1992 Shoutheast Gas Offroad Championship

[Jirka]

Jirka

[Ruffy]

Wow! Thanks for finding this Jirka!
I still remember this event like it was yesterday, I had the same exact problem later on after this event at the 1/10 Nitro Worlds in Sterling Heights Michigan that Jack Johnson had at this event, where I was TQ for the A-Main but O'Donnel and his team (my motor sponsors, and they were fantastic with the HP!) could not get my motor started even once for the main...not even for the warmup. That motor just would not start and keep in mind they replaced /rebuilt my motor after every run. It was like a brand new motor each time that had been perfectly broken in enough for the next heat race. I was in charge of my buggy and they would just keep bringing me motors each run, each one looking brand new, that I'd quickly bolt-in once my buggy's suspension was rebuilt.

The way the report is written it seems I took the lead only after there was some attrition, but in one paragraph it does tell the truth where I lead this race from lap 1 to finish. I crossed the line for the first lap in first since the front of the pack created a sort of traffic jam then a pile-up that I drove around the high side of a banked turn they had and took off followed by a few trucks. Gary was always right there behind lurking during the entire race so I made certain I didn't make a single mistake the whole race; I also knew that Kris and Jack would get their trucks running again quickly to try and make up all the time, so I looked to just be extra smooth so as to not hand over the lead at any time. I ended up winning the race by 1 lap over 2nd place Gary Kyes.
Man that was fun, but also a lot of hard work. The 1st page color picture shows me right in front of the woman, as we set buggy's down for a race or qualifier, wearing my special-made Composite Craft/Kyosho/BlueThunder Team White Polo and black shorts.

On the 2nd color page (page 2), upper right corner, that is a picture of two trucks at the start of the race, and my truck (#7) is the white/Fl. Yellow/Dark Green/Black/Fl. Green painted truck pictured there with the white front wheels and yellow rear wheels in the air. On the front of the body, instead of painting lights and grills, I just used a large Fl. Yellow Kyosho sticker. The car in front was one of the Paris Sponsored Trucks driven by Holli Bechard from California in the A-Main, as she qualified 2nd (#2 sticker). You can tell this picture was taken before even one lap was completed since we don't have dirt stuck on the body covering up the front grill area from the trucks just in front roosting up the sticky clay. This area got coated very quickly, so this picture must have been taken just as we cleared the 1st or 2nd jump that would lead into the banked horseshoe turn where mayham started! I don't remember getting that good of a start where I am all over 2nd place so quickly.

I was sponsored by AE/Reedy for electrics already but I attended this event soley and completely paid for by Kyosho and ADC/Composite Craft. I only raced 1/10 scale nitro at this, my first nitro race event, but after winning it Kyosho sent me a 1/8 scale 4WD buggy and everything I needed for it for the next race.
Good Times!
Thanks again Jirka!

[Ruffy]

Jirka, you sure are finding a bunch of old racing reports!
Keep 'em coming!