DIECAST RACING REPORT October 2, 2020 – Vol. 1 No. 8
Inside: DIRS: The World’s First International Race Series – Displaying Your Collection – Weighted for Fat Track
2 | Diecast Racing Report
In This Issue
Table of Contents Editor’s Notes Calendar Columns
4 5
Live from the Rust Belt
Resources
QuickTips
6 7
Ask An Expert 8
Features
10
7
Five Guys, One Conversation 10
Tournaments
2020 Diecast Games
14
Tune Trax
15
Indiana Diecast Racing
16
Sub4ra
17
Rust Belt
19
Redline Derby
20
OnTheTrack
14
RTR Diecast
21
War on I-4
22
3DBotMaker
22
Jackson Pass
24
Cover Art: Vern Davis
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: David Currin, Christopher (Kit) Kidder-Mostrom, Ali Kidder-Mostrom, Steven King, Josh Paufler
October 2, 2020 | 3
Editor’s Note We’re a day late again. Computer difficulties again. There’s a good chance we’re going to have to get a new CPU and/or more RAM to make this all work out in a more timely fashion. Our apologies for the late issue. This issue is one that we’d been working on for a while. It’s been over a week since I sat down with the guys who put together the DIRS, which you can read about in this month’s feature story. We were ahead of the game when it came to prepping for getting the issue out on time. But, as you’ll see in Josh’s column this week, timing doesn’t always work out. It’s been an odd theme in racing this month. So much so, that RedlineDerby.com had to address their docket of races that are currently behind schedule.
remarkably gracious in allowing for late arrivals, but that does mean that races get pushed back, and other racers get antsy when they don’t see their cars running when they expect to. We here at DRR are hosting a charity race, and we can appreciate the difficulties of those who are running races. We can also be truly impressed by those who actually maintain a precise schedule.
Kit K-M Editor-in-Chief
The mail system continues to be slower than normal, and that leads to cars arriving late. We’ve discussed that before. However, if you are a racer, and you’re not mailing your entries before the deadline, it’s not the USPS that’s at fault when the host opts not to include you in their race.
So, as we are all doing our best during this time, I once again ask that we all treat each other with patience and understanding. Hosts are going to be doing all they can to catch up this month. League of Speed is running so many races this month that he’s dubbed it “Racetober”. I like that. Let’s all try to make this the best racing month of 2020 thus far. Let us all celebrate Racetober.
I’ve noticed that a large number of hosts are
Happy Racetober, everyone!
4 | Diecast Racing Report
Calendar
Mail-in Race Deadlines Stock: Diecast 64 Open Stock and Hot Off The Shelf (October) – Deadline for Entry: October 17, 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
chassis that weren’t meant to go together. Axles must be nonmatching front and back. More Info: RedlineDerby.com All-American Muscle at Mac Mountain- Deadline for Entry: October 23, 2020. Road course. Weight limit 60 grams. More Info: RedlineDerby.com
Redline Derby Racing League October Races - Deadline for Entry: October 21, 2020. Drag strip. Weight limit 65 grams for stock vehicles. Field limited to 32 participants. One car per participant only. More Info: RedlineDerby.com
Franken Drags – Deadline for Entry: October 31, 2020. Drag strip. 100 gram weight limit. Cars must be built from non-matching parts. Mainline axles only. Live Race. More Info: Rust Belt Diecast Racing
Bone Shaker Brawl- Deadline for Entry: October 23, 2020. Drag Strip. Weight limit 60 grams. Field limited to stock Bone Shaker castings only. More Info: RedlineDerby.com
Muscle Mania 2020 – Deadline for Entry: November 11, 2020. Drag strip. 65 gram weight limit. Three categories of muscle car drag racing. Cars must appear on approved lists. More Info: RedlineDerby.com
All-American Muscle at Mac Mountain- Deadline for Entry: November 15, 2020. Road course. Weight limit 60 grams. Cars must be models that have competed in NASCAR. Any Era. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Friday Night Cheese– Deadline for Entry: rolling (open submissions). Road Course. 150 gram weight limit. More Info: ILC Race Series King of the 621– Deadline for Entry: rolling (open submissions). Drag strip. 100 gram weight limit. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Want your event on our calendar? Please send race information to info@diecastracingreport.com, or make sure your event is on RedlineDerby.com
Modifieds: Diecast 64 Open Modified & Modified Street (October) – Deadline for Entry: October 17, 2020. Drag strip. 57 gram weight limit in both categories. Entrance fee. More Info: RaceHotWheels.com Diecast 64 Shorties- Deadline for Entry: October 17, 2020. Drag strip. Vehicles shorter than 2.5 inches in length. 45 gram weight limit. Entrance fee. More Info: RaceHotWheels.com Redline Derby Racing League October Races - Deadline for Entry: October 21, 2020. Drag strip. Weight limit 60 grams for modified vehicles. Field limited to 32 participants. One car per participant only. More Info: RedlineDerby.com The October Boneyard Classic – Deadline for Entry: October 21, 2020. Drag strip. 57 gram weight limit. Cars must be made of body and October 2, 2020 | 5
Column
Live from the Rust Belt The Frustration Factor by Josh Paufler
If you run races, you know the feeling. It’s getting close to the day you planned on recording and there’s still a couple cars missing. You’re checking the mail and tracking numbers religiously, but nothing. You start to sweat, knowing you’re about to get a barrage of messages asking when the race will be posted. Maybe you have a family thing to deal with and need to put off recording a few days, work gets in the way, kids events or one of a number of other reasons. Either way, you need to postpone. So, what do you do now? Stay calm. Most of us don’t run diecast races for a living so there’s a little bit of a grace period on when you said you’d run it and when you absolutely have to run it. I’ve gone beyond that grace period on several occasions. When I started Rust Belt Diecast Racing, the plan was to do what we do best, run live daily races on Facebook. As the need presented itself, I decide to start running mailin races on YouTube. At that point, I got in over my head.
over here in the Paufler household, I was starting to slack on my editing and the channel took a hit. With each passing deadline, I was digging myself into a hole that I couldn’t climb out of. As the only one operating this enterprise, I was stuck for a way to get these races done. Not only were there multiple race series running at a time, but now more mail-in events were coming up that I pushed off thinking I’d be done with the first ones by the time the new ones came around. I was completely swamped. I needed to adopt a new way. Here are a few things I’ve found will help with future events. 1. Schedule out far enough to account for hiccups
I’ve been editing videos and running YouTube channels for years with topics ranging from fishing to comic books, but this was different. I wasn’t anticipating the time it would take to not only run a 32 to 56 car field on three cameras but also to edit that footage with music and voiceovers.
