2018-2019 Season
March 9th, 2019
First off, I'd like to apologize for the long delay in posting the write-up for our final race of the season. Sometimes life and work just put everything slot car-related on hold for the time being.
19 racers made the trip to Seabreeze Speedway to participate in the 2018-2019 season finale. Dave had the track in tip-top shape as the racers were treated to some awesome doughnuts as practice got underway. Super stocks started off the day's racing, and Dave F crushed the field with a 4 lap victory. Final results are as follows:
1) Dave F
2) Dave V
3) Paul
4) Marc
5) Bob
6) Warren
7) Chris
8) Fran
9) Keith
10) John D
11) Rick
12) Orest
13) Lynn
14) Larry
15) Danny
16) Joe S
17) Steve
Next up was the IROC race, with the host providing 4 beautiful BMWs for everyone to race. This race was much closer with Dave F grabbing the win by a lap over the rest of the field. A quick shout-out to Chris for some outstanding turn marshaling at the dreaded bridge during the racing's first 2 classes. Final results:
1) Dave F
2) Steve
3) Fran
4) Bob
5) Paul
6) Dave V
7) Mark
8) Larry
9) Rick
10) Keith
11) Warren
12) Chris
13) Jamie
14) Orest
15) John D
16) Joe S
17) Marc
18) Lynn
19) Danny
We took a break for lunch as Dave F was killing us on the track, but Tracy was killing it in the kitchen - as she provided an awesome lunch for everyone to enjoy and we certainly did! Thanks Tracy!
The DASH/Team race finished out the day. After cars and teammates were drawn out of a hat, racing got underway, and at the end of round one, top lap totals saw Dave F on top at 86 laps followed by Dave V (81), then Paul and Mark (80 each). Dave F and Dave V grabbed top seed with 167 laps. Dave F was on a roll, and locked in second seed with Danny at 159 laps. Three teams posted 156 lap totals so round 2 was going to be very close. Round 2 saw Mark/Larry grab third seed, and Steve/Orest nailed down the final spot in the semis. In semi #1, Dave F/Dave V cruised to a 7 lap victory over Steve/Orest. In semi #2, Mark/Larry squeezed out a one l lap victory over Dave/Danny to move on to the main. In the main, nobody could match the torrid pace set by Dave F as he swept the weekend, winning all three classes. Final results:
1) Dave F / Dave V
2) Mark / Larry
3) Dave F / Danny
4) Steve / Orest
5) Bob / Marc
6) Paul / Rick
7) Fran / Warren
8) Jamie / Joe S
9) Lynn / Chris
It was great to see Orest make his return to race with the group after a long absence, and I was very impressed with his much-improved driving performance. Great job, Orest! Dave V made his first appearance ever racing with our group and it doesn't hurt to draw the track owner for your partner in the DASH/Team race, and he turned it into a victory. Dave F was on a mission that weekend with his "lights out" driving performance which helped Danny grab his first piece of hardware (for his 3rd place finish in the TEAM race). Awesome job!
Steve dominated the IROC class this year and was crowned the IROC champ, followed by Dave F and Paul. Paul grabbed the Super Stock crown over Dave F, with Steve in third. "Lucky Mark" Webster wore the crown in the TEAM/Dash competition, picking up hardware in all 6 of the class events. John D won the tie-breaker over Paul to grab second in the points. Once again, 9 different racers won in this class for the season.
On July 6th, Dave Failing will be hosting his summer picnic from noon until ? . Please bring a dish to pass or contact Dave to see how you can help out. We will be discussing rules for next season at the picnic, so please call 607-345-6496 or email paul@maxtraxracing.com if you have any concerns in this area. We will not discuss ANY rules not brought up in advance of the picnic; it is not a gripe session but just a time that we can discuss potential ways to improve the racing.
Finally, Upstate NY Raceway in Springville NY will be hosting their "Summer Shootout" on August 17th and 18th. Fray rules will be used. More info will be posted here as it becomes available. Have a great summer! Paul
February 9, 2019
The Upstate NY T-Jet Series returned to Springville, NY to test their driving skills on Joel's new Max Trax, temporarily dubbed "The Green Monster" until an official name can be applied to this beauty. Joel did a great job on the track and I'm sure many close races will be hosted on it in the years to come. Super stock kicked off the days racing activities, and when the smoke cleared, three racers all posted 56 laps. This was the final Super stock race using slipon silicone tires for the series and they definitely provided for some super-close finishes. Paul grabbed the win by sections over Marc and Dave F. Final results are as follows:
1. Paul
2. Marc
3. Dave F
4. Steve
5. Chris
6. Warren
7. George
8. Keith
9. John D
10. Bob D
11. Joe S
12. Larry 13. Rick
14. John V
15. Danny
16. Joel
IROCs were up next, with Joel providing 4 DASH chassis clad with 4 killer Porsche bodies done by our own Dave F. These cars were sweet and once again 3 racers posted 49-lap totals, with Steve continuing his dominance in this class, nosing out Paul and Warren for the win. Race results were as follows:
1. Steve
2. Paul
3. Warren
4. Dave F
5. Keith
6. Marc
7. Chris
8. John D
9. George
10. Bob D
11. John V
12. Mark
13. Jamie 14. Joe S
15. Danny
16. Larry
17. Rick
After a break for pizza and wings, the DASH/TEAM competition got under way. We're not sure anyone even reads this anymore, so if you got this far, the first person to email unytjs@mail.com will win a prize from Max Trax Racing! At the end of Round 1, the top lap totals saw Joel on top with 56 laps, followed by Paul at 54 laps, Steve at 53, then Dave F and Marc at 52. The dynamic duo of Joel/Warren filled the number one seed and Steve/"Lucky" Mark at the second seed moved on to the semis. The rest of the field got ready for the 2nd round to fill the final two spots in the semis. 5 teams were in the hunt to advance from round 2, and when the team totals were added up, Marc/Chris ended up 3rd seed with Paul/Joe S getting the 4th and final seed. The first semi saw the dynamic duo of Joel/Warren cruise to an easy victory over Paul/Joe S. The second semi was much closer, with Steve/Mark beating Marc/Chris by sections to advance to the finals. In the main, the father and son team of Warren and Joel were just too much for Steve and Mark, with both of them having car trouble in the final heat. Congratulations to Joel and Warren on your win! Race results are as follows:
1) Joel / Warren 110 laps
2) Steve / Mark 107
3) Marc / Chris 106
4) Paul / Joe S 103
5) Dave F / George 102
6) Bob D / Larry 101
7) Jamie / Keith 100 8) John D / Danny 95
9) John V / Rick 90
I'd like to thank Joe S for supplying some nice race prizes and bringing his traveling slot car store for the racers to browse through. And, how about that Danny Bobby, who got his first heat win ever with the Upstate NY T-Jet Series only to bag a second heat win later the same day. This is no joke, and I've got pictures to prove it! Great job Danny!!! The last race of the season will be at Seabreeze Speedway in Rochester, NY where the points champions will be crowned. See you there!
January 26, 2019
This week Pattiland Int'l. welcomed racers from the Upstate NY TJet Series. This race was postponed from the previous week due to bad weather. Unfortunately some members could not make today's rescheduled race but those who made the trek were rewarded with excellent donuts and Patti’s baked lasagna. Racing started at 9:50 and finished at 4:00.
To recap the IROC race, the track owner supplied AW mustangs painted by SSR (Steve Dickinson). The voltage was set at 18v. Heat times were 2.25 min. This worked well but there were some issues. The yellow lane lost conductivity due to a pick up shoe problem. The Grand Canyon on the pick up side of the car was the issue. The red car also exhibited a reluctance to run but gentle prodding returned it to normal. The following was the finishing order for IROC:
1. Steve D 53.91 Laps (Laps Back)
2. Dave F 52.53 (-1.4)
3. Paul K 51.82 (2.1)
4. Bob D 51.80 (2.1)
5. George 51.43 (2.5)
6. Chris M 48.82
6. Rick K 48.82
8. Mark W 47.77
9. Warren L 46.72
10. John D 46.65
11. Danny Bobby D 44.70
12. Fran T 44.53
13. Lynn M 42.60
The overall delta was 2.5 laps between 1 and 5th place.
