DIECAST RACING REPORT December 15, 2020 – Vol. 1 No. 13
Inside: Live Racing for the Holidays – Where to Talk Diecast Racing – We Got Dave’s Number & More!
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In This Issue
Table of Contents Editor’s Notes News Briefs Calendar Resources
4
QuickTips
9
5 6
Features Dave’s Number
10
is 621 Tournaments Big Poppy
14
Indiana Diecast Racing
15
OnTheTrack
15 18
9
10
Chaos Canyon
16
Flat Rabbit Racing Club
18
I Like Cheese
19
Live Young Die-Cast
21
3DBotMaker
22
Cover Art: Ali Kidder-Mostrom
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: Jim Desaulniers, Christopher (Kit) Kidder-Mostrom, Ali Kidder-Mostrom, Steven King, Josh Paufler
December 15, 2020 | 3
Editor’s Note Twenty twenty is almost over. There are a lot of jokes going around about that. And not surprisingly a lot of those jokes are based on some form of gallows humor. It hasn’t been a good year for most people. But, we in the diecast racing community have been making the most out of a bad situation for the better part of a year. Covid-19 hasn’t kept our field down. Rather, it has given birth to an ever-growing number of tracks, leagues, channels, modders, and diecast enthusiasts. So, today as I look ahead to 2021, I am looking forward to what the new year brings, but I’m also looking back at the year that was 2020, and I am glad that so many of us had diecast racing to hold onto. This issue is lighter on content that our more recent past issues have been. It’s the holiday season and our writers are, like many others, booked withmany obligations. So, before we kick off the new year with our January 5th issue, we’re downshifting for the final entry in volume one. I hope you will be with us in January when we kick off volume two of the Diecast Racing Report. We’ve learned a lot over the last six months of publishing this magazine,
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and we have some new things coming very soon. When I look back at our first 12-page issue back in June, I’m blown away by how much we include now. And, even more so by how much we aren’t even close to being able to cover. This sport/hobby is immense in scale. Kit Kidder-Mostrom As we all turn the page on this Editor-in-Chief year that has been, we have much to look forward to in the next chapter. Just today I read a post by someone who had just discovered 3DBotMaker’s videos. I remember being in that same place back in January. Today’s newbie has a lot to catch up on, and is set for a wild ride. Really, we all are. Every day there is something new. And that’s more exciting than I can tell you. But, given that that’s my job, I’m certainly going to try.
Thank you for reading Diecast Racing Report. And have a great holiday season!
News in Brief
Santa Sleds Speed Downhill at Rust Belt On December 19, The Sledding Hill at Rust Belt Raceway Park is hosting a race that is certain to bring the holiday spirit to race fans. Dubbed the “North Pole Shootout”, the event is featuring modified versions of the Hot Wheels Rockin’ Santa Sled casting.
Hot Wheels Calgary Hosts Live Holiday Racing Aaron Bird is determined to make this holiday season memorable. For months he’s been planing the Birdco 1000, which is a massive winnertake-all drag racing extravaganza scheduled for New Years Day.
The casting is known for having special rear wheels which cause a tiny Santa figure to bounce about as the sled’s wheels spin. And, despite the friction caused by those wheels, the rules of this tournament require that the rear wheels remain unaltered. The bouncing Santa is an integral part of the contest.
The race is capped at 128 cars. Each contestant sent in one stock diecast car. The cars had to be sent in by December 11, 2020. Cars have been arriving since mid-September, and the field is no longer accepting mailin entries. However, if you still want to participate there are cars in Aaron’s stable that you can buy from him and enter directly into the contest.
Another unique requirement of the contest is that every entry must have glitter as part of its decoration. So, the shiny, bouncy Santas will be headed down the three-laned mogulladen hill track when the video goes live on the 19th.
The races will be broadcast live on the Hot Wheels Calgary YouTube Channel on New Years Day. More information is available in the introduction video.
In the meantime, a car show video featuring all the entries is available on YouTube.
In addition to the New Years event, Hot Wheels Calgary will also have a tournament airing on Christmas Day. The Xmas offering is called the Festive 64 Car FTE Free For All.
The tournament is still looking for drivers and you can sign up to be a driver via this link. Unlike the Birdco 1000, the FTE Free For All is not a mail-in event. You don’t have to send a car to participate, and there is no fee to do so, either. You just have to have a hankering for speed and a willingness to win on Christmas Day.
Grudge Wars Results Posted, Invitation Extended TranSport Diecast Racing has posted the current standings of his #tdrgrudgewars, and has provided Diecast Racing Report with the submissions information so that we can invite more people to participate. This is a callout-based head-to-head racing event that is ongoing. Many of the participants are driving their entries from the Miatas at the Crest tournament, or Honda S2000s, which are part of a complimentary event hosted at the TranSport’s track. However, the cars need not be one of those castings.