I’ve started scheduling the due dates at least 2 weeks before the video is scheduled to post. That way, if the mail is running late or I’m running live races that week, I’ll have time to get everything together and record when I have time.
I wasn’t willing to cheap out on my audience, so I went big, creating characters and story lines to make my videos more exciting. As life took
Don’t expect everything to fall in place. It never will. For all the above reasons, we will need to postpone a few races here and there. One time I
6 | Diecast Racing Report
2. Be flexible
was about to record a race. I ran the test footage and a piece of the track literally went flying off as one of the cars hit it. I had to take the whole thing down and rebuild it. Be prepared for setbacks. 3. Keep everyone informed This is probably the most important one. If your racers know that they will need to wait another week or two to see their cars run, most will be OK. If you go radio silent, however, be ready to get tons of aggressive messages. Keep in mind, you’ll still get the messages because not everyone is keyed into your updates on a daily basis. Just be patient with them and pray that they’ll do the same. These tips go for both race-runners and racers alike. I think if we can follow them, we’ll be able to run some great races and make everyone happy in the process. Remember, we’re a little community. Let’s treat each other with respect. Get fast and have fun.
Resources
Quick Tips
Storage & Display: or, Where Do I Put All These Cars? Whether attending the weekly swap meet or shopping at your local dollar store, modding and racing usually means you have a growing diecast car collection. Proper storage and display can both show off your best modified creation and keep your whole collection organized (so you always know where to find that one car that you’re sure is around here someplace…). To make sure your cars get the attention they need, just follow these quick tips.
1. Get crafty – For a great carrying case, look outside the toy store and in the craft store. As GiggleBlaggleToys! recommends in his video “My Favorite Diecast Car Storage - Creative Options 'Jammers' Multi-Craft Carrier” a clear thread organizer may be the perfect way to organize all your cars.
2. Use your wall space – wtffor uses ceiling strapping in “How to display Hot Wheels and diecast” for a lovely (and inexpensive) way to display all his cars that are still on the card. All it takes is time and a little wall space.
3. Put those cardboard boxes to use – You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a great place to store and display your cars. In “Hot Wheels Car Storage Truck | Cardboard Crafts | Toy Storage Ideas | Cardboard Toy Organizer” Little Crafties shows how to build a Hot Wheels storage shelf out of cardboard. Plus, he even gives it a bit of automotive styling.
4. Build to fit – Just got that big rig back from the race? Have an extra long or tall set of cars? You can make shelving to custom fit your cars with a simple threaded rod and wood wall unit. Hwc_Pancake show you the possibilities in his video “Hot wheels display!”
5. Redefine “peg warmer” – For a lovely display and great way to keep all your best mint-condition cars in new condition, keep those pegs warm. Check out how Diecast 64 builds a peg board display for his on-card cars in “Hot Wheels Display Rack How To”.
October 2, 2020 | 7
Resources
Q
: “How does one ‘weight’ a car for Fat Track or drag? I have a couple cars done already for 2021 ADRC, but I’m always looking to improve my game.” – HSL Motorsports Die Cast Racing
A
: Weight Dynamics for Fat Track racing are by nature different than other types of racing. Now, one is never going to get a car to run a Fat Track like a single lane gravity drag, but there are some things that can be done to help get down the Fat Track as straight as possible. The majority of your weight should sit dead center on your chassis and be kept as low as possible (a.k.a. a low center of gravity). Also, you want to put at least 7g in
8 | Diecast Racing Report
the front of the car somehow, so think of that when choosing a casting to build for Fat Track racing. The weight in the front of the build helps to stabilize the car faster when it enters the curves and helps to pull the front through and down the curve. Hopefully, setting up the car’s entering the straight again. Also, you don't want your Fat Track car to be the fastest of your Modified fleet – quick, but not your fastest. Now, if we're talking a gravity drag, put your weight more towards the back of the car and the majority right in front of the back axle and you can move some all the way to the back, but not too much. Too much junk in the trunk can lead to, and cause, the speed killing “Speed Wobbles".
However, no matter your race or track, it always starts with Wheel Farming. Make sure you've got some good spinning wheels underneath your build. – David Currin, League of Speed David Currin races under the name of League of Speed. He is the Event Coordinator of Redline Derby Racing. He is the reigning 8 Modders Champion. His SPEED SHOP videos #4 and #5 are on the topic of Weight Dynamics
EDITOR’S NOTE: We are adding “Ask An Expert” to our monthly rotation of regular resources. If you have a question that you would like answered, send it to comments@diecastracingreport.com, and we’ll get an expert on that topic to answer your inquiry.
