2008 Race Season Kick’s Off in Grand Style!

New track surface, racers, and race series make for a great start to the 2008 racing season. Polk County racers were geared up for the return of R/C Monster Motorsports to eXtreme Hobby Zone for the start of the “In it to win it!” series. To kick off the series, eXtreme Hobby Zone raffled off an Axial .32 or a Traxxas 3.3 nitro engine, winners choice. Brian Macumber was the lucky winner of the raffle. Brian was at a loss for words from the excitement.

eXtreme Hobby Zone went the eXtra mile and resurfaced their 88’ x 44’ clay oval. The new stickier clay surface allowed drivers to put the power to the ground. To test the surface R/C Monster Motorsports ran a traditional Chicago style race course. Drivers staged their trucks with their rear tires up against the Parma Chevy Caprice crushed cars on opposite sides of the race course. Once the light turned green on our first RaceAmerica custom timer, drivers mashed the throttle and raced around the oval for one complete lap “One lap? Sounds simple.” you say? Not quite. R/C monster truck drivers had their hands full. High traction, big air from our Ten-eighty ramps, and just under 8.5 seconds (for some drivers) to complete the course, drivers had plenty on their mind in a short period of time.

Big Block Side-by-Side racing, new competitor Josh Glidden raised some eye brows with the debut of his Tap Out Team Losi LST 2. Glidden’s driving skills and top notch race equipment put him in the first place spot. Glidden’s win didn’t come easy. Glidden had to face none other than the Polk County Mad Man himself Tommy Feichtel in the finals. Glidden’s run of 9.25 seconds was enough to put Feichtel’s Plum Crazy in the second place spot with a time of 10.47 seconds. Josh Northrup would take the third place spot driving his Big Blue 2 Team Associated Monster GT.

Small Block Side-by-Side racing featured the return of Jamie Philips to the racing circuit with his Traxxas T-Maxx. Jamie’s consistent driving style put him in the finals against Andrew Walker driving his Grave Digger Traxxas T-Maxx. Phillips took the first place spot with a time of 16.13 seconds to Walker’s DNF. Jeff Bell took the third place spot with his MT2.

Drivers from all three racing classes went head to head in a Small Block vs. Big Block vs. Buggy/Truggy match up. Jeff Bell with the only Truggy in the event went up against Josh Glidden’s Tap Out in the finals. Glidden’s Tap Out once again took the first place spot with a time of 12.93 seconds to Bell’s time of 13.55 seconds. Jamie Phillips took third.

Old battles were reborn in Big Block Sand Drags. Gene Foust and Tommy Feichtel would face off in the finals. Feichtel would win the match up with a time of 1.405 seconds. Foust’s Predator bodied Team Magic 2 was quicker with a time of 1.385 seconds, but reaction time was the key part of this match up and Feichtel’s Roebuck Team Losi LST2 was first to the finish line. Craig Lowe would take the third place spot with a blistering time of 1.200 seconds.

Dylan Foust made his driving debut in Sand Drags. Dylan did a great job driving his E- Savage Grave Robber truck. Dylan seen here taking instruction from the "King" of Sand Drags and dad Gene Foust of Team Magic Racing.

Larry Baker celebrated another first place win in Small Block Sand Drags. Larry’s Snicker Tamiya TNX took down the Polk County Mad Man’s R/C Monster Motorsports Machine in the finals with a time of 1.44 seconds to Feichtel’s 1.593 seconds. Eddie Inman’s Bubba T-Maxx would come in third place.

Drivers not equipped with the appropriate sand paddle tires were placed in a non-paddle tire class. Paul Howard III aka Son of a Repoman took the first place spot against Josh Northrup’s Big Blue 2. Northrup’s time of 1.436 seconds was not quick enough against Howard’s 1.217 seconds. New competitor Jason Domke and his HPI Savage took third place.

Eddie Inman one again dominated Small Block Truck Pulls. Inman’s Bubba T-Maxx pulled 35 lbs 23’11”. Larry Baker’s Snicker TNX pulled 35 lbs 18’ for the second place spot. New comer Van Parrish claimed the third place spot with his High Roller T-Maxx. Parrish’s T-Maxx pulled 35 lbs 17’.

Josh Glidden’s Tap Out once again raised eye brows, this time in Big Block truck pulls. Josh Glidden forced a pull off between his Tap Out Team Losi LST 2 and Shannon Jones’ “Doc” Traxxas Revo pull truck, both trucks pulling 45 lbs to a full pull. Glidden’s Tap Out took the first place spot with a full pull at 55 lbs. Unfortunately Shannon’s “Doc” truck was not able to come back due to mechanical problems. Anthony Chaney driving Danger Zone took the third place spot with a pull of 45 lbs 29’1”.

Eddie Inman’s Bubba T-Maxx took the first place spot in Small Block Tug of War. Anthony Chaney took the first place spot with his Danger Zone Associated Monster GT. Chaney’s Danger Zone took four consecutive wins for first place.

R/C Monster Truck drivers get ready for the second race in the “In it to win it!” series. Saturday, January 26, 2008 R/C Monster Motorsports returns to eXtreme Hobby Zone in Winter Haven, Florida. Our next race also marks the return of Drag Pulls to eXtreme Hobby Zone. “Be in it!”

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