EDDIE'S SLOT CAR WORLD, VALLEJO, CA
October 26, 2008 --------- [ COMPLETE RACE PHOTO GALLERY ]

The most exciting Cruiser Enduro yet featured a hard fought battle among many of Northern California's top scale racers. As in previous Enduros, only a combination of lightning-fast cars, top-notch driving and more than a little luck were what it took to survive victorious.

Twelve teams from as far away as Fresno and Incline Village, Nevada lined up to take their shot at over $2000 in prizes and slot racing immortality at Eddie's Slot Car World in fabulous Vallejo, California.


After lavish opening ceremonies, the Concours competition revealed a handful of entries by many of NorCal's reigning Concours Masters. First Place was again won by the narrowest of margins, as Jeff Bigelow took top honors with a finely rendered design augmented by special effects including flashing lights and sound.

CONCOURS GOLD WAS WON BY JEFF BIGELOW FOR HIS GREAT ZOMBIE-THEMED ENTRY THAT FEATURED SPECIAL AUDIO AND VISUAL EFFECTS.

Those added touches made the difference over an equally fine chicken-themed entry from Yendor, who, along with teammate Randy Keil, wore matching poultry costumes for added effect. Jim Langdon took the Bronze with a finely painted HHR with a great custom paper interior. Photos of the Concours portion of the race can be found here.


When the green flag dropped it was time for serious business as Jim Langdon and Fred Hood put their lane advantage on blue to good use, taking a one-lap lead over "Slot Car Bros" Gary Hooks and Paul Leuty. The Bros enjoyed a home track advantage, and starting their race on red meant that they probably had nowhere to go but up. "Foster Farms Race Team" Randy Keil and Yendor rounded out the Expert/Pro class with a run of 152 laps, eleven off the pace. In the Advanced/Amateur division, Fresno's Claude Jessen and Danny Black, in their first race ever on Slot Car World's King track, took an early lead over "Team Backmarker", comprised of locals Sam Rock and Durl. Clocking a seven-lap lead, the Central Valley boys displayed a scary combination of driving skill and competitive edge.


In heat two, Langdon/Hood suffered a brief body tuck, and Hooks/Leuty, now on the green lane, ran up 165 laps, moving into first place. Two-time Enduro Champions Don Snider & Fulvio Dapas came in on red and drove a 160-lap heat, again showing that their reputation for fierce competition is well-deserved. Rock/Durl took the Amateur/Advanced heat with a run of 153, six laps better than Jessen/Black, but still not enough to move into first. Further back, "TNT" Tony Venditto and Tom Pope were running heats just under 140 laps to command third.


By heat four the three Expert/Pro leaders began finding their groove and setting the pace for the field. Snider/Dapas were clocking 173 laps, Langdon/Hood 169 and Hooks/Leuty 164 on white. But it was the entry of last years winner Chris Chakires and Rohnert Park's hotfinger Ryan "Vegas" McDaniel providing the real shock. Coming in on red, these guys ripped off 173 laps, no less than 13 higher than anyone else on the same lane. Theirs was a blisteringly fast car, and they were experienced drivers who knew how to make it go.


For the next four heats it did not get better for the rest of the Expert/Pro field. While Langdon/Hood and Snider/Dapas could match them on some runs, it was not until Chakires/Vegas slowed to 169 laps, on black of all places, that anyone could hope to keep up. 170 lap heats were the bare minimum needed to even think of the podium, and Hooks/Leuty could only do that on heat seven. In Advanced/Amateur, Rock/Durl had finished their first set with runs in the low to mid 150's and were sitting out in first place. When Jessen/Black returned in heat seven, they were consistently just one or two laps off the pace, a remarkable feat considering their lack of familiarity with the track. By now, it was becoming apparent that they needed something bad to happen to the leaders to win this race.


By heat ten Snider/Dapas were in the clubhouse with a firm hold on second place. The pace Chakires/Vegas had set was simply too much for anyone to overcome by this point, and the remaining drama was whether Langdon/Hood could slip past Hooks/Leuty for the final spot on the Expert/Pro podium. In heat eleven they came back in on red and matched the 168 laps of Chakires/Vegas. In Amateur/Advanced, Jessen/Black simply had to deal with their lack of experience on this track, and dropped another eleven laps on red to Rock/Durl. With Venditto/Pope in an out-of-reach position, they were a lock on second place going into the final heat.


The final heat had Langdon/Hood getting 160 laps to lead the round, but a series of body tucks and deteriorating gear mesh was just enough to keep them from topping Hooks/Leuty. They made a valiant effort on a track far from home, and came very close.

When the checkered flag came down, Chakires and Vegas had been just too fast for anyone else on the track. And by a wide margin. Snider/Dapas drove a very hard race, as usual, but it just wasn't enough. In Advanced/Amateur, Rock and Durl used their home field advantage to, well, their advantage, but Jessen and Black ran a great race considering their lack of familiarity with both the cars and the track.

Gear mesh was the biggest problem of the day, as many racers found that loose, plastic gears are NOT the way to go in an Enduro. HHR bodies ran 1, 3 and 4 in Expert/Pro, 2 in Advanced/Amateur, so they certainly held their own, again.

FIRST PLACE (EXPERT/PRO): CHRIS CHAKIRES & RYAN "VEGAS" McDANIELS. They were also this year's WORLD'S FASTEST CRUISER with a lap time of 4.718 on blue.

 

FIRST PLACE (ADVANCED/AMATEUR): SAM ROCK & DURL

FINAL STANDINGS

 team division laps
1
 Ryan "Vegas" McDaniels/ Chris Chakires PRO/EXP 1378
2
 Don Snider / Fulvio Dapas PRO/EXP 1334
3
 Gary Hooks / Paul Leuty PRO/EXP 1325
4
 Fred Hood / Jim Langdon PRO/EXP 1320
5
 Sam Rock / Durl ADV/AM 1208
6
 Claude Jessen / Danny Black ADV/AM 1183
7
 Uncle Gary / Calvin Lum PRO/EXP 1180
8
 Ernie Koepf / Tom Thomas PRO/EXP 1153
9
 Tony Venditto / Tom Pope ADV/AM 1135
10
 Yendor / Randy Keil PRO/EXP 1032
11
 Jeff Bigelow / Jeff Bell ADV/AM 992
12
 Samantha Gough / Dennis Gough ADV/AM 941

 

CONCOURS
GOLD: JEFF BIGELOW
SILVER: YENDOR
BRONZE: JIM LANGDON

EPILOGUE

Sadly, this is most likely the last P/T Cruiser Enduro, as JK has decided to discontinue production of both the P/T and HHR bodies. Happily, we will return next October with a different event. It will still be an Enduro of some kind, but with new bodies, new emphasis and more fun.

 

THANKS. AGAIN...

Of course, Eddie and Janet Wong, proprietors of Slot Car World continue to indulge us in this thing, and bless 'em for it. Our sponsors were again very generous this year, helping to keep this race one of the more popular annual events in NorCal. Yendor and Randy Keil, through their enthusiasm and creativity, have become inspirational gurus of this event, setting an example we should all follow (and will next year, if I have anything to say about it). Thanks, dudes.

And finally, the racers, who continue to take part in this silly race year after year...you guys are what its all about.

Don't forget, please support our sponsors:

WHITEY'S SLOT CAR BOXES GT1 RACE PRODUCTS
TRIGGERMAN DESIGNS OUTISIGHT DESIGNS
PRO SLOT PRIME RACING
RAYNODA DREAMWERKS BUENA PARK RACEWAY
LANGDON PAINT & BODY SLICK 7
ALIEN ARTFORM  

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