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[Rich Joslin]

Inline Racing Series

October 7, 2023

 

The first of what will hopefully be six or seven inline racing events at Fantasy Raceways in Rochester NY took place Saturday. The group will be racing mostly two classes throughout the season. The Stock class has a mix of eligible inline and can motor chassis available to racers allowing for a variety of cars that most enthusiasts would have one or two of sitting in their pit boxes. Armatures and magnets must be stock. Stock electrical systems are required with an allowance made for replacement shoes and springs. Slip on tires only with no restrictions on axles, wheels or gearing. No plated parts allowed. The body style will rotate by race. The second class is Spec Racer per the HOPRA rule set for the class. 

 

Maybe it was the beautiful weather but turnout for the first race was a bit disappointing with only four racers attending. The small turnout did not dampen the fun though as a good time was had by all. 

 

With no marshals available it was track call racing which we all know can be a bit distracting, as it can become difficult to find your rhythm. Aided by his ability to keep his car in the slot while those around him were engaging in some spectacular crashes, Tony Stuhler jumped out to an early lead. His six lap lead entering the final heat seemed comfortable but his last heat was on the yellow gutter lane which is problematic for most racers. Taking advantage of being on the green lane in the center of the track, Rich Joslin made a furious run at the leader coming up only two track sections short at the end. It was an exciting finish to the first race of the day. Jeff Eve held off Gary Pelletier for third place. 

 

 

            Pelletier                                Joslin                                      Stuhler                                 Eve

 

After a short break, Spec Racer was up next. This one wasn't so close. Once again, Tony took the early lead. This time he would not be challenged, taking his second win on the day by a very comfortable margin. The podium stayed the same with Rich in second and Jeff in third.

 

 

                  Pelletier                                    Joslin                                                 Stuhler                                        Eve

 

                  Joslin - 2nd (both races)                   Stuhler - 1st (both races)                   Pelletier                       Eve - 3rd (both races)

 

Rich was the winner of the $20 in Fantasy Race Bucks given away as determined by the luck of the draw.

 

Thank you to Bobbi and Jeff for hosting the race and thank you to Gary for driving over from Buffalo to join us. 

 

The date for the November race is yet to be determined. Please stay tuned to this space for details.

[Rich Joslin]

Get your cars ready!

 

[Rich Joslin]

Inline Racing Series

November 11, 2023

 

The second event of the Inline Racing Series held at Fantasy Raceways is in the books, as they say. There were five racers on hand at the start of the day, but that number would grow to eight by the time the second of the two races started.

 

What we are calling Stock started us off. We decided to run four of the six lanes so we could have one marshal and hopefully limit the number of track calls. This put some pressure on the lone marshal but it worked out pretty well for us. The racing was pretty clean considering how infrequently any of us run these cars. Tony Stuhler drove his Nomad hard and well, putting a significant gap between himself and second place finisher Rich Joslin. Jeff Eve and Rick Kibler were not far behind Rich in third and fourth place.

 

 

                            Joslin                                                               Stuhler                                                    Eve

 

Between races we were fortunate to have three more participants join the fray for the Spec Racer run. Now having eight racers, and an interested observer, allowed us to run all six lanes with three marshals. Going from four cars to six cars on the track sure made things exponentially more hectic. The racing became a bit messier with more track calls than we would have liked even with the extra marshals. That said, the racing was pretty close between those in the top and bottom half of the group. Tony would continue his winning ways with another solid driving performance. Jeff was trying to beat Tony with one of his own cars and almost pulled it off finishing less than four laps back. Off the pace just a bit was Rich in third. The top five was completed by Gary Pelletier and Tony Gianforte. Kudos to Kim Cartonia making her racing debut. Her first two heats were the gutter lanes and it was no surprise that she struggled with those a bit, we all do. To her credit, she stuck it out. As she moved into the friendlier lanes and got her controller dialed in she steadily improved and by the end of the race she was doing quite well. 

 

 

                                    Eve                                                                  Stuhler                                                       Joslin

 

         Jeff Eve - 3rd Stock/2nd Spec Racer     Tony Stuhler - 1st Stock/1st Spec Racer           Rich Joslin - 2nd Stock/3rd Spec Racer

 

Rick Kibler won the $20 Race Bucks drawing. Thank you to Jim Harter for helping out with marshaling for the second race.

 

Thank you to Bobbi and Jeff Eve of Fantasy Raceways for hosting the event and to everyone for showing up to race. The next race will be scheduled soon. Stay tuned to this space for details!

[Rich Joslin]

Inline Racing Series

January 6, 2024

 

Race number three for the year was lacking in participants but not lacking for fun. With only four drivers in attendance we were forced to use track calls for most of the offs. We understand this is a big disadvantage to those keeping their car in the slot but we didn't see another way to handle the situation. Using this option allowed us to run all six lanes though, which was nice. 

 

In the Stock class we had three Super G+ entries and one Tyco 440x2. As you might expect the Super G+ entries claimed all three podium spots. Tony Stuhler took the lead right away and was never really challenged as he did an excellent job of driving his car. Eight laps back was Rich Joslin in second with Rick Kibler taking third. 

