The sixth and final race of the 2016 edition of Slot.it Group C/IMSA proved to be a barnburner and entirely worthy of the most popular race series in Austin Slot Car Club history. Not only did the series see record numbers of entrants, with as many as 15 racers, but the level of competition was very high. After having run these cars several times, car setup was a (mostly) known quantity.
Going into the final race, Marty and Ary were tied for first in Group A, with 80 points each, after dropping one race. David and Steve were battling for third, Steve with 70 points and David with 69 points after drops. The stage was set; as the winner would come down to whomever did better in the final race.
Shawn had started out strong in the series with a first and a third place, but a disastrous mechanical failure and a missed race had dropped him out of the running.
After a late start with car prep, it wasn’t until I added a tungsten weight to the motor pod before the fourth race that the Lowenbrau Porsche woke up and became a very quick car. Having missed two races, I was also out of the running, but the car was flying. With nothing on the line, I was relaxed for the final race. I set fastest lap in Heat 5, which held up through the rest of the heats, taking that point off the board. Now it was a straight fight between Ary and Marty to see who would finish in front to take the series.
Heat 6 saw Marty in the Yellow lane, Ary was in the Green lane, and I was in Blue. This was a terrific heat and one of my favorite race heats ever. Marty and I ran neck and neck lap after lap until a de-slot dropped me back. Despite his car not being as fast as it was in practice, Ary came out on top. The battle between Ary and Marty continued in Heat 7, with David giving chase in the Yellow lane. The heat ended with Ary and Marty close together at the far end of the track, both with 75 laps and David with 73.
Now Steve joined in for his race with David in Heat 8. David started out in front and gradually increased his lead to two laps, 72 to 70. However, all attention was drawn to Marty’s finishing position, as he finished with the same total number of laps as Ary. After 2 ¼” actual miles, the closest heat race and the closest series finish ever amounted to a difference of less than two inches!! Marty finished just behind Ary’s blue sticker on the outer wall.
After starting side by side in Heat 9, David pulled ahead, leading Steve by nearly a lap. Steve battled back to finish a half lap behind David, both on the 71st lap. Then in Heat 10 it was up to Steve to see what number he could put up to catch David’s total. Finishing with 72 laps, his lap total was two series points behind David, giving them both 85 series points! The tie was settled by the total number of laps, giving third to David. Whew!
Going into the sixth race, in Group B, Rich had a six point lead over Mark, with Lance two points further back. Barring a problem, the Group B victory was Rich’s to lose. Rich finished in a solid 7th place, with the fastest lap in Group B, securing the Group B series win. Lance ran his best race yet, finishing in 5th place overall and leap-frogging him over Mark to take second place in Group B. Mark finished third in a Group B field of ten drivers.
All in all, this year’s Group C/IMSA series turned out to be the most successful series yet, with great competition and improved driving throughout. It was a very fun series as well. I hope it will be on the calendar next year. Congratulations to everyone!
*Overall results after each racer’s worst result dropped.
