Racing Returns to Southampton

March 11, 2023

With threat of inclement weather looming (and arriving  violently 2 days  later!)  13 racers returned after a 3 year absence to the hill in Southampton to battle it out on the SnakeBite Circuit.

Following practice to cypher out setups and some race discussion, Marc’s open weight Class at 13.5 volts was up.

These are 2 magnet cars with brass weights, 6 ohm armatures slip on tires and open gear ratio. In practice  drivers tried a variety of tires and gear ratios. Most seem to feel even with the high speed nature of the track that being run at lower voltage the cars just can’t pull a higher gear ratio out of the turns.

With 6 lanes the racing and action was intense on the very fast layout. Five marshalls stayed on their toes putting errant and airborne cars back in the slots.

Pros and sportsman raced together with mid pack having some tight finishes especially considering 6 lanes in a 30 minute round robin

In the pro ranks Ryan first at 400 laps, Paul Ryers 372 in second, Tom gray in 3rd with 337  , Tom Jahl in 4th with 321

The sportsman put up a good show , outpacing a couple of the pros. Sportsman winner Peter Medeiros  found a great setup with 353 laps, just one lap down an ever consistent Terry Ayer at 352 in second, O Jimmy at 338 for 3rd, Mike Tiffany 331 in 4th, Cody 5th 325, Hakim 314 6th, Rick Pare 7th 309, newer racer and getting ever faster Josh Goudreault 8th 305, Cedric in 9th with 294 completed the field.

Co-owner of local Paisanos, Peter  agreed to deliver 8 large pizzas(they don’t normally deliver during lunch time).  He was invited in to check out the action.  Similar to most of the over 35 crowd “wow haven’t seen this in ages” a controller was immediately put in his hand (sorry other paisanos patrons) and he took some laps asking where and how to get a set for he and his sons. Hopefully we see him at a future race!

After over indulging in the feast it was back to the action …up next even faster spec racer !!

Voltage was upped and practice was underway. Over a second per lap faster. Get the catcher mitts ready here they come !

Would the pros finish order shuffle? Would Persistent Peter Mederios outpace the sportsman again?..keep reading.

Round Robin 5 minute heats felt more like 8 minute heats with the track calls. It was decided one more small wall would help alleviate some of these on the future along with getting rid of the “track call delay and countdown” should speed up the day on return to fast five …onward!

Pro finishes, Ryan 558 in First, Paul Ryer 535 having some great side by side racing with Ryan for a heat or two in 2nd, 3rd just one lap shy Tom Jahl at 534, Tom gray 4th 511 laps.

Sportsman …Hakim had a great car and good drive for first at 548 (second overall!) Pete Medeiros had to settle for second in this one with his g based car at 519, Josh G had a crazy fast spec racer viper but just couldn’t get quite the handling out of it for 3rd at 501, Terry Ayer another steadfast run at 493 4th, o Jimmy 5th at 482, 6th Rick 481 , 7th Cedric 480, 8th Cody with an errant body 447, followed by Mike Tiffany in 9th at 428.

I’d be remiss if didn’t mention , Local racer Joe Escalante came to run some laps on the Harley track which we were not using. He had some TFX IROC cars a few of us got some laps with. More so thanks to Joe as my neighbor Matt came over to see what was making his power dim and tv to be fuzzy (joking)with his son and two of Drew’s friends. Joe was nice enough to let them try the IROC cars and then setup a race for them using some super 7 hardbody cars Ryan had on hand. The laughter and smiles on the kids faces (dad too ..who by the way had never seen a slot car track in use before !!) made my day even better. The kids had a blast …far as I can tell the big kids on the other track did as well.

Thanks to everyone for coming out to race and keeping the place clean and tidy ! It was great hosting a race at home after 3 years away.

See ya at LenJet 3/25 where spec racer on ppl mile !! Sportsman SS on champion, pros CMPM on Boomerang.

Ryan

Archambault and Lockwood Dominate at Lenjet Raceway

February 11th 2023

Lenjet Raceway, Ashland, MA

Ryan Archambault and Dave Lockwood both had a sensational race day at the MARC G-jet and Super Stock events. Ryan scored both Pro class wins while Dave Lockwood scored both wins in the Sportsman classes as well as two overall second place finishes.

