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Post 28 Feb 2017, 2:23 pm

Prezcon summary from Chris Brandt

Prezcon 2017

Championship Formula Racing (nee Speed Circuit)

This year’s CFR tournament featured the usual crowd of drivers, including myself, defending Champ Brian DeWitt, legendary Doug Gallulo, relatively-new-to-us Don Tatum, Locals Dave Ingraham and Danny Mallison, and veteran driver Mike Greason. Missing was John Welage. We also had some new drivers in Dave Wolf, John Steffey, and Mike Lind.

I try to bring something new each year and this year I brought some new track ideas. I have long used what I call the “model railroad” modular model, where the end of each piece is the same, although the pieces themselves vary. This year I was able to purchase some nice Masonite hexes, 11” across, already painted for miniatures gaming, and I added some straight pieces I cut on my trusty table saw. These pieces added some new variety because I also built an adapter between the RR pieces and these new hexes.

I also picked up two new cars, a late 60’s Camaro and what appeared to be an AMC GTX. They were in really bad shape when I got them (at a hefty price for what they were) and while I’m not a painter, they looked decent on the track after I fixed them up some. I’m always on the lookout for 1/87 scale cars, as they are not easy to find at a decent price. (See below)

Race 1

The first race was on a fairly simple track that used a mix of RR and hex-based pieces. It featured some long straights and 200 MPH top speeds ruled the day. Danny Mallison jumped out like a rabbit and the field took off in pursuit. Danny’s yellow DELL Porsche extended his lead and when Doug started pressing him he picked up the dice and started rolling… and rolling… and rolling, but never failed.

The track had one flaw. We had a 40/60 curve, 2 lanes but longer longer than the speed limit. This turned out to be a choke point, which gave Danny the opportunity for the lead. That piece of track has since been retired after Don spun in HEAVY traffic. New driver Dave Wolf finished fourth, behind me in third.

Dave Ingraham picked up 5th followed by Don, John, and Mike Lind. Mike had a piece of wisdom to share after his first race, “Maybe next time I won’t spend all my wear on the first lap.” Final results:

1. Danny Mallison
2. Doug Gallulo
3. Chris Brandt
4. Dave Wolf
5. Dave Ingraham
6. Don Tatum
7. John Steffey
8. Mike Lind

Race 2

Race two slowed things down a bit and drew our biggest field, nine drivers. Brian, having missed the first race, showed up for the second and picked up where he left off last year, with the win, sneaking by Don at the very end. Here’s what separates the champs from the chumps. Midway through the race I was feeling pretty confident. Although I had only 40 decel compared to the more popular 60, I had my skill chips in hand for those three braking rolls I’d need. But wait… I thought I had two left and had none! I was forced to take a naked brake test and failed it! However, when I picked up my car design tent… there they were. What a blunder!! Later in the race, forced to take a REAL naked brake test, I broke the brakes for good and retired… in last.

Occasional racer Chris Gooch finished third, followed by first time racer Anita Landry, who was coached by Brian, who was sitting next to her. Both Formula De and McGartlin are more popular than CFR/SC at Prezcon but we often get racers from those game in ours when they do not overlap. John Steffey finished next and actually qualified for the finals based on his first two finishes.

Kerry Duggento beat Doug to the line, as he had his problems in traffic. Mike Greason joined us but the curve before the final straight was very tight and saw several spins, including Mike’s on the last lap. My broken car finished ninth. Final results for race 2.

1. Brian DeWitt
2. Don Tatum
3. Chris Gooch
4. Anita Landry
5. John Steffey
6. Kerry Duggento
7. Doug Gallulo
8. Mike Greason
9. Chris Brandt

Race 3

Don found his true calling – track design. He brought out all the bling, with the bridge, the banked curve, and a mix of hex and RR sections. Maybe he knew what he was doing because he cruised to the win, with Brian finishing second, a reversal of race 2. These two were proving to be the ones to beat. I finished third, edging Doug, with David I, Mike G, and Mike L rounding out the seven driver race. Mike L DID save some wear, but not enough and bagged his second last place finish. Final results:

1. Don Tatum
2. Brian DeWitt
3. Chris Brandt
4. Doug Gallulo
5. Dave Ingraham
6. Mike Greason
7. Mike Lind

Race 4

Race four was the race of the pinulator. Don designed the track again with help from others, and was able to pinulate the entire thing… although he finished the last details as the race was ending! This race was one of the more interesting ones. The track was VERY long, with 13 curves and long straights. We opted to run just two laps but give three laps of wear and driver skill… because we were going to need it.

Don nailed down the top seed for the final with a win in the smallest heat, a six player race that moved very swiftly. I finished second, edging toward the top spot, with Brian right behind me. Danny returned to the grid but didn’t fare as well this race finishing fourth. Mike Greason took fifth and Doug who gambled early failed an accel check crippling his car and his chances for a win during a heat. This set the finals with eight drivers. Final race 4 results:

1. Don Tatum
2. Chris Brandt
3. Brian DeWitt
4. Danny Mallison
5. Mike Greason
6. Doug Gallulo

Finals

Although we bid for starting position for the heats, the starting grid for the final is based on points earned during the heats. We had four heats so each driver could count their best three finishes.

