DIECAST RACING REPORT August 1, 2020 – Vol. 1 No. 4
Inside: Tracks Around The World (Part 2) – Building Your Own Mountain – What’s in a Name?
2 | Diecast Racing Report
In This Issue
Table of Contents Editor’s Notes News Briefs Features
4 5
Across the Globe Once More
6
Columns 6
Live from the Rust Belt
Resources
QuickTips
12
Calendar OnTheTrack
10
18
10
9
3DBotMaker
16
Chaos Canyon
18
Jackson Pass
19
Cover Art: Warwick Rule & Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
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Diecast Racing Report is a publication of Kit Kayem LLC, 7511 Greenwood Ave N #112, Seattle, WA 98103, USA Comments or letters to the editor: comments@diecastracingreport.com Are you a writer, photographer, artist, or other ne’er-do-well? Drop us a line: submissions@diecastracingreport.com Staff: Christopher (Kit) Kidder-Mostrom, Ali Kidder-Mostrom, Steven King, Josh Paufler
August 1, 2020 | 3
Editor’s Note As the sport grows, so does the magazine. You’ll notice there is more content than ever before. We’re excited about that. Especially in our second article about tracks and leagues around the globe. There’s a lot to be excited about out there! I’m particularly excited about the future of Diecast Racing Report. In our next issue we’re going to have a major feature in which 8 of the best modders in the United States all modify identical cars to drastically differing results. We sent the cars out to the builders a while ago and some of them are en route back to us already! We expect to have a couple of sneak peeks available to our Patreon members later this week. The hashtag of #8modders is one that we’ll be using across all social media as we promote the event, and the subsequent events (we’re doing this thing quarterly!). There are already a few posts on various sites that have been tagged. It’s worth checking out as builders and we at the magazine start to put snippets of the project online over the next two weeks. As we launched the magazine itself we neglected our website. But I’m happy to say that this week our entire site will be overhauled and every past issue and article will easily be found and searchable from now on. And there are more articles than ever before to be searched! You’ll notice that in today’s issue two tracks have now been added to our “On The Track” section. These are tracks/channels that ought to be considered in the same neighborhood as 3DBotMaker when it comes to quality of entertainment. A couple of other tracks will join their ranks very soon, as we flesh out our coverage of the sport everywhere. Starting next issue we’ll also be adding a “Race Report”
4 | Diecast Racing Report
section to the magazine to give similar treatment to leagues that are more strictly about racing and results than announcers and storylines. There is so much going on in this ever-expanding field. We hope to have the chance to expose every single reader to something new. Goodness knows, we’re constantly discovering things we hadn’t previous known about!
Kit Kidder-Mostrom Editor-in-Chief
Many fans found downhill diecast racing when traditional sports disappeared due to the pandemic. There is some question now as to how popular our sport will remain with casual viewers now that regular sports have begun to return. NASCAR has started racing again in empty stadiums. Baseball has returned, though with some intermittent hiccoughs. The Indy 500 is scheduled to return this month, delayed action that normally takes place at The Brickyard in May. World Rally Championship races are scheduled to return in early September, just over a month away, in Estonia. So, will the return of racing specifically, and sports generally, draw people away from diecast racing? That is yet to be determined. But what seems to be true thus far is that there are far more people participating in our sport now than ever before. It’s a sport that is relatively simple to join in on, but difficult to master, and that means that it can be rewarding for a long, long time. It is my hope that people continue letting the sport enrich their lives, even as they return to watching other sports again. – Kit K-M
News in Brief
Diecast 64 Postpones August Races As of July 30, an announcement on the Diecast 64 Hot Wheels Racing group page on Facebook, the monthly races for August have been postponed until September. All five stock and modified races in September will be the same ones originally scheduled for August, including the specialty category of Six Wheelers (semi-truck rigs). More information about the development will be available in the July race report on the D64E YouTube channel. That video had not posted by deadline for this story, but it is expected imminently.
The RaceHotWheels.com website (home of Diecast 64) has already been updated to reflect the new deadlines for races.
DRR Added As Sponsor of Truck Series The Sub4ra channel on YouTube is the home of the Adult Diecast Racing Cup, and track/league owner Rhyno has recently announced a new Truck Series that will be similar to the current car series. Diecast Racing Report has joined Peg Hunt Pit Stop and JLH Krafts as the sponsors for the series. JLH Krafts secured the naming rights for the series, which will be called the JLH Krafts Truck Racing Series.
