Here is the whole low down for the Grand Prix Classic 2005
FRIDAY
This year’s Grand Prix Classic managed to be even better than previous years. I have to hand it to all that gave us a hand in making it a success. Alfred, Jenny and I cannot begin to take the credit for all of it. We only had the idea and everyone has just joined in and helpe whereever possible. It was true District 9 Team effort as well as help from the out-of-town participants, the sponsors, the media...and of course the spectators. The abundance of spectators created a buz of excitement, cheers and enthusiasm that is uncharistic of radio control boat racing.
The motor homes and trailers started at pulling in on Friday afternoon as racers began to prepare for the weekends racing and festivities. By noon Alfred Lanza and helpers had already set-up most of the racing facility. Soon after the weekend’s favorite. Troy Davis pulled in with his motor home along with others including Jeff Brown, Mike McKnight, Victor Gorecki, and Kent Sterner. Boats of many sorts buzzed the lake with final adjustments and tuning. The weather greeted us with a light sprinkle while many die hard continued testing almost without notice.
Glen Burkhard and Alfred Lanza pulled out the Proboat’s 1/12th Scale Miss Budweiser and Miss Llumar’s for testing as well. The boats were almost ready to drop in the water with just batteries and fuel to be added. One after the other each boat was tested to be sure that they were operating and funtioning equally. However, just as we neared the last few boats we encountered a problem. One of the Miss Budweisers was having radio difficulty. Initially we blamed it on Glen and driver error, but after several attempts and several modelers standing around scratching their heads it was confirmed that the boat had a problem. After several more attempts and some severe cosmetic damage from the boat losing control and hitting the shore we came to the conclusion that the boat should be
set aside.
With the acception of the mulfunctioning Miss Budweiser boat all was well for the preparation of the 3rd Annual Grand Prix Classic.
SATURDAY
Saturday morning came and the racers were greeted with plenty of sunshine to boot. There was lots of hustle and bustle racers pulled in and set-up camp for the weekend. The Osman family, Jay Selby, Bob Rendon, Rudy Formanek were just a few.
The Grand Prix Classic was also graced with the presence of Charles Ross and his newly found L and L Hobbies. Charles launched his online hobby store in September and promises to be a steady icon on the R/C scene. L and L Hobbies donated several T-shirts, hats, and fuel for the Proboat Challenge race. Supporting the event with an on-site presence proved to be a good call for Charles and L and L Hobbies as they turned out selling several products to both racers and spectators.
As a “Fun” race. The Grand Prix Classic tends to start later than most races. As the first race of the season it gives time for old friends to catch up on news of winter projects or just stop by and say hello. It also give out of towners just a little more time to get there boats tuned.
The even officially started with a driver’s meeting conducted by Roger Hooks, Jr. Roger greeted racers and spectators with a warm welcome emphasizing “having fun” over the weekend. The mayor of Fremont, CA was present at the drivers meeting and he greeted all attendance with a smile and many pleasant words. Later on in the morning the mayor participated as a concourse judge under the guidance of veteran boater and assistant commodore of the Model Mariners, Jeff Wells.
The Film Crew of Inside R/C was on hand interviewing a number of competitors throughout the day. Expect to see Alfred Lanza and Roger Hooks, Jr. open up the show with plenty of interviews from the likes of Troy Davis, Lohring Miller, Jerry Dunlap, Jay Selby and Dave Bestpitch. A lot of good racing was caught on film as well so be sure to catch the Grand Prix Classic Episode of Inside R/C.
A MOD TUNNEL
The racing started late in the morning but no one was in a hurry. First on deck was A-Mod Tunnel. Alfred Lanza, Jerry and Paul Dunlap, and Jeff Brown were favorites in this class. Jeff Brown got off to a flying start as he lead the first day and the first three rounds with authority. Alfred Lanza and Jerry Dunlap struggled with handling and tuning problems..yet Paul Dunlap continued to remain in the hunt.
