Category: Race Results

Race Report: 2023 50/50 Racing Series, Round 2

Cool napkins to go with the donuts, courtesy of Eric Lane in Round 1.

Round 2 was another fast and furious day of racing on the SR3 “Squeeze Lane” road course. The short stories were Jordan Walker topping the Sportsman points and  George Peters collecting the majority of Expert points. The weather was sunny but fairly cool so we had the heater blasting most of the day.

Race 1: Viper-Jet “Maximum Leeway” Lexan

Oops! Forgot to take the podium shot.

The first race was pretty tight in the Expert ranks with only one lap separating Home Cook’n and George Peters.

In the Sportsman ranks, Jordan Walker and Jerry Pearson battled it out with only one lap separating 4th and 5th. Kevin Webster bagged the final podium spot. As is often the case with Viper-Jets, no driver achieved the coveted perfect score of 80 total laps. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 78 16 798.835
2 George Peters 77 13 734.617
3 Kevin Webster 74 11 830.573
4 Jordan Walker 70 7 887.619
5 Jerry Pearson 69 6 754.823
6 Martha Elderon 66 5 870.534
Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Support Class

Speaking of blasting, the second race was hot and heavy with very close racing in both the Expert and Sportsman ranks. George Peters held off for the overall win against Home Cook’n by just one lap and Kevin Webster and Jerry Pearson tied on total laps with Kevin taking the final podium spot on run time. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 80 16 845.583
2 Steve Stewart 79 13 866.609
3 Kevin Webster 75 11 794.451
4 Jerry Pearson 75 7 865.445
5 Martha Elderon 71 6 748.839
6 Jordan Walker 66 5 675.186
Race 3: Viper V-SPEC Lexan

Race 3 was as always blistering fast with everybody running V-SPEC Vipers with either GTP or NASCAR-style bodies. Sportsman driver, Jordan Walker, impressed us all with a standout performance in this one. The battle initially was hot and heavy between Home Cook’n and George Peters. However, George would have a couple of offs in his second segment costing him a couple of laps. Jordan started his rotation in the third segment and would finish first or second in the first three and third in his final segment, which put him just one lap ahead of George in second overall. Nice driving by Jordan!

Meanwhile, Kevin Webster and Jerry Pearson had a battle of their own going for the remaining Sportsman points. Kevin finished as “Mr. Consistent” with three 3rd places and one 2nd place finish and two laps up on Jerry Pearson going into the last two segments. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 16 427.848
2 Jordan Walker 79 13 505.84
3 George Peters 78 11 461.878
4 Kevin Webster 72 7 512.001
5 Jerry Pearson 70 6 481.817
6 Martha Elderon 61 5 492.444
Race 4: Jag Hobbies TR-3 “Augoran” Hardbodies

The final race of Round 2 was back to the “Honor System” of marshaling since we only had four drivers participating. Once again, Jordan Walker proved he’s the real deal with a very good run of 75 laps, two 2nds a 3rd, and winning the final segment. It may look like a Home Cook’n show on paper but it was a lot more than that as fuel strategies came into play for almost all drivers in the final segment.  (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 79 16 1123.52
2 Jordan Walker 75 13 1159.132
3 George Peters 73 11 1135.72
4 Kevin Webster 67 7 1182.673

All in all, another great day of racing in the 2023 50/50 Racing Series. The MegaG+ 1.7 class seems to be the most competitive for both Expert and Sportsman drivers.

Sportsman Point Standings after Round 2:
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Kevin Webster 584 71 6033.374
2 Jordan Walker 581 69 5862.457
3 Jerry Pearson 432 37 3980.007
4 Martha Elderon 411 29 4115.863
5 Eric Lane 279 26 2840.358
6 Tim Bisson 126 6 1366.187
7 Jake Bisson 89 4 1250.72

Looks like it might be a dogfight between Kevin and Jordan for the Sportsman series trophy, we’ll see.

Expert Point Standings after Round 2:
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 623 109 5681.098
2 Steve Stewart 635 119 5951.572

In the Expert ranks, George is well positioned to take the overall against Home Cook’n, with or without the Home Cook’n handicap stuff. Great driving and car prep, George!

