Silver State Nitro Challenge

Radio Control Car Action, Sep 2000 by Boise, Chris

SPONSORED BY KYOSHO, THUNDER TIGER, ASSOCIATED,

O.S. ENGINES AND CHAMPION TIRES

Who wouldn't want to attend a big off-road gas cape set in the glow of Las Vegas? The desert setting is synonymous with dirt, and the elements of luck and chance that make racing exciting are the very foundation of Vegas culture. But in this game of chance, weather seemed to be the biggest wild card; instead of the usual arid heat and still air, temperatures were in the 60s and heavy winds buffeted the track. Add some of the world's finest gas racers-all amped for the competition and after-race Vegas action-and you have a recipe for a true RC happening. From the moment I arrived on the scene, I knew the 2000 Silver State Nitro Challenge would be an interesting, exciting weekend of racing.

QUALIFYING

* 1/8-scale Buggy. It wasn't a real surprise that Las Vegas's own Richard Saxton captured the TQ honors; Saxton and his Thunder Tiger EB-4 have been dominating 1/8-scale buggy recently. What did surprise everyone was that his TQ time was an incredible 11 seconds faster than runnerup Kyosho driver Adam Drake's. At this upper echelon of racing, it's uncommon for a driver to qualify so much faster than the competition. Kyosho's Greg Degani rounded out the top three qualifiers, and the stage was set for a very fast A-main.

* 1/8-scale Truck. Although only seven drivers participated, the racing action was exciting. When the qualifiers were tallied, Jay Shaffer's Kyosho truck was in the TQ position followed by Jim Williams and Caillen Kanekoa. Not only is this a prestigious race to win, but it's profitable as well. Two drivers chose to run the Megatech engine in their trucks, and that made them eligible to win some serious cash in the Megatech Contingency Program. It's appropriate that in the gambling capital of the world, a race would have so much at stake for these two drivers!

* 1/10-scale Truck. When Saturday's qualifying began, 105 drivers set their sights on the A-main; when qualifying ended, only eight drivers were certain of their positions in the A-main. Two other drivers (required to fill the grid) were bump-ups from the B-main. Sitting on the pole for Sunday's 1 hour A-main was 13-year-old factory Associated driver Jason Tebo. It's incredible that Jason has raced only a year and qualified ahead of runner-up Mark Pavidis and third-place qualifier Jason Smolnik. The A-main was sure to be exciting!

THE MAINS

* 18-scale Buggy. With Saxton's dominant qualifying time, everyone bet the real race in the 1-hour Main would be for second place. It wasn't so! A lot of unexpected action happens in the off-road nitro racing world. At the start tone, Saxton indeed grabbed the holeshot and looked as though he would pull away from the field-until the 15-minute point. His troubles began with an engine flameout. And waiting right there for any kind of bobble were Billy Easton and Adam Drake, who put on quite a show of dicing it out up front for the next 45 minutes. Easton, however, prevailed as the champion when the checkered flag flew. Drake finished a solid second, and defending champion Saxton finished a respectable third.

1/8-scale Truck. Jim Williams took first place in this 20-minute Main, followed by Chris Smith running the Megatech engine. For his efforts and excellent finish, Chris earned $7,500 from Megatech! From the talk around the pits, Chris was apparently the only driver to leave Las Vegas with more money than he arrived with. Congratulations, Chris! Not to be left out was Felix Racoma with a solid third-place finish.

* 1/10-scale Truck. Team Associated/ProLine driver and all-around nice guy Scott Hughes put together a nearly flawless run to top the field in this 1-hour Main. Hughes worked his way up from the back of the pack and passed the entire field one by one-an awesome performance that earned a well-deserved first-place trophy.

Second was Billy Easton, and third went to Mark Pavidis. It's interesting that Hughes and Easton bumped up from finishing first and second, respectively, in the B-main.

THE FINAL WORD

The 2000 Silver State Nitro Challenge was an exciting race to attend. Two new trucks debuted, and a lot of new products were put to the test on this extremely rough track. Competitors, friends and families had a good time, and I know that everyone had fun just hanging out in Las Vegas. Who wouldn't?

The race didn't go without a hitch: there were some organizational problems, computer glitches and bad track conditions, but nature created the greatest problem: the wind didn't let up until Sunday afternoon. After this race, several racers mentioned that goggles would now be part of their normal pit gear.

For next year's Silver State Nitro Challenge, we can look forward to a new location. Richard Saxton and his mechanic Regan LeBlanc will organize the event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. I know I'll be there!