GRI Jr's February C4 Experience

It was the third day into February, we've had a couple new things happening and something new that I neglected to tell everyone that started last month.

First off we have started points racing, the points race is only lasting for the first three months of this year, it is just a trial run right now but stay tuned in the future we may make it happen. With the points race, you only get points for one car that went the farthest. For instance, billy has two cars in the semi finals and one car in the finals, billy would only get points for the car that went to the finals...

The second new thing that we had to add in last month were the race-ins. If you go back to last months post, I explain what a "Race-In" is... We have experimented with this before with up to ten cars but this month it was different.

This month we had over one hundred entries. For those of you who do know, our racing bracket is set up for sixty-four cars any other would have to be race in, unless we got a perfect 128 cars. If we were to have 128 cars we could just add another "leg" of the race and it would still boil down to the final two cars without there being any "byes"

And that is what we did, we had a perfect 128 cars to run in the downhill race. By the way, next months race is "Mopar-Madness" meaning the car must be a dodge product...

Today was also a special day because our "sister" hot-wheels club, South Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware(SJPD) was also stopping by to do some racing, trading and selling... One of their members, Dan had won our race today, and he is now in the second place in the points race and he will be back next month to go after the crown in our Mopar-Madness Race..

Next month is going to be special also, not only is it the end of the points race, but if you make it toward the end, you will get double points for not one, but two of your top contending cars. So with that, thank you for enjoying my experience at the C4 Hot-wheels club and have a good rest of your day/night.

GRI Jr's November C4 Experience

The day was November 4th, Charm City Race Committee chose only one race for today. This race was a stock "Rip-n-Run" which means the car must be packaged in order to race in the competition. By holding only one we had more participation and more of an audience when it came to the races.

The Race Committee also had a major change for once. GRI Jr had actually handled the races for the day, I was able to record all of the data for everyone, which means I noted each person and their cars. I was also able to call out each race and fill out each bracket.

The stock race for today was movie and TV cars, we had cars from Gas Monkey Garage, Back to the Future, and even Star Wars. I and my dad raced a few Fast and the Furious cars, a Scooby Doo Van, a Knight Rider K.I.T.T car, and a couple different Star Wars cars.

We raced three total Star Wars cars, the Millennium Falcon, an X-Wing, and a Tie-Fighter. Throughout the race it seemed as if these cars were unstoppable, each car won by at least two other car lengths.

It was the final four with my Millennium Falcon, Ron Rattel's 007 Aston Martin, Team Raley Racing with the Fast and the Furious matte black charger, and my Tie-Fighter. Ironically the round previously the X-Wing faced the Tie-Fighter, obviously you guys know what took the win.

The semi-finals began with my Millennium Falcon and the Dodge Charger. It was the closest race the Millennium had seen this competition. Nose to nose they both sped down the track until the Millennium Falcon pulled off at the last second and won both races.

The second race was the X-Wing and the Aston Martin I was feeling very uneasy about this race because I could tell that the Aston Martin was fast and the X-wing was only winning by a nose each race, so I didn't know what was going to happen...The X-Wing could not hold up to the competition and the final race would be the Millennium Falcon and the Aston Martin.

The Tension was high at this point, the green lights flash and both cars are launched. It was so close, but the Millennium Falcon won by a nose. The second race was about to begin, and I knew in my head it was in the bag. The cars were launched and it was a clear win, I had won the race with the Millennium Falcon, and was going home with the WIN!

C4 Sizzles in September

The end of the summer draws near and lots of great things are happening with our ever growing die-cast club.  We continue to hold our racing events, raffles and have even introduced some other awesome giveaways. If you attend any of our events and aren’t able to find something that you are looking for and leave empty handed, then you’re doing something wrong.  

Our resident Downhill Racing Run Whatcha’ Brung King, James Fortenberry, won a voucher for a free fountain soda just for signing our attendance sheet.  We raffled off a gift certificate to MK Toys & Stuff,  two Free Bowling Parties and a C4 vender certificate to purchase from any of the vendors at the show.  Our two Downhill Racing Events were impressive and saw the return of some veteran racers as well as a few rookies.  Oh, and by the way… there were a ton of trades made along with sales of many die-casts ranging from basic easy to find items to the less produced holy grails that collectors seek at reasonable prices.

The Downhill Racing Hot Wheels Stock Class ran first with 30 entries whittled down to 4 semifinalists… Newcomer George Miller and his Ferrari F40 eliminated the GRI sponsored Corvette in the qualifiers, knocked out the Team Raley Ferrari 308 in the heats and drove away from Owen Nesslage’s Ferrari F40 Clone in the quarterfinals.  GRI’s Mustang GT entry had similar fortune in the top portion of the bracket besting Mark Starr’s Twin mill in the qualifier, Nathan’s Zubalic’s Studebaker in the heats and Wayne Heede’s Chevelle in the quarters.  Ultimately the GRI Mustang would be no match for the Miller Ferrari F40 which would move on from the semifinals.  In the lower portion of the bracket, Owen & Bruce Nesslage would meet and compete in the semifinals once again.  We’ve seen this pairing before and it’s always interesting to watch.  Owen’s Sol-Aire entry disposed of Team Raley’s CUL8R in the qualifier, then Team Raley’s Carbide in the heats and the GRI Sidekick in the quarters.  Bruce’s Monte Carlo defeated Jon Issac’s Ford F-150 in the qualifier, Rookie Ian Greenberg’s Olds Aurora in the heats and the GRI Chrysler 300C in the quarterfinals to put him against his son Owen in a semifinal showdown.  Unfortunately for Bruce, Owen would dust his off once again putting himself in a familiar spot… the Finals!!!  This time Owen would test rookie George Miller’s chosen Ferrari F40 entry, but the outcome would be just as familiar.  Owen Nesslage’s Sol-Aire dominated the Downhill Racing Hot Wheels Stock Class Bracket to win this September’s Event.  Congratulations to owen Nesslage and his Sol-Aire Hot Wheel!!!

The final event of the day would be the Downhill Racing Run Whatcha’ Brung Class Races.  James Fortenberry and his master modification creations would control this event all the way down to the final race.  Fortenberry has been undefeated in every DRRWB Event that he has entered and his Blue Flame F-15o Pick-Up destroys all of it’s competition.  Congratulations to James Fortenberry and the “Blue Flame” Ford F-150 Pick-up, winner of September 2015’s Downhill Racing Run Whatcha’ Brung Class Races.

Keep an eye open for our videos on YouTube as well…

September’s Maryland Die-Cast Trade Show was great event and we would like to congratulate all of the winners and thank all of the members who donated prizes, time and items for the FoT.  We look forward to seeing you again this time next month and hope everyone in attendance had a good time.  

C4 Ramps Up the Racing with Fall Around the Corner

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 6^th.  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 4^th 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!!!     

Get ready for racing in December… not one, not two, not three, but four classes… mail-in are welcome… HWSC, RWBC, HWSTHCC and the new Death Race!!!  Stay tuned!!!

      

Charm City's Die-Cast Show Races into February

The Downhill Racing Events were extremely exciting this month. All three classes for February saw a bunch of upsets and even a crash in the Hot Wheels Stock Class.

The DRHWSC was the first racing event on the agenda with an almost full field of entries. Twenty-six Hot Wheels Die-Casts would battle until there would be only one. Tim Raley’s Purple Tail Dragger would demolish Jim Rakitsky’s Split Vision quickly in the Qualifying Round and beat Dwayne Immell’s 1967 Camaro decidedly in the Heat Round. In the Quarter Final, Tim’s luck would continue when he dusted off John Catron’s Speedbox without giving up a single run. Ultimately, Tim’s TD would be no match for Gavin Sleeth and his Side Splitter Funny Car. The Side Splitter didn’t make any friends breezing through the Qualifier against the Team Hot Wheels Buggy; another entry out of the Rakitsky Stable, and then chewing up the James Goolsbee sponsored Rigor Motor in the Heats Round.
In the lower section of the Bracket, Cole Raley was making an attempt to meet his dad, Tim, in the Final. Cole’s Silverado received a bye in the Qualifying Round and wouldn’t be tested much in the Heat Round by another Goolsbee entry, a Funny Side Up Funny Car, or even in the Quarter Finals where he beat one of his dad’s other entries, a Mustang Funny Car that seemed to be having some technical difficulties. Cole was stopped short, just like his father, in the Semi Finals by an entry from Nick Sickle. Nick’s last-minute entry, a Boulevard Bruiser, disappointed its completion, first winning in the Qualifier against Tim Raley’s Dairy Delivery, secondly, beating Jim Rakitsky’s F1 Racer in the Heats. Subsequently, the Bruiser would take two of three races against James Jr’s Daytona Charger before handing the Raley Silverado its defeat. The stage was set, Gavin’s Side Splitter Funny Car would take on the under-rated Sick Nick Boulevard Bruiser. Ultimately, the Boulevard Bruiser would take the win, a Hot Wheels Test Facility five pack and a berth into the Downhill Racing Run Whatch Brung Races.

