The 1st ever Northern California Offroad Challenge was held at Nor Cal Hobbies in Union City, California from June 27 through 28th. R/C Evil Empire was on hand to cover the grand event.
Race report and pictures by Darth Vader, James Arluck, and Kristina Johnson
The Race
Top racers from all over California converged at Nor Cal Hobbies for their first ever 2 day off-road event. The event attracted over 140 total entries divided amongst the following classes: Slash, 1/8 Scale Electric, 2wd 17.5, 2wd 13.5, 2wd Mod, 4wd Mod, and Truck Mod. The award for 1st place? Not just your normal run-of-the-mill trophy…..but a Championship Belt! Yes, that’s right….a Wrestling/Boxing type belt! Finally, your childhood Hulk Hogan dreams could be satisfied with a win in any of the 7 highly contested classes.
The gold was on the line!
The Team
Nor Cal Hobbies was recently purchased from previous ownership under a newly formed corporation founded by co-owners Kevin Jelich and Eric Vasutin. Both have drawn from their combined 40+ years of experience in racing and hobby shop management. Add in the experience of Race Director John “Hungry Bear” Hicks and Hobby Shop Manager Gary Olivas and you have a top notch team. It is with this passion the 1st ever NorCal Offroad Championships were assembled.
Kevin Jelich
The Track
Dirt guru Kevin Jelich has spent the better part of a year figuring out the best way to treat the dirt surface at Nor Cal Hobbies. Over time, a correct mix of water and sugaring was determined. This combination lead to a track surface that’s second to none. The completed surface is smooth, ultra consistent, with traction off the hook. New piping, Astro Turf , and candy striping was recently added to the track for a more professional aesthetic.
Tires of choice for the track? The 1/10 cars ran a mix of low lug tires including the J Concepts Bar Code and Team Losi BK Bar.
The double triple section used for both 1/8 and 1/10
The track consists of 2 option lines. One of which is used for the 1/8 Electric vehicles and the other for the 1/10 Electric vehicles. The 1/8 sections provided challenging “air it out” portions.
"Big Air" 1/8 option line
1/8 car landing off the option line
One mistake off the 1/8 line and you found yourself in a world of pain
Short Course Slash trucks tear it up
A shot of the 1/10 straightaway before the mains
Many a race was won and lost at the bottom of the 180
Practice and Attendance
Friday, June 26th begin with a flurry of practice laps. Most of Northern California’s finest were already in town including Team Tekin Team Manager Randy Pike, Team Associated’s Frank Root and Sean Cochran, The Fabulous Barry Baker, and Aaron Biner aka Darth Vader.
Team Tekin - Randy Pike
A large group of racers from he Sacramento Valley arrived including Bobby Gately, Nathan Lavery, and Brian Mincks.
Nathan Lavery....welcome to the gun show
Local bad ass Alex Kunz showed off the Nor Cal attitude….
Race Format and Qualifying
The Nor Cal Challenge was run in a single qualifying time/rocket round format. 3 rounds of qualifying were run on Saturday with 1 final round on Sunday. In the 1/10 classes, the best ten single 5 minute times made the A main. The 1/8 class allowed an initial 10 positions in the A main with 2 bump ups from the B. Qualifying was done in IFMAR/single car format. Outside temperatures were in the 90s! This provided heat on and off the track!
2wd 17.5 was TQ’ed by Matt Burdic with 14 laps in 5:10. He would be followed on the grid by track co-owner Eric Vasutin.
13.5 2wd qualifying was tight as East Bay local James Arluck took the top spot with 15 laps in 5:17. This was nearly 4 seconds faster than Sacramento valley native Nathan Lavery. This was an extremely fast time for 13.5. It was nearly faster than 1/2 of the 2wd Mod field. The short straight-a-way sections of the track provided very few parts where a mod motor is advantageous.
2wd Mod qualifying was extremely fast. Huntington Beach native/Team Associated driver Frank Root took the top spot on the 4th round of qualifying from track owner Kevin Jelich. Frank’s time of 15 laps in 5:09 was a top run for sure. He was followed on the grid with a 15 lapper in 5:10 by Jelich.
2wd Mod A Main lineup
The 4wd Mod class was slightly less contested with Frank Root TQing with an incredible 16 lapper in 5: 17. 2nd qualifier/Team Kyosho driver Tyler Vik ended up second with a 15 lapper in 5:02 followed by Kevin Jelich in 3rd with a 5:03.
