| Race report by Korgae Scales |
(click to enlarge) |
| It all started long before most racers showed up Friday morning. Preparations and organization began months before. The Magma race has been the proving grounds and the long awaited Eastern race of the year since 2000 when it all first began. This year was no different with a total entry of 160. |
|
(click to enlarge) |
| FastCats was the 2006 host track that will be celebrating their 1st anniversary this March, FastCats is the brainchild of John and Pam Catricala, who set out to create the all in one, of RC racetracks with a built in hobby shop. Perfectly smooth Ozite carpet, and one of the cleanest most well organized and thought out pit areas you will ever see, not to mention the other attractionsâ¦Yes attractions! 5 XBOX game centers, Pinball game, table soccer and to be truly Canadian the infamous table hockey gameâ¦all for racersâ™ enjoyment to pass the time in between qualifiers and mains. |
|
(click to enlarge) |
| East coast XRAY Canada driver Mark Frechette attended the race and was joined by XRAY USAâ™s latest team member, Mike Blackstock. Both drivers would debut the T2 in the Touring car mod class only. For this event the popular 19-turn class was to be hosted on a spec rubber tire. With that, the main focus of the event was the Mod foam class, leaving 19 turn up for grabs. |
|
(click to enlarge) |
| Friday was like any other practice day, as some racers found set-ups that they could work with and others who still had things to figure out, not to mention some great crashes and broken cars! Traction really picked up, this created a problem for many, as traction roll became the common term used by many. For all who had never been to FastCats before they were definitely overwhelmed as many stated that this facility had to be the best in the world and that no other facility could ever compare. I think all racers had to agree. |
|
|
Practice went great for both Mike and Mark, Mike was settling into the groove and going faster every time on the track. Mark with the assistance of his mechanic for the weekend (Santino Nemi) was dialing in their new ride. With only a handful of batteries through the car, Mark was up to speed with the competition.
The class everyone got up to watch every round was the 1/10th open modified class. Through all 3 qualifiers it was clear Mike Blackstock (TQ) was the one to beat, setting the standard with his brand new T2 car, Mark Frechette also had a very strong showing making the highly competitive main.
Marks 1st impression of the T2 "WOW- Its even more dialed then the FK05 and so easy to drive." |
|
(click to enlarge) |
Scotty Ernst grabbed the microphone for the triple A mains. Even before the race it was a fight for spectators to gain viewing standpoints. The 1/10th open modified A main was the one to watch Mike Blackstock and his XRAY T2 won the first 2 rounds granting himself the title of 2006 1/10th open modified champion, Blackstock dominated the first 2 mains by almost lapping 4th, 3rd, and 2nd. He was un-beatable and like a true champion offered his modified motor up for raffle after the race was over.
Thank you to FastCats for throwing the most amazing most unbelievable race in Canadian history. Next year can only get better!
For event pictures and facility info: www.fastcats.ca
Team XRAY members look forward to attending the next race at this world class facility. |
|
