The 2018-2019 Ohio Challenge Cup season came to a close in grand fashion at HMS Raceways in Bellevue. For this year, the season ended where racing began for many of the participants, on the 100' American Model Raceways Orange, formerly located at Elyria's The Slot Shop. All eight lanes were full and ready to race, so here's how it all played out.
8th place, 2862 laps – Team James-Speedgate
A merger of two groups short the required third driver, Butch Ratell and Howard Kemrey of Speedgate Raceway in Warren, Ohio teamed up with James Fetherolf and Mike Simcox of Columbus. Initially struggling with a tricky handling car, the team eventually evened out to run consistently in the midfield. Unfortunately, late in the second half they suffered the only on-track motor failure and opted not to change out.
7th place, 3106 laps – Hollywood Squares
This group of OCC veterans turned up to have a good time as ever with Joe “Hollywood” Gerencser, Jim “JT” Torre, and Jay “The Mad Mexican” Sabala all turning in capable drives though lacking the outright speed of some of the other teams. This coupled with early issues that had them last at the 2 hour split meant a tough result for this group of jokers.
6th place, 3148 laps – Team Boogie
Comprised of Jeremy Wyant, Dave “Shadow” Simerka, and Kit Henry, Team Boogie climbed one of the bigger mountains in the Enduro as damage took its toll on one of the quick entries on the field. Fast, but seemingly always finding exactly the worst luck in the wrecks, Team Boogie's sixth was a hard fought one.
5th place, 3424 laps – Darkside Racing
With Jeff Henes, Brian Lear, and Justin Porter, Darkside Racing ran a strong mid-pack car for most of the day. At one point running as high as third overall, losing nearly two-thirds of a heat to having a motor knocked out meant that fifth was as high as this team could finish.
4th place, 3459 laps – Michigan Mafia
Coming down from Michigan as they have for so many seasons, Dave Decoster, Bob Foster, and Rich Attee all turned up to run strong throughout the Enduro. Consistent and cool as ever, the Downriver guys claimed the fourth spot this year.
3rd place, 3621 laps – Hooday
A last minute addition to the field, with Frankie Shaffer, Ron Vincek, and Mike Lear for drivers, it was hard to tell just how Hooday would do. As the race wore on, this fast group would spend the bulk of the day fighting it out on the podium, claiming a very close third despite not even being a team until a few days before the race.
2nd place, 3649 laps – Slick in the Slot
Easily the group with the most laps on the Orange, Bud Bartos, Gil Pataky, Steve Koepp, and Al Rutti were unexpectedly in the front of the pack from the start. After four hours of racing, they wound up beating out Hooday for the second spot by only 28 laps, or conversely less than 2 laps a heat!
1st place, 3780 laps – Orange Crush
Aptly named for how they “crushed” the field, Ron Hershman, Eric Shirey, Willy Custer, and Jason Dennis assembled to grab the win by 131 laps over second. Even having their motor knocked out in the closing stages of the final heat wasn't enough to phase this team.
In many ways, the OCC Enduro this year was the whole season encapsulated, with representatives from nearly every track on the calendar, from every corner of slot car racing, and of every skill level. Special thanks go out to HMS Raceway for hosting, Mid-America and Boogie Bodies for sponsoring, Mike Lear for some fantastic cooking, Donna Hubbell for her guest appearance and inspiration, and ALL of the racers of the Ohio Challenge Cup for a fun day at the races. We'll see you next year!