October 2, 2020 | 9
Feature
Mark Heisler
Kit K
Warwick Rule
Five Guys - One
abo
Eight Cars, Four Tra & One Epic R 10 | Diecast Racing Report
Feature
K-M
Mike Mayes
Brian Anderson
e Conversation
out
acks, Two Countries Race Series October 2, 2020 | 11
Feature by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
T
he beginning of something exciting is here. By the time you’ve read this, the men behind the Diecast International Racing Series will have been working on the project for months. The idea was spawned over 4 months ago. And just this week the first round of the series aired on the RTR Diecast Racing YouTube channel. I sat down last Thursday (or, Friday for one of our participants) with the four track owners who are making the race series happen in America and New Zealand. We gathered by Zoom. Isn’t technology wonderful?! Since the beginning of the pandemic, Zoom has made instant world-wide communication much easier, and it has become an almost natural part of life. And so it was that I and four guys who have been working together, though who had never talked face to face previously, had a face-to-face chat about the DIRS and what it means for the diecast racing community. What follows is a truncated transcript of the conversation. Sometime over the weekend, we’ll be putting up the entire conversation on our website as the first episode of “Diecast Discourse”, the new Diecast Racing Report podcast. The people involved in this interview are Mike Mayes (who races under the name of Myke Maze). Myke is from Alabama and runs RTR Diecast Racing, and its home track called Mayes Mountain. For the purposes of this interview, he will be noted as MM. Warwick Rule is the founder of Chaos Canyon, and the producer of the DSPN weekly report in 12 | Diecast Racing Report
conjunction with RedlineDerby.com. Warwick joined us quite early in the morning from his shed in Auckland, backed by the scenic Chaos Canyon set. Warwick will be noted henceforth as WR. Brian Anderson of Flat Rabbit Racing Club is possibly the only one of these guys that readers may recognize facially, since Brian put up a behind the scenes video recently, in which he talked about the development of his track in suburban Illinois. Brian will be noted as BA. And, finally, Mark Heisler is the man behind Jackson Pass Speedway. He’s in Pennsylvania, though his track looks like it might be from the desert badlands of the Southwest. He joined us from his basement in the Eastern Time Zone. Mark will be MH within the confines of this interview. I’ll be listed as DRR, since I’m asking the questions on behalf of the magazine. And so... Here we go:
DRR: Fellas! Welcome. So tell me, what is the DIRS? WR: Well, it really just kicked off from an idea that Mike and I just started kicking around in June. We were both relatively new to the diecast world, and there was a lot of talk about how cool it would be if there was an international series. We just started talking, and I said ‘Hey, let’s do it! Let’s get a couple more tracks involved.’ So, I reached out to a couple of people and Mark and Brian said ‘Hell yeah, let’s do it!’ We started with four tracks because this is an unknown for us: How do we coordinate everything? Where do they go? How do we run the series? Are people going to be interested? What about coordinating freight and all the rest of it? It was late July by the time we had everything nailed down as far as a plan goes... The whole idea is to help grow the community and to provide an international series that people can really get behind. Eventually, we want it to be a yearlong series like you would have in professional motorsports. DRR: Mike, you are the first stop on
Feature rights. DRR: So, the second step is where? MM: Brian at Flat Rabbit. BA: And, I don’t really have a plan right now. I have everything shot. WHICH WAY DID HE GO? – Mayhem is the way of things It’s been in the can for a at the finish line for these Beauties. while, but I haven’t put it together yet.I had some computer the DIRS. So, the series starts in issues just recently... All of the videos Alabama. What is that first race I’ve done, I’ll start on a Monday or going to be like? Tuesday – shooting, script, audio, all of it – and I’ll have it out by Friday, MM: I have no idea why I was so I have some time. picked to go first, I’m telling you – the pressure is enormous, guys... DRR: So, the cars go from Alabama Everybody’s cars got here two days to Illinois. Then they go over to? before I went on a family vacation; that delayed it by about a week. As MH: Pennsylvannia. I’m glad I was soon as I got back, we raced them, I third, because I get to watch Mike’s took a thousand hours of footage. video and then Brian’s video, and dial I’m putting the finishing touches on it in even better before I ship it all tonight and tomorrow. down to Warwick. I just started organizing the clips into order... (NOTE: This interview took place about We’re presenting it all in our tracks four days prior to the first airing of the race normal fashion, like our style. So, I’m at Mayes Mountain. The first video can be organizing mine in the way I would seen HERE.) for a Battle of the Centuries race. I’m getting the video organized, but I MM: Monday is going to be the want to see how the audio and other “Beauties” and Tuesday we’re going stuff goes for the other guys before I to do the “Beasts”. And then we’ll start plugging more stuff in. hand it off to Brian over at Flat Rabbit. DRR: And then the cars all head to the Canyon for the two races and the DRR: So, there are two divisions. overall final... Are all the various And the Beauties and the Beasts race races going to be called by your separately. They never race against regular announcers? each other? MM: Right. WR: Well, they will at the Canyon. For a final, the top two cars of the Beauties and the top two cars of the Beasts will race-off for an overall champ. We’ve said for this one that it’s for Pinks. Winner take all in the Beauties. And, in the Beasts, the overall champ is just for bragging
WR: On each track, yes. There are essentially two things that are consistent across the entire series. There’s the Intro and Outro, and the graphics. But other than that – how it’s shot, how it’s edited, is done in each track’s style. The idea behind that was there’s no point in everybody trying to force into one particular style, because the races
will air on those particular channels. You get viewers who are really into your channel and your style, so you don’t want to do a massive change to something that is kind of foreign to them. DRR: We’ve mentioned the two divisions. What’s the difference between a Beauty and a Beast? WR: The Beauties had to be a stock vehicle. You weren’t allowed to do anything apart from adding numbers to them. And then the Beasts had to be a rat rod style, but other than that it was pretty much open, just a max weight limit. (NOTE: At this point in the interview Warwick showed off his two cars. Both a stock and a modified 8 Crate.) MM: Yeah, the 8 Crate has now become Warwick’s signature car. I’ll tell you that right now. DRR: Brian, you recently said in a video that you’ve not yet started cracking open cars. Does that mean that your modding was primarily the paint job on your Beast? BA: Yeah, I kind of made a mistake with that. I have drilled cars, I just wasn’t successful putting wheels and axles back in. Or, when I drilled cars, that was never my intention, so I shouldn’t say I wasn’t successful. I never tried. For this, usually I’m rushed, and I just felt I don’t need to drill it. So I just painted mine... And added stuff. DRR: What was your favorite part of this whole process? BA: I’ve been talking with these guys for so long, and we hadn’t met each other... When I got all the cars here, I was filming them here with my wife, down in the basement, and it was a different vibe than other cars I’ve
(DIRS cont. on page 25) October 2, 2020 | 13
Tournaments
Big Poppy Racing by Ali Kidder-Mostrom
W
e are now four games into the 2020 Diecast Games and oh what a games they have been! Over the last two weeks, we saw the first traditional race (“The 1/4 Mile”) and an exhibition of sorts, called “The Roll”, where each car got a chance to run on a single lane track, showing just how far they could go when there was nothing but friction in the way.
