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Dustin ran his Orion powered TLR 22 on Sunday. His tires of choice for the high-traction, moist clay surface at Unser were a Gold compound Bar Code front and rear. A few hours of practice and tuning netted him his best lap of the afternoon- a blazing fast 19.084.

Dustin will be headed back to Europe in early 2013 for round 2 of the EOS in Langenfeld, Germany. We wish him luck against the very fast Europeans on their home (astro) turf!

The Unser Underground is Denver’s newest and largest indoor off-road R/C race track. Well appointed pit facilities and 6600 sq ft of pure clay await the serious R/C car racer. Weekly Club Racing is held on Tuesday and Friday Nights at 6pm.

Corporate Events now being offered. Call 720-282-5000 for details.

ROUND 2

Round two of the fall race series Kicked off Last week and with a few weeks off from the recap were back in action giving you highlights on all the racing that took place.

Entering into the first turn all drivers made it through clean. Randy G. would be able to make his way into fifth place coming around for the second lap but have some tough drivers to pass if he was looking to get the race win. Bj C. would also on his way to the front early passing both Chase T. and Tom D. Curtis O. a new driver to leagues would make a slight mistake entering the split and opt to the outside. Randy was smooth around the corner making an easy pass up the inside. Still early in the race we would jump back up to our leaders who were Mike J. and Mike M. already with a 2 second lead on the rest of the field. Bumper to bumper they came around with Mike J. unfazed by Mike M. presence. At the halfway mark Bj and Curtis O. were battling it out allowing Tom to close the gap and put the pressure on both of them looking for any little mistake to get around. As the laps would slowly be winding down Mike M. would start look for lines that would give him a passing opportunity on mike J. Mike M’s lines would come together being the only driver to turn a nineteen sec. lap time however this would not be enough to make the pass and they would finish in second. Meanwhile the battle between Curtis, Bj, and Tom would be heating up, as Bj would look to make a pass on the inside of the last corner. Entering the first one-eighty side-by-side Curtis had the inside. Bj held on the gas and was able to keep the inside showing Curtis a wheel entering the split. Curtis took the outside making an easy pass for Bj also allowing Tom to squeak by. Curtis would find the outside the next couple laps and allow Chase T and Philip to catch up. Chase would slide by on the inside at the finish with one lap to go and Curtis would again take the outside entering the split and Philip would make a last min pass for an extra pass. The top three would end as followed Mike J, Mike M, and Randy G coming all the way to third from a tenth place position on the start.

Entering into the second start it would be very clean. A few laps would go by until the action would start. Randy would make his way around Mike M. through the split and Bj would follow right behind. Mike would tuck right back in and follow for a couple laps before making the pass back carrying more speed around the last corner. Mike J and Randy would be not far ahead and randy would make a move to the inside at the split and tangle up with the top three. Bj would be the beneficiary of the crash and inherit the easy lead. Mike J would fall back into fifth place and try to gain back a few positions. Getting a good drive around the last turn he would be able to pull along side to Chase but not be able to make the pass. Mike would make his way past. Mike M would be in the number two position again and start setting up his pass with ten laps to go. Eight laps remaining he made the pass and makes it stick. A tuff first main event would make Philip start at the back but with only five laps remaining he would have made his way up into third and was clearly the fastest driver on the track. With Bj and Mike M the two drivers in front who are not new to running at the front of the pack would drive a wide line and hold Philip to strong drive into third. Mike M would take the win followed by Bj C.

That would wrap up round two of the fall race series and with some great battles tune into next weeks recap to relive all the battles right at home or make your way to Unser Wednesday night to be a part of all the great racing.

ROUND 6

Round six of the Rockstar winter league came up fast and many drivers were in the hunt for the top five positions in points. The ‘drop one round’ rule would mix things up slightly in the end, because many drivers showed up to all the rounds! The few who didn’t saw their dropped round accounted for heading into round six.