(Grudge cont. on page 7)
December 15, 2020 | 5
Calendar
Mail-in Race Deadlines Entry: January 2, 2021. Stock: Drag strip. 57 gram weight Diecast 64 Winter Nationals (Feature Stock) – Deadline for Entry: January 2, 2021. Drag strip. Funny Car castings only. Dry lube only. 2 cars per team. Entrance fee. More Info: RaceHotWheels.com BlueLine Stock & Modified Car Tournament – Deadline for Entry: January 25, 2021. Drag strip. 65 gram weight limit for stock cars. Production cars only, no trucks, vans, concept cars, or fantasy castings. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Sunday Pinks – Deadline for Entry: Ongoing. Road course. No weight limit. No FTE/NPAs. Limit 2 vehicles per entrant. Weekly head-to-head races. Winners keep losing cars. Submissions must be on original card. More Info: Rust Belt Diecast Racing
Modifieds:
limit. Two cars per team. Category-specific limitations. Entrance fee. More Info: RaceHotWheels.com Diecast 64 Winter Nationals (Heavyweight Downhill Dash) – Deadline for Entry: January 2, 2021. Drag strip. No weight limit. 2 cars per team. Entrance fee. More Info: RaceHotWheels.com Race to be the Alpha – Deadline for Entry: January 9, 2021. Drag strip. Multi-week series. Cars must have Real Rider wheels/tires. Dry lube only. 2 cars per team. Limit 1 entry per household. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Muscle Mania 2021 – Deadline for Entry: January 22, 2021. Drag strip. 65 gram weight limit. Three categories of muscle car drag racing. Cars must appear on approved lists. More Info: RedlineDerby.com
Small Truck Tournament – Deadline for Entry: December 23, 2020. Drag strip. Trucks must remain stock weight. Modding only for appearance/paint job. Trucks must appear on approved list of four models. More Info: RedlineDerby.com
BlueLine Stock & Modified Car Tournament – Deadline for Entry: January 25, 2021. Drag strip. 60 gram weight limit for modified cars. Production cars only, no trucks, vans, concept cars, or fantasy castings. More Info: RedlineDerby.com
Diecast 64 Winter Nationals (Open Modified & Modified Street) – Deadline for
The Peg Clearing Brawl – Deadline for Entry: January 30, 2021. Drag
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Calendar strip. 80 gram weight limit. Cars must be on approved list of four models. More Info: Rust Belt Diecast Racing Sub4ra’s ADRC (Adult Diecast Racing Cup) – Deadline for Entry: February 1, 2021. Multiple road courses. 65 gram weight limit. Up to 4 cars per team. Limit 4 drivers per entrant. Entrance fee. More Info: Sub4ra Racing Channel 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 TD Grudge Wars– Deadline for Entry: rolling (open submissions). Road course. 90 gram weight limit. More Info: TranSport Diecast Racing
(Grudge cont. from page 5) The vehicles must be realistic models that appear to be road-ready cars. The weight limit is 90 grams. Any type of axles are allowed, and weight must be hidden, or at least generally unseen. Any car at TranSport is eligible to participate in the Grudge Wars so long as it is not currently involved in a tournament. That means that any car that has been eliminated, or any car that is awaiting the start of a tournament can be part of the Grudge Wars. Points are awarded for wins (2.5 points), and they are subtracted for losing (-1.5 points). Further information can be obtained by heading to the TranSport Diecast Racing page on Facebook.
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Resources
Quick Tips The Holiday season is a time when we look to gather with friends and family. In 2020, online community became so very important – and diecast racing has a great one! For those looking to connect, here are some of the myriad options that exist (some you’ll know and some new). 1. Facebook. Fan favorite 3DBotmaker’s group is often the gateway to being involved in the online diecast racing community. However, many other tracks have pages with healthy (and far more manageable) discussions. Why not check out Jackson Pass Speedway Racing or Chaos Canyon Diecast Racing? Also, besides using Facebook as their platform to run live races, Rust Belt Diecast Racing’s group has weekly car show and swap meet threads for the whole community. • 3DBotMaker on Facebook • Jackson Pass Speedway on Facebook • Chaos Canyon on Facebook • Rust Belt Diecast Racing on Facebook 2. Reddit. Reddit is the social media site for targeted community discussions, so of course there is a diecast racing subreddit. This small, but mighty, contingent of diecast racing fans discusses everything from upcoming races to
best car models and track materials. If you are on Reddit, it is definitely a place you’ll want to be. 3. Redline Derby. The grand-daddy of diecast racing discussion, Redline Derby is a great place to go for race listings, details about tracks and a healthy forum of general diecast racing topics. Whether you want to show off your latest mod, get tips on painting your cars or connect with track owners, Redline Derby is a one-stop-shop you’ll want to visit. 4. Track websites. Often the best way to find info (or merchandise) for a specific track is to go to their own website. These sites often have a forum for fans to participate in diecast racing discussions as well. For all the latest on Diecast 64, 3D Botmaker or Chaos Canyon, why not head right to the source?
