DIECAST RACING REPORT March 17, 2021 – Vol. 2 No. 5
Inside: Diecast International Racing Series – Mystery Box – Quick Tips: Adhesives & Much More!!!
2 | Diecast Racing Report
In This Issue
Table of Contents Editor’s Notes Calendar Resources
4 5
QuickTips
6
Columns Mystery Box Tournaments
14
16
6
8
Sonora Diecast Racing League
10 WeRaceDiecast 11 Rust Belt Diecast Racing 12
OnTheTrack
8
TranSport Diecast Racing
14
RTR
16
Flat Rabbit Racing Club
17
3DBotMaker
18
Chaos Canyon
23
ILC
25
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, Stefan Huwer, DeeZaster Jakk, Christopher (Kit) KidderMostrom, Ali Kidder-Mostrom, Steven King
Cover Art: saberstudio / Shutterstock.com March 17, 2021 | 3
Editor’s Note t’s Saint Patrick’s Day, and that would normally mean that folks across the country would be out and about at various bars and parades celebrating the unofficial holiday of beer. While many may still get intoxicated tonight, many of us around the country are still awaiting inoculation before we can tarry too far into the public sphere.
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needs of the community. We mostly cover the bigger leagues, but we’re trying to make sure that you get some coverage on the sites that are a little smaller, but doing good work.
This is a week of other celebrations, too. And those celebrations are more directly related to the pandemic that brought many of us into this sport. This is the first anniversary of Josh Paufler’s Rust Belt Diecast Racing community. He started everything off with the Quarantine 500, and hosting live races on Facebook every night of the lockdown. A year later and there has been 365 days’ worth of live racing spread out among the five tracks that host events for Rust Belt. That’s something to celebrate.
Ali has been instrumental in that coverage. She culls the internet for channels that are just on the verge of breaking out and features one of those each month.
As you’ll find when reading the On The Track section of the magazine today, RTR Diecast Racing is also celebrating its first anniversary. The channel’s videos didn’t launch until April of 2020, but the track and its history began a year ago this week. Many have joined what was a much smaller community prior to a year ago. So many now watch the sport that a number of channels have recently been able to reach YouTube’s monetization benchmarks. It’s exciting to see their success, as well as their innovation. We continue to try to cover as much of the action and developments as we can. We also continue to be stretched much too thin to cover all that we wish we could. There are a lot of leagues out there that seldom grace our pages. That’s not for lack of desire to cover them. There’s just not a surplus of time for the five of us on staff. It’s my goal to cover every channel that we can, but we’re not to a point where we can meet the
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Kit Kidder-Mostrom Editor-in-Chief
It was truly heartwarming to read a comment from the owner of Sonoma Diecast Racing about how much he appreciated our coverage of his track in our last issue. He’s got a great set-up, and we’re glad to share it with the world. I can’t wait to see what track she features next month. March has been an odd month with less content from the big players than in many months prior, but what action there was has been exceptional. I hope you enjoy reading about it. Let’s celebrate together the great world of diecast racing!
Calendar
Mail-in Race Deadlines Stock: 24 Seconds of Lemons – Deadline for Entry: March 25, 2021. Road Course. 50 gram weight limit. Goal is to be the slowest/worst car overall. Limit 2 entries per household. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Death Valley Showdown – Deadline for Entry: March 31, 2021. Drag strip. 135 gram weight limit. Limit 2 entries per household. More Info: RedlineDerby.com May the 4th Be With You Race – Deadline for Entry: April 21, 2021. Road Course. 60 gram weight limit. Cars must be Star Wars-based (Star Wars castings, Star Wars paint job, or Star Wars-themed decals). Limit 2 entries per household. 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. Racing for pink slips. Submissions must be on original card. More Info: Rust Belt Diecast Racing
Modifieds: BlueLine Middle Weight Modified Tournament – Deadline for Entry: March 23, 2021. Drag strip. 125 gram weight limit. Cars must start as an original car/truck body. Fantasy cars/trucks are allowed. Limit 2 entries per household. More Info: RedlineDerby.com 24 Seconds of Lemons – Deadline for Entry: March 25, 2021. Road Course. 50 gram weight limit. Goal is to the slowest/worst car overall. Limit 2 entries per household. More Info: RedlineDerby.com
Garden Canyon Run Spring Classic – Deadline for Entry: March 27, 2021. Road Course (Outdoor). No weight limit. Limit 2 entries per household. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Death Valley Showdown – Deadline for Entry: March 31, 2021. Drag strip. 135 gram weight limit. Limit 2 entries per household. More Info: RedlineDerby.com City Connection – Deadline for Entry: April 15, 2021. Drag Strip. 57 gram weight limit. All entries must be HW ‘85 Honda City Turbo II casting. Limit 1 entry per household. More Info: RedlineDerby.com May the 4th Be With You Race – Deadline for Entry: April 21, 2021. Road Course. 60 gram weight limit. Cars must be Star Wars-based (Star Wars castings, Star Wars paint job, or Star Wars-themed decals). Limit 2 entries per household. More Info: RedlineDerby.com Ladder Wars – Deadline for Entry: rolling (open submissions). Road Course. 50 gram weight limit. 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 TD Grudge Wars– Deadline for Entry: rolling (open submissions). Road course. 90 gram weight limit. More Info: TranSport Diecast Racing
March 17, 2021 | 5
Resources
Quick Tips
Let’s Get Sticky! Grab the Right Glue for the Job
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luing things together in diecast modification can sometimes be a sticky situation. Don’t worry! If you want to know the best way to hold it all together, just follow these quick tips about adhesive. 1. Choose the right adhesive for the project. It’s easy to just stick to superglue and epoxy, but if you really want to know what the best adhesive is for sticking one thing to another, Makezine.com has a handy dandy chart to show you which glue to choose. 2. Listen to your Elders. Twopart epoxy has been the gold standard in diecast building for a while. In particular, JB Weld products are a favorite among experienced diecast modders – and for good reason. This epoxy is a solid choice for your diecast build. See how it works, as Chris Raab shows you how to use JB Kwik when putting axles back into a car, in the video “Race Modding your Hot Wheels – The Basics 2 (part 1)”. 3. Super Glue is a super choice… sometimes. Cyanoacrylate glue is hard, fast drying and gets into all crevices of your build, which makes it a wonderful tool. It can also leave a 6 | Diecast Racing Report
tell-tale white residue as it evaporates and, if those polymers form in the wrong place, you can gum up your wheels. So, consider carefully before using it for everything. Want to know how it works? In “Chemistry Ph.D. Explains how Super Glue Actually Works,” Goobertown goes into hardcore chemistry mode. 4. Super Glue can do a super trick. When combined with baking soda, which speeds up the polymerization process, super glue can be used to rather instantaneously make a super-hard plastic filler. See it in action in “Baking Soda Reinforcing Glue Repair” by Engineer of None. 5. Let in a little Light. If you just want things to stick together quickly and easily, why not try UV glue? As long as light can get to it, this adhesive cures in a flash. Stormsure
Ltd shows you how it all works (spoiler: you shine UV light on the glue) in the video “Bond Glass, Plastic And Much More With UV Glue! | HOW TO USE”. 6. Be open to all the possibilities. It’s easy to stick to what we know, but there are a lot of makers out there with a lot of adhesive experience. Have you ever thought about using contact cement? Black Sheep Props tells you why this is their go-to choice in “Contact Cement Basics”. 7. Sometimes, it’s elementary my dear Watson. When adding dioramas to your track, you’ll need a different kind of glue – our good old elementary school friend PVA (aka Elmers). This water-soluble glue is great for building terrain and can be diluted for easy application. Learn more in Roll for Damage’s video “SCENIC GLUE - How to make”.