Qualifying points in heats are awarded as follows:

- 3 points for a win
- 1 point for participating
- 1 point for each person you beat to the finish line

Don’s two wins clearly put him on the pole, with Brian in second. I was third, despite not having one a heat because Danny, who DID win a heat only participated in two races. Doug tied Danny, but withdrew from the race because he was also in the Puerto Rico final, which he WON – Congrats to Doug.

Dave Ingraham moved up a spot becoming the fifth spot on the grid. Chris G and John Steffey had conflicts with other tournaments, leaving us with only five drivers for the final, the smallest final I can ever remember by at least 3 drivers.

The track didn’t look that fast, but Brian opted for 180 top speed, noticing that the banked curve, which connected two straights, would give him the opportunity to use that top speed 3 times each lap. I maxed out wear, while Don decided a big start was the answer. Danny tried the fast start again, but without having to bid for the pole done simply designed a higher start speed and took off as the rabbit. Dave went with a conservative car and because he was starting at the back of the grid, didn’t see the need to press early.

Don and Brian fought, passing and drafting each other repeatedly over the three laps. I had all kinds of wear over Danny but could not shake him to get a clear track. So, while those two battles raged, Dave I sat back and conserved his car.

I finally lost Danny on the curve following the hairpin when I cleared it and took off for the leaders while Danny was stuck in it. Don and Brian were nip and tuck, heading to the second to the last curve, which was a very tough, uneven curve. The inner two lanes were each two spaces with an speed line, but the inner lane was only 60 MPH and the middle lane was 80. Each had one wear left, but with a slower speed, Brian had to roll on the chance table to keep up and spun. I was right behind, passed Brian and finished two spaces behind Don for second place.

Danny managed to hold off Dave I for fourth, rolling dice like he owned them.

Starting grid for the final:

Don Tatum 27 points (2 wins)
Brian Dewitt 22 points (1 win)
Chris Brandt 16 points
Danny Mallison 14 points (1 win)
Doug Gallulo 14 points – withdrew
Dave Ingraham 9 points
Chris Gooch 7 points - withdrew
John Steffey 7 points withdrew

Final Results

1. Don Tatum – Winner, new Prezcon Champion, and receiver of the plaque.
2. Chris Brandt
3. Brian DeWitt
4. Danny Mallison
5. Dave Ingraham

Picture #1: Camaro and GTX “Before” Pictures
Picture #2: Danny’s Yellow Porsche Leads the field early in race 1. Notice the restored Camaro in second place.
Picture #3: Race 1 track with some long, fast straights and a tight hairpin.
Picture #4: Late in race 4 with standings through 3 races visible. Don leads Doug and Danny, followed by Brian, Mike G, and Chris B.
Cars.png
Race1.png
Race1a.png
Race4.png
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Post 28 Mar 2017, 7:20 am

Chris Long has selected the tracks for the WBC (last week in July).

The finals track looks brutal!

See Doug's blog for details: http://lucidphoenix.blogspot.com/2017/03/tracks-announced-for-championship.html
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Post 04 Apr 2017, 5:51 am

If you're in the DMV, I'm hosting on the big track on May 6th!

Why, yes, Kal, I believe that is the City Bus.
CFR Demo Huzzah.png
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Post 04 Apr 2017, 9:50 am

SLOTerp wrote:Why, yes, Kal, I believe that is the City Bus.


The kids took the City Bus off of my desk and I haven't seen it since shortly after Winter Games Fest...I might need a new ride! :sigh:
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Post 06 May 2017, 5:39 pm

Five drivers at Huzzah Hobbies today. We ran three laps at Yeongam, SK.

Don scrapes out a win with both damaged brakes and engine. Kal takes a close second when lady luck has him fail a chance roll in the final lap. I roll in third with busted brakes and a spinout of my own. Josh limps in fourth with damage to both his brakes and engine. He also spun out in the same corner as Kal and I. Our newcomer, Matt, was just learning the game and trailed throughout. He almost caught Josh but then he suffered his own spin in the last corner.

It was a pretty crazy race with lots of lead changes. We left car parts all over the track but everyone came home.

Pic #1: The lineup with builds, pole, & finish.
Pic #2: The situation prior to corner 6 where Kal, Josh, and I all spun out.
Pic #3: The podium from left to right: Don (green), Kal (red), Mike (aqua), Josh (white), & Matt (black).

Thanks for coming out, everyone!
Race Stats.jpg
Near End.jpg
Finish.jpg
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Post 11 May 2017, 12:10 pm

An observer took a picture of the Huzzah game who sent it to a friend of Doug's who sent it to Doug who sent it to me.

