The Maritime RC Racing Offroad Racing Championship was held at the Shady Pines Offroad Track in Waasis, NB on August 15th. The original plan for 2020 was to continue with the 4 race series with 1 race at each track, but with one track closing and dates for the other races passing because of travel restrictions it was decided to hold a single event this year with the hopes of the traveling series next year.

Shady Pines is owned/operated by Mark Baird, and he had a crew of helpers to get the track in pristine condition for this years race. This year the drivers stand was supplemented by a standing area for those who wanted a little more elbow room. New this year was the lap timing area, where a display connected to the main computer showed the racers results as they left the stand, and on the other side of the tv was the race result sheets. This was a very active area at the event. Announcing duties were shared by Mark Baird and Gregg Lawton, with guest appearances by Stephane Doucet, Jeremy Sherriff, and Kyle McKinnon. Gregg and Stephane worked together on mains setup and all results were jointly reviewed for accuracy. This event was kept to a tight schedule because of all the heats of cars that were run. Racers appreciated the well run event!

The day was a warm, sunny, 28 degree day with a very slight breeze. The track was quite dry and hard packed as it had not rained much before the race. The plan was to leave the track dry and sweep/blow off the dust as it formed, but with limited time the track maintenance was cut to a minimum, just smoothing potholes that formed naturally to give the track some character. The track was quite dusty for some mains, as you can see in some of the race videos!

The turnout for this race was the highest of 2020, with 25 racers with 77 entries. Racers traveled from NB, NS, and PEI to take part in the Championship event. With the large number of racers the heats were full, and we had to hustle to keep the event running on time. 2wd buggy was the most popular class with the racers, with 21 entries from the 25 racers who attended. 2wd SCT, 4wd SCT, and 1/8 E-Buggy were next popular with both an A&B main. Stadium, Truggy, and 4wd Buggy had a full heat to make an A-main race. For this race the top 3 finishers in each class would receive an award, and all 3 would bump to the next main. The A-mains were packed with up to 10 racers on the track. We also celebrated by giving out Rookie Awards to the 5 racers who were competing in their first offroad season.

At the end of the race there was a surprise 50/50, where both 50s were given away to happy racers! And don’t forget the HUGE number of door prizes that were donated. Each racer was able to get a prize off the table. Thanks to our title sponsors Great Hobbies, Gens Ace, Futaba, Maritime Madness hot sauces, Acadian Design for making event t-shirts, and Orange Couch Creative for making this years award design. Other local sponsors donated prizes including Taco Boyz, Tim Hortons Fredericton, Speedway 660, Riverview Ford, Blue Canoe Irving, Bayview Trucks, Kent Building Supplies, and Maclean’s Sports. Thanks to Mark Baird and Family for hosting the event, thanks to the Race sponsors for their generosity with door prizes, and thanks to all the racers to participated in the Championship race!!!

2wd Buggy A-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO(1) – VIDEO(2) – VIDEO(3)

1st: Kyle McKinnon, 2nd: Gregg Lawton, 3rd(TQ): Mark McKinnon

2wd buggy was the most registered class at this year’s race. In the A-Main there was a 10 car final with 7 racers qualifying directly and 3 bumping up from the B. At the sound of the tone we had a pretty clean start, with Trevor and Maxim getting tangled and falling to the back of the field. The lead pack of 6 kept together through the first few corners until Gordon, who was the number 2 qualifier, got stuck on the pipe in a slippery section and fell to 9th before his long road to reach the podium. Mark and Kyle broke away for the first few laps until Kyle was able to make the pass to secure 1st. With the clean air he was able to pull away and keep the lead until the final tone. The battle was then for 2nd. Dario was able to take 2nd early with Mark following close behind. Gregg would not be denied and would battle his way up from his 5th place start to challenge Mark for 3rd. As Gregg and Mark were battling Dario touched a pipe late in the race and both Gregg and Mark would get by. As Mark passed Dario there was slight contact, enough to give Gregg some breathing room to secure 2nd, while Mark finished strong in 3rd. Gordon recovered from his 9th place start to finish 4th. It should be noted that William made it to the A main by way of winning both the C and B mains.