Okay, we’ll likely have an open track day this coming Saturday and hold Round 3 the following Saturday, March 4, 2023.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: 2023 50/50 Racing Series, Round 1

While the weather didn’t cooperate, the slot car faithful certainly did. Nice turnout in spite of the rainy conditions and lack of shuttle service from the parking lots to the paddock. Oh well, 1/64 scale shuttles can’t transport many “real” people anyway.

Okay, so the short stories are a battle royale between George Peters and “Home Cook’n” in the Expert class and Jordan Walker and Kevin Webster in the Sportsman class.

George Peters, Home Cook’n, Kevin Webster. (Right-click and open in a new tab for a larger image.)

Race 1: Mega-G+ 1.7 Support Class (NASCAR bodies) (18v)

Wow! This was the debut of our new MG+ Support class and the summary of results shows just how competitive this class is. Yea, the two experts (1 & 2) in the race had more laps in the end. But look at the Sportsman class results, very close competition and very exciting racing. George Peters had a very good run in the expert class while Kevin Webster and Jerry Pearson battled it out in the Sportsman class. Jerry held the lead until the sixth segment with 75-laps but Kevin finished off the the last two segments with 2nd and 3rd place finishes in the last two segments, placing third overall and first in the Sportsman points chase.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 80 16 618.884
2 Steve Stewart 79 13 670.183
3 Kevin Webster 75 11 667.132
4 Jerry Pearson 75 7 725.873
5 Jordan Walker 74 6 653.039
6 Eric Lane 72 5 630.132
7 Martha Elderon 71 4 620.547

Race 2: Mega-G+ 1.7 “Super Modifieds” IROC (18v)

Making a smooth transition to yet another Mega-G+ platform, Race 2 would be an IROC format utilizing box-stock MG+ platforms but with taller and harder compound rear tires. And, of course, an even more top-heavy body style.

A new neighbor, Tim Bisson, and his son, Jake showed up in time for Race 2. Tim and Jake didn’t waste any time deciding to jump right in and race. Jake, only five years old, was amazing in his first slot car race ever. He had incredible throttle control and clicked off lap-after-lap with minimal crashes, finishing the race with a very respectable 56-lap total.  Dad, Tim, returning to slot car racing after 20-years, finished the race with 70-laps, just 5-laps less than the Sportsman race leader–nice!

Martha Elderon came out of the starting grid extremely fast in this first segment posting the Best Lap time and the best Median Lap time, finishing in the segment in second place–nice driving!

In the end, Home Cook’n bagged the Expert win by just one lap over George Peters. The Sportsman class was just as competitive with only 3-laps separating first from fifth. Eric Lane bagged third overall and the top Sportsman points.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 16 684.799
2 George Peters 79 13 676.107
3 Eric Lane 75 11 744.85
4 Jordan Walker 74 7 670.911
5 Kevin Webster 74 6 718.375
6 Jerry Pearson 73 5 659.657
7 Martha Elderon 72 4 778.706
8 Tim Bisson 70 3 746.119
9 Jake Bisson 53 2 732.403

Race 3: Viper V-SPEC “Lexan” (15v)

Always crazy fast, this race was no different. Once again, Martha Elderon came out swinging and bagged a second, two thirds, and a fourth-place finish in this fast and furious race.

Jordan Walker would bag three second-place finishes and Eric Lane would bag two second-place finishes, very nice driving.

In the end, George Peters was not going to be outdone by Home Cook’n. George took the lead in the race in Segment 5 and never looked back, winning three of his four rotations and besting Home Cook’n on total run time for the win.

The backstories in this one are many but Jerry and Martha finished on the same lap with Jerry besting Martha by just a hair over 2 seconds in their final segment. Very close racing, indeed.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 80 16 478.143
2 Steve Stewart 80 13 598.6
3 Jordan Walker 77 11 495.259
4 Kevin Webster 74 7 504.747
5 Jerry Pearson 70 6 492.392
6 Martha Elderon 70 5 604.793
7 Eric Lane 69 4 639.381
8 Tim Bisson 56 3 620.068
9 Jake Bisson 36 2 518.317

Race 4: Viper Jet “Maximum Leeway” Lexan (15v)

Well, we lost a few racers prior to this one but five of us pressed on and finished the program. The last race was a bit slower pace but we ran these cool rigs at 15v, which is a bit challenging on any course.

