TSRF 1/24 Scale Team Race March 4, 2006

Buena Park, CA

(No-points race)

How much fun can you have with your clothes on?

Looks like today's race was proof that it can be done. Using six lanes of the Kingleman track with zero amount of traction compound applied, the available racers were split into Expert-Amateur teams, running over 12 segments of the six available lanes. The names to compose the teams were drawn by an innocent bystander. There was a USRA wing-car race run on the King track 15 feet away, and some of the "regulars" were helping out with covering the track with goo so as to allow the super-fast machines to be driven flat-out, a very strange exercise in absolute performance. But I digress.

The usual and highly successful C&B format once again proved its worth in accomplishing two major tasks:

1/ Showcase the good and consistent drivers.

2/ Take the "faster car" factor out of the equation.

The Kingleman track design does not allow for any relaxing, as one must stay fully alert for the whole lap, no place to take a nap anywhere because of the tight turn at the end of the banking, where most teams found their downfall.

Well, I must report that the Team Race was a hoot and it appears that everyone had a lot of fun. The Team of Jesse Javier/Mike Steube fought it out over 12 segments with Sam Brown/James Dinwiddie and Jim Watterson/das Evil Dokk, with Dennis Samson/Barry Obler (who was that masked man?) and Paul Sterrett/Roger Uusitalo making their mark. At the end, it was the Brown/Dinwiddie team acing the much faster but brain-faded (on the Dokk's side) team of Watterson/Philippe and Sterret/Uusitalo, allowing James and Roger their first-ever TSR podiums... Lots of long looks from the wing-car crowd, some finding a renewed interest in this more subdued form of the hobby.

At the same time, we confirmed that the 1/32 scale TSR cars are well suited to the track and some were just as fast as their larger brothers. Next Saturday is the third of 18 TSR races counting for the championship, this one will be run with ALMS/GTP/GT1 1/32 scale cars with minimum weight of 115-gram for injected or 125-gram for vac-formed bodies. The drivers compartment and drivers as well as the wheel inserts will not be mandatory for this race.

The Kingleman offers fast and intense racing with no time for relaxation. The marshals are strictly there to pick up any errand car and place it back in its proper lane at the end of each racing minute.

Sam Brown, Roger Uusitalo, Jesse "Ooops" Javier, Dennis Samson and Jim Watterson concentrating on the task at hand, that of going as fast as possible while keeping their cars in their respective slots.

Mike Steube, Sam Brown, Paul Sterrett, Jim Watterson and Dennis Samson concentrating while Barry Obler dreams of new color schemes...

Sam Brown's winning Porsche is a 48-race veteran with quite a few wins to its credit. This used-up, ex-rental car is one of the oldest TSR cars, one of the very first late-2002 batch. It was raced at the very first TSR race in Illinois, then sold to Uncle Kal's Raceway where it served as a beater for walk-ins. Sam purchased it from the raceway and has been running it ever since, hardly ever changing any parts including the motor. An amazing tribute to the strength of the animal, the very factor that makes the TSR cars popular with the consumer. Once set up, it hardly ever needs maintenance.

The winning team is flanked by the first and second losers. From left to right: Philippe de Lespinay and Jim Watterson, Sam Brown and James Dinwiddie, Roger Uusitalo and Paul Sterrett. Why aren't they smiling?

Results (data not available at this time):

Return to the Race Reports Page