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| T-Jet Triple 125s |
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| By Frank Spena |
Eleven drivers from Central and Western NY State gathered at the Slot Car Club of the Twin Tiers on Saturday, March 24, 2007 to compete in the T-Jet Triple 125s. The event consisted of three separate races with points totals from the three determining the overall winner. The three different tracks each reward a different style of driving and car. From the slow, technical WizTrack, to the dizzying, almost
violent quickness of the Buck Track Bansai to the fast sweeping nature of the Bowman Grand Champion. The winner of the Triple 125s would have to be well-rounded. Close racing was present throughout the field and the event. Reigning UFHORA Nationals T-Jet champion Frank Spena Jr. was a late entry and grabbed the overall title, but he had to fight for it...
T-Jet Triple 125s Official Entry List
Driver, Hometown - Entrant
Kevin Hendrickson, Erin, NY - KRD Racing
Ryan Hendrickson, Erin, NY - KRD Racing
Ernie Langford, Holland, NY - Self
George Mest, Springville, NY - Crash'N'Burn Raceway
Matt Metcalf, Corning, NY - Mathew Metcalf Racing
Jeff “Hoss” Phoenix, Solvay, NY - Self
Frank "Chub" Spena Jr., Horseheads, NY - Frank Spena Racing - www.geocities.com/chub350/FSRhoracing.html
Dave Van Duzer, Horseheads, NY - Van Duzer Hobbies
Scott Walker, Horseheads, NY - Self
Gary Weber, Horseheads, NY - Self
Mark Webster, Camillus, NY - Self
ROUND 1
The first round of the event took place on the WizTrack. The track was the track which hosted the 2004 UFHORA National Championships T-Jet race in Breezewood, PA. Spena won that race and the track as first prize. Tight, twisty and very technical, the track is somewhat overshadowed by the other two HO tracks at the clubhouse and is seldom used. Spena had not raced on it since June of '04 and could not resist the temptation to take another crack at it.
Round 1 Qualifying
Gary Weber went out with the first group of racers and set the early pace with 85 laps. Spena was up in the second group and grabbed pole away with 92 laps. All of the drivers were struggling with slippery conditions and that was well off the 12-minute track record of 103 set in '04. Ryan Hendrickson, who finished 8th on the track in '04, and won the last event held on the track last March, kept it close with 90 laps. Ernie Langford missed the cut by three track sections and would have to wait for Round 2 to race again, along with George Mest and Matt Metcalf.
Round 1 Semis
Semi #1
Semi #1 featured Spena, Mark Webster, Weber and Dave Van Duzer. Spena, driving the same car he drove to the win in '04 on this track, was finding his feet again despite not having the car set up quite to his liking. He jumped out to the early lead and soon had the field a lap down, but then he began sliding and had to pit clean his tires. This allowed Webster to come around and take the lead. Shortly into the second segment Spena grabbed the lead back again and he was never headed again. He gained six laps over qualifying to finish with 98. Behind him Webster and Weber put on a tremendous battle for 2nd, which was decided in Weber's favor by only three track sections. Weber's improvement over qualifying was a stunning 7 laps! Van Duzer finished a distant fourth and was eliminated.
Semi #2
The second semi consisted of Ryan and Kevin Hendrickson, Phoenix and Walker. Ryan took control of this one early and went on to an easy win - if you can call running on this track easy. The other three battled for second until mechanical troubles felled Kevin and then Phoenix, leaving Walker alone in second. It was not enough, however, and all three failed to make the final.
The final was now set, with Spena, the heavy favorite, joined by Ryan Hendrickson, Weber and Webster. Much like the first semi, segment 1 was a battle between Spena and Webster. Spena shot out to an early lead but was forced to pit once again, which put Webster in front at the end of the first segment. Spena quickly regained the point in the second segment and then pulled away. Ryan started the race in the much despised yellow lane and was a distant 4th, 4 laps down at the end of the first segment, but then he mounted his charge. He took control of 2nd place in the third segment and kept Spena honest to the finish.
ROUND 2
Round 2 took place on the Buck Track Bansai, the signature track of the former Pocket Rocket Raceway. Best known for being the host of the first six Snowball 500s, the track is much faster than the WizTrack used in round 1. While the Wiz rewards smoothness, the Buck rewards an aggressive, attacking driving style. Spena had planned on dropping out after the WizTrack, but he was now in his rhythm. The Bansai suits his driving style perfectly, and the track was calling...