Link to the Video for this class... Downhill Racing Hot WHeels Stock Class Races Video

The C4 Crew has been trying to put together a race for pinks style of event for several months, and what better way to do that than a Hot Wheels Treasure Hunt race. This race has been in the works for several months, and it finally took place on Saturday after the DRHWSC Races. The races consisted of 13 Hot Wheels Treasure Hunts still in the blisters, and the winner took home all of their competitor’s entries. Cole Raley’s 16 Angels made it to the Semi Finals with a bye in the Qualifier and a win over Chris Taylor’s Nightburner, which was one of several diecasts that were mailed in for our events. The 16 Angels would eventually fall to Wayne Heede’s Pink Cadillac V-16. Wayne had the unfortunate luck to draw the second slot in the Qualifier which positioned his Cadi against James Fortenberry’s 1971 Mustang Funny Car. Luck, however, was on Wayne’s side as he cruised by the ’71 Mustang and then Mike Catron’s Subaru WRX Sti with FTEs in the Quarter Finals. Mr. Milton Fox’s Mazda RX-7 had the same fate as the 16 Angels after first dusting Tim Raley’s Hot Bird and Cole’s Nissan Skyline. The Fox Mazda fell to a Mustang Funny Car out of the Tim Raley’s Garage. The Mustang was pretty impressive, making short work of the James Goolsbee Bad to the Blade in the Qualifier and ironically enough another mailed in Mazda RX-7 entry from Chris Taylor. It really appeared that the Mustang would be the car to beat, but that’s why we race. Wayne’s Pink Cadillac V-16 dominated Tim’s Mustang and took top-prize all the T-hunts from this race. With such decisive victories in this race, Wayne decided to enter his Pink Cadi in the final race of the day… The Downhill Racing Run Whatcha’ Brung!

Follow this link to see footage of... The Downhill Racing Treasure Hunt Challenge Class (Winner Takes All!)

The final event of the day and the most anticipated was the Downhill Racing Run Whatcha’ Brung Class. It doesn’t matter what make, model or brand of the vehicle as long as it fits on the track, in the starting gate and through the finish-line gate. There were 24 entries into this class, two winning entries from the previous events of the day and nine entries that were mailed in. Cameron Daly’s 1967 Johnny Lightning Camaro made tracks over the competition beating James Fortenberry’s Mod Lambo in the Qualifier. The Camaro took two in a row in the Heats Round over Chris Taylor’s Chrysler 300C, which lead on the drop until the Camaro seemed to find a second gear in the flat. It was almost a repeat performance for the Camaro in the Quarter Finals where it battled back down the flat section of the track to beat the Dwayne Immell Modified Horseplay. Smitty’s Dragstrip Donna put an end to the Camaro’s run at the winner’s circle. The Dragstrip Donna had a bye in the Qualifier and made short work of Tim Raley’s Cadillac V-16 in the Heats and Milton Fox’s F-150 in the Quarters before ruining the JL Camaro’s chance for the top spot in this class. James Fortenberry had two heavy weight F-150s in the field that met in the Semi Finals. The Silver version took out Nick Sickle’s Hot Wheels Stock Class Champ Boulevard Bruiser in the Qualifier, then squeaked by the mailed-in Way Sweet 16 of Chris Taylor in the Heats and final hammered past the 1969 Corvette of Mrs. Fox. James’ Pink F-150 had a difficult road to the Semis making his way by Smitty’s CC Madfast in the Qualifier, Cole Raley’s “Hershey” Ford Probe Funny Car, three-time champ of this event in the Heats, and, finally edging out Wendell Brown’s Mustang Funny Car in the Quarter Finals. The lighter Pink F-150 was able to beat its sibling in the Semi Finals taking two races in a row. This DRRWB final was set, Smitty’s Dragstrip Donna versus The Fortenberry F-150 in pink. In the finals, you have to win two races in a row to take the top spot, to be crowned champ and take home the prize. The first race went to the F-150 by a nose. The second race went to the Donna by a nose. The third race saw a repeat of the first… it looked like we were going to have a tie. The fourth race would decide it all. The F-150 was able to just slide past the Donna in the last inches of the track and win the Downhill Racing Run Whatcha Brung Division. James Fortenberry took home top honors and a brand new Hot Wheels Nine Pack. He will also be able to enter the Pink F-150 this year, without an entry fee, for any DRRWB event.

The heavy hitter of racing... See the races here, The Run Whatcha Brung Class!

Congratulations to all of our winners and a big C4 Thank You for all of the participants. Also, a special thanks goes to all of our mailed-in entries. Hopefully, we will see more mailed-in entries at our upcoming events.

Copies of the brackets can be viewed here: February 2014 - C4 Racing Brackets

Our next Event on Facebook... The Maryland Die-Cast Trade Show & Downhill Racing Events