USRA Division 3 Nostalgia Can-Am 1/24 Scale August 12, 2006
Buena Park, CA
By "Gene Husting", photos by "Al Hall"...
Anderson whips them all!
No contest at the top as "John" Tore Anderson cruises to an easy win. Gilbert "uber alles" in the "B" race. Aguirre takes the "C".
The Fourth Nostalgia "Retro" Can-Am Championship Race was once again hosted by Chris and Lenore Gallegos at their fine raceway in Buena Park. The race was run the on the fast but challenging Hillclimb track. It was also marked by a remarkable number of motor failures, both before and during the races.
Qualifying
A total of 26 entrants had signed up for qualifying, and things proceeded swiftly as Paul Sterrett managed things beautifully from the podium. When it was his time, a new Can-Am track record was set by Paul who was able to turn a magic lap in 5.13", only Mike Steube being close at 5.16". Anderson was third at 5.21" with Bob Maxwell outstanding at 5.33". Mike Kravitz managed a 5.38" with a very fast car, John Emmons setting his rocket next at 5.40". Philippe de Lespinay crawled to a 5.44" with a car fitted with the wrong rubber, Mike Boemker barely edging Yoshio Akiyama for last spot in the "A" Main.
Behind Yoshio, Keith Tanaka (Team Rolling Hills) was as good as ever with a fine performance, besting Team Boola's honcho Gil Gunderson.
Rick Salvino was best of the "C" class with Mike Aguirre already showing some teeth. Bryan Warmack was next with Mike Chavez in tow.
Out of towners did quite well in unknown territory as a whole, Bob Maxwell and Steve Walker showing some speed.
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Pos |
Driver |
Body type |
Lap time |
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1 |
Paul Sterrett |
MAC Lola T160 |
5.1336" |
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2 |
Mike Steube |
MAC Ferrari 312P |
5.1610" |
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3 |
Tore Anderson |
MAC Lola T160 |
5.2162" |
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4 |
Bob Maxwell |
MAC Ti22 |
5.3329" |
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5 |
Mike Kravitz |
MAC Lola T160 |
5.3837" |
| 6 | John Emmons | MAC Ferrari 312P | 5.4045" |
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7 |
Philippe de Lespinay |
MAC Lola T160 |
5.4464" |
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8 |
Mike Boemker |
MAC Lola T160 |
5.5451" |
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9 |
Yoshio Akiyama |
MAC Lola T160 |
5.5616" |
|
10 |
Keith Tanaka |
Lotus 40 |
5.5715" |
|
11 |
Gil Gunderson |
MAC Ti22 |
5.5976" |
|
12 |
Allen Low |
Lancer McLaren M8 |
5.6000" |
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13 |
Sam Brown |
MAC Lola T160 |
5.6268" |
|
14 |
Dennis Samson |
MAC Lola T160 |
5.6335" |
|
15 |
Adam Friedman |
MAC Lola T160 |
5.6431" |
|
16 |
John Sinz |
MAC Lola T160 |
5.6985" |
|
17 |
Steve Walker |
ToyTech McLaren |
5.7118" |
|
18 |
Rick Salvino |
March 707 * |
5.7939" |
|
19 |
Mike Aguirre |
MAC Lola T160 |
5.8137" |
|
20 |
Bryan Warmack |
MAC Ti22 |
5.8974" |
|
21 |
Mike Chavez |
MAC Ti22 |
5.9248" |
|
22 |
Jeff Easterly |
MAC Ferrari 312P |
5.9293" |
| 23 | Ken Dylke | MAC Ferrari 312P | 6.0662" |
|
24 |
Larry Shepard |
ToyTech McLaren |
6.1192" |
| 25 | Jeff Bell | ToyTech McLaren | 6.3479" |
| 26 | Terry De Los Santos | MAC Lola T160 | 6.5048" |
* Not a legal body, allowed this time only.
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| Tore Anderson looking for his lost car after a testing ooops. He will have no such problem in the "A" main, running away with the race. | Adam Friedman prepares for battle. Unfortunately he had to leave before the "B" main event as his professional and familial obligations upstage his favorite hobby, especially his lovely daughter. |
The cars & the people...
