R4/3 reflections
#1
Posted 14 March 2010 - 11:17 PM
Thanks to all the sponsors who gave prizes.
Thanks to Bill Fulmer for being the official camera man and Congratulations for the induction into the Retro Hall of Fame!
You had to be there to appreciate the intensity of all the races, from Coupes through Can-Am, WOW! is a good way to describe it. The racing was incredible! So tight.
I want to give a big THANK YOU to Chris Radisich for his Coupe win using a Samurai II chassis, second in F1 using a Victory prototype and a stellar showing with a 4th place finish in Can-Am, just two laps away from the top spot.
Thanks to Josh Crutchfield for helping with the development of the Samurai and Victory chassis program and his big win in F1 with his own prototype design. Josh and Chris finished about 15 inches apart for a 1-2 finale.
Congratulations to Ron Hershman for his superb performance today in Can-Am and a new lap record finish at 285! Thanks to him and Rande Marshall for pushing me so hard to develop our own race program. That pair raises the bar pretty high.
The Holiday Inn party session was nice to mingle with all the racers and trade old war stories. Can't wait until next year to do it all over again...
PS: If you were not there, shame on you. I can't wait to see the pictures and Sano Dave Dude was busy all weekend with his camera, LOL.
Rick Bennardo
"Professional Tinkerer"
scrgeo@comcast.net
R-Geo Products
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Lead! The easy equalizer...
#2
Posted 15 March 2010 - 07:16 AM
Jim "Butch" Dunaway
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit.
All my life I've strived to keep from becoming a millionaire, so far I've succeeded.
There are three kinds of people in the world, those that are good at math and those that aren't.
No matter how big of a hammer you use, you can't pound common sense into stupid people, believe me, I've tried.
#3
Posted 15 March 2010 - 08:33 AM
This was by far the most competitive R4 race to date. The racing all weekend in all of the classes was the closest and cleanest I have ever seen or had to race in. So many guys are getting it figured out, getting faster and making more laps than ever. Last year there was only two guys to run 280 + laps in the Can-Am race and this year there was six racers running 280 +. Randy Korh's total of 278 in this years main would have been a 3rd or 4th place finish last year. That goes to show all of us how much better have got in the past year. F-1 was the same. Last year only three drivers ran 270 + laps and this year ALL 10 drivers ran 271 + laps.
Every race was close racing and very clean compared to previous years. Again, driving is getting better and guys are figuring out their equipment.
There was a lot of "heart breakers" in regards to drivers racing their butts off and just coming up inches or a foot or so short of making a "A" main. Poor Ralph Thorne sweated out for hours hoping his lap total would be enough to make the Can-Am "A" main. He made it...barely...but he made it! Congrats to Ralph.
Dave Simerka.... where did this guy come from??? Dave made both "A" mains in F-1 and Can-Am in his first R4 appearance. Awesome run Dave!!! The glove lives.
Terry Watson..... hardest and loudest wall "shot" of the weekend and his car continued to run after that.
Howie.... the shortest wall "shot" of the weekend and probably the most damaging taking him out of a certain "A" main move up.
For this years "MAC" award, we added Greg Wells, Tony P, Bill Fulmer for their contributions to the growth and promotion of IRRA racing and we also added the late and great Chris Gallegos for his contribution to retro racing overall.
The Can-Am main...... a great race and a great group of drivers getting along with one another on and off the track, letting each other go cleanly when the time to do so came and it made for a very fast main event. I recall one heat of the main where there was only one guy who deslotted the entire heat. Someone mentioned there was one heat where no one deslotted. That is awesome.
Of course the entire weekend was a blast...win or lose.
The "party"....was it a party at the Holiday Inn?? Whatever you want to call it, was a blast and minute by minute surprises and fun. Thanks to Steve Dieters, Brian Mc Pherson and Howie for bringing old cars, magazines, photos, memories, etc for our enjoyment.
Now while some of might think my victory in Can-Am was my highlight of my weekend...MY highlight and Victory of the weekend was getting Howie to sing us " No More Mr. Nice Guy" by Alice Cooper and a ever bigger accomplishment was to get Howie to sing a encore...singing us a Rolling Stones number. But I missed his singing of Happy Birthday to Laura Schmitt while I was out getting him some wine as a bribe to do his encore. Thanks for sharing your birthday with us Laura.
Of course we have to thank the Mc Masters family.... Mike, Cindy, Jessica, Skippy, and the others who help them behind the counter and around the building. Jessica fell ill over the weekend and we all missed her on Sat and Sunday. She missed some good racing and would have been right in the mix had she been there.
