OCRC Raceway is a spectacular track located in gorgeous Huntington Beach California. Known for its awesome track, premier facility, and home to the prestigious Reedy Race it’s a bucket list location for many racers. The JConcepts team traveled out for the 14th Annual Surf City Classic and had a blast battling it out on the track! Matt Olsen from MOD Racing was providing coverage so those back at home could check out the action for themselves.
Our stock drivers dominated the podiums this weekend and we’re stoked for them! Coming off their recent ROAR National Titles we saw Matthew Gonzales and Davey Batta go back to back as they brought their A-game once again. JConcepts driver and OCRC local, Jake Thayer, is a fast driver that gave these other stock guys a run for their money, taking a few of his own podium spots! Check it out:
Qualifying (Best 2 of 4):
17.5 2wd Buggy: Jake Thayer (TQ), Matthew Gonzales (2), Davey Batta (3), Derek Stephansen (5)
4wd Modified Buggy: Spencer Rivkin (3), Tom Rinderknecht (5)
13.5 4wd Buggy: Jake Thayer (TQ), Davey Batta (3), Derek Stephansen (4), Matthew Gonzales (5)
Stock Truck: Jonathan Schultz (2), Jake Thayer (5)
2wd Modified Buggy: Spencer Rivkin (3), Tom Rinderknecht (5)
Final Results:
17.5 2wd Buggy: Davey Batta (1), Matthew Gonzales (2), Jake Thayer (3)
Jake Thayer started first on the grid after taking the overall TQ. Thayer began to create some space, Batta and Gonzales were close together in 2nd and 3rd. Gonzales was lurking behind Thayer waiting to make his pass. Gonzales got it wrong, Batta got by and Thayer got some space. Gonzales was quickly back in the race. The three of them were tracking closely together. Halfway through, Batta was looking for a clean way around Thayer. There was carnage over the center, Gonzales capitalized on it and took the lead. He rolled it over in the whoops on the next lap. Batta was now in the lead with Thayer behind him. A minute to go, Gonzales was able to move up into that 2nd place spot. He was in the fight! The tone goes off, Davey Batta was able to take the win!
13.5 4wd Buggy: Jake Thayer (1), Davey Batta (2), Ian Crawford (3)
After securing the TQ Jake Thayer started 1st on the grid. Right off the grid into the first lap over the center section Williby, Batta, and Setphansen tried to out-jump each other. Some carnage happened shortly after that allowing Batta to move up into 2nd behind Thayer. Crawford was able to move up into the 3rd place spot. Thayer had a big lead, he rolled it over 3 minutes in which allowed Batta to gain space on him. Batta got by into 1st, Batta rolled it over, and Thayer took back the lead. Another exchange of back and forth took place again, the battle was on! When it was all over Thayer was in 1st, Crawford in 2nd, and Batta 3rd. There were still 6 minutes in the main. Batta put the pressure on Crawford, he wanted to take back 2nd. Batta got through with 3:30 to go. Thayer had a 4.5-second lead. Crawford took it back, he wasn’t going to let him take 2nd without a fight. 45 seconds to go, Batta took the inside line, zipping by Crawford, but Crawford was still right there. The 10-minute race finished with Jake Thayer taking the win!
Stock Truck: Jovy Levin (2), Jake Thayer (3)
Matthew Williby TQ’d and started 1st on the grid. Schultz, Thayer, and Levin were 2,3, and 4 less than 2 minutes into the race. It was a JConcepts train moving around the track with 7.5 minutes left in the race. Levin was chasing down Schultz for 2nd place. Schultz had a small bobble, Levin made the pass along with Thayer. Schultz quickly got back up into the race. Thayer was on Levin’s wing now, there was a minute left. The top three began to space out, they were pushing forward while trying not to make any mistakes. Williby took the win, with Levin 2nd, and Thayer 3rd!
4wd Modified Buggy: Tom Rinderknecht (2)
4wd Modified Buggy started with Tessmann out front, Cavalieri in 2nd, and Horne in 3rd. It was a rough start for several drivers, Rinderknecht got caught in it. Luckily, early on Rinderknecht was able to go from 11th to 7th place, and close in on Gillespie. 7 minutes in and Rinderknecht moved up into that 5th place spot. After a pile-up in front, Rinderknecht glided by into 3rd place! 5 minutes left in the race and he just needed to hold on to that spot. Tessmann was suddenly out as he went down the front straightaway and his car was done. Cavalieri took over the lead with Rinderknecht now in 2nd! Tom Rinderknecht was able to come from 11th on the grid all the way up to 2nd on the podium!
Overall, the team reported that they enjoyed the battles and learned a lot at the Surf City Classic! It’s been a busy two weeks of 1:10 racing but these drivers still hold up to the challenge! Congratulations to our team on their podiums! Up next, we’re heading to RC Madness in Enfield, CT for the 2021 JConcepts Turf Nationals! See you there!