Once a year the best of best from across the midwest gather just outside of Kansas City, Missouri for the one and only JConcepts Winter Indoor Shootout (WIS) and Invitational. This unique event is run in a similar format to that of the upcoming Reedy Offroad Race of Champions. The JConcepts WIS "open classes" are available to anyone who wants to sign up and race, however the JConcepts Invitational Class is narrowed down to the top 24 drivers hand selected from across the midwest. These drivers will all do battle in 5 heads up 2wd races, 5 heads up 4wd races, and the driver with the lowest overall combined score will be declared the champion!
As always the host of this event is none other than my hometown track of Fastlane Raceway in Blue Springs, Missouri. Despite the wet and rainy weather outside, the track crew has been working hard to prepare for one of the biggest races in the state.
On behalf of LiveRC, my trusty companion/father "Homer" and I are once again headed out to bring you all of the action play-by-play all weekend long!
Stay tuned right here to the daily LiveRC Race Blog to keep up to date on everything taking place on AND off the race track including photos, pit stories, new products, race reports, and more!
Event Schedule:
Friday - November 1, 2013 - Practice
Saturday - November 2, 2013 - Open Class Qualifying / 2wd Invitational
Sunday - November 3, 2013 - Open Class Mains / 4wd Invitational
The live event broadcast will feature live video using the stationary track cam (no moving cameras or All-Access Passes), live audio, live event scoring!
We have arrived at the Fastlane Raceway facility in Blue Springs, Missouri! The Fastlane Raceway facility offers R/C racers of all sorts to join in the fun as the facility hosts an outdoor 1:8 scale offroad track, outdoor dirt oval, indoor 1:10 scale offroad track, and carpet track which converts from onroad to oval throughout the week. In addition, there is an onsite hobby shop which includes kits and accessories, but more importantly is stocked with the proper parts, tires, and equipment most often used for area racers.
This year's track layout features a high speed straightaway leading into a "Talledega style" sweeper corner. A tricky ryhthm section follows in which drivers are given the option to go double-double, or single-triple. The layout provides some very close lap times for drivers, and the slightest mistake or wide line in a corner can cost you BIG.
John Piant (Team Manager for JConcepts) is in attendance and working the pits helping drivers with tire setups, Bigfoot story telling, and keeping a watchful eye on the Invitational Class drivers. This year's Invitational Class is made up of a mixture of "local" fast guys, as well as drivers from across the region.
Al Horne and his team of young guns traveled 12 hours straight, through the night, arriving here at 4am prepared to race. In addition, Team Associated is well represented with the faces of Rico Karstens, Trevor Nault, Nick Gibson, Tyler Keel, Michael Twilling, and a long list of others. TLR is in the house with World Championship drivers Cody Hollis and Taylor Larsen. Kyosho is in full force with team drivers Zach Phillips, Mitchel Gardner, Brandon Hisel, and even a guest appearance today from IFMAR 2wd World Champion, Jared Tebo! Unfortunately, Tebo was just passing through on his way to the C-Netic Challenge in Indonesia.
2013 JConcepts Winter Invitational Class Lineup
- Al Horne
- Austin Horne
- Aydin Horne
- Brad Cunningham
- Brandon Hisel
- Cody Hollis
- Dave Alberico
- David Fast
- Eric Larsen
- Joe Walters
- Josh Wiechens
- Keith Pearson
- Michael Twilling
- Mitchell Gardner
- Nate Jaskot
- Nick Gibson
- Rico Karstens
- Spencer Wall
- Taylor Larsen
- Trevor Nault
- Tyler Keel
- Wayne Schroeder
- Zach Phillips
- MYSTERY DRIVER Chris Rupard
Due to several drivers missing in action this morning, there have been last minute changes made to the Invitational Class roster, and at this time the 24th driver is still undetermined.
All of the drivers are looking very fast this weekend, and the war between mid and rear engine configuration continues as the field is split almost 50/50. Some drivers are claiming on the tight track, the mid-motor provides a better feel and more cornering. Others are enjoying the stability and overall handling through the high speed sections of the rear motor configuration.
(Chad "Rico" Karstens fully JC equipped Team Associated B4.2 rear motor.)
(Nick Gibson's fully JC equipped Centro C4.2 mid motor)
Practice at this time is "open", and no official lap times have been recorded, but from the looks of things, racing is going to be close in all classes.
