In addition to the weekly Oval Racing on Saturdays, the following major races will be run at Thunder Road RC Speedway. Weekly Road Course schedule will be dependant on attendance; but may be split off to run on Sundays. Mark your calendars.

The JACO/SMC Snowflake Oval Classic on January 6, 7 and 8, will be the biggest and best race held for many a moon. I expect an announcement regarding major sponsorship of the Road Course race on January 19, 20 and 21, within the next few days. Expect *BIG* things. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

November 20th: Road Course Inaugural Race

December 10th: ARCOR State Race

January 6, 7 & 8: JACO/SMC Snowflake Oval Classic

January 19, 20 & 21: Road Course, details TBA

February 4th: ARCOR Birthday Bash

March 11th: ARCOR Race for the Green

Did the track hold together after your big weekend of racing?

Kenny@RAPTOR

Kenny! How could you even ask? Of course it held together! Every one remarked on how smooth the track is; and how nice it looks. Relax; you did a great job. Laying carpet or designing chassis', you got it together, guy. A great job in both departments. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

We now have some pics of the new oval layout in the "Discussion Forum", on the thunderroadrc.com website. Take a quick look; this is a really nice setup. We'll be working on the road course layout, starting this weekend. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

Kenny, your carpet layout is fast and smooth. Great J-O-B!

Still constructing the walls but, as you can see below, this track is FAST!! & the PITS spaces are numerous and wide...

BTW, Ernie is working towards a touring track layout too! I'm sure there will be even more photo when completed...

Just a reminder Thunder Road will be running the oval Saturday. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

You folks don't know what you are missing! This this is smooth as glass!

Saturday night racing at Thunder Road. As Harold R. said, the new carpet is glass smooth and *FAST*. Come race with us, and check it out. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

Thunder Road will be running Oval this Saturday; and will be introducing our new Road Course on Sunday. Open at 9:00 AM on Saturday, Oval racing starts at 3:00. We'll open at 11:00 on Sunday; Road Course racing starts at 3:00. Check out the website at thunderroadrc.com. See you there. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

Road Course construction is offically completed and is ready for all who wish to try a new and exciting/fast carpet layout. One of the biggest layouts in Virginia! For directions and more track info check out their web page at: http://www.thunderroadrc.com/

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE...

Thats right! Thunder Road now has an awesome road course, to supplement the killer oval. Every one who has run either course, has only compliments. Come take a look; and, either road or oval, run on the best carpet track in Virginia. The ARCOR State Race will be run on December 10th. See you there. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

Ernie,
The first ever Touring Car Race on Thunder Road's new course was awsome to say the least. Had a good timed and was able to keep off those pipes and away from the corner marshalls most of the day. Thanks to Steve Downs, Bryan@SMC, and John (JKP at Mino Racing) for adding to the race excitement. Big Clay deserves a big thanks too for helping out and keeping things running, but you will have to keep working on those right-hand turns! :thumbsup:

We'll be running the oval track at Thunder Road on Saturday. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

How do I go about pre-entering for the Virginia State Race in a couple weeks? Also, will you be running oval Dec 3?

We will be running the oval on December 3rd, to give folks a chance to tune up for the ARCOR State race on the 10th. Directions and maps are available at thunderroadrc.com.

Per-entries can be sent to Thunder_Road_RC@hotmail.com. First Class is $30.00; second Class is $20.00. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

The Thunder Road weekly Oval race on November 26th proved to be a runaway for Steve Downs. Jesse Bean and Steve Nelson (Seven) chased him hard; but Steve had every one covered all night long. He won every heat, and led all the way in the A Main for an apparently easy victory. But it may not have been as easy as it looked...

Steve Downs ran right on the track record in every heat; setting a new record in the second round. Jesse and Seven were both under the old record in that race; but both well back from Steve. A fast race indeed!

Lin Vaughan was still putting his car together when the racing started, and he ran well off his normal pace; but he kept wrenching on the car all night long, and wound up leading the pack home to take the B main.

In the A Main, Steve Downs set off at the outset and was never headed. Jesse and Seven chased hard, both running at a record pace. Downs simply pulled slowly away, and again broke his own, just set, track record!

When last seen, Steve Downs was smiling broadly and muttering under his breath about something he was going to give to some hot shot drivers on the 10th. I wonder what he meant? Jesse and Seven both had that "Just wait 'till next week" look.

Three cars running under the track record; not once, but twice; in the same evening! It looks as though the competition at the ARCOR State Race on December 10th is going to tough indeed. The race should be a barnburner! See you there! Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

Ernie P.,
Looking to come to Thunder Road this Sat., weather permitting, to get my KSG up to speed for the big ARCOR State race on the 10th.

Can you also post a date for the next touring car event and have you received any more SMC 3800s 6-packs from Bryan yet?

Clay, you where going to ask the ole' lady if you could buy my carpet TC3. Did you get an answer and should I bring it with me this weekend??

