Tournaments: Sub4ra

by Ali Kidder-Mostrom

In the last two weeks, there’s been a lot of action from the Diecast Demolition Federation on the sub4ra channel. The inaugural Diecast Demolition Derby Tournament made it all the way to the final round and crowned the first ever DDF champion.

There were two ways to be eliminated in this competition: either by being the first car flipped or by being raced out (when one car reached the opponent’s ramp before he could make it down his own hill).

The 2nd day of the derby culled the crowd to 16. It was quick and dirty, with most competitions ending in a one and done collision.

A surprising early favorite was the Wild Thing from Nero 62, which was able to pick up a swift win due to its ability to get under and tip its competitor right off the track. This made Wild Thing look unstoppable going into the next round.

Not all of Nero 62s luck was good. In a surprising third race, his Camaro was raced out by, of all things, a flatbed truck (from Juice Box Racing). This proved that it’s not only demolition, but also speed that makes a difference in this tournament. As if to emphasize this fact, multiple races that day ended with a car racing out the competition just before being flipped, letting speed carry them into the next round.

That said, there was plenty of demolition to be found. Some races ended in double knock-outs and, in one spectacular hit, a Kool-Aid Thunderbird (driven by Mike from Key West Racing) sent a Speed Trap (from C&C Racing) flying all the way across the ring. This carried Mike forward, proving he was a real contender for the crown.

Day two ended with four cars, which had so-far survived on draws, doing a tag-team race for a bit of extra demolition action and a chance at the last two spots of the 16 cars set to advance. Kyle Miller, in his ’71 Dodge Charger RT Hemi demonstrated a good amount of power in this round, moving on and proving he was a solid choice moving forward.

Of the Sweet 16 which made it into day 3, the crowd was swiftly demolished. Many races were double-elimination and we watched the Flatbed King, an Audi Quattro, a Cruise Bruiser, a Chevy Nova, and many others (including a spectator) fall to the Demolition Derby carnage.

A feature race of the night was Wild Thing vs. Kyle Miller. In their first face-off, Wild Thing pushed Kyle Miller off the track, but since the Charger was able to stay on his tires they faced off again and, ultimately, the Wild Thing was raced out.

In the sixth race of the night, Mike’s “The BIG Man” Kool-Aid car had a convincing win and again smashed through the competition like the Kool-Aid Man through a brick wall.

Another stand-out race for the night, saw James Kleman go head to head against Jason “ILC” Chapman, each in solid metal-on-metal vehicles. Both cars stood firm, but – because the ended in a draw – these champs were ultimately eliminated them from finals contention.

After so much wreckage, the last day of the DDF series went straight to the final 4. In this final day of racing/crashing, we saw Kyle Miller’s ’71 Dodge Charger RT Hemi face Dave Akers' ’76 Greenwood Corvette in a battle of real rubber tires. Dave Akers’ low front led him to swift victory, flipping Miller and pushing him back to the ramp. In an upset, when faced with the Kool-Aid man’s might, Manny Many got right under “The BIG Man” and sent him flying off the track.

So, the last match-up saw Dave Akers vs. Manny Many, facing off in the first ever DDF Demolition final. The cars were well matched, repeatedly making contact, but both staying on their wheels. After some close calls, the cars faced off, or rather turned around and tailed off (?) for an overtime battle.

Manny Many gained speed but lost stability. In the first overtime race he almost raced out Dave Akers, but Dave Akers shut him out and, ultimately, took him out forcing a second overtime heat. With a decisive flip in that final round, Dave Akers proved that he had what it takes to be the inaugural DDF champion.

GOOD LOOKING TRUCK: Kit Kayem is driving the DRR #2 for Gen-X Vintage Racing in the JLH Krafts Truck Racing Series. Nailed the weigh-in!

This week, on the other side of the channel, sub4ra introduced the field of competitors going into The JLH Krafts Truck Racing Series.

This field of 116 trucks submitted from all over the country is ready to go. We got to see each team weighed in and ready to race.

THE FULL FIELD -- Two+ years' worth of truck submissions all are vying for the JLH Krafts Truck Racing series crown.

The JLH Krafts Truck Racing Series will be following a format similar to the already popular ADRC (Adult Diecast Racing Championship), which is Sub4ra’s marquee event.

Speaking of marquees, you’ll notice that the Diecast Racing Report logo is all over the place on the JLH Krafts Truck Racing Series. As a season sponsor, we are thrilled to add this series to our regular in-depth event coverage.