Camaro IROCZ28 placing third with a total time of 6.01.
The only team to beat Red Pill’s Camaro was Nick Deavers Racing, which took both top spots. The first place finisher was END OF THE ROAD – Red Pill Racing went to extremes to show also a Camaro his superiority on “The Roll”. IROC-Z28 and Each of the 64 cars in these events (2 Nick Deavers’ other entrants from each of the 32 entry was the Burlesque, having just track. competing teams) had the chance to come off a stellar performance in earn points for their team, by event two. Nick Deavers had two great entries finishing in the top half of in The Roll; they rolled straight and Another repeat performer was Your competitors. true and took second place (with Nightmare Racing’s Johnny 74.22 feet) and fourth (at 72.42 feet). Event three, The 1/4 Mile, saw cars Lightning Coca-Cola Studebaker, Lady of Speed and Po’ Boy Racing from each team race together down a which had a phenomenal showing also had solid showings for this quarter-mile drag strip as a pair. during “The Push”. Apparently, that event, each with both cars finishing After running twice (once in each car has both brawn and speed. It in the top 10. lane), each car’s times were finished seventh for this event. combined to determine its place in However, it was Red Pill Racing who Other top performers for The 1/4 the standings. ultimately took the spotlight and the Mile were KA-Boom Racer’s Chevy gold for this event. Both of Red Pill Red Pill Racing seemed determined Stocker, which took fourth, and Tie Racing’s cars did well, ending in first to get back into medal contention One On - Sandy Mc’s team (finishing and fifth place, but it was his after the previous week’s poor sixth and eighth). After all was Mercedes 500 SEC which did what performance (in “The Climb”) and counted, Nick Deavers was in gold no one was expecting – rolling past both cars managed excellent times: medal standing overall, Your the end of the track (over 80.5 feet!). the Datsun 280ZX earning fifth place Nightmare Racing at silver and with a total time of 6.122 and the League of Speed in bronze going into After four games, it is interesting to Event 4. see how the overall competition is shaping up. Going into game five, For this event, Nick Deavers stays at the top, with a The Roll, it commanding 204.5 total points. He wasn’t all is followed by Red Pill Racing in about speed. It second (with 175 points) and a very was cars that close third and fourth place pairing wiggled that of Your Nightmare Racing and fared the League of Speed (with 154.5 and worst; a good 152.5 points, respectively). axle can take you very far, So far, 25 of the 32 competitors have but not if you earned some points; Simon D of Hot EACH AGAINST THEMSELVES – Each team sent two cars onto the bump into the Car Track joining the ranks on this Quarter Mile drag strip. sides of the most recent event – where he earned 14 | Diecast Racing Report
Tournaments 17 points. Also at the bottom of the point-earners list, Madness Motorsports (18 points) and Uncle Elvis Racing (20 points) sadly seem to have the opposite luck, having stalled out after the first event (The Push) and not earning points in the three most recent events. The good news for these teams is there is still plenty of competition to go before the games are done. The good news for viewers is you don’t have to wait long to see more: Event 5 should be up on Big Poppy Racing’s YouTube channel today.
Tune Trax by Josh Paufler
W
hile some may not believe that the Hot Wheels Track Builder Digital Speedometer is an accurate measurement of 1:64 scale speed, no one can deny that it made for an exciting event. To kick off their third season, TuneTrax Racing set up the speedometer and let the cars fly. The results were surprising. According to Mattel, the speedometer measures what they call “Hot Wheels Speed”. This can be interpreted as “scale speed” or just an arbitrary number assigned to the time it takes for the car to pass through the contraption. Either way, it is measuring the same way for each car so it should be considered an accurate way to qualify or race. In the Season 3 debut of Chris Lowey’s new track, the 2015 Jaguar F-Type Project 7 took the top
speed at 309 SMPH (Scale Miles Per Hour). The Aston Martin V8 Vantage was hot on its heals at 304 SMPH. But that’s where the field separated. All other cars were under 300 SMPH with the Lamborghini Murcielago Superveloce passing through the device at only 112 SMPH. It was interesting to see some of the castings actually slow down going through the turns. Overall, the speedometer eliminates the need to test cars side by side to find a good builder. It also makes for a fun and interesting event to watch. Coming up at TuneTrax Racing: The continuation of Season 3 along with more “choose your ride” races. October 2, 2020 | 15
Tournaments
Indiana Diecast Racing by Josh Paufler
W
ith the IDR Open into the second round at Indiana Diecast Racing, the field is starting to separate from the pack. There are still two cars moving on per race but it’s getting more difficult to catch those cars. The week kicked off with yours truly guest commentating on the Group 5 race. It was an honor to work with Jim and be a part of this epic race series, even though my car ended up losing in a tie-breaker run off. El Diablo from Team DRR entered the race with a perfect score and finished just shy of that, while taking home the win. Vanessa Vanderess had to face me in a runoff for second place. We’ll just say, it went better for Vanessa.