Team Kyosho's Tyler Vik
Truck Modified was a similar story with AE’s Frank Root running the top time of 15 laps in 5: 5:19. Root was followed by Aaron “Darth Vader” Biner with 15 laps in 5:21. These two were the only ones to go 15 laps in the Truck Modified class.
Truck Mod A Main
The Slash class would be TQed by South Bay local Tony Vega. His time of 13 laps in 5:21 was enough to nudge out Hobbytown San Jose owner Brian Farrario.
Tony Vega's Slash....rollin like a big shot
The 1/8 Electric class provided some of the most exciting moments of the weekend. Team Losi driver Phillip Atondo TQ’d this class with 14 laps in 5:06. He would be followed on the grid by Kevin Jelich and Tyler Vik. Two bump ups from the B consisted of Team Associated’s Jason Moberly and Sean Cochran. These two took advantage of the bump rule with a nice B main run.
Jason Moberly (yellow car) battling with Bobby Gately for the bump spot in the B Main
The Mains and Awards Presentation
Tensions were high amongst all participants heading into the mains. Everyone had their eyes on the prize…..the championship belt…..serious bragging rights. A triple “A” Main format was used in all classes.
17.5 2wd A Mains
The first 2 A Mains were won by Matt Burdick. Matt did a great job piloting his Team Associated B4 to victory. A1 and A2 saw a fairly close battle that left Eric Vasutin in 2nd place. Both of these mains were decided by 2 and 4 seconds respectively. Sacramento’s Kevin Gorchinski would win a tight A3 battle with Vasutin to work his way up on the podium for a 3rd overall.
Matt Burdick....crusin'
Matt Burdick....your 17.5 Champion!
17.5 Top 3: Gorchinski (3rd) Burdick (1st and TQ) Vasutin (2nd)
17.5 Tech sheet:
Name/Chassis/Motor/Battery/ESC/Radio
1st Matt Burdick Associated Orion Orion LRP Airtronics
2nd Eric Vasutin Kyosho Trinity Thunder Power Orion KO Propo
3rd Kevin Gorchinski Associated Murffdog SMC LRP Airtronics
13.5 2wd A Mains
13.5 would prove to be one of the most exciting stories of the weekend. In A-1 TQ James Arluck met a deadly fate in turn 2. A slight bobble lead to a very long first lap. Capitalizing would be Greg Dennett and Nathan Lavery. These two went on to duke it out with Dennett eventually winning by 6 seconds. A-2 would go much better for Arluck. He was able to win with Dennett in 2nd and the Austin Blair in 3rd. Everything was set up for an exciting A-3. The race was a back and forth battle between James Arluck and Greg Dennett. With just 1 minute to go, less than 1/2 sec separated Dennett and Arluck. They would swap the lead 2 times with Dennett eventually holding on for the A-3 win and overall tittle. James Arluck and Austin Blair would round out 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Greg Dennett - 2wd 13.5 Champ
13.5 Top 3: Austin Blair (left-3rd) Greg Dennett (Middle-1st) James Arluck (Right-TQ and 2nd)
James Arluck leads at the beginning of A-2
Air Austin Blair!
Greg Dennett leading in A-1
Classic A-3 battle between Dennett and Arluck
2wd 13.5 tech Sheet
Name/Chassis/Motor/Battery/ESC/Radio
1st Greg Dennett Kyosho Orion Orion LRP KO Propo
2nd James Arluck Associated Express Tekin LRP KO Propo
3rd Austin Blair Kyosho ——-N/A—–
2wd Mod A Mains:
2wd TQ Frank Root and 2nd qualifier Kevin Jelich ran into trouble early in A-1. This would allow racers further back on the grid to make a run. A closely contested battle between Kyosho’s Tyler Vik, Greg Dennett and AE’s Frank Root would go down to the last lap. The A-1 finish saw Vik pilot his Kyosho RB5 to victory. Dennett and Root would finish 2nd and 3rd respectively. A-2 saw one of the wildest 1st turn crashes of the weekend. A massive pileup would allow Aaron “Darth Vader” Biner to come out of the melee with a huge 5-6 second lead. Aaron’s lead would prove insurmountable as he held off a late charging Frank Root for the A-2 victory. Going into A-3, it was anyone’s game. The race with start with Frank Root jumping out to the lead followed by Biner and Vik. Eventually, the top 3 would settle in with Root taking the A-3 win and overall title. A 2nd by Vik and 3rd by Biner would seal their fates at 2nd and 3rd place overall respectively.
