Well, so much for testing, driver development, and working on cars. We raced all day!
We had eight races total, nearly all IROC, ending with a Viper SPEC STOCK tuner’s race. I think we ran four races on the SR3 Fast Esses road course and four races on SR2’s Straight road course.
Sadly, we didn’t get to run any fuel races since a monitor was failing on SR3 and some sort of bug on SR2. Both problems are resolved and we’re good to go for the next event. Bug fixed on SR2 and new 50″ monitor on SR3. Now the monitors on SR3 are the same size.
Summary Of All Races
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Kevin Webster
822
170
8456.623
2
Aaron Castro
781
165
7399.218
3
George Peters
337
144
2695.61
4
Jordan Walker
316
127
2738.839
5
Eric Lane
217
91
1838.66
6
Jerry Pearson
218
82
1875.337
7
Brad Sandahl
117
49
1097.331
8
Carrie Sandahl
95
34
1051.222
9
Steve Stewart
951
238
8313.851
Of course, the above is just a summary of points for all races run. Not all drivers ran every race. Only Kevin, Aaron, and Home Cook’n competed in all the races.
It was a fabulous day, and it was finally great to get back to slot car action at Stewart Raceway. We raced on SR3, about four races, and finished the final four on SR2.
A couple of notable races: The first was an IROC race utilizing Jag Hobbies NC2 chassis with AutoWorld Mustang hard bodies. I screwed that one up and didn’t get the minimum lap time set correctly. As a results, a few drivers were exceeding the minimum lap time and not scoring laps. Oh well, in the end, the two fastest drivers could not keep their lap times under the minimum and handed that race to Aaron, who was way down on laps with a lousy car but managed to win the race.
The second notable race was when Aaron, running on SR2, hooked up in the wrong lane for a heat. There were just three of us racing, and Aaron was supposed to be in the White lane but mistakenly hooked up in the Blue lane. Aaron actually led that heat from start to finish but did not log any laps or points—oops! Kevin bagged second in that one!
All in all, it was a fun day of pretty much all racing. Aaron finally got to run on SR2, which he adapted to extremely well.
Hopefully, we can get back to our routine now. I’m hoping to have another open track day this coming weekend and start a new racing series the following weekend.
We ran three “official” races, but your favorite Race Director failed to push the record button for the first race. Major bummer since that was a very competitive and exciting race, sorry.
The other two races are now posted on Rumble for viewing.
We weren’t sure we were racing until the last team and driver arrived in the paddock. We ended up with roughly 11 drivers, and three racing teams entered in Round 5.
Team Maddox fielded two drivers under their ace driver, Abe Maddox’s, name. Team Johnson fielded two drivers under their ace driver, Madeline Johnson’s name. Team Forza fielded two drivers racing individually, Olga Rossetta and Aaron Castro. GP Designs fielded two individual drivers, Jordan Walker and George Peters. Webster Motorsports and Stewart Raceway contested Round 5 with one driver each.
Round 1 was hectic and chaotic as four junior drivers competed against four experts and two Sportsman drivers. The numbers below don’t tell the whole story since the juniors only completed one race on the day. Madeline and Abe did exceptionally well, and Abe even won a Race 1 segment against three Expert drivers.
Short Story
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Steve Stewart*
415
201
2717.036
2
Aaron Castro*
412
198
2755.511
3
George Peters*
391
169
2779.946
4
Jordan Walker*
356
134
2724.92
5
Kevin Webster
349
128
2799.694
6
Olga Rossetta
328
107
2805.608
7
Abe Maddoxj
141
50
1292.387
8
Madeline Johnsonj
133
41
1315.998
* Expert driver, J Junior Driver
Race 1: Super G+ F1/Indy Lexan (IROC)
The first race was a crash fest but also amazingly competitive. The compelling thing was that Team Johnson bagged 3rd and 4th segment wins, with Madeline constantly holding 3rd place during her segments. Abe Maddox would win a segment and follow that up with a 3rd-place segment finish. In Abe’s fantastic segment six win, he also posted the fastest and best average times for that segment. Abe and Madeline are amazing! Detailed Results
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Steve Stewart
177
87
1250.797
2
Aaron Castro
175
78
1293.026
3
George Peters
161
68
1296.303
4
Kevin Webster
152
56
1302.96
5
Abe Maddox
141
50
1292.387
6
Jordan Walker
139
45
1262.127
7
Madeline Johnson
133
41
1315.998
8
Olga Rossetta
133
39
1306.807
Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 Modifieds (Paper Bodies)
Team Maddox and Team Johnson decided to call it a day after their spectacular results in Race 1. It was a long race against some very stiff competition, but they persevered and represented very well.