Support “Diecast Racing Report” through Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/ DiecastRacingReport
Resources
March 17, 2021 | 7
Column
MYSTERY BOX by Ali Kidder-Mostrom
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hat inspires you? My team “Just Another Pop Culture Reference” is just what it sounds like. But, let’s be honest there is just SO MUCH to choose from when it comes to the world of pop culture. Sometimes, it helps to have a bit of guidance, some self-imposed limitations, to help inspire creative design. The goal is to create one car per month, each with a random paint color and pop culture theme selected by roll of the dice. Also, there will be a unique challenge for each car (basically the reason I turned to the box) just to keep things interesting. This could be a technique to use or
race to prep for or well, the sky’s the limit! This mystery box challenge was originally inspired by Gaslands builder JH Miniatures and this month I return to those roots. The challenge for April is to build a Gaslands team! Challenge: Build a GaslandsTeam Die Rolls: Theme: TV (6) Colors: Green (9) and Metallic (7)
Build/Design Notes: This may be stating the obvious, but not everyone who modifies diecast cars does it to race them. Some mod to put their creations on a shelf and some mod to put their creations into battle. There isn’t a hard or fast rule, but most Gaslands teams typically consist of two cars. So, I picked two cars from the box for this month’s challenge and rolled twice for color. I’m not worried about racing these cars, so even though their wheels aren’t great I am going to give ‘em a go. I pulled a Track T and a Pontiac Rageous, both by Hot Wheels. They’re also both from the 90s which is appropriate for the TV theme I picked: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (specifically the 1987-1996 cartoon series.) I think I got there because of the combo of rolling green as a required color and the April O’Neil yellow of the Track T. Either way, going with TMNT made the Gaslands Sponsor choice an
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obvious one: Slime! As I mentioned on the last build, nail polish can be a cheap and easy paint option. I wasn’t planning to use it on two builds in a row, but L.A. Color Metal nail polish in “Jaded” is a great metallic green that gives full coverage with just one coat. It was basically perfect for this challenge. I left the basecoat on the (jumpsuit) yellow car as-is, just removing the tampos with a little acetone (and elbow grease) and incorporating metallic tones in the detail painting and weaponry. I removed the entire top of the Rageous. It wasn’t necessary and it allowed me to add an armored windshield replacement, paint the seats for each Turtle and have a platform in the back for weapons. Because Gaslands is as much a battle as it is a race, picking weapons was a crucial step. For April, I wanted it to be inspired by her camera and I found a mini-gun which fit the bill. For the Turtles, I was inspired by the lasers atop the Party Wagon and threw in some pizza-box “grenades” for good measure. Also, Slime teams get a special perk which allows the addition of rams without using up any build slots. I’ve never built a Slime team before and I went a bit Oprah with them (you get a ram! and you get a ram! and you get a ram!). This included breaking out the hack saw to
Column transplant a shovel from the front of one truck to the front of my intrepid reporter, adding two rounded rams to the Turtles’ car (to emulate a manhole cover) and applying some random spikes to both… just because. Green Stuff epoxy putty came in quite handy while attaching all of this weaponry. For those who haven’t tried it, Green Stuff is a yellow and blue make green, clay-like, twopart epoxy which allows you to mold, fill and affix to your heart’s content. It was particularly handy in attaching the front shovel to the Track T. A little goes a long way, so the rule of thumb I follow is: mix less than you think you need. Thankfully, I have another modder in the house, who can usually take my extra before it solidifies. There are, of course, alternate opinions (check out the March 3rd issue’s Quick Tips for more). In Gaslands, metallic often means one thing: Rust. So, I brought out my finest (10/0) detail brush and cued up Night Shift’s video on painting a chipped rust effect, which has been my go-to since it was included in Quick Tips for the July 17, 2020 issue of Diecast Racing Report. After the detailed rust application, I went through with a rusty brown wash to accentuate detail and add a rougher overall appearance. I used an enamel wash of my own creation. It’s worth noting that this must be done very carefully, as enamel wash is basically just tinted paint thinner.
An acrylic wash is generally more prudent if you want to keep your enamel paint detail intact. Other important bits of detail painting included adding the Channel 6 number to the sides of April’s car (a little paint thinner helped give it a runny, Slime aesthetic), adding Turtle teeth detailing to the front of the Turtles’ car (again, inspired by the party wagon) and building a bunch of tiny pizza boxes out of cardboard.
tabletop game, you can brush right over the wheels… and I did. As mentioned above, though I didn’t use it for this build, acrylic wash is also a great way to add that layer of dust and grime. I’m not big (experienced) with figure painting, so I left my seats empty. When making design and game-play choices, I often prioritized story. For example, there have to be four Turtles, so I upgraded their (invisible) crew by two, even though it cost eight cans. Indeed, everything has a cost, so it meant that the side (manhole) rams were really just decorative when it comes to statistics.
Check out the video of
I also used a lot of dry-brushing in this build, both to age the metallic silver paint that I applied and as a final step to add layers of dust, rust and road dirt to my builds. For this
the entire process on the Diecast Racing Report YouTube Channel.
When all was said and done, this is what the stats looked like for my team (based on the Gaslands Refuelled book): Team TMNT Sponsor: Slime
Total Cost: 60 cans April Car (Middleweight) Crew: 2 Hull: 10 Handling: 3 Max Gear: 5 Weapons: Minigun, Front Ram (shovel), Rear Ram (spikes) Perk: Delicate Touch Cost: 28 Cans
Turtles Car (Middleweight) Crew: 4 Hull: 10 Handling: 3 Max Gear: 5 Weapons: Combat laser, Grenades, Rear Ram (spikes) Perk: Hog Wild Cost: 32 Cans
March 17, 2021 | 9
Tournaments
Sonora Diecast Racing League by Ali Kidder-Mostrom
In 2021 here at Diecast Racing Report, we’re shining the spotlight on some lesser-known (or at least lesser-followed) track channels. Each month, one channel will get a full month of race write-ups alongside our established tracks. With so many tracks, there is no way for anyone to catch all the racing action, but this should spread the net a little wider. Hopefully, one of these new channels will catch your eye and become a favorite worth following. This month’s featured track is Sonora Diecast Racing League. (https://www.youtube.com/ user/DrErickZ/featured)
S
onora Diecast Racing’s Ford League is now in its fourth event, bringing drivers from around the world to all race in Fords (of all shapes and sizes). This tournament consists of five race stages, each with four laps per group. There is a lane change and points accumulated for each lap. The new course starts with four side-by-side divide lanes which quickly merge into a fat track turn. This time, Batman is a spectator and Robin was nowhere to be seen.