Other than a few gnarly crashes involving dislodged parts and loud noises, this one was fairly uneventful. Both Kevin Webster and Eric Lane posted second-place segment finishes in this one with Kevin bagging the final podium spot and a third overall.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 16 781.178
2 George Peters 76 13 730.166
3 Kevin Webster 73 11 823.422
4 Jordan Walker 66 7 815.471
5 Eric Lane 63 6 825.995

Okay, a very nice day of racing. Bad weather is what slot cars were made for and today was a perfect example of having fun even when the weather isn’t cooperating. Great to meet Tim and Jake. Most people typically just hang out and observe or help corner marshal slot car races when they first check it out or get back into it. Tim and Jake jumped right into the mayhem and did very well. Jake is definitely going to enjoy the frequent kids’ races and Tim looks like he’ll have no trouble at all getting up to speed racing with us “Slotheads”. Hope they both enjoyed it and return for more fun soon.

So what’s the story after Round one of this new series?

Sportsman Point Standings after Round 1:
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Kevin Webster 296 35 2713.676
2 Jordan Walker 291 31 2634.68
3 Eric Lane 279 26 2840.358
4 Jerry Pearson 218 18 1877.922
5 Martha Elderon 213 13 2004.046
6 Tim Bisson 126 6 1366.187
7 Jake Bisson 89 4 1250.72
Expert Points Standings after Round 1:
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 315 58 2503.3
2 Steve Stewart 319 58 2734.76
Eric always brings something to every race. These are napkins to help serve the awesome Krispy Creme donuts he often brings to get us through the day. Thanks for the chocolates also, Eric!

I think we should stick with this Mega-G+ 1.7 class, it seems to be one of the more competitive classes of cars we’ve run here at Stewart Raceway and it’s a very easy car to prepare and compete with.

We’ll likely do a track day next Saturday and Round 2 the following Saturday. Stay tuned for the calendar updates.

Okay, shut up and drive!

 

Race Report: 2022 IROC Championship Series – Round 4 Finale

On a cold, windy, and rainy day in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the four top drivers in the series took the green flag for the final round of the 2022 IROC Champs Series.

The final round of the series for the Expert class was never really a question, George Peters came into the final round with an insurmountable lead in points. The big question was who was going to win the Sportsman class honors.

Kevin Webster came into the final round with a 23-point advantage over Rookie of the Year candidate, Jerry Pearson. With a maximum of 64 points and a minimum of 28 points available in this final round, Jerry had a reasonably good shot at overtaking Kevin for top honors and taking home the 2022 IROC Champs trophy.

Unfortunately, the bad weather and road conditions prevented Jerry from making the potentially hazardous trek to Stewart Raceway to compete in the finale. As a result, Kevin Webster didn’t even have to finish the final event to secure his place on the Stewart Raceway Wall of Fame.

Congratulations to Kevin Webster and George Peters, 2022 IROC Champions! And, congrats to 2021 Rookie of the Year, Brad Sandahl for winning the final round of this hard-fought series.

Short Story Summary
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Brad Sandahl 386 50 4668.871
2 George Peters 381 46 4671.36
3 Kevin Webster 354 28 4662.525
* Steve Stewart 399 64 4557.734
Race 1: Wizzard Storm Extremes courtesy of Kevin Webster’s stable of fine cars. (15v)

These are actually pretty cool magnet cars and easy to drive. The race wasn’t all that eventful after the first segment, which was quite a dogfight between all drivers. The rest of the race was pretty much a broken record with no lead or place changes but a very close race between the top three expert drivers. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Brad Sandahl 98 13 970.665
2 George Peters 97 11 983.099
3 Kevin Webster 90 7 968.232
* Steve Stewart 100 16 926.601
Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Super Modifieds

Recently updated from zero-downforce cars to L42 magnet cars, the MTS 3D-printed Super Modifieds are quite a bit faster and much more stable on the road course. Brad Sandahl and Kevin Webster burst from the starting line in this race to take 1-2 in the first segment.

