Racing at Tom's World has always been a big challenge for me. Not only in regards to the high caliber of racers east of the mountains, but in the track itself. The track is a combination of super speedway and tight twisty road course. Think "Roval" in NASCAR terms.
My friend Zack (who by the way is one of the finest racers, and people, I have ever met) always tells me; "it is preparation, preparation, and preparation". And although I thought I was pretty well prepared for this trip to Tommy's, I was only fooling myself. There are areas of the track that are very hard on gears, and areas where mistakes can lead to hard crashes and body as well as chassis damage. I suffered from the latter, completing only 42 laps (1 1/2 heat races) with a broken chassis from a mistake in the banking.
The positive take-away from my day was my ability to watch or spectate during most of the race, and although I did have to pay attention to my turn while corner marshalling, I saw some fantastic racing take place on the track! After the first round of racing and the usual "jitters & nerves" all of the drivers settled in and started turning some impressive lap times and lap totals. Most all of the racers suffered some sort of mechanical issue during the race. Everything from gear problems, to crash damage, and motor issues, none of which are uncommon at Tom's. Note worthy events were; JP's spectacular crash in the finger as a rider (partially my fault as I just missed grabbing his car and saving it), JB's spectacular crash in the sweeping straight leading to the bridge (caused by a wheel that decided to leave his car), Shaun Mayea's awesome come back after suffering gear problems, and Jimmy's consistantly quick laps after suffereing a multitude of car issues including motor failure.
It was nothing but top notch racing the entire day. JP scored the win despite his bad luck adventures, and Tom pressing him hard but eventually falling to second. Shaun Mayea and John Gill finshed tied for third. John's finish was the highest of the "Valley" racers, a feat to be proud of. Two other things I'd like to mention, one is Nick Johnson's Concours win with his beautiful Petty Plymouth. I gotta tell you, this guy does beautiful work and not just slot car body paint! He made some great additions and improvements to the track before this race. Thanks Nick! And lastly a shout out to Steven. This was his first trip to Tom's World. By the end of the race and all that track time he was turning some really good laps. Watch out Bend guys, he may be our ace in the hole next time!
Thank you Tommy and Susan for another outstanding race and lunch! And thank you for your hospitality in general. Tom's Racing World has become more than just a track and a race for me. It is a chance to visit with people I respect as competitors, but even more, to visit with same people I also consider friends!
Here are the race results:
Qualifying:
After Round 1:
Final Race Results:
