The Wheels Keep Turning Right Into 2015

Our little meeting space continues to fill up each and every month.  The C4 Trade show had over a dozen vendors on hand, a full 32 entries filled the Downhill Racing Hot Wheels Stock Class, and 18 entries battled in the Downhill Racing Run Whatcha’ Brung Class.  There was a raffle and a ton of prizes given away and the race winners took away more than bragging rights.  The Winner of the RWBC received a Hot Wheels Five Pack, a Free Race Token, and a $10 Gift Card for Toys R Us, while the Winner of the HWSC received a automatic entry into the RWBC, a 2015 Classic Cars Calendar, a Hot Wheels Five Pack, a Free Race Token, and a $10 Gift Card for Toys R Us.

The Downhill Racing Hot Wheels Stock Class was packed with a full field of 32 entries and one of those entries dominated the field.  Semi-Finalist James Goolsbee Jr. and his Cadillac Escalade with FTEs breezed by Nathan Talbert’s HyperTruck in the Qualifier, dusted off Dustin Barker’s Firebird Funny Car in the Heats with a small chuckle, and shrieked by Autumn Florendo’s Screamin’ Hauler in the Quarterfinals.  Owen Nesslage’s Black Firebird Funny Car saw similar results clearing away Tim Raley’s Porsche Carrera in the Qualifier, then showing Gavin Sleeth’s Hershey’s Ford Probe Funny Car the end of the road in the Heat Round, and hammered another Porsche Carrera, entered by James Goolsbee Sr., to move into the Semifinals in the top part of the bracket.  The bottom of the bracket pitted Funny Car versus Funny Car.  Tim Raley’s Firebird Funny Car bested Nathan Talbert’s Two Timer in the Qualifier, his son, Cole Raley’s Porsche 911 in the Heats and then James Fortenberry’s Ferrari F40 in the Quarterfinals to get to the Semifinals.  The other Funny Car to make the Semifinals in this part of the bracket was the Side Splitter, another entry from the Owen Nesslage Stable.  Owen’s Side Splitter made short work of Ken Nozka’s VW Beatle in the Qualifier, Stopped Nathan Zubalik’s Two timer in its tracks in the Heats and simply crushed the Porsche Carrara entered by Eric Florendo in the Quarterfinals.  In the top bracket, Owen’s Firebird Funny Car proved to be faster than James’ Cadillac and Owen’s other entry, the Side Splitter, also beat out its opponent, the Firebird Funny Car of Tim Raley.  Either way, Owen was going home with the top spot and some goodies for his win.  We still needed to see which of his entries was the fastest of the day.  After the first two runs tied up the entries at one apiece, the Firebird Funny Car took the last two in a row to become January’s Hot Wheels Stock Winner and receive the HWSC Provisional Spot for the Run Whatcha’ Brung Race.

January 10th 2015 Downhill Racing Hot Wheels Stock Class Video

The 18 entries for the Run Whatcha’ Brung Class were made up of varying types of die-cast from stock Hot Wheels and Johnny Lightning’s to full custom creations with some extra weight added to help speed them down the drop.  In the top section of the bracket, Owen Nessalage’s HWS Class Winner from December made a great showing beating Tim Raley’s Chevy Silverado in the Heats and moving passed Ismail Rashada’s Ferrari F40 in the Quarterfinals.  Both of those entries were stock Hot Wheels, but unfortunately for Ismail, his remaining entry would go no further.  James Fortenberry’s new creation, which he dubbed the Supervan, weighed in at 180.0 grams and absolutely dominated in the Heats laying to waste Tim Raley’s Wraith and squashing Cameron Daly’s Spiderman Van in the Quarterfinals.  The lower portion of the bracket saw Cameron Daly’s second entry, which some of the race fans called the “Hippie Van”, demolished James Goolsbee Jr’s Dodge Pick-up in the Heats and crushed Cole Raley’s Hulk entry in the Quarterfinals.  Also in action in the lower section was James Fortenberry’s proven winner, the Ford Pick-up… this modified beast has won this event in the past two previous times.  The Fortenberry Ford mauled Tim Raley’s “SuperVan” in the Heats then ending Owen Nesslage’s Firebird Funny Car’s chances of reaching the Finals.  The Semifinals were set… James Fotenberry’s “SuperVan” versus Owen Nesslage’s Ford Probe Funny Car and Cameron Daly’s “Hippie Van” versus the Fortenberry Ford Pick-up.  Disappointingly, for Owen and Cameron, both Fortenberry Creations prevailed and there would be a Fortenberry Final.  This final would be no different than the previous outings for the Fortenberry Pick-up winning back to back runs and the top spot in the Run Whatcha’ Brung Final!

January 10th 2015 Downhill Racing Run Whatcha' Brung Class Video

Congratulations to Both Owen Nesslage, Winner of the DRHWSC, and James Fortenberry, Winner of the DRRWBC, for January 2015.

Owen - DRHWSC Winner

James - DRRWBC Winner

Check out the racing on our YouTube Channel...  C4 Downhill Racing 

Also, special thanks to Nick Sickle for running and donating prizes for the first ever C4 Pick a Prize Raffle.

Down the Stretch they go…

With only a few days left before the first meet of the New Year, I am excited… no, I am ecstatic… I am cheerful…  The group that we have created is headed in the right direction.  We started this crazy idea some years ago with only a handful of individuals sharing a common interest. 

The Chesapeake Bay Hot Wheels Club was born.  For a couple of years attendance started to grow and the club gained popularity.  There were activities for everyone… trading, buying, selling, telling stories and even racing down that signature orange track were what we did.  Not long after, things started to change and with numbers growing, some of the key members struggled against what the core reasons as to what this organization would be changed.  Instead of a club for the members and by the members, the group became a sales platform and out of necessity, the CBHWC would soon be no more.  But, there was still a need for some of these individuals without personal agendas to get together…

A few months later… These individuals, with common goals, create another organization and agree to meet once a month at an arranged location.  For the first year of this organization’s early life, the meets were brief and attendance was small, but trading, buying, selling and swapping good stories were the keys to what we did.  Above all else… we looked out for each other as hobbyist.  The club has grown and suffered through growth and downturns in attendance, loss of locations for meets, and the occasional unilateral thinking of a few individuals outside of the core group.  It’s taken us some time, but we’ve landed a home for our monthly shows and created a name for ourselves. We still stick to that common idea that brought us together in the first days of the CBHWC.  We are now the C4… the Charm City Collector’s Club, the die-cast specialist!!!

Join us, January 10^th for the very first meet of the year… Admission, as always is free.  Do you have something to sell?  We have tables for lease!  Are you ready for some racing???  We have a 25ft Downhill Drag Strip with scoring lights and timer.  We have a test and tune session prior to and after our bracket races.  If you want to get into the racing action, you can.  We have two different racing classes that will compete for prizes for just $1 per entry.  If you just want to see what we are all about, stop on in and just say hi to the C4 Crew… Doors open at 10 am… hope to see you there!

For anyone looking for a free race entry or a free table to sell some of your extra die casts can look for two hidden tokens that we’ve put together in one single hidden location.  These tokens are in a small plastic box not too far from where the C4 lays there blocks.  Travel south from this place, not far or you may lose your race.  It used to be Jeffrey’s abode, now look before you get to the cross road.   To the east side of this structure you will be took, to a row of trees should you look.  Now, if you miss the rock with our name, I can believe that we will look down on you with shame!  Once this is found, please let us know!!!