The 2nd race was tjet Fray cars with slip on tires. The cars were run at 18 v and heat times were 2 ½ minutes. The race results were very close as expected with slip on tjets. Results were as follows:
1. Dave F 53.90 Laps (Laps Back)
2. Steve D 52.87 (1.03)
3. Paul K 50.60 (3.30)
4. Bob D 49.32 (4.58)
5. George V 49.13 (4.77)
6. Mark W 48.82
7. Chris M 48.33
8. John D 46.77
9. Warren L 46.60
10. Rick K 45.58
11. Lynn M 41.68
12. Danny Bobby D 38.27
13. Fran T 37.63
George and Mark won the Dash/Team Two Man event. This was the first time George has come in 1st in any points event race. Home track advantage was whispered as to why the great finish. The Team of Paul/John came in 2nd, followed by Dave/Rick in 3rd, and Bob/Lynn finishing 4th. The teams of Fran/Steve, Warren/Chris, and Danny/George finished 5, 6, and 7th. Shown below are the race results:
1) George / Mark
2) Paul / John D
3) Dave F / Rick
4) Bob D / Lynn
5) Fran / Steve
6) Warren / Chris
7) Danny / George
The day ended on time and it appeared everyone had a good time. The Springville guys had to endure snow but managed to make it on time. Happy Birthday to Dave and George! George is 365 days older! A shout-out to Rick for his first-ever podium finish (3rd place in the DASH/Team race), and congratulations to George for his first ever win with the Upstate NY TJet Series! Thanks to George for doing the race write-up this time around - that really takes the pressure off the webmasters!
The next race will be February 9th in Springville, NY on their beautiful new Max Trax!
This space could have displayed YOUR photo if you took time to email any in! Thanks John D for sending photos.
January 5, 2019
After taking the month of December off from racing, the Upstate NY TJet Series resumed competition at Small Scale Replicas at the new digs in Fairport NY with 17 racers attending. It was great to see Joe S and Fran join us again for the first race of 2019.
Superstock started off the day's competition with Steve picking up the home-track win over Paul, Marc, and Dave. Race results are as follows:
Race results:
1) Steve
2) Paul
3) Marc
4) Dave
5) Joel
6) Warren
7) George
8) Chris
9) Keith
10 John D
11) Rick
12) Fran
13) Joe
14) Danny
Steve provided 4 stock Aurora TJets for the IROC class. A new format was attempted for this class, but unfortunately it extended the race day so we'll be going back to the usual round-robin format from now on. This was something that should have been tried at a "fun race" rather than a points race. Lesson learned! I only have results for the top 8 finishers:
1) Joel
2) Steve
3) Warren
4) Mark W
5) Keith
6) Larry
7) Fran
8) Dave
The day's racing ended with the DASH/Team race, with once again some super close racing. At the end of the first round, Paul and Mark W took top seed with 112 laps followed by John D and Steve at 111 laps, beating out Dave and Keith by mere sections for the second seed. After round 2 ended, Dave and Keith grabbed the third seed with Joel and Jamie getting the fourth and final spot in the semis. Semi #1 saw Paul/Mark W edge out Joel/Jamie by a lap to move on to the finals. Semi #2 saw Dave/Keith post 113 laps only to get squeezed out by Steve/John D at 114 laps. In the finals, it was Steve/John D posting 117 lap total to Paul/Mark W 115 laps. This was John's second win in a row for this class. Great job John and Steve! Race results as follows:
1) Steve/John D 117
2) Paul/Mark W 115
3) Joel/Jamie 114
4) Dave/Keith 113
5) Marc/Warren 111
6) George/Joe 108
7) Larry/Rick 106
8) Chris/Fran 105
9) Steve/Danny 105
The next race will be at Pattiland International Raceway on Jan. 19. Hope to see all of you there.
November 3, 2018
I'd like to thank all the racers that made the long drive to participate with the Upstate NY TJet Series at Max Trax. Dave Lockwood (DBL Racing) represented the East Coast Outlaws. Joe Rinn, Derek Wright, and Mario Pisano from NJ showcased their driving talents. California transplant Bob Raymond (C&R Racing decals) made his debut with the club. Bob showed up a bit late and got zero practice, but by the end of the day was laying down some great lap times. I'd also like to mention this guy was an outstanding turn marshal and volunteered to marshal the DASH/Team main; his efforts were appreciated by all. Last but not least, it was great to see Fran make his 1st appearance at Max Trax and we hope to see him at some other series events.
On Friday afternoon, most of the out-of-towners showed up for some practice and Marc Sevier looked like the man to beat in Super Stock after he ripped off a 5.490 lap time on red lane with his backup car. Joe Rinn brought a set of IROC cars that some of us got to tear up the track with on Friday evening, and boy were they fun to drive. Thanks, Joe! We all headed out to grab some local BBQ to end the evening.
22 racers took to the track for the 1st race of the day featuring Super Stocks with slip on tires and the voltage turned down to 18 volts. This provided much closer competition and reduced the chaos in this class. After the 1st group finished, it was Steve on top with 73 laps followed by Mark with 71 and Chris at 70. Michael was in the hunt but on his 2nd lane his car ran out of oil and his crew chief was fired on the spot (so sorry, Mike). With the next group of 4 racers, Joel posted 76 laps to take over the top spot. Group 3 saw Derek and Paul battle it out with Derek posting 73 laps but Paul ripped off 77 laps to take over the lead. The 4th group was hot and heavy with Dave F setting the pace at 73 laps followed by Jamie with 71. The last group is what we had been waiting for, to see if Marc, Dave L, or Mario could grab their 1st win in the series. When the checkers flew, it was Marc at 76 laps and Dave L 2 laps back at 74. Race results are as follows:
1) Paul 77
2) Joel 76
3) Marc 76
4) Dave L 74
5) Steve 73
6) Derek 73
7) Dave F 73
8) Fran 71
9) Jamie 71
10) Mark 71
11) Chris 70
12) John D 69
12) Warren 69
14) Mario 69
15) Keith 69
16) Bob R 68
17) George 68
18) Michael 67
19) Larry 67
20) Bob D 66
21) Joe 63
22) Danny 60
After a break for lunch, IROCS were up with the Zoomin Human supplying 4 old school Aurora TJets with skinny tires and a non-weighted front end clad with 4 beautiful Daytona Charger bodies painted by the late Pat Dube. I'm sure Pat was looking down on us with a big smile on his face. Thanks Pat; we miss you brother. This race will go down with probably the closest finish results ever in the series. Steve grabbed the win by sections over Mark and Joel, all with 61 laps. The next 12 racers were all within one lap of each other. This is the way all races should turn out.
Race results:
1) Steve 61
2) Mark 61
3) Joel 61
4) Dave F 59
5) Marc 59
6) Dave L 59
7) Paul 59
8) John D 59
9) Mario 59
10) Larry 58
11) Keith 58
12) Jamie 58
13) Michael 58
14) Bob 58
15) Warren 58
16) Joe 57
17) Bob R 57
18) Derek 56
19) Fran 56
20) George 56
21) Chris 54
22) Danny 49
Our DASH/Team race finished out the day. At the end of Round 1, Joel and John D secured the top seed followed by Dave F and Mario at second seed. Both teams advanced to the semis. Top lap totals for round one saw Joel at 74 followed by Dave F at 73, the Michael, John D, Joe, and Steve at 72, and Jamie, Fran and Mark at 71. Round 2 saw most drivers improve their lap totals: Michael, Mark, Paul and Dave L all at 73 laps, Marc, Fran and Joe at 72 laps, Bob R, Larry and Jamie at 71, and Steve, Warren, Derek and Bob D at 70. There were some great races throughout the round, but Bob R and Larry stole the show with some awesome side-by-side racing for about 4 minutes. After the team totals were tallied, Michael and Mark grabbed 3rd seed with Marc and Fran nailing down the final spot in the semis. Semi 1 saw 4th seed Marc/Fran give the top seed Joel/John D a run for their money but they got squeezed out of the main by a lap, 144-143. Semi 2 saw Michael/Mark really turn up the heat with a 148 to 144 lap victory over Dave F/Mario. It was Fran and Mario's 1st time at Max Trax and they did a great job. In the main, all 4 drivers turned in spectacular driving performances with Joel and Michael putting on a great show posting an amazing 76 and 75 lap performance respectively. Joel and John D grabbed the win by a lap over Michael and Mark. Awesome race! Race Results:
1) Joel/John D 150
2) Michael/Mark 149
3) Dave F/Mario 144
4) Marc/Fran 143
5) Dave L/Derek 143
6) Keith/Larry 143
7) Jamie/Bob D 141
8) Steve/Warren 141
9) George/Joe 140
10) Bob R/Chris 138
11) Paul/Danny 133
I want to thank George and Jamie for the goodies they brought, and most of all Cheryl for all her hard work helping me put the race on and the wonderful meal she provided. Check back for details on the next non-points race.
