Downhill Racing is a big part
of what Charm City Collector’s Club is all about. A family fun atmosphere… So, with fall
looming around the bend, the C4 Crew revved up the racing with two Downhill
Racing Classes on September 6th.
The Hot Wheels Stock Class had 19 entries and the Run Whatcha’ Brung
Class had 16.
The DRHWSC included a mix of
die-casts from all metal funny cars to the all plastic Clear Speeder. Nick Sickle’s Ford Transit saw early success in
the heat round against Cole Raley’s Time Tracker and then again in the quarter
finals when he thrashed the favored Ferrari 365 of James Goolsbee Jr. However the Ford Transit’s luck would run out
in the Semi final round by another Ferrari, but this one, an F-40, owned by
James Sr. The F-40 pounded Gavin Sleeth’s ’71 Mustang Funny Car that seemed to
have a wheel issue, obliterated James Fortenberry’s Ford F-150 entry in the
Heats, and eliminated the Firebird Funny Car of Mike Rybar in the Semis. Tim
Raley dominated the upper part of the bracket with a GT Racer and a Firebird
Funny Car. Tim’s GT Racer moved past
Dustin Barker’s VW Bug in the Heats, James Sr’s Clear Speeder in the Quarters
to face his own Firebird Funny Car in the Semis. The Firebird cruised through the Heats beating
a Side Kick entered by Mike Rybar and then didn’t even give the Fortenberry
Probe Funny Car a chance in the Quarter. Only one of Tim’s entries would move
on to the Finals and it would have to be quicker than the Ferrari F-40 from the
lower bracket portion. The Firebird
Funny Car put the GT Racer to rest with two straight wins, but wouldn’t have as
easy of a time with the Ferrari. The
Funny Car beat the Ferrari in the first race but lost the second only to batter
the Ferrari for the third and forth races to win the Downhill Racing Hot Wheels
Stock Class Trophy and get an automatic berth in the Run Whatcha’ Brung Races.
Team Raley, Tim & Cole, entered
a team of Four Hershey Ford Probe Funny Cars for the DRRWBC as well as the
Firebird Funny Car that won the DRHWSC earlier, but only one of those Hershey
mobiles would make it to the semifinals.
It quickly dispensed with the HWSC winner in the qualifier, devastated
the Mod Ride entered by James Goolsbee Sr. in the heats, beat one of it’s
clones in the quarterfinals, only to be shocked in the semis by the Fortenberry
Ford F-150.. Now, just like the DRHWSC
had a dominating force in the upper portion of the bracket, so did the
RWBC. A pair of James would have their
monster mod creations dispatched the competition like paper to a buzz saw. Fortenberry’s Haulin’ Gas trampled two
Hershey clones, one in the Heats and the other in the quarters, while the Goolsbee’s
Ford Galaxy crushed a modified Trim Trak out of the Raley Team Stable in the heats
and then slipped by another Goolsbee entry, the Way 2 Slow, in the quarters. The Way 2 Slow would be no match for the
Haulin’ Gas, so the final was set. The Fortenberry beasts in both semifinal
rounds prevailed and would face off in the finals… The Haulin’ Gas and the Old Blue Ford F-150
fought through three races only to witness the F-150 triumph races two and
three to seize the Run Whatcha’ Brung Class Top Prize!!!
October 4th will be
the next stop in the year for these two classes… who know what die-casts will
dominate… there’s only one way to find
out… bring your best and see if you can
hoist the trophy… or fall to the beasts of Downhill Racing!!!
