Cruzin' @ SCR '06 Scale NATS

**Quickerthanu** · 04-18-2006, 05:54 PM

Bob's Got a Beard!!!...Bob, you do look a lot like Abe Lincoln, and i guess thats a compliment..Keep up the good work up there, we all appreciate it!

Josh B.

**Ron Hershman** · 04-18-2006, 05:58 PM

I am not so sure Lincoln's beard was that grey/white.

**Quickerthanu** · 04-18-2006, 06:02 PM

Well, thats the thing, Bob wanted to be a little different, lol

**CruzinBob** · 04-18-2006, 09:25 PM

You know I really just like telling my side of the story...what interests me and half the time I forget the really good stuff!

Thanks for looking in Lin, you wing car guy

Yea, I started growing my beard when I got the harley...don't know what that means 'cept maybe the beard helps slow me down some

Sorry for the lapse in reporting but I'm race directing the Amateur GT 12 on the King and waiting patiently to race on the roadcourse for Expert GT 12.

The races have been so smooth it's scary...very close competition without anyone running away with anything. I'd like to mention that we did have a bit of a problem with the finish on the B Semi with a tie between Zac & Jason from Reno, NV. Without elaborating (we're just about to start the Am GT 12 Main) It was a fine display of great sportsmanship. No snickers from you Mr. H

**CruzinBob** · 04-19-2006, 01:44 AM

Originally posted by M G Brown
...I was trying to figure out how to order the T-shirt from the raceway website, but it doesn't look like you can!

You can phone in your order! 707 795 4156 or fax your order w/cc info 707 526 0277. All major credit cards accepted

The T's are very good quality and the graphics are the best! All adult sizes thru 5X...yes, you read it right! Also have same design in Polo's. Supply is limited so call now!

**CruzinBob** · 04-19-2006, 10:48 AM

Started the day well after 3-1/2 hours rest but tripped Frank's store alarm upon opening @ 7 AM today and probably woke the neighborhood. Today is another day of serious action on the roadcourse. C12 followed by 1/24 Euro with the big boyz and their expensive toys. I'm beat...

Yesterday was quite the opening day. Good amount of entries, mostly very clean racing. The programs proceeded pretty good and although we raced into the wee hours, it couldn't have gone any quicker. Lots of programs and entries with so little time.

I enjoyed race directing the Amateur GT12 program even tho Bill and I had a bit of a row which we dealt with quite well.

I was a bit stunned when, during the above program Paul Pfeiffer walked in the door. Mr. Alpha Products has shown quite alot of interest in the scale side lately. He's even going to race some Gp 10 programs! I gained a lot of respect for Paul when he developed the Formula 2000 program for wing racing. I believe Paul is moving in the right direction.

I finally got to pull a trigger in the GT 12 Expert race at about 11 PM and I was near zombie status (and still am). I turned decent times but couldn't get a rythym on the quirky roadcourse and wound up 8th in the A semi. I had a few good laps but mostly I tried staying out of the way and was fairly successful. I had a bit of fun with some of the hot laps I caught but a good heat I did not have and the money was not well spent...

C-12 qualifying with Kevin Kosir from Seattle TQ @ 3.040. 18 entries will be run as 2 9 man mains.

1 PM NorCal talent Alex Molle led the B main with a avg lap total of 79.something and leader of the A main Sebastian Alioto after 6 heat of 9 is 80.5. Gonna be close!

Paul C just arrived, looking every bit like a recovering flu victim. What a trooper! Thank you Paul & Parma for a great show of support. I'm hoping to see a race with Paul C & Paul P...maybe Stu will join in

9 PM - Well, the late/early hours caught up and I went top sleep from 2-7 PM and now I'm ready to watch the 1/24 Euro A Main. This should be an awesome show!

Stu Koford is in the house! Going to have to see if Paul C will build him a Parma Team NASCAR

After the 1/24 EUro we still have the King of the Hill and THE MEETING! Sobriety tests please...

1/24 Euro A Main. AFter 3 of 9 heats Greg Gilbert is doing best foloowed by Paul G, Herman, Brian Saundres & Tracy. Rest of the field trail. Serious but smooth racing excepting George Russell's Speedshop car which broke and is being repaired by Lee.

Heat 5 of 9 may have been the the turning point and what a heat it was...Chin black, Paul G purple, Gilbert Yellow and they was flyin' but Herman made up serious laps and pulled to within 2 of Greg while Paul turned a race heat high 93 with a 2.796 fast lap. The heat finished quite charged as Tracy was wound up and cursing serious foul language at a marshal for GP...NOW WE'RE RACING!

HEAT 6 was another very active one as Greg had problems in the donut then lost a motor and pulled off late. Herman has been flying but Brian Saunders sneaked past Herman to nab 3rd for overall lap avg. Gawronski leads lap avg.