October 20, 2018
For the first Fun Race of the season, George set the bar quite high for the rest of us - a small turnout of racers but big-time fun on the track. I'd like to thank Steve and George for sending pictures and a special shoutout to George and Patti for hosting the race and providing a delicious lunch. Here's the excellent write up from George:
Doors opened at 8:00 with practice to learn the difficult PIR track. The first race started at 9:45 with a team Endurance race. The hope was to have 3 teams of at least 3 drivers per team, but unfortunately the cold and flu season hit hard on this inaugural event. The eight racers were divided into 2 teams of four. George and Dave tuned the Aurora slip on tire Ford J Cars a few days prior to the race. The voltage was 19 volts to minimize come offs but still require a level of good driving to make the most laps. All heats started at start finish line. Although I tried to even the teams based on ability the results bore out the ugly truth: I stink at picking teams. Two sets of 4 min heats resulted in each racer driving a total of 24 minutes. The set up was 2 sets of 4-minute heats.
Team 1: Bob D, Paul K, Danny D, Chris M
Team 2: George V, Dave F, Steve D, Rick K
Team 1 with 296.6 laps then 295.4 laps for a total of 592.0 laps
Team 2 with 306.9 laps then 305.8 laps for a total of 612.7 laps
All though the teams were slightly mismatched, it was a good race with only minor equipment issues.
The race ended at 12:00. Patti V served beef tacos, beans and rice with chips and salsa. The guys were most appreciative to her long hours over stove preparing a feast fit for the group. PS she is saving the lasagna for January's race.
The 2nd race (started about 1:00) was a blind draw race using Paul Kniffen’s Dash IROC cars. They were tuned to perfection and ran well at 16.5 V. Using 3-minute qualifiers the top 4 finishers drew their partners from the bottom four racers.
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Paul K Q-59.31 laps drew Bob D Q-58.34 laps, Total laps =118.1
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George V Q-59.40 laps drew Rick K Q-56.52 laps, Total laps 116.6
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Steve D Q-60.39 laps drew Chris M Q-55.41 laps, Total laps 116.4
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Dave F Q-59.41 laps drew Danny D Q-46.35 laps, Total laps 106.3
The first seed (Paul and Bob) sat out as the other 3 teams ran for the final 2 spots. These were two-minute heats, which emphasized keeping the car on the track.
The results:
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George 40.55 laps, Rick 37.51 laps, Total= 78.8 laps
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Steve 40.50 laps, Chris 37.40 laps, Total= 78.5 laps
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Dave 41.41 laps, Danny 30.28 laps, Total= 72.2 laps
The finals were 3-minute heats with great racing and superb marshaling. Paul and Bob edged out the field:
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Paul 62.18, Bob 59.36, Total 121.9 laps
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George 61.50, Rick 57.24, Total 119.3 laps
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Steve 61.54, Chris 56.51, Total 118.8 laps
Very close racing. Closing out about 2:45PM
The last event at began at 3:00PM. Using George’s IROC DASH 442 cars and chassis was a blast. Again due to time constraints, 2 minute round robin heats at 16.5V. Here are the results:
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Steve 39.91 laps
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Dave 39.15 laps
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George 37.93 laps
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Paul 37.89 laps
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Bob 37.72 laps
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Chris 35.85 laps
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Rick 35.51 laps
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Danny 30.24 laps
The race day closed at 3:45. It appears all had a good day of fun racing. Everyone was on their best behavior too as we didn’t have any confrontations. Again thanks to Patti for her support of our hobby. Thanks to Cheryl for posting this on the web. The next points race is November 3 at MAX Trax racing (Pauls track). See you there.
September 29, 2018
A small group of just 13 racers made the trip to Upstate NY Raceway for Round 1 of the 2018-19 Upstate NY T-Jet Series. Warren and Joel had Lynn's track in perfect condition and the competition was fierce. As Joel had to leave early, the DASH team race was run first. After cars and teammates were drawn, 2 teams looked quite stout. Mark and Joel were winning teammates at a race last year, and the only time Marc and Paul raced before as teammates they also found victory lane. After Round 1, Joel and Paul had top lap totals of 86 each, Dave 85, Marc 84, Warren 83, Mark and Steve at 82 each. After the 1st round of qualifying Paul and Marc grabbed top seed, followed by Joel and Mark 2 laps back. Both teams advanced to the semis.
With an odd number of racers, Joel also teamed up with John V, and after round 2 they secured the #3 seed with Dave and Chris beating out Steve and George by sections for the final spot in the semis. In semi #1, Paul/Marc cruised to a 7 lap victory over Dave/Chris. In semi #2, Joel/Mark advanced with a 5 lap victory over John/Joel. In the main, the turn marshals had a very relaxing race as all 4 drivers did an outstanding job and wrecks were a rarity. Heat #1 saw Joel/Mark take a 1 lap lead but in the 3rd heat, Paul/Marc turned the tables to a single lap advantage. When the timer stopped after the 4th heat, all drivers had turned 22 laps, giving Paul/Marc their 1st victory for the '18/19 season.
Race results:
1) Paul/Marc
2) Joel/Mark
3) John/Joel
4) Dave/Chris
5) Steve/George
6) Keith/Bob
7) Warren/Danny
After a break for lunch, IROCS were up next. The first group of racers finished their rotation with Keith, George, and Chris filling the top three positions. The second group hit the track and Steve ripped off an amazing 82 lap total to take over the top position, followed by Mark and Bob. The last group saw the closest racing of the day as Paul matched Steve's lap total to tie for the win, followed by Warren, Marc, and Dave - all on the same lap. Thanks to George for help with the scoring for this class.
Race results:
1) Paul/Steve tied
3) Warren
4) Marc
5) Dave
6) Mark
7) Bob
8) Keith
9) George
10) Chris
11) John
12) Danny
Super stocks finished out the day of racing with Dave Failing getting the win over Paul, Steve, Marc, Warren, Bob, Chris, George, Keith, John, and Danny in that order. Thanks to Steve for stepping up to provide race day photos.
On Oct. 20th, George Vianco will be hosting our first "Fun Race" of the season. Classes will be:
1) Ford J cars -IROC/Team Enduro race
2) DASH 442s - IROC Individual race
3) DASH/Team -blind-draw race
Cars will be provided for all 3 races; phone George with any questions.
2017-2018 Season
March 3, 2018
After Thursday night's major snowstorm, 19 racers made the trip to Rochester, NY where Dave and Tracy hosted the Upstate NY T-Jet Series final race of the 2017-2018 season. Racers were treated to some great doughnuts as practice got underway. Cars and teammates were drawn as the DASH/Team race got the day's activities started. With an odd number of racers, Paul was designated to be scored with both Mark and Fran for the team lap totals. Joel and Dave set high lap totals in qualifying with 84 laps followed by John V. and Steve with 81 laps, with George and Mark at 80 laps. At the end of round 1, Joel and Warren were the class of the field securing the #1 seed. Paul and Mark just nosed out Dave and Larry by sections for the second seed.