Home Cook’n would recapture the lead after the second segment while George Peters overtook Kevin Webster for 3rd place. Brad stayed very close to Home Cook’n throughout the race but had some bad luck in the final segment in the blue lane, which forced him to have to settle for runner-up spot but valuable points towards the overall. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Brad Sandahl 96 13 1434.589
2 George Peters 93 11 1447.717
3 Kevin Webster 89 7 1435.581
* Steve Stewart 99 16 1428.958
Race 3: Viper-Jet SPEC JET

The third race of the day was the VSR Viper-Jet utilizing a Maximum Leeway Lexan body. Brad Sandahl would suffer not only a flaky car in his first segment in the white lane but also a controller malfunction that forced him to replace it in the middle of the race. Sportsman driver, Kevin Webster, took advantage of the mayhem and secured a nice second-place finish in the second segment. George Peters stayed steady and smooth throughout the race and would secure the second podium spot while Brad Sandahl recovered nicely for the final podium spot. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 93 13 1320.942
2 Brad Sandahl 92 11 1345.123
3 Kevin Webster 89 7 1335.915
* Steve Stewart 100 16 1308.07
Race 4:  Jag Hobbies TR-3 Augorans (15v)

The final race of the series was the always fast and exciting Jag TR-3. These are slightly upgraded from the stock configuration so a bit faster but smoother to drive.

This one was yet another dogfight between the three expert drivers with Sportsman driver, Kevin Webster, letting it all hang out trying to hang with the trio in every segment. Brad Sandahl stayed focused and determined and finished the day with a nice placing just ahead of George Peters by two laps and winning the final segment. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Brad Sandahl 100 13 918.494
2 George Peters 98 11 919.602
3 Kevin Webster 86 7 922.797
* Steve Stewart 100 16 894.105
Kevin obviously pleased with his efforts this season.

All in all, it was a great day of racing. Kevin secured his Sportsman IROC Champs victory by finishing well in all the races and hanging tough with a field of ALL expert drivers battling each other every lap in the finale.

George Peters secured his IROC Champs victory by showing up for all the races and garnering the lion’s share of points, as he typically does every chance he gets to race.

Georgie claims he doesn’t have room for all the hardware he’s amassed this season. I think he took it home anyway.

Hats off to Brad Sandahl today, he’s in only his second year of slot car racing and is clearly a force to be reckoned with, both now and well into the future.

So how did the “Squeeze Lane” section change work out? Well, I think we only had a couple of incidences that resulted in crashes. We’ll leave that addition in the road course for a while and see what it yields.

2022 IROC Champs Overall Final Standings
Place Name Class Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters Exp 1415 199 12128.93
2 Kevin Webster Sport 1315 126 12274.78
3 Brad Sandahl Exp 746 92 8000.819
4 Jerry Pearson Sport 641 75 5416.834
5 Eric Lane Sport 915 69 7651.906
6 Jordan Walker Sport 372 29 1608.379
7 Martha Elderon Sport 204 9 1020.019
* Steve Stewart Exp 1463 253 11894.73
Sportsman Class
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Kevin Webster 1315 126 12274.78
2 Jerry Pearson 641 75 5416.834
3 Eric Lane 915 69 7651.906
4 Jordan Walker 372 29 1608.379
5 Martha Elderon 204 9 1020.019
Expert Class
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 1415 199 12128.93
2 Brad Sandahl 746 92 8000.819
* Steve Stewart 1463 253 11894.73

* Home Cook’n results are not factored in the series points. Owning the track means enjoying a massive advantage. And even more so when you build and/or maintain many of the IROC cars being contested.

Stay tuned for details on a possible open track day before the end of the 2022 season. This race likely concludes our “official” racing season for 2022. Stay tuned for season points standings, rookie of the year, and other accolades.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: 2022 IROC Championship Series – Round 3

Round 3 of the 2022 IROC Championship Series was again a shootout between the top Expert and Sportsman drivers, but this time on the SR3 banked oval and a car lineup that would, hopefully, recreate the great era of American dirt-track racing. Race one got underway at 11:30ish Saturday, November 12 under clear blue skies and warm sunshine. Oh, and some of us enjoyed the awesome Krispy Kreme donuts that Eric Lane brought into the paddock–thanks, Eric!