2wd Buggy B-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO

1st: William Muirhead, 2nd: Maxim Doucet, 3rd: Shawn Doucet

In 2wd Buggy B-Main the top 3 would make the podium and then bump to the A-Main, so the racers still had a chance to make the A! At the start Maxim was able to run clean and keep ahead of the pack through the first few laps of the race. Back in the pack there were many position changes over the first lap, with Jamie Smitheram getting the worst of it, dropping from 2nd to 10th. Shawn Doucet and William would make the most of the first lap, moving up into the 2nd and 3rd spot. At lap 4 there was another rough lap for the lead pack, and we would find David Nicholson jump into 2nd from 4th, and Kevin Cake moving into 3rd. David would then challenge for the first spot before falling to 4th by race end. William had fallen to 4th, but would recover to move back into 3rd. William would gather himself and make a late race charge to move into 1st, with Maxim finishing 2nd, and Shawn Doucet jumping back into 3rd.

2wd Buggy C-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO

1st: William Muirhead, 2nd: Kevin Cake, 3rd: Brian Price

In the C main 7 racers would battle for the top 3 spots, who would also be rewarded with a bump up into the 2wd buggy B-Main. From the tone, William found some new speed and raced away to lead the race and finish solidly in 1st. Brian Price would make a move from his 5th starting spot to challenge Kevin Cake and take 2nd. Kevin would later retake 2nd, with Brian taking the 3rd spot on the podium! Jesse Bell was on the same lap as Brian and put in the effort to try to catch 3rd, but late in the race an untimely touch of the pipe held him to 4th.

2wd Stadium A-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO(1) – VIDEO(2)

1st(TQ): Kyle McKinnon, 2nd: Stephane Doucet, 3rd: Gordon Mercer

2wd Stadium truck is a new class for the 2020 season, and has gained popularity quickly with the local racers. In the Stadium A-Main Kyle and Stephane put in a dominant performance, with Kyle running clean from the TQ position to finish 1st, and Stephane having a great race to finish 2nd. The battle in this race was for the 3rd spot on the podium. For the first third of the race, Shawn Doucet had a clean start and held the 3rd spot. Then, in the second third of the race, Dario would challenge Shawn and take 3rd for himself. But who would have dreamed that Gordon, who fell to dead last after a horrendous first lap, would gnash and claw his way through the pack of racers, undaunted by the sizable task that lay before him, and would go on to steal 3rd from Dario with his eyes fixed solidly on Stephane in 2nd. Gordon would valiantly chip away at the distance and get to just a corner away from Stephane, but after getting close enough to glimpse the coveted 2nd spot he would have an incident while following Trevor in the double/double section on the penultimate lap which erased much of his progress. He would make a vain attempt but finished in 3rd only 8 seconds behind Stephane who finished in 2nd.

2wd SCT A-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO(1) – VIDEO(2)

1st(TQ): Kyle McKinnon, 2nd: Jeremy Sherriff, 3rd: William Muirhead

2wd SCT remains a popular class in the Maritime racing scene, and the racers brought them to the track with enough racers for an A & B main. This was one of the most interesting finals of the event with the race for 2nd and well worth the watch on video. At the tone, Kyle and Jeremy got a very slight gap to the rest of the field with a couple racers rolling in the first corner. Kyle had the speed in this class, and would continue to pull away from the pack to finish in 1st. Jeremy would fall into the clutches of the pack with William and Derek in hot pursuit. William and Derek would apply pressure lap after lap, until William would make the pass for 2nd. A few more laps went by and William would get loose in the sweeper at the end of the straight which would allow Jeremy by for 2nd, and then another bobble later in the same lap would let Derek by for 3rd. William would not be deterred and would retake the 3rd position from Derek the next lap, and then William would go back to pressuring Jeremy for 2nd. William would eventually take 2nd, but then none of the racers would give up with Derek taking 2nd, Jeremy falling to 4th, Jeremy improving to 3rd, William re-taking taking 3rd and then a horrendous crash on the straight put Jeremy in 2nd, William in 3rd, and Derek off the track. To add even more suspense the crash on the straight seemed to cause William to get mis-counted, but after the race the laps were corrected and he resumed his 3rd place position. When the dust settled it was Kyle finishing in 1st, Jeremy fighting to stay in 2nd, and William settling for 3rd. It should be noted that Shawn Doucet had fallen to last in the race but poured it on late in the race to finish 4th!