Group 6 wasn’t nearly as competitive as Thena ran away with the victory in the Ford GT, winning all 4 laps. Also advancing was the hometown kid, Nathan Desaluniers in the Cadillac Elmiraj. The only car to not finish a lap in Group 6 was the Tooth Fairy, sliding off after the always tricky first turn. Group 7 saw a big comeback by Crazy Coach in the 88 Honda CRX. After finishing in 3rd the first lap, he picked up the pieces and put together an impressive race, winning the last 3 laps for a total of 14 points. That CRX has proven to be a beast on any track and I’d highly recommend picking one up. The most exciting part of this race was on lap one when Rooster of
Madness Motorsports took a header into the wall on the final straightaway. That propelled him into a helicopter motion and Don Desaulniers was able to squeeze by for his only victory of the group. The second round finished up with Group 8 and the return of “High Octane” Chey Wheeler who came in with a perfect score from round 1 but on the first lap, he wrecked and fell off the track for zero points. Giolelet took the first 2 laps in the Skyline and clinched the group in lap 3. Athena also clinched a third round birth in only 3 laps. Wheeler and John Smith had a combined 4 wrecks between them and will not advance. I know I say this every issue but, if you’re not watching Indiana Diecast Racing, you’re missing out on some great action. Jim Desaulniers just finished his new layout and it’s awesome! Coming soon from IDR: The continuation of the IDR Open, Round 3 and Plethora of Party Wagons, a mail-in race for only modified TMNT Party Wagons in December. EDITOR’S NOTE: The first video of Round 3 was released on the same day as this issue. As we try to avoid spoilers within 48 hours, that race will be covered in our next issue.
16 | Diecast Racing Report
Tournaments
sub4ra by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
qualify for every race.
he ADRC (Adult Diecast Racing Cup) is back after a bit of a break while other series took over the Sub4ra channel over the last month. The demolition derby was an exciting new adventure, and the JLHKrafts Truck Series is coming back soon, but for now Sub4ra is back to the channel’s bread and butter.
T
The action on the track this time was the qualifying round for the 8th race of the 2020 season, namely the Martinsville Speedway (the “paperclip” track). The Martinsville track has been used once already in 2020, but with one fewer 180-degree turn. The track is primarily two divided lanes for all but the last 2.5 feet prior to the finish line.
We’ve not covered the ADRC before in Diecast Racing Report, as it was on hiatus when we launched the Tournaments section. This is a nearly year-long series that involves NASCAR-style (modern & classic) stock cars that have been customized and mailed-in to Sub4ra. The league has quite a few cars that were sent in, but not every car will be able to
For qualifying, all cars take individual runs on the inside track. The top 20 cars in the overall series don’t technically have to qualify to get into the race. But their times here will dictate their
starting position for the main event. The starting grid for the main event will be made up of those 20 cars, plus 15 that qualified in the qualifying event, and one other which will have to go through the Liquid Rush raceoff event, the winner of which will take the final spot in the grid. The Top 20 is really where you want
SEAL THAT PUTTY – This car couldn’t make it down the first straightaway thanks to leaky putty getting on the wheels.
October 2, 2020 | 17
Tournaments
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DNF – “The Paperclip” is a cruel mistress. One third of the cars that tried to qualify couldn’t complete a single lap on the course.
to be, not only because those are the cars with a chance to compete for the overall season, but also because one poor run on the track can mean missing the event entirely for everyone outside that Top 20.
Southern Most Graphite with a blistering time of 3.84. Burt Buzzard of CutRockCreekRacing, Luke Allen of Mattman Racing, and Geoff Bodine of Catalina Wine Mixers all posted sub-4-second times.
Currently, the Top 20 has some familiar names among their numbers. Red Pill Racing has four drivers in the Top 20, and another two from Dragon Claw, the RPR affiliated team that includes “Lady Red Pill” on its driver roster. Nero 62 has a couple of drivers in the Top 20, although he, himself, is further down the rankings. Tune Trax Racing and CurRockCreekRacing each have two drivers in the Top grouping, as well.
Nero 62 managed to join his other two drivers in the field. Po’Boy Racing has two on the starting grid, as does Key West Racing, and 100 Proof Racing.
Here’s where I note that it’s lucky that most of the Top 20 didn’t have to depend on their qualifying times to get into the race, because had they had to earn their way in, only six of the Top 20 cars ran times faster than the cars that will have to compete for the final spot in the main Martinsville event.
If he doesn’t, though, Catalina Wine Mixers, Dragon Claw, CutRockCreekRacing, Southern Most Graphite, or Po’Boy Racing will add another racer to their stable on race day.
Four of the Top 20 got DNFs (including both Tune Trax cars among the series leaders). When all was said and done, the pole position went to The Green Parrot of 18 | Diecast Racing Report
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Among the 8 drivers that will be competing in the Liquid Rush, only one team doesn’t have other cars already in the field. No Name from Rez Wheels is trying to get the #17 car into contention.
Some of the most exciting racing that will happen this year is going to take place in that final 2.5 feet of fat track, and a preview of what the big race will be like is what is next at Sub4ra. Tune in for the next Liquid Rush race soon.