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Depending on the group, cars bounced around once the lane opened up, but still mostly managed to finish without the calamity of the first three obstacleridden races of the series. However, traffic jams still happened. As was seen in the third pass for Group 1 when Dave (from WeRaceDiecast) flipped over, wreaking havoc for the other cars and leading Israel Luna to park just before the finish line. However, even with that DNF, Israel Luna came out on top for the group (with 12 points), followed very closely by MnM Racing’s Markista (with 11). Dave and JD Elst each recorded 7 points. In Group 2, Supercar Blondie’s tall truck seemed to be a poor choice for the newly curvy track. When it careened out of control on lap one, it caused a catastrophe for all the cars which, somehow, Héctor Vale managed solely
to escape unscathed. Blondie appeared to lose gumption on the next lap, letting all the other cars take a long lead… before coming from behind to take the lap win. The ruse clearly caught Héctor by surprise, as he stalled out without finishing a lap that it had previously looked like he would handily win. Lap three was also filled with DNFs, seeing Erick Z finish and Héctor again giving up, this time while also grabbing lunch. But he came back to battle in lap four, rubbing and rushing past the competition to win the group (at 10 points), as the only car to finish
(SONORA cont. on page 13)
This channel is great for fans of: ▪
International Racing
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Techno music
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Pop culture nods
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Crashes… so many crashes!
Tournaments
WeRaceDiecast by DeeZaster Jakk
W
ith winter slowing, WeRace kept right on marching with the King of the 621 in March, and as spring nears WeRace will host a few various tournaments like Builder Wars, The Traveling Party Wagons Tour, and the newly announced Hatchback Tournament.
King of the 621 Event 16 kicked off with six new cars ready to duke it out for a chance to take on the current king, Nick Deavers. From the drop of the flag in race one Eli Storm was quick to establish some dominance over the other drivers in the heat. As the event ran on Eli got tied up a few times with Sheriff John Brown as he and Deuce Elias tried to keep up with the speedy Storm, but still managed to hold onto 2nd and 3rd to advance to face the mighty king. Storm rushed out the gates and gave King Nick a run for the title as the first race was a photo finish that showed the king winning by a hair. The rest of the races wouldn't be as nice to the king, as there was a bit of a shake up in the points race. When the dust finally cleared from race four, the score proclaimed a new king, and the very fast, and ever constant, Eli Storm would steal the crown from Deavers by one point. A very colorful and eclectic group of cars lined up on the track for Event 17 of the King of the 621.
From the start El Jefe blew out of the gates with some real speed, but the more constant and controlled drivers like Nero, Maxine Hunkle and That Other Boy, along with Daddy G hung at the top of the leader board midway through the heat. Daddy G, Hunkle and Nero hung on to advance with a chance to own the crown. King Storm turned on the speed and used some devious tactics to push his way into the lead, letting the other drivers know he wasn't about to give the crown away. The rest of the heat was much the same, as the king showed the other drivers why he had the crown. Daddy G did challenge the king a few times, but in the final race King Eli's victory was a clear statement, not just to these drivers, but to anyone who wants to challenge him for the title. An eye-popping Event 18 opened with a mix of some older "classic" cars, but age didn't hold back Chicken George in his 80's stock car from taking a quick lead in the points race. Race by race R-lo, The Alchemist and the classic RV of Mayfield41 gave chase to the chicken, but George ran too quick and advanced. R-lo and The Alchemist were fast on the heels of the chicken to challenge King Storm. R-lo, The Alchemist and Chicken
George all saw a first place win in front of the king, but Eli nailed it in race four to take first, holding the title for another week. Classic muscle, fantasy and JDM put together the group in Event 19 to challenge Eli Storm for the Kot621 title. Boss' mustang raced an almost flawless heat winning race after race and it was basically a fight for second and third. Chevrolator and James Elliot held on to advance with Boss to face off against Storm. At the onset of The Kings Round, Boss rocketed straight to a win, leaving Eli tied up for a second place finish. Once again the Storm stepped up and shut the door race after race to defend his title and hold onto the crown. The 621 will soon be taking a break. During this time off, the Travelling Party Wagons tour will be coming to Clutch Mountain. Also, Builder Wars is set to rage on the 621! WeRace will be preparing for the much anticipated DIRS and with a quick visit to RedlineDerby.com, you can get the information you need for the upcoming Hatchback Tournament that was recently announced. March 17, 2021 | 11
Tournaments
Rust Belt Diecast Racing by Jim Desaulniers
Rocket Falls Rocket Falls, home of the “outside parabola,” produced some excellent races with wild finishes during the first week of March. The week started with the Rocket Dragway staple, MOPAR or No Car, on Monday and our current podium champion, Rich Good, successfully defending his title. The rest of the week saw no themes to the races as it was a free for all Tuesday through Friday. Tooth Fairy, Randy Jarusiewic, was able to make his mark in the silver Batmobile and get a second car into the Season Two Championship. Randy managed to reign supreme until he came up against the likes of Josh "Cupcake" Paufler in his T-Bird Stocker on Thursday. Paufler carried the crown out of the week by defeating first time champ Chris Honeyfield in the wild 1980 El Camino. There was so much chaos in these races with rail grinds, cartwheels and an out of nowhere
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endo by High Octane. It just goes to remind everyone that while they may look pleasant, at Rocket Falls the lanes don't matter and the finishes are made up as necessary!
the Tiger’s Tail Raceway.
Sunday Pinks
Midnight Shrub
Sunday Pinks continued to see some of the fastest vehicles yet, with the Tooth Fairy tying the track record of 3.241 seconds in his ‘96 Porsche Carrera. Following recent victories, Terrance Cummings now holds 3 of the 5 track record cars.
Barry Porter is on a 2-week win streak while Adam Hutchings won the podium race for the fourth week in a row.
Shredder Speedway
Micro Mods has returned and JP has outdone himself once again. The theme of “Grandma’s Kitchen” is outstanding and somehow fits really well. The new track complete with a great custom start gate is oddly right at home in the kitchen, though we all know grandma wouldn’t let us play with our cars on her kitchen counter! Two events and so far it’s all Rubber Tow and his bus, scoring more than double the points of any other driver. Shorty Showdown remained outside and saw Mega G maintain his title despite a couple close finishes. Admiral Sanders would also take the win once again in the food truck race. We even had an unscheduled grudge match as a result of all the smack talk… Paul Spink would take down Heather Harmon in 2 races on the micro mod track.