Aaron Castro would dominate Race 2 with three segment wins, the fastest lap time, and the fastest median lap time. The lead changed a few times, and George Peters held the lead through segments 4 and 5. In the end, Aaron Castro won his final rotation in segment six and the race over Home Cook’n by one lap and three points. Jordan Walker bagged the final podium spot with one segment win and one second-place segment finish. Detailed Results
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Aaron Castro
120
61
753.887
2
Steve Stewart
119
58
771.257
3
Jordan Walker
113
49
770.582
4
George Peters
114
46
748.634
5
Olga Rossetta
102
36
782.328
6
Kevin Webster
97
32
776.931
Race 3: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” Lexan
As always, the V-SPEC class was a scorcher. So much so that Olga Rossetta handed over driving responsibility to teammate Aaron Castro for the final segment of this super-heated race. Aaron Castro dominated the race from beginning to end, leading the race from the gun to the checkered flag. Besides Jordan Walker and Kevin Webster bagging some top segment finishes through segments 2 and 3, the only real battle was between George Peters and Home Cook’n. George would hold onto the second podium spot through segments 4 and 5 with a 15-point lead over Home Cook’n. Yours truly needed a win in the final segment to garner enough points to bag the second podium spot. George was done with his rotation, but Home Cook’n had Jordan Walker, Kevin Webster, and Aaron Castro (driving for Olga Rossetta) to contend with. Not an easy feat to pull off, especially in the final segment. The good news was that he had a full tank of gas; the bad news was that he was up against three drivers who could easily relegate him to a second or third-place finish, robbing him of the 16 points he needed to knock George off the second podium spot.
In the end, Aaron Castro laid down some blistering lap times, both for the best lap and the best median lap. Crashes would be the deciding factor, and only Jordan Walker could pressure Home Cook’n to the end. Jordan would come up just short but in second place, just two laps down. Home Cook’n bagged the 16 points needed, besting George by just one point. It just doesn’t get more competitive! Detailed Results
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Aaron Castro
117
59
708.598
2
Steve Stewart
119
56
694.982
3
George Peters
116
55
735.009
4
Jordan Walker
104
40
692.211
5
Kevin Webster
100
40
719.803
6
Olga Rossetta
93
32
716.473
Final Series Standings
Webster Motorsports proves again that persistence pays off. Kevin raced in all five Open Wheel Series events, amassing an unbeatable amount of points. Both Eric Lane and Jerry Pearson were always knocking on the door but missed too many races to mount a serious threat to Kevin’s points lead.
Abe Maddox also missed a race or two but managed an impressive fourth-place finish in the final standings and some very impressive wins throughout the series. Abe’s Mom, Shaylin, rounded out the top five with excellent driving throughout the series.
The big story is the number of female drivers competing in this crazy fast racing series. Thank you all for participating in the racing and making it all much more fun!