Round 2 Qualifying
Much like the Wiz, the Buck had been overshadowed of late by SCCOTTT's latest acquisition, the Bowman Grand Champion. This was the first T-Jet race on the track since October and everyone was trying to get that old feel once again. Spena was up in the first group, and while slightly off of his normal pace, his 120 still proved to be more than enough to secure the pole. Weber grabbed second with 114. "Hoss" Phoenix looked on form once again with 3rd. Ryan Hendrickson was disappointed with 4th, well off of his normal pace. His frustration at his lack of pace on the Bansai, as well as the Grand Champion, combined with a sore trigger finger from an incident earlier in the day had him deciding to withdraw from the event. Kevin Hendrickson saw a strong run spoiled by mechanical troubles. Metcalf and Langford found themselves on the outside looking in once more after qualifying, while Ryan's withdrawal allowed Mest into the Semis.
Round 2 Semis
Semi #1 saw Spena, Webster, Phoenix and Walker. As expected Spena dominated the race from start to finish. Phoenix had the speed, but too many mistakes cost him dearly. He managed to just stay in front of Webster for 2nd place, but it was three laps off his qualifying run. It would not be enough for him to make the final.
Semi #2 had Weber, Van Duzer, Kevin Hendrickson and Mest. Weber and Van Duzer battled for the lead throughout the first segment, but Weber pulled away in the second. That left Van Duzer to deal with a charging Kevin. He pushed hard, but fell just short at the finish. Both had done enough to make into the final. Mest gained six laps over his qualifying run, but it was not enough to stave off elimination.
Spena was heavily favored once again for the second 125. He had the lead by turn 2 and despite a couple of early mistakes he simply controlled the race. Weber had a similar time in second, while Hendrickson and Van Duzer renewed their battle from the semi. Van Duzer faded late, however allowing Hendrickson into 3rd. It marked a fine comeback for Hendrickson, after only qualifying in 8th.
With two rounds now completed Spena had a clear lead of 8 points over Weber. This meant that only Weber had a realistic shot at catching Spena for the overall win, while Spena had merely to make the final in Round 3 to clinch...
ROUND 3
Round 3 took place on everyone's favorite, the Bowman Grand Champion. Long, fast and sweeping, with a variety of corners and elevation, the Grand Champion rewards horsepower and driving. Going into the round Spena was looking for the sweep, but he had never won on a major on this track.
Round 3 Qualifying
With a long day of racing behind them and long drives home still ahead, qualifying was reduced to four one-minute segments. Spena was out with the first group once more. His run was almost perfectly clean and he cruised to 25 laps. It would be good enough for his third pole of the day. Kevin Hendrickson appeared to have the speed but too many mistakes cost him. His 23 was still good enough for second on the grid. Weber also put up 23, while Scott Walker grabbed 4th with 22, his highest placing of the day. Four drivers qualified on 21. Phoenix looked to have the car to beat but sloppy driving dropped him down the order and he failed to make the cut. Metcalf joined him on the sidelines.
Round 3 Semis
Semi #1 featured Spena, Weber, Mest and Van Duzer. Spena was last to turn 1, but leading by turn three and he began to pull away. Halfway into the segment, however, he went off. With tires dirty from going through the infield he lost the lead to Weber. Throughout the middle of the race the two battled to a stalemate. Spena would close slightly, then make a mistake and the two remained generally a half lap apart with Weber in the lead. Weber's clean run came to an end late in the third segment, however, and Spena took over and pulled away. The win put him into the final and clinched the overall Triple 125s victory. Van Duzer managed to get within a lap of Weber, but his run would come up 50 track sections short of making the final. Mest came in fourth a further two laps behind.
Semi #2 was the sixth and final semi-final of the event. This one was never in question. Kevin Hendrickson leapt into the lead the simply ran away. His run topped Spena's by 26 sections and guaranteed him lane choice for the final. Behind him Webster and Walker battled hard for 2nd place. Walker, the man who started Pocket Rocket Raceway, which eventually lead to the creation of SCCOTTT, was the sentimental favorite. Between being overseas for the military and fighting illness Walker had raced little over the past few years and had not made a final in two years. This time he same oh-so-close. His little Porsche may be outdated compared to the newer Fray bodies, but with wicked horsepower and some fine driving he nearly pulled it off. At the finish he stood just 35 sections short of Webster and the final transfer spot. Langford simply didn't have the car to compete, but completed his best finish of the day with 42 laps.
Most everyone looked to Spena as the favorite heading into the final once more. Everyone but Spena, that is. Despite being far and away the most successful racer in SCCOTTT/PRR history, in two previous attempts Spena had failed to win a Major on the Grand Champion course. Spena holds most of the race and fast lap records for the track, and has won 8 races on it in SCCOTTT's HO points races, but Majors on the track had been a different story. Both times he had shown excellent speed throughout qualifying and the semis, only to have his cars slow for the final. He was sensing it again. The car he was racing would consistently pull 50 laps in 8 minutes, and held the 8-minute record at 51, but he could only manage 48 in the Semi. The car was clearly dropping off. So while everyone else was looking to him, he as looking to Hendrickson as the favorite. Hendrickson had dominated the Freezin' 250 in January only fall short at the finish due to oil issues and a few ill-timed mistakes. Now he appeared to have the car to beat. Weber and Webster did not appear to have the pace of the other two and would have to hope for them to have problems.
At the start Spena's car was out dragged once again. He put on an aggressive fender-banging move on Hendrickson as the two came down the hill and braked into turn 8. He knew he had to make time while his tires were clean if he were to have a shot at completing the day's sweep. He pulled away for a couple of laps, but then the gap stabilized. He pushed harder, but the car would not take it and he went off. Hendrickson took the lead as Spena began to struggle with dirty tires. When he pitted to clean them Hendrickson put him down a lap. At the end of the first segment Hendrickson lead, with Spend and Weber one lap down and Webster two behind. Spena closed the gap at the beginning of the second segment, but as soon as his tires started to give, Hendrickson began to open it up again. Hendrickson was going for the kill, closing in to make the lead two laps, when he suffered oil trouble. The car stumbled a couple of times but managed to make it to the end of the segment. He still lead by over one lap. Weber and Webster were no three and six laps down, respectively. Spena had driven a fine second segment, and it was obvious to him now that the pace simply was not there. Despite several offs and oil problems, Hendrickson was still pulling away. So in between segments he did a very quick tire change to the left rear. The result was dramatic and breathed new life into his machine and his chance at the win. He began to catch Hendrickson once more, but this time the car did not fade. The tables were now turned and when Hendrickson made a mistake Spena was back onto the lead lap. Hendrickson was driving well, but Spena was running fast and mistake-free. When Hendrickson went off again, Spena was into the lead. In one 5-minute segment he had gone from one lap down to one lap in front. He added one more lap in the final segment and finally broke his Majors jinx on the Grand Champion. Hendrickson came home a fine 2nd. He made Spena work for it the whole way and his first Majors win is surely close at hand.
The event did well to showcase SCCOTTT's offerings as an HO race shop. Spena was the Triple 125s champion with 12 point gap over Gary Weber in second. The win on the Bowman capped a near-perfect day for him, with three poles, three semi wins and three finals wins on three dramatically different race tracks. Weber was best of the rest and the only one other than Spena to make all three finals. Kevin Hendrickson and Mark Webster both scored 40 points, but Hendrickson took third on a tie-breaker. He could have had a shot at Weber for 2nd if it weren't for mechanical trouble knocking him out on in Round 1. Webster was probably the surprise of the event, particularly making the final in Round 1, his first time on the tough WizTrack. (He also won the "Ballerina" Award for hooking his controller up backwards...Well, not exactly backwards, he had all three clips in the wrong holes.) Dave Van Duzer narrowly missed finals twice and filled out the top five.
T-Jet Triple 125s Final Points
Pos.| Points | Total Laps - Driver
01 | 60 | 878 - Frank Spena Jr.
02 | 48 | 828 - Gary Weber
03 | 40 | 667 - Kevin Hendrickson
04 | 40 | 697 - Mark Webster
05 | 36 | 568 - Dave Van Duzer
06 | 30 | 443 - Scott Walker
07 | 24 | 395 - Jeff "Hoss" Phoenix
08 | 22 | 417 - Ryan Hendrickson
09 | 16 | 343 - George Mest
10 | 11 | 227 - Ernie Langford
11 | 05 | 176 - Matt Metcalf
The Slot Car Club Of The Twin Tiers is a non-profit group of enthusiasts dedicated to promoting slot car racing in the Southern Tier of NY and the Northern Tier of PA. Please stop in or check out the club web site.
Slot Car Club Of The Twin Tiers
2117C Grand Central Ave.
Horseheads, NY 14845
Web Site: http://www.geocities.com/sccottt1/clubmain.html
E-mail: sccottt1@yahoo.com
| Race 3 - The Bowman Grand Champion - 1st) Spena; 2nd) K. Hendrickson; 3rd) Weber; 4th) Webster |
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| The overall podium - 1st) Spena; 2nd) Weber; 3rd) K. Hendrickson; |
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