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Paul Sterrett is checking the track clearance on Adam Friedman's car. Yes, it did pass tech. Paul has been spending a lot of time and energy to promote the new "Division 3" and it is beginning to pay with nationwide interest in the more appealing cars. At this time, several raceways and enthusiasts have showed interest in duplicating the successful racing formulas offered by Division 3. |
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Dennis Samson also spends lots of his valuable time to promote this newly revived form of racing that disappeared in the mid-1970's. Again, the enthusiasm is high and let's hope that it will not be killed by pushing the technology too far as some are already attempting. |
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A genuine vintage slot car box, that of Keith Tanaka. I mean, this is the real thing! Imagine Scott Bader's face when he will see this... | |
Where will one find this kind of stuff nowadays? I am asking you, really! |
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Absolute proof that some of the "Division 3" Retro Can-Am racers are actually gainfully employed and apparently quite smart... Address withheld to protect Steve's privacy... |
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This chassis is typical of the creative spirit that is found in the Division 3 Retro Can-Am, a mix of old (inline) and new (flex) technology. John Sinz built this car and made the "B" main. |
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Your typical Steube chassis. It works and is used by much of the field. This one is fitted with a Falcon/TSRF mill, somewhat a guarantee of finishing the race. This is Steve Walker's car. |
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This beautiful chassis sported a Lotus 40 body. This is Keith Tanaka's ride, built by a real pro from the Classic Era of pro slot car racing. |
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One of the cars brought by Larry Shepard had this pretty chassis and was powered by a Falcon. Larry was a bit overwhelmed by the rhythm of the series but adapted quickly and surely will be a threat in a future race. In the meantime, is not this chassis utterly beautiful? |
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A plethora of cars ready for tech inspection.
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A part of the field after tech inspection, waiting for qualifying procedures. |
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Paul Sterrett's effective and fully-legal machine uses no hinges and is one of the best handling cars out there. |
| The M.A.C. Lola T160 was again the most popular body. This is John Sinz's car. |
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Mike Kravitz's car could not be mistaken for another. |
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Its chassis was another Steube winner. Mike's car easily made the main and was one of the fastest cars in the race. The bare-chest native is wondering about the Slick-7 motor and applying some voodoo to ensure its longevity, at least for the next 24 minutes. |
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Before the races, Lenore served a home-cooked lunch of fried chicken with all the trimmings which was appreciated by all. Lenore was kind enough to prepare a chicken salad for Philippe de Lespinay as she knew that the ingestion of fried foods are definitely against his deep-incrusted beliefs. I mean, where else can you get this kind of personal attention? This kind of care is what makes Buena Park Raceway the Numero Uno on the planet.
The Races:
"C" Main:
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The "C" main drivers ready for battle. Left to right: winner Mike Aguirre, Mike Chavez, 3rd-place Bryan Warmack, Larry Shepard, Terry De Los Santos, Ken Dylke, Jeff Bell and Rick Salvino. Missing is Jeff Easterly on stand-by. |
| The "C" starting field with the winning Dynamic Porsche 910 of Mike Aguirre on black, next to the Abarth of Mike Chavez. |
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Mike Chavez is getting better all the time and will soon be a factor. His performance reflects his constant on-track progress. Mike has to drive quite a distance to race but is a dedicated enthusiast. |
The "C" main was run first, and it was a runaway for Mike Aguirre with an outstanding car and a fast motor. He just cruised to an easy win, leaving Jeff Easterly hapless 9 laps in arrears. Bryan Warmack soldiered on to 3rd after his motor lost much of its power. Rick Salvino looked like a potential winner for a while but had a few problems along the way and was lucky to salvage 4th place over Mike Chavez with a consistent performance. Jeff Bell was another 10 laps in arrears. Ken Dylke missed 6th place by a mere lap, while Terry De Los Santos pursued his race education but had a lot of fun. Poor Larry Shepard had all the bad luck, spending much time in the pits to fix a locked rear axle after a rough meeting with the wall.
C-Main Results:
|
Pos |
Driver |
Body type |
Laps |
Fastest lap |
|
1 |
Mike Aguirre |
MAC Lola T160 |
233 |
5.7105" |
|
2 |
Jeff Easterly |
MAC Ferrari 312P |
224 |
6.1009" |
|
3 |
Bryan Warmack |
MAC Ti22 |
221 |
5.9290" |
|
4 |
Rick Salvino |
March 707 * |
220 |
5.8708" |
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5 |
Mike Chavez |
MAC Ti22 |
219 |
6.2618" |
| 6 | Jeff Bell | ToyTech McLaren | 209 | 6.2107" |
| 7 | Ken Dylke | MAC Ferrari 312P | 208 | 6.3663" |
| 8 | Terry De Los Santos | MAC Lola T160 | 199 | 5.6486" * |
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9 |
Larry Shepard |
ToyTech McLaren |
191 |
6.2614" |
* Fastest lap
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The "C" podium with Mike Aguirre flanked by a happy Jeff Easterly and an even happier Bryan Warmack. |
| Bryan's Ti22 on the left, Mike's Porsche in the center and Jeff's Lola. Is there a "body advantage" as claimed by some? We report, you decide. |
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Bryan's Steube RTR is at left, with Mike's Steube chassis in center, and Jeff's own car at right. |
"B" Main:
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Things getting intense with "B" Main racers a bit nervous before the shoot-out. L to R: Yoshio Akiyama, Allen Low, John Sinz, cherry picker and former national champ Greg Gilbert taking over Adam's ride, Keith Tanaka finding something hilarious, rocket scientist Steve Walker, a relaxed Sam Brown and Our Hero Dennis Sampson, as tense as a bongo drum. Gil Gunderson is on stand-by. |
| The "B" starting field with the Lola of Yoshio Akiyama on black. Note the superb Jairus Watson-painted body on Adam Friedman's car, driven to an easy win by Greg Gilbert. Can you say "sandbagging"? Hardly since Greg did not qualify the car, Adam did. So there! |
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The "B" main was a cruise for Greg Gilbert who had not even turned a single lap with his car before the race started. No big problem there as he quickly took over the lead from Team Boola's Gil Gunderson and Keith Tanaka, then drove away with Adam Friedman's Steube car. Behind, John Sinz salvaged a 3rd palce in the same lap as Yoshi Akiyama, while Sam Brown was 2 more laps behind. Keith Tanaka hit trouble but was able to keep Allen Low a few feet behind him for 6th. Behind them, Steve Walker adapted to this new track as an out-of-towner. poor Dennis Samson had a brand-new motor explode in the very first lap, sending him to the pits for a long stop.