In their second week of live races, Shredder Speedway saw some spectacularly fun racing, complete with a photo finish in the podium race on Wednesday. The week started out with a musical theme including “Heavy Metal Monday,” featuring all metal cars. Tuesday saw the “Twisted Blister,” running a standard “rip and roll” of 16 cards from their blister packs. Wednesday was a tribute to Eddie Van Halen called W-Eddisday. This theme featured all Lamborghinis as a clever reference to EVH’s “Panama,” where you can hear Eddi’s Lambo revving its engine. On Thursday they went “Truckin’” with the Grateful Dead, drag racing 16 trucks. The week ended with some Aldo Nova “Fantasy,” with 16 fantasy cars on
Micro Mods & Friday Night Food Fights
Tournaments (SONORA cont. from page 10) two laps. Perhaps not surprisingly, Eduardo López (who has been bottom of the pack so-far this series), recorded a sad goose-egg. Group 3 was well-matched overall and had some exciting laps. In lap two, “Superman” Steven King flew past the competition to first place, but it was Braydam Saavedra’s red Mustang Mach 1 that really went flying – right off the back of the curve. Superman continued to perform well until, in a surprise lap four, he rolled (as did competitors Stuntman Sam and Efrén Ramírez) and this time it was Braydam who was the sole finisher. In the end, Braydam and Superman each flew away with an impressive 13 points. The next group proved again that this track is not made for trucks – with 2D rocking and rolling (over) each lap, until finally staying on his wheels to earn a whopping 2 points in lap four. Competitor Ivan Leung, on the other hand, could be congratulated for his remarkably consistent performance – his GT40 Gulf taking 2nd place on each lap and ending the race with 12 points. Chacho Gurrola also took 12 and Carlo Corral ended the event with 10 points. He starting off with an impressive pair of lap wins, then an equally impressive pair of DNF crashes.
how the mighty have fallen, 2D had just as impressive a drop into 13th. There is one event left, the “Free Style” which dropped right after our deadline here at Diecast Racing Report. We don’t spoil races so close to press time, so you’ll have to watch to see who lands in the top eight, qualifying for playoffs. As has been seen so far, no one should feel too comfortable, as each race truly counts. We’d love to hear from you! To nominate a track for consideration, just drop a line to
comments@dicastracingreport.com. The rules are simple: 1) the channel must have fewer than 500 subscribers 2) they must have some sort of demonstrated commitment to putting out content 3) it should be fun! Rule #3 is really Rule #1. Recommend whichever track makes you smile: narrative-style videos or just straight-up racing, new to the scene or a longtime track, high production quality or keeping it simple, drag strip or fat track or something else. Each month we’ll pick from the nominated tracks to bring you something new!
Once again, the race events led to a shake-up of overall standings, though Chacho Gurrola managed to stay on top and widen his lead slightly. Steven King rocketed up into second place and an overall score of 49, which he shares with Carlos Reyna and Ivan Leung. The rest of crew shifted to and fro, with the most impressive climb made by Israel Luna, who moved all the way up into 9th place. And, March 17, 2021 | 13
Tournaments
On The Track: TranSport Diecast Racing by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
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n our last issue, we covered the first half of round one of the Diecast Racing International Series. The third video was released just before we went to press, and so in this issue, we’ll cover that video’s results, as well as the final video of the tour’s time at TranSport Diecast Racing. The last two weeks have been busy at TDR. Not only was Angel’s Crest the host of the DIRS, but the King of the Crest ladder series got going with a vengeance, as two episodes have aired, and the ladder rankings have been thoroughly shaken. More on that after the DIRS news! Round three of the DIRS at TranSport Diecast Racing was made up of Groups 5 & 6. In Group 5, Wobbly Bob was the highest ranked driver in his ‘70 Plymouth Road Runner. Mopar Mac kept to his
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namesake’s brand in a ‘69 Dodge Charger 500. Clutch represented the Filipiak cousins out of South Carolina, and Markista made his way to the track in a ‘12 Corvette Z06. In lap 1, the two top-ranked cars finished 1st and 2nd, with the other two registering a DNF. Lap 2Saw Wobbly Bob and Mopar Mac repeat the finish order of the previous lap. Although Mopar Mac made a better race of it, thanks to some pinballing by Wobbly Bob who tried to live up to his name by applying an unorthodox driving style. Lap 3 was led by Markista, who flew down the track all alone while Clutch caused a pile-up from which he eventually escaped, limping into a second place finish. The first half of lap 4 looked like old school IROC bump drafting. It was that close, and the cars were all single file. But, faster cars want to pass, not draft. Wobbly Bob skittered around everyone, and moved up handily from fourth to first in nifty
fashion. Group six had Erik Slan in the topseeded spot. His Corvette Grand Sport Roadster was as speedy thing, but it did develop some intriguing problems as the day went along. Ironman came to play in his ‘71 Maverick Grabber. Khei was behind the wheel of a ‘91 GMC Syclone. And the group was rouned out by Rowdy Rowley in his ‘66 Ford Fairlane GT. The Corvette’s wheels were clearly spinning faster than everyone else’s on the first lap. Slan easily won the lap with all three of his competitors crossing the finish line in a clean lap of racing. Rowdy Rowley did complete the lap, but he was miles and miles behind the rest of the field. Lap two ended in a true photo finish. Slan barely edged out Khei. A hairs breadth was all the difference on this
Tournaments lap. At the other end of things, Rowdy Rowley barely finished for the second lap in a row. Lap three featured Khei, who zipped past Slan and then broke away when the Corvette slid into an ugly drift. Despite winning the first two laps, awkward drifting had been a habit of Slan’s throughout his day. The only reason Khei was able to catch him in lap two was because Slan had slowed down thanks to ill-advised drifting. Lap three just happened to be the first time it bit Slan in the butt to be showboating, rather than racing outright. Lap four was won by Ironman, who needed to put in a good finish at least once to make a dent in the overall standings. Slan came in second. A weird drift once again cost him the win. But, his consistent scoring still meant that he came out of the day with the most points. Part four of the DIRS at the Crest featured groups 7 and 8. Group seven was a rogues’ gallery of cars. Daddy G and Paladin both showed up in ‘28 Mercury Cougars. Gnocchi Jack (of Jackson Pass) had his Toyota AE86 Sprinter Trueno purring at the starting gate. And, Josh Paufler (of Rust Belt Diecast Racing) lined up in a Chevy Stepside Pickup from Matchbox, with a flaming jet engine mounted on the back. Lap one went exactly as one might have expected. The fastest car in the group, the AE86, won easily. Paufler’s oddball truck registered a DNF, and the other two finished in the space in between. The second lap showed the meaning of “rubbin’ is racin’”. There was all sorts of contact. Daddy G used a creative blocking strategy to bring the lap almost to a halt before
speeding away to take the lap victory. Paufler saw Daddy G’s success on the previous lap, and tried his hand at a similar blocking strategy. Somehow it worked, and the topheavy-little-truck-that-could saw the checkered flag on lap three. By lap four it was clear that this group would be defined by the drifting, blocking, and rubbing. Paladin was the beneficiary of the shenanigans this time, finally sprinting to a 14-point group win. Group eight was made up of the four middle-most ranked cars in the bracket. These four were hardly separated in their qualifying times, so it was set to be a very close race. Lap one didn’t disappoint, with a lot of lead changes, and a lot of position changes further back in the pack. Glitch (of Flat Rabbit Racing Club) took his stock Project Speeder to the head of the class in time to take the lap victory. In his ‘89 Nissan Sileighty, Dom Woodley held off the challenge of Flip of Flip’s Racing for the lap two win. Flip’s ‘65 Ford Mustang exhibited a lot of handling problems, and an unexpected push through the final turn left him trailing the speedy Nissan. Flip made it clear in lap three that his car has the speed needed to win,
but not the alignment. Spinning out of control, Flip slowed the rest of the field down enough that Woodley was able to pass everyone and snatch another lap win. Lap four saw the stock HW Project Speeder take the modders to school. At under 40 grams, that car is the definite lightweight in this competition, but it is fast. After concluding the eight-group round robin stages at TDR, the cars were shipped off to Colorado. We’ll have reports on their performance there in our next issue.