Deadline for teams to enter the first race of the series is August 4. “We are thrilled to be a part of such a marquee event as the JLH Krafts Truck Racing Series,” states DRR editor Kit Kidder-Mostrom. “We’re entering a small two-truck team into the series, too.” Full coverage of each race of the series will appear in this magazine’s upcoming “Race Round-Up” section in future issues.
Stock And Mod Rally Race Canceled Due to ongoing computer issues, David Moyes (pronounced “Moyz,
(News Brief cont. on page 12)
August 1, 2020 | 5
Feature
TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH AND BA
The Second Leg of a Three-Part Tour Exploring Diecast Racing by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
Deenbag Beaverworx Diecast Racing
Stefan Huwer High Forest Diecast Racing Germany
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Feature
ACK AGAIN
g Around the World At the beginning of July we started our trek across the world to look at the folks who are making racing happen around the globe. We started out in Canada, then went to California before visiting Portugal and New Zealand. It was a lot of territory to cover in one issue. This month we’re going to essentailly go on the return trip. We’re starting “Down Under” in Western Australia, then it’s off to Germany. Finally, we’ll wrap up in Ontario, Canada. If you look to the map on the left, you’ll notice the purple diamonds that denote the locations we’ll be visiting in this article. There are also red diamonds which represent the places we looked at last time. Next month, a third color of diamonds will be added so we can see the vast scope of our overall travels. Cool? Well, with no further ado, let us proceed!
Perth, Western Australia By his own estimation, Ivan Leung has at least 1,000 Hot Wheels at his childhood home in Hong Kong. However, he left those behind when he moved to Australia at the age of 18 to study, and to build a career in broadcasting.
Ivan Leung Thunder Roo Raceway
“My day job is news editor and weekend news anchor for WAMN News Perth (online),” Leung says of his nondiecast life. “My main beat is state politics, crime, and local matters.” When Leung escapes from the demands of his job, he maintains a model train layout to which he recently added a 6-lane drag strip for Hot Wheels racing. “You can see the Australian Express Passenger Train (or, XPT train) running around as the race goes on,” notes Leung. “It’s fun to combine the two hobbies into one.” It is true that viewers can watch the trains go by throughout an evening of racing at Thunder Roo August 1, 2020 | 7
Feature that already: “The reason it’s called Thunder Roo Raceway,” Leung explains, “is because the Kangaroo is Australia’s most popular animal you can think of.”
IN OTHER NEWS - Thunder Roo Raceway’s man on the scene is Ivan Leung (above). He’s quite comfortable covering what goes on at the track, since he’s a professional newsman.
Raceway. The montage at the beginning of the race includes a train pulling into the station so that people can get to the races. Fans will also notice the skyline of Perth out the window, making it clear where the league makes its home. Not that the name didn’t do
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As an Australian league, it isn’t a huge surprise that the most recent series featured Holden WHERE THE TRACKS MEET - One of Leung’s racers Commodores and Ford Falcons, comes face to face with the regional passenger train. but the cars used in the league aren’t exclusively Australian models. “There is a vast selection of Thunder Roo Raceway? According all cars....American, Japanese, to Ivan Leung,“There will be some European, and so on,” says Leung. crazy team matches coming soon!” To those who follow some of the more established race series, such as Sub4ra’s ADRC, the Thunder Roo name will be familiar, as Leung is one of the sponsors of that circuit. “Sub4ra’s racing is a joy to watch, and so popular!” Leung observes. What does the future hold for
Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany On this journey, we are proceeding in the reverse direction from last month. So, naturally we are stopping in Europe for our next track.