[UPDATE] - 10:17 PM
Practice is officially over for the day, and as the hours passed drivers clocked hundreds of laps on the Fastlane Raceway track. The story right now is that the entire Invitational Class is using handout tires (JConcepts Super Soft Barcodes) for both the 2wd and 4wd classes. Rules specify that only "natural wear" is allowed, no tire additives may be used, and stock open cell foam must also be used. Most, but not all, racers are accustom to the overall feel of closed cell inserts, and primarily run a worn to "ghosted" tread tire in wet conditions at Fastlane Raceway. While the handout tires and open cell foam keeps the playing field very much the same, many drivers are working hard to either adapt their driving style and/or make setup alterations to their vehicles.
Although we watched almost all of the Invitational Class drivers run both, 2wd and 4wd throughout practice, it is still very difficult to pinpoint one or even several drivers that look to "stand out in the crowd". With the track layout as it is, the keys to winning the race aren't necessarily to be the fastest on the track, but instead it's all about consistency. One or two laps faster than the field, followed by a single crash or mistake, will have you sitting 4th or 5th at best. A solid run with consistent laps that are "on pace" (but not necessarily the fastest) with no crashes or major mistakes, is what I believe will make or break the race in all classes this weekend. One fast lap doesn't win the race, only mere bragging rights for that heat.
Tomorrow will kick off bright and early with open class qualifying. 4 rounds of qualifying for all classes, as well as 5 rounds of racing for the Invitational 2wd Class. With a few shots of coffee and sugar, we will be up bright and early to bring you all the action!
Racing is set to go LIVE at approximately 9:30am Central Time!
It's Saturday and that means 4 rounds of qualifying for the Open Classes, as well as 5 Rounds of racing for the Invitational 2wd Class. The day has started off with a bang as Round 1 of the Invitational Class got the show going. Round 1 start order was determined by a hat draw.
In Heat 1 it was a wheel to wheel battle from start to finish. A fairly clean start had drivers all running close several laps in. TLR's Taylor Larsen would start out front, and use that to his benefit as he fought off the hard charging pack of wolves behind him. Team Associated's Nick Gibson looked promising, but a few mistakes would drop him off the pace of the leader. Heat 2 was an impressive run by Team Associated's Rico Karstens as he started off buried in the pack, but was able to weave and bob through traffic to make his way to the front. Team Associated's Tyler Keel put in solid run as well, finding himself crossing the line second. Kyosho's Mitchel Gardner also laid down some impressive lap times, but troubles before the rhythm section would cost him severely. In Heat 3, it was the Cody Hollis show. Cody started on the pole position with his TLR 22 2.0, and never looked back. He crossed the line with a solid 15 second victory on the entire field.
Seeing how this is the JConcepts Winter Invitational, team manager John Piant was all smiles as all three heats were dominated by Team JC. In addition, the track conditions are changing, and all three winners were in fact running a rear motor configuration.
Round 1 Invitational Points
[UPDATE] - 2:00PM
Round 1 of Open Class qualifying is in the books, and so is Round 2 of the Invitational Class racing. Round 2 of the Invitational Class belonged to Team Losi Racing. Heat 1 saw Taylor Larsen starting in the number two spot, but would quickly work his way to the front and stay there. Larsen would take his 22 2.0 to a 9 second victory over Austin Horne and Michael Twilling. Heat 2 would be none other than Taylor Larsen's father, Eric Larsen, putting in a superstar run to move from 3rd to 1st early on. Larsen would score the first mid-motor win of the day over Team Associated's Nick Gibson and Chad Karstens (Round 1 winner). In the third and final Heat, Schumacher's Dave Alberico would start out front but a sneaky Cody Hollis would charge hard into the lead. Hollis slowly checked out as the most exciting battle of the day raged on behind him. Aydin Horne, Mitchel Gardner, Dave Alberico, Trevor Nault, and Zach Phillip ensued a wheel banging battle for the entire six minutes. In the end, it would be Horne and Gardner finishing out the top 3.
(We suspect Eric Larsen's victory had something to do with his hot pants...)
Each driver will be given 1 throw-out round, and with the points tallied and the single throw-out included, here is your current JConcepts Winter Invitational leaderboard:
Stay tuned for Round 2 of the Open Class Racing take place LIVE now!