King of the Crest The ladder has been hoisted, and the grudge matches are no more at TDR. The races are a little less high tech in their presentation than the DIRS, but the racing is just as real, and the single-camera style makes the races feel a bit more intimate and immediate. John Tran calls them live as he’s filming them, along with his nephew Oliver, who often drives for the TDR team. Before the ladder races, four challengers face off to earn the right to go up against the Crest’s ten best. In episode one, Bill Vincent became the first to try to climb the ladder.
(TranSport cont. on page 25) March 17, 2021 | 15
On The Track Camero
On The Track: RTR Diecast Racing League by DeeZaster Jakk
H
ard to believe one year ago found a lot of us trapped indoors due to unforeseen circumstances searching for "something better". A whole community found their "escape'' in the entertainment provided by various YouTube channels like RTR DieCast Racing, and tracks like "The Mighty" Mayes Mountain Motor Speedway. From a humble shell of a track in Alabama, RTR has grown to over one thousand YouTube subscribers in the last year. With over 130 videos of races, fun hype, and even Myke's own gardening techniques, hours of great entertainment has been produced over the last 12 months. After designing and engineering the correct support system, Myke spent time testing and adjusting the track for maximum performance and speed. After the grade of the reverse s-style track was established, Mayes began adding rock faces to cover the base structure and give the track very cool "curb side appeal." Construction crews then moved in to build the new track’s infrastructure, grand stands, race garage, and even a small town for tourists and racers alike. Myke's "special trees and bushes'', along 16 | Diecast Racing Report
with how-to videos, were added with grass and other small finishing touches before the track would be open to the public and Randy T. Rothmyer was allowed to take the mic for the inaugural Diecast Racing Duo Series. The Diecast Racing Duo Series Mayes Mountain Motor Speedway - Qualifying Episode 1, that dropped 11 months ago has over 1,000 views, and together the 15video series has over an hour of racing and highlights. Nine teams, pairs of the same casting, customized by Myke Maze Customs, with stock wheels would go head to head, with the faster of the pair advancing on to compete with the other nine teams. Following the Duo Series, Mayes Mountain loosened up a bit with a lively 2-part Mayes Mountain movie night, before announcing the Mustang Mania Tournament. The sixteen driver, single elimination tournament took place in 17 videos released over a month. With the spring ponies, RTR would also start their weekly “Hot
Wheels vs. Matchbox Grudgefest”. Every week’s Grudgefest would feature the same mainline production casting from Hot Wheels and Matchbox, letting them face off to see which diecast car maker would reign superior. The summer began to heat up, so Mayes Mountain decided to release the four part Corvette Summer Series featuring 8 drivers in some of the hottest American sports cars. With only four parts, this series is not short on action and fun. After a short trip to the beach, the Mayes tribe was back to action in the Camaro vs. Firebird Tournament. 8 stock Firebirds and 8 stock Camaros went head to head for not only individual driver points, but also factory team points, to see which manufacturer produced the better ride.
On The Track builder would reign supreme. From that humble four track, eight cars series evolved into the DIRS we all know From there, Mayes Mountain didn't let up, continuing on with the weekly Grudgefests, tournaments and a trip to a new track, Flat Rabbit Racing Club. This collaboration with Flat Rabbit, Chaos Canyon, and Jackson Pass would be the start of a glorious new tournament, the Diecast International Racing Series. The Beauty and the Beast would be a series where each track custom built two cars, one beautiful, and one that was as beastly as each track desired. The cars would travel to each of the four tracks to see which track and which custom
Mayes Mountain played host to the All Stars Tournament. The All Stars were the best of the best from the tournaments of Mayes Mountain Motor Speedway's first year.
today.
After all the fun of year one, Myke Mayes decided to close the speedway for a short time to extend the track and add some new "eye candy" for fun.
With the wrap-up of Beauty and the Beast, Mayes Mountain moved on to an Exotics tournament. Sixteen of the sweetest exotic cars made brought a close to the summertime fun, but RTR wasn't finished for the year, they just hit their stride.
Now with the track back open, and Grudgefest back underway, RTR has already begun to plan for a great second year as they await the visit from the DIRS and recently RTR announced an upcoming Nissan Tournament in the works.
The RTR Truck series and the ever-present Grudge Fest took us through the fall and into winter, and from there closed out the year with RTR Diecast Racing Rally Challenge.
With the new additions to the track, the international race, the craziness of Grudgefest, and new mail-in and driver call tournaments in the works, RTR and Mayes Mountain Motor Speedway has twice the fun planned for year two!
With the start of the new year,
On The Track: Flat Rabbit Racing Club by Ali Kidder-Mostrom
T
here weren’t any new races in New Westrock this weekend, but - if the footage leaked on March 7 is any indication – big changes are coming to Flat Rabbit Racing Club’s (FRRC) stomping grounds. With extra heat on the rabbits
from SCAR (Steel Corp Auto Repo) authorities at their door, there has been some demolition to the FRRC HQ. Though whether by the invading authorities or as a preemptive precaution by the wily racers, is unclear. Newly crowned Get Up. Stay Up. Champion, Boxer, was seen emerging from the newly
excavated underground tunnels. He must have felt secure in this new warren, as his signature headlights were blazing the whole way. It will be exciting to see what the underground racing league will look like in the future, now that they can literally go underground.