A main saw Ted M. starting on pole and leading the field into a clean start. Jereme W was at a slight disadvantage starting mid-pack and looking to chase down some of our fastest league drivers, a daunting task. However, he found himself in fifth five laps into it. Bj had Randy all over him and was forced to tighten up his lines the slightest bit blocking any look at the inside of corners. Coming up to the halfway mark, Ron W. started to fall back the slightest bit and was in a battle with James C. After driving side by side for almost a whole lap James would be able to get the drive coming around the finish line and hold him off entering the first one eighty. The battle between the two would allow Michael M. a new driver to leagues to catch up and get in the mix. Meanwhile, Bj and randy were still battling and allowed Jereme to catch up. They were bumper-to-bumper coming down to the second to last lap and would be approaching lapped traffic. These lapped drivers were in a battle of their own which would make it tuff for the leaders to find a fast way around. In the midst of all this action, a lot would happen. Jereme and Randy were both shut down for bumping, which allowed Ryan to slide by into third. Michael M, who started in last, would be able to find his way around Randy for fifth.

There were a few drivers warned for aggression on the track entering the second race. With valuable overall points on the line, it was key to have an extra set of eyes on the race. Therefore, we did not get great detail on the final A main to report here. The race started off with Michael M getting spun entering the first turn. Jereme would be looking to find his way around Ryan S and Bj early. He was able to make his way around Ryan but wasn’t able to shake him. Coming across the line at the end, Ted crossed out front with Jereme in second, and Bj in third.

The last round was full of battles and passes making it one of the more interesting rounds we have had to date. When the points were tallied and the round was dropped, the results reveiled Michael M in first with 481, followed by Bj in second with 470, and Randy in third with 465. Randy was only 2 points behind entering the last round and Bj was able to keep his calm under the pressure by making no mistakes. Rockstar would throw in some great prizes for the top three in points and everyone was stoked on the series!

Make sure to come in and get prepared for the next series which will kick off soon. Check our website, emails, Facebook, and Twitter for announcements. We are also excited to launch our all new Youth leagues! These will come complete with fundamentals courses happening before heats to help drivers better their times and to understand what works and what doesn’t on the track during competition.

Johnny Unser

ROUND 1

Round one of the Rockstar Spring League 2 series featured a new 7:00pm start time allowing anyone getting stuck in the office or traffic a little extra time to make it in. The six round series awards prizes to the top three drivers in an overall points standings at round six. If you’re a new or experienced driver leagues are the ultimate race experience.

A main number one kicked off racing with a clean start. Bj C. started making moves early and quickly got around Michael M. into third but see Michael pass him back a lap later. Travis T. and Ron W. started their battle early as well and went back and forth for most of the race. Unfortunately for them, the battle would slow them down and as they would fade back in the pack. Chase T. who started on the pole had Ryan S. breathing down his neck 5 laps into it. As the race went on and drivers would get into lap traffic allowing Chase to gap Ryan the slightest bit spreading out third and fourth. Ryan turned the fastest lap a 19.957 allowing him to close the gap and get around Chase for first at the start finish line. Chase pushed his limit going into the one-eighty looking to pass him back but Ryan was able to hold him off. Michael M. was turning fast consistent laps in third, as he was hunting down Chase. They were catching up to another group of lappers it would look as if they would play a big factor in slowing one of them down. Both drivers were able to maneuver around cleanly. With only 5 laps remaining Michael caught Chase and applied the pressure for the next three laps until getting around him with two laps remaining. The top three finished as follows, Ryan in First, Michael in second, and Chase in third.

The second A main looked to be a good one leading into it. Ryan on the pole led the field into a clean start. Again Ron and Travis would start off the race battling. Travis found his grove and better lines late in the first main and would be able to sneak away after a few laps. The top five spread out relatively quickly giving them all some breathing room. Philip S. was slowly catching up to Bj and took the breathing room away. Staying calm under the pressure Bj caught up to Randy in fourth at the midway mark. Ryan would again be out front and turn the fastest lap time and have no pressure. A battle would ensue back in fifth place with Bj, Philip, and Randy. Philip all over Bj would get a drive at the finish and pull along side of Bj. Not able to make the pass would go side by side into the one-eighty. Randy back in sixth seeing this all go down right in front of him stuck right be right behind Bj as he would force Philip to the outside allowing Randy around him. Chase having plenty of breathing room on fourth got caught up in lapped traffic making a mistake and got stuck on a barrier dropping him back to seventh with three laps remaining. Philip would be all over Randy looking to pass him back but unable to with no mistakes by Randy.

