FHORA 2006 RACE #6 Race Report by Bill Pinch

SEVENTEEN RACERS (32 TOTAL ENTRIES) VENTURED TO OXFORD FOR A FIRDAY NIGHT TEST-AND-TUNE, SATURDAY MORNING PRACTICE AND RACE #8 OF THE 2006 FHORA SEASON.  ED DELFIN'S  "BENT-L" LAYOUT WAS RACE READY AND TRACK POWER AND SCORING SYSTEM WORKED PERFECTLY ALL DAY.  ONCE THE USUAL SATURDAY MORNING "THRASH" WAS COMPLETED AND EVERYONE ENJOYED MILLIE DELFIN'S BUFFET OF HOT DOGS, TAQUITOS, MEATBALL SANDWICHES AND VARIOUS CHIPS AND DIPS, WE WERE ALL TOO COMPLACENT TO RACE.  BUT WE RACED ANYWAY, BEGINNING WITH AMATEUR SUPER STOCK.  THIS RACE APPEARED CLOSE FOR THE FIRST THREE SEGMENTS.  COLE GARNER, HOWEVER, HAD STARTED THE RACE ON THE TOUGH BLUE LANE AND WON THE SEGMENT.  FROM THERE IT WAS JUST A MATTER OF WHO WOULD (OR WOULDN'T) MATCH COLE'S 35 LAPS ON THE BLUE LANE.  SUSAN MUTIA WAS ON BLUE IN THE SECOND SEGMENT AND WENT FROM ONLY THREE LAPS OFF THE LEAD TO THIRTEEN.  DARIN GARNER USED GREEN TO GET HIS LAP BACK AND TIE COLE FOR THE RACE LEAD GOING INTO THE THIRD SEGMENT, WITH TIFFANY GARNER ONLY A LAP DOWN.  SHE WAS THE NEXT RACER TO HIT BLUE, AND GAVE UP ANOTHER SEVEN LAPS TO LEADER DARIN, WHO STILL HAD A SINGLE LAP ADVANTAGE ON COLE.  IT WOULD NOT BE ENOUGH CUSHION AS DARIN WAS FACING BLUE IN THE FINAL SEGMENT.  HE COULD ONLY MANAGE 31 LAPS AS COLE TURNED A RACE HIGH 40 LAPS ON YELLOW TO TAKE AN EIGHT-LAP WIN.  DARIN, HOWEVER, DID ENJOY FAST LAP HONORS AND WAS THE ONLY RACER TO GO UNDER FOUR SECONDS.

FINAL RESULTS AMATEUR SUPER STOCK

1) COLE GARNER       150  4.128

2) DARIN GARNER     142  3.941*

3) TIFFANY GARNER   139  4.256

4) SUSAN MUTIA        126  4.316

AS THE AMATEUR SUPER STOCKS WERE GOING THROUGH POST RACE TECH THE PRO-AM CARS WERE ALLOWED A FEW MORE MINUTES OF PRACTICE BEFORE THEIR MAIN. ONCE THE POWER CAME ON, MARCUS CLARK RAN OFF AND HID.  IN ADDITION TO HAVING HIGH HEAT (43) AND FAST LAP (3.722) HE RAN HIS RACE AVERAGE ON BLUE (41) WHILE THE BEST ANYONE ELSE COULD DO WAS 35 (GIANI MARTINEZ).  IT ALL ADDED UP TO A 15 LAP WIN FOR RECENTLY UNRETIRED MARCUS.  WELCOME BACK - HERE'S YOUR TROPHY!  BILL PINCH, GIANI MARTINEZ, AND DANNY MAYER ALL FINISHED ON THE SAME LAP, WITH 3RD, 4TH, AND 5TH BEING DETERMINED BY TRACK POSITION. 

FINAL RESULTS PRO-AM SUPER STOCK

1) MARCUS CLARK     166       3.722*

2) BILL PINCH           151/64  4.056

3) GIANI MARTINEZ  151/57   ?.???   (GIANI RECORDED A 3.221 DURING 

THE RACE, BUT MAY HAVE PICKED UP A RIDER AS NONE OF HIS OTHER LAPS WERE 

WITHIN .600 OF THAT ONE)

