COHORA “Mid-Ohio Challenge”
By Bill Kurtz
As a racer who loves to travel to races all over the U.S., I have found that there is more than just the racing that makes an event successful. Sometimes it’s the food, the track and timing system, the available pit space or the people who hold the event that make it special.
Of all these factors I have personally felt it’s the people which is most important and at last weekends COHORA “Mid-Ohio Challenge” also known simply as the “Ohio Cup” we saw the epitome of this.
From our arrival Friday afternoon at about 4PM until late into the evening the track was reserved for out of town guests. Not only where the racers who traveling in to compete the only cars running practice that evening but the “Buckeye Thunder” group stood around the circuit and marshaled the practice for the entire six hour session. The weekend would continue with that same mindset, whether it was Brad Morgan asking what did we think and how could we make it better next year or Myron Brenner sitting at the controls for 12 hours on race day and Bill Taylor walking up to every racer in attendance and thanking them for coming. Finally there was Ryan and Ann Peoples who not only opened their home to us but made us feel as though we were part of a family reunion. Of all the events I have traveled to, some can match this type of hospitality but none could ever top this “Ohio Welcome”.
Now for some race talk as the event drew in a little less than 40 runners and the names that were there topped the who’s who of east coast HO racing. From the Wiz and RC to Hiram, Mike and Chuck from ECHORR. Tom Bowman of BRP, Jim Nagy of SlotPro and Charlie Benson of Slotcar Racer had their mobile parts stores set-up and fully stocked. In addition to Ohio guns like Adam Wright and Chris Abston we had VASCRA’s Joe Murray, WPSCC’s John Bamonte, LCHORS Kevin Browning and Northeast shoes Jim Hoar and Matt Patrick who made the run all the way from Maine.
After Pre-Tech, the qualifying started up and consisted of combination 2-minute runs on all the lanes for total laps and the field was set into 10 mains (A – J) at four-minutes each.. I put the DPR- DB7 in the “E” but after throwing a shoe, my fellow southern racer and “Road Trip” partner, Kevin Browning ended up in the “J” main.
I think everyone in attendance knew what we were about to see, it happens rarely and it’s even more rare to happen by circumstance. Kevin is formally from Kansas City and his pit box reflects it. I have witnessed this at the Fray, when a racer moves up through multiple mains and I must say it is one of the coolest things that one can experience. Kevin moved through the “J” and three others before getting into the meat and potatoes of the field. He ran with Bob Lincoln toe to toe in the “F” but fell short by a half of lap. Unfortunately the Wiz had to withdrawal but this now moved Kevin into the “E” Main. That is five move-ups but it would end there for both Kevin and myself as Chris Abston held us off to advance.
As the event entered the “D”, we began to see the “Big Guns” rotate in with Myron Brenner, Greg Carpenter and Kevin Bacher joining Chris for the 4-minute heats. All had a legitimate shot to make the “A” from this point on.
Kevin Bacher began to throw down 41 lap segments which not only caught the attention of the racers in his main, but Hiram Durant and the others who awaited in the upper brackets. As Hiram put it, “The Kid is going to be tough to get past”.
Kevin, along with Adam Wright moved up all the way to the “B” but that where the days’ host took over. Ryan Peoples blistered the field and set the “A” main up with four of the best racers we have east of the Mississippi. Tom Bowman, Hiram Durant, Brad Morgan all plugged in with Ryan for the “Main of Mains” and the chance to be the first name on the “Ohio Cup”.
The “Heartbreaker Raceway” is a four lane Maxx which gives a racer in the gutters a distinct obstacle in the tighter corners and trying to keep up with the center lanes usually leads to one or more de-slots. Ryan had the gutter lanes one-two in his rotation and he not only paced the field, he led it in lap totals. Tom and Hiram were not far behind but they would end up battling between themselves for second place. Tom led as he wound his way through the center lanes but it would be Hiram who pulled out the runner-up spot at the checkered flag.
I must mention the track itself, “Heartbreaker” is a 10-year old Maxx that looks better than one that just came out of the box. It was so smooth and clean, it gave all of us the opportunity to take our little racers to their limit and beyond.
Ryan Peoples may have taken the glory on this summer day but those that were there will return to take another shot on this gem of a track tucked away in Winchester-Canal, Ohio.
To the COHORA racers and Mr. and Mrs. Peoples … My hat is off to all, you could not have put on a better show!
Here are the final results from the mains for the "1st Annual Central Ohio Challenge";
"A" main
Ryan Peoples 166.09 "Champion"
Hiram Durant 162.35
Tom Bowman 159.34
Brad Morgan 152.26
"B" main
Ryan Peoples 161.31 moved up to "A"
Kevin Bacher 157.06
Mike Briggs 153.01
Adam Wright 142.33
RC Lincoln qualified for the "B" but withdrew
"C" main
Kevin Bacher 161.22 moved up to "B"
Adam Wright 153.24 moved up to "B" due to RC withdrawing
Bill Taylor 151.
Chuck Sheaffer 150.
"D" main
Kevin Bacher 156.33 moved up to "C"
Greg Carpenter 154.01
Chris Abston 151.23
Myron Benner 146.15
"E" main
Chris Abston 155.07 moved up to "D"
Kevin Browning 154.09
Bill Kurtz 153.01
Dave "Crash" Craddock 147.09
Bob Wurdack qualified for "E" but withdrew
"F" main
Bob Lincoln 155.11 moved up to "E" but withdrew
Chris Abston 154.26 moved up to "E"
Kevin Browning 154.07 moved up to "E" in place of Bob Lincoln
Lance VanDoren 153.16
"G" main
Kevin Browning 152.16 moved up to "F"
Danny Rinehart 148.04
Joe Murray 148.02
Jim Hoar 144.05
"H" main
Kevin Browning 150.13 moved up to "G"
Matt Patrick 142.33
Mike Stutchell 142.09
Ron Lewis 137.33
"I" main
Kevin Browning 152.01 moved up to "H"
Steve Roehll 142.13
Jake Rooker 142.08
Jon Bamonte 138.22
"J" main
Kevin Browning 146.02 moved up to "I"
Cody Bacher 139.33
Alex Nagy 134.26
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