(WorldTour cont. on page 13)
Calendar
Mail-in Race Deadlines Stock: Poppa Speed Invitational – Deadline for Entry (UPDATE): August 8, 2020. Drag strip. One of five divisions is Stock: Funny Cars. Racing for Charity. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Diecast 64 Open Stock and Hot Off The Shelf (September) – Deadline for Entry: September 19, 2020. Drag strip. Two of five divisions are stock. Open Stock is any 1:64 scale cars. Hot Off The Shelf must be 2019 or 2020 Mainline cars. Entrance fee. More Info: RaceHotWheels.com Redline Derby Racing League July Races in August - Deadline for Entry: August 22, 2020. Drag strip. Weight limit 65 grams for stock vehicles. Field limited to 32 participants. One car per participant
only. More Info: RedlineDerby.com
appearance, with limits. More Info: Rust Belt Diecast Racing
Modifieds:
Grocery Getter 250 - Deadline for Entry: September 12, 2020. Road course. 70 gram weight limit. Production model station wagons only. Must modify for appearance. One car per participant. Limits on axles (mainline only). More Info: Rust Belt Diecast Racing
Poppa Speed Invitational – Deadline for Entry (UPDATE): August 8, 2020. Drag strip. Four of five divisions are modifieds: Dragsters, Pro Stocks, Gassers, and Ground Up Dragsters (GUD). Racing for Charity. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Battle Zone – Deadline for Entry: August 21, 2020. Road course. 175 gram weight limit. Limit of 4 entries per person. More Info: War on I-4 Cavalcade of Calamity Custom Competition – Deadline for Entry: August 22, 2020. Road course. 90 gram weight limit. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Redline Derby Racing League July Races in August - Deadline for Entry: August 22, 2020. Drag strip. Weight limit 60 grams for modified vehicles. Field limited to 32 participants. One car per participant only. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Honda City Turbo Throwdown Deadline for Entry: September 5, 2020. 5-race series. Road courses. 50 gram weight limit. Honda City Turbo only acceptable model. Modifying for speed and
Dixie Grand Prix 3 - Deadline for Entry: September 16, 2020. Road course. 50g weight limit. Only Indy Car and F1 style vehicles permitted. Two cars per team. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Diecast 64 Open Modified & Modified Street (September) – Deadline for Entry: September 19, 2020. Drag strip. 57 gram weight limit in both categories. Entrance fee. More Info: RaceHotWheels.com Diecast 64 Six Wheel Big Rig Race - Deadline for Entry: September 19, 2020. Drag strip. 6-wheeled SemiTrucks only. Modifying for speed. Limited modifying for appearance. 100 gram weight limit. Entrance fee. More Info: RaceHotWheels.com Friday Night Cheese– Deadline for Entry: rolling (open submissions). Road Course. 150 gram weight limit. More Info: ILC Race Series
If you have a race you would like to see on this calendar listing, please add it to the listings at RedlineDerby.com. Doing so just makes everyone’s lives a little easier. Thanks! Kit K-M
August 1, 2020 | 9
Column
Live from the Rust Belt Let Me Entertain You by Josh Paufler
With the diecast racing community growing exponentially in the past four months, we’ve seen a lot of new faces pop up on the scene. Well, in most cases, it’s been new voices. Some of them are the real voice of the channel creator, but some of them are made up characters used to deepen the immersion into the little 1/64th scale world made by the creator.
What makes a great on-screen persona? Even if the voice is your own, a great on-screen persona needs to be entertaining. The goal is to keep viewers on your video as long as possible. To do that, you need to show them how exciting your race is. Trust me, sometimes they’re not exciting, but it’s your job to hype it up anyways.
One channel that has developed this method very quickly is Chris Lowey of TuneTrax Diecast Racing. Chris recently made the switch from a female computer voice to his own voice as the on-screen persona. Since then, you can hear the excitement as he announces the play-by-play of each race. That little change has bumped his channel up to the next level. On top of the changes in the announcer’s booth, he’s also added Looney Tunes sound effects when a 10 | Diecast Racing Report
car crashes. Makes me laugh every time!
Indiana Diecast Racing is new on the scene but has some excellent selfannounced races. Right now, he’s running the Westfield 500 to support his local library. He’s very thorough in his descriptions of the cars and events. He even gives commentary during the post-race points graphics. While his commentary sounds scripted, he still adds in the excitement as if he’s
watching it for the first time with you. I’m looking forward to watching the rest of the Westfield 500. Don’t sleep on Gold Snow…just sayin.
Another new track to keep an eye on is TranSport Diecast Racing. John Tran just launched the first episode on his YouTube channel this week. Not only is the track looking great and the cars are running smoothly but his self-announcing is on point as he looks to the future.
Column
What are the components of a good on-screen character?
and his trusty sidekick, Melvin Chubbybottom.
I’ve been creating characters since I was a kid. Growing up, I was rarely myself. I insisted that my parents always call me by whatever character I was being that day.
Although Wayne, the Southern former dirt track racer, has his cheering section, Melvin is definitely the fan favorite. The banter between the two is that of Darrell Waltrip and his brother Michael. With Wayne discounting Melvin as a legitimate source of racing knowledge, the viewer tends to lift Melvin up and cheer him on. That doesn’t make Wayne the bad guy though. He’s just nobody’s favorite.