Formula One G-Jet Pro:

Pro G-Jet Podium - Tom Jahl 4th, Peter Lentros 2nd and Ryan Archambault 1st

Ryan scored BIG as he was the only Pro to blast out over two hundred laps on the tedious Glen track. Skillful driving and a very fast F1 G-Jet enabled Ryan to blast out 210 laps. The closest Pro driver to Ryan was Peter Lentros with 196 laps. One lap behind Peter was Stez who took the third-place position with 195 laps. Tom Jahl scored 187 laps which gave him the 4th podium position. Congratulations to Ryan for a great race and win.

RESULTS

1    Ryan           210.13  laps

2    Peter           196.49

3    Stez             195.43

4    T. Jahl          187.30

5    T Gray          184.38

Formula One G-Jet Sportsman:

Sportsman G-Jet Podium - Terry Ayer 4th, Cody Pare 2nd, Dave Lockwood 1st and Hap Pierce 3rd

Dave Lockwood’s 208 laps would give him the first-place podium position as well as the second place over all position in the G-Jet Class. Cody put up a very impressive 196 laps to hand him the second-place podium G-Jet position and fourth overall. Only four laps back from Cody was Hall. Hall squeezed 192 laps while his sidekick Terry took the fourth and final position with 191 laps. Congratulations to Dave for some real fine driving to take the win.

RESULTS

1   Dave                208.44   laps

2   Cody                196.15

3   Hal                   192.52

4   Terry                 191.41

5   Oh Jimmy         185.22

6   Hakim               180.16

7   D, Muse            175.13

8   Mike T.              174.30

9   Bruce                172.45

10 Josh                  167.44

11  Cedric               157.46

PRO SUPER STOCK:

Pro Super Stock Podium - Tom Jahl 4th, Peter Lentros 3rd, Tom Gray 2nd and Ryan Archambault 1st

Once again it was all Ryan Archambault who took the win with some very aggressive driving on the short course Champion track. Ryans driving skills awarded him with 341 laps. Tom Gray was 8 laps behind Ryan with 333 laps to place second. This was a very good run for Tom. Peter Lentros scored a hard earned 325 laps giving him the third podium position. Tom Jahl had a very good race putting up 307 laps for the fourth place position.  Once again, congratulations to Ryan for a fast great run.

PRO SUPER STOCK

1       Ryan        341  laps

2       T Gray      333

3       Peter        325

4       T. Jahl      307

5       Stez          287

Sportsman Super Stock

Sportsman Super Stock Podium - Jimmy Colligan 2nd, Terry Ayer 3rd, Dave Lockwood 1st and Hal Pierce 4th

It was all Dave Lockwood in this race. Dave would place first in Sportsman Super Stock and his 335 laps would also give him second place overall.  Very nice job Dave!   Oh Jimmie Colligan would have a great event driving his car to 319 laps for the second-place finish in Sportsman class. In a reverse roll of the G-Jet event, Terry would take the third position with 314 laps and side kick Hal took the final 4th place podium position scoring 311 laps. Congratulations to Dave and the entire podium finishers.

SPORTSMAN SS RESULTS

1    D. Lockwood                   335  laps

2    Oh Jimmy                        319

3    Terry                                314

4    Hal                                   311

5    Bruce                               310

6    Cody                                301

7    Mike T                              298

8    Hakim                              288

9    Josh                                 277

10  Cedric                              248    Tie

10  D. Muse                           248    Tie

MARC at the Mecca – 2022-23 Season, Race #5, LenJet

January 14, 2023 – The Miniature Auto Racing Club of New England met for the fifth race of its 2022-23 season at LenJet Raceway, in Ashland, Massachusetts.  Is this the worldwide Mecca of HO slot car racing?  Is Kimi Finnish? Sure ‘nuff. 100%!

Racing on the mighty Bear

19 fearsome dudes, including the new guy Josh Goudreault, stepped up for our first race of the day, a mad Spec Racer thrash on The Bear, a tight, wicked fast road course, formerly the property of Steve MADDman Medanic.

Sportsman Spec Racer Podium - Pete Medeiros 4th, Tom Bussmann 2nd and Hakim Harris 1st

The Sportsmen and Pros would all race together, in a round robin format.  Quite a few Fusions being raced in Spec Racer (and Super Stock) these days.  In fact, seven of the top eight lap totals in this one were Kind of Blue (or white) chassis.  Hakim Harris helmed a brutally quick vehicle for the Sportsman win, besting all but four of the Pros’ lap totals!  The rest of the top four Sportsmen were Tom Bussmann, who seems to have actually built his car before coming to the race (!), the ever-popular Bruce Olson, and Peter Medeiros, who we’re always happy to have in da house.

