Below is a break down of what happened on the track, but the pressure was one as we ran out of time and could only run two qualifying heats.  If more drivers come next year  I think we will have to run another heat the Friday night before.


MiniZ AWD
Last year's winner, Larry Frey, had his work cut out for him.  With talented drivers coming down from NJ and NYC he knew what he was in for.  It was clear from the very first round that Maj's RC were going to be the ones to beat in this category.  Throughout all three rounds it was anyone's guess which one of Maj's guys (incl. Maj himself) was going to get pole position.  Maj secured the spot in the 2nd heat but Junior and Bill Cooney were not far behind.  Eugene Uyterlinde was right there with them during qualifying but was just a little off pace.  However that all changed in the Main.  Eugene kept Maj and his team honest by finishing second.  Maj continued to put in a strong performance and took honors while Bill came up third.  The lap times say it all.  The race was for 2nd between the three (Eugene, Bill, and Junior), with them finishing within 6 seconds of each other.

Eugene is hoping that Maj's team returns next year for a rematch...

Heat Data:  A Main

MiniZ Mod
Once again Maj's team were the ones to beat.  It was all about Dave Grubowski here.  Davey G dominated the heats and put his foot down in the Main taking the checkered flag with a 3 lap buffer to the pack

The usual suspects emerged. Maj, Eugene and Junior for the A Main grid, but it was NC native, Rodney Combs that mixed it up.  Davey G walked away with the A Main with Eugene in tow, but Rodney Combs had a strong start the Maj could not answer letting him take third by less than 0.3 seconds.

In the B Main, the top three were not far off of a repsectable A Main pace.  ALS Race repeat attendees, Matt Ward, Ed Check and Bill Case were well aware of the competition they faced and gave the spectators a great show with a number of lead changes.

With the MOD win Grubowski won a $200 stipend from Binh at Inside Line Racing (www.insidelineracing.com) to go to the West Coast and compete in this winter's Tekin event.  Good luck Dave, make the Atlantic Coast guys proud.

Heat Data:  B Main, A Main

MiniZ F1
This was shaping up to be the closest racing during qualifiers.  Matt Ward, Rodney, Eugene had some incredibly tight times heat after heat.  Besides the fact the F1s are always fun to watch this was going to be a great compeition for the coveted gear shift trophies.

Matt  took pole position by 6 seconds from Rodney but Euguene was only another 2 seconds beyond that.  The grid and spectators were chomping at the bit for this showdown.

Matt didn't disappoint with a consistent start and took the lead for the first 10 laps but Eugene didn't break (mentally) and found the opprotunity take take the lead.  Shortly thereafter, lurking behind in their drafts Rodney Combs took his chance and made the pass and didn't look back.  The lap times don't show it but Rodney then laid down strong lap times that Matt and Eugene could only match.  Marred with their own challanges Matt and Eugene both put in strong efforts in the last 10 laps but couldn't reel in the boy from North Carolina.

I've got to get me one of these F1 cars!!!

Heat Data:  A Main

1/18th
Mike Gee came to repeat his ALS Charity Race domination.  Although many others were in prime form, Mike made TQ look easy.  However, some really bad luck for Mike Gee in the Main.  Two thirds the way into the race with maybe 10 laps left, his motor decided to pack it up.  Sadly Mike's final lap before the motor died was one of the fastest in the entire day of racing.  That left it to Mike Doolittle and Shaun Patterson to duel it out for 1st and 2nd.  Brandon Jones was always there but was never able to put an entirely clean lap back to back to gain any ground (RCP track barriers are ruthless), but was able to take home his first gear shift trophy in 3rd place.

In the B Main:  Team Psycho Cell himself, Tim Haskins, took the lead after 4 laps and never looked back.  Unlike his sponsored driver (Mike Gee) he was able to finish his race with a respectable pace that should have had him in the A Main if his qualifiers had only went better.

Heat Data:  B Main, A Main

MiniZ Stock
All I have to say is WERE ARE THE LOCAL GUYS in this category.  Mike Gee was in the A Main along with Mike Keely but the rest of the guys were out of towners.  Gary was holding his own in the B Main.  No offense, I don't mind seeing other guys race well but we really ought to have more Marylanders in the top 15!  COME ON AND REPRESENT MARYLAND!!

Regardless there was some awesome racing provided by the drivers from abroad.  Once again Dave Grubowski was looking like the guy to beat.  Local favorite, Mike Keely, was right there along side Maj and his crew with Rodney Combs, Matt Ward and Ed Check waiting for opprotunities.  Some tight racing by Dave made it impossible for anyone to get near him, if not for the lack of trying by Mike, Rodney and others.  As many of you know, consistency is king and Dave was wearing the crown tonight!  His lap time standard deviation was 0.8s!!  That is great but if you take out the two laps where he encountered traffic it dropped to 0.5s!!  That is insane.  He must run on LiPos becuase that was robotic!!!

As with most events the B Main was the one to watch.  Friends (maybe family), Larry Frey and Dave Sustello, were trading the lead regularly as they slowly pulled away from Junior/Bill Case/Jeremy Hillman group.  Those two cemented first and second but the race for third was close, just look at the lap data.  The racing had everyone on the edges of their seats rooting on their favorite.  Junior's batteries held strong and had him on the podium at the end.  Great racing guys.

C Main was still very interesting but plagued by lap counting glitches.  Hard to call that one but Mike Morse (NC) put in his best performance of the day and took the race from line to line.

Heat Data:  C Main, B Main, A Main


A long day for sure but everyone left satisfied and grinning.  Some left with gear shift trophies while others left with aspirations and dreams to be there next year.  We'll see you then but in the mean time please take time to learn more about the cause by visiting the ALS Association website.

Don't forget our sponsors.  Without their awesome donations we would be just another club race.  Maybe next year I'll finally walk away with something (darn!).  Please support them in your own way be checking out their new products, links are below.

Until next year, have a safe winter and a successful outdoor season...