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
Sportsman
1
Kevin Webster
1983
685
15626.61
2
Eric Lane
1047
345
5316.846
3
Jerry Pearson
889
306
6106.648
4
Abe Maddox*
470
152
3146.146
5
Shaylin Maddox
369
123
1877.628
6
Olga Rossetta
328
107
2805.608
7
Madeline Johnson*
133
41
1315.998
8
Martha Elderon
102
36
775.14
9
Pam Ebert
77
32
695.404
Expert
1
Steve Stewart
2466
1130
16194.72
2
Aaron Castro
2434
1055
16191.52
3
George Peters
2372
964
16384.04
4
Jordan Walker
940
282
5178.93
* Junior Driver
This is Kevin’s second or third Sportsman series win, which should be good news for Sportsman and Junior drivers since Kevin will now advance to the Expert ranks. Congratulations, Kevin!
Just what Home Cook’n needs: another hotdog Expert driver to contend with. This series was highly competitive at all skill levels. Home Cookn’s home-court advantage dwindled with each event. Aaron Castro missed taking the overall Expert win in this final round by just three points! And, of course, George Peters, with an average race placing of 2.3, makes Home Cookn’s race days pretty stressful.
Once again, yours truly spaced and didn’t get a video of Race 1, which is very disappointing since there were some very impressive crashes and wins in that race. Very sorry! I did capture the other two races and will post those soon.
Next weekend will be an open track day and some fun racing if there is enough interest. If anybody has any ideas on our next racing series format, please let me know. Since they are the most competitive, I’m big on sticking with the MegaG+ “Modified” and the Viper V-SPEC “Spec Stock” platforms. I’m also hoping to have SR2 retrofitted with independent power control at the driver stations so we can run a race or two on that track in the next series.
Wow! Another barn burner race day in this super-fast open-wheel series. We opened the day with slower and loose MG+ Whelen/SK Modifieds, which are way more fun on an oval course. However, in the spirit of open-wheel competition, we ran them on the road course anyway. Happy Easter!
Short Story
This was another example of the highly competitive nature of the cars we’re running these days. I spaced and forgot to set the longer fuel fill times for Expert drivers in this round, but the results show that the racing was very competitive.
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Steve Stewart*
477
235
4447.139
2
Aaron Castro*
467
212
4389.815
3
George Peters*
458
194
4603.055
4
Kevin Webster
404
142
4416.555
5
Jerry Pearson1
319
110
3413.512
* Expert (1 Jerry Pearson completed three races, not four.)
Race 1: MegaG 1.7 Whelen/SK Modifieds IROC
Okay, it may not be the best choice to start the day, considering the lineup for the following three races, but it was pretty intense once everybody made some controller adjustments and settled into the race. Aaron Castro jumped into the lead early, winning the first segment by 3 seconds over Home Cook’n. Aaron would go on to win two segments and led the race after segment four but completed his rotation with 117 laps. Home Cook’n needed to finish the final segment second or better to steal the top podium spot, which he did with a perfect 30 laps and the win. George Peters fought hard for the second podium spot but came up short by six points. The big story in this one was Sportsman driver, Jerry Pearson, who was driving these very loose and unpredictable cars exceptionally well for a guy who prefers much more downforce. Jerry ended up with two third-place segment finishes and bested his Sportsman rival, Kevin Webster, by two laps and four points. Detailed Results
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Steve Stewart
120
61
1594.322
2
Aaron Castro
117
56
1646.073
3
George Peters
112
50
1694.095
4
Jerry Pearson
105
36
1635.197
5
Kevin Webster
103
32
1594.884
Race 2: MegaG+ 1.7 “Modified”
This race was the fastest MG+ “Modified” race ever. Aaron Castro would crush his previous race lap record of 5.146 in the Orange lane, clicking off a blistering 5.026 in the White lane, winning segment two by five laps! Aaron would win the following two segments, but the lead had already changed three times going into segment four. Aaron held the lead by six points and three laps into the final segment. George Peters would be the spoiler in the last segment by taking the win and the points second place finisher, Home Cook’n needed to overtake Aaron Castro for the overall win. Aaron and Home Cook’n tied in points, but Aaron edged out the win with just one more lap over Home Cook’n. Not to be outdone by the Expert drivers, Kevin Webster and Jerry Pearson both notched second-place segment finishes in this one. Blistering pace! Detailed Results
