Not a whole lot of news out there, due to the short deadlines this issue. We did get this report from the AADA's most enthusiastic club, NOVA of Omaha, NE, with the results of their Club Racing Championship. Thanks to Chris French for this report:
The 2045 NOVA Club Racing Championship promised to be an interesting event, with 2044 AADA World Racing Champion Mike Garrity in attendance. Also present were Norman McMullen, longtime NOVAite, and Chris French, who swept the 2044 Midwest Championships. Oddsmakers gave Garrity the best chance of winning, with French a close second; McMullen would be lucky to finish.
Qualifying appeared to bear out their predictions; Garrity stormed to the pole position in his DKI "Streak" with a 222.5 mph blast. McMullen surprised his critics by taking second starting position in his Radius Motors "Wedge VIII" with a 217.5 mph pass. French started last in his CA "RMT-250 T S/S," posting a 197.5 mph run. It appeared the event result would be a foregone conclusion.
This was not the case. When the green flag fell on the 100-mph rolling start, French used his superior acceleration to rocket away from the others. McMullen pulled away from a slow-accelerating Garrity and set out after French. Overdrives were engaged early, with French hitting top speed in seven seconds, which allowed him to run away and hide for the first two laps.
Weapon fire was allowed after completion of a lap; however, the separation of the racers was so great, it took McMullen another whole lap to get near French, who opened up with his AVR. McMullen finally overtook French at the end of the front stretch, and began firing at him with his MG. Evidently bothered by this, French clipped McMullen's rear, doing slight damage. McMullen straightened out and attempted to outrange French's AVR before it breached his armor. French had other ideas, however; he began pushing his engine to keep close to McMullen, blasting away all the while. His fourth shot destroyed McMullen's power plant; crippled, McMullen began slowing. French also slowed to preserve his damaged engine.
He did not have long to relax; Garrity came storming up and shot past French entering Turn 3. French nailed him with an AVR shot en passant. With McMullen occupying the inside groove, Garrity was forced wide in Turn 4; French was able to cut inside and punt Garrity in the rear, but did no damage. Once again, French began burning his engine to keep pace with Garrity. Miraculously, his engine held, and he opened up with his AVR. Garrity returned fire with his AVR.
The battle ended abruptly. To save weight, Garrity had not mounted any armor on his vehicle's body! Component armor could not stand up to concentrated AVR fire, and Garrity was blown to bits by French's fire. This was not the end of the encounter, though. Garrity had just entered the high-speed kink on the backstretch, and his uncontrolled vehicle smashed into the inside wall at 222.5 mph, utterly destroying the vehicle. Debris covered the track so thoroughly that it appeared that Garrity would achieve posthumous vengeance. However, French was able to navigate through a thin spot in the wreckage, and raced across the line roughly three seconds ahead of the disabled McMullen.
The race was red-flagged while the debris was swept up. During the pause, McMullen's crew found out the power plant was not repairable. With only one operable vehicle left, the race was called and French declared the winner.
The victory makes French NOVA's first two-time double champion. "I did what I had to do - go fast, turn at the right time, and shoot anyone who got by me. When Garrity cashed in, I started looking to the inside of the Kink, figuring the debris would be thinner there, and I got away with it," he said.
Power selection was a little more difficult. I anticipated a short event, so went with a gas-burner. Admittedly, I screwed up on that decision; the race was long enough for them to catch me. Guess I can stop calling myself "Roadrunner."
Tire choice was iffy. I went with HD race slicks, which allowed me to survive hitting debris once. Once. Again, I got lucky. Norm went with PR slicks; frankly, that was a mistake, especially considering his choice of body. They weighed too much ¬ that weight could have served better as armor. Mike ran standard slicks to save weight. It didn't matter.
Armor was a tough call. I had the most armor; Norm had maybe 2/3 as much, and Mike had only component armor. I mounted most of mine forward, figuring attacks would come from side weapons firing rearward, which is exactly what happened. Vehicle weapons were too heavy, so I got an AVR with one regular and one extended clip. A LTS helped, along with sustained fire bonuses. What else can I say? I won.
Perfect for short-term races, this one might be outmatched in a longer event. THe AVR is well-suited to dealing with those attempting to overtake. Its high acceleration allows it to get in front early and snipe at the rest of the field. The armor is sufficient for most events.
Radius Motors "Wedge VIII"
Reversed light trike, light chassis, heavy suspension, super trike power
plant w/PC & SC, 3 PR racing slicks, driver, streamlining, spoiler,
airdam, overdrive, MG right, SWC (MG). Sloped armor: F10, L10, R10, B10,
T0, U0. Accel. 15 (10 w/overdrive), top speed 197.5 (212.5 w/overdrive),
HC 5 (6 @ 60+ mph); 1,350 lbs., $12,127. Driver's gear: Impact armor,
SMG, LP. $2,453.
This is a good middle-distance runner, although the armor is way too thin for any more than one or two shots. The MG is well-suited to long-range fire, with enough ammo to last most of the event. The tires are a bit heavy for this size trike; that weight would serve better as armor.
DKI "Streak"
Reversed medium trike, standard chassis, heavy suspension, super trike
power plant w/PC $ SC, 3 standard racing slicks, driver, streamlining,
spoiler, airdam, HD brakes, overdrive, safety seat. Armor: F0, L0, R0,
B0, T0, U0, 10 points component armor for driver, 10 points component
armor for power plant. Accel. 15 (10 w/ overdrive), top speed 202.5
(222.5 w/ overdrive), HC 5 (6 @ 60+ mph); 1,325 lbs., $9,225. Driver's
gear: AVR w/LTS. $1,150.
This vehicle is a modification of a failed prototype which used a sport car power plant. While its top speed is impressive, its utter lack of defense renders it useless for anything except exhibition events forbidding combat.