Seven slot-heads showed up to race Vintage Econo and Flexi at STR on 3/18/24. The track was a bit loose and as a result, no records were set. That being said, racing was quite competitive. Results are summarized below.
- In Vintage Econo, it was Bob, Rich and Joe for first through third respectively.
- In Flexi, it was Joe, Rich and Bob for first through third respectively.
The Vintage Econo class features the tried-and-true Econo (rattle chassis) with power options including Deathstar, Super, or ProSlot 16D. Many competitors have migrated to the 53 Studebaker body. Most utilize Deathstar or ProSlot 16D power. Racing should be close due to tight specifications associated with the Econo chassis. Podium spots are up for grabs with Rich, Mark, Bob, Ron and Joe quite capable of a win.
Current Race
Surprisingly, no one make/model dominated the field; no Studebaker sweep this time. Bob (53 Ford), Rich (Stude) and Joe (49 Ford) battled it out for the podium spots all posting fast lap times between 5.3 and low 5.4 seconds. In the end Bob managed the win with 84.7 laps. Rich was about a half lap behind in second place and Joe was third about a lap behind Rich.
The Flexi class is not one of my favorites. The cars are quick but appear far from scale replicas of their 1 to 1 counterparts. That being said, the class is the least expensive for novice racers. It is also one which requires no building/painting skills because these cars are available in ready-to-run form. Several chassis brands populated the grid and power plants range from Deathstar to Blue motors to the new Plafit Cheetah 4 motor (my favorite).
A look at historical data reveals that only Bob, Joe, Rich, Mark, Dustin and Ron have broken the 90 lap barrier and as such are favored to challenge for podium spots.
Current Race
Even though the track found some grip throughout the Vintage Econo race, it was still a bit slick for the Flexi cars. Fast lap times were about .3 seconds/lap off of a typical pace. Again, the battle for the podium was between Joe, Rich and Bob. Since Bob won the Vintage Econo race, he was assigned the Blue lane for the Flexi race and as a consequence was first in the barn posting a lap total of 91.3. Going into the final heat both Joe and Rich were at 68+ laps with Joe about a half lap ahead of Rich. Both competitors ran clean heats and edged out Bob. That being said, Rich could not close the gap on Joe. So, it was Joe, Rich and Bob for first through third respectively.
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