On The Track: Flat Rabbit Racing Club

by Ali Kidder-Mostrom

It’s happened yet again: New Westrock has been taken over by Monsters! However, this time, there is no need to fear the invaders (unless you are a competitor), because these are Monster Trucks. That’s right, the wasteland outside of New Westrock is now hosting the ModStock Monster Mayhem series. If you tuned your tv to just the right channel recently, you probably caught Grease Eater bringing you all the action.

Sixteen trucks (half mods and half stocks) will ultimately compete on two tracks and so far, we’ve seen the “Stocks and Drags” division race on both tracks.

The first race was a simple downhill race down an open lane gravel road. For this sunny track, speed was key. That, and running a straight line.

Lily the Dog was a perfect example as she pulled out ahead of competitor DQ Throttlestuck in the first round. Her traditional truck styling seemed to have the advantage against Throttlestruck’s snake-like visage. This may not bode well for some of the mods (who we have yet to see race), particularly Dragon, who also has an animalistic body shape.

DMC’s extra bulk served him well when racing against Emma (in a Rodger Dodger), but it seemed neither car was actually that fast. This turned out to be true, as – when up against Super Dave (of GNR Vintage Diecast Racing) in the semifinals, DMC was left in the smaller truck’s dust.

Generally, this downhill track was the demesne of the traditional truck. The question is whether this will hold true for the modified division as well. How much modification has been done and how that changes the balance of the vehicle could make all the difference in the world.

Next, the Stocks battled it out again, this time in a Big Air event… over a lava pit!

Most vehicles seemed pretty well matched when trying to hit the hanging tires. Less than type of vehicle, it was how the truck came off the jump that really made a difference. Whichever monster came of the ramp with an angled, nose-inthe-air approach scored the important points.

That said, when we found DMC and Jim D in the final match-up, it’s possible that the extra bulk of the taller SUV-style monsters lent some extra stability helping the larger trucks to land on their wheels as well - equally important for those who wanted to make it past the lava alive.

The top two competitors for each race have secured a spot in the ModStock Monster Mayhem finals, yet to come. Once the mods have winnowed the field, Jim D, DMC, Super Dave and Piggy 2 Lil’ will face off against them in a stocks vs mods finale that should be epic, if this stock competition was any indicator.