Steven Hartson and Matt Olson win with JConcepts at the 5th round of the Electric JBRL Series.
Event: 2012 Electric JBRL Round 5
Track: Controlled Chaos Raceway
Date: June 30, 2012
Race Reporter: Steven Hartson
Tires: JConcepts Orange Bar Codes
This year round #5 of the electric JBRL was held at Controlled Chaos Raceway in Palmdale, CA. There were 2 rounds of qualifying with rocket round and a single main event all run on Saturday.
I arrived in Palmdale on Friday to practice for the event. I was surprised to see how many racers had already started practicing. The track seemed to be extremely smooth and hooked up. It was a pretty easy layout with a elevated carpeted drop off in the far corner of the track which I thought was fun.
I changed my setup a little to compensate for the high speed grooved conditions. I also tested some different tire compounds and eventually ended up on orange bar codes for both buggy and truck.
In round 1 of qualifying for mod truck, I put in a good run with 1 mistake that costed me about 3 seconds. I ended up tq by 7 seconds over Mike Truhe.
In round 1 of 2wd mod, I had another good run with 1 bobble hitting the pipe. I ended up tq of the round over Cody Turner by about 8 seconds.
Round 2 of mod truck, I had a flawless run and again tq’ed the round. I went 4 seconds faster than my first run. Mike Truhe qualified 2nd for the main followed by Dustin Evans.
Round 2 of 2wd mod, the track seemed to be a little faster with the sun setting. I had a really good run with no mistakes and went 2 seconds faster than my first qualifier. Cody Turner would start 2nd in the main followed by Mike Truhe.
In the mod truck main, I got out to a good lead and put in good consistent laps. By the end of the race, I was almost a lap up on 2nd and 3rd. Matt Castellano ended up getting 2nd and Truhe 3rd.
In the 2wd mod main, I again pulled a lead of about 5 seconds over Truhe for about the first 2 minutes of the race. Truhe made a couple mistakes which allowed Cody Turner by for 2nd. Turner tried to make a charge the last minute or so, but the gap was too far apart. I ended up winning by about 5 seconds over Turner. Hayato Matsuzaki rounded out the podium.
In the Pro 4 Short Course Class Matt Olson took the first place spot also running JConcepts Bar Codes in Orange compound. Matt had this to say after the race, “I was using JC Bar Code Orange compound with JC Foams all weekend long. It was by far the longest lasting tire with the most consistant wear even though the track surface was like sand paper. I was able to get 3 full 5 minute runs out of each set, while the other brand tires were only lasting one to two runs at the most. Thanks again for all the support and great products.”
Round 6 of the JBRL Series will be held July 28 at SDRC Raceway in San Diego, California. For more info on the series visit jimmybabcock.com