HEAT 7 was a holding pattern cept for Paul G, he got very serious and ripped a heat high 95 laps on Yellow! Brian is staying just ahead of Herman and Chin follows.

HEAT 8 of 9 and Herman went to the pits halfway thru. Paul lead followed by Brian, 23 laps back, then come a hard chargin Alicia and Greg is 30 back.

Unofficial final:

1. Paul G
2. Brian Saunders
3. Alicia Gilbert
4. Frank Sarkela
5. Chris Radisich

**CruzinBob** · 04-20-2006, 08:46 AM

Got to the store early today, 6:30 AM to spray glue both tracks as they were both cleaned @ closing. Ah, what a refreshing way to start the day

The King of the Hill followed the 1/24 Euro yesterday. 9 racers signed on for this cool qualifyruns a ing event. HD body, standard clearances & anything underneath. 2 1 minute rounds for each. Frank was first up, taking the bull by the horns...or just the bull...turns a 3.4907 and the crowd goes wild! Next up SoCal Zac Grinstead rips a 3.274! Zac was driving Greg Gilberts car as Greg had gone home after the 1/24 Euro race. Jonathan was next and close @ 3.34. The next few didn't really get close, in the high 3's but the spectacular crashes kept the crowd whoopin n hollerin! On the 2nd round Zac cut a 3.1717 to win the pot of Gold!

The meeting started @ 11:30 PM and ran till about 2 AM but I was cutting Z's by that time! I'm FRESH, and EXCITING...

Many of the Pro's went home and there's pit space open for this weekends GP 10 programs. Looks like there will be a decent showing from NorCal and the entries should be very good.

Todays program is for GTP AM/EX on the King. Late start today due to late evenings...hmmmm, maybe we should start the programs earlier. I plan to try racing Expert GTP, have a car but don't think my contenders will be competitive so I will borrow HP.

GTP Amateur featured friends and previous customers of Cruzin' Chandlers. Chris Rodriguez Jr began racing @ Cruzin' in 2003 and quickly became a contender with local Pro's Jerry Johnson & TJ Albu. Ryan (Vegas) Mc Daniel & SoCals Tim Hould & Bill V were all racers I had a watchful eye. Chris Jr, Vegas & Tim all swapped the lead until Chris held on after the 5th heat. Tim came on strong but ran into some difficulty but the real show was how quickly Vegas moved up on Chris in the last heat to finish about 1/2 lap back. Great race Chris Jr! Horsepower built by his dad!

Next day update - I tried and tried to get my car dialed in for GTP - about 5 different sets of tires, tried narrowing some but just couldn't get below a 4.5" and many were turning low 4.2's and some 4.1's so I failed to be gracious and donate my $.

Paul Pfeiffer seemed to be dialed in a bit better than me but couldn't quite keep up with some of these youngsters! He was a bit distressed as he was under the impression that a super wasp would be the ticket but the super 16C's ruled the road.

The main was fast & furious, very close racing from start to finish but I'm just reporting from what I heard as I hit the rack @ midnight. I guess this white hair is slowing me down...

**multiracer** · 04-20-2006, 01:58 PM

Your quote "...hmmmm, maybe we should start the programs earlier."
This just makes too much sense to even be considered by the persons in charge of a large race.
One can only wish !
Keep reporting...
Ron

**CruzinBob** · 04-21-2006, 08:19 AM

Store open @ 7 AM, ready to race! Schedule says GT 1 Expert tech closes @ 9 AM....LET'S DO IT! It is tough to keep on schedule but it is very important if you want to finish at a decent time....depending on entries, of course. It also takes a LOT of doggedness on the part of race officials to keep the programs moving at a good pace.

I applaud those racers who come to an event like this and (try to) run every class. Not only is that very costly it takes lots of time and effort getting dialed. And then comes the racing...most classes a racer must run an 8 heat Quarter Final, 8 heat Semi and if they're lucky, to the main for 8 heats! That's alot of adrenalin to run on!

Some of the NorCal racers are pulling in. The regular early arrivals are here except Tim. Dennis Rios from SoCal arrived 1st and others arrived promptly thereafter - Chris R., Paul C, Paul G & Brian S, Joe Carr, Herman, Ohren's, Forsyth, Grinstead, and finally Duran, the true King of the Hill from last nights race

Well, my GT 1 is ok...Frank asked if I was dialed last night and I said yes, good enough for about 8 on a 16 man field, if I'm lucky. I got into the 3.7's and I'm sure the fast guys may get into the 3.4's. I've seen a few 3.6's in practice so you know there will probably be faster times. You can say it's about staying on but it's 50/50 for staying on with good horsepower. Expert up first today...tech closes in 45 min?!