From left to right: Don, Matt, Mike & daughter, Josh, & Kal.
HuzzahMay2017.JPG
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Post 09 Jun 2017, 8:50 am

Doug has updated the CFR driver rankings. The season runs from immediately after the 2016 WBC's through the 2017 WBC's. All the races in a series, like Redscape, are included in the year for which the series season ends. Thus, all season 3 races for this league are now included.

Here's Doug's blogpost with both the rankings and race lists:

http://lucidphoenix.blogspot.com/

Thanks, Doug!
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Post 02 Aug 2017, 7:06 pm

I'm hosting a game at the Congress of Gamers Summer event!

Date: Saturday, August 26th
Time: Demo @ 10:00 a.m., Race @ 10:30 a.m.
Place: The Westin at Tysons, Falls Church, VA
Site: http://emsps.com/cog/summer/

Track: Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi (2010)
http://lucidphoenix.com/sc/tracks/YasMarina.pdf

It's a con so expect to pay a registration fee - stay the rest of the day & get your money's worth!
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Post 18 Aug 2017, 3:23 pm

If you're not on Doug's email list, here's the final rankings for the 2016-17 CFR season:

CFR Organized Play Champion
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Post 30 Aug 2017, 12:51 pm

Congress of Gamers Summer session results:

Finish / Driver / Grid

1. Don Tatum / 1 He drove responsibly.
2. Kevin Keller / 2
3. Jim Fleckenstein / 8
4. Tim Mossman / 10
5. Mike Polcen / 4
6. Chris Brandt / 9
7. Will Kennard / 6
8. Kim Nugent / 7
9. Ian Fried / 5
DNF Stuart Tucker / 3

I was in the lead for much of the race but my burn rate on wear was too high to hold off the pinulator. I may have finished higher but for a spin in lap 3.

It was nice to have some new drivers (Kim & Ian), meet one only known through email (Chris), along with what have become some well-known faces.

Also, car-gate was put to rest!

I didn't take any photos but this one is from the CoG website (thanks Eric). This is turn 1 of the race.

From left to right: Don, Jim, Chris, Kim, Mark or Matt (a friend of Chris's helping Kim), Kevin, Stuart (hidden), Tim (hidden), Ian (hidden), and Will. I'm not sure who the woman in the back left is - she came with Mark/Matt and looks none too thrilled with the racing!
CogSummer17.jpg
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Post 30 Aug 2017, 10:01 pm

I think next time I will take the advise of some of the table and just use a build someone else in using XP. I tried to go a 80/40 build with a little wear, and between overspending early and just not having the breaks to deal with the decreasing speed corners(which I didn't realize the second one is 120 to 60 X( ) I dropped like a rock. Well I'll learn for next time I guess.
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Post 18 Sep 2017, 4:35 pm

Hey all, Just letting you guys know we have a few CFR events that have been mentioned are coming up in the DMV area in the next couple months.

On October 7th, Doug Schultz will be running a race at the Fall Session of Congress of Gamers. As with most CoG events, this will be at the Rockville Senior Center in Rockville, Maryland, and the game will be running at 10:30 in the Carnation Room.

Game Demo and information will also be available during setup around 10. Registration for CoG Fall Saturday is $15 online, $20 at the door.

If there is anyone who stays after the race, I would be interested in possibly getting a round of Steampunk Rally done, and will likely set it up in Open gamingafter I get some lunch once the race has ended if people are interesting

The address for the Senior Center is here:
1150 Carnation Dr, Rockville, MD 20850

CoG information is available here: http://emsps.com/cog/fall/

----------------------------------------------

On either October 7th or Octoober 28th(Date is being decided) at the Thomas Jefferson Library in Falls Church, VA Brian Dewitt is hosting a CFR Event, track to be decided. He has said that either this event or the one listed below will be using the 1/43 sized Cleveland Grand Prix track he has.

Address to the Library is here:

Thomas Jefferson Library
7415 Arlington Boulevard
Falls Church, VA 22042-7409
703-573-1060

On December 16th at the Dolley Madison Library in McLean, VA Brian Dewitt will be hosting a second CFR event. Both locations can hold a good number of people, so size shouldn't be an issue.

Address to the Library:
Dolley Madison Library
1244 Oak Ridge Ave.
McLean, VA 22101-2818
703-356-0770
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Post 21 Sep 2017, 9:40 pm

Minor Update, Brian Dewitt has confirmed the first event will be on Oct 28th
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Post 10 Oct 2017, 2:49 pm

Doug posted the October 7th CoG results on his blog. Wish I could've been there. Congrats, Kevin!

CFR Blog
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Post 15 Oct 2017, 6:23 am

Results from the Detroit races. These are league races which follow up several demos in the Detroit metro area.

Race #1 (Sept 8, 2017) @ Monza: http://michigumbo.com/michigumboblog/?p=640
Race #2 (Oct 13, 2017) @ Silverstone: http://michigumbo.com/michigumboblog/?p=654