Here you are, GO4IT. Both Road Course and Oval. I'll have batteries Saturday. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

The schedule for both Oval and Road Course for Thunder Road is set through February. The ARCOR State Race is December 10th; and January will see the best Oval and Road Course races seen in many a moon. Check out the JACO/SMC Snowflake Classic twin races. They are going to be HOT!!!

thunderroadrc.com

December 3: Oval

December 9: Oval practice
December 10: ARCOR State Race (Oval)

December 17: Road Course

January 1: Oval (Sunday)

January 6: Oval Practice
January 7: JACO/SMC Snowflake Oval Classic
January 8: JACO/SMC Snowflake Oval Classic (if necessary)

January 14: Oval

January 15: Road Course (Sunday)

January 20: Road Course Practice
January 21: JACO/SMC Snowflake Road Course Classic
January 22: JACO/SMC Snowflake Road Course Classic

January 28: Oval

February 4: Birthday Bash (Oval)

February 11: Road Course

February 18: Oval

February 25: Oval

February 26: Road Course (Sunday)

Can't wait! i wonder how many 1/12 scales will be there. should be a load of touring cars. :tongue:

Looks like a full schedule for this winter! Thanks Ernie for posting the schedules, now everyone can plan their weekends accordingly. I agree with Jesse and hope to see a lot of touring cars at Thunder Road. I plan on racing my KSG and my TC4/5 as much as possible. I didn’t buy them to gather dust!! (Sorry Clay, you’ll have to get your own TC). <g>

Charlie you can sell the TC3 to someone else. I have decided to stick with only oval. Looking forward to this coming weekend. I wonder how rusty im going to be with not running oval in months.

Okay Rusty... I suppose you will need to practice some but with that pretty new RED Hyperdrive it won't take you long to be bumping your way to the lead...;)

what a fun weekend it was! Can't wait till this weekend for the arcor state race. just so everyone knows. ernie's got radiant heaters on order that have been shipped. so it looks like a couple weeks maybe and we'll say good-ridens to the kero heaters. big props to ernie for gettin that ball rollin.
for the guys that haven't been to thunder road in a while. better get setup on friday and get some laps in cause the pace is set at low 54 laps. we surely will be running 55 laps this weekend and it's not to tall of an order to hit 56. the track is fast right now. the regulars are bringin the heat lately. thunder road's getting to be a really competitive track to race at on a weekly basis. c-ya this weekend.

Lets not forget Ernie likes to race once in a while, too. Keeping TR on an even keel is taking away from my race time, in a big way. So, come on over you guys. Some body should be having fun!! Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

Having heat in the building will be great! Ernie, has done a lot to help Thunder Road continue to get better. I have had a chance to visit some other tracks this fall and Thunder Road without a doubt my favorite. True I may be a bit bias since it is my home track but without taking away from what other tracks are trying to achevie this is the biggest and smoothest flat track I have been to thus far.

Anyone who has not been there for a while is missing out! Had a great time this weekend!

Clay, you will do just fine I am sure. Those new Hyperdrives look awsome. Just might want to get some practice in and get there early. Wait a second what am I saying that lowers my chances get there late with unpainted body. lol...

Harold; the way you have been running lately, I don't think you need any edge. You have been stuck! Offhand, I can think of at least half a dozen racers who could grab this one. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

Tell you what, I plan on coming to this weekends race with a friend. Its about 190 miles one way to get there. I see you have revampted the place and it looks great. I'm coming to support your race and I hope that when the Delware Paved Oval race comes arround again in June I can get a couple of you to come out our way. I can even put a couple of you up to help on the $$ side of it. Thought I'd mention it now since this is a hot thread. See you early Saturday and,,, make sure you have my cup ready and some champagne chilled for me to pour into it.lol

Bill,

You can drink my backwash after I kick your A$$. See ya Saturday.

What did you sell your other pity,,,I mean pan car?

Sounds like there will be a KEG party at bill's in June. i'll go to your race it's not to far for me from arlington,va. bring a setup sheet for your track please. who's comin with you, bill?

are you hangin out with that RIP gang?

track shold be open at around 10 am on friday i'm told. Also, should have some ib3800s in thanks to SMC. get em while they're hot! if anyone is interested in some 3300s with good numbers. i bet ernie would make a good deal on them too.

Team rip will be in the house saturday morning, Have the coffe ready.

Hey Jesse, Matt and Ray have company christmas parties to attend and I haven't as of yet got a call from Jaffo. Another friend of mine is on the fence so I might be going down solow.

Yea but you'll have company.

Bill,

Glad to hear you are planning on coming down to TR for the race! Tell Tyson there will always be another Christmas party next year. lol...

I may be able to make that race in June as well. In fact I'll repay your offer in advance... if you end up coming down here solo and it gets late Saturday night you can crash at our house if you would like.

this should be a good one. sure will be fast. any guys coming coming from NC?

Planning on coming down this weekend and need a starting set-up, any help would be appreciated

Quinn; setup for what class? And don't worry; if Ernie's there, the coffee is already going. And, free as always. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

Good I'll need lots of coffee.