The “Day On The Oval” started with the wild and loose MG+ 1.5 “Midget” hardbodies running at 18v and ended with the always popular Viper Jet (SPEC-JET) with Lexan NAStruck bodies at 12v. A little twist was added to the mix (from Kevin Webster) to only run on the two inside and two outside lanes.

We also got to witness the first-ever female driver participate in our formal racing program. Martha Elderon was amazing in her debut at Stewart Raceway. Martha won heats (segments) in both the MG+ 1.5 “Midget” race and the Retro-Viper “Maximum Leeway” race–Nice!

Short Story Round 3 Overall Results
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 400 48 1551.692
2 Kevin Webster 383 40 1644.271
3 Jordan Walker 372 29 1608.379
4 Eric Lane 365 22 1684.491
5 Jerry Pearson 222 18 997.273
6 Martha Elderon 204 9 1020.019
* Steve Stewart 418 64 1507.187
Race 1:  MegaG+ 1.5 “Midgets” (18.1v)
MegaG+ 1.5 “Midgets” 3D-printed bodies available from MTS 3D Hobbies on eBay or Shapeways.

These cars are a handful to drive since they have no traction magnets and a weighted independent front end. To make things even more challenging for the drivers, two of the cars on the inside lanes were underpowered at 18v and required extreme patience and skill to limit the losses each driver would suffer in those two lanes. Martha Elderon, surprised us all by bagging her first-ever heat win in the Red lane. Martha drove the wheels of the car and had a huge smile on her face after winning that segment late in the race.

Sportsman driver, Jordan Walker dominated this one until the last couple of segments, dropping to 4th overall after Kevin Webster and George Peters.  In the end, Sportsman driver Kevin Webster came out on top with a heat win and three 2nd-place finishes. Sportsman driver, Jerry Pearson took the final podium spot with a very nice heat win in the final segment.

These cars were intended to be run at 22v but the consensus was that they were easier to drive at 18v. Sadly, they were tested and tuned at 22v and two of them did not run nearly as well at 18v as the other two.  (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Kevin Webster 115 13 534.661
2 George Peters 114 11 522.128
3 Jerry Pearson 111 7 536.974
4 Jordan Walker 109 6 528.271
5 Martha Elderon 109 5 552.024
6 Eric Lane 108 4 569.509
* Steve Stewart 118 16 517.322
Race 2:  Retro-Vipers “Maximum Leeway” Lexan (15v)

These are way cool cars based on the Viper V-SPEC chassis but using weights instead of traction magnets and a special motor magnet design that minimizes downforce. These cars can also be a handful but the newly minted Hot Wheels “Maximum Leeway” Lexan bodies seemed to help keep the cars firmly planted even at 15v.

Retro-Viper chassis with a replica Hot Wheels “Maximum Leeway” late-model Lexan dirt-track bodies.

This race and perhaps this car would be the most competitive of the day with nearly every driver winning at least one heat.  Martha Elderon won her second heat race of the day in the first segment on the Blue lane. Besting second and third place by two laps–Go, Martha!

In the end, Expert Driver George Peters would come from behind and steal the show from the hard-charging Jerry Pearson in second. Kevin Webster bagged the final podium spot and some valuable points needed to maintain his lead in the series. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 115 13 421.945
2 Jerry Pearson 111 11 460.299
3 Kevin Webster 103 7 435.335
4 Eric Lane 101 6 457.765
5 Jordan Walker 100 5 443.116
6 Martha Elderon 95 4 467.995
* Steve Stewart 120 16 406.225
Race 3:  MegaG 1.7 Whelen/SK Modifieds  (18v)
MegaG 1.7 Whelen/SK Modifieds 3D-printed bodies available from MTS 3D Hobbies on eBay and Shapeways.

Another “drifting” type of car with good power and speed. These cars are a hoot on the oval and this race was also very competitive. We would lose two drivers prior to the start of Race 3 but it didn’t get any easier for anybody. We dropped down to three lanes, running just the Yellow, Green, and Red lanes freeing up two drivers to marshal.

New Sportsman driver, Eric Lane would bag his second heat win of the day in this one by winning segment four, less than a second ahead of 2nd place finisher, Jordan Walker. Close racing, indeed.