2wd SCT B-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO

1st: Trevor Furlotte, 2nd: David Praught, 3rd: Neils De Ronde

In 2wd SCT B-Main the top 3 would prove themselves worthy of another race and would bump to the A-Main. The first lap of the race would change the running order for quite a few racers. Trevor would get away clean, and would continue running quality laps to finish in 1st. Rookie racer Neils would initially take 2nd, but David would battle back from a terrible start to challenge Neils. After a close back and forth battle, exchanging 2nd and 3rd like the best gift at the company Christmas party yankee swap, and with a super close race to the finish line David was called as 2nd and Neils called 3rd! This would be a controversial decision that the race marshals didn’t catch as it looks like Neils(orangish) is ahead of David(yellowish) at the line. The photo finish is here …. you decide!

4wd Buggy A-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO(1) – VIDEO(2)

1st: William Muirhead, 2nd(TQ): Stephane Doucet, 3rd: Trevor Furlotte

In what many consider to be the upset of the event, William won the 4wd buggy final over his mentor Stephane! From the tone Stephane jumped to a huge lead but flipped in an awkward to marshal location in the double double section, giving the lead to William. A few laps later William returned the favor by flipping over the table top and allowing Stephane to retake the lead. Then William would stuff a pipe to give Stephane some breathing room and false hope. Stephane was so confident that he flipped again in the same spot in the doubles handing the lead back to William. William would then hold the lead closely followed by Stephane until there was a big pile up in the doubles section and Stephane came out on top in 1st. A couple laps later the 2 again collided at the step down allowing William to once again retake the lead. While all this action was taking place, Trevor was quietly making up positions recovering from a slow start with some consistent laps. The race ended with William 1st, Stephane 2nd, and Trevor 3rd.

4wd SCT A-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO(1) – VIDEO(2)

1st: Shane Foote, 2nd: Gregg Lawton, 3rd: Stephane Doucet, TQ: Dario Paoletti

4wd SCT is a popular class in the Maritimes. In this race there were enough racers for an A & B main. At the tone the pack did great bit of driving for the first lap and Dario got out to a small gap, but a slight bobble by Dario going around the infield sweeper brought the pack onto his back bumper. In the sweeper before the straight there was contact between Gregg and Dario, and then pinball action with Dario with Stephane. Dario ended up getting the worst of it and fell back to 6th and recovered to take 5th. Gregg went to lead a lap and then Derek took the lead with Gregg following in 2nd. Gregg touched a pipe which gave the 2nd spot to Shane who was fresh off a win in the 4wd SCT B-Main. Derek would have an unforced error on the straight and traction roll, allowing Shane into 1st and Gregg into 2nd. Derek held 3rd spot until an untimely flip in the double double section which allowed Stephane to move into the 3rd spot. Derek did his best to pressure Stephane, but just ran out of steam. As the final buzzer went the order was Shane 1st, Gregg 2nd, and Stephane 3rd.