With the consistent battles that arose left many drives talking about the fun and excitement of what took place on the track. Round one was great fun and what looks to be a great start to the spring league 2 series. Tune in next week for what I am sure will be even more action, or better yet come race leagues and be a part of all the fun!

ROUND 2

Round two of the Rockstar Spring league 2 series would see a few new drivers that came looking to get into contention. With the drop one round rule for our series any driver would still be able to drop that first round and with some consistent driving be very capable of still be taking home the points series.

The first A main kicked off quickly when Jared W. passed Ron W. on the inside of the first corner. This wouldn’t last long as Jared would start to fade back into the pack as the laps ticked away. A pack of three drivers would be catching him fast looking to make there way to the front. These drivers included Michael M., Jereme W., and Randy G. Jereme turned up the pressure, as he would make a pass on Randy only to see him make an attempt on passing back in the second one-eighty. By this time Michael would start to inch away giving him a little breathing room. This would bring us to the halfway mark with James C still in the lead with Chase right behind him. As they came into the split a lapped driver would stay on the inside holding James up and allow Chase to make the pass. This would give James to see the other side of things. He would now be the one applying the pressure to Chase. With the two battling up front this would slow them the slightest bit and allow third through fifth to catch up making it a five-way battle coming to the end. James would make one last chance to going on the inside but chase would close the door and go on for the win.

The second main event was crazy and one for the books. The passing would be going on everywhere for the first few laps as drivers were taking advantage of every little mistake. Chase fell back to seventh by the fifth lap as well as James back into sixth. Bj on the other hand would be moving forward into second with Jeremy right behind him in third. Jeremy moved passed Bj and set his sights on the leader. Michael also started putting down his fast laps and passed Bj. Ryan S. put the pressure on Bj towards the end of the race but didn’t find a line to get around. The top three would come from the back of the field and be Jeremy in first, Michael in second, and Bj in third.

With the second main event being a great one and so crazy it would make capturing all the passing a tough one. For those of you who haven’t checked out leagues do so and be a part of all the action, fun and, prizes next Wednesday at 6:30pm.

ROUND 3

Round three of the Spring League 2 series had the biggest turn out of the series yet. This would set up racing for A and B mains. The top 8 would go to the A main and the rest to the B main. Word was floating around that one of those drivers had put down 19-second laps earlier in the week and everyone would be curious how he would do in a race.

The first B main started off clean and the people in the back of the field were first to try and make a move. David T. had a good drive on Tim S. coming across the finish line. However it would not be enough as Tim held him off. Tim started getting in the groove and dropping his lap times. James C. and Travis T. who started one two started to pull away with ten laps remaining. Tim was stuck behind Ron W. for a few laps as Ron would be driving quick laps. He would be able to make the pass by diving on the inside going into the second one-eighty. After the pass and a clean track ahead of Tim he was able to set his sights on the front two. He was able to put A 20.3 down and was the fastest lap of the race. This allowed him to catch Travis and James up front. James would feel the pressure after Tim tried to drive to the inside entering the second one-eighty. Travis wouldn’t be affected as Tim would try it couple more times but be unsuccessful, as the race would come to an end.

Entering the second main event they would start close opening a whole set of battles. James again led them into a clean start and David would make quick work of Ron at the first one-eighty. Things would stay calm for 6 laps with the leaders bumper to bumper as they pulled away the slightest bit. Tim would try diving to the inside in the one-eighty as he did in the first race and be shut down once again. Things would remain the same with James still leading followed by a close Travis and Tim with six remaining. The close racing up front slowed them just enough for David to catch up. As the race came near the end things would start to heat up. Travis snuck to the inside of James, as he was moving over resulting in James spinning out. Travis would receive the black flag, which allowed Tim around into first. This black flag also allowed David to catch Travis and put the pressure on. However it would not be enough and Finish with Tim in first followed by Travis and David.

