There were a number of races in the area this past weekend, and Sanford and Son RC headed out to our local track, Heritage RC Park in Chula Vista, CA for Round 2 of the Pro-Line Championship Series. Like Round 1, Round 2 had 70+ entries, and we would run 7 minute qualifiers. The track was watered every other heat.
The competition for this round would include J.D. Mora of LRP, TLR’s Don Vinkemulder, Mugen drivers Robert Wickham, Jaime Boquiren and Felipe Martinez, Darin Rogers of Tekno RC and some very fast local racers.
1/8 Scale Expert Buggy
I was able to get a practice day in on Friday, and the car felt really good. I tried a shock oil change to get the car to handle better in the bumps. I lightened the shock oil 2-1/2 wt all the way around. The shock oil change did in fact make the car handle much better.
We would have a dry track for the first qualifier, and I bolted up a fresh set of AKA Soft GridIron II. The car felt fantastic, and the suspension was soaking up the bumps like they weren’t even there. TLR’s Vinkemulder had a great run, and it took a perfect run for me to get the first round TQ.
For Q2, I mounted up a fresh set of tires, and got out to a great start. I was on a new TQ run, but as I blasted up the uphill rhythm section on the left side, I got caught in another car’s wing. I lost a few seconds while the marshal got us untangled, and lost my TQ run. I was able to hold on to the win, however, and my first round TQ would put me on the pole for the 30-minute A Main.
At the start of the A Main, most of the field got tangled up on the first uphill turn, and Vinkemulder and I would pull away early. I gradually stretched to a 12 second lead, and would pit at the 8:30 mark. My pit man did a great job, and got me out of the pits with an 8 second lead. By the 10 minute mark, I had stretched my lead to over 20 seconds.
I drove for 28 of the 30 minutes without the need for a turn marshal, but with 2 minutes left, I caught a concrete corner marker and flipped. It would be my only mistake, though, and I raced the final two minutes mistake free, getting the win by 27 seconds.
I thought my Kyosho MP9 TKI3 on AKA rubber and DE Racing SpeedLine Plus wheels was perfect in Round 1 of this series, but with the shock oil change, the car was even better this round.
1/8 Scale Expert Buggy Results:
1. Lucas Sanford (Kyosho)
2. Don Vinkemulder (TLR)
3. Felipe Martinez (Mugen)
1/8 Scale E Buggy
For both qualifiers of E Buggy, I opted for a fresh set of Soft AKA GridIron IIs, and it was a good choice. The car was very planted, and easy to drive. In Q1, I had a perfect run, and would get the first round TQ. In Q2, Mora pressed me hard for the first 5 minutes of the 7 minute qualifier, but I ran mistake free. I just missed my first round TQ, but would start first in the 10 minute A Main.
I got a great start in the Main, and pulled out to an early lead over the field. My Kyosho MP9e TKI, with the Tekin RX8 Gen2 and Redline T8 Gen2 1900 motor was fantastic. The AKA GridIron II tires on DE Racing SpeedLine Plus wheels were amazing. I ran the entire 10 minute Main mistake free, and finished on top of the podium.
1/8 Scale E-Buggy Results:
1. Lucas Sanford (Kyosho)
2. J.D. Mora (LRP)
3. Darin Rogers (Tekno RC)
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.