give a heads-up when their new videos are coming. For fans of visual artist Glenn Harding (@glennscarcreations), Instagram is full of his exciting car-themed art. 6. Patreon. Those who want to step up support for their favorite diecast creators can become patrons on Patreon. For $1, $3, $5 a month, patrons often receive extra content including chat communities, the ability to contribute ideas and ask questions to creators. Modders like Diecast Graveyard, BareMetalHW and JH Miniatures are on Patreon, as well as the Diecast Racing Report. You can even connect your social media accounts to discover which of the creators you already love are on Patreon. BONUS: As we approach a new year and hopes of gathering IRL, there are many established Hot Wheels clubs across North America. These clubs let diecast enthusiasts gather to talk collecting and run some races too. There’s even an annual convention!
• Diecast 64 • 3DBotMaker
Support “Diecast Racing Report” through Patreon!
• Chaos Canyon 5. Instagram. For the latest images coming out of your favorite tracks, look no further than Instagram. Creators like sub4ra and Flat Rabbit Racing Club post great pictures and
Patrons get bonus coverage, PDF downloads of each issue, early access to DRR video content & much more! And best of all... Patrons keep DRR going for us all! https://www.patreon.com/ DiecastRacingReport December 15, 2020 | 9
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THE He goes by Dave We’ve Got His Number by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
Somewhere in Maryland, between Washington DC and Baltimore, there is a racetrack unlike any other. It starts out in a familiar way: six divided lanes of orange track. But, as it reaches the end of the inclined section, the track opens up into one really wide white sheet. That’s where the action really happens. That’s where the cars get to prove their mettle. Dave of We Race Diecast has quickly established himself as one of the up and coming forces in the diecast racing community. His track has garnered attention quickly, and has become a favorite of many who customize cars for speed. 10 | Diecast Racing Report
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621 December 15, 2020 | 11
Feature “I definitely didn’t see it coming,” says Dave of the popularity of The 621. When he started his channel, he jumped into the project with both feet, and that dedication has led to a solid following. He’s very quickly amassed over 500 followers of the We Race Diecast YouTube channel, and he’s attracting some of the top builders as his contestants. Dave came to the world of diecast racing through a common entry point. “When I first started watching, it was with my kids. We would compete and pick which car would win and cheer as they raced down the track,” says the software developer. “Eventually, my kids would get distracted and want to play with other toys, and I would be sitting there still watching. I wanted to see who ends up winning.” So, Dave set up his own channel on YouTube. “I wanted the channel to start of with a bang, a large tournament,” he remembers. At that time his channel was named We Race Things. Dave has a need to see things go fast. “I wanted to race diecast, but I had ideas for racing anything from marbles to RC cars and boats to large water balloons down a slip-n-slide,” Dave laughs. His first tournament was, indeed, large just as he’d planned for it to be. He ran 72 cars down five different tracks. His theme? Colors. He had twelve teams of six cars each. The
teams were sorted by color of car. That was started in late July. There were a number of tracks. One had a jump at the bottom of a ramp. One was a standard drag strip. One was an open road course. And, one was the 621. “The next tournament was just this open lane configuration, and I loved it,” says Dave. “I realized I could make a three-digit number out of what the track is: Six (6) lanes to (2) one (1) single open lane...and, The 621 was born!” Since he started to focus exclusively on the 621, Dave has hosted a number of fantasy tournaments featuring Hot Wheels 5-packs, as well as a monster trucks tournament and an exotics tournament. All have been well received. A couple of unboxing videos have been thrown into the mix on the channel, too. But the thing that put the 621 on the map? A casual mail-in series called “King of the 621”. “It took a solid month and a half to get the first six cars for the first event,” Dave explains. “I was thinking this would be a series I would run every once in a while throughout the year.. But, after the first event, a lot of people took notice and decided to get involved. Redlinederby.com was a big help. I was able to put the event on the site, and that attracted a lot of the first
few competitors.” The series has subsequently become a weekly occurrence. Each week, six cars from around the world face off on the 621. After six runs down the track (each car gets a go at each lane), the top three scorers get a shot at going up against the reigning King. Part of Dave’s quick success might be due to a rigid adherence to schedule. He puts out content regularly, twice a week, and he announced early on that it was his intention to do so. Keeping on schedule has one primary advantage which is “people know when you are releasing content”. And that leads to cultivating regulars who watch every video because they know when new stuff is coming. The king of the 621 isn’t the only mail-in event that Dave is hosting. Currently trucks are arriving for his Small Trucks Tournament.
