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In June of 2010, Large Scale RC put on a Baja event like no other. Four huge tracks were constructed; a full-blown, slightly technical off-road track and a dirt oval track with a Figure-8 running through the middle. If that wasn’t your fancy, a large ‘beginner/test’ track was built to allow newcomers a chance to run their Bajas without having to race. Finally, for all the superstars out there, Large Scale built a really cool Extreme track complete with a huge jump, narrow lanes with tire barriers, a ‘pipe’ jump, a crossover jump and an incredibly long straightaway. This track was pretty fun and if you could make it around one lap without crashing, you really were a superstar. I was finally able to do it, but it took me a good 10 laps to figure it out.
On top of all the fun on the other tracks, there was some really good racing, too! Off-road classes at this event included Open HPI 5B and 5T, Open 4WD and Open 4WD Monster Truck. The dirt oval had a dual personality, hosting an EDM class and a very cool Figure-8 race. (The track had a crossover jump to keep the carnage to a minimum.) The Figure-8 race included classes for the HPI 5B, 5T or any 4WD vehicle. This was a fun race to watch and, even though the jump was there, still had quite a few thrills and spills to keep it exciting.
FREAKY FRIDAY
On Friday we planned to get through a few of the qualifying rounds. However, Mother Nature had a different plan. We heard there might be some rain and the weather reports (everyone had their phones out looking at the online weather) showed a massive storm heading our way. Shortly into the first round of qualifying the rains finally came, and in a big way. Calling it a torrential downpour would be an understatement, and when the rain teamed up with some serious winds we found ourselves clinging to the underside of our canopies to keep them from blowing away. A few hours later the storm had passed (sort of), and we found out later that night that a tornado had touched down less than a mile from our location. Qualifying for both tracks would have to be run on Saturday.
SOAKED SATURDAY
Saturday started off on the wet side and pretty much stayed that way all day long. We had some short stints of clear weather and were able to get one round in, but then the rains came back and put a stop to the competition. During the rain delay, the racers were treated to a few other RC demos. The local RC Tractor Pulling crew came out and put on a show. Everything from electric power to 110cc engines had found their way into some of these Frankensteins, and it was cool to watch them kick up serious dirt while pulling some impressive weight. Large Scale RC also treated the racers to some good southern rock by hosting a small concert by The Gary Jeffries Band. Not only were the racers invited, but folks from the local towns were, too!
RACE READY SUNDAY
When I arrived on Sunday I expected the track to be prepped for boat racing. That was not the case as the Large Scale RC crew had put in some serious hours the night before to get all the water off the tracks. Both the offroad and dirt oval tracks were in great shape and ready for some racing action! Just before the mains started the prize giveaway line formed and everyone got huge handfuls of product each time through. The program went well (thanks to Eric from Debbies RC World) and the racing action was fierce. In the end, however, there could only be one winner per class, and big congratulations go out to those few individuals.
RACE RESULTS
4WD BUGGY TOP 5
1. Sinan Sunali
2. Atze Tiryaki
3. Troy Paluchniak
4. Robert Winings
5. Bill Mosher
4WD MONSTER TRUCK TOP 5
1. Robbie Beaman
2. James Beaman
3. Michael Swango
4. Atze Tiryaki
5. Dan Talbert
BAJA 5B TOP 5
1. Scotty “Champ” G.
2. John Schultz
3. Bill Mosher
4. Michael Delong
5. Luke Rame
BAJA 5T TOP 5
1. John Schultz
2. Scotty “Champ” G.
3. Scott Paluchniak
4. Nicholas Berger
5. Nathan Durussel
FIGURE 8 BUGGY TOP 5
1. Dave Cooper
2. Nick Cooper
3. Bill Mosher
4. Tim Vroom
5. Scotty “Champ” G.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Every event has its unexpected challenges. While the crew at Large Scale RC did a fantastic job of keeping things running smoothly, no one could predict the horrendous weather that decided to blow through. That’s all part of running an outdoor race. That being said, the race tracks were really fun with the right amount of technical sections. The Extreme track was killer. I really think that track needs to have some sort of ‘Last Man Standing’ race on it! I know when I head back next year, I’ll be pushing for that and I’ll be the first one signed up! Make your plans now…this is one Baja event you won’t want to miss.
A full gallery of pix from this event can be found here: 2011 Large Scale RC Power Jam.