Round 2 saw some great racing action as this class has provided some close competition throughout the season. The final 2 spots in the semis were filled by Dave and Larry at 3rd seed, beating Paul and Fran by 6 sections. Semi #1 saw 4th seed Paul/Fran give the #1 seed Joel/Warren all they could handle as both teams turned 163 laps. Joel and Warren got the win by sections to advance to the main. Semi #2 matched the 2nd and 3rd seeds against each other. Dave posted an amazing lap total of 86 laps but Mark and Paul both posted 83 laps to advance to the main. The main was a real dog fight with Paul/Mark pulling off the upset with a one lap victory over Joel/Warren.
DASH/Team Results:
1) Paul and Mark 165 laps
2) Joel and Warren 164
3) Paul and Fran 163
4) Dave and Larry 163
5) Steve and Marc 162
6) John V. and Bob 160
7) George and Keith 159
8) Jamie and John D 149
9) Joe and Rick 148
10) Chris and Danny 147
Dave provided 4 beautiful whale-tail Porsches for the IROC competition.
IROC results:
1) Dave
2) Steve
3) Joel
4) Paul
5) John V
6) Bob
7) George -YAY another purple ribbon!
8) Mark
9) Chris
10) Fran
11) Marc
12) Larry
13) Warren
14) John D
15) Rick
16) Jamie
17) Keith
18) Danny
19) Joe
Superstocks finished out the day's racing and once again it was a crash fest. If a few rule changes for next year don't fix this problem we'll be replacing this class with something else. Dave drove a flawless race; he and Joel ran away and hid from the rest of the field.
Super Stock finishing order:
1) Dave
2) Joel
3) Paul
4) Steve
5) Chris
6) Marc
7) Fran
8) John V
9) Bob
10) Keith
Joel was crowned the DASH/Team points champion as he made the main in all 6 race events. With 6 different tracks and 6 different cars, he was top qualifier at all the races in this class. Once again, this format worked well, as we had 9 different winners during the season. Paul, Mark, and Steve grabbed 2 wins each in this class with Joel, Dave, Warren, Keith, John D, and Larry with one win apiece.
Joel once again claimed the IROC points championship with his outstanding driving. Joel and Dave had 2 wins apiece, with Paul and Steve getting one win each.
Paul took the Super Stock title with his 3 wins, followed by Dave, Joel, and Steve with one win apiece.
Steve was drawn asthe big winner of the beautiful IROC set provided by Dave Failing. Thanks for Dave and Tracy for hosting the race. Tracy, the lunch was awesome! Enjoy the summer and see you next fall for the 2018-2019 season.
2-17-2018
Warren and Joel had the track in perfect condition as 18 racers made the trip to challenge their driving skills on the very technical Blueballs Raceway in Springville, NY.
The DASH 2-man team race was up first. Mark W was the 1st racer to draw a team mate and when he drew Joel we had to chisel the smile off his face. At the end of Round 1, Joel and Dave set the high lap total with 80 each, followed by Steve, Warren, and Paul one back at 79 laps. The #1 seed saw Joel and Mark (157 laps) grab the top spot while Warren and Marc (155 laps) nosed out Paul and Bob by sections for the second seed.
In Round 2, most racers increased their lap totals, but Scott and John V showed an amazing increase, improving by 5 and 8 laps respectively. The 3rd seed was filled by Paul and Bob with 159 laps with Steve and Chris nailing down the 4th seed with 154 laps to fill out the semis.
The first semi saw Steve and Joel battle it out with some great racing as both drivers were in the gutter lanes running neck and neck for the entire 2 minute heat. Steve and Chris posted 156 laps but Joel and Mark's 160 lap total moved them into the main. The second semi saw #2 and #3 seeds bang heads again but this time Paul and Bob (160 laps) moved into the main over Warren and Marc (157 laps). After a quick break for pizza and wings, the main hit the track. With some great driving by all the racers in the main, Joel stepped up to the plate and crushed an amazing 84 lap total to give Mark and himself a one lap victory (163 laps) over Paul and Bob (162). Congratulations on your superb driving performance!
The DASH/Team finishing order is as follows:
1) Joel/Mark 163
2) Paul/Bob 162
3) Warren/Marc 157
4) Steve/Chris 156
5) Jamie/Larry 151
6) John V/ Keith 151
7) Dave/Rick 150
8) George/Scott 149
9) John D/Danny 146
Once again Dave Failing provided the beautiful BMWs for the IROC race. Steve nosed out Joel for the win and Paul nipped Dave by sections for 3rd place.
IROC finishing order:
1) Steve
2) Joel
3) Paul
4) Dave
5) Bob
6) Marc
7) Warren
8) Larry
9) Mark
10) John D
11) Jamie
12) Keith
13) Chris
14) George
15) John V
16) Rick
17) Scott
18) Danny
Super stocks finished out the day with Paul picking up the win. Dave beat Warren by 2 sections to take the runner-up spot.
Super stock results:
1) Paul
2) Dave
3) Warren
4) Marc
5) Steve
6) Joel
7) Bob
8) George
9) Rick
10) Chris
11) John V
12) Scott
13) Keith
14) Danny
Dave Failing will be hosting the season finale at Seabreeze Speedway on March 3rd, 2018.
2-3-2017
After a January snowstorm and a February kidney stone, here is the write-up for race #4 of the Upstate NY T-Jet series hosted by Small Scale Replicas in Rochester, NY. The DASH/Team race was first, and after round 1, Steve and John D grabbed the top seed with 113 laps followed by Joel and Bob with 111 laps, securing the second seed. Joel once again was top qualifier, posting 59 laps. The remaining 6 teams got ready for round 2 to chase the 2 final spots in the semis. When the checkers flew, it was John V and Paul beating Jamie and Warren by 12 sections to fill the 3rd and 4th seeds. The 6th - 8th place teams all had 106 laps, only separated by sections. Semi #1 saw top seed Steve/John D get the win (114 laps) over Jamie/Warren (112 laps). Semi #2 was a real barn-burner with Joel/Bob holding a one lap lead until the final heat when John V/Paul put on a late race charge to pull even in laps but got nosed out of the main by just sections. I've been racing with John V on and off for ~8 years and it was by far his best driving performance I've witnessed. Great job Big John! The main saw some great racing with 2 drivers posting a 60 lap total. At the end, it was Steve and John D grabbing a one lap victory over Joel and Bob. It was the first win for John D with the Upstate NY T-Jet Series. It doesn't hurt when you draw the track owner for your partner! Great job!
DASH/Team Results:
1) Steve/John D 116 laps
2) Joel/Bob 115 laps
3) John V/Paul 115 laps
4) Jamie/Warren 112 laps
5) Marc/Jerry 107 laps
6) Keith/Chris 106 laps
7) Mark/Rick 106 laps
8) Dave F/Danny 106 laps
IROCs were up next, with Dave Failing providing the beautiful BMWs to test the drivers' skills on this challenging layout.
IROC Top 10 Finishing order:
1) Dave F
2) Joel
3) Paul
4) Warren
5) Marc and Steve
7) John D
8) Bob
9) Keith
10) Jamie
Super stocks were last up; Joel crushed the field with a 4 lap victory. This race saw both poor driving and marshalling and most drivers were glad to see the day come to an end.
Super Stock Results:
1) Joel
2) Warren
3) Steve
4) Dave F
5) Paul
6) Marc
7) Bob
8) Chris
9) Rick
10) Keith
11) Danny
Racing resumes on February 17th at the Springville Slot Car Club on Blueballs Raceway. Hope to see you there.
A special thanks to Mrs. Dickinson for providing lunch for the racers!