Big thanks to Bill Fulmer and Chris Barnes who with their camera lens recorded lots of history in the making.
The biggest thanks has to go to Noose and Butch for doing the teching as well as Mike Mc, Rick Maynard, Butch and Eric Balicki for doing the race directing. We couldn't have done any racing without you guys.
Also a big thanks to Cindy, Sharon Bruce, Paula Young and whoever else manned the "kitchen" keeping our tummies full of food and bodies liquidfied.
Thanks to all of the sponsors who donated products and money for the event. Everybody got something every race.
While the R4-3 maybe have been down on overall entries compared to the R4-2 ( down about 15 or so over the R4-2 total ) it just goes to prove that bigger isn't always better.
The R4-3, was by far the BEST R4 race yet!!!!
#4
Posted 15 March 2010 - 09:16 AM
#5
Posted 15 March 2010 - 09:23 AM
#6
Posted 15 March 2010 - 09:34 AM
#7
Posted 15 March 2010 - 09:40 AM
#8
Posted 15 March 2010 - 09:46 AM
NOT!oh and BTW....howie could be the next AMERICAN IDOL!
Jim "Butch" Dunaway
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit.
All my life I've strived to keep from becoming a millionaire, so far I've succeeded.
There are three kinds of people in the world, those that are good at math and those that aren't.
No matter how big of a hammer you use, you can't pound common sense into stupid people, believe me, I've tried.
#9
Posted 15 March 2010 - 10:48 AM
This is no doubt an "Event". The racing was something that I've never seen or experienced before. I hope do better next year. Congrats to all winners & to the guys that made the Mains!!! I wish I could have stayed to see the Can-am & F-1 mains but my duties here at the shop called.
I hope to see some of the attendees of the R/4 at the "All-Ohio" here in April/May.
What a GREAT time it was,
Professional Garage Guru
Brian Cox
#10
Posted 15 March 2010 - 11:39 AM
All I Can say is WOW!!! First I like thank thank Mike and Cindy and Crew at Tom Thumb Hobbies for everything.
Also I would like to thank Howie for the tips on my F1 with out it I would have been a large pain for the rest of the drivers in my main. The Main Events in F1 and Can Am were intense. I was hoping for a better finish in Can Am but a nasty wall shot took me out for 2 heats. I could have park it. But thanks to Brian Cox for the repairs I was able to finish my main. It was a great expierence. It open my eyes on how some of the big dawgs run. Hopefully next year I will be there again.
Adios Amigos
Mad Mexican Racin'
In loving memory of my mother Francisca Escalante Zavala
March 24, 1927 - April 5, 2011
Vaya Con Dios
#11
Posted 15 March 2010 - 02:35 PM
Anyone have anything on the Jail Door race? Great photos, but nobody has made any comments...
#12
Posted 15 March 2010 - 03:37 PM
Rick Bennardo
"Professional Tinkerer"
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#13
Posted 15 March 2010 - 03:37 PM
It takes a special person to run a successful raceway, thanks to all of you that try to give us racers a place to play.
Mike Boemker
#14
Posted 15 March 2010 - 03:42 PM
Having put together so many events during my time in the USRA, SoCAl USRA and IMCA I know how much effort everyone goes to to make it all happen. Well done everyone! It's nice to be just a racer these days and not to have all the headaches that come with putting on such great events.
I totally agree with Shadow's comments, as I thought when I sat out the last heat of the Can-Am race 283 might just be good enough for second.... not 4th. Running 36 lap heats and not actually passing anyone on the track in the whole heat was something else, just amazing.
The 7 lap spread from 1st to 10th in the F1 main has to be some sort of record, and that race should send all the historians lurking around here back to their record books to do some checking. I would be amazed if anyone could find a 10 car main field as close anywhere in history, or even a traditional 8 racer main as close as that. Being in the F1 and Can-Am mains where so many people raced so hard, with so few deslots, and no major breakages and track calls was incredible.
Of course I have to thank R-Geo Rick and Josh Crutchfield. Josh is one hell of a chassis builder, and his building combined with the R-Geo Samurai, I had an awesome Coupe and Can_Am car. The F1 prototype built by Rick was also an awesome F1 car, in fact so good that at the last minute I decided to use it over the Victory chassis I ran second with at the warmup, leaving Rick to find himself another ride for the F1 race.
