The 2013 RC Pro Series National Finals were held November 8-10 at Mikeâ™s Hobbies and Gulf Coast Raceway in Porter, TX, also host to the 2013 ROAR Off-road Nationals earlier this year. Gulf Coast raceway is a very fast, high grip, smooth and being that this is one of my home tracks I felt I had a pretty good set-up for both my XB9 and XT9 so having the correct tire choice at the right time is key. The RC Pro Series consists of sub divisions set around the country and racers in each compete for top honors in their respected division. Divisional leaders then then make the trip to the National Final to compete for National honors for each class. I headed into the Finals after securing the South Division championship for both Pro Buggy and Pro Arena Truck so I would carry maximum points for both classes which set me up well to compete for national titles for both classes.
Friday started out with controlled practice in the morning which gave me plenty of time to get both my XB9 and XT9 dialed in and ready for qualifying, which started with rounds 1 and 2 later that evening. I started off qualifying very well and I managed to TQ both truck and buggy for round 1. Both were really clean runs and since I wasnâ™t challenged too much I decided to leave my cars alone and run the same set-ups for round 2. For round 2 I had another clean run with my XT9 and secured a second straight TQ but for buggy it was not so good, I made too many mistakes which left me with a 4th for the round. Rounds 3 and 4 were to be run on Saturday and so again I started off my day with two very clean and fast runs securing TQ for both which would give me TQ honors with both my XB9 and XT9 for the mains.
In the truck main I got off to a clean start and quickly began to pull away from the field. My XT9 was working the best it has since I first ran the new truck so I was laying down very fast and consistent lap times. I was never challenged and I had a huge lead by the end of the race which secured me 1st overall in the main and the 2013 RC Pro Series National Championship! The XT9 performed flawlessly all weekend and with the quality Xray presents with its products youâ™re sure to finish races and thatâ™s important if you want to win.
Overall finishing order for Pro Arena Truck for the Championship:
1. Jason Branham â“ 2013 RC Pro National Champion â“ XRAY XT9
2. Mike Battalile
3. Robbie Darby
4. Mark Morrow
5. Pablo Tejada 6. Cade Whitenton â“ XRAY XT9
7. Aaron Simmons â“ XRAY XT9
8. Spencer Harrison
9. Josh Glancy
10. Craig Romero
In the Pro Buggy main again I got off to another good start and was putting down some fast laps but this time I was followed closely by Josh Glancy in 2nd. Quickly we began to separate from the field but a few minutes in I made a big mistake when I landed wrong off of a jump and this allowed Glancy to get by for the lead. Glancy was driving a very clean race and was outpacing me slightly so I really had to push to keep up. This is when I realized that I had made a wrong tire choice; I decided to go with a harder compound for the main and after the tires worn in my car was breaking loose in areas and causing me to lose time to Glancy. Glancy really started to stretch his lead and at this point I didnâ™t think I was going to be able to catch him so I decided to settle into finishing 2nd hoping it would be enough to win the overall for the championship. Right about that time I was coming up for my pit lap and I ran out of fuel causing me to lose a lot of time and hopes of winning the championship. I would end up 4th overall in the main which was still good enough to finish 2nd overall for the Championship. Glancy would go on to win the main and a well-deserved 2013 championship, so congrats to Josh.
Overall finishing order for Pro Buggy for the championship:
1. Josh Glancy â“ 2013 RC Pro National Champion 2. Jason Branham â“ XRAY XB9
3. Mike Battaile
4. Jake Dellinger 5. Cade Whitenton â“ XRAY XB9
6. Brian Beck
7. Smiley Henn
8. Robbie Darby
9. Hunter Kinsey
10. Mark Morrow
All in all it was a good series for 2013 and my Xray rides were great all season. Now itâ™s time for some family holiday time and to get prepared for 2014! See you then and happy holidays to everyone!