CAR SHOW NOW LIVE! RACES: OCTOBER 10TH
Tournaments
Rust Belt Diecast Racing by Josh Paufler
M
ike Rader of Madness Motorsports won the first Midnight Shrub at the new jump track at Shrubbery Lane in Ohio. This track combines a steep incline with a danger changer and jump at the end. It’s truly a sight to be seen. Another feature of Midnight Shrub is the ever popular grudge races where members can call each other out and pick cars from David and Amanda Jewell’s growing stable to race against each other. Mike Rader is currently the only undefeated grudge match racer in the 71 Charger. Robert Smith won the drag track Real Riders Run-Off. In daily races, Tooth Fairy, who as you’ll see has been pretty dominant, is the current podium sitter in the HW Altered State. The new monthly mail-in series, King of the Belt ran for the second time last week. Nick Deavers won the Lightweight division with a Toyota 2000GT and Michael Mathis (MDG) took the Heavyweights in his favorite casting, the Rodger Dodger 2.0. Cars are now being accepted for October’s King of the Belt race on October 30. Coming soon to Fossil Rock and Shrubbery Lane: The Modified Honda City Turbo Tournament will be running live on Saturday nights starting October 16. Also, the continuation of their new challenge series where members can put out a challenge for other members to accept. This is a weekly mail-in series. Something I’m looking forward to is the Frankendrags on Halloween
Night. This will be a modified mailin live event where cars must be built from at least 2 different vehicles and they are currently accepting vehicles. At T.F.T. Raceway, the aforementioned Tooth Fairy has a wide open podium. The winner this Sunday will claim it. This Sunday’s race will be live in the Facebook group and also live on his YouTube channel. Sunday Pinks kicks off this Sunday night as well and Tooth Fairy is currently accepting cars for this weekly series. Send in 2 stock, carded cars and build your team by winning cars from other drivers in head to head live races on Sunday night. You can challenge anyone, and anyone can challenge you. It’s sure to get crazy down in Ohio! Coming soon to T.F.T.: Championship race with prizes and Halloween races on November 1. Tooth Fairy isn’t just running races, he’s winning them, too. He’s the current podium sitter at Rocket Dragway up in beautiful Reese, Michigan and he’s also only one of two racers to hold the podium more than once at that track. Coming soon to Rocket Dragway: Bus Bash, the drag race featuring all buses, will be run down the Decent Into Madness this month. It will be a
Facebook Live event with a new course and challenge every Wednesday night starting October 7. Stay tuned for the preview video this week! Also, the first championship race is coming up at Rocket Dragway. Veterans Day Victory Lap, a live inhouse stock car charity event, will be held on November 11th. Stay tuned to the Facebook group for details on how you can enter the race.
Friday Night Food Fights gained a new class this week at Rust Belt Raceway Park. Shorty Showdown premiered on the Sledding Hill in grand fashion. Ragtag Jim showed up in “HeadSnoop”, a Head Starter/Snoopy Car mashup which had the fans excited for the new series. But Michael’s Diecast Garage brought the cuteness with a Duck N Roll he calls “Duck This”. It turns out MDG brought the speed as well. Even though Head-Snoop did cross the line even after getting stuck in the finish gate twice, it was too late as MDG became the first ever Shorty Showdown champion. He’ll face Cupcake in the Stub Rod this Friday. October 2, 2020 | 19
Tournaments When the food trucks took the stage, it was much of the same as Fractal Panda notched his third victory, defeating Durty Murray from Missouri in Murray’s return to the Sledding Hill. With that victory, Fractal Panda became the winningest driver at FNFF, surpassing both Jimmy John and Uncle Elvis. Can he keep his streak alive? We’ll see next week as John Receveur plays challenger in his debut at the track. The Mini Stocks run for the first of their 10-week series this Friday as part of FNFF. These Micro Machine race cars have quickly become a fan favorite and they haven’t even raced yet.
This is an in-house stock series with drivers assigned to each car, however, there will be a poll in our Facebook group each week to pick your favorite. If you pick correctly, you could be the driver in one of the cars the following week. The Mini Stocks will be broken into two classes, based on the vehicle style. The standard Micro Machine cars will be in the Mini Street Stock Series and the NASCAR branded cars will be in the newly formed Big C’s Chop Shop Mini NASCAR Series, sponsored by War on I4 Diecast Racing. The Mini Stocks will run as the opening event on Friday nights through December. Live racing is happening this week at Rust Belt Raceway Park and it’s been
crazy! “The Zombie”, JD Elst took the podium on Monday night with a very light 1930 Packard Victoria but he immediately lost it on Tuesday as rookie sensation Mike Patterson from F&S Die-Cast Dragway took it away in the Formula Solar. I’d say that car has staying power and could be the 7th ride in the Champions Race by the end of the week. Coming soon to Rust Belt Raceway Park: Grocer Getter 250 with all modified station wagons and the continuation of the Kids and Lightweights Series as well as the Stock Series finals and the first run of the touring Modified Series. Details are in the Announcements tab in the Rust Belt Diecast Racing Facebook group.
Redline Derby Racing by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
R
ed Pill Racing’s Frank Kline hosts a terrific live race. That is the biggest takeaway from the Redline Derby Racing League’s monthly event in September. Cutting it really close to the end of the month, the RLDRL race went live on Red Pill Racing’s YouTube channel late on Wednesday evening, September 30th. Kline created a bracket that accommodated the 24 car field nicely. Eight drivers were randomly selected to get a bye directly into a round of 16 drivers. All others had to defeat one other driver before moving into the same round as the lucky eight. The first race of the night set the tone for the entire evening. Voxxer and Maker’s Box faced off, and Voxxer laid down 2.046 and 2.044 times, which are blazing fast for a 60 grams (or less) car on the Red Pill 20 | Diecast Racing Report
Hill track. It was just the beginning of a very successful night for Voxxer, who would later go on to set the track record for this weight class.
Derby, this week saw the next leg of the Charger Summer series. Nick Deavers hosted this round at Tecumseh Proving Grounds.
Nobody came close to knocking him out of the win column and, as you might imagine, that means he took the whole tournament.
The A-side of the bracket was owned by Voxxer who advanced straight through to the finals.
Other things of note: ¼ of the Elite 8 in this month’s races were stock cars. There were two stock Wind Splitters in the tournament, which were each knocked out by Voxxer in subsequent rounds.
The B-side had some unexpected results with L&M Racing knocking Voxxer’s B ride out in the B-side semi-finals. L&M then continued on to the the finals of the B bracket and nudged Mattman out of the competition, too.
One of those Wind Splitters was among the Elite 8. The other stock Hot Wheels car that was in the Elite 8 was a gray Ferrari 308.
So, the overall finals between the two bracket winners came down to Voxxer’s distinctly built shiny black car against the pink charger of L&M.
The night was exciting and, with the exception of the clear dominance of Voxxer, the rest of the races all provided really good competitive action.
