Race Recap: UF1 Winter Series 2013 – Race 7

Post Race Analysis
Well here we are, the final Post Race Analysis for the 2013 Winter Series. 36 drivers showed up to finish off the season as well as take part in an amazing raffle! Thanks to all of the manufacturers that donated prizes…the UF1 appreciates your support!

Taking the TQ for the day was Japan-resident Hideo Kitazawa. This guy flew all the way in from Japan to run our series…the guy even built the car 2 days before the race and was already up to speed by Saturday morning. Hideo picks up the +2 TQ points for the day…

…but he wasn’t done yet. Hideo won 2 of the 3 sessions in fantastic style, battling the whole time with Team Patron-Honda driver Lee Passehl. These two went at it all 3 races for 15 minutes straight…the last session being the real nailbiter. They ran nose-to-tail lap after lap, only switching positions when one went in the pit! That timer must have seemed like forever to these guys as they watched their rival blast around the track without anything to slow them down. It was an amazing race and both Kitazawa and Passehl deserve some major props!

While Passehl may have taken 2nd for the day, he took first in the overall and became the first driver in UF1 history to win 2 UF1 Championships. He drove a fantastic season with only minor faults; nothing that would keep him off the pace of another win. Both Championships have been won on the rug, so it will be interesting to see if his mad skills can conquer the unforgiving outdoor season. My guess is he’ll do just fine!

Following those two and finishing in 3rd was Team Lotus Driver Aaron Lane. Aaron’s consistent top finishes paid off on the final day, not only landing his 3rd place finish but passing Repsol-Honda driver Dave Berger for 2nd overall in the Championship. Lane did a great job filling in for the missing Mike Kennedy but will become a free agent at the start of the 2013 Summer Series as a member of Team Jaguar. It’s unclear, however, if there is an official Team forming there or not.

Independent driver Bill Jeric pulls of a respectable 4th overall for the day. It’s no secret that Jeric can drive, scoring high points and even a TQ during the Winter Series. He is slated to participate in the Summer Series but it appears he’ll be doing so as an independent…for now. Bill finished 23rd overall the Series, but that is with 2 missed race days. If he can commit to an entire series he’ll certainly be one to look out for on the podium!

Finishing 5th overall is independent Torrance Deguzman. Torrance has been campaigning his prototype F1 now for most of the series with improving success, but changed to the Tamiya F104 V2 for the final races…and it appears this car fits him nicely. 3 solid performances puts him in the Top 5…he was seen hootin’ and hollarin’ as he headed back to his pits. He’s got skills and knows what he’s doing in the setup department; look for him to continue his efforts in the Summer Series.

Pulling in a 6th place overall is Repsol-Honda driver Dave Berger. Berger put in a strong season and was set to take 2nd overall but a bad few races allowed Aaron Lane to creep up and overtake him. Berger still finishes 3rd overall in the Series. He, along with teammate Medel, are sure to make a massive push in the Summer Series to bring home a UF1 Driver’s Title to Repsol-Honda.

Lining up 7th overall is Kevin Cole, AKA Panda. Kevin had another good weekend and earned enough points to keep ahead of Lotus Driver Tony Phalen. He had an interesting start to the Series to say the least, but gathered it back up, let by-gones be by-gones and put his Benetton-Ford in the Top 5 overall. I have to give him props…he’s made solid progress since last season and was able to duke it out with the best. Great job.

Pulling in a 8th place finish is last season’s UF1 Champ, Team Lotus pilot Tony Phalen. Phalen struggled a bit again today but was happy with a Top 10 finish. A rough start to the Series and some difficulties transitioning to a new car left him low on the leaderboards early on, but a change back to a familiar chassis and some consistent work rallied him back up to a happy Top 10 placing. According to Phalen, he and Kennedy will be reunited at the start of the Summer Series in full Lotus trim.

Sitting in 9th overall for the day is Repsol-Honda pilot Fred Medel. Fred made some major improvements to his car and it shows in some great, late Series finishes. He and Berger took the 2011 Summer Series Constructor’s Championship and, I’m sure, would like to post an individual Driver’s win in the near future. With a performance like we saw at the end of this Series, Medel definitely has his sights on a Top 5 finish next Season.

Rounding out the Top 10 for the day is Patron-Honda driver Ron Schuur. Schuur is another one of those guys that has been improving each and every race, both in the Driver’s Championship and helping obtain the 2013 Winter Series Constructor’s Championship. In the Series overall, Ron posted an incredible 4th place finish! Both he and Passehl are looking forward to running outdoors on a different surface to see if their TOP cars can retain the same performance as they did on the rug.

Constructor’s Championship
Team Patron-Honda drivers Passehl and Schuur put in some major work to claim the 2013 Winter Series Constructor’s Championship. Congratulations to them and we look forward to seeing their progress in the Summer Series.

Final order for the Constructor’s Championship can be found here: 2013 Winter Constructor’s Championship

Final Thoughts
This have been a great experience for me as far as running my first UF1 Series. My hats off to Mr. Charles Lightfoot for the amount of work that he put into this Series prior to stepping down. It’s exhausting and amazing at the same time, and I’m not sure how I could pull it off without the help of the UF1 Committe members. So, thank you Fred Medel, Mark Goldwater, Mike Kennedy and Tim Ruwe. Your help has been immensely appreciated and I hope to continue working with you guys to make the UF1 one of the best Series in RC to play in.

I’d also like to thank all the drivers that have participated in at least one of the UF1 Races. Your support is the reason we continue to try to make the UF1 a great racing environment.

Finally, a BIG thanks goes to the manufacturers that supported the UF1, especially with raffle prizes twice this season. Make sure you visit their sites and check out all of their goodies.

Tamiya – http://www.tamiyausa.com
Reedy – http://www.rc10.com
F1 Paint Labs – http://www.f1paintlab.mybigcommerce.com/
Schuur Speed – http://www.schuurspeed.com/
Exotek Racing – http://www.exotekracing.com
Horizon Hobby – http://www.horizonhobby.com
TQ RC Raceway – https://www.tqrcracing.com/
Mark G – No contact info. He’s scared of spam

Final Results