#15
Posted 15 March 2010 - 03:46 PM
I for one am looking forward to pictures of those chassis. Us backmarkers need inspiration....
Rick:
I would have been happy to lend you my Jaildoor car...
BTW: the sports cars handle much better than the GP cars.
#16
Posted 15 March 2010 - 03:51 PM
The 7 lap spread from 1st to 10th in the F1 main has to be some sort of record, and that race should send all the historians lurking around here back to their record books to do some checking. I would be amazed if anyone could find a 10 car main field as close anywhere in history, or even a traditional 8 racer main as close as that.
Chris,
You're probably right.
I thought the same thing when I saw the results.
Some races start out that tight but eventually the guys with the cars that are a tick slower start pushing too hard to keep up and fall back.
Super job by you and the other 9 racers in the Main.
Mike Swiss
Inventor of the Low CG guide flag 4/20/18
IRRA® Components Committee Chairman
Five-time USRA National Champion (two G7, one G27, two G7 Senior)
Two-time G7 World Champion (1988, 1990), eight G7 main appearances
Eight-time G7 King track single lap world record holder
17B West Ogden Ave., Westmont, IL 60559, (708) 203-8003, mikeswiss86@hotmail.com (also my PayPal address)
Note: Send all USPS packages and mail to: 692 Citadel Drive, Westmont, Illinois 60559
#17
Posted 15 March 2010 - 03:56 PM
Rick Bennardo
"Professional Tinkerer"
scrgeo@comcast.net
R-Geo Products
LIKE my Facebook page for updates, new releases, and sales: Rgeo Slots...
Lead! The easy equalizer...
#18
Posted 15 March 2010 - 04:12 PM
Some races start out that tight but eventually the guys with the cars that are a tick slower start pushing too hard to keep up and fall back.
Super job by you and the other 9 racers in the Main.
I think most realized in the heats that the racing/cars was so close that you had to keep your car on to stay in the hunt.
A one lap win is only a five second lead. One deslot and that goes away quickly.
The biggest thanks I can give is to the TURN MARSHALLS who marshalled the Can-Am main so good. They were on it and got the cars back in quickly and cleanly.
#19
Posted 15 March 2010 - 05:43 PM
No real tech issues to speak of but clearance was numero uno as guys just plain wore out their tires to the bare limit in diameter but not good enough to make their car pass clearance.
I second everything Ron said. This was the BEST slot racing I have ever seen. I couldn't believe the lap totals for the each of the classes. Congrats to the Retro East guys for making a good showing. It only took 3 years but I finally figured something out about the chassis that really work on the track.
I have to say that watching Ron drive red lane in the Can-Am as I marshaled the lead on was unbelievable. Most guys that ran it did well but were cautious of course. Ron made it look like he was on Orange lane he was soooooo fast.
Congrats to the winners of the Noose Custom Painted Bodies too! Winners were chosen by raffle and they were:
R-Geo Rick
Bob Young
Mike Iles
To Ray Carlisi - my traveling buddy - thanks for keeping me awake!
And finally, to the McMasters. My heartfelt thanks for one hell of a weekend.
Joe "Noose" Neumeister
Sometimes known as a serial despoiler of the clear purity of virgin Lexan bodies. Lexan is my canvas!
Noose Custom Painting - Since 1967
Chairman - IRRA® Body Committee - Roving IRRA® Tech Dude - "EVIL BUCKS Painter"
"Team Evil Bucks" Racer - 2016 Caribbean Retro Overall Champion
The only thing bad about Retro is admitting that you remember doing it originally.
#20
Posted 15 March 2010 - 06:15 PM
Gregory Wells
Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap
#21
Posted 15 March 2010 - 06:30 PM
Jim "Butch" Dunaway
I don't always go the extra mile, but when I do it's because I missed my exit.
All my life I've strived to keep from becoming a millionaire, so far I've succeeded.
There are three kinds of people in the world, those that are good at math and those that aren't.
No matter how big of a hammer you use, you can't pound common sense into stupid people, believe me, I've tried.
#22
Posted 15 March 2010 - 06:37 PM
You guys are killing me...
How are we killing you??? LOL...
#23
Posted 15 March 2010 - 07:37 PM
I wanted to be there pretty badly and it just couldn't be this year.
Gregory Wells
Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap
#24
Posted 15 March 2010 - 07:52 PM
Philippe de Lespinay
#25
Posted 15 March 2010 - 07:58 PM
Someone needs to invite him to Columbus next time.
11/6/54-2/13/18
Requiescat in Pace