Chargers R/C saw some great dirt track EP action tonight as the final warm up event before next weekend’s Queensland EP Offroad Championships took place.  Quality fields in 2wd and 4wd stock, and 2wd modified, along with a handfull of 4wd Mod and trucks also present saw Kyle McBride (2wd and 4wd Stock) and Steve Perry (2wd mod) put in the strongest performances…
Track: The slightly revamped track layout presented for tonight’s racing was first class. An excellent mix of fast and slow corners, challenging jumps and a couple of really rewarding combination corners.  The surface was a little slick tonight, but grip can be expected to come up during the practice and racing that will take place next weekend.  I think it’s unquestionably the best layout Ipswich has presented at least since the 2005 nats – and I personally find it better to drive than the ’05 track.  Congrats to the track team.
2wd Stock:  I only got to watch a couple of races tonight, but it looked like one-way traffic for Kyle McBride.  TC racer Aaron Fryer returned to the dirt and was instantly competitive in a borrowed B4 and I think he finished second in at least one of the (two-part) finals.  We’ll have full results uploaded in the next day or two.
4wd Stock:  Again, Kyle was simply too fast for everybody.  Adrian Beggs was close at times, and with only two offroad races under his belt after switching from touring cars will definitely be one to watch next weekend.  Chris Schoenfisch and our own Heavy D fought out some tight battles, with Chris getting the nod.
4wd Mod:  Three cars ran tonight, and the Bj4’s of Scott Kirchner and  Grant McDonald both looked strong.  Peter Scott’s Yokomo was also quick but perhaps not the finest choice of rubber for the slick track.
Mod Truck: A two-truck battle that raged between Big Mac and Brett Ryan was decided in Brett’s favour when Big Mac switched to the Bj4
2wd Mod: A strong field of about 10 cars ran in 2wd modified tonight – with the Perry brothers unsuprisingly at the head of the field all night long.  On this occasion it was Steve in the B4 that had the pace over Darren’s XXX-CR.  Behind them there were plenty of people who went fast at various times, but nobody put enough consistent runs on the board. Scott Kirchner, Greg Lander, Peter Scott, Mark Fahren-Price and myself all set some fast times.
My Night: I thoroughly enjoyed my return to the dirt after doing mostly touring car racing the last few years.  I ran the Lazer one time with the Novak 6.5 brushless and it was working well…….until I tried to clear the “big” triple combo in one go.  Result: Jump 1, Scott 0.  Aah well. there is always next time.  In 2wd I ran Peter Scott’s spare B4 and found the car to be setup just how I needed it – very safe and forgiving, good traction (for the conditions) and consistently quick in all parts of the track.  It took me most of the night to figure out the various parts of the track, but I came away finishing 3rd in the last Final, and feeling like I know what I need to do next weekend to be competitive.  I won’t say “I’m back in offroad”, but I really enjoyed the night, and the racing, and the jumps.  Now if the whole track was astroturf and we could get rid of the dust…. 😉
We’ll be back with full results in the next day or two, plus a big of an analysis of the Queensland Championships – including some completely random predictions.  If you’re free on the weekend, get out to Ipswich to see some excellent EP offroad racing.  Track is corner of Ernest and Old Toowoomba Road.  See you there!
PS: Big news this week is that Ipswich City Council will be working to relocate the club to a new location after the Queensland Titles. The proposed location is just a couple of minutes away near the Ipswich BMX track – we’ll keep you posted as this story develops.