Boston Tea Jet Party 1-20-2018
On January 20th, the Upstate NY T-Jet Series invaded Lenjet Raceway to showcase their unique TEAM/IROC format of racing aptly named the Boston Tea Jet Party for this event. With an outstanding turnout, 51 racers were treated to a fun day of competition at the mecca of slot car racing. Imagine 51 people smiling and laughing at a slot car race during competition - it doesn't seem possible, but on this day all the stars were aligned and it DID happen!!! The tracks, cars, and racer attitudes contributed to the best day of slot car racing I've ever experienced. After six and one-half hours of racing and over 1300 laps per team, 3 teams were within one lap of each other.
Joel Lux, with his outstanding driving performance, won the "Top Gun" Award sponsored by Max Trax Racing and DBL Controllers. The top 15 individual results are as follows:
1) Joel Lux
2) Greg Burstein
3) Mike Resnick
4) Eric Eckhardt
5) Paul Kniffen
6) Don Auriema
7) Dave Lockwood
8) Jerry Boswell
9) Flash
10) Dave Failing
11) Paul Ryer
12) Randy Haydt
13) Greg Wisniewski
14) Peter Lentros
15) Steve Dickinson
The top 15 racers for each track:
Max Trax Python
1) Joel Lux
2) Peter Lentros
3) Flash
4) Greg Burstein
5) Paul Ryer
6) Mike Resnick
7) Dave Lockwood
8) Eric Eckhardt
9) Dave Failing
10) Don Auriema
11) Jerry Boswell
12) Steve Nilson
13) Paul Kniffen
14) Randy Haydt
15) Don Norris
The Tub
1) Don Auriema
2) Joel Lux
3) Eric Eckhardt
4) Paul Kniffen
5) Steve Dickinson
6) Greg Burstein
7) Jerry Boswell
8) Mike Resnick
9) Dave Failing
10) Mario Pisano
11) Flash
12) Victor Quinones
13) Warren Lux
14) Randy Haydt
15) Greg Wisniewski
Shamrock Glen
1) Paul Kniffen
2) Jerry Boswell
3) Mike Resnick
4) Dave Lockwood
5) Greg Burstein
6) Paul Ryer
7) Randy Haydt
8) Joel Lux
9) Eric Eckhardt
10) Jim Hoar
11) Peter Lentros
12) Dan Wirfel
13) Bill Craven
14) Warren Lux
15) Marc Sevier
Champion
1) Joel Lux
2) Greg Burstein
3) Mike Resnick
4) Peter Lentros
5) Eric Eckhardt
6) Dave Lockwood
7) Don Auriema
8) John Durbin
9) Greg Wisniewski
10) Dave Failing
11) Victor Quinones
12) Paul Kniffen
13) Mark Webster
14) Flash
15) Steve Nilson
Special thanks go out to Peter Lentros, Stez, Cheryl, Joel Lux, Paul Ryer, Dave Lockwood, and all the Upstate NY T-Jet racers that helped out, plus of course all the scorekeepers. Some great racing memories were definitely made on this weekend. For more photos, please check out the photo album on the official Boston Tea Jet Party Facebook page here:
https://www.facebook.com/Boston-Tea-Jet-Party-193573331223769/
12-16-2017
12-16-2017
Max Trax Racing hosted Race #3 of the Upstate NY TJet Series with 21 racers making the trip to test their driving skills. Special thanks goes out to Derek Wright for once again making the long drive up from NJ to race with us. Local RC racing legend John Zachary and Paul's son Michael who was home for the holidays made their racing debut with the series. Both drivers did an outstanding job showing they could hold their ownagainst the seasoned veterans.
The DASH/Team race got things started for the day. 11 two-man teams took to the track for round 1 to compete for the first 2 teams to be seeded in the semis. Joel and Paul set high lap totals in qualifying with 76 laps each followed by Dave, Marc, and Steve two back at 74. After lap totals were combined, Paul and Keith grabbed the top seed with 149 while Dave and Derek nailed down #2 seed with 146. Round 2 got underway with the remaining 9 teams all trying to fill the final 2 spots in the semis. The DASH cars have provided all the racers with competitive cars and on this driver-friendly track some excellent races were witnessed throughout the day. When the smoke cleared after round 2, Joel and Chris secured the 3 seed while Mark and Michael nosed out Steve and John V by a lap for the 4th and final seed. The 1st semi pitted #1 and #4 seeds against each other. Some good clean racing allowed Paul and Keith to move into the main over Mark and Michael. Semi two saw #3 seed Joel and Chris upset #2 seed Dave and Derek by a single lap. In the main, it was evident that Paul's car was a tad quicker than Joel's car, but Joel poured on the pressure to force Paul into a couple of driving mistakes to keep the lap totals very close. Keith drew a car that fit his driving style to a tee, and with his consistent lap totals he and Paul pulled off their first win of the season. The DASH/Team finishing order is as follows:
1) Paul/Keith
2) Joel/Chris
3) Mark/Michael
4) Dave/Derek
5) Steve/John V
6) Marc/Rick
7) George/Bob
8) Paul/Danny
9) Larry/John Z
10) Warren/John D
11) Jamie/Lynn
BSRT G-jets were featured in the IROC race. I don't know if it was something in the cookies and brownies, but in the second heat all hell broke loose on the track with 2 and 3 car pileups throughout the heat. This left Joel with a disastrous lap total on red lane which left the door open for Paul to steal the win. The top ten finishing order:
1) Paul
2) Joel
3) Dave
4) Marc
5) Derek
6) Steve
7) Michael
8) Larry
9) Mark
10) John Z
Super Stocks finished off a long day of racing. With the home track advantage, it was just Paul's day as he grabbed the win by a lap over Dave; Joel beat Steve by one section for 3rd, followed by Marc in the 5 spot. Sixth to tenth are as follows: Bob, Michael, Chris, George, and John Z.
Thanks to all the racers who attended and most importantly to Cheryl for the delicious food and creativity in turning trash into treasure for the participant swag. Many thanks to George for sending some photos from race day. Next month takes us to the demanding Small Scale Replicas track in Rochester for race #4.
For those thinking about making the trip to LenJet Raceway on January 20th, we need your RSVP ASAP so final plans can be completed.
11-18-2017
Fifteen racers made the trip for Round 2 of the Upstate NY T-Jet Series hosted by the Springville Slot Car Club on Lynn's beautiful Whelen Motorsports Raceway.
The DASH/2-man team race was up first on the agenda. All racers drew from a hat for their car for this race and then a teammate was randomly selected as well. After the first round of qualifying, Joel had set the top lap total with 87 laps followed by Paul with 84, Dave and Steve each at 83, and Marc one lap back at 82. After teammate scores were totalled together, Dave and Warren grabbed the top seed, nudging out Joel and John by just sections. The third seed was nailed down by Marc and Lynn. The remaining 4 teams got ready for round two of qualifying to grab a final spot in the semis.
Scott and Chris posted a 154 lap total for a seventh place finish. Bob and George finished sixth with 155, while Paul and Rick finished fifth with 156. Steve and Keith clinched the final spot in the semis with 161 laps.
The first semi saw #1 seed Dave/Warren cruise to the victory with some very consistent driving (169 laps) over 4th seed Steve/Keith. Semi #2 pitted 2nd seed Joel/John against #3 seed Marc/Lynn. John drove a very smooth and clean race but Joel was in the zone and posted an amazing 89 lap total to seal the deal for John's first chance to race for the win in the Upstate NY T-Jet Series. Both teams posted 169 lap totals guaranteeing that the main would be a close race.
In the main, Joel once again ripped off the high lap total but Dave/Warren were rock solid to grab a one lap victory (168 laps to 167). Congrats to Dave and Warren for their hard fought win!
Next up was the IROC race with Dave Failing providing the cars. We are so lucky to have Dave in our club, as his stable of beautiful IROCs are second to none. If you ever get a chance to check out his work you'll be amazed! For this race we used DASH chassis clad in BMW bodies and they were by far the most fun of all the IROCs we've raced thus far. Joel grabbed his second IROC win of the season with a 2 lap victory (84 laps) over Steve (82). Dave had 3rd with 81, followed by Paul at 80 laps. Warren beat Marc by sections for 5th (79 laps each). Remainder of the top ten is as follows: John, Bob, Scott, Keith.