4) DANNY MAYER     151/38  3.744

5) JIMMIE PARRIS     132       4.229

THE EXPERTS WERE CALLED TO THE TRACK FOR THEIR FIRST EVENT OF THE DAY, AND WE SAW WHY THEY ARE CLASSIFIED AS "EXPERTS".  AS FAST AS MARCUS WAS IN PRO-AM, HE WOULD HAVE BEEN NEAR THE BOTTOM OF THIS MAIN AND MANY LAPS SHY OF THE LEADERS.  BLUE AGAIN FIGURED INTO THE MIX, AS THE TOP FOUR FINISHED THE RACE IN POSITIONS RESPECTIVE TO THEIR BLUE LANE TOTAL.  ED DELFIN, CLAYTON ST CLAIR, AND CRAIG REYNOLDS WERE THE FIRST SIT OUTS.  LONNIE ROBBINS LED BY TWO AFTER THE FIRST SEGMENT - THEN RAN BLUE, WHERE HE RAN A RACE LOW 32.  THAT PUT HIM THIRD OF THE THREE RACERS WHO HAD RUN BOTH SEGMENTS AND 8 LAPS BEHIND NEW LEADER TOM CLARK.  IN THE THIRD SEGMENT CRAIG AND CLAYTON HAD ROTATED IN AND WERE FLYING.  TOM CLARK WAS STILL THE ABSOLUTE LEADER WITH STEVE BOWMAN ONLY TWO BACK, BUT CLAYTON AND CRAIG WERE THE LAP AVERAGE LEADERS.  TOM ROTATED OUT IN THE FOURTH SEGMENT HAVING RUN A RESPECTABLE 43 ON BLUE.  CRAIG RAN A RACE HIGH 49 ON YELLOW TO TAKE THE LAP AVERAGE LEAD BY .5 OVER CLAYTON.  STEVE COMPLETED HIS RACE WITH 164 LAPS AND THE CLUBHOUSE LEAD.  SEGMENT FIVE PUT CRAIG ON BLUE IN "SURVIVE" MODE.  HE MANAGED A DECENT 43 AND FINISHED AT 184 AND WAS THE NEW CLUBHOUSE LEADER.  CLAYTON, MEANWHILE, HAD TIED CRAIG'S RACE HIGH 49 ON YELLOW, AND TAKEN THE LAP AVERAGE LEAD BY 1.3.  HE WOULD BE ON BLUE IN THE SIXTH AND NEEDED 42 LAPS TO TIE, 43 FOR THE WIN.  TOM AND CRAIG HAD TURNED 43'S ON BLUE SO WE KNEW IT WAS POSSIBLE.  IN THE SIXTH, CLAYTON WENT JUST BEYOND THE POSSIBLE.  HIS 44 LAPS ON BLUE GAVE HIM A TWO-LAP WIN OVER CRAIG.  SEGMENT SEVEN WOULD DETERMINE THIRD PLACE.  DAN MCCLEARY HAD A ONE-LAP ADVANTAGE ON TOM AND BOTH WERE ON FAST LANES.  LONNIE ROBBINS WON THE SEGMENT WITH A STOUT 48 ON GREEN.  TOM BLITZED A 46 ON RED TO GET DANNY BY TWO IN THE SEGMENT AND ONE FOR THE FINAL PODIUM POSITION. CRAIG TURNED FAST LAP OF THE RACE AT 3.411.

FINAL RESULTS EXPERT SUPER STOCK

1) CLAYTON ST CLAIR     186     3.514

2) CRAIG REYNOLDS       184     3.411*

3) TOM CLARK               175     3.500

4) DAN MC CLEARY        174     3.552

5) LONNIE ROBBINS       169     3.595

6) STEVE BOWMAN        164     3.628

7) ED DELFIN               164     3.565

FINALLY TIME FOR THE POLYMER CARS!  (SOME OF US REALLY STRUGGLE WITH THE CERAMIC CARS...)  SOMETIMES IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE!  MARCUS CLARK PUT THE SAME HURT ON THE FIELD AS HE HAD IN PRO-AM SUPER STOCK.  HE WAS THE ONLY RACER TO GO OVER 50 LAPS IN ANY HEAT AND HE DID IT IN THREE.  ON BLUE JIMMIE PARRIS, COLE GARNER AND BILL PINCH WERE JUST AS FAST, BUT IT DIDN'T MATTER.  MARCUS WAS BAD FAST.  EVEN THOUGH HE DE-SLOTTED SEVERAL TIMES ON YELLOW, HE WAS STILL THREE LAPS BETTER ON THAT LANE THAN 2ND PLACE BILL WHO RAN A PERFECT THREE MINUTES.  MARCUS HAD FOUR LAPS ON COLE GARNER AND BILL AFTER THE FIRST SEGMENT.  MARCUS RAN BLUE IN THE SECOND TO ALLOW BILL TO DRIVE AROUND AND LEAD BY ONE.  COLE HAD GEARBOX PROBLEMS AND HIS 24 TOOK HIM OUT OF THE HUNT.  MARCUS ROTATED OUT ALLOWING BILL TO LOOK FAST FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL HEATS, FINISHING UP WITH A SOLID 184 AND THE CLUBHOUSE LEAD.  MARCUS WAS STILL SHOWN AS THE LAP AVERAGE LEADER BY .5 LAPS.  IF HE COULD MAINTAIN HIS AVERAGE ONCE BACK IN, HE WOULD WIN BY 1.5 LAPS.  IN THE FINAL TWO SEGMENTS HE INCREASED HIS AVERAGE SOMEWHAT TO WIN BY 12.  JIMMIE PARRIS AND DANNY MAYER HAD A GOOD RACE FOR THIRD.  DANNY WAS FASTER ON RED AND GREEN, JIMMY FASTER ON YELLOW AND MUCH FASTER ON BLUE TO GIVE HIM THE POSITION.  MARCUS, OF COURSE, TURNED IN FAST LAP.