The Pros all gave merry chase to Greg Burstein, racing out of the Equipe Archambault garages, but ’twas quite in vain.  Even without his usual metronomic precision, Greg had the best ride of the weekend, and he brought it home around 16 laps ahead of the slammin’ tandem of John Pileggi (364.32) and Rob (G3RS) Hayes (363.20).  Equipe Archambault founder and president Ryan Archambault came fourth, around nine laps behind.  Next time, maybe pick the cars out of a hat, Ryan? 

Next up, the Sportsmen and Pros would diverge, moving to two different tracks in the immense LenJet complex.  Sportsmen moved to the insanely fast Brystal Viper to run 3-ohm Modifieds, and the Pros to the MaxTrax Python to run Super Stock.

Sportsman Podium

In the Sportsman program, Hakim Harris, running what may well be his favorite class (I think he did pretty well in the Amateur Modified category at this year’s HOPRA Nats, right?) took his blue-chassied rocket to a 16-lap win over Tom “Mr. Preparation” Bussmann.  Pete Medeiros was another four laps back with his G3RS, and Bruce Olson was fourth, and the best of the rest, 32 laps behind Pete.

Pro Super Stock Podium - Ryan Archambault 1st, John Pileggi 2nd, Paul Ryer 3rd and Tom Jahl 4th

Meanwhile, over on the Python, with his team driver departed for domestic commitments, Ryan continued his Fusion-fueled dominance in the Super Stock class.  John Pileggi (Fusion) was second, nine back, and Paul Ryer and Tom Jahl were locked in a gladiatorial duel right to the end, Paul (Fusion) ending with 377.24, squeaking it out over Tom (G3RS) who had 377.9.

The day wrapped up with nine racers in an IROC program, on The Bear.  John Reimels, who has just returned to us from a long HO layoff, showed he still has them driving chops, ascending the top step.  Paul Ryer was two back, John Pileggi third, six behind Paul, and Tom Jahl a single lap behind John.  Three racers – Peter Lentros, Pete Medeiros and Tom Gray all had 145 laps.  Ryan, clearly exhausted by his Super Stock effort, was two back of the 145ers, and Hakim, similarly tuckered out, brought up the rear.

Lots of racers, lots of tracks, and lots of HO racing; that’s what we do.  We invite you to visit us here in New England, and take part!

Race #6 will be back at LenJet on February 11, where we’ll run Indy/F1 G-Jets on the Brad’s Tracks Shamrock Glen, and Super Stock on another of Brad’s creations, the Champion.

Over and out,

Rob Hayes

Tech Sheet

Tech Sheet

Racing in the middle of Nowhere!

Hingham Massachusetts, December 10, 2022 – It seems that some think that traveling to the South Shore of Massachusetts is akin to going to the moon.  Obviously, these hillbillies from western Massachusetts are confused on what being in the middle of

Hard at work prepping for a full day of racing at Paul Ryer's South Shore Speedway

nowhere means.  On the other hand, Dan DeCosmo knows this place is Heaven on Earth and made the trip from California just to get some laps on Elvis.  A total of sixteen brave souls made the trip the South Shore Speedway located in the swanky ‘tuck neighborhood of Hingham for a day of racing on the iconic Elvis racetrack.  Peter Medeiros won the recruitment award (a pat on the back and a hardy handshake) by bringing his friend Matt Furtado to join the fun.  Matt seems like a natural and we hope to see him at upcoming events.  First up was Open Weighted where rear tire sizes in .420” range seem to defy the high force of the MaxTrax that Elvis is constructed from.  After some donuts, coffee, and practice, the drivers were ready for some racing.

Sportsman Podium - Open Weight - Jimmy Colligan 1st, Pete Medeiros 2nd, Terry Ayer 3rd and Hakim Harris 4th

Sportsman Open Weighted – Oh Jimmy might have had a bit of an advantage since he is very familiar with this track.  In any case he put that knowledge and a well setup car to good use by taking the top spot on the podium.  Peter Medeiros and Terry Ayer on the other hand had a close battle.  In the end, the gutters decided the race. Peter’s better run in red gave him second over Terry’s better run in green which gave him third.  Hakim is always a threat to grab a spot on the podium and he tool fourth in this race.