March 17, 2021 | 17
On The Track
On The Track: 3DBotMaker by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
A
t this time last year, it was one week until the second DRC event of 2020. 3DBotMaker’s audience had begun to grow at an escalating rate, and the excitement was palpable. Jumping forward 365 days, and we have just witnessed the first video of the new DRC track and the beginning of the 2021 DRC season. Long-awaited, the new track is far longer than the DRC’s former home. There are more turns, more bumps/ jumps, and a digital timer to catch the lap times of the competitors. Of particular note is a 270-degree turn that exits through an underpass and into a 90 right turn that points cars towards the finish line. And almost as exciting as the new track is the field of cars in this race. Back for another season, Steven King, Kid Duknott, Angi Stig, and Ryu Asada are all back after their successful first seasons. They are joined by circuit veterans Crazy Jimmy and Dylan. The field of eight is rounded out by two rookies, each driving in Porsches: Bobby Roberts at the wheel of a 914 Safari (Hot Wheels), and Pedro Penduko in a 911 Rally (Matchbox). The veterans were all in their previous year’s cars. King and Duknott were back in their signature 18 | Diecast Racing Report
Escort Rallys. Angi Stig was raring to go in her Renault Megane Trophy. Asada was back at the wheel of his Lancia Delta Integrale, which had received a paint job during the off season; no more a ZAMAConly prototype, this car had its main line look on display for race day. Dylan was a crowd favorite from the very first DRC event back in January & February of 2020. He drove a yellow 2008 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and he had his Evo in this race, too. For the first and second installments of the first event, the drivers are putting down their qualifying laps. These are solo trips down the track, and are timed only. No check points or big air bonuses come into play during qualifying. The main focus was the time on the official clock. For the first official lap on the new track, no other driver would have been appropriate, it had to be taken by “Superman” Steven King. The blue and white #8 car was looking nearly mint condition. After the wear and tear of last season, it’s nice to see the tampos looking so sharp. As this isn’t the same exact car (same
model, same casting, but not the same car out of the package) as last year’s three-time champion, it will be interesting to see how King does in this first event. Does the casting have a consistent performance level, or does each individual car perform differently? The lap put in by King was a solid run. Described by some as cautious, it had the appearance of a driver seeing a new course for the first time. King cleared both of the mid-course jumps, but didn’t take to the air over either one. He handled the big curve with some confidence, and made a small jump on the post-finish line jump. He posted a time of 18.122. It’s difficult to tell if Kid Duknott has the exact same car as last year. He only raced in one event, but it was a hard fought one. We didn’t get a chance to see his car take multiple series’ worth of damage the way we did with King. I suspect that this car is the exact one that gave King fits in
On The Track the final round of Event two. As he made his way down the track, Duknott’s speed was evident. He’d clearly been paying attention to King’s run, and learned a thing or two. He didn’t adopt his rival’s cautious approach to the track, going up on two wheels, briefly. Other than that, the track proved no difficulty to Duknott’s Escort Rally. He crossed the finish line with a time of 16.4 seconds. If this is the same car as last year, this may be an indication that last year’s Steven King was much faster than this year’s Steven King. We’ll have to see. Angi Stig had a reasonably good run, putting in a time that was just a tad slower than King. The 270-degree “cave” turn caused her a bit of trouble. This may be indicative of her car being a little lighter than the others. Longer curves normally necessitate more momentum to get
through them, and more often than not, that translates to weight. A lighter car has to be traveling much faster to maintain velocity through a corner that long, whereas a heavier car will stay in motion through the curve more easily. Ryu Asada’s first run was exciting, but not terribly successful. The Delta Integrale was lightning fast through the first two jumps. So much so that he was the first driver to take to the air over those bumps. However, he never managed to stick the landing, instead taking a bit of a bounce after touch down. His wild bounce off the second jump led to his
eventual landing on his roof just before the 270. With minor alterations coming to the cars before the second half of the qualifying round (more on that in a minute), the possibility of even more speed and bigger jumps will bring the question of Asada’s stability to the fore. Dylan’s performance in his Evo may make folks wonder why that particular model gets a lot of
March 17, 2021 | 19
On The Track attention in the diecast racing community. First, one must remember that part of why it is popular with modders is that it is disproportionately large, and has a huge amount of room for adding weight, that coupled with a wide stance, and a pretty long wheel-base, and you’ve got a great customizable racer. In the DRC, this car is stock, so the big amount of empty space inside doesn’t come into play at all. And the stance and size of the vehicle aren’t terribly helpful over the jumps. That’s how things went for Dylan. He made a solid lap at 18.4 seconds, but he looked shaky all the way down. Crazy Jimmy brought a white Fiero to the races this time around, and he had a row of four flood lights mounted on the front of his hood. The car almost looks like it could be
an actual rally car… if Pontiac had ever entered a rally race. Jimmy didn’t let his fans down one bit. He didn’t do well, but he put on a show. He went a little wild near the beginning fo the track, and then he went whole hog and turned himself around, comp;eting the race backwards after doing about two thirds of the course in reverse. With the veterans done for the day, it was time for the rookies to show what they could do. Bobby Roberts was the first of the two newbies to take a trip down the track. In all downhill diecast racing, friction is the enemy of speed. Wheels spinning and rolling on any surface will generate friction, it’s a basic truism. The same principle is applied when an entire car rolls over, only unlike a wheel, the whole vehicle isn’t designed to do multiple
revolutions on a track. The kind of friction that is caused by a barrelrolling Porsche 914, is the kind that kills a car’s momentum. The fact that Roberts was able to keep his car going after his momentary cartwheel speaks well of his driving skills and the fact that he had a good head of steam prior to his post-jump spill. Nevertheless, he didn’t have what it takes to make it around the 270, and he ended his run with another barrel roll, right off the track and into the parking lot next to a bunch of vans and campers. Pedro Penduka was able to put in a respectable 18.522 after a lap that bounced about a bit. But overall he finished, and that’s what was important on this first day of qualifying. From this round, only four cars move on, so the second half of the qualifying round will be immensely important. As mentioned briefly before, the second half is more likely to have more speed, as the drivers will be more familiar with the track, and some between lap lubing is scheduled to happen, which will likely given even the lightest of these cars a better chance at making it all the way around the 270. The new track is set to become a favorite of the many fans of 3DBotMaker, although there was a little initial push=back from fans who missed the comfort of what is already familiar. Yet, this course is one that will convince even those more reticent souls that the DRC’s best days are still yet to come.