From Peter Pan to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, I was always someone else. I grew up in an imaginary world which has spilled over into adulthood. Now my kids’ bedtime stories come alive with new voices and, of course, my on-screen personas Wayne Mirth
Melvin is meek in his approach and soft in his delivery, whereas Wayne is in your face with a couple “yips” and “yee haws”. The dichotomy of the two is what draws a viewer into their relationship. In fact, viewers love Melvin so much that they demanded he be in every race commentary I do. No one has requested the same of Wayne, again,
because he’s nobody’s favorite.
Someone who has been building characters well is Luthrell Church of War on I4. He uses the old “Lil Homies” quarter machine figures for track-side spectators in some of his races. He even has a voice for each character. From the gritty race coordinator, Big C, to the millionaire track owner, Mr Biggs, these little guys have a ton of attitude. Big C is so popular, he even has his own Facebook page called “Big C’s Diecast Chop Shop”.
(Rust Belt cont. on page 21)
August 1, 2020 | 11
Resources
Quick Tips Not All Tracks: Many Builders Find Alternatives to Fat Track Can’t find fat track? Is orange track too pricey? You can still build a high quality diecast racing track if you just think outside of the (Hot Wheels) box! Check out these quick tips to see what amazing tracks you can build with alternative materials and a dash of creativity.
material was used to create Chaos Canyon and he shows you how to work with it in the video “Die cast race track making material – flute and fat track alternative”.
1. Listen to the pros. Coroplast is one of the most frequently recommended materials for a DIY fat track by amazing builders like 3DBotmaker. JackOfAllTradesMasterOfNone goes through the basics of using it in his video “1:64 diecast racing track from coroplast”.
3. Build to last. With the right tools, you can put your woodworking skills to use to build a durable race track. In “How to make toy car track”, watch Kutakala Design build a wallmounted masterpiece.
2. Bend and snap. If you want a little more flexibility in your track, try building with Palight. This versatile
4. Reduce, recycle, reuse. You can build a great track with the contents of your recycling bin! Simple
DRR Launches Top Modder Series August 15th We are proud to announce a new feature of the magazine which will occur quarterly (August, November, February, and May) on these pages. The series is called “8 Modders”. In essence it works like this: we sent eight identical cars to eight of the top modifiers in the United States. They are modifying those cars right now. Before our next issue, they will have returned those cars to us for a photo shoot, and for a race on DRR’s official track, Box Canyon Loop at Psychedlic Speedway. The August 15th issue will feature breakdowns of the methods used to create the cars that we are featuring. You will be able to see into the techniques that work for top racers and customizers. Perhaps you’ll get some ideas, or just discover how that one person you saw race that one time does things. 12 | Diecast Racing Report
cardboard can be used to make a fancy track, as seen in Mr. Ax's “How to make Gravity Powered Hot wheels track from Cardboard”. 5. Keep it simple. Even if you don’t have a lot of time or energy, you can still build a solid drag strip. In “Build a Cheap Stairway Racetrack for Hot Wheels and other Cars!”, Steve Trains shows you that all you need is some vinyl siding and a set of stairs. BONUS: Do you have a great alternative track building material to share? Want to see what others are talking about? You can join the discussion at this Redline Derby thread. https:// www.redlinederby.com/topic/ alternative-track-materials/1109
News Brief cont. from page 5) not “Moy-ehz”) of Charles’ 64th Scale Fun has had to pull the plug on the upcoming Stock and Mod Rally Race that appeared on this magazine’s calendar for the last few issues. Sadly, the entire league/channel, which was named for Moyes’ son, will be mothballed for the foreseeable future. There is no word on when the channel will return to activity.