Thanks for the reply Ernie P., but I talked to Kevin Colborn last night and he helped me out with my questions.

Kevin answered your questions? And you LISTENED??? <G> Okay, Kevin's not *too* slow.

Well, its time to put 'em down and start countin' for real! Lets go! Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

Love that wonderful Coffee station. http://www.iath.virginia.edu/%7Erwb3y/phpBB2/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif Life would really be a bear without it!

Snow is on the ground, roads are being cleared, and a line of cars are pulling into Thunder Road...

I'll get the coffee cranked up right away, GO4IT. Time to race! Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

everyone remember to dress warm. we got a snow storm last night that left about 2 inches, however the roads are clear. please be careful though as you make your way to thunder road today and tomorrow. see ya at the track. :wave:

Fun weekend but can't wait till the roadcourse this weekend!

Okay, say you're Steve Downs. You set a new track record two weeks before the big race. You set not one, but two, new lap records in one evening, the week before the big race. So, what do you do for an encore?

Well, if you're Steve "Dominator" Downs, the answer is obvious. You show up on the night of the big race; break your own track record the first time out; and then proceed to break that new record the next time out; and then break it yet again. All the while dusting off a very fast crowd of very fast racers; all of whom want a piece of your bumper. I think it was "bumper" they said, it was pretty noisy.

Mother Nature dropped enough snow, ice and cold on Virginia to produce a disappointing turnout for the ARCOR State Race at Thunder Road RC Speedway on December 10th. All of the out-of-staters came from the hardier climes North of Virginia. To them a couple of inches of snow probably just made the drive to Gordonsville a bit more scenic. But none of those further South than the North Carolina border, made the trip. They were missed; but it certainly didn't hurt the racing action.

Although the Dominator was never headed in a night of furious racing action, he was also never very far in front of a snarling pack of Stock Class Racers; all of whom were pushing and shoving to get a crack at the Grey number 8. In the end, less than three seconds separated the first three cars in the Stock A Main. Bill Auchterlonie and Doug Parisano came ready to race; but were just a tick slower. No bobbles, no mistakes; Steve Downs was simply a tiny hair faster. For most of the night, it was like watching a freight train storm 'round Thunder Road's huge new carpet.

The B Main produced a win from a name that has been missing from the winner's circle lately. But McLin the elder had to do the wrenching, and leave the driving to his son, Steve Vaughan. Steve stuck it to a scrappy bunch of drivers, to garner his first win in a long time. Actually, Vaughan the elder looked pretty good doing the wrenching thing. A trend maybe?

In Spec Nastruck, Jesse Bean turned an otherwise exciting night of racing into a yawner. Jesse dominated all night; and no one else, including your highly esteemed author, ever got a look at the lead. Most of the time it was a replay of things in the Stock Class, a slow steady drawing away of the lead car; except that Jesse was lapping the field often enough it was getting embarrassing. Charlie and I rubbed on each other a few times; but then he would get tired of it, and would simply check out on me.

Few racers have ever worked harder than Steve Downs worked for this one. In the end, it produced a truly masterful performance; one that brought repeated applause from an appreciative crowd of racer onlookers; who knew exactly what it took to produce the dominant performance they witnessed. Good job, Steve.

Thanks to all who attended; and we hope to see you back for the JACO/SMC Snowflake Classis Oval Race in January. That race will be *huge*. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool:

4 Cell Stock A Main
Steve Downs - 54 4:00.65 New Track record 55 4:01.38 - Also TQ'ed :)
Bill Auchterlonie - 54 4:02.56
Doug Parisano - 54 4:03.52
Harold Ruckle - 52 4:01.70
Steve Nelson - 51 - 4:02.36
Jesse Bean - 51 - 4:02.36
Clayton Anderson - 29 - 2:11.73
Matt Tyson 26 - 1:57.17

B Main
Steve Vaughan - 52 - 4:00.02
Peter Coll - 51 - 4:00.74
Higgy - 48 4:03.57
John Pritchett - 46 4:00.11
Quinn Frazier - 21 - 1:42.49
Kevin Colburn - 19 - 1:29.36
Larry Boyd - DNS

Spec Truck
Jesse Bean - 51 - 4:02:49 - Track record and TQ'ed
Charlie - 47 - 4:03.15
Ernie Padgette - 46 - 4:02.28
Kevin Colburn - 15 - 1:32.42

"Mother Nature dropped enough snow, ice and cold on Virginia to produce a disappointing turnout for the ARCOR State Race at Thunder Road RC Speedway on December 10th."

I have to agree that it was disappointing not to see more drivers in attendance for this State Race. I hope the word spreads of how exciting the new Thunder Road track is so other drivers, who will take the time, come to experience this flat track first hand.

Anyway, next up on the winter schedule is Touring Car racing. Looking forward to some 4WD action and right hand turns! Hope to see you on the 17th.

Thats right; we'll be running the road course on December 17th. This will be one of the few chances to run the Road Course before the JACO/SMC Snowflake Road Course Classic on January 20/21/22. Thanks; Ernie P. :cool: