Weather Report
Another winter storm hit Douglas County on Saturday, 3/2/24 with some snow accumulations which then disappeared as the sun shown in early afternoon. That being said, more poor weather is on the way threatening to impact Monday’s race at STR, and that it did. Cold temperatures and heavy rain pelted the area on Monday and rain was forecast to turn into a wintery mix in the evening. Mark, from Grants Pass would have had to traverse at least two mountain passes to get to Roseburg and wisely thought better of it. Two from Cottage Grove made the trip anyway.
Race Summary
On 10/30/23, STR hosted and IROC event for Womp Legends. That event led to the development of a new class of cars. Competitors set about building their own machines under a set of tight specifications. How the competitors will stack up is anybody’s guess.
Eight regulars and Mark and Eric from Cottage Grove showed up to race Womp Legends and Dirt Devil at STR on 03/04/24. Track conditions were okay for the Womps but a bit loose for the Dirt Devils.
- In Legends it was Bob, Joe and Terry for first through third respectively. Congratulations to Terry on his podium finish. A shout-out goes to Mike who finished a close fourth
- In Dirt Devil it was Rich, Joe, Bob and Ron for first through fourth respectively in one of the closest finishes ever.
Womp Legends are a new class at STR and the brainchild of Mark Colby and Bob Hanna. Specifications are tightly controlled so that racing would be close and competitive. Only basic Womp chassis will be allowed (no slits or slots). Power is supplied by the Fox 4 motor (26,500 RPM #8635).
Womp Legends – Current Race
An interesting mix of coupes, pick-ups and sedan delivery vans in various colors and conditions populated the grid. Some competitors had dialed in their rides in practice sessions over the past several weeks. Others were late to the party and were plagued with a variety of problems, some of which were left unsolved. As in life, preparation is everything.
It became obvious early on that Bob, Joe, Terry and Mike were going to fight for podium spots. Their cars ran smoothly and turned faster lap times than the balance of the field. Then there were the others. Ron’s pick-up was launched in the bank several times landing on the floor adjacent to the track. Rich’s car had the worst case of Parkinson’s shaking violently throughout any given lap.
In the end, Bob finished first with 74.8 laps with Joe second, about a lap behind. Terry and Mike battled it out for the final podium spot. Terry edged out Mike for third by about a lap.
The Dirt Devils are one of our quickest and best handling classes. Sophisticated hinged, in-line chassis are mated to “slammed” bodies yielding a very low center of gravity. Many competitors have migrated to the 1/25 AMT Short Track, Late Model Sportsman cars like the one shown in the image above. Others have created their own renditions using everything from 60s Mustangs to a full size 70 Dodge.
Dirt Devil – Current Race
As mentioned in the introduction, the track was a bit loose for Dirt Devils and as a result, no new records were set or even challenged. A bit more bite would have made a huge difference in fast lap times and laps completed. The grid was a mix of late model short track sportsman cars and others. Nick fielded the most unusual ride; a slammed VW bus. Rich entered his slammed Dodge, dubbed the “Purple People Eater”.
The battle for podium spots was between Rich, Joe, Bob and Ron, all having cars turning fast lap times in the 5.1-5.2 second range. Others were at least .5 seconds/lap off the pace. Grid positions were determined by the finishing order in the Legends race. As a result, Bob entered the first heat on the blue lane and was first of all drivers to finish a full rotation turning 88.3 laps providing a target for all others. Ron was the next contender to finish his rotation only a few feet behind Bob with an identical lap and section total. Rich was fourth to rotate in and next of the contenders to finish his rotation. He managed to run clean and finish about a half lap ahead of both Bob and Ron. Joe entered the final heat needing about 22.5 laps to overtake Bob and Ron and about 23 laps to overtake the leader in the barn, Rich. Joe managed a good final heat just edging out Bob by less than an inch. So, the final finishing order was Rich, Joe, Bob and Ron for first through fourth respectively. (See the image below for the gaps between second and fourth place).