Pro Podium Open Weight - Paul Ryer 4th, John Reimels 3rd, Greg Burstein 2nd and Dan Decosmo 1st

Pro Open Weighted – The Pro podium was not populated by the usual suspects.  Dan DeCosmo showed he still has what it takes by belting out 286 laps to take the top spot.  Apparently rusty is not a term Dan is familiar with.  Coming off a big win at the 2022 Halloween Havoc, Greg Burstein once again showed everyone that yes, he can drive magnet cars.  Coming off a 3-year hiatus, John Reimels showed he’s still got the trigger finger and equipment to get on the podium.  Track owner Paul Ryer just snuck past Ryan for the last spot on the podium.   I would have won, but since I was hosting, I was distracted making sure everything was running smoothly.  Yeah, yeah, that’s it.

Lunch was a bit a smorgasbord of pizza and leftover Italian dishes from Mrs. South Shore’s neighborhood party the night before.  It seemed to meet with the crowd’s approval and the family was saved from multiple dinners or leftovers.  Super Stock was on the menu for the afternoon race.  Dan and Greg had to mosey so 14 racers were remained for the fun and festivities.  Lately Wizzard Fusion has been the ticket to the podium, but a couple of BSRT G3RS chassis snuck onto the podium.  As with Open Weighted, the setups seemed to go against the “MaxTrax has too much downforce” mantra with Fusions rear tire sizes in .418” to .424” range and G chassis in .430” to .436 range.

Sportsman Podium - Super Stock - Hakim Harris 1st, Terry Ayer 2nd, Pete Medeiros 3rd and Jimmy Colligan 4tg

Sportsman Super Stock – Welcome to the Hakim and Terry show.  These guys put on quite the show battling back and forth.  In the end Hakim’s better run in blue put him on the top spot with Terry taking second.  Peter Medeiros motored to a solid third place and Jim Colligan completed the podium in fourth place.

Pro Podium - Super Stock - Tom Gray 4th, Rob Hayes 3rd, Paul Ryer 2nd and Ryan Archambault 1st

Pro Super Stock – Super Stock is a blast on Elvis.  This class seems to suit this track perfectly, but I may be biased.  Ryan was pretty much unstoppable and took the top spot over second place track owner Paul Ryer who drove the only G chassis on the pro-podium.  Rob Hayes cruised to an uncontested third place.  Tom Gray took the last spot but was pace for a second or third finish until his front end decided to separate from the car.  Tom quicky fixed the issue, but the deficit was too much to overcome.

Thanks to everyone who made the trip to our neck of the woods.  A great day of racing as always with some close battles.  Next race will be January 14^th at LenJet.  Hope to see you there!

The race report faithfully submitted this day,

December 18, 2022

Douglas C. Neidermeyer

Sergeant At Arms

Open Weight Tech Sheet

SS Tech Sheet

Hi all

Sportsman Super Stock Podium - Bruce Olsen 1st, Jimmy Colligan 2nd, Terry Ayer 3rd and Hakim Harris 4th

MARC tried something different at this event. We started the day with an IROC race. We had 12 entries as not all wanted to participate. We ran Tomy super g plus cars built by Paul Crosby. It was successful but took longer than expected. This caused the super stock race to end late and only 9 total stayed for the CMPM-MOD race so we ran then together. At the next race we will discuss what to do, forget the IROC or run the other races as 3 minute heats.

Pro Super Stock Podium - Jonathan Feliciano 1st, John Pileggi 2nd, Rob Hayes 3rd and Tom Gray 4th

The SS race was fun with the NY guys running. However as often happens on a 6 lane track 1 car comes off and takes 2 with it. There was much carnage and track calls. The combined race went OK. The MOD cars were not much slower than the CMPM cars so there was no issues. See you all on 12/10

Tom Gray

MARC 2022-2023 Season – Race Two, Saturday October 8, 2022

Inaugural Race at Fiddlehead Raceway, Rochester NH

’Twas a crisp fall day in Rochester NH, and 14 racers were in the house for the first official MARC race at this venue. A shakedown event had been held last year. This track is an original Max that long predates Paul Kniffen’s acquisition of the company. It was first owned by Rob Hayes, and many MARC races were run on it at Catfish. Then Dave Muse acquired it but didn’t have a suitable place to set it up. Thanks to both for making it available to me. The track is high downforce, and VERY low rail.

The long distance award goes to Dan DeCosmo, who made the trip out from California specifically for the purpose of attending this race. Well okay, not really, but he did extend his stay by a day so he could be here. It was good to have him in the house.