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Feature This tournament will not only use the 621, but also three other tracks. “It will feature four tracks,” notes Dave. “Two have been on the channel: the 621 and a ‘There and Back’ configuration using the 6-lane and the crash racers set. The third track will be a modified version of the 621 and outdoors. The fourth and final track will be Clutch Mountain.” Clutch Mountain is currently in development and will be a custom diorama track. It will also be one of the stops on the 2021 DIRS circuit. “I’m really looking forward to being a part of a series that involves six other tracks.,” Dave emotes. “I haven’t started doing commentary yet, and my custom track is not completed yet, so it is pushing me to get to that point sooner, rather than later.” Since he hasn’t made videos with commentary yet, Dave has had to develop other ways to help the audience know what is happening in his videos. One of the clearest
examples of this is how he uses video titles to show who has placed in each race. He slows down the video during a replay, then pauses the action completely at critical moments. He then adds graphics to show the ranking of the finishers. “[Lack of commentary] poses a challenge for how I present information to the viewer. I need to keep them engaged, but also make sure they understand what is going on.” It seems that plenty of people are catching on to how things work at the 621, as racers continue to send in cars to compete. With a limit of five cars per builder per year, some racers are sending in their allotment all in one package, while others send their cars in periodically, one at a time. It’s all keeping Dave very busy: “I’m pretty much all in on diecast. I’ve always believed that to be truly great at something, it takes all or most of your attention. So, my thought process is, if I put in this time now, it will pay off in the future. It seems it’s already paying off.
December 15, 2020 | 13
Tournaments
Big Poppy Racing by Ali Kidder-Mostrom
As the year draws to a close, the moment we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived: the 2020 Diecast Games final event and medal ceremony. On December 4 Event 10, the “4 Car Relay”, brought every car back to the track for a final lap and a final chance to earn points for their teams. Event 10 returned to the same track last seen in Event 9 (“The Combo”), this time without a jump. Many cars still had a hop at this section of track, but it didn’t take the same toll that the jump (drop) did in the previous event. In a fun moment to watch, the Modena from Gen-X Vintage Racing seemed to hang midair as it traversed the (former) jump's downhill section. This was a relatively straightforward race and, sadly, what really stood out were the cars that couldn’t make it to the end. Silverback Racing’s team had a rough go of things with the Maserati stalling out just 2 feet shy of the finish. The Mazda Repu also did not finish, but at least that car wasn’t so heart-breakingly close. In a moment of luck, the Formula E made it all the way to the end, stopping just under the gate.
Crazy Fresh Entertainment’s team had an otherwise great run, until his Batmobile lost momentum and came off the track coming out of the final turn. It was one of two popular DNF locations for cars in this event. The other peril point was the second turn – cars with higher centers of gravity faced a tough time here. Cut Rock Racing, Po’ Boy, My Hot Wheels Collection and Peter Bee each lost trucks or buses in this turn. Simon D of Hot Car Track’s Chevy Nova Gasser also went a bit too far in this turn and drove right into the middle of the curve. It fared better than his Impreza did, however, as that car took a tumble down the third straightaway. One larger vehicle that didn’t fall prey to the second turn was Rust Best Racing’s “The Night Train”. It made its way all the way to the final straightaway; it thought it could, thought it could finish, only to come up less than a foot short of the finish line. After having a car disqualified last month, Nick Deavers ran a team of 3 cars, which all put up good times and put him at the head of the DNF pack (and 21st overall). Once everything was run, Your Nightmare Racing won the
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event (with a time of 33.717), followed closely by Red Pill Racing and QC Racing, with times of 34.088 and 34.133, respectively. MDG, Hot Wheels Calgary, Lady of Speed, Sandy Mc, Gen-X Vintage Racing, Tune Trax and League of Speed rounded out the top ten for this relay. Each team was able to add a good number of points to their team score, as the Games drew to a close. This weekend, the final standings for the 2020 Diecast Games were revealed and medals awarded to the top teams and the top cars. The names at the top were familiar and shouldn’t have surprised anyone. In the car category, Your Nightmare Racing’s fast and durable JL Studebaker took gold, followed by Red Pill Racing’s fantasy casting (Carbonite) at silver and Tie One On – Sandy Mc’s Jaguar XJ220 at bronze. When it came to top teams, Red Pill Racing and Your Nightmare Racing were still a cut above the rest, each earning over 400 points. But this time it was Red Pill Racing who took the gold and Your Nightmare Racing coming in at silver. League of Speed followed the pair for a bronze finish with 351 points. And so concludes the 2020 Diecast Games.
Tournaments
Indiana Diecast Racing by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
Indiana Diecast Racing got its start hosting races for a Cub Scout Pack in the central Indiana city of Westfield. Since last appearing on our pages, IDR has been hosting a special Headto-Head tournament for the members of Pack 129. That event is still ongoing, but as it is not an #AdultDiecastRacing event, so it hasn’t been bringing the IDR to our pages recently. However, the newest event on the IDR’s new “Tricky Triangle” track has been much anticipated and is finally up and running with group 1 of the first round of the Plethora of Party Wagons making its debut over the last week. Forty cars were entered into the tournament which only allowed the Hot Wheels Partywagon casting. Clearly, though, the limit on model did not impede the creative juices of the modders, as can be seen in the event’s Car Show video. The seeding of the tournament was by random lot, so on race day there was no reason that the first group seemed thematically coordinated. Nevertheless, the four wagons that lined up at the starting gate appeared to have been made to be together. Three of the vans were white with accent colors. Two had been splatter painted, and one had spots like a Holstein cow. There was one design anomaly in the group, the race host’s own Angry Raph, which was painted in an appropriately dark crimson and black scheme. The first of four laps was led
from start to finish by Secondhand Speed’s splattered entry. The other three Partywagons struggled to get momentum on their sides. Three vans eventually crossed the finish line. The overall lack of speed led one to believe that this tournament might be easily dominated by a handful of the diecast racing community’s more experienced builders.
