This past weekend Round 4 of the JBRL (Jimmy Babcock Racing League) 1/10 Series took place at the world famous Hot Rod Hobbies in Santa Clarita, CA.
What made this round more unique is that it was held outside on their outdoor dirt surface which is more rare to see these days in 1/10 electric off-road racing. The temps reached into the triple digits, but that didn’t deter the competition as this round saw 160 entries spread out over 13 classes.
Friday the track was open from 10am to 7pm that night as drivers got their pit spots setup for the event, plus they had their first crack on the new layout. The next morning the first of two rounds of qualifying began shortly after 11am.
The race format called for two qualifiers, but only a driver’s best run in their respective class would be used to determine who made the A Main. The top eight qualifiers were locked into the A Main, and the top two finishing drivers from the next lower main would “bump up” into the next highest main.
So that meant even if you had terrible luck in qualifying you still had a chance to bump your way into the main event. Each A Main ran for six minutes while the lower mains ran for five minutes. We had several drivers competing for the team in this round so let’s check in to see how they finished up.
Starting with the Mod 4wd Buggy class, team driver Sammy Moran locked up the top qualifying position with the fastest run of the weekend in this class during round one! In the single A Main he would start out in front and continue to lead the pack for several laps before he ran into bad luck on lap 19. The right rear of his wheeler broke coming off the sweeper, but he was able to continue around the track under his own power with about one minute to go. His tire teammate Mike Sorchy was in a close battle for 2nd place, and he was able to hold off 3rd place and overtake Sammy with seconds to go. Mike made it across the line before the tone sounded to get the bonus lap on the field and Sammy was able to hold onto to a 3rd place finish!
Team products used:
- 3196 – Aqua compound Ellipse 2wd/4wd rear buggy tire
- 3198 – Aqua compound Ellipse 4wd front buggy tire
- 0354 – F2 body for the Tekno EB410
- 0197 – Carpet | Astro High-Clearance 6.5″ Rear Wing
- 0182 – Aero S-Type Rear Wing Center Divider
Moving to the 13.5 Stadium Truck class, team driver Brenden Edwards sweep all rounds of qualifying to secure the TQ spot! He would lead the pack in the A Main for four laps before a small bobble dropped him back to 2nd place. By lap seven he was back out in front and would go on to take the win!
He would also finish 5th in the Expert 17.5 2wd Buggy class, plus lock up the final podium spot in the 2wd Short Course Truck class!
Team products used:
- 3199 – Aqua compound Ellipse truck tire
- 3200 – Aqua compound Ellipse SCT tire
- 3133 – Aqua compound Sprinter 2wd/4wd rear buggy tire
- 3134 – Aqua compound Sprinter 2wd front buggy tire
- 0282 – HF2 SCT Body
- 0388 – Finnisher truck body for the T6.1 & YZ2-T
- 3347 – Mono 2wd front buggy wheels
- 3348 – Mono 2wd/4wd rear buggy wheels
- 3354 – Mono truck wheels
- 3344 – Hazard SCT wheels
In the 40+ 13.5 2wd Buggy class JConcepts driver Jeff Guest was the top qualifier in both rounds of qualifying.
In the A Main he would get off to a great start and go on to take the tone to tone win! Joining him on the podium in 3rd place was fellow JC driver Chris Raymond!
Team products used:
- 3170 – Aqua compound ReHab 2wd/4wd rear buggy tire
- 3171 – Aqua compound ReHab 2wd front buggy tire
- 0475 – F2 body for the AE B6.4
- 0181 – Aero S-Type 7″ Rear Wing
Team driver Levi Raymond competed in both the Expert 17.5 2wd and 13.5 4wd Buggy classes this past Saturday. Starting with the 2wd class he would reset the TQ in Round 2 of qualifying to start in the pole position. When the tone sounded he led the field for one lap before he traction rolled right past the start line. By the time he recovered he would drop back to 6th place when he crossed the loop again, but he continued to put down fast laps as he worked his way back towards the front. By lap 16 he would move into 2nd overall as he followed the leader closely for the next four laps, and then after a traction roll by the leader he would regain the lead to take the win!
Team products used:
- 3170 – Aqua compound ReHab 2wd/4wd rear buggy tire
- 3171 – Aqua compound ReHab 2wd front buggy tire
- 0475 – F2 body for the AE B6.4
- 0197 – Carpet | Astro High-Clearance 6.5″ Rear Wing
In the Expert 13.5 4wd Buggy Levi would grab his second TQ of the race with the fastest run all weekend in Round 2 of qualifying for this class! In the A Main he left no doubt this time as he took the tone to tone win! Joining him on the podium in 3rd place was his brother and fellow JConcepts teammate Chase Raymond!
Team products used:
- 3196 – Aqua compound Ellipse 2wd/4wd rear buggy tire
- 3198 – Aqua compound Ellipse 4wd front buggy tire
- 0397 – F2 body for the AE B74.1
- 0197 – Carpet | Astro High-Clearance 6.5″ Rear Wing
Finally, switching over to the Sportsman 17.5 2wd Buggy class team driver Rick Riley didn’t have the best time qualifying as he started dead last for the six minute A Main after bumping up out of the B Main. But, he saved his best driving for last as he slowly clawed his way to the front, and by lap 12 he would take over the lead for good as he beat 2nd place by nearly six seconds!
Team products used:
- 3196 – Aqua compound Ellipse 2wd/4wd rear buggy tire
- 3197 – Aqua compound Ellipse 2wd front buggy tire
- 3347 – Mono 2wd front buggy wheels
- 3348 – Mono 2wd/4wd rear buggy wheels
- 0181 – Aero S-Type 7″ Rear Wing
The next round of this series is scheduled for 9/2 at SDRC Raceway in San Diego, CA, and we expect it to be another fun and competitive day of racing in southern California!
Photo credits: JBRL