 

 

 

            Gianforte - 4th                            Joslin - 2nd                                            Stuhler - 1st                                   Kibler - 3rd

 

Next up was Spec Racer. Per the 2024 HOPRA rule change the Maxi traction magnets were allowed. All drivers had the Maxi magnets installed. The magnets do make the cars easier to push resulting in better lap times. The expanded footprint of the magnets also makes the speed easier to handle resulting in an improved driving experience. Tony S. continued his winning streak making it six straight victories. This one was also by an eight lap margin. Rich finished second again but this time it was Tony Gianforte in third place. 

 

 

 

            Kibler - 4th                           Joslin - 2nd                                           Stuhler - 1st                                    Gianforte - 3rd

 

Rick Kibler has his own streak, winning the $20 Race Bucks drawing for the second straight time. 

 

Thank you to those who showed up. Having only four participants at two of the first three races is not a sustainable situation. Any suggestions for generating more interest is welcome. One change we are exploring is to provide a set of IROC cars to replace the Stock class. This way racers will only have to focus on a car for the Spec Racer class. Cars for the Spec Racer class are relatively inexpensive to purchase/maintain, readily available and the rule set is easy to adhere to.

 

Thank you to Bobbi and Jeff Eve, owners of Fantasy Raceways, for allowing us to hold these events at their facility. 

[Rich Joslin]

Inline Racing Series

February 17, 2024

 

Back for another try at providing an inline racing option for those in our area. This time we were up to six racers which allowed us to run four of the six lanes and have a couple of marshals which improved the racing a great deal by cutting down on track calls.

 

L-R: Tony Gianforte, Rick Kibler, Jeff Eve, Tony Stuhler, Gary Pelletier, Kim Cartonia

 

We changed up the format this time in an effort to make participation easier and the racing tighter by providing a set of four IROC cars for the group. This would be the first race of the day. 

 

 

The IROC cars were built from scratch starting with the Viper Super G+ upgrade chassis with stock level four traction magnets. The chassis accepts various hard body options. We used stock six ohm armatures coupled with original Super G+ motor magnets. The gearing is 7/24. After experimenting a bit with different shoe springs we settled on Mega G+ .006's from Viper. The goal was a car fast enough to be interesting but also enjoyable to drive. Judging by the results and comments from our first time running them, I think we are on the right track. A big thank you to Tony Stuhler for taking the parts provided to him and doing the building. Thank you to Jeff and Bobbi Eve of Fantasy for donating the motor magnets. 

The racing was pretty tight, just as we were hoping, and it should be even tighter at future events as we all get more familiar with the cars performance. Rich Joslin parlayed a slight edge on the green lane into a less than one lap win over Jeff, who had one lap added to the total shown below due to a rider situation, bumping him just ahead of Tony S. for second place. Rick Kibler was just a few of laps off of the pace in P4.

 

 

Spec Racer was next. In this one Bobbi was able to provide us with a rotation using ghosts that allowed us to run all six lanes while still having marshals available. Having marshals reduced the number of track calls significantly but we still had more than we hoped for because of so many "car on the floor" situations. I guess some of us need more practice, especially me. Gary Pelletier had the hot rod in this race, and he kept it on the track enough to take the win. Jeff made it two second place finishes on the day just a few laps behind the leader. Tony Gianforte had a solid driving effort that paid off for him with a third place finish. 

 

 

                            Jeff Eve - 2nd                                                 Gary Pelletier - 1st                           Tony Gianforte - 3rd

 

                                  Eve                                                                     Pelletier                                                   Gianforte

 

Congratulations to Tony S. for winning the big cash prize of $20 in Fantasy Race Bucks! Sorry Rick, your winning streak is over.

 

Thank you to Kim for helping with the marshaling and taking on the unenviable job of controlling the track call remote. She did a wonderful job.

 

Thank you to Fantasy Raceways for allowing us to hold these races there and for opening early to do so. 

 

We will keep trying. Hopefully other H.O. scale racers in the area will decide to join us for the fun. 

[Rich Joslin]

Inline Racing Series

April 13th, 2024

 

It has been a while due to a postponement of the last race but the attempt to provide an opportunity to enjoy inline motor car racing in the Rochester area is still alive. Heading into the day it looked like we were going to have a very small turnout again. We were pleasantly surprised when newcomers Marty Leslie and Dave Carlson made the trek from Buffalo to join us.

Their attendance still only gave us six racers but the slight increase in numbers allowed us to have a couple of marshals while we ran four lanes of the six lane layout, which was a big plus. 

After a bit of practice the group was ready for the IROC race. 

 

Looks like the green car needs some body work post race

 

Tony Stuhler jumped out to a quick lead and was never really challenged. He posted the most laps on all four lanes and cruised to a seven lap victory. The duel for second place was a good one. Rich Joslin managed to maintain just over a one lap gap on Marty for P2. Rick Kibler and Dave were just a bit off of the pace in fourth and fifth.