Voxxer’s A-bracket car was unstoppable this month, but L&M gave him a run for his money. The final race coming down to just 4 thousandths of a second.
Elsewhere in the world of Redline
Amazing racing!
On The Track
On The Track: RTR Diecast Racing League by Ali Kidder-Mostrom
T
he grudgefest continues at RTR Diecast Racing League! Over the last two weeks, Saturday Night Grudgefest has seen Subarus and Coopers take the stage to go head to head. Each race pitted Hot Wheels against Matchbox, in a battle of diecast supremacy. Two weeks ago, Subarus were on deck, with a Matchbox 1992 Subaru SVX facing a Hot Wheels 1998 Subaru Impreza. Though it started as a tight competition, the white Matchbox competitor slowed midtrack and seemed more to saunter over the finish, handing the blue Hot Wheels the first race. The second race saw both competitors upping their game and – with Matchbox in the lead – both got good air coming off the final ramp.
Tied going into the third race, each car brought their best: the Matchbox SVX bowling over its competition and the Hot Wheels Impreza bowling over three spectators. Last weekend, Hot Wheels brought a yellow UPSIDE DOWN & OUTSIDE –You can’t win a race from 2001 Mini Cooper to take that position. on Matchbox’s entry: a red 2011 Mini Cooper. The red Matchbox behind, leading to a photo-finish got off to an early lead against its which really made this a Grudgefest Hot Wheels rival. But the 2001 Mini you don’t want to miss. Cooper counterpart was not going to take this lying down. In fact, of all Of course, Saturday Night the grudge matches to take place at Grudgefest wasn’t the only exciting, Mayes Mountain so far, this may be racing action to grace the Mountain the closest battle yet. this week, but for all the details on the Diecast International Racing Each competitor won one of the first Series (DIRS) premiere on RTR’s two races squarely and it looked like channel, you’ll have to check out our Hot Wheels would walk away with full coverage of the DIRS in this a win in the third. Then the red issue’s feature story. Matchbox came blazing from
October 2, 2020 | 21
On The Track
On The Track: War on I-4 Terry Carr will be starting dead last at 10.56.
by Josh Paufler
T
he Germany Grand Prix qualifying round launched a new feature at Harrison Speedway in Central Florida. Luthrell Church added a chicane section as part of the “Harrison Horseshoe” turn just before the final straightaway. I originally thought it would slow down the cars but, apparently, the whip effect is giving them a little boost before the finish line. I’m interested to see how it will work with 22 cars on the track when the Germany Grand Prix starts running. Kenneth Van Pelt of Lions Den Racing will be on the pole with a qualifying time of 9.66 seconds. Ironically, the other Lions Den racer,
The grudge matches continued as always this month but with all new graphics. Church is spending some time making his channel top notch visually. But none of that changed the outcome of the race because Jimmy John continues to dominate all the challengers that come his way, including Big C’s own “Premo”, a 2009 Acrua NSX. As Jimmy John continues to climb the ladder, he’ll be facing Mr Biggs himself in the next race. No one has ever completed the grudge match ladder climb so this has been exciting to watch. He’s had a couple hiccups along the way, but Jimmy
John is looking poised right now to take it to the top. Coming up next at War on I4: The opening of the Germany Grand Prix. Later this month, Battle Zone will run in the Florida Everglades. Church has a new promo posted, revealing the race runner for what’s sure to be some great competition in his first ever mail-in race.
On The Track: 3DBotMaker by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
I
n what might be the least surprising final in all of 2020, the fourth and final event of the DRC season was taken by Angi Stig. She entered the Semi-Final 22 | Diecast Racing Report
round with a 7 point advantage over the next closest competitor (Crazy Jimmy) and 8 points above 3-time Champion Steven King. A perfect score with all bonuses included will net 8 points for a
racer in any given run down the track, so the door wasn’t closed entirely on the other racers. But, Angi Stig clearly had dogged the lock, and none of the other cars seemed to have brought a battering ram.
On The Track and Crazy Jimmy, and only the first of the two scheduled runs had to be made, as Angi put it all away with Big Air, while Crazy Jimmy scuffed up the roof of his Fiero once again.
The Viper wasn’t ready for the big time, seldom finishing the laps. And while the Ford did take first on one lap, the rest of this competition was all GM. The L-J Sisters in their Chevy Nomad kept their nose straight and displayed good closing speed on the straightaways. Their 5th place ranking sets them up for a good run in the actual tournament.
This was the final race of the season for the DRC FINALE – Steven King crosses the Rally Canyon finish line for the (exempting an last time. “All-Star” race at the end of the year), and the final race to ever be The first round of the Semi-Finals held at Race Canyon. New rally featured Angi Stig facing off tracks are coming in 2021. directly against Steven King. Neither car has a pretty run in The All-Star race will be held over their first time down the track. at 3DBotMaker’s main track, Race Mountain. Speaking of Race Needing a perfect score to even be Mountain... within striking distance of Angi Stig, Steven King fell short. In fact, The final two he let any chance he had slip qualifying races through his fingers by barely for the second passing the first check point in his King of the first time down the track. At that Mountain point, even had the second run Tournament were been perfect for King and a held over the past complete no-show for Stig, there two weeks. was no way the newcomer hadn’t already put the reigning champ to The first of the bed. two races was a faceing-off of the In the other Semi-Final, two cars that seemingly shouldn’t have been Big Three US automakers. GM there made the best of their was represented serendipitous advancement thus by a ‘69 Pontiac far in the tournament. GTO & a Chevy Nomad. The Crazy Jimmy displayed multiple Dodger Viper times that the Fiero isn’t a rally SRT10 vehicle by placing it upside down represented the on the track, and running out of Mopar brands, steam just shy of the finish line and the ‘92 (though given the judges’ approval Mustang he miraculously finished the 2nd showed-up for run). Ford. The Final came down to Angi Stig
In race 15, the cars were generally unusual, to say the least. Two of the cars didn’t really seem to meet the basic rules for entry into the KotM contest, as they didn’t appear to be realistic cars one might see on the street. One of the others (a HW Inside Story van) was missing a windshield, leaving the cab completely open. Only the Flat Out 442, a classic casting from the 1980s, resembled a car that could truly appear in a street race.
