On Feb. 7-10th, Tacoma RC Raceway in Washington State kicked of the 1st race of a 6 race nationwide tour presented by Scotty Ernst — the legend himself. If you haven’t had the privilege to have your races called by Scotty Ernst, then you truly haven’t experienced the full glory and pinnacle of RC racing. With the most recognizable voice in the industry today, he brings the legitimacy of world class announcing to any facility or event he attends. Whether you’re a top notch racer battling in the A-main or bumping from the J… he gives 110% making every racer feel they’re in the race of their life.

Combine that with the most successful racer to come out of the northwest, TRCR track owner and RC ambassador Scott Brown, you have a perfect recipe for unforgettable racing experience…. and that it was! Also making the trip was Ryan Dunford from Horizon/TLR, Greg Hodapp from AKA, Dave “Double Dee” Duncan , and a few others!

The only thing that was standard was the format. Friday was open practice, Saturday held 3 qualifiers, and Sunday had 1 qualifier in the morning followed by the 7 minute mains. For the tour this year and due to popular request, Scotty Ernst decided to add in a couple classes to the list including 4wd buggy, 2wd mod and stock buggy, and stock truck as well to make a fuller day and more racing excitement.

The track layout was one of the best layouts I’ve seen in a while and kudos the the TRCR track crew for making a fantastic layout. This track had it all! It was a fast, technical layout that featured big jumps, a challenging cross-over, and an ultra high speed chicane that punished drivers if they made a mistake upon entry. It was the kind of track that separated driver skill level which was clearly evident in lap times…. the kind of track I like.

  

Below is the list of all the A-Mains, podium pics, and some video. Unfortunately, I was unable to attend on Sunday to fully complete the race coverage and would like to thank Anthony Honstain for the videos and TRCR for the podium pictures. Check out Anthony’s youtube channel for more videos when you have time.

A-Main Results 

Novice A-Main

Stock SC A-Main

Stock Buggy A-Main

Stock Truck A-Main

Short Course Buggy A-Main

4×4 Mod SC A-main

Mod SC A-main

4wd Mod Buggy A-Main
What an amazing race….the best race of the weekend. If you haven’t watched this “wheeler” race yet, then you’re missing some of the best wheeler action ever! Have a look and watch in 1080p. Terrific race by Michael and Luke as they battled bumper to bumper all race long!

2wd Mod Buggy A-Main
2wd mod was a hard fought battle all weekend long. Your top qualifier was Michael Schoettler with his new Team Associated B5R. It was my first time to see a B5 on the track and it looked on point! Michael had full control of the race from start to finish. From the sound of the tone, 2nd place qualifier Kyosho’s Ryan Matesa put a hard charge at the beginning of the race, but as Schoettler started to find his groove he started to pull away from the young Kyosho star. Missing 2 of his qualifying heats because of work, Team Associated’s Luke Smith mounted a ferocious charge from mid pack to finish 2nd overall. Topping off the podium was JC Johnson with his mid motor TLR 22 2.0. It was good to see JC racing again as he took some time off from racing to get his career on track. Great to have you back JC and terrific job making the podium.

Here’s the photo gallery…. I hope you enjoyed this write up and if the tour stops in your neck of the woods I highly recommend attending the Short Course Showdown National Tour! Thanks to Scott Brown for hosting the event and Scotty Ernst of doing what he does best! Thanks to all the racers who attended near and far b/c without you, awesome racing like this wouldn’t exist.