This race was also a heated battle between the two Expert drivers, George Peters and Home Cook’n. George fought valiantly and even won the final segment in convincing fashion. However, losing four laps in the first segment in the Green lane would prove a bit too much to overtake Home Cook’n for the overall win. Also very close racing in the Sportsman class, for sure. (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 85 13 333.192
2 Jordan Walker 77 11 340.254
3 Kevin Webster 77 7 356.492
4 Eric Lane 74 6 355.435
* Steve Stewart 90 16 308.313
Race 4:  Viper Jets (SPEC-JET) (12v)

The final race of the day was the venerable Viper Jet under HOPRA SPEC-JET rules and requiring fuel stops at 28-laps. These cars are way fun and on an oval course, even more fun. Super fast and way more “stuck” than any of the previous cars, this one was a battle throughout.

Current Junior of the Year, Jordan Walker, led this one until 4th segment when George Peters took over the race lead with a nice second-place finish and his usual crafty pit-stop strategies. Going into the final segment, George was done with his rotation at 86-laps, tied with Jordan Walker sitting second overall.  Would 86-laps be enough for the win?

Box-Stock Viper Jets with Harden Creek NAStruck F-150 Lexan bodies.

Only Kevin Webster and Home Cook’n had a shot at bumping the two drivers off the podium. Kevin went into the final segment with 58-laps, Home Cook’n with 60. In the end, Home Cook’n prevailed with a 30-lap total in the final round. Kevin Webster would end up with 88-laps, bagging second overall and therefore winning the final race of the day. Kevin didn’t win any heats, he just methodically focused on getting laps and managing fuel perfectly.

Not to be outdone by the more experienced drivers, Eric Lane would quietly and brilliantly win the final segment of this race. Going into the final heat with 52-laps, he knew he wasn’t in contention for the overall but he was on a mission. Eric ended the race with a perfect 30-lap score and clicked off the fastest lap of that segment in the process–Go, Eric! (Details)

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Kevin Webster 88 13 317.783
2 George Peters 86 11 274.427
3 Jordan Walker 86 7 296.738
4 Eric Lane 82 6 301.782
* Steve Stewart 90 16 275.327

Wow! I was a bit apprehensive about the car lineup for this oval round of the series. Typically, most slot car drivers don’t enjoy the more difficult-to-drive cars. This group not only enjoyed the “fast & loose” cars, but they also drove them extremely well–very impressive driving by all!

Series Standings Summary

Going into the final round of the 2022 IROC Champs Series, Kevin Webster has a nearly unassailable points lead in the Sportsman class with steady appearances and strong race results.

George Peters has pretty much locked up the 2022 IROC Championship win in the Expert standings. With only one round left, he only needs to show up and finish a couple of races to take home yet another massive trophy.

IROC Championship Series Points Standings After Round 3:
Sportsman Class
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Kevin Webster 961 98 7612.257
2 Jerry Pearson 641 75 5416.834
3 Eric Lane 915 69 7651.906
4 Jordan Walker 372 29 1608.379
5 Martha Elderon 204 9 1020.019
Expert Class
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 1034 153 7457.567
2 Brad Sandahl 360 42 3331.948
* Steve Stewart 1064 189 7336.991

The final round of the series is tentatively slated for November 26, 2022 and will be contested on the SR3 Road Course. Though track management is considering a slightly different layout. Stay tuned for more details on the Round 4 finale.

* Home Cook’n results are not factored in the series points. Owning the track means enjoying a massive advantage. And even more so when you build or maintain many of the IROC cars being contested.

Okay, shut up and drive!

Race Report: 2022 IROC Championship Series – Round 2

Round 2 of the 2022 IROC Championship Series is in the Slot Car Racing books. The 4-race schedule commenced at 11:30ish Saturday, October 29 on the SR3 straight road course. We started slow and loose with Box-Stock OS3 TFX TransAm Camaros running at 18v and finished off the day with super-fast,  Super G+ Lexan F1/Indy cars running at 15v.