Super stock finished off the day's racing. Joel posted some good numbers on his 1st two lanes, but he'd have to wait to the end to finish the final two lanes. Steve was first to finish all four lanes and posted a solid 90 lap total. Dave posted an amazing total of 25 laps on white lane to grab the top spot with 91. Paul was next to raise the bar with his total of 94 laps. Joel returned to the track for his final 2 heats to post 90 laps, leaving Paul with the win. The top ten is as follows: Paul, Dave, Steve, Joel, Marc, Warren, Lynn, Bob, John, Chris.
Thanks to Steve and George for sending some race photos. Be sure to check out the home page to see the field of cars.
Mid-season Round 3 takes place at Max Trax Racing on December 16th on Cheryl's driver-friendly layout. Let's do our last racing of 2017 with some close competition and have some fun, good homemade food, and special SWAG for all participants! Remember any and all racers are welcome to participate with us in the Upstate NY T-Jet Series.
10-7-2017
On an unseasonably warm October day, fifteen racers made the trip to Pattiland International Raceway in Walworth, NY for Round One of the Upstate NY T-Jet Series. The only thing hotter than the weather outside was the competition on the track in George's beautiful man-cave.
Up first on the track was the DASH/team race. The cars were drawn first and then the team- mates as things got started at 10 AM. After the 1st round of qualifying, Joel set the high lap total with 42 followed by Dave one lap back at 41. The next 8 racers were all in the 38-40 lap range proving that the new format was going to provide some very close competition this year. The top 3 teams that moved directly into the semis all had 78 laps. The number one seed was held by Joel & Chris followed by Steve & Larry, with Paul & George at the 3 seed. The remaining five teams got ready for round 2 to fill the final spot in the semis. Once again, the racing was so close that two teams both had 77 laps with Marc & Warren getting the move up over Keith & Paul by five sections.
Semi #1 saw Joel & Chris crank out an 80 lap total to defeat Marc & Warren with 78 laps. Semi #2 was even closer, as Steve & Larry posted 81 laps to Paul & George's 80 laps.
Chris and Larry found themselves in their first main ever with the Upstate T-Jet Series! Chris & Joel's total of 80 laps fell short as Steve & Larry saved their best effort for last as they posted 82 total laps to grab the first win of the season. Congratulations to all. The DASH/team finishing order is:
1) Steve & Larry
2) Joel & Chris
3) Paul & George
4) Marc & Warren
5) Keith & Paul
6) Bob & Rick
7) Mark & John
8) Dave & Danny
Dave Failing provided the beautiful IROC cars but the yellow car proved to be a handful for the driver's to control. Joel Lux was the class of the field as he grabbed the win by 2 laps. The top ten is as follows:
1) Joel
2) Steve
3) Dave
4) Marc
5) Paul
6) Bob
7) Warren
8) Larry
9) Mark
10) Keith
Fray Superstock finished out the day with Steve picking up the win by sections over Joel. Rounding out the top ten:
3) Paul
4) Marc
5) George
6) Keith
7) Warren
8) Bob
9) Chris
10) Rick
With a short break for lunch (thank you Patti!) we were still finished by 3:30PM. Thanks to all for helping out with marshaling, scoring, and being ready to race. Special thanks go out to George and Patti for hosting Round One of the season. It was great to see the DASH/team format provide some close, competitive racing for the group.
November's race takes us out to the Springville Slot Car Club on the Whelen Motorsports Raceway. Hope to see you all there!
2017 Annual Summer Shootout
The 6th annual Summer Shootout presented by the Springville Slot Car Club is in the books for another year. This year's race featured an IROC race with the winner-takes-all prize of $25 (thanks to Warren Lux for putting up the prize money). ECHORR Nostalgia cars were run on both Whelen Motorsports and Blue Balls Raceway with total laps plus sections added together to determine the winner for the class. ECHORR Superstocks were raced also, using a similar format with the addition of Woody Raceway added to the mix, providing three completely different tracks to test the driver's skills.
Saturday afternoon, the pit spaces were quickly filled as drivers tested their cars to try to find a car that would perform well on all three tracks in the Superstock class. It was great to see that many of the East Coast ECHORR guys made the long drive to Western NY State to support the race. Derek Wright, Donnie, Vic, Randy, Hiram, and PitStop: your road trip was greatly appreciated. Saturday evening featured an IROC race with Superstock Dash chassis with slip-on silicones prepared by the ZoominHuman. These cars will be featured in the Upstate NY T-Jet Series for the IROC 2-man team events during the 2017-2018 season. With this being Joel's home track and Warren putting up the prize money, they chose to be ineligible for the win. This was a blessing for the rest of the field, as Joel posted high lap totals with 93 laps, followed by Warren at 92 laps. The best of the rest saw Paul K. get the win with 91 laps followed (in order) by Donnie, Hiram, and Dave V. all with 89 laps. Vic grabbed 5th place with 88 laps and Randy was one back with 87. Up next came John V., Lynn, Derek, and Marc S. all with 86 laps to round out the top ten in that order.
Eighteen racers arrived Sunday morning to test their driving skills. Superstock kicked off the day's racing activities. On Blue Balls raceway, Joel set high lap total with 129 laps followed by Steve then Warren with 128 laps each. Donnie was one back at 127 laps followed by Hiram (125), Dave F. (124), Paul K. (123), Dave V. (123), Marc S. (122), and PitStop (118) for the top ten. The top ten on the Whelen Motorsports Raceway saw Paul K on top with 138 laps, followed by Joel, Steve and Dave F. all with 136; Warren and Marc at 134 laps, Donnie (132), Hiram (131), Dave V (129), then PitStop and Randy both at 127. The racers finished on Woody raceway with some very close competition. Paul K. once again took the top spot with 102 laps, followed by Steve and Warren (101), Joel (100), Dave F. and Hiram (99), Donnie (98), Dave V. (97), Marc (94) and Derek (92). When all laps and sections were added together, Steve and Joel were tied with Steve picking up the win by mere sections, and Paul K. nosed out Warren by just sections for third place.
Nostalgia was run last. On Blue Balls raceway, Joel grabbed the top spot with 71 laps, with an amazing 19 lap total on white lane , which pretty much set the tone for the rest of the day. To round out the top ten behind Joel were Steve at 70 laps, Dave F. (68), Hiram, Warren, PitStop and Marc all with 67, Paul K. (66), then Donnie, Vic and Randy with 65 each. On Whelen Motorsports Raceway, Joel left his foot on the gas and cruised to the top spot with 76 laps. Steve was the bridesmaid once again with 74 laps, then Paul K. (73), Hiram and Warren both with 72, Marc S., Randy, Dave F. and Bob all with 70 laps, and PitStop one more back at 69. Joel got the win, followed by Steve, and Hiram beat Paul K. by sections for third.
Congratulations to Joel and Steve on their class victories, and thank you to the Springville Slot Car Club for hosting the event. We hope everyone is looking forward to racing with the Upstate NY T-Jet Series in the 2017-2018 season where all are welcome.
Superstock Results
1) Steve
2) Joel
3) Paul K.
4) Warren
5) Dave F.
6) Donnie
7) Hiram
8) Marc S.
9) Dave V.
10) PitStop
11) Derek
12) Randy
13) Lynn
14) Vic
15) Bob
16) John V.
17) George
18) Rick
Nostalgia Results
1) Joel
2) Steve
3) Hiram
4) Paul K.
5) Warren
6) Dave F.
7) Marc
8) PitStop
9) Randy
10) Donnie
11) Vic
12) Bob
13) John
14) Lynn
15) George
16) Rick
2016-2017 Season
On the left is a race results recap, and the current point standings are shown at the right. If you take any photos at the races, please feel free to submit them to unytjs@mail.com.
3-4-2017 Race Recap
After a much-needed break up north from all things slot-car, I am back to provide your race write-up! Now you guys know how I feel while waiting for the race photos LOL!