King of the Mountain Qualifiers Eight and Nine took place over the last two weeks, as the field for the third KotM tournament has become more than half full. Qualifier Eight was a difficult one to 20 | Diecast Racing Report
On The Track pin down when it comes to theme. Until now, the videos have all featured some sort of theme for the cars, whether they are all JDM, or American, or some other unifying theme. There has even been a Misfits theme for four of the more unusual models. But the eighth qualifying run seemed to be a hodgepodge of vehicles that had very little in common beyond them all having four wheels and being entered into this event. It is likely that this will happen more often in the second half of the qualifiers for this tournament, as the field of available cars dwindles. Earlier this year, 3DBotMaker made an announcement that all of the cars that have already had their solo qualifying runs down Race Mountain, would be competing before any more cars are unpacked and tested at 3DBotMaker HQ. That means there are a couple of things that become clear as one looks over the list of cars yet to compete. First is that themes aren’t always going to be easy to come by. And the other thing is that the race participants are likely people audiences have become familiar with in the previous two tournaments. Bryan B, the builder of the now famous McClyde’s van saw his other car take to the track in the eighth qualifier. His entry was named Zinger, and was driven by Carl. It appeared that inside the car were a couple of creatively painted tungsten cylinders that closely resembled Minions from the movie of the “Despicable Me” series of films. Purple Haze 442 was a Flat Out 442 driven by Bill Vincent. This car was built by the same person who gave us Audihouse previously. AJ Rivera’s #11 Red was a Ford Thunderbird, and was driven by the son of the man known to use
previously as Obi Juan (he of the windshieldless Inside Story van in tournament two). Dev “Munchkin” drove Starburst, which was a ‘65 Ford Galaxie 500 with a glittery paint job. Three of the competitors weighed in well over 100 grams. Only Bill Vincent’s car was under 103, at 94.7 grams. #11 Red looked to be an early speedster in the first lap, but he was stuck behind Zinger, who he pushed along the route’s entire divided-lane section. Bump drafting doesn’t work the same way in diecast racing as it does with motor-powered vehicles. Basically, when the back car is faster, it is repeatedly being slowed by the car in front. To the point that eventually the front-most car can separate from the chaser, and the trailing car slows due to having lost a bunch of momentum. That’s what appeared to be the story of lap one. Once the track opened up, Rivera got loose and never recovered. Carl took his Zinger away from the rest of the pack and took the lap victory. The second lap was a study in consistency. Bill Vincent led from beginning to end, and the four cars kept their order from the top of the mountain to the bottom.
AJ Rivera was on the front row, and got a chance to show his speed in the open air during lap three. Carl was on his tail, but then got loose and stuck on a wall, only to be knocked free by the slower cars. Rivera showed his speed, but upon noticing his over-20-second time, it became clear that #11 Red was only truly fast when compared to these other three cars. This was a heat of four not-sospeedy racers. Carl and Rivera made up the front row of lap four, and with a chance to prove who was fastest with nobody in the way, the Minion took the day. The Zinger qualified for the KotM tournament, but currently holds the slowest time in what so far has been the field with the fastest average speed. Qualifier Nine was another matter altogether. The theme was trucks, vans, and SUVs. Tornade was driven by Tiss. The car was a 2-Tuff and was built by the same person who gave us the L-J Sisters in tournament two. The truck’s name is apparently French, as this builder is also directly related to the builder of Kong, (FGC Family) the reigning King of the Mountain. Danny Cabeza was a Mazda Repu driven by Jasael. The Puerto Rican March 17, 2021 | 21
On The Track
flag flew proudly from a mast mounted in the pickup’s bed. Gina Mayes (mother of first tournament racer Shelby Mayes) drove The Shocker, a glittery ‘07 Chevy Tahoe. At 94.1 grams, The Shocker was this round’s heavyweight. Finally, Miscreants drove an Inside Story van for Gen-X Vintage Racing. Originally a Spiderman van from 1979, this is the same model that Obi Juan took into the second tournament last year. It was built by the same person as Tartan Titan in the first KotM tournament. Lap one started wild and ended wilder. Gina Mayes began her evening of mayhem crashing in the first turn. From that point on, Jasael’s Danny Cabeza led for the overwhelming majority of the track’s length. However, on the final straightaway, Miscreants sprinted towards the finish line and passed the Mazda Repu almost as it it were standing still. The Kraken van demonstrated dominating speed in the first segment of the second lap, but also displayed the tendency to knock about coming out of the second turn. Bouncing off the outside of the turn’s final length, Miscreants was unable 22 | Diecast Racing Report
to keep control as his van pinballed its way up onto the left wall of the track. A knock from Jasael set The Kraken back in motion, but it was too late to catch up with Tiss who took the lap victory. No other vehicle finished the lap, as Gina Mayes had crashed again, and Miscreants spun out in front of Danny Cabeza, stopping both cars’ forward progress. The one bright spot in the lap was that despite the police cruiser being activated on this lap, the trooper also rolled his car in turn three, resulting in no impounded cars. Lap three was taken by The Kraken, as Miscreants held a tight line all the way to the end, posting a sub-17second lap time. Elsewhere on the track, the police seemed to have joined the race, as they passed the slower two cars, seemingly guiding Gina Mayer to her first complete lap. Lap four’s excitement started early again. The Kraken was stuck behind Gina Mayes who went wild in turn one and nearly knocked Tiss out of the running, but everyone got themselves sorted out and Tiss took the Tornade into the lead coming out of the chicane. Jasael was on her tail. Somewhat unexpectedly Gina Mayes remained upright through half of turn two, but returned to form when
she rolled through the second half of the turn, coming to rest just after the exit of turn two, blocking The Kraken at the same time. Danny Cabeza tried to pull the same move on Tiss, that Miscreants had used on him in race one, but The Tornade stayed in first place, and took the lap four win. For those who were wondering exactly why the number of laps was raised from four to five, this race illustrates why the new policy was instituted. One point separated the top two cars in this heat after four laps. It was clear that one car was faster than the others, but if the race had been called after four laps, that car would not be the one advancing to the tournament. The fifth lap gave The Kraken one final chance to redeem itself. And, Miscreants put the pedal to the metal and drove a similar line to that which won him lap 3. Tiss was solidly in second, until she unexpectedly did a barrel roll coming into turn three, allowing Gina Mayes and Jasael to get around her. Gina Mayes saved her best for last and, despite the commentator’s derogatory comments at the time, came in second on the final lap. The police once again raced past the slower two trucks without making an arrest.