 

 

L-R: Rich Joslin-2nd, Tony Stuhler-1st, Marty Leslie-3rd

 

Next up was Spec Racer based on the HOPRA rule set. The racing in this one was pretty close. It was especially close at the top. Tony and Dave had themselves quite a battle. After almost two hundred laps the two were separated by only a handful of track sections. At the checkered flag it was Tony with his second win of the day. A few laps back was Rich in third place. 

 

 

L-R: Dave Carlson-2nd, Tony Stuhler-1st, Rich Joslin-3rd

 

L-R: Carlson-2nd, Stuhler-1st, Joslin-3rd

 

 

L-R Joslin-3rd, Stuhler-1st, Carlson-2nd

 

Marty was the winner of the $20 Race Bucks drawing. Hopefully he spent his winnings wisely.

 

Thank you to everyone who was able to attend. It is encouraging to have a couple of new racers join in the fun. Encouraging enough that we will keep trying!

 

Thank you to our hosts Bobbi and Jeff Eve. The track was in excellent condition and the race was well run.

[Rich Joslin]

Inline Racing Series

June 22nd

 

Eight, yes eight, racers showed up at Fantasy Raceways for the latest Inline Racing Series event. It was our best turnout yet, and I believe it is safe to say that everyone enjoyed themselves. 

 

L-R: Rich Joslin, Marty Leslie, Dave Carlson, Tony Stuhler, Jeff Eve, Tony Gianforte, Rick Kibler, Darryl "Mr. X" Voleshen

 

After enjoying donuts, provided by our host, the usual pre-race banter, and some practice, we were ready to start the IROC race. Having eight drivers allowed us to run four lanes with four marshals. This many marshals was a new situation for us and the benefit was far fewer track calls. That said, we still had more than we would prefer but many were due to mechanical shortcomings which we hope to rectify prior to our next race. 

 

The IROC cars provided for some close racing amongst the group. The blue car was a bit faster, while the white car was a bit slower, but the beauty of IROC racing is that it didn't matter. Tony Stuhler managed the most laps with both white and blue and that was pretty much the difference in the race. Rich stayed within a couple of laps of the winner to claim second place. Jeff took the final podium spot just a lap back from second. Marty and Dave tied for fourth place with the rare exact same total, right down to the track section. 

 

 

L-R: Rich Joslin - 2nd, Tony Stuhler - 1st, Jeff Eve - 3rd

 

Between races the group enjoyed a pizza lunch. During this break the $20 Race Bucks drawing was held and the winner was first time racer Darryl. 

 

Spec Racer was next up. This one turned into a nice battle between the Buffalo duo, Marty and Dave. They each took two of the heats but at the finish it was Dave with just over a lap lead for the win. Tony Gianforte ran a pretty clean race to put himself on the podium in third.

 

 

L-R: Marty Leslie - 2nd, Dave Carlson - 1st, Tony Gianforte - 3rd

 

L-R: Leslie - 2nd, Carlson - 1st, Gianforte - 3rd

 

Thank you to our host Jeff Eve. Thank you to all who attended. A special thanks to Mr. X for joining us. 

 

Our next race is in the works for some time in early August. Stayed tuned to this space for the recap.

 

 

 

[Rich Joslin]

Inline Racing Series

November 2, 2024

 

Eight racers showed up at Fantasy Raceways for the latest installment of the Inline Racing Series including newcomer Russ Smith, a welcome addition to the group from the Buffalo area. That is a good turnout for these races. The great thing about that is it allowed us to run four lanes and have four marshals which helped to drastically reduce the number of track calls.

 

IROC was up first. Thanks to Marty Leslie, the IROC cars were upgraded a bit from the last race. Marty added posts to the chassis to allow for running lexan bodies and he provided the group with a nice set of Porsche bodies to run too. The IROC cars were nice before the changes but now they were even more fun to drive and a little bit faster as well. A big thank you to Marty for his efforts.

 

 

Tony Stuhler must have really enjoyed the new IROCs as he made it look easy pulling away from the rest of us to take first place by just over four laps. Jeff Eve had strong runs on Orange and Blue propelling him to a second place finish. Rich Joslin managed to stay just a little bit in front of Marty for third on the podium. 

 

 

L-R: Jeff Eve - 2nd, Tony Stuhler - 1st, Rich Joslin - 3rd

 

After a little time for practice and some pizza for lunch the group was ready for more racing. Spec Racer would cap off the festivities. This time it was Dave Carlson who didn't want to hang back with the rest of us. He was fast and consistently kept his car in the slot while pulling away to an impressive seven lap victory. The battle for second place was a good one between Marty and Rich. At the finish it was Rich in front by just over a lap. 

 

 

L-R: Rich Joslin - 2nd, Dave Carlson - 1st, Marty Leslie - 3rd

 

My apologies for not getting pictures of the Spec Racer cars. 

 

It seemed fitting that Russ Smith won the $20 Fantasy Race Bucks drawing. 

 

Thank you to our host Jeff Eve for a well run race. We look forward to scheduling another one soon. Stay tuned for details.