Feature WorldTour cont. from page 8) In Beuren, a small village near the border of Luxembourg, Stefan Huwer coordinates the efforts of High Forest Diecast Racing Huwer (pronounced Hoo-ver) doesn’t yet have an active racing series on YouTube. However, he’s having a huge effect on the racing community through participation in other sites’ races, and by coordinating what may end up being the largest track debut event around the world: “The Diecast Wars of Germany”. Twenty contestants from around the world (though primarily from North America) will all be modding Hot Wheels Volkswagen Golf Mk2 cars for a tournament that will result in a winner-takeall situation. They’re playing for pink slips! Huwer selected what type of car the racers would all be building randomly from a list of 120 vehicles. He also determined that all modders must make their cars appear to be racing cars, rather than leaving the modders to their own devices appearance-wise. There is a very active Facebook Messenger thread where Huwer and the participants work out the details of the entire thing. “It think it is still manageable given the small number of participants,” confides Huwer. That is partly due to help stateside. “Josh Paufler from Rust Belt Racing is my right hand man in the USA.” In otder to save on postage costs, and to ensure timely arrival of cars from America to Germany, most of the cars competing will be headed to New York and shipped all together to Europe. A lot of notable names in the diecast racing community are participating in the tournament, which seems to be well-received despite the track not being finished yet. “It will be a road course with a little bit of custom,” claims Huwer, “I think”. Like many who have recently gotten involved with diecast racing, Huwer and his sons were inspired to create High Forest Diecast Racing Germany, as well as
(WorldTour cont. on page 14) August 1, 2020 | 13
Feature WorldTour cont. from page 13) Diecast Junionteam Germany, after seeing videos hosted by 3DBotMaker. A longtime Matchbox collector, he had already been involved in restoring and customizing cars. “While looking for tips on YouTube, I came across 3DBotMaker,” Huwer remembers. “We sent our cars to California without knowing how best to modify them. And now, we are organizing the very first diecast race in Germany!” “So far I have not found a comparable racing community in Germany,” Huwer says explaining his efforts to spread the word about diecast racing in his native land. “I hope to find track owners near me soon.” In the meantime, he can be found racing at Rust Belt Diecast Racing, and other courses on the other side of the Atlantic. His custom food truck will soon be making its runs near Buffalo, NY. Stefan Huwer is a name you’ll be hearing a lot about in the next few months, to be sure.
Ontario, Canada We’re back in Canada, where our journey started last month. This time we are at the Brantford base camp of Beaverworx Diecast Racing. Here we meet Deenbag the mystery man behind the Igloo Proving Grounds. Deenbag is essentially a homespun Canadian version of Jeremy Clarkson... At least on his YouTube channel. Not every diecast racing channel is strictly about racing. Some are about the story, or the community. And yet others are about the stats, and performance testing. 14 | Diecast Racing Report
Deenbag has provided the world with a diecast version of Top Gear, if that BBC show were produced by the CBC in a remote advanced research and development base. “I’ve always loved Top Gear and other web shows like Hoonigans,” the tri axle dump truck driver relates. “The testing and doing the specs like we do seemed to fit that kind of format.” At the beginning of each event, cars are measured in various ways. The calipers come out and car width, height, length, and wheel base are all dutifully recorded. As are the degrees of tilt that a car can stand before rolling over (perhaps the most useful stat when it comes to some kinds of racing). “There is an Excel document and we are keeping track of the scores,” says Deenbag. “Plan is that when we get 20+ vehicles tested, we are going to open up the webpage and source the results as a growing database.” As he database grows, so too does his collection. Deenbag sites “the ability to have hundreds of your favorite vehicles without the need of a hangar” as one of the primary things that attracts people to the sport of diecast racing. That, and “imagination”. “We are going for a full 1/64 test bed for as many vehicles as we can. Some
cars do not work on Fat Track, but will go down orange track. Raised vehicles like trucks don’t go down either very well, so they need something different,” Deenbag explains. “We are incorporating it all in one setting.” As of right now there is a course with track, an off-road course with exceptionally rough terrain, and a jump track that is akin to a ski jump made for cars. What led to a track that is nothing more than a vertical drop into a jump over a gaping hole? “Curiosity, really. I truly wanted to know what vehicles would fly the best in controlled circumstances. The cars take that jump and land on a much wider open field, and earn points for distance, stability of landing, and flair in their post jump landing. In many ways the trucks that take on “The Stoned Road” have a much more straightforward test. They get points based on how far they make it down the track. Said track is filled with stones that in scale are about the size of pumpkins, which may seem a little absurd, but the rock size is by design. “I use a kitchen strainer and find a random pile of gravel to keep the size uniform. Much smaller gets stuck in the wheels, and much bigger flips them.”
psychedelic
August 1, 2020 | 15 Official Track of Diecast Racing Report
On The Track
On The Track: 3DBotMaker by Josh Paufler
R
ound 1 of The Camaro Summer Tournament kicked off with a couple exciting races at 3DBotmaker this week. All the Camaros are stock. While I prefer the custom races, this one definitely had its moments. It was exciting to see the many Camaro castings released by various companies over the years, all showcased on the most epic stage in diecast racing. Group 1 set the tone for the series as three 70s era Camaros and one from 2018 went at it. The first race was a great match up between Nick Braxton (Blackburn Family Racing) and Jeremiah Logan (Po Boy Racing). Braxton was on Logan’s tail the
entire race but couldn’t get by. Logan won the first heat but not before Peter Bee (TuneTrax Racing) staged an incredible pass to take 3rd place, leaving James Dean (CRC Racing) to finish in last. Heat 2 saw a big-time comeback as James Dean blew the doors off the rest of the field to post a new Race Mountain Speedway track record of 16.550 seconds. Unfortunately, James Dean couldn’t follow it up in heat 3 as Logan got sideways to take out everyone except Nick Braxton who finished by himself to take the top spot. That set up James Dean and Nick Braxton in the front row for heat 4. Braxton, with a little contact in turn 2, propelled Jeremiah Logan to victory and allowed him to take the group round.