Dave Failing hosted the Upstate NY T-Jet Series season finale at his beautiful Seabreeze Speedway in Rochester, NY. Dave's mancave was overflowing as 18 racers braved the frigid temperatures to attend the final race of the series. At 8:30 AM, the pit spaces were filled quickly as practice got underway. Racers were treated to some baked goods that were about the size of your head and the only word to describe these bad boys is "awesome"! A brief meeting to discuss next year's rules followed practice and cards were drawn for the team competition.
At the end of round one, it was evident that Dave had his car tuned to perfection as he led all qualifiers followed by Paul and Joel. The team totals had Warren and Paul (aka "Grumpy Old Men") grabbing the top spot followed by Steve D. and Mark W. as the number two seed. The rest of the field followed in this order: Bob & Marc, Dave & Keith, Joel & Rick, George & Jamie, Lynn & Steve M., John & Orest, then Chris & Doug. Round two saw Keith improve his lap total by 5 laps and Chris improved by 4 laps. Great job guys!
Bob and Marc nailed down the third seed in the semis while Joel ripped off an amazing run in round two to put himself and Rick into the fourth and final position. Semi one saw the number one seed "Grumpy Old men" cruise into the main with a win over Joel & Rick. Semi two saw Mark and Steve D. outdistance Bob & Marc to fill the final spot in the main. In the main, Paul had a disastrous run in the first lane and dug himself a hole he and Warren would never recover from, allowing Mark & Steve D. to grab the victory. Congratulations on your win! It was Mark's second race in the series, grabbing himself the top spot on the podium with his smooth driving style.
Dave provided four bad-to-the-bone BMWs for the IROC race and put on a driving clinic as he schooled us all with his 2-lap victory. Steve D. grabbed the runner-up spot followed by Joel, Bob, Paul, Warren, Mark, Marc, Keith, Rick, Chris, and George rounding out the top 12.
All the racers received some very nice race prizes provided by ZoominMotorsports and Max Trax Racing with Keith walking away with the top raffle prize, a ready-to-run car. Steve D. picked up the IROC points title with a narrow one point lead over Joel, and Dave nailed down 3rd place with his win in the final race. The individual point title for the team competition saw Paul walk away with the top hardware over Steve and Joel. Paul's lucky rabbit foot on the team draw will surely find it's way into the pocket of another racer next year. Joel dominated the IROC racing with 3 wins for the season followed by Steve, Paul & Dave with one win each. The team racing spread the top position among several drivers just the way it was supposed to, with "Lucky" Paul nailing down 3 wins, Steve with 2 wins, followed by Joel, Dave, Marc, Warren, Jamie, Mark, and Bob all with one win apiece. That placed nine different people in the winners circle over the season. Why would anyone want to change this satisfying outcome?
Special thanks go out to Dave and Tracy for hosting the race and for the great food at lunch and let's not forget that monster pile of chocolate chip cookies!! Thanks to everyone who attended a race this season, and thanks also to George, John, and Steve for providing photos all season for the website. We enjoyed having all the out-of-towners attend races and hope to see them all return next season. And thanks to everyone who opened their doors to host a race on their track. Finally, to all of you involved in the card for Cheryl & I, a very heartfelt THANK YOU!!! I can't wait for the 2017-2018 series to start as I've got a feeling it's going to be the best series ever.
2-18-2017 Race Recap
On a warm and beautiful February day, 16 racers made the trip to Whelen Motorsports Raceway in Springville, NY. Four of our racing friends from north of the border made the trip down to the states to test their driving skills. The track was in great shape and all the timing gremlins had been worked out. After a small glitch drawing random teams, the field was set and the racing began.
Joel Lux continued his driving supremacy, posting 93 laps in round one for the highest lap total, followed by Steve at 92 laps and Paul one back at 91 laps. After the team lap totals were added up, Marc and Paul grabbed the top seed, followed by Dave and George as the number two seed. Those two teams moved directly into the semis while the other six teams got ready to hit the track for round two. With Round 2 underway, one of our newest racers, Orest, showed some awesome turn marshaling skills with his cat-like reflexes. Most all racers improved their lap totals in Round 2, with John V. showing the most improvement. Steve and Neil locked down the third seed with Joel and Orest grabbing the last spot in the semis.
Semi number one matched the top seeds Marc and Paul against the number 4 seed Joel and Orest. This was the first time Orest had made the semis with the Upstate NY T-Jet Series. Joel cranked out another 93 lap total followed by Paul 2 back at 91. Marc drove a very steady race and with his 87 laps moved himself and Paul into the main.
Semi #2 saw the number 2 seed Dave and George battle first timer Neil with Steve. This semi was much closer with Steve and Neil upsetting the number 2 seed with a 3 lap victory.
The main was truly an international affair with each team consisting of a Canadian and an American driver as teammates. Steve posted a 91 lap total but Paul finally put four solid heats together, cranking out 93 laps. With Marc's solid run of 88 laps giving he and Paul the win, Marc got his first trip to the top step of the podium this year. A job well done!
The IROC race was once again a classic. Seven racers within 3 laps - it just doesn't get any better than that! Joel supplied some Auto World chassis shod with dirt-modified bodies and they were a blast to drive. John V. was the first racer to post a big lap total of 73 laps, soon to be bumped by Warren with 74 laps. Joel was next to grab the top spot with 75 laps, only to be nudged out by Steve with 76 laps. When the checkers flew, it was Paul beating Steve by 2 sections for the win. Joel grabbed third by just sections over Dave. Warren was fifth, followed by Neil, John V, Marc, Bob, Doug, Lynn, and Orest to round out the top twelve.
Thanks to George V and John V for the photos!
The final race of the Upstate NY T-Jet Series will be hosted by Dave Failing at Seabreeze Speedway in Rochester, NY. Hope to see all of you there!
1-14-2017 Race Recap
First off, thank you to everyone who made the trip to Max Trax for this month's Upstate NY T-jet Series race. Twenty-three racers participated in this international event! It was great to have our racing friends from north of the border return for this year's race as you won't find two nicer guys than Keith and Marc from Canada. Two longtime friends Derek Wright and Joe Rinn made the long drive up from NJ and brought their best attitudes - these two exemplify the true meaning of the word sportsmanship. Eleven racers at the event were new to the series and many of them proved to be excellent triggermen. Drawing the teams went smoothly this time but the top four drivers in points all drew first-time participants which would surely throw a monkey wrench into the points chase. With round one underway, it was evident that there were some very fast cars tearing up the new track. We took the top two teams out of the first round to move up to the semis as first and second seeds. Steve and Joe R. sat on top of the heap with 150 laps, while Paul and Jamie were one lap back at 149. The rest of the teams got ready to do battle for the final two spots in the semis. Most all of the racers improved their lap total in round two. Dave F. and Dan took the #3 seed with a total of 150 laps followed by team Canada Marc and Keith at 149. The 5th place team of Joel and Derek and sixth place team Warren and Tim came up just short of grabbing the fourth seed. The first semi saw the number one seed Steve and Joe R. battle team Canada. Marc and Keith posted a good total of 149 laps, but Steve and Joe blistered the track with an outstanding 155 lap total. Wow, those were some awesome lap totals! Semi #2 pitted number two seed (Paul and Jamie) and number 3 seed (Dave F. and Dan) against each other. Dave's teammate Dan was a first-time series racer from the Fulton, NY area, and he did a great job posting a 72 lap total which combined with Dave's 79 for 151 total laps. Paul's teammate Jamie, who hadn't raced with the group in a couple years, improved his performance from round one by 4 laps to post 72 laps but Paul cranked out a whopping 82 laps to give them a combined 154 laps - but they were still one lap shy of the 155 posted by Steve and Joe R. The main finally hit the track and after all the racing the track had gotten dirty and made the cars very difficult to control so the lap totals took a downward slide. Veteran racer Joe R. did a great job under the slippery conditions as he and Steve posted 150 total laps. Jamie did the best he could under the conditions; he and Paul upset the top seed to get the win by a one lap margin.
