2016 Midwest Series Rd4 – Report

With the threat of 100 percent chance of rain all weekend, the Tri State Radio Controlled Auto Racers hosted the fourth race of the 2016 Midwest Series at their track in Cincinnati, Ohio. In spite of the weather, the TSRCAR crew had the track prepped and ready for action. This six race series was established back in 1970 and is the longest running series in the United States. It features both 1/10 Sedan and 1/8 Open 4WD classes as well as Masters classes for both scales. The cars are run together by scale but scored separately by class.

1/10 Nitro Sedan qualifying kicked off with Lon Burling II (Shepherd) setting the mark in round 1. David Dunn (Serpent), Tom Bracket (Serpent), Bill Sydor (Serpent) and Phil Neiswinger (Xray) rounded out the top 5 and that order held through round 2. The Pace in round 3 picked up significantly with Burling resetting TQ with 22 5:06. Bill Sydor moved into second, only two seconds behind Burling. Dunn and Bracket slid to third and fourth while Mike Wise (Serpent) joined the top 5 with a 21 5:09. Sunday morning’s final round was delayed due to overnight rain. The fourth round didnrt see any change in the running order with Burling maintaining his TQ. Bill Sydor withdrew from the event which moved Dunn and Bracket up to P2 and P3.

In 1/8 Open/Masters qualifying Mike Pulfer (Xray) set the pace in round 1 with a 23 5:04, then quickly bumped it up in round 2 with a 23 5:02. Jason Conley (Xray), Matt Carone (Serpent), Dwight Smith (Xray) and Dan Lewis (Xray) made up positions 2 through 5. Round 3 saw several changes across the leader board with Jason Conley breaking the 24 lap mark with a fast time of 24 5:12. Dwight Smith moved into second with a solid 23 5:02 and John Shuster picked up P5 with a 23 5:05. Pulfer and Carone relied on their round 2 results to fill out the top 5. Round 4 was a disaster for current TQ Jason Conley as he got punted off course just as the track went live. With Conley off the track, this set the stage for a battle to reset TQ. At the 2 minute mark, Mike Pulfer was on a 24 5:12 pace, in position to challenge for the top spot. A mechanical issue would drop him from the field with just over a minute to go. Dwight Smith took the round but didn’t improve on his round 3 time. Ken Miller (Xray) put in a solid run to move up to P4 and Shuster held on to the fifth position as qualifying concluded.

As the skies were turning darker by the minute, a short break to set the mains was taken. Just as the first group was taking the track, the rains came. With the heavy rain, the track was lost and the Midwest Series organizers made the tough decision to call the race. Per the series rules, the finishing order was determined by the qualifying results. Round 5 will be hosted by Team NITRO, September 17th/18th in Lynwood, Illinois.

1/10 Sedan final results:
1. Lon Burling II – Shepherd
2. David Dunn – Serpent
3. Tom Bracket – Serpent
4. Michael Wise – Serpent
5. Phil Neiswinger – Xray
6. Vinny Tuminaro – Xray
7. Tom Esposito – Xray
8. Noah Belville – Shepherd
9. Mike Parker – Serpent
10.Karl Ennulat – Xray

1/10 Masters final results:
1. Phil Neiswinger  – Xray
2. Vinny Tuminaro – Xray
3. Tom Esposito – Xray
4. Mike Parker – Serpent
5. Karl Ennulat – Xray

1/8 Open final results:
1. Jason Conley – Xray
2. Dwight Smith – Xray
3. Mike Pulfer – Xray
4. Ken Miller – Xray
5. John Shuster – Serpent
6. Matt Carone – Serpent
7. Dan Lewis – Xray
8. Mike McBride – Serpent
9. Rick Davis – Serpent
10.Bill McLean – Shepherd

1/8 Masters final results:
1. Dwight Smith – Xray
2. John Shuster – Serpent
3. Dan Lewis – Xray
4. Rick Davis – Serpent
5. Bill McLean – Shepherd
6. Mark Ungar – Serpent
7. Dennis Young – Serpent
8. Rich Potempa – Serpent
9. Mike Becker – Serpent
10.John Schweitzer – Serpent

Source: Xray [teamxray.com]