B BOD TUNNEL
B Mod Tunnel showcased an armada of fast contenders. Jerry and Paul Dunlap made a strong showing with Rudy Formanek, Bob Rendon and Jeff Brown putting down impressive performances. With all the speed present in the class there is still no denying the impressive horsepower of Alfred’s Lanza B Mod Tunnel who has now trading in his, already impressive K & B, for an even more impressive CMB outboard unit combination. The boat had speed to spare, which easily propelled Alfred to a top contender spot on the following day. But with all of the hot shots their can be no denying that the crowd’s favorite was none other than the 9 year old phenomenon Gabriel Martinez. Gabriel also managed to keep himself in contention with smooth consistant driving. As the water settled in B Mod tunnel, the stage was set for a fast and furious showdown in Sunday’s winner take all finale.
SPORT 40 II
With only 6 boats entered Sport II turned out to be a knock down drag out fight between two of the Sport 40 II, top dogs in District 9. Alfred Lanza and Rudy Formanek did everything but trade paint as they jockeyed for the inside lane at every start of the race or dash down the back straight-away. Even when one or the other was a put a lap down by penalty or jump start neither could resist the urge of going toe to toe as if they both stood on equal laps. The first day battle between the two provided plenty of excitement for the spectators however, when Alfred finished the third round with a sky high blow over, giving away the heat win to Rudy Formanek who was down a lap due to cut buoy. The day finished with Rudy Formanek leading the day.
SCALE UNLIMITED HYDROPLANE
The Scale Unlimiteds are always a crowd pleaser...and even more so with the presence of the Scale Unlimited National Champion, Troy Davis, among the fleet. Nevertheless a win here at the Grand Prix Classic never comes easy. There were plently of strong noteworthy contenders in attendance including Alfred Lanza, Wil Ackers, and Roger Hooks Sr. with his new blue bomber, the 1968 Miss Esquire. A bit of relief from the pressure was added with the absence of Roger Hooks, Jr. who is always an A main contender. As the race co-director Roger opted to focus on managing the event.
Well it was no surprise, that Troy Davis continued with his National Class performance winning every preliminary heat of the day. Wil Ackers performed strongly with Alfred Lanza dropping out. Roger Hooks, Sr. showed some impressive speed in his new Miss Esquire powered by a CMB blue printed after his sons National Record holding 67 Hydro. The mods proved to work well as he cruised to his share of winning heats.
PROBOAT CHALLENGE
The Proboat Masters Challenge turned out to be a blast with 4 heats. Five boats were run with drivers names being pulled from a hat to determine boat, lane and heat designation. The heats were run with a flying start allowing the boats to get a breast of each other at the crossing of the starting line to start the race. The Challenge turned out to be the largest class of the event. The event was called the Master’s Challenge but some drivers proved to be anything less than masterful as they struggled to get their boat in position for the start. In order to start the all boats had to be 5 abreast as the crossed the starting line or in close proximity. At speeds no more than 25 miles an hour still many found a way to cut or even hit buoys. Fortunately, due to the sturdy contstruction and manageable speeds the ProBoats returned without a scratch. At the end of the first day it seemed that Dave Bestpitch and Bill Peck had the best handle on the little boats along with Troy Davis.
SUNDAY
A MOD TUNNEL
With one more preliminary round to complete it was clear to see who was going to make the main event. The top performer was clear to see with Jeff Brown showcasing the most speed but unfortunately he jumped the start which gave the lead to Rudy Formanek. Jeff had plenty of speed but not quite enough to make up the extra lap. When the checkered Flag dropped Rudy Formanek to top honors with Jerry Dunlap second and Jeff Brown Third.
B BOD TUNNEL
The final preliminary round shaped up the field just nicely. The stage was set for consolation for one racer to emmerge and move on to the winner take all final. This year that racer was Jeff Brown as he had to fight through some struggles early on which landed him in the consolation race. After a disappointing jump start Jeff was determined to win even though he faced the awesome horsepower of Alfred Lanza, the driving precision of Lorenzo Martinez and the crowd favorite, Gabriel Martinez.
