Sunday, Sunday, Sunday! Say it out loud in your favorite announcer voice... it means racing, right? Well, Sunday, July 15th, was the official monthly race date for the Sonoma County NPRC and it was a serious race day indeed!
RC drag racing, No Prep Style, has been getting very active in our area. The rules are simple (see below the article) and its high on the fun side. Long story short, rc cars are drag raced 132 feet on an unprepped surface, with rubber tires. Add high horsepower to the mix, muscle car (and truck) bodies, a touch of adrenaline, and you get a super fun handful of speed!
But, I’m getting ahead of the story here … Because, the day before, there was a Drag themed Show-N-Shine at Jake’s Performance Hobbies. We had a great turnout, 25+ cars and racers, seeing very nice rigs and all getting a chance to bench race and swap speed secrets. It was very nice and I’m very thankful to everyone who showed up! We’ll do it again.
Sunday’s race day consisted of plenty of practice time, known as "test hits". Everyone watching everyone else's runs to gauge who was fast and who was struggling. Just that part of the day alone is a blast.
A new format was created and tried this month, using chips to determine running order and lane used. It worked out very well. Two types of racing, Eliminator Shoot Out and Top 10 List races were offered. Basically, the winner on the Elimination rounds got a chance to get on the List. The List is our Top 10 fastest cars and drivers, just like on the tv show Street Outlaws.
For most everyone, it was a new location and a new racing surface. Some people struggled a little in the practice rounds, but it seemed everyone got faster and more constant as the day went on. One thing was for sure, everyone brought their A game. There was no shortage of fast runs and super close racing.
Myself, I struggled early on with blowing over about ¾’s of the way down the track. I tried a few changes without much luck, then finally got the car doing what needed to be done, going straight down the track, staying on 4 wheels and doing it all fast! During the 2nd Round of Eliminations, I made it to the 2nd from the last race! So close!
The Top 10 List saw a few spots change ownership. The racing was really intense and pressure filled. Some guys still struggled a little, other guys and their cars were on point! In the end, the Top 10 List looked like this:
#1 Kevin Poulson
#2 Hai Hong
#2 Solomon Terry
#4 Brian Wilson
#5 Gary O’Connor
#6 Tim Terry
#7 Charlie Suangka
#8 Freddie Hammann
#9 Dakota Steele
#10 Everett Maggio
So, in recap, it was an awesome day of RC Drag racing. Much fun was had by all who attended, racers and spectators alike. A super huge thank you goes out to Gabe for directing this whole endeavor, along with everyone who helps him out (Kevin, Tim, Charlie, etc …). And, a big thank you to Ruth Rameriz for the awesome photos!
For the R/C No Prep, there’s only a few very basic rules:
2wd Short Course Truck based (12-13” wheelbase).
Rubber Tires.
Body must cover the tires.
Must have all four Shocks.
2S Lipo (8.44v max).
No steering assist (no gyros).
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