Formula 1 on the King – 5/30/17
F-1 racing returned to the G7 King this week at MVH as eleven racers presented their cars for technical inspection. All eight lanes were raced with 3 marshals manning the corners.
Eleven F-1 Cars in Tech:
It was another evening of close racing interspersed with the occasional spectacular (and not unexpected) crash that comes with open wheeled slot racing. The first casualty of the evening wasn’t a car but a corner marshal as a car (not sure which one) launched in the middle of the lead-on and caused Richard Payne some significant pain. He took the hit in just the wrong spot on his wrist. Racing was delayed while he tried to shake it off and his marshaling was somewhat impeded from that point onward.
It didn’t end there. The evening’s flying distance award went to Dick Griffin as another racer’s car left the slot exiting the lead on at the perfect point to launch him at full speed at about the driver’s panel for green or orange. His car landed on the floor in the middle of the track somewhere just past the lap counter. Another extra-track event saw Dave Panich’s car launch in the donut as another car left the slot (perhaps the same one that got Dick G…) causing his car to take wing until it encountered the showcase somewhere east of the cash register. Fortunately, the plate glass held and the bend in his front axle didn’t appear to impair the handling of his car significantly.
In spite of the chaos, there was some close racing on the track too. Ricky Pratt gave John Weaver a run for his money as they both posted almost identical best-lap times and ended the race less than a lap apart with John taking the win by just 7 track sections. The gap to the rest of the field was in the double digits, but the close racing continued. Dan Savage, Richard P, Ray Lee and Woody Hazelwood were in a tight race for the 3rd step on the podium until Dan’s motor slowed significantly in the final heat and failed to start after a track call. After being push started it briefly continued but soon gave up the ghost (upon inspection it was found to be missing a brush). When the dust settled, Richard P claimed 3rd place with Ray and Woody finishing two laps back separated by 4 track sections. Dave Panich finished another two laps back in 6th, though Dan would have been well ahead of him (and possibly Ray and Woody…and maybe even Richard!) had his motor not died. Even though his car didn’t finish the final heat Dan was still able to claim 7th place. One lap back Bobby Blanchette led the rest of the field to the line.
Lap times on the King continue to improve as seven of the eleven racers posted laps of 4.5 seconds or below while only one racer logged a best-lap time above 4.6 seconds. The track appeared to be fast inside and out, as fast laps were posted on every lane except red, black and blue.
Final Standings, laps completed, fast-lap time, lane:
1) John Weaver 325/2 4.335 WT
2) Ricky Pratt 324/12 4.336 OR
3) Richard Payne 310/9 4.445 PU
4) Ray Lee 308/5 4.499 PU
5) Woody Hazelwood 308/1 4.499 OR
6) Dave Panich 306/8 4.547 YL
7) Dan Savage 303/17 4.452 GN
8) Bobby Blanchette 302/3 4.500 BL
9) Rich Girvin 297/11 4.562 WT
10) Doug Uhlman 287/17 4.608 WT
11) Dick Griffin 276/2 4.889 OR
Upcoming Events:
MVH Tuesday Night Retro-Race Schedule for June:
06/06/17 Stock Cars on the Aristocrat
06/13/17 Either Stock Cars or Coupes on the Figure 8 (TBD)
NOTE: check www.modelvillehobby.com for updates
06/20/17 F-1 on the Royal
06/27/17 Stock Cars on the Sovereign(!)
MVH “End of the NEER Season + Summer is Here” Retro Race
06/10/17 Coupes on the King, Can-Am on the Sovereign
NEER 2017/2018 Schedule is posted on Slotblog
Podium (L to R): 2nd Place – Ricky Pratt, 1st Place – John Weaver, 3rd Place – Richard Payne
Weaver’s 1st Place Chassis:
Ricky’s 2nd Place Chassis:
Richard’s 3rd Place Chassis:
