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| Every summer for the last 5 years Shaun Lee has put on the premier HO racing event in the San Francisco Bay Area and this year was another shinning example of why this event has been so well attended. Once again we had folks from as far North as Petaluma and as far East as Sacramento make the trip to Mt. View Calif. for this gathering of friends who enjoy each others company and enjoy racing in this exciting HO scale Nascar event. Once again Shaun opened his home and fantastic racing facility, a Brad Bowman, hand routed, 6 lane, high banked trioval, and as always he had the place completely decorated with Nascar posters, banners, flags, balloons and more. As in years past, Shaun goes the extra mile to make sure everyone has a chance to compete and this year was no exception as he included a Kid's IROC and a Men's IROC for those racers that want to just give it a try! The day opened with an early practice session and everyone was very focused on the business at hand. That business being dialing in the right combination of speed and handling for the day ahead. Cars were flying around the track and drivers were making those last minute adjustments aimed at trimming 100ths and even 1000ths of a second. After practice closed the day’s first event was ready to run, the Kid’s IROC. Kid’s IROC The first race of the day was an IROC style race for the kids with equally prepared cars. The cars are set up with Hot stock arms and Slip-ons so they are loose and fast. Out of the gate this was going to be a challenge for the 7 children as a number of them were novice racers. The first two heats were a learning experience a number of the racers found the wall or each other. The marshals were busy. Every heat was close as lap totals for the two minute heats hung around the mid 30 mark with the faster learners turning high 30s. After the smoke cleared, the back and forth battle at the top ended with Matt taking the top spot with 211 laps only two laps over Alyssa (5 years old) and Eastman close behind her in third. (The Results of the Kids IROC Race) <http://www.shaunadega.com/5550r/5thresults.html#Kids_Iroc> Men’s IROC For the older rookies and a few of the veterans, next up was the Men’s IROC. The same cars and format were used for this as for the Kid’s IROC. The field for this event had 9 racers. After the first heat everyone was with in a few laps and that was consistent through out the entire race. Competitive lap counts in any given lane was in the mid to high 40s. The highest heat total was turned by Jeff H. in lane 4 with 50 laps! At any given time in this race there were 5 different racers who were in a position to win this event. Doing well in this race meant staying in the slot as it is very difficult to make up laps in an IROC style race. The top finishers took advantage of the faster cars in the outer lanes. In the end Jeff H. squeezed out a one lap victory over Larry with three additional racers with in 8 laps of each other. (The Results of the Men's IROC Race) <http://www.shaunadega.com/5550r/5thresults.html#Mens_Iroc> Qualifying With the preliminary races finished it was time for the regulars to get down to business. The first order of the day was Qualifying. Qualifying at the 500 is a nail biting 15 seconds in the selected lane to see who can turn the fastest lap. This year’s qualifying was done in Lane 5. As drivers were making their final adjustments it was clear that the field would be very close. Fast times in practice were in the mid 1.8 seconds. As we worked our way through Qualifying there was a mix of drivers in the low 1.9s with a few hitting high 1.8s. Towards the end of Qualifying Painter John put up an impressive 1.813 and after it was all said and done this time stood as TQ for this year’s Shaunadega 500! Check out these Qualifying times! Only 1/1000 of a second separates some of these racers...when was the last time you saw qualifying times as tight as these! With Qualifying done, the seeding was set for the Qualifying races. (The Results of Qualifying) <http://www.shaunadega.com/5550r/5thresults.html#Qualifying_Results> Qualifying Race 1 The Qualifying races are even more hair raising than Qualifying. The Qualifying races are 2 minute heats which means offs can cost you big time and your finishing position determines your seeding into the mains with the top two going to the A Main, the next two to the B and so on. The first Qualifying race featured an interesting mix of racers: TQ man John, Stephanie, Paul J., George, Paul (Sacto Guy) H. and Philly Cheese. From the drop of the flag it was clear that John would be the man to beat but after 2 heats both Stephanie and Paul J. were staying close with George, Paul H., and Philly close behind. During the next two heats Stephanie spent some time in the lead with both Paul and John close behind. The other three were close but could not seem to close the gap on the lead pack. In the final heat John pulled away to take the top spot which left Stephanie and Paul J. to battle it out. They went back and forth a few times with Stephanie edging out Paul by 1 lap, which meant she made the A Main in her first 500! (The Results of Qualifying Race 1) <http://www.shaunadega.com/5550r/5thresults.html#Heat_1> Qualifying Race 2 Qualifying Race 2 was the toughest field with Jeff H., Larry, Stuart, Curtis, Steve, and David. Of the three this was the most hotly contested. Early on it was a three man race with Larry, Jeff H., and Stuart leading the way. Each of them spent time in the lead. Through the first three heats each of them spent time in first, second and third but never out of reach of each other. During heats 4 & 5 Stuart took back the lead but was being chased hard by Larry and Jeff. In addition, Curtis was making a charge and was right on the heals of the lead pack. Steve and David were struggling but remember, anything can happen at the 500. This one came down to the final heat with Stuart up on Jeff and Larry by 2. After 2 very tense minutes Larry cut one off the margin and Jeff was positioned to over take Stuart. Jeff got caught in a late off slipping to third. Larry was coming on hard but as the clock ran out Stuart was able to hold him off finishing on the same lap but ahead by the length of the back straight. The top four in this race finished with in 3 laps of each other! (The Results of Qualifying Race 2) <http://www.shaunadega.com/5550r/5thresults.html#Heat_2> Qualifying Race 3 Qualifying Race 3 featured our host Shaun, Mark P., Eric, Paige, Alex & “Slotcar” Bob. After the first two heats its was clear that if Shaun could keep his nose out of trouble he could distance himself from the field and he did just that. There were two battles in this race, one for 2 & 3 and one for 4 & 5. The first was a bubble position for the A and the other a bubble position for the B. The battle for 2 & 3 featured a first time 500 racer in Eric and an old veteran Mark P., making a return to the track for the first time in several years. They traded positions several times during the race and they paced each other for quite awhile as both waited to make their move. The very same was true for the 4-5 battle between Paige and Alex. There was a little havoc in this race and it managed to bite every one but Shaun who stood on the binders several times to avoid getting collected in the wrecks in front of him. When the clock ran out Shaun was on top, Mark P. was able to hold off Eric by 1 lap and Paige kept Alex behind her by 1 lap as well. (The Results of Qualifying Race 3) http://www.shaunadega.com/5550r/5thresults.html#Heat_3 With all Qualifying and Qualifying races completed, it was time to belt in for the Mains! C Main The field for the C Main was a mixed bag of experience, youth and geography. Steve, Philly and Bob were the experience in this group even though Bob is primarily Tjets. Paul H. has extensive mag car as well as tjet experience with David & Alex being the newbies in the field. This group was nervous from the start as the first heat was full of multiple car wrecks as the drivers attempted to drive through crashes only to become part of the carnage. This took its toll on several cars as parts and bodies were flying! After the first two heats it was still a horse race with Philly, David and Bob leading the way. Steve and Paul were close behind but Alex was digging a hole for himself. In the third heat fortunes turned the wrong way for Bob and David, Philly stayed constant and Steve was the man on the move! Paul’s car seemed to find every wreck and Marshall’s fingers as he spent a lot of time off the track and without his body. Alex bounced back with good totals but the hole was too deep. After 4 it was a two horse race between Steve and Philly. In the end, Steve got a few laps in each of the last two heats to take the top spot and transfer to the B. (Results of the C Main) <http://www.shaunadega.com/5550r/5thresults.html#C_Main> B Main The B Main was full of Shaunadega veterans and this was going to be a dog fight. The field included Jeff H., Eric, Paul J., George, Paige, Curtis, & Steve - C main transfer. This group was fast from the drop of the flag. Early on there was nothing but track position between Jeff H., Curtis, and Eric. Paul, George and Paige were a few laps off the pace but still fast. Heat 2 produced the first chapter in one of the interesting stories of the race as Steve ran 91 laps in lane 1 for his first heat. Not only was Steve fast, but his car was hooked! Over the next two heats Jeff H set a very fast pace but he was not able to put any distance between himself and the field as Steve, Curtis, & Eric stayed close. At this point there was a split in the field as Paul, George and Paige had trouble getting back in the mix. Heats 4 & 5 were eye opening as everyone was trying hard to keep track of one incredibly fast black blurr that was flying around the track! This black blurr was Steve! Not only was he fast down the straights but he was hooked in the corners as well! At this point Curtis and Eric were pushing hard but it was a two driver race. In the last heat Jeff H. was off and Steve was finishing in 6 and needed an 85 to overtake Jeff. Steve continued his incredible pace in the first half of the heat and during the second half he put the hammer down, took some chances and drove through several wrecks without a scratch. When the smoke cleared Steve turned an 89 which gave him a 5 lap win over Jeff and sent Steve on to the A with his second straight Main win in his first 500! All of the A Main drivers watched the incredible display Steve put on and they were not looking forward to seeing him in the A. (Results of the B Main) <http://www.shaunadega.com/5550r/5thresults.html#B_Main> A Main So the Field was now set for the A Main. Shaun – Track owner, top lap count in Qualifying, Stuart – 5 year veteran with 3 500 podiums, Larry – 5 year veteran, Painter John – TQ holder and is faster every time out, Mark P., - veteran Shaunadega racer making a cameo appearance, Stephanie – First 500 and the first female to reach the A Main in 5 years has been driving very well, and Steve – First 500 and his performances in the C and B Mains made him even money. Heat 1 in this race was a serious crash fest. There was more twisted metal in this Heat than a County Fair demolition Derby. Everyone had a case of nerves and forgot that their cars had brakes. At the end of 1 Stuart had a slim 2 laps over Shaun and 3 over Larry. John was 1 behind Larry and Steph was just 1 behind John. Mark had some trouble and was off the pace. Heat 2 Larry turned it up and over took Stuart with Shaun only 1lap behind Stuart. Steve entered the race in Heat 2 turning a very solid 89 laps in lane 1. Both Mark and John were just a few laps off this pace. Heat 3 saw Larry widen his lead over both Stuart and Shaun. At the end of Heat 4 it was still a 3 lap advantage for Larry over Stu with Shaun only 2 more back. At this point the top group had distanced itself from Mark, John and Steph, but Steve (remember the “Black Blurr”) was another matter. Heat 5 was trouble for Shaun as his car seemed to slow and he dropped a few more behind Stuart. Heat 6 was the Larry and Steve show as they turned 90 and 89 respectively. Both Larry and Steve were set for a two man show during the final 3 minutes with Larry up by laps 2. Steve came out fast early and was making up a little ground even though he was in 6. Larry warmed to the task and drove Lane 2 better than its been driven in a long while. In the end they both finished the Heat with 85 laps. Shaun, John and Stephanie had there own three way battle going on, all finishing within one lap. Painter John and Stephanie (Shaun's girlfriend) tried hard to catch Shaun's 493 total but fell short by only one lap. Painter John finished ahead of Stephanie by only a few car lengths ,both with a 492 lap total. Can't get much closer than that! When the smoke had cleared Larry had won the 5th Annual Shaunadega 500! (Results of the A Main) <http://www.shaunadega.com/5550r/5thresults.html#A_Main> Marshall’s Award Every year there is an award for the best Marshall. That guy or girl with quick hands, swift fingers and a keen eye for approaching traffic takes home a wonderful prize in a secret ballot of all the racers. Marshalling at Shaunadega Raceway is no simple task with 6 lanes of traffic turning this track in about 1.9 seconds. On most tracks putting it back clean is key, when working Shaunadega, picking it cleanly to avoid a pile up is just as important a as good put back. In year’s past winners would focus on one portion of the track, this year’s winner marshaled all the turns as well as spent time in the middle. Several times he had multiple cars which all got put back with out further carnage. Our winner this year was Paul Haak of Sacramento. His prize was a beautifully hand painted Tyco Grand Prix by the master himself, Jeff Hurly. Congratulations Paul! Summary & Thanks Another 500 is in the books and a new champion has been crowned! Congratulations to Larry on a great drive. Also congratulations to Steve on almost pulling off the triple crown! Both of you drove well all day long. Thank you to all the fantastic sponsors: J&M Hobby House of San Carlos M.E. Fox (Budwieser) Of San Jose Scale Auto Valley Oil of San Jose SpeedRing of Santa Clara Hole Shot Painting Mac Donald's of Mt. View Scale Auto Racing News Talbot's Toyland of San Mateo Last but by no means least Wizzard High Performance, Inc. (Speical Thanks to Bob for all the GREAT STUFF!) and all the great prizes that were donated by our sponsors and given away. No one walked away with out a raceway gift. There were several people that chipped in and helped both before and on race day. Steve for his great work on the Flyers, Website and the trophies. Jeff Hurly for is hard work doing tech on all the cars. Last but surely not least, thanks to our hosts Shaun and Stephanie for all the hard work they put in to this year’s race. Once again the food was fantastic! It takes months of hard work to pull off an event of this size and Shaun has done a great job for 5 years. The number of returning racers each year is a great example of the year in and year out success of the Shaunadega Raceway. This humble author/reporter has raced in all 5 events and every year this race is a special gathering of friends for a great time participating in this fantastic hobby. I know we are all looking forward to the 2004 Shaunadega 500! A word from Shaun I would like to especially thank Steph for all her help...Without her this event might not have happened ..I really appreciate all the time and energy she put into helping make this years Shaunadega possible...Also a big Thanks goes out to Steve for all the computer work he's done..The awards ,flyer ,website etc. etc...The list goes on and on...He's been a great help from beginning to end..Thanks again for all your help.. Cant wait till next year I'll race my own car... Shaun See you guy's next Year !!! | |||||||||||||||||
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| Slot Car "Bob" and "Master Painter" Jeff Hurly | |||||||||||||||||
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