Frank Root - 2wd Mod TQ and Champion
2wd Mod Top 3 - Biner (left - 3rd) Root (Middle - TQ and 1st) Vik (Right - 2nd)
Arluck and Biner get away in A-2
Vik, Root, and Dennett battle in A-1
2wd mod tech sheet
Name/Chassis/Motor/Battery/ESC/Rad
1st Frank Root Associated LRP Reedy LRP Airtronics
2nd Tyler Vik Kyosho LRP Checkpoint LRP Airtronics
3rd Aaron Biner Associated LRP SMC LRP Airtronics
4wd Mod A Mains
Going into the mains, everyone knew Frank Root would be the man to beat. With the only 16 lapper turned, his TQ time was head and shoulders above the rest. A-1 would start with one of the craziest melees in r/c history. Many words I cannot repeat were exchanged on the drivers stand between nearly everyone. The A-1 final would result in a back and forth battle between Tyler Vik and Kevin Jelich. Jelich would eventually win A-1 with Vik and Aaron Biner in 2nd and 3rd. A-2 would see a nice battle between Tyler Vik and Frank Root. Off Road Rookie Eric “Mini Mod” Albano would sneak in the battle as well. The finish of Vik (1st), Root (2nd) and Albano (3rd) would set up a battle for the belt heading into A-3. The 3rd A Main began strange with 2nd qualifier Tyler Vik stalling on the line. The vehicle eventually got going. This lead to a pileup and chaos. Several racers swapped the lead including Eric Albano. Eventually, Tyler Vik would work his way up to the front of the pack after a lengthy delay. Vik eventually won A-3 with Frank Root in 2nd and Kevin Jelich in 3rd. This allowed Tyler Vik to become the overall champ!
Team Kyosho - Tyler Vik - 4wd Champion
4wd mod Top 3: Root (left - 2nd and TQ) Vik - (Middle - 1st) Jelich (Right - 3rd)
A-2 action
A-3 was full of mishaps like this
Frank Root and Tyler Vik battle it out in A-3
4wd Tech Sheet
Name/Chassis/Motor/Battery/ESC/Radio
1st Tyler Vik Kyosho LRP Checkpoint LRP Airtronics
2nd Frank Root Associated LRP Reedy LRP Airtronics
3rd Kevin Jelich Kyosho Tekin Tekin Tekin Spektrum
Truck Mod A Mains
Truck A-1 was won by TQ Frank Root in a decisive fashion. A nice battle between Aaron Biner and Bobby Gately was the only point of contention. Gately would come in 2nd with Biner in 3rd. A-2 began with a crash from Frank Root. This allowed Biner to take the lead. After leading for a few laps, Root would eventually take the lead and win. This captured the overall title for Frank. Aaron Biner would eventually win the A-3 final going away and capture the runner up finish. Bobby Gatley A-2 2nd place finish allowed for an overall 3rd.
Truck Mod Top 3: Biner (Left-2nd) Root (Middle - TQ and 1st) Gately (Right - 3rd)
Frank Root's winning Team Associated T4
Truck Mod Tech Sheet:
Name/Chassis/Motor/Battery/ESC/Radio
1st Frank Root Associated LRP Reedy LRP Airtronics
2nd Aaron Biner Associated LRP SMC LRP Airtronics
3rd Bobby Gately Associated Hacker Thunder Power N/A Spektrum
1/8 Electric A Mains
A-1 would start with TQ Phillip Atondo taking the lead. Eventually, a breakdown on lap 4 would leave Atondo on the drivers stand wondering what could have been. Next, Tyler Vik took the lead, only break down as well. Another melee would occur that lead to several lead changes between Scott Ferreira and Johnathan Hernandez. Eventually Hernandez would regain his composure for the A-1 victory. The 2nd A Main was taken by Team Kyosho’s Tyler Vik. He was followed by Team Losi’s Phillip Atondo and Johnathan Hernandez. A-3 was a open and shut win for Tyler Vik. Johnathan Hernandez and Scott Ferreria would follow in 2nd and 3rd . The final order: Tyler Vik, Jonathan Hernandez and Scottt Ferreria.