The race started out hot with Alfred taking the whole shot. Alfred layed down some awesome speed but the pack was never to far behind. With the punch of too much horsepower Alfed stuffed the boat at the end of the back straight-away giving the lead to Lorenzo Martinez. With three laps left Lorenzo punched a buoy giving the lead to Bob Rendon. With just two laps to go Bob gave it his all in attempt to win an under dog victory. With the crowd cheering you could feel the determination in the air from Jeff Brown, who was hot on the heels of Bob and driving with a vengeance. Exiting the second turn racing onto the final lap Bob Rendon succumbed to the pressure of Jeff Brown’s lightning fast Lee Craft as he got the boat sideways and cut a buoy. With one lap to go Jeff Brown cam from the consolation race and the back of the pack in the main event to win it all. After a disappointing start in A Mod Tunnel Jeff Brown pumped his fist in the air as he crossed the start finish line for the win.
SPORT 40 II
With only 6 boats entered in Sport II all boats qualified for the final. Once again it was the Rudy and Alfred show with Rudy walking away with the win and Alfred Lanza floating upside down in yet another blow over. Dave Bestpitch took home second place with his Phil Thomas hull.
ZIG ZAG RACER “RACE-OFF”
One of the cornersones of th Grand Prix Classic is our annual Zig Zag Racer Celebrity Race. Unfortunately the mayor could not join us in the race due to scheduling conflicts but the race was not short of any excitement as a result. As usual the Grand Prix Classic pulled 6 winners to compete for a Grand Prize Budweiser boat. This years Grand Prize winner went to 6 year old Collin of Fremont California. Collins Dad helped him drive his little Zig Zag II to victory and Collin went home with more than $400.00 worth of Horizon Hobby merchandise. Congratulations to Collin.
SCALE UNLIMITED HYDROPLANE
Scale Unlimited Hyrdoplane geared up for one of the best finale in it’s history. Although Troy Davis made a undenyably strong showing their were plenty in the pack that were just as capable. In the consolation round Roger Hooks, Sr. leaped out strong and took commanding lead when a left turn in slow traffic ended him upside down. As a result Glen Bukhard moved up to the winner spot which gave him the welcome matt to the main event.
At the start of the main event it was Troy Davis all the way. The boats flew by the start finish line evenly with Troy Davis on the inside. With the spectacular cornering speed Troy carved the first turn and never looked back. Wil Ackers ran strong but not strong enough get by Troy on the outside as Troy was sure not to leave any room between that inside sponsor and his Elam for anyone to get by. Glen Burkhard followed with the three finishing One, Two, Three, just as mentioned.
PROBOAT
The conclusion of the Proboat race went to Bill Peck, which was fitting. For those who know Bill he races the Miss Llumar 1/8th Scale Unlimited Hyrdoplane and has done so for years. It is only fitting that he got to take home a mini verson of his prize possession.
In Conclusion,
We would like to thank all of the sponsors that help us bring this race together for yet another year. We give a special thanks to Horizon Hobby for all of their support. We ask that all of you look into the Zig Zag Racer and Proboats for youself or your kids. It’s all business for our sponsors and we all know...the more we support them the more they can support us.
We would also like to thank, Roy Munoz for cooking the food. Gary Moll for assisting Roy...Peter Munoz for assisting both of them...Troy Davis, Mike McKnight, Lohring Miller and Rudy Formanek for announcing the race when Roger or Alfred were busy. We would also like to thank Jeff Brown, and Eric Osman for helping out wherever ever needed...Peggy Sterner and Chris Brown for helping with scoring and judging as well as other the other boaters that participated in judging. We would like to thank Hailey Laserna and Katrina Brown. In all of thanks...I would like to give a special thanks to Gary Crawford, District Director, for district nine. There is a lot of behind the scenes activity that takes place to make sure a race goes on and I admonish all of you to take a moment to shake Gary’s hand when you see him. There are many less glamorous task that a leader must assume and our leader Gary steps up to the plate every time. Due to the larger spectator crowds and vehicles it became necessary for us to have a person at the gate all day Saturday and Sunday. Rather than push the burden on to someone else our district director took it upon himself to be the post at the gate as well as field all concerns from the park authorities. For this and all the other sacrifices you have made we thank you tremendously.
This concludes the 2005 Grand Prix Classic. We will see what we can come up with next year to take the quality of the event up yet another notch.