Twenty racers stayed for the IROC race that featured BSRT G-Jets outfitted with some 917 Porsche bodies. It was the first time most of the drivers had ever driven a G-Jet and what a close race! The top three drivers all had 101 laps but the top two even tied with sections forcing a one minute runoff to determine the winner. Joel picked up the win, continuing his dominance in the IROC racing, grabbing the victory for the third time in 4 races. Steve picked up second, and Paul third, both with 101 laps. Dave F. was fourth with 100 laps, followed by Jamie and Mark W. each with 99 laps. Warren (Mr. Happy) beat Dan by sections to take 7th place. John V. beat Marc by sections to land the number 9 spot. John D. took eleventh and Keith grabbed 12th place, followed by George, Tim, and Dave C. rounding out the top fifteen.
Finally, I need to thank Cheryl for all her hard work helping me get ready for this race, from cleaning the shop to shopping for and preparing an awesome variety of food to building and maintaining the club website, and finally for designing the beautiful Victory Lanes that were donated to each of the track owners who hosted a series race this year. She is simply the best partner anyone could ever hope for (I added that myself). Next month we return to the Springville Slot Car Club on Feb 18th. Hope to see you there! Anyone who has ideas to make this series a better racing experience for everyone, please email your comments to Paul at unytjs@mail.com.
12-17-2016 Race Recap
Weather played a key role in keeping the car count down as only eight racers made the trip for Round 3 of the upstate NY T-Jet series. The race was planned to be run on Lynn's track but after experiencing some gremlins with the timing system the race was moved over to the more difficult "Blue Balls Raceway" - surely named after it's challenging yellow lane.
After two unsuccessful attempts at drawing cards, individual team points were used to set the teams as follows: Paul and Lynn, Steve and Warren, Joel and George, Bob and Dave.
Round one saw Joel and Paul set the pace with 87 laps apiece. Steve was one lap back at 86 while both Dave and Warren had 84 laps. Lynn posted 80 laps with Bob and George both at 76 laps. This gave Steve and Warren the number one seed with 170 total laps. Second seeds Lynn and Paul combined for 167 laps, third seeds Joel and George had 163 laps, with Dave and Bob at 160 laps for the fourth seed.
The first semi to hit the track with three minutes of racing per lane saw the number one seed Steve and Warren take on fourth seed Dave and Bob. Steve and Warren both posted some big lap totals to easily take the victory. Semi number two saw Paul and Joel battle it out to post similar lap totals but Lynn drove his best race of the season which allowed him and Paul to move on to the finals.
After a short break for some pizza and wings, the top two seeds returned to the track to battle for the win. Steve really turned up the heat in the main, posting some huge lap totals, and Warren cranked out 31 laps in each of the four lanes to secure both Steve's and Warren's first team win of the season. With three races in the books for the season and six different people standing on the top step of the podium in the team races, you can't ask for better results than this!
Once again, Dave Failing provided four beautiful whale-tail Porsches for the IROC competition. Joel and Steve were both on the track for the very last heat with Steve running down Joel, and when the power shut off it looked like Steve won by an inch and a half but the computer showed Joel up one lap giving him the IROC victory with 122 laps, putting Steve in second at 121 laps. Both Dave and Paul posted 117 laps, but Dave picked up the third place by just sections. Warren at one lap back took fifth followed by Bob, Lynn, and George.
Thanks to Lynn, Warren, and Joel for hosting the race. A special shout out goes to Joel Lux who helped most everyone with their car setup to tackle this tough track.
The next race will be at Max Trax on their beautiful brand new track. Hope to see you there.
11-19-2016 Race Recap
Thirteen racers showed up to tackle George's Pattiland Raceway, a very different layout featuring 6 straightaways, one with a chicane in the middle to really mess with your timing and a large sweeping banked turn to tie it all together. This track was not friendly for the drivers who showed up to test their driving skills on this layout for the very first time; they kept the turn marshals busy for sure, trying to match the unbelievable pace being set by the drivers with more experience on this very fun but difficult raceway.
The teams were drawn and qualifying began. Marc and Steve grabbed the top qualifying spot with 85 laps followed closely by Dave and Paul one lap back at 84. George and Joel took the third spot in the semis with a total of 80 laps. Bob and Tim tied John and Paul with 76 laps, while Warren and Lynn were 2 laps back at 74, and Rick and Keith had 70 laps. Those 4 teams returned to the track for another 2 minutes per lane to try to grab the final spot for the semis. Bob and Tim squeezed out a one lap victory over John and Paul to clinch the final spot.
Semi number one took to the track with number one seed Marc and Steve posting a huge lap total of 128 over Tim and Bob's 113 laps. That showed everyone they were the team to beat with both drivers tearing up the track. Semi number two featured the number 2 and 3 seeds to battle it out for the final spot in the main. Joel dominated on the track as usual, but Dave and Paul both had solid runs to post 125 total laps to beat George and Joel's 124 lap total. The main was a classic with great driving and marshaling by all and when the checkers were dropped no one was sure who won! The first heat saw Dave, Marc, and Paul on the track and after the first two laps you could drop a napkin on the track and cover all three cars! Paul and Dave both made a small mistake on the 3rd lap letting Marc slip away. The remainder of the heat saw Paul running down Marc gaining only 3 or 4 inches per lap to finally pass towards the end of the heat. When time ran out, all 3 drivers turned 21 laps which set the tone for how close the race was going to be. Paul was the first driver to finish all 3 lanes and got to watch Marc, Dave and Steve battle it out in the final heat. Dave and Steve put on a great battle for the lead until Dave had a little mishap only to storm back and continue the battle. Paul saved his best driving for last, posting a 65 lap total with Dave and Steve both at 64 laps and Marc at 63, giving Dave and Paul the winning 129 lap total while Steve and Marc had 127 laps. This was Dave's and Paul's first team win of the season but all four drivers in that main put on a championship show!
George supplied some Ford J-cars for the IROC race and Dave and Steve continued their battle for driving supremacy but this time it was Steve winning out by sections over Dave for the IROC win. Joel beat Paul by sections for third but the car in yellow lane slowed way down when Joel drove it, and if it had run better he would have been in the hunt for the IROC win for sure.
Special thanks go out to George for hosting a great event and providing pizza and wings for lunch. The next series race will be hosted by the Springville Slot Car Club on December 17th. Warren was seen licking his chops in anticipation of getting on a track he has lots of practice on. Drivers beware!
10-22-2016 Race Recap
Eleven racers showed up for the season opener at Steve Dickinson's house. The track was in perfect racing condition as drivers took to the track for some practice to try to tame this beast. Steve's track pictures just don't do it justice - he did a great job with elevation changes and a few downhill off-camber turns to turn this layout into a very challenging track. Teams were drawn at random with Bob and Joel setting the high total of 120 laps in first round qualifying followed by Steve and John with 117 laps; Paul and Warren were down one more at 116 laps. That left three teams battling for the last spot in the semis. When the smoke cleared it was Joel and Fran taking the final spot. Semi number one found the number two seeds Steve and John getting upset by the number three seeds Paul and Warren by a single lap. Semi number two wasn't as close as top seeds Joel and Bob cruised to a nine lap victory over Fran and Joel. That left the number one and three seeds to battle it out for the main win. In the third segment Joel and Paul put on a show with several minutes of very close racing but despite improving their total by four laps from the semi to the main Paul and Warren just didn't match the torrid pace set by Joel and Bob in the main to claim the first victory of the season. Congrats to both of them for a job well done! Dave Failing provided four beautiful Porsches for the IROC race and when the checkers flew it was Joel beating Dave by only one section for the win!! Third, fourth, and fifth were all on the same lap (55) with Steve edging out Paul and Bob in that order. Warren was the lone driver with 54 laps taking sixth place and George squeezed out Lynn and Marc, all with 52 laps. Thanks to Steve and his family for letting us kick off the season with a fun filled day of racing. The next race will be hosted by George while Paul completes a new track for 2017.
Race Points as of 2-18-2017
Race Points as of 1-14-2017
Race Points as of 12-17-2016
Race Points as of 11-19-2016
Race Points as of 10-22-2016
