Let's get the smack talk started! Here are my power rankings going into tonight's first list race...
1. Pinky / Jesse Hernandez - Jesse is hands down the most experienced RC drag racer in the group. He and his daughter are well known in the RC drag racing community for driving and building fast RC drag cars. Although this is RTR racing, rest assured that Jesse will know how to tune his car to go straight down the middle as fast as possible.
2. Green Slip / The Barry Rowe III - Barry has recently been picked up by Team Associated for his ability to drive an RC car on an off-road track. They aren't hitting any off road jumps on this track however with his attention to detail and drive to prove himself in all disciplines of RC, you can bet your money that he will come to the strip with a well maintained car and the confidence to cross the line first.
3. Nasty PeLosi / Mark Santa Maria - Mark is a seasoned veteran in all areas of RC. You can consider him a “Jack of all trades” but maybe a “master at none”. PeLosi has been the car to beat at all the testing sessions however she has been to ALL the testing sessions. With MSM having a youtube channel and a collection of over 300 RC cars, it is safe to say PeLosi may not be in the best of shape for the first list race.
4. Bye-den / Boodrow - Boodrow is a spec racing specialist, he has a gift in finding performance out of limited resources. His ranking on this list is mainly based on how long he has had his drag car, which is about 3 days.
5. Blew Bayou / Bret Ayala - Along with MSM and Barry (and aside from Jesse), Bret has had the most seat time driving RTR drag cars. He is relatively new to RC however has experience working on real cars, the mechanical mindset, and the passion for RC drag racing.
6. D. Shark / Jarod Hill - Jarod is a seasoned drag racer (real cars) and an excellent off-road RC car driver, but he has never done RC drag racing. If he can find a way to merge knowledge he has in both areas, he will likely be on the top half of the list. If he fails to do so, expect to see his better half Lea Hill take over and carry the team.
7. Magnum / James Titus - James is a local off-road RC racing super star. He has the skill to drive an RC car but lacks the experience in driving anything but his sponsored Tekno rides. He also received his RC drag car yesterday. There will likely be a learning curve but don't count him out as the season progresses.
8. Sum Ting Wong / Brad Holcomb - Brad is a true RC enthusiast, he heard about the MSM RTR Drag Racing List and wanted to play. He is not just a hobbyist though, you can often find him on Tuesday nights at Indy RC World refining his RC racing skills. He might not have the most experience but don't sleep on Sum Ting Wong.
9. Lunchbox / Jake Goodlett - Jake is racing for one reason and one reason only, to drive rc cars and hang out with good company. He is relatively new to RC however he has been popping up on some sportsman podiums.
10. Gap Daniels / Rock Cunanan - Rock is a perfectionist, he plays around in several areas of RC but is new to RC drag racing. He will likely take some time to get ramped up but when he does, he will definitely be a force to be reckoned with.
11. Cold Fusion / Christopher Scott - Chris is a wild card. Relative to this group of drivers, he may have the least experience in formal RC racing. He does however, have a passion for RC and a good relationship with MSM. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mark lend him a helping hand to get on pace.
12. MSM Dream Killer / Gary Nicholson II - He’s the oldest and slowest racer out of the group. If he gets a win it will likely be based on his wisdom and sneakiness by taking advantage of the rules. I mean look at his car’s name! Where would you expect to see this guy on the list?