Round 3 at Launceston R/C Raceway is in the books, with some great R/C action at Rutherglen tonight.

We had 20 cars on track tonight, with a few new faces appearing for the first time, and plenty of spectators checking out the action. We’re now half-way through our 3 month trial, and things are looking good. Over the next few weeks we’ll be asking both here on the website and at the track for your feedback on how things are going, and whether we should continue long term. At this early stage, it’s looking pretty good!

Entries tonight were split into four classes. Short Course trucks as usual attracted an enthusiastic following, with 8 entrants and plenty of lexan trading. A heat of mostly 4wd 10th scale buggies looked awesome, and we were delighted to be able to put together our first full heat of 8th scale buggy/truggy. The big EP powered beasts were awesome around the new layout in use for the first time tonight. Finally a good lineup of touring cars and minis – a class likely to grow over the next few weeks.

Click through for all the details on how the night unfolded….

Short Course Truck

8 trucks lined up, but once again it was Rodney “Rocket” Houghton who stole the TQ honours in his Traxxas Slash.  Rocket was chased hard by Chris Brickwood with Peter Hutton’s Proline Switch shod SC10 giving the north-west driver a new lease on life as he locked down #3 on the grid.  Elsewhere in the field we saw the first appearances from Taylor Barwick and Dave Holloway on track.  Both picked up pace throughout the night as they dialed themselves into the unique Rutherglen track.  Brisbane R/C veteran David Guyatt popped in while on holidays in Tassie and joined the Short Course field in his first ever SC race.

Come the final, and it was all carnage all the time!  Greenie jumped away out of the mess early, but once Rocket broke clear of the squabbling pack, it was only a matter of time before he chased down the leading Blitz. Brickwood did likewise to move into second, while Peter Hutton got the better of a race long duel with Holloway to lock down his first podium finish.  Greenie slipped back to fifth, ahead of Guyatt, the improving Ian Scott and newcomer Taylor Barwick.

10th Buggy

Great to see a mostly 4wd lineup in 10th buggy tonight. The little pocket rockets are very quick around the Rutherglen layout, and we hope to see a few more in the weeks ahead.  Ian Scott joined the action with his Losi stadium truck to ensure the 4wd buggies didn’t have it all their own way.  Paddy Hume punted his Team Associated B44 around in fine style to set TQ ahead of Scott Guyatt’s grandly named HBX Rocket.  First timer Josh Fogarty did a great job to put his Kyosho Lazer into third qualifying position ahead of Ian, and Sam Leeder’s 3wd buggy.

With Guyatt sidelined for the finals, Hume bolted to a comfortable win, turning very fast lap times on his way to claiming the chequered flag.  With plenty more performance to come from the B44, look for Paddy to turn it up a notch in coming weeks.  Fogarty was controlled and careful on his way to second place, with Ian Scott improving every week and delighted to finish third.

8th Scale

A mixed heat of 8th scale buggies and Dave Holloway’s potent RC8T laid down some serious horsepower tonight.  NWRCCC gun Matt Hodgetts made his first appearance with his unbelievably quick RC8 buggy, joined by Bart’s Mamba powered Losi 8 and Scott Guyatt in the ready-to-run EP version of the LRP buggy.  Guyatt it was who got to grips with the layout and grip levels fastest to lock in the TQ spot after some very entertaining races. Alongside him sat Hodgetts with Holloway a close up third.

When the green flag dropped, Guyatt bolted – making the most of a clean first lap and good grip levels to sprint away to a good win.  Holloway and Hodgetts turned on an epic battle to finish in that order, with Bart only a little way of in fourth.  The big 8th scale machines were spectacular around the track, with enough room for them to stretch their legs on the newly extended main straight.  I hope we see some more of these beasts appear in the weeks ahead.

Tourer/Mini

Peter Hutton added his new tourer to our flat-track class tonight, and on a newly extended on-road layout the boys put on quite a show.  There is a lot of interest around the tourer and mini class, with plenty expressing interest in expanding the linup.  Tonight though, Rocket dominated once again, setting the TQ time with his mini over Graham Viney’s nicely turned out touring car. Bart’s Anglia mini lined up in 3rd alongside Hutton.

Rocket dominated the final, getting away early and consolidating his lead with perfect driving lines that made it tough for his opponents.  Behind him the action was intense, with Viney getting to the line second after a late race error from Bart put paid to his claims on that position – the two just seconds apart at race end.

A great night’s racing, on a newly configured track.  About half the track surface had been cleaned this week, with the rest scheduled to be done before our next race meeting.  We’re working hard to ensure we have a great place to enjoy racing together. Why not join us for our next event, March 25th.  Doors open 6pm, racing from 7.  See you there!