In the third lap, the Angry Raph did get a chance to redeem itself, and Jim D led the pack for more than half the race. Big Al made a move to pass shortly before the run to the finish, and pulled away to take another lap victory. Jim D managed a 2nd place finish, while Scooter maneuvered COW-a-Bunga to block Secondhand Speed, bringing both of their vehicles to a halt long before the finish line.
The second lap, however, was cause for hope of a more competitive field. Big Al’s Ninja Splatter made an early move and took the lap victory, but Secondhand Speed and COW-ABunga were both in close pursuit. Jim D, sadly, took an off-course turn, as his home track advantage failed to show itself for the second time in as many laps.
After two DNFs in three laps, the dairy cow had come up lame, and driver Scooter’s only option in lap 4 would be to potentially play the role of spoiler. The other three vans all had a shot at moving on. The top two vehicles advance in the IDR’s standard format. Additionally, the fact that the IDR awards points directly proportional to the finishing placement, without a bonus point for finishing first, meant that Jim D could potentially pull out a second place finish, although that result would be a long-shot chance. The final lap proceeded on theme as Secondhand Speed took the lap with Big Al in second. Those two wagons move on to the next round. Scooter and Jim D kept their track records going, each with a DNF. December 15, 2020 | 15
On The Track
On The Track: Chaos Canyon By Jim Desaulniers
Canyon Outlaws On December 3rd, the Outlaws were back on the track. Coming into this week it’s probably fair to say that no one is safe, no matter their current position on the list. Well, except Guru. Mike & Xanthippe chose to take a week off due to their big wrecks the previous week. That means Guru & Jade Munky got to remain on top, unchallenged. This week, the grudge matches were unusually competitive. Tavor would edge out Tamara thanks to an exceptionally fast start. Nick would get a clean win over Sharon in a battle of the trucks. And finally Gina would smoke Steve in the battle of the 8 Crates.
would end, as Ugly Betty would wipe out, handing a win to Grinder in a race that probably would’ve been a loss for Ugly Betty after a turtle-slow start. Ugly Betty would end the day only advancing one position. Having defended his position, Grinder would go head to head against Nancy Wilson, just getting the win after taking a shot from Nancy Wilson at the line.
Moving into the list callouts, we’d see #8 Ugly Betty and #7 Jumping Spider continue the streak of clean runs, with Ugly Betty putting on the block at the finish and just edging out Sharon.
Nancy is starting to look like the most consistent car on the jump, but this time it wasn’t enough to overcome Grinder’s speed. Continuing on against El Dardo, Grinder would struggle out of the gate, but he’d turn on the jets over the jump and come out of Carhooner Corner with the lead. Unable to keep Grinder straight, Glitch would allow Kit’s El Dardo to pull dead even, and it would come down to a look at the replay to see who won. Because this race was so close, you’ll just have to head over to Chaos Canyon and watch to see who came out front! While you’re at it, make sure you grab some donuts!
Unfortunately, that’s where our luck
During the week I was able to catch
The most amazing thing about all three of these races: all six cars clear the jump without wrecking! It’s hardly the canyon without the chaos, yet all we saw during the grudge matches this week was a bit of fast, clean racing.
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up with Guru to get a view of the competition from the drivers’ point of view: Jim: “You've held the top spot on the list for quite a while already, who would you say is your biggest threat going forward and why?” Guru: “Scud is obviously fast, and you have to keep an eye on Click, cause once Xanthippe gets used to that jump, she's gonna be tough to beat as well.” Jim: “What makes Jade Munky so good?” Guru: “We spent a lot of time getting the balance just right, and as you've seen, staying on your wheels is the hardest challenge at the canyon. The length and low centre [yes Americans, that’s how Kiwis spell center] of gravity in the Munky is what really sets it apart.” Jim: “Is there such a thing as home track advantage at the Canyon?”
On The Track prove risky, and drivers would need a fair amount of finesse to successfully navigate the course. Cyrano Buckminster would have one of the nicest bits of driving on the day, with a fancy spin move to avoid a wrecked competitor. Julius Harris pulled off one of the most epic recoveries, hitting both an off-course jeep, a boulder, Gnocchi Jack, and the sidewall of Carhooner Corner before making the save.