Racers were greeted with donuts and coffee. Plus Ryan brought some cookies of which he was not terribly fond, and was looking for help in consuming them.

The first race of the day was Spec Racer. After two-plus hours of practice, amateurs and pros jointly took to the track to test their set-ups.

When the dust settled in the Sportsman race, only four sections separated first and second place. Terry Ayer nipped Hakim Harris by a tiny margin. The complete results follow:

Sportsman Spec Stock Podium: Mike Tiffany 4th, Bruce Olsen 3rd, Hakim Harris 2nd and Terry Ayer 1st

On the Pro side, track owner John Pileggi was prepared for the competition and won handily with 392 laps. The yellow lane here is no gutter, but rather probably the fastest lane on the track. Here are the results:

Pro Spec Racer Podium: Paul Ryer 4th, Dan Decosmo 3rd, Ryan Archambault 2nd and John Pileggi 1st

Next came lunch with a nice variety of pizzas as usual. Following lunch, practice commenced for Super Stock. Will the winning lap totals exceed those of spec racer, or fall short? Time will tell…

Six Sportsmen battled in this class, with newcomer Bruce Olsen taking the victory with 292.23 laps. Terry Ayer, the victor in spec racer, came in second only three laps behind.

Sportsman Super Stock Podium: Hakim Harris 4th, Mike Tiffany 3rd, Terry Ayer 2nd and Bruce Olsen 1st

The Pros race saw John Pileggi pull down an even more convincing win with a 37 lap margin of victory over Ryan Archambault. Dan DeCosmo might have finished second, except his body decided to leave its chassis at one point.

Pros Super Stock Podium: tom Gray 4th, Dan Decosmo 3rd, Ryan Archambault 2nd and John Pileggi 1st

So on the Sportsman side, the winning lap total in Spec Racer exceeded the Super Stock total by an incredible 43 laps! On the Pro side, the margin was only one lap. It’s interesting to note that even though the Spec Racer cars are limited to a 23 tooth crown gear and slip-on tires, the majority of the racers turned higher lap totals with these cars than with the Super Stock set-ups. The increased downforce of the Spec Racer cars is undoubtedly the main reason for this result.

Peter being Peter

Hakim won the award for having the most impressive pit equipment

Thanks to all who attended, and helped make this day a great success!

The next MARC race is scheduled for November 12^th at LenJet. Hope to seeyou there.

JP

 Tech Sheets

Spec Racer:                                             Super Stock:

MARC 2022 – 2023 Season, Race One

Great Racing – Four Different Winners!

 Dateline:  September 10, 2022, LenJet Raceway, Ashland, Massachusetts

The Miniature Auto Racing Club of New England (MARC) began its epic, 43rd season in the wide open spaces of LenJet, the golden Mecca of HO slot car racing. If you haven’t been, well, you just haven’t been.  Everyone is welcome, so come on down!

Our new club director, Tom Gray, offered welcome to the 16 racers who’d come in to renew the struggle, and then made presentation of the plaques to the top finishers from the previous year’s campaign.  There was jocularity, and a fair amount of bonhomie.

Felt good.

The Wily Bear racetrack. From left: Bruce Olsen, Nick Kanan, Tom Gray, Hal Pierce, Hakim Harris, Catfish Sr., and Terry Ayer.

Race one of the day was for Spec Racer cars, on Steve Medanic’s The Bear course.  Tight!  The Sportsmen and the Pros were mixed together, in round robin format, and using European rotation.

Ever-popular Sportsman Bruce Olsen stepped out early, with a remarkably fast car, and was going to set the pace for his fellow Sportsmen, and probably some of the Pros, from the look of it.  Pro Ryan “Magneto” Archambault arrived just in time to join the end of the round-robin field.  His hurt (right) paw is a source of both pain and serious concern.  Several of the other, always thoughtful, Pros were heard to offer on-site surgery via flame-sterilized X-Acto and cups of Bulleit Bourbon.  However, Ryan seems to be holding out for more professional care.  Good move.

This was the first race of the season, and there was definitely some rusty, borderline inattentive, corner marshaling.  Everyone:  take a deep breath, please keep your eyes on your corner, and work to get cars back in without creating additional deslots for racers coming up behind.  We must all do better, and I know that we will!

After a lot of thrashing about, and quite a few track calls for cars on the floor, the race shook out like this:  Dr. John Pileggi (Fusion) took the top spot by seven laps over Rob Hayes (G3RS), who was followed by Nick Kanan, and Old Busted Paw, both of them with Fusions.  Bruce Olsen came fifth overall, and first Sportsman, also with a Fusion. The top four Sportsmen were all running Fusions.