BITCHIN’ CAMAROS - Exciting drifting action in the 2nd round of the Camaro Summer Tournament. TheloniusJawnMcBatmanorama (center) and RedGlovesRule (left) swing sideways as Artipia (right) pulls away in an FTE-wheeled convertible.
16 | Diecast Racing Report
Classic American muscle prevailed in the end as Peter Bee, racing for TuneTrax, in the 2018 Camaro was eliminated. However, the race ended with a tie for second place.
With the top two cars advancing, a tiebreaker was needed. Braxton and Dean went head to head to determine who would move on. With a crazy spinout in turn 2, Dean blocked Braxton, finishing the race in reverse and moving onto the next round. Even with James Dean having an impressive day, Logan is still the car to beat coming out of group 1. Group 2 featured the longest name I’ve ever seen on the Mountain. TheloniousJawnMcBatmanorama for CRC Racing debuted on the track with a slick 2016 SS. Chuck Turbo from 3DBotmaker was driving a Johnny Lightning and immediately earned the admiration of 2D. You could almost see the hearts floating above 2D as he swooned. Legendary race team, Michael’s Diecast Garage (MDG) was well represented by Artipia in the Convertible Concept and the field was rounded out with another familiar team, Skorpio Love Smith, represented by RedGlovesRule in the Concept Coupe. The stage was set for a showdown for the books. Race 1 started with fanboy 2D’s favorite, Chuck Turbo, making a brilliant pass to overtake TheloniousJawnMcBatmanorama right before the finish line. But the field flipped in race 2 as
On The Track Turbo couldn’t catch lightning in a bottle twice and finished dead last. RedGlovesRule ruled the track, leading the entire race. And then, the fireworks came out. After carefully studying the field, legendary team owner MDG finally made his move, Artipia exploded into the lead, expertly handling the challenging turn 2 as the rest of the pack piled up in the rearview mirror. Seizing the moment, Artipia skated onto victory, and set up a tie for second place. Golden boy, Turbo, rolled over and was eliminated from the tournament. The Group 2 tiebreaker was a barnburner. Artipia and RedGlovesRule lined up at the top of the hill, representing two juggernauts of the sport, Skorpio Love Smith and Michael’s Diecast Garage . The gate fell and it was bump and
grind as they traded paint through three turns. On the final straight, they powered through in single file. RedGlovesRule got a little wiggle which opened the lane with Artipia drafting behind. Instinct took over and Artipia made their move to the inside to claim the second spot in the second round.
SENDING JAMES KIRK INTO ORBIT! - Kong (FGC Family) smacks heavily into The Flying Brick (James Kirk) at the finish line crossroads. Like many others, Kong seems to have completely ignored the stop sign at that intersection.
Lancer EVO’s in the brackets. Along with the Camaros, the qualifying runs for King of the Mountain second tournament were also running this week. I like how the qualifying races are split up by vehicle type this year. That way, you don’t end up with 16 Mitsubishi
First qualifying race since our last issue was the luxury car race, which had some classics with BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Jaguar all represented.
August 1, 2020 | 17
On The Track Allison Chains was lights-out in the first race, but Timmy Vincent in the Audi would have won if he had another 6 inches of track. Race 2 was all about Timmy Vincent’s comeback. Gummi Bear in “The Heavy” Orange Psychic Jaguar slipped up and Vincent took the lead after turn 2. And from then on, it was the Timmy Vincent show, taking the rest of the heats and advancing on. A photo finish determined Allison Chains was the second place finisher but it didn’t matter because only first place moves on. Still cool, I guess. The second race of the week was much smaller. The compact cars strapped on their big boy pants and rolled down the Mountain.
