WCICS Round 5 – Report
After the mid-season Christmas break, the Western Canadian Indoor Championship Series visited the absolutely beautiful Oceanside city of Victoria, British Columbia, for round 5, the Speed Weekend hosted by IROCC and NRC. Both clubs hosted what has been described as the Crown Jewel in the WCICS series, drawing top racers from across Western Canada and the NW USA, including ROAR & WCICS champions. With 230 registrations all 8 classes were hotly contested, and as the series starts the second half of the season the championships battles are heating up.
In Touring Car Mod ROAR National Champion Dave Ehrlich, who TQ’d every class with his VBC’s, drove to a solid win. Owen Ren, drove an amazing race, holding off a TC Stock winning, and fastest TC Mod lap, Jake Danilchik to finish just 0.3 seconds apart.
In the largest class of the weekend, Alberta’s Wayne Mah set TQ with his Awesomatix, in Touring Car Stock but was under constant pressure from Saskatchewan’s Danny Buck and his Xray. In one of the best races of the weekend, the final minute saw several lead changes, building to the last 2 laps, an impossible pass through a tight chicane put Wayne back in 1st, then on the next lap Wayne and Danny had contact, and while in the clean spirit of gentleman racing they waited for each other, Jake Danilchik, who had driven a perfect race with his Awesomatix just waiting in 3rd, slipped through to take the win. Danny came in 2nd, Wayne in 3rd.
In WGT and in a huge turn of events, 2013 WCICS WGT Champion Korgae Scales showed just how strong our series competition has become by taking the lead from TQ holder Dave Ehrlich and his VBC on lap 5, and holding off the ROAR National Champion to take the win with his CRC. Wayne Mah, after dropping to 6th on the first lap, battled all the way back to take the last podium spot.
The CTA category had Seattle WA racer Jacob Reyes taking the win over Vancouver based TQ holder Alex Pate. “Tiny” Ryan Welch came in 3rd, close behind. It was a tight race all around with the 1st to 5th finishing within 6 seconds.
In the Tamiya Mini class it was an Alberta 1-2, with Calgary drivers Ivan Chan and Chuck DeBelen taking 1st – and TQ – and 2nd. Brandon Rogers represented his home province well coming all the way from 6th to the last spot on the podium.
In the 1/12th Modified category ROAR National Champion Dave Ehrlich and his VBC did it again, TQ’ing, setting fastest lap, and winning. In an amazing result, IROCC President Blake Bell, who spent the entire weekend along with all of the great volunteers running the race, finished just 2 seconds behind. Todd Mason, from the NW US, the “Mini Maker”, had a hard fought battle taking 3rd by just 0.5sec.
Slapmaster Brian Bodine took his CRC from Pole Position all the way to the win in the 1/12th scale Stock class, also posting the fastest lap along the way. Jamie Surry held off an amazing charge by Kevin Bowles, racing all the way from 7th on the grid to take home a trophy.
In Formula’s first official appearance as a WCICS class in Victoria, Ryan Brownlee’s long road trip from Portland Oregon paid off as he took the lead from TQ holder Robert Bakoczy – also Portland – on lap 3, and held on to take the win. Robert came in 2nd, with an ecstatic Patrick Morehead, traveling from WA state to catch the WCICS action, took 3rd.
Round 6 will be held in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan on February 6-8th.
Source: WCICS [wcics.ca]