Guru: “I've obviously spent a lot of time getting my angles on the jump just right, so I'd say that definitely helps, but the canyon plays no favourites, so I'm sure I'll lose a race one day.” In my opinion, “one day” may not actually come in 2021. Thanks to Guru for the responses! On December 10th, the boys aired the 2020 finale of Canyon Outlaws. Once again, Guru and Spanners shared something a little unexpected, and there will definitely be a reckoning following this episode! I won’t spoil the chaos with a recap, but you definitely need to watch this footage!
Rally 2020 Stage 2 ran on December 6th, with the top 16 drivers competing on the Canyon Road Course, updated with several rally-style checkpoints. Keep in mind, that like other rally events, points are cumulative, so drivers have to perform well on each stage to have a chance at the title. This event was exciting right from the get-go, with Grandma yet again showing us her skill with a late pass. As is always the case at the Canyon, chaos would reign supreme, despite a plethora (no, not of party wagons, that’s a totally different channel) of well-landed jumps. Like we so often see on road courses, speed would
Rob Allen, driving the real-rider Lancia, would ricochet off a billboard, complete a barrel roll, and cap it off with an avoidance maneuver in reverse on the way to a lap win. Rob and the other real-rider competitors would again see more success than I think any of us expected. Just like in Stage 1, several drivers would tie for the bottom 3 spots, so we were treated to several bonus races. Nerves and aggression would seemingly get to all of them, and the ones who managed not to wreck would take the day. Despite a variety of vehicles, heading into Stage 3, only a few points separated 1st from 8th. Following the epic racing that day, I
December 15, 2020 | 17
On The Track tracked down Granny for a couple questions: Jim: “You've had some great results in the rally race so far, what's been the secret to that success?” Granny: “My secret? Hit the gas and don't hold back. Death is literally just at the side of the road, but if you get scared, that's when you crash out. You just gotta go for it.” Jim: “The real riders did great in Stage 2, did any of the other drivers see that coming?” Granny: “They are always a risk. They had better shock absorption on the Rocky Road and the road track seemed to work pretty well for them as well but the tight forest Helix track could be what really makes it hard on those tires.” On December 13th we got to see the culminating round of the Rally 2020 competition. For weeks now we had all been dying to see the new helix track, and with numerous jumps, crossovers, and even water, there’s no way it was going to disappoint.
The first run was, let’s just say, not what we expected! It quickly became apparent that speed alone would not equate to a championship, and that this would be this toughest track the drivers had yet to attempt. I particularly love how the new track is interwoven with the Canyon Road Course, and the fact that the cameramen have to work just as hard as the drivers! The two real riders weren’t particularly fast on this track, and would produce mixed results, but there was no clear advantage for the “regular” tire cars. Across the 8 finalists, there would be several fast, great runs, but plenty of chaos and disappointment as well. The Round 3 scores would be super
tight across the top 5 drivers, with the deciding factor for the championship coming down to the points total from the previous two rounds. Be sure to head over to the Canyon to check out all 3 rounds to see how it all played out. All in all, an excellent first rally serious for the fellas, set on 3 iconic tracks that fit in perfectly with the canyon’s mantra: No Chaos, No Fun!
On The Track: Flat Rabbit Racing Club By Ali Kidder-Mostrom
Fantom Funway.
This week Flat Rabbit Racing Club brought us a tale of miniature entertainment, with maximum thrills, in a New Westrock feature “Mutant Buzzards Must Die!”.
Fun it was, starting out with Cross and Johnny facing off in a best 3 out of 5 race. The track at Filthy’s is unlike anything you’ll find in the city, with and interesting wave ahead of the 3rd turn.
Out in the desert, our heroes found tasty treats, at Bill’s Fish and Chips, and frightening tricks, at Filthy’s 18 | Diecast Racing Report
However, one thing clearly made Cross feel right at home: a jump
caused by a gap in the road right before the finish line. At least, he looked quite in his comfort zone, zooming to the lead in lap one. However, Cross seemed to get a little lost on the second lap, handing both a second and third lap win to Johnny. It was the fourth lap, though, that proved the most contentious. Cross
On The Track and across the finish line. Johnny was right there too and the pair could not agree on who took the win. So, they re-ran the lap and – this time – there was no questioning that Cross won that lap… and the next… and the race.
took an interesting detour (off the track) before cartwheeling back on
With a good race under their belts, things took a frightening turn, when a (big) bird
problem showed up. Apparently, Filthy’s is the “Mutant Buzzards Capital of the World” and it seems that the buzzards have a bigger appetite for cars than even SCAR (Steel Corps. Auto Repo). Thankfully, Cross was able to pick up more than a vanilla shake when he stopped at Bill’s earlier. Johnny brought along friends with some impressive firepower and they came in really handy. This is one feature presentation you won’t want to miss.
