write-up by: Stephane Doucet

February 2^nd, 2019 was the opening race of the new indoor offroad carpet track in Northern New-Brunswick, hosted by Blackfly RC in collaboration with the Coopérative La Barque.

For all racers, it was a different racing surface than what we are all used to, a rubber type carpet. Different tires were tried, from slicks to small pins. After a few laps, everyone concluded on small bar type tires.

14 racers attended the race, some travelling from Rimouski to Lameque. 4 classes were offered, as well as a junior class which was calculated based on their best overall position in the class they raced on.

It was decided to use a different racing format to give a more interesting show for the many spectators that came to see our hobby. 1 hour practice session, 1 qualifier round which was followed by a triple mains, IFMAR style.

Ifmar style: points are awarded for the finish position. 1^st = 1 pts, 2^nd = 2pts, ect. The best 2 finishes are taken, and if there is a tie, the best laps/time will be the tie breaker.

Thanks to La Coopérative La Barque for making this project possible. They are giving us a place to race during winter. Also a big thank to all the sponsors:

East Coast Shrink Wrap, Chaleur Sawmill, JuLeo, Vision Signs, and La Barque.

2wd Stadium Truck: RESULTS

This class is new and growing in the area with 4 racers entered. David Jean won all 3 mains and secured the first place with 2 pts, while Yan Carbonnelle got two 2^nd places and a third, for 4 pts, and Serge Haché 5 pts with a 3^rd and 2^nd place finish. Donald Denis had to settle for 4^th overall.

2wd Buggy: RESULTS

2wd Buggy is one of the most popular race classes in the Maritimes! This class saw the closest racing and was very entertaining to watch. There were good battles between David Jean, Guilaume Bérubé and René Leblanc.

In A1, René Leblanc took the lead early in the race and kept his position until the end, Guillaume who started first made a few mistakes driving aggressively to catch up on René fell a few positions and finished 3^rd. David Jean, who started from the back of the grid after snapping a driveshaft in the qualifier round, battled his way up to 2^nd. Serge Haché and Yan Carbonnelle both held the 3^rdposition for a few laps but weren’t able to keep up with the Quebec trio (René Leblanc, Guillaume Bérubé and David Jean).

A2, Guillaume and René got away from the pack and finished in 1^st and 2^nd respectively. David battled with Serge lap after lap, which kept them from gaining on the two leaders. David was able to make the pass for 3rd but there wasn’t enough to catch the leaders.

Everything was decided in A3. René Leblanc was confident he would win the overall, starting this final race with 3 pts but never expected that David could take it from him! At the tone, David quickly charged and was able take the lead after the 3^rd lap. Really close racing between the Quebec trio, and each racer had a chance to lead the race, but David wanted the spot the most and took the win, followed closely by René and Guillaume.

2wd Short Course: RESULTS

2wd SCT is a popular class and had a good turnout for this event.

A1, Early in this race there was a horrific crash with Serge Haché, Bruno Hachey, and Rejean Comeau. This allowed young Paul-Anthony Fournier to take the lead for 2 laps. Paul-Anthony got a bit nervous with Serge and Bruno putting pressure on him, but still got his best race finish with a 3^rd. Serge and Bruno made the pass and finished 1st, and 2nd.

A2, Again, after the first two laps, Serge made a mistake and fell back to last, allowing Bruno to lead for a few laps. Serge fought hard to climb back up to the top and was able to keep it until the end. Bruno got 2^nd followed by Rejean who finished 3rd.

A3, This time, Bruno crashed early allowing Rejean to battle with Serge for a few laps. Unfortunately for Rejean, he crashed a few times with Paul-Anthony and fell back to last. Paul-Anthony had some mechanical issues was forced to drop out of the race after loosing a shock spring cup in the front, which was quickly repaired track side, and then loosing a rear shock screw. Bruno secured 2^nd and Rejean finished 3^rd.

4wd Short Course: RESULTS

4wd SCT is the most popular racing class in the Maritimes with lots of entries at each event.

A1, Stephane, starting from pole, lead the race from tone to toneto finish 1st. Serge Hache would have a strong race to finish in 2nd place. Rejean, who started 2^nd with his Tekno SCT410 crashed and fell back to 3rd and had to battle with Ti-Guy Haché and Jonathan Comeau Duguay. Jeremy was forced to drop out near the end of the race after his battery died. Bruno Hachey raced very well with his Tekno SCT410.3 but had some trouble with his electronic setup. He had too much throttle punch, causing his short course to be really nervous, and be very difficult to drive around the tight corners.

A2 wasn’t different for Stephane who lead the race from the start to finish 1st. Serge Haché sat comfortably in 2^nd early on and cruised to the finish line. The action was in the battle for 3rd. Jeremy and Rejean exchanged the position a few times, and Jeremy got the best out of it, finishing 3^rd, Rejean 4^th. Ti-Guy Haché had mechanical issues, after his pinion gear got loose, and had to drop out.

A3, Stephane and Rejean were able to build a small gap from the remaining cars after they all crashed in the 3^rd lap. Stephane got stuck in the track barrier allowing Rejean to pass for a chance at the first place spot. Rejean was driving clean until he miscalculated a jump and needed a marshal. Stephane and Serge took advantage and made the pass to 1st and 2nd. Stephane then crashed, falling back to the 4th spot, allowing Serge to lead for 2 laps. Stephane got into charge mode with less than 30 seconds to go and regain the lead on the final lap. Serge held 2nd and Jeremy Hachey got 3^rd, stealing the last step of the podium from Rejean!