time, and when Hodgetts had a lap one mechanical issue, and Bart lost drive with a minor mechanical issue after a speedy start, Guyatt was left with a comfortable lead. He duly cruised to a good first-up Truggy win, while behind him, the race was a good one. Wayne Hylands drove a solid race throughout, including dealing with one flame-out, and managed to get home an excellent second, but only 15 seconds clear of the consistent Jiye Small. Lee Bonfield was a little further back in fourth, with Hodgetts fifth from Richard Moreton and the unlucky Bartman. In the race-within-the-race, Hylands took first from Small and Bonfield in the Sportsman Truggy class.
1/8th IC Sportsman Buggy
Wally Sturzaker and Rick Marshall are knocking on the door of Pro Buggy times, if their qualifying performance is anything to go by. Both picked up wins, with Marshall going into 7 lap territory and fastest of all. Kelvin Marshall also made a rare buggy appearance after mechanical issues sidelined his Truggy, and together with Graham Viney and Chris Strickland promised an interesting final.
The 30 minute final was a knock-down drag-out affair between Rick Marshall and Sturzaker. Both took turns leading and trading fast times, before a late race engine flameout for Marshall handed Sturzaker a one-lap lead that he held to the finish. Marshall returned to the track for second, both clear of a similarly tight duel between Viney and Strickland - eventually settled in that order, and with Kelvin fifth having dropped out at the 10 minute mark.
1/8th IC Pro Buggy
On the surface, a win for Tim Parsons in Pro Buggy isn't unexpected, but Tim didn’t have things all his own way today. Justin Strickland and Mark Rayner both took heat wins off Tim and were showing plenty of speed to set up what had the potential to be an intriguing final.
Parsons put that idea to the sword, peeling off a series of 42 and 43 second laps (track record territory for Buggy) to quickly build a commanding lead. When Rayner dropped out just past the ten minute mark, and Strickland struck trouble of his own, the pattern was set. Parsons went to the line a massive 5 laps clear of the field. Meanwhile Ian Sturzaker had kept out of trouble, worked his way through the field and finished a deserved second, with Justin Strickland getting home for third ahead of Craig Higgs.
A super day's racing, on a superbly prepared track. Join us for more on May 2 as we resume the battle.
~ 2009 Performance RC, NWRCCC Championship ~
~ Race Report ~
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Written by Scott Guyatt
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Photos Courtesy Of Mark Rayner
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Fittingly Peter Buck (Monster Truck), Matt Hodgetts (Truggy) and Tim Parsons (Buggy) scooped the silverware at the 2009 Performance R/C NWRCCC Championships in Tasmania's North-West. Buck, Hodgetts and Parsons have dominated their respective classes all year, and overcame serious opposition to record their victories.
The event took place at the club's all new Latrobe Raceway, members working overtime in the weeks preceding the December event to put down a new and challenging layout for the big event. A heap of local and international sponsors helped put the event together, including Performance R/C, AKA Australia, Massive Mods, Big Boys Toys, Devonport Discount Meats and Crusty's Bakery. As a pre-cursor to an official 2010 Tasmanian Championship, the club pulled out all stops to put on an enjoyable weekends racing.
Here then, is how it unfolded:
IC Monster Truck
Peter Buck opened up with a big win in the first round of qualifying, at it seemed he would have things all his own way. That changed rapidly with pursuers Jack Keenan and Lee Bonfield emerging from the pack over the next two rounds. In what turned into an absorbing qualifying duel, all three drivers scooped two qualifying round wins apiece to set themselves for a final in which anything could happen.
The Semi final did little to make things clearer, with Keenan defeating Matthew Ling and Aaron Peck in a spread out race - both Buck and Bonfield out early with mechanical issues. Fortunately for both, the small field meant the Semi was for grid positions and bragging rights only, and these two leading contenders would line up for the main final.
A Main: 30 minutes is a long time to pound a monster truck around the Latrobe layout - with its high speed sweepers, challenging jump
sections, and some rough stuff thrown in. Mechanical issues would dominate the final, with all of the podium contenders struggling with reliability at some point. Bonfield got the early jump to put his Semi woes behind him and streaked away from the field, setting fast times and making it hard for his opponents. Buck was wrestling with problems right from the start, but settled in to try and chase down Lee, overcoming a bright early performance from Michael Clarke. Buck was relentless in his pursuit, but Bonfield was looking very strong deep into the race…..until tragedy struck on lap 21, and again a lap later. In those few minutes, mechanical issues pushed Bonfield aside and allowed Buck to hit the front for the first time. Meanwhile junior gun Matthew Ling had been working his way through the pack, getting over the top of Clarke to take over the third spot and shadowing the leaders. As the race wound down, the drama was not yet done, Buck having an engine cut of his own, but holding down enough of a lead to stay out in front - and then driving some purposeful laps to secure the Championship win. One final twist in the tail saw Ling get by Bonfield on the final tour to grab second, Lee rounding out the podium. Jack Keenan finished a close up fourth, with Clarke, Robbie Ling and Aaron Peck rounding out the field.
1/8th IC Truggy
The already competitive truggy field was boosted by the return of regular 2009 truggy racer Sam Wells, and the arrival of Sydney's Robert Flanagan. Both brought speed to burn to put regular class master Matt Hodgetts on notice that he'd not have things all his own way this weekend. That's exactly how qualifying worked out, with Wells and Flanno fighting out a fascinating duel that went right to the wire - Wells finally scooping top qualifier honors with a stellar 6th round run. The two would line up in opposite semi-finals to ensure that they would not meet on the race track before the main event.