Jumping to the A main New driver Theodore was the one everyone was talking about. The random grid set up the battle perfectly with Theodore on the pole followed by Jereme W. and Michael M. The start was clean as Randy made a pass on Chase in the first straight. The top three jumped out to a quick lead as Jereme tried to make Theodore nervous. Not affected, he would drive the fast line and be able to hold the lead. Randy and Ryan S. would catch up to Nathaniel in sixth leaving two three-way battles on the track. Not to far in front of them would be Bj C. and Chase T. in another battle this would be something to keep an eye on. Meanwhile Theodore and Jereme started to pull Michael and be alone in the battle. With no pressure, Jereme would be able to try new lines in second trying to make a move into first. It looked as if Jereme was going to try and dive to the inside towards the end of the race so that there would be no time to get passed back. With seven laps to go chase made his way to the inside of Bj entering the split with to much speed to hold the inside. Chase pushed Bj into the split causing barriers to come loose and a stoppage to the race would have to occur. The Track would get repaired and every driver was lined back up at the finish for the restart in the order they were at the stopping point. The restart was clean and Jereme would make another pass attempt at the finish line to be denied one more time. This allowed Theodore to get a slight gap and not have pressure at the end of the race. Top three would end with Theodore in first, Jereme in second, and Michael in third.

After a great first race, the drivers lined back up and give it another go. This time Jereme would be looking for redemption. Jereme would try to make a move two laps in crossing the finish line. To do so he went outside entering the last turn and someone would get under him spinning him out early. This gave Theodore a quick gap and let him turn fast laps. Randy and Ryan found themselves battling again. Ryan put a move on randy going into the second one-eighty but drifted wide across the finish line only for randy to pass him back. This led the into the first one-eighty with more speed then usual as each driver was trying to out drive the other. Randy had the line and Ryan dove to the inside but trying to avoid hitting randy and a black flag he slid sideways and stuck him self into the barriers. At the halfway point Jereme would be all over Bj and make a clean pass moving him back into third and still looking at catching second. They would slightly spread out as the race progressed but not fourth and fifth. Randy caught Bj in fourth with only four laps remaining. Randy would show Bj a wheel going into the second one-eighty and make the pass stick across the finish line. In the midst of the battle Chase caught them as well. Chase would also be able to slide by Bj at the finish line leaving one lap left. Bj would get fired up and shoot right back by entering the first one eighty and hold him off to cross the checkered in fifth.

The A main would be the one to talk about tonight as we would see the new comer Theodore take home a one-one against a proven to be fast Jereme Wall. Along with the restart of the first A main there was a lot happening as well as in the B main. This will end the first half of the series and lead into a Week off. So get your practice in Wednesday with two four min. heats for only fifteen dollars. Then come prove your skill Wednesday May 30th for the second half of the Rockstar spring league 2 series.

Pit changes, strategy, endurance… this event has it all! Gold, Silver, and Bronze medals for each driver on the team, Unser T-shirt, 1 Drink ticket per driver good for alcohol/Pepsi product. ROCKSTAR giveaways. Teams or individuals are welcome to register. We will divide teams based on abilities.

Here is where it gets sticky, you can’t penalize someone for something that you think they did without conclusive evidence that they really did it. We looked at it over and over and they were extremely close but you just couldn’t tell for certain with the camera angles we had. Yes, Dario should have given him more room and possibly Josef shouldn’t have tried that move on lap one but you know, it’s racing and I can’t really blame Josef for trying. Would we have penalized Dario if we had hard evidence of certain contact?….probably, but that’s ultimately Beaux’s call as he is the race director.

There were a few other calls and most were very clear to us in race control, Hunter-Reay took out Sato, Helio got into the back of Barrichello in T11 on the last lap causing a track blockage, that was a mess! But the big one was the contact between Andretti and Rahal. Marco was attempting a pass on Graham coming into T8 and Graham moved over after Marco had started his move, the two made contact and it sent Marco flying into the turn 8 tire wall. Both cars were out of the race so no immediate penalty was accessed.

Monday night after the race Beaux asked Arie Luyendyk and myself to review the footage and give our opinions, it was clear that Graham made his move after Marco made his, in the context of the rule this is blocking and avoidable contact so Beaux placed Graham on a 6 race probation period. Seems as now the gloves are off and the drivers are warmed up, let the games begin! I won’t be going to Brazil for the IndyCar race on April 28th as I have to be at the IMSA race in Salt Lake City for Cooper Tire but I will be in Indy for most of May and will keep you updated!

Johnny Unser