On The Track: I Like Cheese By Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
With the Friday Night Cheese and the ILC Championship Baja Race series done for the year, only one other Chapman Films racing series was left to wrap up its 2020 season. The ILC Stock Car Cheese Championship saw seven of the year’s top drivers competing in one final NASCAR-styled event. The seven drivers had all won one of the earlier events in the year. They were also all placed (thanks to ties) in the top four ranked spots in the season standings. Going into the championship event, 3DBotMaker was the points leader, followed closely by Chris Smith in second. WarPig76 was tied with Terry Hill for third place; and Wolfe74, Michael Insig Neeya, and JD Elst (aka, The Zombie) were all tied for fourth.
With only three points difference separating the field, this was destined to be a close race. Using a modified point structure this season finale, the winner of the race would have a significant advantage in the standings. Five points went to the first finisher, while second got two points and third got one point. All finishers after that received no points. At the top of the hill, the starting grid was determined by the order of the races won earlier in the season, so the pole sitter was Wolfe74, who had won the first event of 2020. WarPig76 and Michael Insig Neeya rounded out the front row. The second row is where the power players resided. 3DBotMaker, Chris
Smith, and Terry Hill were set out three abreast. JD Elst, the season’s final winner, brought up the rear as the only inhabitant of row three. In the first lap, Wolfe74 maintained his lead position, while 3DBotMaker plowed ahead and took over the number two spot. Terry Hill shifted backward to the last spot in the field. Despite some slipping and sliding near the finish line, it was a clean, fast lap. As the racers set up for the second December 15, 2020 | 19
On The Track lap, JD Elst in the #2 car had moved into the middle of the pack, and seemed likely to make another move towards the front. As the gate dropped on Lap 2, the field sped into the Hot Dog Turn (turn 1) and then all Hell broke loose. As the cars slowed slightly, edging up the embanked left-hand turn, the field bunched up and caused Terry Hill to flip in the curve. At the other end of the turn, the resulting turbulence also flipped 3DBotMaker on his roof as he entered the second straightaway. Remarkably, 3DBotMaker’s #43 made it the rest of the way down the track on his top, stopping just about an inch shy of the finish line. Though all that sliding was for naught, as the rules state that a car must be on its wheels to continue racing. In one fell swoop, two of the topranked cars were eliminated. And, on the same lap, Chris Smith was kept from crossing the finish line due to having been caught behind Terry Hill’s accident. Smith lucked out, though, as he was still on his wheels. So, he got to keep racing, despite doing so from the back of the pack. With the field suddenly shrinking to five cars, and two of the top contenders out, it looked like this was very much anybody’s race. That being said, up to this point, Wolfe74 had been dominant from the pole where he remained at the start of Lap 3. WarPig 76 moved into the number two slot, and JD Elst found his way onto the front row having moved up quite a bit from his starting position. Chris Smith was now the hindmost car, but he was actually in the fifth spot, or... Exactly where he started the race originally. In Lap 3, Wolfe74’s lead looked unbreakable. Starting from the pole 20 | Diecast Racing Report
one last time. No one had yet come close to passing him. The rest of the field behind him was shaken up a bit. Chris Smith and JD Elst swapped spots on the starting grid. With five points at stake, and with 3DBotMaker and Terry Hill out of the race, whomever won the race would also win the over all points total for the season. A lot was on the line. WarPig76 edged ahead for a moment going into the Hot Dog turn, but Wolfe74 put on the gas and never looked back, retaking the lead and speeding toward the finish. WarPig76 made one final push at the end, but Wolfe74 blocked him as they both crossed the finish line. Wolfe74’s car was pushed across the line one full car’s width ahead of WarPig76. The race was his all day long, and so, too, was the season championship.
Wolfe74 was alone in first place, while WarPig76 and 3DBotMaker were now in second in tandem. Wolfe74 also became the only driver on the year to win two separate races. As the overall winner, Wolfe74 is the proud new owner of a $1.19 gift card, which is the traditional ILC prize for claiming an annual series win. As this now brings all the Chapman Films series to an end for 2020, racers can set their sights on 2021 and what it holds at the Man-Pam Motor Speedway. On an earlier broadcast Chapman Films was heard to say that a third turn would be making an appearance in future races, and it would make sense for that to be added as a new season begins. With many a close race changing leads just after the finish line this year, an additional turn and added length would make for an exciting change.