Top four places in both Sportsman and Pro are the subject of a tech sheet elsewhere in the report.  The entire field, with their overall and lane-specific lap totals, can also be found here someplace.

After the traditional noontime, four-course meal, everyone set to preparing machinery and fingers for their respective next contests.  For the Sportsmen, it was Formula 1 G-Jets on the historic Car Model track.  And for the Pros, Compression Molded Polymer Modified on the lightning-quick Boomerang!

The Sportsmen attempt to grok the subtleties of the Car Model speed bowl, with roadbed by Brad’s Tracks. From left: Bruce Olsen, Cedric Prevoe, Hal Pierce, Hakim Harris, Terry Ayer, and Dave Muse

Open-wheel G-Jets for the Sportsmen?  Oh yes.  Seven contestants stepped up, and it was New Hampshire favorite son Terry Ayer with a convincing, 10-lap win over Digital Dave Muse on the quirky Car Model bowl.  Oh Jimmy Colligan came third, and Hal Pierce, surely one of the kindest slot car racers in the Lower 48, was fourth.  Everyone ran… a BSRT G-Jet.  So, no tech sheet for this one.

CMPM Pros: Ryan goes mellow yellow; Nick sticks with the blue and passion fruit; Pileggi with his DeCosmo livery; and Ryer with a blue, guava, and lemon scheme.

And then CMPM on the Boomerang, for the Pros.  Somehow, Old Busted Paw conquered the pain and numbness in his right hand, flying off to an 11-lap victory, over Nick “Footlights” Kanan, who ran a Stiff G3RS.  You could say that Ryan (Viper Medium) won this race on gutter Yellow, but he was equally impressive on all four lanes.  This performance showed guts, and perhaps a willful disregard for one’s health.  8-)  Dr. John was third with a Stiff G3RS, twelve laps behind Nick, and newly minted HOPRA Senator Paul Ryer came in fourth, also with a Stiff G3RS.  There is tech sheet elsewhere in the report, if you really feel the need to geek out.

And that was it for Race One of 2022 – 2023.  Good fun, and it was swell to see everyone, after the summer had packed its sand buckets and beach chair into the Subaru.  Our next tilt will be at John Pileggi’s place in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Saturday, October 8.  61 Fiddlehead Lane.  The course will be the black, ex-Catfish MaxTrax, though now featuring some truly superb updates.

Over and out for now,

Rob Hayes

Getting Ready for the Nats!

Ashland Massachusetts, May 14, 2022 – Seventeen drivers showed up at LenJet for the final race of the 2021 -2022 MARC season.  Can’t remember too much, but I’m pretty sure everyone had a good day of racing and getting ready for the 47^th HOPRA Nats.

Sportsman Spec Racer Podium - Hal Pierce 4th, Jimmy Colligan 3rd, Mike Tiffany 2nd and Terry Ayer 1st

Sportsman Spec Racer on the Purple Mile – They raced.  They had fun.

Pro CMPM Podium - Wayne Wallace 4th, Victor Feliciano 3rd, Ryan Archambault 2nd and Jonathan Feliciano 1st

Pro CMPM on the Boomerang – They raced.  They had fun.

Sportsman Podium - Mike Tiffany 1st and Hakim Harris 2nd

Sportsman Super Stock on the Nuvolari – They raced.  They had fun.

Pro Neo Podium - Paul Ryer 4th, Brian Jones 3rd, Ryan Archambault 2nd and Jonathan Feliciano 1st

Pro Neo on the Viper – They raced.  They had fun.

The race report faithfully submitted this day,

July 2, 2022

Douglas c. Neidermeyer

Sergeant At Arms

Holiday for the Slo-Cars!

Team Catfish G-Jets Triumph in both Sportsman and Pro;

Terry and JP Ascend the Top Steps in Open Weight

Dateline:  LenJet, April 9, 2022

The car classes chosen for what was intended to be the long-awaited 25th Anniversary of Cambridge’s Catfish International Speedway were instead contested in the wide open spaces of LenJet, for reasons of virology.

We are hoping that, come this September, the world health situation will be such that we can well and truly celebrate this milestone in the cozy confines of Catfish International.  Look for music, raffles, and lots of cool stuff that may have you making the trek.