9 AM - OK tech closes @ 10 then. Looks to be a compact Expert crew here to race. That means I might make about 7th out of a possible field of 12.

Stu Koford stopped in again on his way for a family visit in the Sierras, about 3 hours away. He was perusing Frank's counter and we checked out the 3rd eye controllers & choke. He wondered about the Kelly handle and wanted to see one of the Kelly controllers but I could only give him a description.

NOON UPDATE - We're in heat 7 of the GT 1 A Semi and I pulled off after losing 2 gears. (I do better @ reporting) My 3.7's practice time dropped to 3.9 in the race and fast lap was Paul G in the B Semi in the 3.7's. Paul ran away a bit in the A followed by Brian S, team BSP, eh? Here I was calling them Team Fast Ones

The Herminator is not doing well and is a few back for the move.

Andy Wasserman is in and running the race, always a pleasure to have him aboard with his entertaining ways.

GT 1 Expert Semis - Once again, Paul led the B and won by 7 over Brian. Duran (running 14' choke) was near & under the bubble for a time and then picked up the pace to finish 3rd. Jonathan was fast but had problems early and tried to make up time and for 22.5 minutes Joe & Jonathan went lap for lap on Green/Yellow until Jonathan came off near Chris R and just had a bad sport fit...

The A semi had a bit of a slower pace with Chris, Herminator, Jay, Allan & William Burnside very close. Herminator had a bad 2nd heat on black and never recovered although came to within 1 of Burnside for the move. Herminator had fast lap overall @ 3.679. All other move ups were 3.7's cept Joe C @ 3.8's.

GT 1 Expert Main @ 12:45 PM.

After 5 Paul leads like he owns the track. He's challenged by Jay Guard who was on the same lap after 3 but lost a few on red. Chris R, running Fred Hoods car is pulling up quickly and is tied with Jay. Duran also near striking distance. Chris R has fast lap 3.61.

Final:

361 Paul G
356 Jay Guard
354 Duran Trujillo
354 Chris Radisich
345 William Burnside
317 Joe Carr
313 Alan Ohren
306 Brian Saunders

This was another very exciting race as Jay ran 1 lap behind Paul for the 1st 3 heats but then Paul put the hammer down while Jay, Chris & Duran battled for 2nd. It is beyond amazing how fast these guys get these stamped steel chassis cars going!

Paul G ran a Parma Flexi 5, Parma Lola, Fastones motor geared 8:43; Jay ran a Champion Turbo Flex, JK Mercedes geared 7:36; Duran a JK C7, JK Mercedes geared 6:37.

Next up AM GT 1 . 18 entries. B semi starts @ 3:40 PM. For chassis most are running the JK C7, couple Flexi 5's a Champion or 2 & a Mossetti.

Well, let's try this again...I've written 2 stories about this race and lost em both due to some crazy problem wherein my computer whacks out and deletes what I've written...unfortunately each time I write it gets watered down a bit as I type with intrepidation...

THE RACE - GT 1 AMATEUR

This was the last race to be held for the NATS on the quirky and seriously altered 110' American Black track. Local favorites Ron Southern, Mark Manion, Vegas & Danny Naron had risen to the call and made the main. Each of these fellas have pounded 1000's of laps on this track and know it well. Ron & Mark were particular favorites of mine, knnowing them from the many times I have visited Frank's Slot Car Raceway. They, along with Russ Toy (aka team burrito), who missed the move by a few laps, are true scale racers who also run in the NorCal Vintage programs and have for years. The cars they enter in any race don't have 1 color paint jobs with generic numbers, they are always finely detailed rides with appropriate paint schemes. They are of the older generation...are we fading away?! Hell NO! They're at the top of their game and it showed!

Ron led from start to finish but winning was no easy task. He was lucky another favorite, Vegas lost a gear in the first heat and lost about 12 laps. Through the race Mark & Alex nipped at Ron's heels all the way and Mark was tied @ heat 5. Heat 7 was the turning point wherein Ron locked his win. Mark on Yellow, Alex on Black and Ron was squeezed between on Purple. Ron was turning 3.9's and both Mark & Alex were in the 3.8's. For much of the race Ron held off a hard charging Alex who could not get by. Alex did make a sweet move at one point by passing in the full punch kink (if your car is setup right) but then carrying too much speed and he launced in the 90. It was a very exciting heat with lots of action.

Ron won by 4 over Mark with Alex 1 back. Great race fellas and Mark, absolutely beautiful car!

Ron ran a JK C7 built by Marc Graessle with a JK Lola geared 8:43. Mark also ran a JK C7 with a JK Mercedes geared 7:37. Alex ran a Mossetti under a Red Fox Bentley geared 8:43.

