On The Track: 3DBotMaker

By Christopher Kidder-Mostrom

An SUV/Van race made the 13 th Qualifier for the third King of the Mountain tournament something of battle of the big boys. A Matchbox Hummer H2, a Matchbox 2015 Range Rover Evoque, and HW ‘99 Isuzu VehiCross, and a HW Ford Supervan also made this a battle of the brands.

Garbanzo MacElroy was back on the mountain in the Isuzu. He was a fan favorite last year, so it was exciting to see him back again. His return wasn’t the most auspicious, however. He flipped his SUV partway down the final stretch after turn three. McLovin, the driver of the Evoque, must have been spooked by what he saw in his rearview mirror, because he launched his vehicle off the track just after MacElroy flipped. The Supervan didn’t even come close to making it past turn two, so all this carnage opened the doors wide for a quick Hummer on lap one.

Bryson, the driver of the Hummer, pulled ahead on the first turn in the second lap and made his way towards the finish line without any real competition. Most of the action on lap two took place when the cops stopped the King of Hearts van and impounded the vehicle, ending the night’s racing for Finn.

Noting that removing a vehicle from the race so early in the rotation could cause some unfair line-ups in the starting grid, 3D and 2D found a solution, putting Crazy James into the race as a place holder. James was allowed to race from the empty spot, but would not accumulate points.

On the subsequent lap, Bryson led from beginning to end. After three laps, the winner was already completely determined. But they ran the fourth leg anyway. Bryson’s Hummer took all four laps.

Meanwhile, over at the new DRC track, the final round of event one was upon us.

Dylan came into the event with his ‘08 Mistubishi Evo sitting atop the rankings, holding a hefty 5 point lead. Pedro Penduko was closest behind him in his Matchbox Porsche 911 Rally. Ryu Asada (Lancia Delta Integrale) and Bobby Roberts (HW Porsche 914 Safari) were still in the running, but they’d have to be stellar on this day to have a shot at the title.

Penduko won the first lap, but failed to land the big air bonus. Ryu Asada drove much of the lap backwards, and slowly. Asada ended his day by running into the cliff face and then bouncing off onto the berm. Pedro managed the Big Air jump to the 20 marker.

Dylan had a knockabout first lap, but held on to win. He had a rough time with his jump, taking a massive jump, but not landing it.

Going into the final lap, Dylan posted a record time and a Big Air bonus. So, Dylan became the DRC Champion. He finished the event with 11 points more than Pedro Penduko. The event was an exciting way to christen the new track.

Now it’s on to a second Lamborghini tournament. The previous one was on Race Mountain Speedway, the predecessor to the current Race Mountain track, and made Gab Formoso a household name. Formoso will be back to drive in this tournament again, and 3D has done special work on Gab’s car, as well as the others in the field. While they are still primarily stock, they have had wheel swaps and decorative decal work to make them a little extra special for the event.

Also coming up is the third King of the Mountain tournament. There are only three more qualifying races before the main event. The final of those races? A second chance for all the cars that have been impounded. The final spot in the tournament will be filled by a certified Race Mountain criminal. Talk about upping the stakes! 3D has done a lot of new stuff this year, and the inovations are keeping the racing fresh and exciting!