4wd SCT B-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO

1st: Shane Foote, 2nd: Patrick LaFlamme, 3rd: Neils De Ronde

In the 4wd SCT B-Main 7 racers would battle for the top 3 spots for the podium and earn a bump to the A-Main. At the tone there was a few racers who needed a marshal here/there which resorted the grid. Mark Baird unexpectedly dropped out of the race 1 1/2 laps in with what seemed to be steering issues. Shane Foote would lead from the tone, find his pace, and finished 1st in the main. Patrick LaFlamme would also have a very clean race to finish 2nd. The race was then to see who would be the 3rd spot on the podium. Neils looked to have it sewn up, but a flip in the double section allowed David to take the spot! David would struggle to hold 3rd until a mishap late on the last lap would allow Neils to get by and finish 3rd, while David settled for 4th.

1/8 E-Buggy A-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO(1) – VIDEO(2)

1st: Dario Paoletti, 2nd: Stephane Doucet, 3rd: Shane Foote, TQ: Mark McKinnon

1/8 E-Buggy had a good turnout at the Championship race with an A & B main, and the A-Main was full with 8 racers. From the tone the pack had a good first lap. Mark McKinnon had a slight bobble in the double section which is all Dario needed to take the 1st position that he would not give up in this race! Dario and Mark would have many close laps over the first third of the race. Mark would touch a pipe in the sweeper after the table top and that would bring Stephane right on the rear bumper. Mark would then have an unfortunate flip in the doubles which allowed Stephane into 2nd. Mark was undeterred by this and would re-take the 2nd spot back just a few short laps later. The race would quiet down for quite a few laps with the racers holding their positions, but this was the quiet before the storm. An incident with Stephane and Mark brought Shane into the the fight for 2nd, and with 3 cars battling for position something was bound to happen. With 2 minutes left Shane passed Stephane for 3rd, and was eyeing Mark in 2nd. Mark then had an unfortunate spin-out over the table, allowing both Shane and Stephane by and fell to 4th. As the final buzzer went, Stephane and Shane hucked their cars over the line for the extra lap with Shane giving it extra huckage and leaving the track. When the dust settled Dario was the victor in 1st, Stephane improved to finish 2nd, and Shane remained steady in 3rd.

1/8 E-Buggy B-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO

1st: Maxim Doucet, 2nd: Derek Bain, 3rd: Patrick LaFlamme

7 racers in the 1/8 E-Buggy B main would test their skills to battle for the podium and the coveted bump up sports into the A-Main! Kevin Cake didn’t run the final, so it came to a 50/50 chance to get on the podium with 6 racers battling for the 3 spots. At the tone, new racer Maxim Doucet along with Derek Bain broke away from the field and ran a clean race to finish 1st and 2nd. In this race it was a battle for the 3rd spot with Patrick Laflamme, William Muirhead, and David Praught all battling tooth and nail for the spot. After 6 position changes with each racer taking their turn(or two) at the spot, it finally settled that Patrick wanted the 3rd spot the most. William would not be denied and passed David for the 4th spot late in the race.

1/8 E-Truggy A-Main: RESULTS – VIDEO(1) – VIDEO(2)

1st: Maxim Doucet, 2nd: Stephane Doucet, 3rd: William Muirhead, TQ: Shane Foote

1/8 E-Truggy had the smallest turnout at the Championship race, and with Derek not making the starting lineup there would be 4 racers to challenge for the 3 podium spots. At the tone the field made their way around the first few corners where William piped a corner and flipped his truggy falling from 2nd to 4th. Shane and Stephane pulled away from the other 2 racers early in the race, and Stephane was right on the back wing of Shane looking for a place to pass. Stephane had an unfortunate flip in the doubles which allowed Maxim to get by for 2nd, while Stephane fell to 3rd. Somehow Maxim was able to make his truggy the same width as the track and Stephane could not find a way by! With less than 2 minutes left, Shane had a huge lead and was choosing between paper or plastic because it looked like he had the race in the bag BUT his truck stopped on the straight with mechanical issues! With Shane out of the race Maxim was promoted to 1st, Stephane was promoted to 2nd, and William was promoted to 3rd. In the end all 4 who were in the race were on the podium as Shane had TQ’d the class.