Excellent race fellas, thanks for the excitement and keep those cars SCALE (as possible!).

**CruzinBob** · 04-22-2006, 09:39 AM

It's NASCAR weekend for the NATS @ SCR! First up is Junior and @ 9 AM we have 9 entries featuring Zac Grinstead, local hotshoe Danny Wagner and a young Gawronski!

We're hoping for a good audience today since the newspaper article came out.

Frank has some good deals on leftover handout motors, 40 Contenders & and 12's @ $35 ea. They have the magnets glued in and soldered bushing. It's a great deal and they may go quickly so CALL FOR YOURS TODAY!

The race went very smoothly with an exciting race for 2nd place between Danny Wagner from Vallejo & Marcus Rezzonico from Lakeport.

We'd like to thank the many Amateur & Expert racers who turnmarshalled & helped kids with hurt cars.

Looks like we'll be racing to the wee hours of the morning as there are 31 entries for Amateur 4" NASCAR followed by Expert 4.5" NASCAR.

Racing started at about 2:30 PM and I project a smooth program to finish around midnight. That's a smooth and very long program! Can it go any faster...don't think so. Getting all cars teched & reteched, motors marked, etc takes quite a lot of time. Lots of races and lots of time between races (1/2 hour) means, well, lots of time!

The long hours will impact the Expert 4.5" that follows.

The AM 4" NASCAR main looked fast and furious with Fl resident Brian leading from start to....well, just about finish! Brian was on black and having a little difficulty in the deadman but it was a crash in the donut with about 20" left that cost Brian the race as Zac moved on by for the win. Brian did come back quick and punched the deadman just after Zac went thru and finished about 10' back for 2nd.

EXPERT 4.5" NASCAR, entries straggling in as power goes off for tech @ 10 PM. Chicky has signed up!I've heard the difficulty racers have had mounting these bodies with the close clearances. 3 out of the 10 cars made it thru tech the first time! Several others made multiple runs...
10 entries for a round robin.

Ready to start and Bill allows a new track call - "If Chicky passes out"! Chicky asks if he can get a track call if he has a serious coughing fit and all agreed! Frank says that he'll dock laps if he falls on the track!

**brassy** · 04-22-2006, 10:01 AM

Kudos to my friend Jay Guard for giving Paul G. a good run in GT-1.

We now how another thing in common: both of us have been first loser at the Nats! 8-)

Tell Jay I'll see him at the Atlanta airport at 5:45 AM Monday morning (the things we do for our friends . . .).

**John Emmons** · 04-22-2006, 03:43 PM

check your pm's.

John Emmons

**mark g** · 04-22-2006, 08:02 PM

Mark Greene from Keystone kindly introduced himself and we cut it up shortly about this biz we're so fond of. If anyone wants to see a first rate proposal for hosting a NATS event, see the Keystone proposal for the 07 Scale NATS!

I wish I was able to take the credit on those proposals, But Truth be told. I used my easy button!

A fellow racer and a person I consider a good and close friend developed the keystone proposal for us. Bob Van divner "aka" BVDslotracer. I can't even put in words how much his efforts are appreciated!

On another note, It was nice to have meet you Bob. I very much enjoyed talking with you. Hope to run into you again sometime.

**CruzinBob** · 04-22-2006, 11:10 PM

Originally posted by mark g
On another note, It was nice to have meet you Bob. I very much enjoyed talking with you. Hope to run into you again sometime.

Thanks for the note Mark, it was great meeting & visiting with you also. I would love to make it for your scale NATS but I'll have to put in a lot of work before then!

I'm glad to hear you left with a smile

BTW John, Monty says he can make arms for just about any setup, including the new Camen 6 mag.

**CruzinBob** · 04-23-2006, 08:29 AM

A long and exciting week of racing comes to an end today. What will the day hold for the racers? The best will be padding their winnings, hoping to whittle away at the lengthy tabs that have piled up throughout the race week. Everyone is tired, many have contracted a flu bug but it is the season for that, eh?!

Some racers will come away from this with a much greater understanding of what it takes to win, others will blame someone for their losses. Most all had a great time and those are the ones that will be back, time and again to mix it up with the best of the best at the USRA Scale NATS.

I've said a lot herein and a LOT has gone by without talking about it...I had a great time and hope to partake in the festivities again sometime.

First up for the final day is EXPERT 4" STOCKCAR. Schedule says Tech @ 9 AM.

This race program went quick n smooth like Chicky decision not to race...it was a"CATCH DURAN" race and nobody did! Jonathan put up a valient attempt but wasn't happenin'. Sad thing we didn't have more entries.

Low turnout for 4" Amateur also, 14 entries to tech @ 2:15.