FGC Family ruled heat 1 but took a shot after a victory lap as The Flying Brick of James Kirk set up the brick wall and BOOM goes the dynamite. You pay for every win at Race Mountain. At least there’s some padding set up to prevent damage to the cars. You don’t see that at every track. Heat 2 saw a little payback for FGC as they got the opportunity to get under Kirk and flip him for the pass and win. Samukako Nasuka took advantage of a wreck caused by Kirk in heat 3 that caught up FGC, registering a DNF for the first time in the competition. Nasuka easily slid on to a win.
to win the round but rolled after turn two. B y some stroke of divine intervention, every other competitor rolled in the same turn, forcing a restart in heat 4. FGC learned their lesson as they packed their entire family into that VW Golf and went full throttle into victory lane. High Mileage of Cole Williams tallied only 3 total points after wrecking on both the middle heats. King of the Mountain qualifying continues with Round 6 next. Groups 3 & 4 of the Camaro Summer Tournament will hit YouTube soon.
FGC just needed to stay on the track
On The Track: Chaos Canyon by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
F
or the last month, things have been quiet at the premier track of the Southern Hemisphere. After a rapid succession of exciting race series, the track at Chaos Canyon fell silent. That is because the original track which wound an alabaster path of speed and carnage in New Zealand during the pandemic lockdown was getting a facelift. Once the island nation essentially eradicated the virus on its own shores, channel owner Warwick Rule was able to get out to gather 18 | Diecast Racing Report
supplies for a major overhaul to the track. No longer is the entire course stark white. And the newly contoured canyon walls have been carefully sculpted and decorated in the signature style that will come to define The
RETURNING CHAMPIONS - All four of Chaos Canyon’s former champions have visited the new track, and will soon be racing their winning rides on the virgin pavement: (l-r) Grandma (Chevy Showdown), “Traffic Hazard” Travis (Looney Mooneys), Brian Vaughn (The Redmeption), and Myke Maze (Canyon Overlord).
On The Track Canyon in the months to come. Racing is about to begin with a showdown between the original champion of the Canyon Overlord series, Myke Mayes (whom readers will recognize as the track owner of RTR Diecast Racing Legue) versus Brian Vaughn (the editor and site owner of Redline Derby Racing). Kayem Corner and Carhooner Corner are very much like their previous incarnations, though the entire track is now slightly wider than before. The collapsing bridge/ jump midway through the track is still a major feature (and the accompanying signage is hilarious). Speaking of hilarious, if you’ve not yet seen the video preview of the new course, you should make an effort to do so. It’s a lovely tourism video with a wicked twist. Well worth your time. While the track’s layout will be familiar to regular viewers, a quick glance at the final straightaway contains a new challenge for drivers. Straightaway isn’t exactly the right
word, actually, as there is now a bit of a chicane about halfway down the final stretch. Track announcers Dr. Thom “Spanners” Watson and Frank “Guru” Gibbs have been keeping busy WELCOME TO THE CANYON - Readers are encouraged to check out the new preview video to get a feel for what is to come at Chaos in the meantime hosting the DSPN Canyon. weekly racing news report, but it will be good to laps. So, one wonders if the new hear their voices calling races again track will hold such adventures for in the near future. upcoming participants. Also, I look forward to seeing how cars handle Kayem Corner on the new track. The first turn used to be difficult for cars to navigate. Some would take multi-story falls that, while epic, made for inconsistent performances by some of the top racers. Even once the infield of the previous track had been filled with food trucks, drivers would occasionally veer sharply right and place their cars at the carry-out windows instead of completing their
Insider information directly from Warwick Rule indicates that there will soon be a long-term mail-in competition at the track. Rumor has it that initially participation will be by invitation only, but that it will open to submissions thereafter. Watch this space for in-depth coverage of both the regular series tournaments, and whatever comes next.
