C4 Goes On a March

The C4 Crew setting up for the days buying, selling, trading and most importantly... Racing!!!

It’s nice to see that spring is in the air, but there is still snow on the ground.  The grip of winter didn’t keep people away from the hot C4 sponsored meet.  The monthly Maryland Die-Cast Trade Show continues to be a hit with people from neighboring states as well as right here in the old line state.  Representatives from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey were in attendance.  The crowd is getting bigger each month and the downhill racing is getting even fiercer!  The C4 Crew discussed opening a second meeting room to accommodate the ever growing vendors and racing events.  We also discussed upcoming events and started taking orders for t-shirts.  Nick Sickle held another raffle for die-cast prizes that excited the crowd between the two racing sessions.  Also, we have a ton of new ideas for the rest of the year and we are looking for volunteers to help us accomplish our goals.  I am personally excited to see how far this group has come and also can’t wait to see where it is going. 

Now to the races… 

No surprise to anyone, Owen Nesslage came prepared to defend his Downhill Racing Hot Wheels Stock Class Title for an unprecedented fourth time.  He has won all three DRHWSC Events since December and it seems like he has an eye for fast stock Hot Wheels.  This month’s competition would put Owen’s entries to the test. The DRHWSC had a full bracket of 32 entries with 7 of the field being Funny Cars.  Bruce Nesslage, Owen’s Father, brought a Porsche 911, a formidable racer, to the event.  The Porsche moved passed Tim Raley’s Preying Menace in the qualifier, then beat Cole Raley’s Rivited in the heats and Jon Izzy’s Mustang GT in the quarter finals in the upper bracket to race against his son’s Ford Probe Funny Car in the semifinals.  Owen’s Ford Probe Funny Car dominated the qualifier beating James Fortenberry’s Subaru WRX, then smashing Bobby Horton’s Sidekick in the heats and pounding Tim Raley’s Ferrari Testarossa into submission in the quarters. The lower bracket saw a new face…Bobby Horton’s Ford Probe Funny Car made its presence known quickly winning in opposition to a Firebird Funny Car of James Goolsbee Jr. in the qualifier.  Bobby’s Funny car cleared the heats and quarters dominating Jon Izzy’s Fast Fish and James Fortenberry’s Ford F-150 only to meet another Thunder Chicken, own by the master of the HWSC races, Owen Nesslage, in the semis.  Owen’s Firebird Funny Car decimated his opponents beating Tim Raley’s Ford Probe Funny Car in the qualifier, then Steve Langenfeld’s Mustang Funny Car in the heats and finally Wayne Heede’s Ferrari 599XX in the quarters.  Three Funny Cars made it to this point with one lone Porsche and that Porsche was tested quickly against the Ford Probe Funny Car of Owen Nesslage.  Owen’s Ford Probe Funny Car blasted passed his dad’s Porsche, even with threats, of having to find a ride home, from his dad.  In similar fashion to the qualifier, Bobby Horton’s Ford Probe Funny Car took out another Firebird Funny Car, this one owned by the three time champ, Owen Nesslage.  The last race was set and it would be a Ford Probe Funny Car Final!!!  Would Bobby be able to dethrone the King…he did have an equal car…but was it enough???  Would they have to go head to head, pedal to pedal, or would the cars settle it on their own with an equal drop? The pins were set, the cars were set… the drop went without an issue, but Bobby would not be able to unseat the kid… the King of the Hot Wheels Stock Class!  Owen went on to win an unprecedented four straight DRHWS Class Events since the month of December.  Would James Fortenberry be able to do the same and set the record for number of wins in the Run Whatcha’ Brung Class???

Congratulations to Owen Nesslage and his Yellow #3 Ford Probe Funny Car, March 2015 Winner of the Downhill Racing Hot Wheels Stock Class and Four Time Winner in a row in this class.

The five time winner, James Fortenberry, brought his battle tested brigade of entries for the Downhill Racing Run Whatcha’ Brung Class Event and the “Blue Flame” Ford F150 absolutely dominated in the top portion of the bracket beating Gavin Sleeth’s Tow Truck in the qualifier, Owen Nesslage’s Firebird Funny Car in the heats and beating his own entry, a Haulin’ Gas, designated “Ugly” in the quarter finals.  A newcomer, Penny Bisk and her Johnny Lightning Ford GT, was also having success in the upper bracket defeating Michael Wyman’s School Busted in the qualifier, Jon Izzy’s Ford Torino in the heats and Steve Langenfeld’s Ford GTX-1 in the quarters.  Unfortunately, for Penny, she ran into the Fortenberry “Blue Flame.”  The Ford GT was torched like so many others by the Fortenberry “Blue Flame.”   In the lower bracket, Jon Izzy’s Johnny Lightning Ford GT was making waves, surfin’ by Dustin Barker’s Ford Probe Funny Car in the qualifier, His own ’88 Pontiac in the heats and Ken Sleeth’s S’cool Bus in the quarters.  “Ugly Too”, another Fortenberry formulation, also scorched the competition routing the GTO of Jon Izzy if he qualifier, then Jon Izzy’s Dodge Viper in the heats and Mark Markham’s Chevy Van in the quarter finals just to face another Jon Izzy entry in the semifinals.  However, this would be a larger test for the “Ugly Too” and the Ford GT would not go away.  The racing went back and forth… the GT won, then the “Ugly Too”, then the GT, then the “Ugly Too.”  The Semifinals for the bottom bracket would come down to a pedal to pedal battle for the right to race the undefeated “Blue Flame.”  Two test sessions were given…then one final instruction for a sudden win race.  The die-casts were staged, the Christmas tree lit up… yellow… yellow… yellow… GREEN…… Jon Izzy had the quicker reaction time and the GT would not be denied a spot in the finals!!!  Nevertheless, Jon would have to face James again, and this time beside the proven winner…the “Blue Flame.”  The final didn’t turn out to be as dramatic as the semi that ran just prior.  The “Blue Flame” won the first, third and forth runs to claim yet another Run Whatcha’ Brung Class Event!  James Fortenberry has asserted himself as a dominating force in this class, and now a six time victor.  Does anyone have what it takes to end his reign?

Congratulations to James Fortenberry and his Ford F-150 Pick-Up "Blue Flame", March 2015 Winner of the Downhill Racing Run Whatcha’ Brung Class and Six Time Winner in this Class.

Congratulations to Owen Nessalge, our C4 Downhill Racing Hot Wheels Stock Class Four Time Champion and James Fortentberry, our C4 Downhill Racing Run Whatcha’ Brung Class Champion.  Come check us out next month and bring your racers… you never know… you could be the one to dethrone the champs!!!     

C4 would also like to give a special thanks to all who donated to the raffle for this event and congrats to all the winners of that raffle.