Slo-Cars:  they’re a different thing.  Thanks to all who showed up to chase the checkered flag.

The MaxTrax Python was the course selected for the BSRT G-Jets, first race of the day.  Historic Can-Am bodies, with drivers and interiors, made this a little different, offered some additional visual interest.  Some extra rail, and an even surface made this an ideal layout to really push these cars.

Sportsman G-Jet Podium - Mike Tiffany 2nd, Terry Ayer 3rd, Hal Pierce 4th and Dave Muse 1st

In the Sportsman program, after much cajoling, haranguing, debate and pressure, Digital Dave Muse, with no running racecar, agreed (finally) to borrow Catfish Sr.’s backup G-Jet.  He then quickly proceeded to walk the race, taking the top step of the podium by nearly nine laps from Nitro Mike Tiffany.  At the conclusion, Dave was sporting a wide grin, almost in spite of himself.  Very, Very Good To See!

Terry Ayer was third, two laps behind Mike, and Hal Pierce was three behind Terry.  Bruce Olsen and Hakim Harris were there too, but decidedly, and uncharacteristically, off the pace on this day.  Hakim had also started out the day with a Team Catfish car, but it came down with a bad case of commutator-oiling on the starting grid, and was replaced with a car from another quarter. 

Pro G-Jet Podium - Rob Hayes 1st, Ryan Archambault 2nd, John Pileggi 3rd and Peter Lentros 4th

On the Pro side, Rob Hayes was out to “redress” the result of the previous MARC G-Jet race, in which one Ryan (Magneto) Archambault had bested him in his favorite class, on the Boomerang.  This unfortunate, nseemly history would not repeat itself on the day.  Hayes unveiled a long-wheelbase, McLaren M20-bodied machine that had the full measure of the field, taking it to a nearly six-lap win over Ryan.  Dr. John Pileggi finished four behind Ryan, and Peter Lentros, Tom Jahl, and an audibly frustrated Paul Ryer, completed the Pro field.

Our second race of the day, Open Weighted, was situated on the beloved Shamrock Glen, which, as you’ll notice, has only one n in its name.

The Glen is truly beloved for all of the slower classes we race.  For my money, it is one of the very best courses that Mr. Brad Bowman has created in his storied career.

Open Weighted, or Open Weight, is not a diet program, nor is it the name of a smorgasbord.  Open Weight cars, are, in essence, HOPRA Spec Racer cars, sans traction magnets, and powered in a band of between 12 and 14 volts.  Big fun, and at speeds one can follow.

Sportsman Open Weight Podium - Terry Ayer 1st, Hakim Harris 2nd, Hal Pierce 3rd and Dave Muse 4th

We lost our most intrepid racer, Nitro Mike Tiffany, from the second program, so it was five Sportsmen that bellied up to the Glen.  Suddenly, and without warning, Tyco Terry Ayer keelhauled and butch-slapped the field, pulling steadily away, and taking top lap total on every lane in the process.  Impressive win, indeed.  So steady.  On rails.

Hakim Harris continued his meteoric rise, and return to prominence after a decade away from HO racing, posting race-best fastest laps on three of the lanes.  He finished with a strong second place, though 13 laps in arrears of the streaking (but not nakedly) Terry.  Hal Pierce was a mere two laps behind Hakim.  Dave Muse, falling back to earth a bit, was fourth, and Bruce Olsen, not showing this usual pace this day, rounded out the field.

Pro Open Weight Podium - John Pileggi 1st, Rob Hayes 2nd, Ryan Archambault 3rd and Paul Ryer 4th

Pro Open Weight.  About eight laps covered the top four finishers, and it was as fraught, and intense, as that would indicate.  Catfish Sr. looked strong early, totaling a race-best 63 on Yellow.  But after his sit-out, came back (on Red) to a now-greasy track.  And Viper Albino rears, for all of their wonderful properties, don’t like an oily surface.  So, Dr. John Pileggi, who had wisely chosen BSRT rubber (how bloody ironic), squeaked out a classy, half-lap victory over Rob!

Ryan had his usual astonishing car, and posted top total on the Red lane, but he was just a slight touch teetery on the other three, and came third.  Our beloved Club Director, Paul Ryer, had a much more typical (for him) showing in Open Weight, and was right there, just over a lap behind Ryan.  Peter Lentros, who has been more than a little preoccupied with his work life lately, was fifth, and Tom Jahl, steadily feeling this way back into the pack, was sixth.