On The Track
On The Track: Live Young Die-Cast By Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
The Race to the Cave finals was the final stage of an eight car tournament to declare a superior Batmobile. In the first round, Group 1 was won by Michael Keaton in the 1989 Batman movie Batmobile. Group 2 was taken by Ramses, one of the LYDC regulars in the Justice League Batmobile. In the finals, scoring worked just as
it had during the previous round. The winner of any given lap earned five points, second got three points for their effort. Additionally a bonus point could be awarded for getting “big air” on the mid-course jump. And an additional bonus point could be earned by getting all the way into the cave after the finish lane. In the first lap, Keaton took the checkered flag with little effort. He also cleared the jump and went all the way in to the cave, earning a perfect 7 points for the lap. Round two was much the same. A perfect score. With this being the final race on this track (LYDC is relocating to a new house), it was a little disappointing that the competition wasn’t terribly close through the first two laps. Hoping for more excitement, Ramses and Keaton headed back to the top of the hill. In Lap 3, the racing was much closer. So close in
fact, that a tie had to be declared at the finish line. And Ramses was the only driver to take his ride all the way into the cave. But, neither car got the jump bonus. With 19 points on the day at this point, Keaton was assured a win. Nevertheless, the two cars had to do what they came here to do: four full laps. Likely because he saw the futility in his position, Ramses seemed to put less effort into the final lap, and Keaton handily put the contest away. There is more racing to be seen at Live Young Die-Cast, but no more on the Hill Country track. A new track will be constructed once the league owners get settled down in their new abode. In the meantime, there are a couple more races to be held at the Baja Drag course which is one of the rockingest courses out there. We wish LYDC all the best as they make their move, and we look forward to more great racing when they get their track back up and running. One of the promised races on the new track? A 2021 Batman-themed race in which Michael Keaton will attempt to defend his title as the best Batman, or at least the best Batmobile driver.
December 15, 2020 | 21
On The Track
On The Track: 3DBotMaker By Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
With much of the attention in 2020 on the DRC and the massive King of the Mountain tournaments, it might be easy to forget that there were only four standard tournaments on Race Mountain this year. But, when you look back, you can see that while their number was few, the action-packed videos were many. Luckily, for those who may have forgotten what had happened in the first few months of 2020, 3DBotMaker made a series of videos featuring each of the series winners and their road to the championship. In the first video released this past week, we got to see the evercontroversial journey of Crazy Jimmy who won the Ferrari tournament in a Pontiac Fiero. In the second video we saw Crazy James and his climb through the ranks of the Classic Stock Car tournament. The video was also a
chance to look back at the beautiful custom paint and decal work of Nero 62. The third video was telling the tale of Mad4Robots. Although most of the clips were actually commenting on Golden Cheddar, and other competitors in the Summer Camaro Tournament. Looking back, it really seemed that Mad4Robots was a non-entity in her own story until the head-to-head race off that allowed her to claim the crown. Finally, the recap of James Bond’s successful ride through the Fast and Famous Tournament. With fresh memories to influence who we might cheer for in this yearend event, the stage was set for the 2020 Championship. Unlike past years, there was no exhibition race prior to the main event. Rather, the total length of the event itself was doubled. 3D started the video with an announced rule change. The cars would do a round-robin through the field twice. That is,
22 | Diecast Racing Report
there would be eight laps, rather than just four. One of the things that 3D does better than anyone is scheduling his commercial breaks. It may seem to be a odd thing to praise, but by taking control of the placement of the breaks in his videos, it makes for otherwise uninterrupted viewing. The intermission between laps four and five worked really well. It didn’t break up an actual race, which is something that many other channels haven’t yet mastered. Anyway... On to the the racing! Lap 1 featured tight racing all the way around with Crazy James and Bond in a game of cat and mouse. In this case Crazy James made away with the cheese just before 007 could get his claws into him. Lap 2 showed that Crazy James was not just a little loose on the first lap. His wildness became a bigger problem in the final straightaway and it allowed Crazy Jimmy to make
On The Track had to be pushed across the finish line by Mad4Robots, narrowly avoiding a DNF and moving into second place. Lap 6 saw Crazy James claiming his fourth lap victory of the day. By this time Mad4Robots was mathematically eliminated. Unlike in her preview video, there would be no coming back later despite being mentioned very little earlier. On this day, not being mentioned much was a clear sign of underachievement.
up time and pass his elder sibling. Lap 3 shook up the standings quite a bit when Crazy James got nudged off the track at the end of turn two, and the previously third place car of James Bond came across the finish line first. Crazy Jimmy took a moment to live up to his name on the fourth lap. The little Fiero was flying. Nobody had a hope of catching him, And then within a few feet of victory, Jimmy took a seemingly random hard
left straight off the track. Crazy James took the checkered flag.
Lap 7 would put the icing on the cake for Crazy James. As he would have to get a DNF in order to lose his death grip on first place. He didn’t fail. So, as expected, Crazy James won the tournament one lap early.
Had the finals ended after the traditional four laps, Crazy James would have been your champion with 007 in second place. But, instead, you got a commercial break and four more races on the other side.
For the final lap, which would decide 2nd place, it was completely on theme for the season. Bond and Mad4Robots crashed, handing second place to Crazy Jimmy. And without anyone to stop him, Jimmy drove the majority of the final lap in the lead, going backwards.
Lap 5 had the four cars back in their original staging positions. Crazy James won, with Crazy Jimmy lucking out and getting second. He
The season that made the Crazy Brothers a part of all of our lives, ended in fitting fashion.
From the Staff of Diecast Racing Report: Thank you for your support over the last 6 months. Happy Holidays Well see you next year! December 15, 2020 | 23
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