FINAL RESULTS AMATEUR MODIFIED

1) MARCUS CLARK        196     3.119*

2) BILL PINCH              184     3.515

3) JIMMIE PARRIS         173     3.725

4) DANNY MAYER         172     3.419

5) DARIN GARNER        168     3.359

6) TIFFANY GARNER     163    3.348

7) SUSAN MUTIA          163    3.505

8) COLE GARNER         160    3.473

ONCE AGAIN, THE FINAL EVENT OF THE DAY WAS ALSO THE DAY'S BEST RACE.  CRAIG REYNOLDS WAS LOOKING TO AVENGE HIS TWO-LAP LOSS IN S/S TO CLAYTON ST. CLAIR AND EVERY RACER ENTERED HAD A LEGITIMATE SHOT AT THE PODIUM.  AS WE WENT GREEN, CLAYTON WAS ON BLUE AND CRAIG WAS SITTING OUT.  TOM CLARK WON THE SEGMENT, STEVE BOWMAN WAS TWO BACK, AND CLAYTON THREE BACK (AGAIN, BLUE WAS BEHIND HIM) CLAYTON ROTATED OFF IN THE SEGMENT AND TOM AND STEVE TRADED SPOTS.  CRAIG ROTATED IN FOR THE THIRD.  STEVE AND TOM FINISHED THE SEGMENT TIED AT 167 WITH THREE MINUTES EACH LEFT TO RUN (STEVE HAD RUN BLUE,TOM HAD NOT).  CRAIG WAS THE NEW LAP AVERAGE LEADER.  IN THE FOURTH, TOM FINISHED UP HIS RACE WITH A 50 ON BLUE TO CLAIM THE CLUBHOUSE LEAD WITH 217.  IN THE FIFTH SEGMENT, CRAIG RAN HIS THIRD CONSECUTIVE 58 TO DRIVE AROUND STEVE FOR SECOND, EACH STILL HAVING A SEGMENT TO GO.  GIANI MARTINEZ FINISHED UP WITH A 191, SECOND IN THE CLUBHOUSE TO TOM.  IN THE SIXTH, CRAIG RAN A BEST - ON -BLUE 55 TO FINISH WITH A TRACK RECORD 229 THE CLUBHOUSE AND LAP AVERAGE LEADS.  CLAYTONS BEST SEGMENT HAD BEEN 56 AND HE WOULD NEED A PAIR OF 60'S TO CATCH CRAIG.  HE DESLOTTED ONLY ONCE ON GREEN AND GOT HIS 60.  COULD HE DO IT AGAIN?  IN THE FINAL SEGMENT, ON YELLOW, CLAYTON DESLOTTED ONLY ONCE, TURNED HIS 60 AND GOT CRAIG (AND HIS 12 MINUTE-OLD TRACK RECORD) BY A LAP.  STEVE BOWMAN RAN HIS SECOND PERFECT HEAT OF THE MAIN TO DRIVE AROUND TOM FOR THIRD, JUST A LAP SHY OF THE PREVIOUS TRACK RECORD.

FINAL RESULTS EXPERT MODIFIED

1) CLAYTON ST CLAIR     230     2.808

2) CRAIG REYNOLDS       229     2.792*

3) STEVE BOWMAN         223     2.933

4) TOM CLARK              217     2.918

5) ED DELFIN               216     2.854

6) GIANI MARTINEZ     191     2.959

7) LONNIE ROBBINS     184     3.207

8)DAN MC CLEARY     172     2.907

MANY THANKS TO ED DELFIN AND DANNY MAYER FOR FINDING AND RENTING THE FACILITY AND MOVING THE TRACK FROM ED'S HOME IN SUMMERFIELD.  ALSO THANKS TO MILLIE DELFIN FOR PREPARING THE BUFFET AND ALSO HAULING IT FROM HER KITCHEN IN SUMMERFIELD.  THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR PITCHING IN TO BREAK DOWN AND STACK TABLES AND CHAIRS AND HAUL TRASH ONCE THE RACING WAS FINISHED.  I'M SURE ED GOT HIS DEPOSIT BACK!  REMEMBER OUR NEXT EVENT IS ON THE WIZZARD LAYOUT IN NORTH MELBOURNE SEPTEMBER 16TH.  THERE WILL ALSO BE A TEST AND TUNE FRIDAY EVENING THE 15 AND NORTH MELBOURNE'S MONTHLY LOCAL SHOW ON SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 9TH.  HOPE TO SEE SOME OF YOU THE 9TH AND ALL OF YOU THE 16TH.