Short Story Round 2 Overall Results
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 369 50 3344.134
2 Brad Sandahl 360 42 3331.948
3 Kevin Webster 335 26 3394.977
4 Eric Lane 321 22 3408.631
5 Jerry Pearson 171 18 1842.371
6 Steve Stewart 378 64 3289.529
Race 1:  OS3 TFX “Box-Stock” Camaros (18.1v)

Starting slow and loose, the first race was OS3 TFX “Box-Stock” TransAm Camaros. These cars are way faster than the typical pancake car but still way loose compared to most cars we run.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 80 16 938.946
2 George Peters 77 13 943.663
3 Jerry Pearson 76 11 1007.412
4 Brad Sandahl 74 7 919.638
5 Kevin Webster 70 6 980.669
6 Eric Lane 69 5 1015.717

This race was quite a surprise. Conventional thinking was that the more experienced TFX/T-Jet drivers would dominate this one. However, George Peters and Brad Sandahl would sit out the first heat, which gave rookie driver Jerry Pearson, an excellent opportunity to walk away with a nice win in the first heat. By the end of the race, George Peters would establish a solid second-place finish and Jerry Pearson would best 2021 ROTY, Brad Sandahl by just two points.  Very impressive racing by Jerry driving one of the most difficult-to-drive cars we run. (Details)

Race 2:  MegaG+ 1.7 “Box-Stock” Winged Super Modifieds (18v)

Race 2 was a bit faster utilizing stock MG+ long-wheelbase chassis’ with cool MTS 3D-printed winged Super Modified bodies. Typically fairly top-heavy, with traction magnets these cars actually go pretty well on a road course.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 98 16 788.671
2 Brad Sandahl 97 13 783.274
3 George Peters 97 11 808.725
4 Jerry Pearson 95 7 834.959
5 Kevin Webster 91 6 788.261
6 Eric Lane 88 5 800.873

The Sportsman drivers seemed to really like these cars and Jerry Pearson, Kevin Webster, and Eric Lane would remain in the top three race leader positions up until the fourth heat. In the last two segments, experts, George Peters and Brad Sandahl would overtake them, finishing second and third overall. (Details)

Race 3:  Viper-Jets with Lexan CanAm Bodies (12v)

This one was pretty much a battle of the Experts but Sportsman drivers, Kevin Webster and Eric Lane put their marks on it with two second-place heat finishes while the three Expert drivers battle it out.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 16 819.166
2 George Peters 98 13 830.954
3 Brad Sandahl 94 11 848.308
4 Kevin Webster 84 7 838.387
5 Eric Lane 77 6 810.143

In the end, it was Home Cook’n with the top spot, George Peters second, and Brad Sandahl in third. Very close racing at all levels. (Details)

Race 4: Super G+ with Lexan F1/Indy Bodies  (15v)

This race would be the fastest race of the day and a very competitive one at that. The big story was Kevin Webster leading the race after four segments, with a win in that segment and a second in the third segment–nice!

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 100 16 742.746
2 George Peters 97 13 760.792
3 Brad Sandahl 95 11 780.728
4 Kevin Webster 90 7 787.66
5 Eric Lane 87 6 781.898

In the end, only two laps separated George Peters in second and Brad Sandahl in third, and only three laps separated Sportsman drivers, Kevin Webster and Eric Lane. Close racing!  (Details)

Top to bottom: TR3 Augorans, Webster MG+ Camaros & Mustangs, Tyco-Jets, Retro Vipers

All in all, it was a fun day of racing, and great to see our Sportsman drivers breaking through the Expert ranks and not only winning heat segments but also the top podium spot in the OS3 TFX race. Good driving all around!

Kevin Webster and Jerry Pearson are neck & neck in the series Sportsman standings while George Peters has a very solid lead over Brad Sandhal in the Expert standings.

Remember: It’s the best total points of three of the four events.

IROC Championship Series Points Standings After Round 2
Sportsman Class
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Kevin Webster 578 58 5967.985
2 Jerry Pearson 419 57 4419.561
3 Eric Lane 550 47 5967.415
Expert Class
Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 George Peters 634 105 5905.876
2 Brad Sandahl 360 42 3331.948
3 Steve Stewart 646 125 5829.804

Round 3 of the series is tentatively slated for November 12, 2022 and will be contested on the SR3 Oval Course. Stay tuned for details on ROund 3 and, hopefully, some video of this last round on our Youtube channel.

Okay, shut up and drive!