Tyler Vik is your 1/8 Electric Champ
1/8 Electric Top 3: Ferreria (Left - 3rd) Vik (Middle - 1st) Hernandez (right- 2nd)
1/8 Tech Sheet
Name/Chassis/Motor/Battery/ESC/Radio
1st Tyler Vik Kyosho Mamba Mamba SMC Airtronics
2nd Johnathan Hernandez Caster Racing Mamba Mamba Tenergy Futaba
3rd Scott Ferreria Kyosho Mamba Mamba Tenergy Futaba
Slash A Mains:
The slash A mains began with Tony Vega winning A-1 followed by Brian Ferrario, and Jim Ryan. A-2 would see a tight battle that ended with just a 2 sec. gap between Jim Ryan (1st), Rocky 3 (2nd) , and Brian Ferrario. TQ Tony Vega would get 4th in A-2. A-3 saw TQ Tony Vega run away with the win followed by Rocky 3 and Jim Ryan. This sealed the win for Vega with Jim Ryan and Rocky 3 in 2nd and 3rd respectively.
Slash Top 3: Rocky 3 (left - 3rd) Vega (Middle- TQ and 1st) Ryan (Right - 3rd)
Slash A Main Lineup
Tony Vega - Slash Champ
Final Analysis:
The 1st ever Northern California Challenge is in the books. What an event! Congrats to all the belt winners. I would like to especially congratulate Frank Root and Tyler Vik on winning 2 belts each. They truly threw down the gauntlet over the weekend. A special shout out to the trophy girl Ty……as she was turning heads the entire weekend. The event was run in a very orderly manner. This lead to fun for all. It was the biggest and best off-road race in the bay Area in over 15 years! Speaking for all the participants I would like to say thank you to the Nor Cal Hobbies Crew!
Randomness from the pits!
All the champs!
Hungry Bear was still on the loose...
Gary O reps the R/C Evil Empire Black/Red Tees...
Charles Heizer was in the house!
The Jeff Wittman / Dominic Favorito Duo pitted right in front of the fan all weekend
John Scott made a rare electric apperance
Greg Dennett covers the corners
Ethan Erchinger smiles for the Evil Emperor
J Starks...not Stark was in the house. Don't say I didn't warn ya
Blake Cannon is David Copperfield. Here is is...there he's not. Coming to a milk carton soon
More pictures of this great event can be found at:
Final Top 10 in all classes:
2wd 13.51) Greg Dennett
2) James Arluck
3) Austin Blair
4) Nathan Lavery
5) Rocky 3
6) Jeremy hardesty
7) Brian Mincks
8 ) Matt Burdic
9) Rocky 4
10) Alex Kunz
11) Daniel Brown
2wd 17.5
1) Matt Burdic
2) Eric Vasutin
3) Kevin Gorchinski
4) Ronnie Rones
5) Ben Aromin
6) Niles Follin
7) Brian Crum
8 ) Randy Peralta
9) Dominic Navasca
Slash
1) Tony Vega
2) Jim Ryan
3) Rocky 3
4) Brian Ferrario
5) Eddy Bump
6) Niles Follin
7) Terry O
8 ) Mike Johnson
9) Tiger
10) Mike Valentine
11) Jim Bishop
12) Lawrence Lindsey
2wd truck mod
1) Frank Root
2) Aaron Biner
3) Bobby Gately
4) Jesse Stark
5) Ron Diao
6) Gary Olivas
7) Kevin Gorchinski
8 ) Jeremy Hardesty
9) Brian Crum
10) Blake Cannon
2wd Mod
1) Frank Root
2) Tyler Vik
3) Aaron Biner
4) Greg Dennett
5) James Arluck
6) Bobby Gately
7) Kevin Jelich
8 ) Jason Moberly
9) Nathan Lavery
10) Codey Hughey
4wd Mod
1) Tyler Vik
2) Frank Root
3) Kevin Jelich
4) Aaron Biner
5) Eric Albano
6) Jeff Whitman
7) Jesse Stark
8 ) Ethan Erchinger
9) John Hicks
10) Bobby Gately
1/8th Buggy (Race 2 had scoring issues so might not be entirely accurate)
1) Tyler Vik
2) Johnathan Hernandez
3) SKOTY
4) Phillip Atondo
5) Josh Alton
6) Jake Alton
7) Codey Hughey
8 ) Kevin Jelich
9) Randy Pike
10) Aaron Weale
11) Sean Cochran
12) Jason Moberly