[UPDATE] 5:27PM
Just when we thought the Cody Hollis and Taylor Larsen were on an unstoppable win streak, Round 3 of the Invitational 2wd Class proved to be quite a shake up! In Heat 1, the Team Kyosho machine of Mitchel Gardner would hold strong after a front row start and never look back, taking the overall victory over Aydin and Austin Horne. In Heat 2, we expected an all out brawl between Cody Hollis and Taylor Larsen, however, troubles for Hollis would bury him in the pack. Larsen would fight for his way to the front swapping back and forth with Nault, Twilling, and Alberico. Meanwhile, Team Kyosho's Zach Phillips stayed calm, cool, and collected to make his way to victory #2 for Kyosho. The third and final heat was dominated by Team Associated's Nick Gibson. He dove under XRAY's Spencer Wall off the start, and was never to be seen again. Joe Walters and Spencer Wall held onto a solid run to finish up 2nd and 3rd.
After Round 3, here is the updated leaderboard with one drop included:
[UPDATE] 8:55PM
Well the fourth round of the Invitational Class did not disappoint! Heat 1 had the crowds cheering as 11-year old Aydin Horne started on the pole position and wasn't afraid to show the big boys what hes got. Aydin led the entire race from start to finish, and fought off the hard charges of his father Al Horne, Taylor Larsen, Zach Phillips, and Eric Larsen! An impressive run anyways, but to drive so fast, so flawless, and for so long was truly amazing to watch from such a young racer. Heat 2 was boxing match between Cody Hollis and Nick Gibson, neither of which started in the front of the pack. The two drivers swapped the lead multiple times, and just when it looked as though Gibson was going to check out, a huge mistake would allow Hollis to take over the lead. Hollis then turned up the heat to win the race with Gibson and Nate Jaskot rounding out the podium. Heat 3 saw the glowing green machine of Chad "Rico" Karstens back in winning form. Schumacher's Dave Alberico and "Rico" would bang and bump their way from start to finish. Nearly identical lap times, and only minor mistakes, made the racing CLOSE. In the end, Chad Karstens would cross the line first, Alberico second, and Trevor Nault third. A much needed victory for Round 1 winner, Chad Karstens.
After 4 rounds with one drop, the leaderboard is as follows:
[UPDATE] 12:01AM
The fifth and final round of the 2wd Invitational class is in the books! Round 5 was sorted by overall points leading up to the round, with an inverted start. Heat 1 was a back and forth battle on the first several laps, however, Josh Wiechens was able to take the lead on lap 4 and never look back. Wiechens would finish up first ahead of Nate Jaskot, and Brad Cunningham. Heat 2 would see the hard charging Kyosho of Zach Phillips starting out 6th, and making his way to the front on lap 14. Phillips would secure the win with Trevor Nault and Spencer Wall rounding out the top 3. The 3rd and final heat was INTENSE. Your top 8 drivers were started in reverse order. While many expected Larsen, Hollis, Karstens, or Gibson (yesterday's winners) to come out on top, it was once again the young gun Aydin Horne! Aydin started 4th and looked be finishing 2nd behind is father Al Horne, when on the last lap, Al clipped the back wall tumbling hard as Aydin moved to the front.
After a full day of racing, the 2wd Invitational Leaderboard was shaken up in Round 5, as Aydin Horne takes over the top spot ahead of Larsen and Hollis.
Here is your JConcepts Winter Invitational Leaderboard after Round 5:
It's time for bed, and tomorrow will kick off the Open Class mains and a full day of 4wd Invite Class racing!
After a few hours of sleep, and thankfully an "extra" hour due to the time change, everyone is rested up and ready to race this morning! The day has kicked off with Round 1 of the 4wd Invitational Class. Indoor R/C car racing reminds me a lot of supercross racing. This event has a very unique format and reminds me of the Monster Energy Cup Supercross. Much like the Monster Energy Cup, Heat 1 of 4wd would get under way with technical difficulties in timing and scoring (the starting gate wouldn't drop at the Monster Cup) and would force drivers to bring the cars off the track, re-charge, and race again.
Heat 1 was all about Taylor Larsen. Larsen started 1st, and left the competition finishing nearly a lap ahead of Trevor Nault and hard charging Tyler Keel. Heat 2 saw TLR's Cody Hollis and Kyosho's Mitchel Gardner swapping the lead back and forth to start. Gardner would eventually take the lead and race to his first victory of the weekend with Al Horne stealing second ahead of Hollis. Heat 3 was a wild ride from start to finish. The fastest man on the track was Team Associated's Nick Gibson, however, the most consistent on the track is JC Invitational Points Leader, Aydin Horne. Horne was win start to finish, while the battle raged on behind him between Dave Alberico, Gibson, and Phillips. In the end Alberico would hold second, with Gibson and Phillips drag racing to the line for 3rd and 4th.
After 2wd is complete, and 1 Round of the 4wd class is in the books, here is your current standings:
[UPDATE] 12:43PM
Round 4 is in the books, and was by far the most aggressive round we've seen so far! Heat 1 was relatively calm as TLR's Taylor Larsen ran away from the field for the win over Michael Twilling and Josh Wiechens. Heat 2 was a boxing match between Al Horne and Nick Gibson would would twist and tangle their way to the back of pack. Keith Pearson was running away with it, when on the LAST lap David Alberico made a rocket pass into the lead for the win. Heat 3 looked to be a battle early on between Chad Karstens and Cody Hollis, however, they too would collide and crash to the back allowing Zach Phillips and points leader Aydin Horne jump to the front. Zach would hold off a hard charging young gun for the win, with Trevor Nault sealing the deal in 3rd.
Here is your leaderboard after 2 Rounds with one drop:
[UPDATE] 1:48PM
We are just past halfway as three rounds are in the book! Tempers were on the rise as the driving only got more aggressive! Heat 1 was Al Horne starting out front, and running away fast as the wheels and wings were banging behind him. Trevor Nault would steal the 2nd place spot, with Aydin Horne making a last corner effort, but slightly coming up short for 3rd. Heat 2 was repeat winner Zach Phillips who would take the lead on lap 2 and "Run, Forest, RUN!". Despite starting in the #7 spot, Mitchel Gardner would finish second with TLR's Cody Hollis recovering from a few rough laps to finish 3rd. Behind them the field was in RAGE as cars were in 110% attack mode slamming pipes, poles, walls, and other competitors. The final heat was relatively un-eventful as Taylor Larsen stole the lead early, and checked out. Dave Alberico and Brandon Hisel battled for 2nd and 3rd place finishes.
Here is your leaderboard after 4 Rounds (keep in mind the overall scores INCLUDE 2wd buggy from yesterday and one drop today):
[UPDATE] 3:59PM
Round 4 is complete! Heat 1 goes to Josh Wiechens who was able to squeeze out a 1 second victory over Michael Twilling and Trevor Nault. Heat 2 was Mitchel Gardner jumping out front early and waving goodbye as he slowly drifted away from Al Horne and Zach Phillips in 2nd and 3rd. The final heat put the young gun, Aydin Horne on top of the leaderboard heading into the final round! Aydin drove smooth and consistent for a 6 second victory over Karstens and Alberico.
Going into the final round, Aydin Horne and Taylor Larsen are tied up on points. The 5th and final round is setup by the leaderboard standings, meaning that Aydin Horne and Taylor Larsen will start 1st and 2nd in the final heat to do battle for the overall victory!
Your standings going into the final round are as follow:
[UPDATE] 5:17PMWell folks the weekend has come to close! What an AMAZING weekend of racing from the Fastlane Raceway facility. The final round of 4wd Invitational provided some very close racing in Heat 1, as Oklahoma native Tyler Keel charged hard to the front taking the win by 1 second over Chris Rupard and Joe Walters. In Heat 2 it would be yet another Oklahoma native, Michael Twilling taking his Team Associated B44.2 to a solid victory, his first of the weekend! In the final heat it ALL came down to Taylor Larsen and Aydin Horne. The two would battle in the beginning, but TLR's Taylor Larsen would sneak out to a lead and slowly stretch it out. Aydin Horne would battle hard with Nick Gibson, who would eventually take over the 2nd place spot. In the end it was Taylor Larsen, Nick Gibson, and Aydin Horne crossing the line 1-2-3!
This victory crowned Taylor Larsen the 2013 JConcepts Winter Invitational Champion! An absolutely fantastic weekend of racing. A huge thank you goes out to Fastlane Raceway, JConcepts, all of the racers, and of course all of YOU the viewers who have followed along as it all unfolds!
(Left - Aydin Horne 2nd, Middle - Taylor Larsen 1st, Right - Al Horne 3rd)
Congratulations to ALL of this year's winners, and we'll see you next year!
JConcepts Winter Invitational Final Results:
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