On The Track: Jackson Pass Speedway by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
F
or those who haven’t had a chance to take in a race at Jackson Pass Speedway yet, now is the perfect time to start. The “Battle of the Centuries” is
underway, and it is a quality headto-head competition between two sets of 12 cars. The first dozen are from the 21st Century. It’s hard to believe that there have already been two full decades since they year 2000 got us started in the new
millennium, but it is true that there are 20 years’ worth of cars out there to race in the modern category. There are 12 cars from the pre-2000 era, too. Drivers are the same folks you see on most other channels. And August 1, 2020 | 19
On The Track this is the point at which Jackson Pass begins to set itself a step above many other tracks. Mark Heisler (the track’s owner) is clearly a student of what’s going on in other series around the internet community. His races incorporate references to what the drivers have done in their appearances at other tracks. As a for-instance, in the first race of the series Fearless Ferguson (of TuneTrax Racing) puts a fierce blocking move on Simon Harvey of 6-37 Racing. As Ferguson’s Bugatti Chiron stutters in front of Harvey’s Aston Martin Vulcan, the announcer (Philip DeTank) notes that the move was a classic Kit Kayem Brake Check Manouver. Kit Kayem (the fictionalized version of this reporter) was a driver in multiple series at Chaos Canyon, and his driving antics on that channel have now been codified by the cross reference made in the Jackson Pass videos. Heisler’s races take that extra bit of effort to turn what happens on disparate channels into a fully functioning and integrated community. So much so that he surprised me with a text before my race in the series. He wanted to make sure that if he portrayed my character in a certain way, that I would be okay with it. That’s an extra level of concern and care that I’ve not seen most other track owners take toward their participants. And I think it’s great. There’s an implied permission that we give to race producers when we allow them to use our names as their drivers. They are going to describe 20 | Diecast Racing Report
the action of the races, but they are also going to assign emotions, motives, and stories to our characters. And most commentators function within their own bubble, creating the character anew for their own series. Heisler gives a continuity and through-line to other people’s storylines by the way he does his own videos. In improvisational theatre (one of my real life activities), we have a concept of “yesand”, which means that you take whatever was done by someone else, and you build upon that in a positive way. Jackson Pass Speedway videos are great at yes-and. Before I move on to the races themselves, I’ll wrap up the previous point: I gave Mark permission to take the character any direction he wants, so Kit’s now the track’s wily old veteran who may develop into a series villain. How fun! We’ll watch and see where this all goes. I can’t wait to see if the other track owners follow his lead and add on to what could be a great character. So, the series is already underway. With 12 cars in each division, in a 1on-1 format, there are quite a few preliminary races to go through. Seven have already been released on the league’s YouTube channel. All but one of the videos feature primary play-byplay announcer Philip DeTank,
and track-side reporter Tyra Marks. Tyra was away from the track in the seventh race of the series, but shall return soon. In another nod to a different race series, Tyra obviously couldn’t be covering this race, because she was driving in a race at Mayes Mountain in Alabama. The action has all been exciting thus far. And we haven’t even seen the older cars in action for the most part. While I’m driving the Lamborghini Gallardo in the 21st Century bracket, I wouldn’t bet on Kit Kayem. The heavier cars with longer wheel-bases are all classic cars. On Fat Track, you want to have that longer wheelbase to keep you headed straight and true through the corners. So, are my picks to go all the way? Look for JD Elst to play off the momentum of his first round win to dominate the 21st Century cars. Among the 20th Century vehicles, I’d been thinking Dr. Thom “Spanners” Watson would fair pretty well in his Chevy Nova, but the casting was a lemon, and the car was switched out. Now he’s in a Dodge Charger, and MOPAR castings tend to tip and flip on Fat Track. There are a few good options among the field, though. Silverback Racing’s drivers all seem to have landed good rides, so it could be a contest between teammates. Yet, my bet is for Daniel Mercado driving the Ford Mustang Shelby.
Column (Rust Belt cont. from page 11) Church recently moved on from the Lil Homies in favor of voicing more realistic on-air personalities, Cletus Papadopoulos and track-side reporters Chuck Mackavea and Scooter Douglas. These three informative and entertaining personas have been announcing the current Grand Prix touring series with the gusto that any “full size” race broadcast would love to have.
Chaos Canyon made its mark on the diecast racing world by building a track that caused the most insane stunts and crashes ever seen on
YouTube. But that’s only part of the entertainment. Thom “Spanners” Watson and Frank “The Guru” Gibbs offer humorous and exciting commentary throughout each race. They play off each other, often at the expense of the drivers, giving a fun bit of immersion into a shed track world in New Zealand. The pair did so well announcing races that they got promoted to co-anchors of DSPN (Diecast Sports Programming Network), the weekly video recap of all that’s happening in the community.
Chapman Films, but not only because of his on-track work. If you’ve ever watched a video from Chapman’s “I Like Cheese” race series, one thing stands out; the commercials. Each video he posts is like a mini TV episode complete with corporate sponsors and ads for other quality network programming such as Pee Pee No and the classic, Harwood. From Jaupapeano (Is it cleaner or food?) to Throw Up Chips (The chips you eat twice), Chapman has created an immersive fan experience using original catchy tunes and outrageous character voices. While there are many out there, these are a few channels currently on YouTube that stand out to me as the best in the world of on-screen voiceover work.
One of my favorite YouTube commentators is Jason Chapman of
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