October 2, 2020 | 23
On The Track But, the race was set, so the race was run. And the somewhat Ford Aerostar-like Van Solo of Obi Juan came out on top and advanced to the KotM Tournament. His times weren’t fast enough to get him into the top half of the field, but he took consistent lines down the mountain and could be a sleeper in the actual head-to-head races to come. The tournament of 16 cars is comprised of the winners of the 15 qualifying races, plus Busted Luck
of Gus Greenfield, who benefited from a glitch in the matrix during one of the earlier qualifiers. Looking back at past video reveals that FGC Family in Kong is not only the first seed, but also an easy favorite in the VW Golf. But there are a few others who may be able to hold their own. Matt A’s The F’n Fifty and the L-J Sisters in “Fold Fire Tsunami 2” may sneak through to do some serious damage in the tournament.
Some numbers of note: Heaviest car in tournament: TLamont in “Executioner” comes in at 114.2 grams. He is currently ranked #2. Lightest car in tournament: Gus Greenfield in “Busted Luck” weighs only 68.6 grams. Average time of the entire field: 17.905
On The Track: Jackson Pass Speedway by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
the Nova.
J
At the end of race 11, there was a nighttime preview of the new track, which was installed between races 11 and 12. There’s no word as to why the track wasn’t left alone until after the round was done.
ackson Pass Speedway had been on a nearly month-long hiatus prior to the past two weeks. The reason? A newly renovated track. Now with racing returning to Jackson Pass, the first round of the Battle of the Centuries was able to resume and conclude. Race 11 of the first round featured one of the home track’s team, Lori Buck Decatur, behind the wheel of the Gulf Livery Chevy Nova. Her opponent was Todd Bower of Brick Church Racing in a Copo Camaro. The combination of Decatur’s speed on the straightaways and Bower’s being loose coming out of the turns led to an easy victory for 24 | Diecast Racing Report
As it is, the drivers of race 12 of round one got to try out the new track before anyone else. D-Man of Beaverworx Diecast Racing came to town to go up against Gnocchi Jack, the hometown kid. This was a race of Porsche models. D-Man was in a 944 Turbo, and
Gnocchi Jack in a LeMans racing model. The sports car versus the race car doesn’t even start as a fair matchup, and Gnocchi Jack sped easily to two straight wins and advanced to the next round. Very soon, Jackson Pass will be a very busy place, with a new Custom series, the second round of the Battle of the Centuries, and as the third leg of the DIRS.
Feature (DIRS cont. from page 13) filmed. It felt like these guys were here, because they actually modified their cars, and I’d seen pictures of them, and we’d talked about them. I saw their individual personalities in these cars. It sounds weird, but there’s something cool about that. (NOTE: Because there is another hour of this chat to go, this seems like a good point to break. If you’d like to hear the rest of the interview in its entirety, it will be posted at www.diecastracingreport.com over the next few days, and on our Facebook page, as well.)
The Races: As mentioned in the first part of the interview, the racers started with their cars at Mayes Mountain, and Randy T Rothmeyer gave the play by play.
The cars lined up in their designated garages on pit row, and the drivers were introduced on the jumbotron. For the Beauty race, Myke Maze was driving a Chevy Vega. Cross (Flat Rabbit Racing Club) was driving a Way 2 Fast. Dr. Thom “Spanners” Watson (Chaos Canyon) was at the wheel of his signature 8 Crate. And Phillip DeTank (Jackson Pass Speedway) was in the Dodge Challenger Concept. Two of the four cars have FTE (Faster Than Ever) axles, which have a lofty reputation. However, Fat Track is also known as the great equalizer, and that proved true during these 4 laps.
it to fair well over the series. While a rivalry may be budding between Maze and Phillip DeTank (given how much rubbing they did during the race), that may end up being a fierce battle for last place. On night two, the Beasts took to the track. Jason Paul (RTR Diecast Racing) drove a Chevelle SS Wagon. Glitch (Flat Rabbit Racing Club) was in the HW Fast Master. Frank “The Guru” Gibbs (Chaos Canyon) was in the signature 8 Crate. And, Gnocchi Jack (Jackson Pass Speedway) hit the track in an AMC Javelin.
It doesn’t really matter if your car has fast wheels if it is spinning 360s down the track, and that’s what most of this field did on every lap. The one exception was the 8 Crate, which held a straight line and was extremely consistent throughout the race. It may not have been as speedy as its compatriots, but it maintained control enough to be tied for the lead at the end of the night.
In the first lap, Paul got loose right away and blocked the field entirely, which was an interesting strategy. However, the cars that went straightest and were most true did the best overall. Guru took the first and the last lap. And Glitch and Gnocchi Jack split the middle two laps.
Cross tied Spanners in the points, as his Way 2 Fast, even when out of control, lives up to its name.
Once again the 8 Crate was steady. And this time, not slow. The Guru took a true line to victory. He didn’t score as well when starting from the back, but if you win when you start in the front, you’re going to win overall, and it looks like Frank “The Guru” Gibbs is the one to beat amongst the Beasts.
The Vega (Myke Maze’s ride) is known to be a pretty good drag car, especially in its pro stock model. However, it has a relatively narrow stance, and I don’t expect
Gnocchi Jack landed on his roof once during the race. And, I fear that won’t be a rare occurrence. The AMC Javelin has a tendency to be wild on Fat Track. As the series goes on, that is something to watch for.
As the series progresses, Diecast Racing Report will be covering the races at each of the tracks in their usual “On The Track” segment of the magazine. We are excited to see how this project goes, and wish the guys all the best in this endeavor. October 2, 2020 | 25
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