Another adrenaline packed race day at the SKW Dirt Farm was held recently, with the racetrack filled with team gazebos, racing cars and people running around. With only the second event on the newly built racetrack, it was clear to see that most of the drivers had now gotten used to the new layout which improved lap times drastically from that of the previous event.
A total of 26 cars participated in four individual classes. Although many of the regular guys could not attend, the event still saw plenty of new participants. Each class had a total of three qualifier races of five minutes, followed by a big main event.
In the 1/8 Nitro Buggy category it was a four-way battle between Guido Koch, Paul Joubert, Mark Stenger and Stan Godfrey. Joubert clinched the first heat, whilst Stenger managed a win in the second race. Koch claimed a first in heat three, but the 25-minute main event was one of great proportions! Koch retired after mechanical damage to his Losi Buggy, giving Joubert the opportunity to claim a win for the day. Stenger came in on a close second with Godfrey landing third for the day.
The continuously growing electric class saw six cars for the day. Cedric Brand took the first heat with his Losi Mini 8ight, whilst newcomer Alex Raugel claimed wins in heats two and three. The 10-minute main race was filled with action and had neck-to-neck battles the entire race. At the end of the day it was Guido Koch with his Traxxas SCT who played victor, with Brand in second and Raugel in third place.
Another constantly growing class is that of the Monster Trucks. The event saw the return of big names like Ekko Eisenberg and Juergen Koch, both in the sport for many years. Plenty of hardcore racing and spectacular jumps had the spectators cheering the whole time. Karl-Heinz Eisenberg played “King of the Monsters” by driving his M&Z Motors Traxxas to a first place in every single race for the day. His fast paced laps ensured that he got to and stayed in front every single race. The 15-minute main race saw a father-son combination with Ekko Eisenberg claiming second place. Newcomer and youngster, Radimar Kartsen proved that he might be young, but is clearly a reckoning force, by claiming a third in the main event. Karsten was also awarded the best newcomer at the previous event.
Then came all the chaos and madness you can accumulate in one class, with a total of nine 1/8 Nitro Truggy competitors. These guys had the spectators stand in awe with very competitive racing and high-flying jumps.
Eugene Esterhuysen grabbed a win in the first heat with his Losi 8ight-T, doing so whilst having a Go-Pro On-board camera fitted to his vehicle. The second and third heats were taken by Karl-Heinz Eisenberg, once again proving his consistency in racing.
The 25-minute main race started off with a massive crash in the main straight, giving Ernest Thatcher the opportunity to grab an early lead in his Losi 8ight-T 3.0 Truggy. Thatcher led the entire race up to the 20-minute refuel pit-stop, where disaster struck. Due to overheating issues, the Losi stalled and could not be revived until the race was over. Karl-Heinz Eisenberg used this to his advantage and drove his Losi 8ight-T to a three out of four win for the day. Cedric Brand snatched the 2nd spot with a new lap record of 46.56s. Wilko Paape managed a third place after only managing 19 of the 25 laps.
Great photos and a race video can be seen on the SKW Off-road RC Facebook page. The video also includes a one-lap run, combining overhead and on-board footage of Esterhuysen in his Losi Truggy. The next event is scheduled for 1 November and promises to be even bigger than the previous two, with many of the missing drivers being available and more new participants having entered. Entry to the Dirt Farm is free.