Typically on February 2nd, people gather in a small town in Pennsylvania to see if a little rodent will do what no weatherman can do…which is predict the weather. February 2nd 2013, however, while those crazies were freezing their butts off waiting for Punxsutawney Phil, a few hundred racers converged on Newred Hobbies in Ocala Florida for Round 2 of the JConcepts Supercup Series. The JConcepts Supercup is a series of races held at various tracks around the state of Florida. There is a Spring session and a Fall session, with 4 races per session.

There was plenty of pit space, with most racers lining up their tents and trailers outside, and some made use of the covered pit space offered by Newred Hobbies.

JConcepts organizes the Supercup Series, and had a nice pit setup at Newred.

Brand loyalties aside, I have to say they have some very cool 1:1 vehicles to haul all their stuff.

I’m lovin’ the grill insert

Newred Hobbies offers a variety of options for RC fanatics, I was particularly intrigued by the outdoor banked oval.

Inside is where the action would unfold, with a smooth clay track that had a lot of traction all day.

There was some controversy early on, as during the driver’s meeting it was announced that the triple seen here could not be tripled. You were required to double-single this section. The main reason was safety. If a truck were to crash in this section, as the marshal ran to flip it, vehicles attempting the triple would be coming at his head. Having watched the marshals at cone 4 repeatedly having to run into the triple to flip an errant vehicle, I’d say it was a smart move.

There were 34 heats in total, with a Newred record 248 entries! A great turnout for sure. The classes were Novice, 2wd SCT Stock, 2wd SCT Mod, Stock Stadium truck, Mod Stadium truck, stock 2wd buggy, mod 2wd buggy, mod 4wd buggy, 4wd SCT Mod, and 40+ Mod. 40+ Mod was 2wd buggies piloted by the more “experienced” drivers, those with a little less hair than the rest of us. Drivers raced through 2 heats, positioning themselves for the Mains what would come later in the day.

Racing started for the day around 9:30 AM. The first two heats took approximately 9 hours to run. After some track work, the Mains were started at around 6:30 PM. They did have bump ups  from the lower Mains. The top two finishers of each main earned their way to the next Main up.

Up first were the Novice races. The Novice class was designed to let the newer racers in the hobby race at a prestigious event, with the access to the pro’s and their advice, without feeling the need to compete on that level. It’s a great class for a beginner, and all of the drivers seemed to have a blast with it. There were even a few of the younger drivers fist bumping before the mains wishing each other luck. It was cool to see that kind of enthusiasm in their faces. In the Novice B Main, Dalton Meredith started up front, but some bad luck on the first lap would take him out, leaving the door open. Eric Dawes would run at the front of the pack for most of the race, but on the last lap Ed Schairer and Jamie Shank would pull ahead to take the two bump spots. In the Novice A Main, TQ Cody Perry would stay out in front throughout the race, taking the win.

Stock Buggy F Main was up next, with Robert Molina taking over the lead on the second lap. He would hold on for the win, in 13/5:06.535. The second Bump would go to Shawn Ohara, running 13/5:19.564.

The Mod Buggy E Main would have Kawri Brown and Brian Dillard trading the lead back and forth throughout the race. Kawri would take the win and the first bump spot with 14 laps in 5:08.883, and Matt Lardizone would take advantage of a bad lap by Brian to take the second bump spot with 14/5:12.878. Stock Buggy E Main was up next. Matt Bradford Jr would start out front, and stay out front to take the win with a 14/5:05.514.  The only other driver to make 14 laps was Doug Smith, who would take the second spot in 14/5:20.338.

On to the D Mains, Mod buggy first. Tim Smith and Mac Davis would pull out front on the first lap, and stay there. Tim took first with 15/5:07.341, Mac with a 14/5:00.767. Next was the 2wd Stock SCT D Main. Kris James would fall to the middle of the pack by the second lap, but stayed patient, working his way back to the front and the win with 13 laps in 5:03:483.  Kevin Richard ran a very consistent race, taking the lead for a few laps following a bad lap by Kris, but would fall back to a second place finish and the second bump spot with a 13/5:14.006. Stock Buggy D Main started with Brian Dillard putting down two impressive laps, before an unfortunate break retired him for the day.  Clint Ward would takeover the lead and stay there, winning the Main with a 14/5:14.101. The second place finisher however would have to duke it out for most of the race. He started the race in the front, and was in 8th place after the first lap. He battled to third place with just a couple of laps remaining. Eventually Brian Sickel would make it back up to the second position and take the bump with a 14/5:18.238.

It was a gorgeous day outside. We took as many opportunities as we could to soak up the ‘rays.

The C Mains would get underway with Mod Buggy first. Zak Genova started out front, but was quickly passed by Felix Law. Felix would run out front for the first few laps, but would be overtaken by Zack Genova, who had fallen to 6th after the first lap. He didn’t go away though, Felix would stay on his heels, laying down a blistering 19 second final lap, to overtake Zack for the win with a 15/5:10.252. Also on the final lap, Seth Moore would put down an impressive 19.500 second lap to pass Genova for the second bump spot. Seth ran a 15/5:11:325 to finish just over a second behind Felix.

In the Stock Buggy C Main, Trace Carver would come from third on the grid to take it down, leading the whole way with a 14/5:00.941. Matt Bradford would take second with a 14/5:05.675, after having fallen to 8th in the first lap. The C Mains would show the first Pro Mod 4wd SCT. Dave Fowler would battle from the back of the pack, taking the lead in the 6th lap, and keeping it. The second bump went to Michael Gibson. Both drivers made 14 laps, Dave doing it in 5:01.377, Michael in 5:05.690.

In Pro 2 Stock SCT C Main, Cody Wiles would take the lead early, and hold it, running 14/5:10.399. Second place was Tracey Proctor, who would put down a 13/5:04.076.

The Mod 4wd Buggy C Main would have a familiar name, Dave Fowler, battling once again, this time from 7th on the grid to the top with a 15/5:10.027. The second place driver was Dan Witkoski, who had started the Main in the 1 spot. Dan would take the second bump spot with a 15/5:14.936.

The final C Main was stock Stadium Truck. Justin Sweatt did little sweating on the stand, taking over the lead in the first lap, and never letting go. He would finish with a 14/5:20.435. Jeff Lynn, who fell from 1st to 2nd in the first lap, would hold on for the last bump spot with a 13/5:04.190.

Newred Hobbies had an on site snack shack where you could refuel your body. Good eats!

B Mains…now peoples adrenaline is starting to flow. Mine included. In Mod Buggy, the first lap of the race proved very difficult for a lot of drivers. Some overactive trigger fingers, and some not so clean driving had the grid completely shuffled. Daimon Borkowicz would find himself in 8th after the first lap, but that didn’t deter him. He fought hard, and in the 7th lap he took the lead, and would keep it, winning with a 16/5:18.435. the 2-4th place cars were the race to watch in this one. They put on an impressive show, running pretty much nose to tail for the last 6 laps. In the end though, it would be Andy Darby upsetting Felix Law and Jim Anderson. Andy took the second bump spot with a 15/5:11.048.

Pro 2 Stock SCT was up next. Once again, there was mayhem on the first lap, with Brian Lewis pulling through the pack from the 6th starting spot to the lead, and holding it for the rest of the race. Brian ran a 14/5:15.819 to take the first bump to the show. The second bump went to Cody Wiles. Cody started the Main in 9th. He was in 8th after the 1st lap, and as trucks crashed around him, he took advantage, climbing his way to 3rd in the 6th lap. He maintained third until the 12th lap, when Michael Hunter had some misfortune, ending his day. Cody slid into second, and took the 2nd bump into the show.

The next B Main was Pro 2 Mod SCT. Your intrepid writer was in this race, and got to witness first hand some very impressive racing. There were only 4 trucks in this race. Chris Intravia, Mac Davis, and Jovan Cruz stayed together throughout the race, for 14 laps battling back and forth, swapping positions. It was truly a site to watch. I know it, because I watched from the 4th place position. Hahaha. These three guys put on one heck of a show though, finishing with a total of 2.3 seconds between the three trucks. Chris Intravia took the win in 14/5:06.851, with Mac Davis in second 14/5:08.149. Jovan was right there with a 14/5:09.186 but it just wasn’t enough.

The Stock Buggy B Main would have Aaron Smith and Travis Adams swapping the lead a few times throughout the race. Aaron Smith would take the lead permanently on lap 9, winning with a 15/5:13.882. Travis Adams would slip to third briefly for laps 12 and 13, but was able to pull it off, earning the second bump spot with a 15/5:19.189. Kory Ferguson was soooooooo close though, both cars coming to the line simultaneously. Travis had a .261 second advantage at the finish.

Pro 4 Mod SCT B Main was next. This would be Travis Adams second race in a row, no rest for the weary at the Supercup. Travis started out front, but fell to third in the first lap. He wouldn’t give up though, climbing back to second quickly, and taking the lead in the 9th lap. It would be short lived though, Travis would lose the lead in lap 12 to the eventual winner of the Main, Trey Roberts. Trey would lay down a 15/5:14.030 to Travis’s 15/5:16.382. Just 2.3 seconds behind, and these two drivers bump to the A Main of Pro 4 Mod SCT.

The 40+ crew was up next with their Mod Buggy B Main. Justin Perry put the hammer down early, taking the lead on the first lap and keeping it, winning with a 15/5:18.532. Behind him, 3 drivers traded spots lap after lap, but Jeff Lynn would outlast the competition, running a 13/5:02.881.

Just two more B Mains before “the show”. Mod 4wd- It looked like a toss up in the beginning, but this turned into the Daimon Borkowicz show. He started third on the grid, and would work his way to the front after the 5th lap. He won with a 16/5:01.891. Bobby Horan would take the second bump with a 16/5:17.569. The final B Main of the event was Stock Stadium Truck. Gary Chosewood would win this handily. He started on the front of the grid, and stayed out in front for most of race. Tracey Proctor took over the lead at the midway point, but it was short lived. Gary would regain the lead quickly, and win with a 14/5:18.920. Tilar Pollack would come from the middle of the pack, and earn the second bump spot with a 13/5:00.920.

Time for the A Mains!!!

The Pro 2 Stock SCT A Main was first. Landen Lewis would TQ and win with a 15/5:15.247. He lead the whole way, never being challenged. Up next was Mod Stadium truck. Daimon Borkowicz would upset TQ Zack Genova, Daimon taking the win with a 15/5:00.965. In Pro 4 Mod SCT, Felix Law Tq’ed, then ran away with the A Main. Taking the win with a 16/5:01.492.

In Stock Buggy, Billy Bruce would take the TQ honors. In the A Main, he would lead wire to wire. But Tony Rivas was hot on his heels, finishing just .386 behind. Billy ran a 15/5:02.097 to Tony’s 15/5:02.483.

In Mod buggy, TLR’s JR Mitch was TQ. He lead wire to wire, winning with a 17/5:18.937

In Stock Truck, TQ Landen Lewis would lead most of the race, before falling to Riker Gatenby. Riker won with a 14/5:04.848.

Mod 4wd was next. JConcept’s Jason Ruona would not only TQ the class, but would also take the W. He was challenged early by Austin Venezia, but would ultimately regain the lead. Ruona would run 17/5:09.581.

40+ Mod Buggy TQ was Walter Cruz. Unfortunately Walter’s day would end early, leaving the door open for Jim Anderson to take the win with 15/5:12.786.

The final Main of the day was Pro 2 Mod SCT. JR Mitch would once again hold TQ. Aside from a brief battle with Ryan Eckert in the early laps, JR would lead most of the race, taking the win with a 16/5:12.727.

That’s it for round 2. Thanks to Newred Hobbies for the hospitality. Can’t wait for the next round at FZRC in Sarasota Fl!