Semi A: Wells and Hodgetts lined up in Semi A, and both layed down a trouble free twenty minute run to secure their starting spots for the main event. Behind them Ian Sturzaker continued recent good form to run out third from a similarly speedy David Holloway, with Graham Viney edging out Michael Peck for fifth.
Semi B: Flanno headed Semi B, with the welcome return of Daniel Hellinga and first time truggy outing for Justin Strickland making it an interesting field. Flanno was untroubled throughout to take a comfortable win from Hellinga and Strickland, with club President Kelvin Marshall a little further back in fourth after a troubled run, with Dan Richardson and Danny Lewis not making it to the finish line.
A Main: When Sam Wells and Robert Flanagan jumped out to a great start, and Hodgetts recovered into third after the first couple of rough and tumble laps, we had what we hoped for - 45 minutes of head-to-head racing between clearly the three quickest on the track. That's how it unfolded, the three trading lap times in the opening minutes and feeling each other out. Flanno was the first to crack - losing an aerial in the moments surrounding his first fuel stop. An extra stop to try and manage the damage would compromise his run, and leave Wells out front from Hodgetts just 7 minutes into the race. What followed was a fascinating race to watch - with Wells out front turning consistent lap times and trying to eke out his fuel economy, Hodgetts wrestling a truggy that just wasn't its usual well behaved self, and Flanno setting the track alight with a string of fast times in an effort to recover. On lap 13 he swept past Hodgetts, and at one stage while trading fuel stops fell a lap behind the leader. A string of fast times in the middle of the race brought him right back into contention as Wells continued to play it safe out front - the gap shrinking alarmingly to less than ten seconds at one stage. Wells
toughed it out though, resisting the pressure and pumped out strong lap times to retain his advantage. At the 38 minute mark it all came unstuck for the Sydney pilot, Flanno's truggy lunching its front diff and sidelining what had been an epic fightback drive, Wells seeming set to cruise to the win with Hodgetts some way back. Meanwhile David Holloway had got the better of Ian Sturzaker as these two shadowed the leading pack throughout in a pair of impressive performances, inheriting third place. One final sting in the tail remained however, with Wells leading Truggy crying enough just a few minutes from the chequered flag, and leaving him to watch helplessly as Hodgetts swept by to the Performance R/C NWRCCC Championship victory. In a 45 minute final, Matt had hung on when his car wasn't working brilliantly, managing speed when he needed it, and with flawless reliability helping him once again to get the job done. Such was the speed of the leading battle, that Wells had done enough to finish 2nd, David Holloway a delighted third just a handful of seconds ahead of Sturzaker, with Hellinga fifth, Flanno 6th, Dan Richardson 7th, and Justin Strickland, Kelvin Marshall and Graham Viney round out the ten.
1/8th IC Buggy
The biggest field of the weekend lined up in the Buggy class, and it was consistent winner Tim Parsons who would start favoured by most. Simon Kernans would have none of it however, and struck first in qualifying, scooping round one from Craig Higgs and Justin Strickland before Parsons struck back in round two with a blistering run and then went on a streak, winning 3, 4 and 5 before succumbing to Justin Strickland and Kernan in Round 6. Parsons had the speed, but could Kernan, Strickland, Rayner or Higgs find something to go with him?
Semi A: Parsons won easily, running away from his opponents in this Semi, will some of the other fast guys (including Strickland and Craig Higgs) struck trouble. EP gun Patrick Hume was learning fast and finished a strong second, Strickland recovering in the dying seconds to third, Andrew Barrett and Nathan Page and Craig Higgs also progressing to the main final.
Semi B: Kernan ran away with this win, winning the twenty minute semi by a little over a lap from Steve Madziara with another EP regular Shaun Johnson laying it down in third narrowly ahead of the consistent Wally Sturzaker. Regular Pro Buggy pilot Mark Rayner was a big name casualty in this one, missing the final.
A Main: Parsons and Kernan leapt away early demonstrating again a clear pace advantage over the rest of the field. Kernan pushed hard and took the lead briefly on lap 7, before Parsons resumed the lead a lap later. From there it fell apart a little for Simon, a string of problems frustrating his challenge, and leaving Parsons out in front. Pace, consistency and reliability are an irresistible combination, and with Tim demonstrating all three, it was completely dominant performance - Parsons untroubled again through the 45 minute final, eventually
going to the line a staggering 6 laps clear of the field. Behind Tim, the race was anything but predictable - the podium seemingly a slippery pole that nobody but Parsons could hang on to for long. Kernan, Paddy Hume, Wally Sturzaker and Craig Higgs all had a shot at the podium, with Higgs eventually breaking through - coming from tenth on the grid, keeping out of trouble early and working his way through the pack to take over second on lap 23 and hold it from there to the finish - despite collapsed rear suspension making the Hyper an absolute handful in the closing minutes. With Kernon succumbed for good to his woes we were left with a pearler of a race between Sturzaker and Hume, both angling for their first podium in such an event, and spending much of the last 10 minutes just metres apart on the track. The two traded blows, with Hume seemingly poised to secure the final podium spot on the last lap before Sturzaker swept by, taking the spot by a little over a second after 45 minutes of action. Andrew Barrett had a quiet race by his standards to fifth, Strickland likewise in sixth, from Kernan, Steve Madziara, Nathan Page and Shaun Johnson.
It had been two fantastic days racing, on an excellent new layout. The 2009 Performance R/C NWRCCC Champs represents a further step on the road to maturity for this fledgling club, and three well earned wins for Buck, Hodgetts and Parsons. Roll on 2010 and the first fully fledged Tasmanian Championships.