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Another shot of the Greg Gilbert/Adam Friedman's car beautifully painted by Jairus Watson in the true spirit of the 1960's pro-racing days. |
B-Main Results:
|
Pos |
Driver |
Body type |
Laps |
Fastest lap |
|
1 |
Greg Gilbert * |
MAC Lola T160 |
251 |
5.4875" * |
|
2 |
Gil Gunderson |
MAC Ti22 |
242 |
5.5390" |
|
3 |
John Sinz |
MAC Lola T160 |
237 |
5.8198" |
|
4 |
Yoshio Akiyama |
MAC Lola T160 |
237 |
5.6601" |
|
5 |
Sam Brown |
MAC Lola T160 |
235 |
5.7618" |
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6 |
Keith Tanaka |
MAC Lola T160 |
231 |
5.7617" |
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7 |
Allen Low |
Lancer McLaren M8 |
231 |
5.4878" |
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8 |
Steve Walker |
ToyTech McLaren M8 |
226 |
5.8201" |
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9 |
Dennis Samson |
MAC Lola T160 |
208 |
5.7695" |
* Substitute driver for Adam Friedman
* Fastest lap
| The "B" podium with
Greg Gilbert flanked by Team Boola's Gil Gunderson and John Sinz.
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"A" Main:
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The "A" starting field left to right: Paul Sterrett, Mike Boemker, Mike Kravitz, my hero Bob Maxwell, John Emmons, Mike Steube and Tore "John" Anderson. Missing is Philippe de Lespinay taking the pic... someone has to do it, eh! Note John Emmons relaxed pose before disaster. |
| The starting field with Philippe's car on black. He will collect half the field on his first lap in the donut. The winning Lola is on red. |
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The main event was a runaway for Anderson with a fantastic drive. His car was just that much better and he built an unassailable advantage over Paul Sterrett fending off mike Steube. Behind, Philippe de Lespinay had much trouble, collecting half the field in the first lap and losing much time while the marshals sorted things out. Eventually he was able to recover from dead-last to finish 4th over Bob Maxwell, the best of the out-of-towners in a spirited drive. Mike Kravitz was very fast but did not have the consistency necessary to place higher on this day. He will nonetheless surely improve for the next race as he proved to be a tough nut to crack when he was running well. Mike Boemker did well to qualify for the main and drove consistently with a car slightly off top performance. John Emmons had one of those days where everything goes wrong but after all, made the main, an accomplishment in itself as the racing is quite competitive, just as in the old days.
| The winners: Tore Anderson really had the field covered, Paul Sterrett in second with a great drive over Mike Steube solidly in third. |  |
The "A" main began
A-Main Results
|
Pos |
Driver |
Body type |
Laps |
Fastest lap |
|
1 |
Tore Anderson |
MAC Lola T160 |
262 |
5.2690" * |
|
2 |
Paul Sterrett |
MAC Lola T160 |
258 |
5.3204" |
|
3 |
Mike Steube |
MAC Ferrari 312P |
254 |
5.3781" |
|
4 |
Philippe de Lespinay |
MAC Lola T160 |
251 |
5.3823" |
|
5 |
Bob Maxwell |
MAC Ti22 |
249 |
5.3795" |
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6 |
Mike Kravitz |
MAC Lola T160 |
245 |
5.4371" |
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7 |
Mike Boemker |
MAC Lola T160 |
240 |
5.5974" |
|
8 |
John Emmons |
MAC Ferrari 312P |
229 |
5.4305" |
* Fastest lap