So there you go.  A fine day with the slower cars.  We have one more 2021-2022 MARC date on the calendar, on May 14.  Which just happens to be National Chimichanga Day!  No, I made that up.  Those of you desperately hoping to see Peter Lentros and Paul Crosby in matching sombreros will just have to wait.  Maybe forever.

Our Sportsmen will be running Spec Racer on the one and only Purple Mile, and Super Stock on (wait for it) the Nuvolari!  And our Pros?  They will be smokin’ armatures and de-laminating tires, in CMPM on the Boomerang, and NEO on the Brystal Viper.

And then (and then) LenJet and MARC will be hosting the 47th Annual HOPRA Nationals, June 21-25.  Wow!  Five days of spectacle, sleeplessness, poor grammar, substandard hygiene, occasionally rude behavior, completely obsessive slot car building and possibly superhuman slot car driving, here in the gilded palace of HO racing.  Come one, come all, and bring your best self.  Right now, this is the Super Bowl.  You can sleep when you’re dead.

Submitted this day, by Your Obedient Servant,

Rob Hayes

MARC 2021-2022 Season – Race Eight, Saturday March 26, 2022

Weather was not an issue this day, unlike the last race, and 20 racers made their way to LenJet to continue their prep for the upcoming HOPRA Nats. The crowd was equally split with ten Pros and ten Sportsmen. There were two additional MARC drivers on site this day, Rob Hayes and Paul Ryer, who chose to compete in the 1/24 Retro competition, being held concurrently on the Modelville Hobby side. With Paul unable to carry out his normal responsibilities of running the festivities, others of us pitched in to make things happen.

The first races of the day were Super Stock for all – Sportsmen on the Python and Pros on the Bear, with the races running concurrently.

Sportsman SS Podium - Tom Bussman 2nd, Hal Pierce 3rd and Terry Ayer 1st (Oh Jimmy Colligan 4th missing from phot0)

In the Sportsman Class on the Python, Hal Pierce pulled down the win with 355 laps. Tom Bussmann secured the second spot with 349 laps, followed by Terry Ayer in third with 346, and O’Jimmy Colligan in fourth with 325.

Pro SS Podium - Ryan Archambault 1st, Nick Kanan 2nd, John Pileggi 3rd and Tom Kanan 4th (at least the Pros know how to line up properly...)

On the Pro side, Ryan Archambault continued his winning ways, rolling up 374 laps on the Bear. After his opening 100 laps on the red lane, I thought a 400+ lap total was a strong possibility. Ryan was followed by Nick Kanan with 364, John Pileggi with 352, and (senior) Tom Kanan with 351.

Next came lunch with a nice variety of pizzas as usual, including Hawaiian. Following lunch, practice commenced for the second races of the day. The Sportsmen would run Modified on the Scorpion, and the Pros CMPM on the Boomerang.

Sportsman Modified Podium -Hakim Harris 1st, Hal Pierce 4th and Cody Pare 3rd (Wayne Wallace 2nd missing from photo)

The Sportsmen only practiced for approximately one hour and were then ready to race. Only five racers participated, so they decided to run just five of the Scorpion’s six lanes; the yellow lane was omitted. Hakim Harris, who raced with MARC several years ago, has made a reappearance as of late. It hasn’t taken him long to ascend the podium. Hakim convincingly won the Modified race with 488 laps, followed by veteran Wayne Wallace with 475. Cody Pare followed in third place with 462 laps, Hal Pierce in fourth with 424, and Terry Ayer in fifth with 408.

Pro CMPM Podium - Ryan Archambault 1st, Nick Kanan 2nd, John Pileggi 3rd and Tom Gray 4th

The Pros once again tried to figure out CMPM on the challenging Boomerang. The Sportsmen were done with their race before the Pros started, so Hakim joined the Pros to run CMPM. The finishing order for this race looked quite similar to the Super Stock race. Once again, Ryan showed us the way with 367 laps, making it a double win for the day! Nick finished second again with 353, John was third again with 335, and Tom Gray rounded out the podium with 322. Tom Kanan’s car was not cooperating, so he pulled it after 41 laps so as to not negatively impact the other drivers. This is a great example of unselfish sportsmanship.

Thanks to Ryan, Terry, and others who helped make the day a success.

The next MARC race is scheduled for April 9^th, once again at LenJet. Thanks to Peter Lentros for providing such an awesome venue!

Okay, that’s it for now. I have to go put another coat of wax on my Super Stock bodies.

JP