Sanford and Son RC headed out to Heritage RC Park in Chula Vista, CA on Saturday, April 18th for the first round of the Pro-Line Championship Series. Turnout was light, due to other races in the area, with 70+ entries for this race. The layout was one of the most fun layouts we have ever raced on this particular track. The track was watered every other heat.
The competition for this round would include TLR’s Don Vinkemulder, Mugen drivers Robert Wickham and Jaime Boquiren, Darin Rogers of Tekno RC, and some very fast local racers. Kris Moore of Mugen was in attendance for the 40+ Nitro class.
1/8 Scale E Buggy
We would have a dry track for Round 1 of qualifying, and I bolted up a fresh set of AKA Soft Impacts. I would have a good run, taking the TQ, but the car was loose everywhere. I have had great success with Soft Impacts on this track many times in the past, but the track was unusually hard-packed and dusty. For Round 2, I opted for a fresh set of Soft AKA GridIron IIs, and it was a good choice. The car was very planted, and much easier to drive. I would better my TQ from Round 1 and would start on the pole for the 10 minute A Main.
I got a great start in the Main, but caught a pipe on the downhill of the second turn, and landed on my lid. I would slip to fourth place, but was knocked back onto my wheels by another car, and would not require a turn marshal. My Kyosho MP9e TKI, with the Tekin RX8 Gen2 and Redline T8 Gen2 1900 motor was up to the task. The AKA GridIron II tires on DE Racing SpeedLine Plus wheels were amazing. I quickly worked my way back up to the lead. I ran mistake free for the remainder of the race, and finished in first place.
1/8 Scale E-Buggy Results:
1. Lucas Sanford (Kyosho)
2. Loch Stigre (TLR)
3. Darin Rogers (Tekno RC)
1/8 Scale Expert Buggy
We would also have a dry track for Round 1 of Expert Buggy. Based on what I learned from the first round of E-Buggy, I opted for a fresh set of AKA GridIron IIs instead of my usual Soft Impacts. I had spent Friday afternoon fine-tuning my suspension, and finished final break-in of a new motor. The car was fantastic everywhere. I ran a very good first heat, requiring no marshal, and got the first round TQ. For Round 2, we would have a wet track, and the car was about 1/10 of a second slower than Round 1, but I had a clean round and finished in the lead. My first round TQ would put me on the pole for the A Main.
For the 30 minute A-Main, I bolted up a fresh set of AKA Soft GridIron IIs. Everyone got a clean start in the Main, and Vinkemulder pressed me hard for the first few laps, staying right on my bumper. I slowly stretched out about a 7 second lead. At the 8:30 mark, I had about a 12 second lead and decided to take my first pit stop. My pit man did a fantastic job and got me out of the pits quickly, leaving me with a comfortable lead. By the time I made my second pit stop at the 17 minute mark, I had stretched my lead to about a half a lap. Vinkemulder and Wickham had a great battle for second place the entire race.
My pit man got me out of the pit in record time on all three pit stops, and I raced the entire 30 minute A Main without requiring the services of a marshal. I would finish the race in first place, a lap up on the field. The motor was running at 227 after the race, and was purring like a kitten. Everything came together for this race, and my Kyosho MP9 TKI3 on AKA rubber and DE Racing SpeedLine Plus wheels has never performed better.
1/8 Scale Expert Buggy Results:
1. Lucas Sanford (Kyosho)
2. Don Vinkemulder (TLR)
3. Robert Wickham (Mugen)
I would like to thank all of my sponsors for making it happen: Sanford and Son RC, Kyosho, KO Propo, AKA, DE Racing, Tekin, TTN Racing and Upgrade RC.
Radio duties for both cars were handled by the KO EX-1 KIY transmitter and KR-413FH receiver. The nitro car was equipped with the KO BSX2 Response H.C. servo for throttle, and both cars used the KO RSX2 Power H.C. servo for steering.
Thank you to Heritage RC Park, to track manager Gil Alontaga, and especially to Pro-Line for sponsoring this great series.