On The Track
On The Track: Chaos Canyon by Ali Kidder-Mostrom
C
haos Canyon wrapped up the GT Manufacturer’s Cup at the end of February, before moving on to the next great thing. The GT Manufacturer’s Cup Finals were good for teams Bentley and Jaguar. Unlike most manufacturers, these teams each had two drivers qualify for the Finals, making up half the field. After all the points were tallied, the Finals started as they began – a good day for Bentley and Jaguar. All three top spots went to drivers from these two teams. Tyra Marks (in the # 38 Bentley) took the individual crown and led her team to a Manufacturer win as well. Jaguar was second overall and Jaguar driver Compkiller came in second to the champion from Jackson Pass. Bentley’s Scooter Roundwell – who had started the day as points leader - took the bronze. The next event to grace the Canyon track was the Mustang Memorial Tournament. Things started with a qualifying round on the newly remodeled Helix track. This track is full of twists and turns, crossovers and… crashes. That last part was mostly for the older Mustangs, as classic American
muscle cars are not really designed to run on the same style of track as your typical rally car. Not surprisingly, the more modern models seemed to have an edge for the day. Shelby Maze flew through the track posting the fastest time, an imposing 6.40 seconds. Another top contender was Canadian Stig, from Diecast Mega G Downhill, with a #3 qualifying 6.55 seconds on his first lap. His second run was also fast and fun, when – perhaps taking a tip from Lily the Dog – the Canadian contender did a full barrel roll for flourish, right before the finish line. AB, from Decataur Speedway, also posted a sub-7 second time, taking second place for the qualifying round. On the other end of things, our slowest competitors were James Stirling, Hames Junt (of
CloakedAfterDarkRacing) and Keys, visiting from Flat Rabbit Racing Club. Each of these drivers were over a full second behind the top qualifiers, posting times of 8.17, 8.07 and 8.07, respectively. This weekend, we saw the first group of Mustangs take to the track for a chance to earn points and battle it to the champion spot. Like the GT race that preceded it, this event pits cars against one another in a race of epic proportions. On each lap, the six cars rotate through starting positions and tally points, based on their finish. Each lap saw (organized?) mayhem as six cars rubbed and bumped and rolled their way down the Canyon’s twists and turns. Top contender Shelby Maze and bottom contender James Stirling March 17, 2021 | 23
On The Track (consistently finishing second for the last half of laps) or, perhaps, an asyet unseen driver (of the 18 remaining racers) will rocket to the top of the Mustang landed, at the end of 6 laps, right where they are most comfortable. With 30.5 points, Shelby Maze has a solid lead over every other competitor. On the flip side, it’s hard to imagine that James Stirling will be able to battle back from a disappointing 10 point finish. It will be interesting to see how Shelby Maze’s performance looks further in the competition. For this round, it really started to deteriorate near the end. She began the day with two lap wins, then second, then two rounds of third and finally a disappointing last run. If this continues, she may be moving down the ranks quickly. That said, it seems more likely that the black car out of RTR will instead rally to keep her place at the top of the pack moving forward; you wouldn’t expect anything less from the GT Champ. As for the rest of the group, the spread is tight. AB, Capper Deluxe (from Deluxe Diecast Racing), Keys and Silverback Racing’s Jimmy John have a total spread of 2 points between them. The tournament really is still anybody’s game. Perhaps Keys, who started as one of the bottom three qualifiers, will continue the aggressive and impressive work she started in this race 24 | Diecast Racing Report
Memorial pack. Of course, we couldn’t have a report on Chaos Canyon without an update about the Outlaws. The last time we saw the Outlaws, Five-O was all set to defend his top of the list standing. First, however, were a set of grudge matches (featuring some particularly impressive runs by Tim Taylor and Cat Pirate) and a chance for those lower on the list to call out their betters. In the first list race of the day, Kit Kayem was looking good and had a huge lead until, coming out of Carhooner Corner, he ran up onto the edge of the road – allowing Mother Canucker to pass him on the track and in the standings. Mother Canucker continued his climb through Jumping Spider, but was
quickly shut out by Rat Bird. Rat Bird then had his own chance to fly and he skyrocketing – all the way from eighth to second! While Rat Bird proved he could battle with the big kids, those long-time contenders had a tendency to flip, spin and stall out instead. Nancy Wilson and Click were closest to matching Rat Bird’s skillful, clean runs, but neither could pass. The Outlaws are really going to have to bring better than this if they want to move back up past the speedy, avian rodent. However, Rat Bird finally met his match when he tried to topple FiveO. Call it beginner’s luck or home field advantage, but Five-O has what it takes to hold on tight to the title… at least, for the moment. It’s been mentioned that the next Outlaws event will include a special run on the Helix. If the results from the Mustang qualifiers are any indication, this does not bode well for long and narrow Outlaws, such as Click and Scud. That said, changing up the track might also shake up the list in some exciting ways. We’ll soon see, the next Outlaws race airs at the end of this week.
On The Track (TranSport cont. from page 15) Bill started his climb by defeating ReagDawg. Vincent ‘s classic Corvette Stingray was too much for ReagDawg, and the newcomer had established himself on the 10th rung. Before his ascent was through for the day, Bill Vincent had knocked six cars down a notch. Leafar12’s Subaru kept Vincent out of the 4th spot. Leafar was unable to advance from there, though. Doc from WeRaceDiecast managed to take his win over Leafar12 as a kick start to his climb. Doc bumped Magic Mike out of the number two slot and became the second place car overall. He was unable to knock Flip’s Honda S2000 out of the top spot. The second episode was very different from the first. Johnny 5 of
Jack, John, & Katie Racing earned the right to challenge the ladder, but he failed to win a single match on the ladder itself. So the racing on the ladder was restricted to those cars already on the rungs. Arcy Garay had clearly brushed off the dirt from the previous week’s defeat, and was ready for some action. Garay knocked Rob, Remy 12, Mopar Mac, and James Lordfelix down a notch, and firmly planted a foot upon the 6th rung. Garay lost to Bill Vincent, who was
raring to go after the previous week’s rocket-like ascension of the lower ranks. And on this day Vincent was determined to climb the rest of the way to the top. Along the way he dropped Leafar12, his previous nemesis down a rung. And he made quick work of Magic Mike, Doc, and Flip as well.
On The Track: I Like Cheese by Christopher Kidder-Mostrom
F
riday Night Cheese has returned to Man-Pam Motor Speedway, with its fifth installment of 2021. Diamond Dave brought a car dubbed “Little Red Riding Hood” to challenge Brad and his Corvette. No 2021 Big Cheese has held the top spot for more than one week, and that bode well for Diamond Dave of The Racers Who Say Ni. Brad’s car outweighed Diamond Dave’s by 62 grams, or essentially by
the weight of another entire modified car. But weight isn’t everything. Right? Quick off the gate, Diamond Dave leapt to a stunning first lap win. Brad’s tungsten-filled interior glistened with vengeful thoughts as he trounced Diamond Dave in the second lap. That meant that Sudden Cheese was at hand. Brad’s hefty weight-laden car just couldn’t get enough initial momentum to catch up to the speedy
Diamond Dave, and so there is a new Big Cheese in Slapout, OK. A new Siesta Motel Racing Series event was held earlier this week, but that will be covered in our next issue, as will much more cheesy goodness.
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