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Aaron Castro
118
55
729.94
2
Steve Stewart
117
55
833.805
3
George Peters
112
49
834.142
4
Jerry Pearson
105
38
751.684
5
Kevin Webster
105
38
761.6
Race 3: MegaG+ 1.7 “Lites” AFX Alpha Romeo F1 Team Cars IROC
Could be the first and last time these limited edition AFX cars see IROC action anywhere. Aaron bought a set, and Home Cook’n bought a set, so we decided to run them in our open-wheel series. Aaron’s set was in the White and Green lanes, and Home Cookn’s set was in the Orange and Blue lanes. Aaron blasted out front early, winning the first segment and holding onto the race lead through segment three. Kevin Webster held on to second place after the first two. In the end, Home Cook’n seemed to fair the best with these totally “Box Stock” cars, winning the race by six seconds and five laps. Sportsman driver Kevin Webster would finish fourth but tied in points with 3rd place finisher George Peters. Detailed Results
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Steve Stewart
120
64
952.757
2
Aaron Castro
115
47
958.644
3
George Peters
116
44
1001.05
4
Kevin Webster
106
44
980.686
5
Jerry Pearson
109
36
1026.631
Race 4: Viper V-SPEC “SPEC STOCK” F1/Indy Lexan
Yet another barn burner Viper V-SPEC main event. Once again, Aaron Castro jumped into the lead, winning the first segment and clicking off a new lap record of 4.251 in the Orange lane in the process. Home Cook’n would take over the lead after segment two, but Aaron would come roaring back, winning segment three with a roughly 8-second better runtime and leading the race into the final segment. Aaron and Home Cook’n were separated by just one point going into the final segment with Aaron ahead by one point but down two laps. George Peters would once again prove the spoiler by winning the final segment by two seconds over Home Cook’n, but this time, Aaron would lose one lap and come up short by just one point, finishing third in the segment and second overall. It doesn’t get much closer than that! Detailed Results
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Steve Stewart
120
55
1066.255
2
Aaron Castro
117
54
1055.158
3
George Peters
118
51
1073.768
4
Kevin Webster
90
28
1079.385
Points Standings After Round 4
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Steve Stewart*
2044
932
13106.43
2
Aaron Castro*
2024
868
13046.08
3
George Peters*
1997
800
13254.27
4
Kevin Webster
1450
491
11777.35
5
Jerry Pearson
1229
400
7263.654
6
Eric Lane
1077
347
5300.734
7
Jordan Walker*
590
140
2405.214
8
Shaylin Maddox
176
88
1428.228
9
Pam Ebert
154
64
1390.808
10
Abe Maddox
148
64
1337.006
11
Martha Elderon
102
36
775.14
NOTE: This is a best out of four series. If you're behind because you missed a round, the series points winners will be determined by their best four rounds points totals, not all five.
While we usually do a bunch of racing after the official racing is over, we only did one “unofficial” race after Round 4 wrapped up. This was a four-car rotation using Webster Motorsports prepared cars, which were very fun to drive and soothing after the blistering pace of the Viper V-SPEC cars in race 4.
Place
Name
Laps
Points
Total Time
1
Steve Stewart
120
64
1225.128
2
Aaron Castro
115
52
1251.755
3
Kevin Webster
105
44
1264.05
I can’t remember which race it was right now, but we had a strange finish in a segment where the leader thought they had a lap on a pursuing driver and stopped to get fuel before the next segment. When the pursuing driver went through the pits, he won the race. These could have been perfectly legitimate results, but we definitely need to review the tapes.
Speaking of tapes, we got all the “official” and “unofficial” action on tape this time. I’ll process that video ASAP, post the individual races on Rumble, and update this post with links.
I have no idea how the final points standings will play out since they’re still very close in both the Expert and Sportsman ranks. The final standings will be based on your total points from your best four of the five rounds.
Stay tuned for a post on the video action for Round 4 and the schedule for the rest of the series.
Okay, shut up and drive!
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