If you don’t know who Ronda Drake is you’ve been living under a rock somewhere. All kidding aside Ronda is one of if not the fastest female talent RC Racing has in the world. Ronda has been racing and competing at the top level for awhile now (it’s not polite to ask guys ) . “I personally met Ronda back at an old Hot Rod Shootout circa late 90′s. She was in my heat and I learned then as did many others did that this “chick” was going to put a whoop’n on us. She proceeded to out qualify me by two heats! So when I ran into her later down the road I knew she’d be a perfect fit for Team Tekin.” Randy Pike
Let’s check out what’s “Under the Hood” in Ronda’s favorite TLR/Pro-Line/Tekin powered ride!
Ronda is smashing down the competition with her TLR SCTE 2.0 powered by the latest Tekin Pro4HD 4300kv and Rx8 Esc. This combination has taken over the 4wd SC division and with it Ronda is tough to beat.
As you can see from the pictures the wiring install is clean and well routed. This not only looks pretty it assures that her equipment is always going to work.
Ronda has fashioned a lexan guard around her receiver to protect if from roost thrown by her front tires. These are the little details that separate the girls from the men….pretty smart. Ronda also has Pro-Line Suburbs SC for where the power meets the ground.
Ronda’s 4wd SC body is nicely wrapped up by Upgrade RC. Next time you’re at the “big race” of the year and you get motored by this pink and black land rocket just know you’re getting beaten by the fastest gal in R/C!
This is a pair of Proton 2.2” BuggyRace Tires. The next generation of bar tire performance is here: the Pro-Line Proton! Based off of the incredibly successful V1 Suburbs design, the Proton achieves improved performance and durability on a wider range of track surfaces. Indoor 1/10 scale Off-Road racing has taken off around the world but the traction conditions can vary wildly from loose and dusty to super wheelie traction. The V1 Suburbs performs exceptionally well at tracks with pure clay and medium to high traction and the Proton eclipses its predecessor by providing more forward grip and being easier to drive. The Proton features the same low tread found in the V1 Suburbs but the tread is thicker front to back and is more spaced out for improved performance on loose and low traction indoor surfaces. The Proton made its race debut at Round 2 of JBRL at SDRC Raceway in San Diego under extreme secrecy and went on to take the TQ and Win at the hands of Pro-Line’s Cody Turner in the premier Mod Buggy class! If you want winning performance and scientifically proven next generation tire technology, then reach for the new Pro-Line Protons!
This is a pair of Shockwave 3.8” All Terrain Truck Tires. Prepare yourself for the new Pro-Line Shockwave! The Shockwave 3.8” tire is an all-new lightweight Monster Truck tire that is the same overall size as the Stock Traxxas® Talon tires but has way more traction! The Shockwave has a futuristic V-Style tread that improves handling and performance on the Street, Dirt, Grass or any terrain you want to go. This tire is perfect for the guys that like a nimble handling truck or are going for high-speed runs and don’t want their tires turning into balloons or pizza cutters. The Shockwave also features unique sidewall lettering and logo design that stands out enhances the look of your Truck! Ride the Pro-Line Shockwave… Get the new tires today!
This is a pair of ION T Truck Race Tires. The ION proved electrifying from the start, taking the win the First time it touched the Track! The ION was designed from the ground-up to be the ultimate race tire requiring zero break-in period and ground breaking performance! The ION fits perfectly in Pro-Line’s line-up of Truck tires because it provides more traction and more steering than the Scrubs, giving you the option to choose the perfect tire for your current track condition! The unique molecular structure tread design provides unbelievable high-speed and low-speed steering that provides the correct balance and feel that racers are looking for. Experience the difference these top performing Pro-Line tires make for yourself – Own some ION tires today!
We arrived at the track Friday night around 9:45 pm and we sat up our canopies and tables after that we headed to out hotel to get some shut eye. The track looked cool from what I could see in the dark and I was ready to race on it. The Event was at Amarillo Rc Motorcross Amarillo, Texas May 3rd-5th 2013.
Practice: Well I didn’t really have any practice because we arrived Friday night after practice was over because I couldn’t get out of school. So the practice I did have was 1 hour before the qualifiers started, and as well I kinda used the 1st qualifier as practice too. But for the short practice I did have I was running Blockade SC M3 Tires on Short Course, Diamond Back X3 Tires on VE8 Electric Buggy, Blockade M3 Tires on D812 Nitro Buggy, and Hole Shot VTR M3 tires on D8T Nitro Truggy and they were really hooking up!
Qualifiers: After my 1 hour of practice it was time for the qualifiers. The qualifiers were going to be ran with 4 rounds taking your best 2. I was really nervous because I had only had 1 hour of practice and in some parts of the track I was still trying to find the fastest was around the track. The first round of qualifying was really a dud because I used it as a practice round knowing I still had 3 other rounds. The 2nd round was kinda rough as well but I really picked it up in the 3rd and 4th round of qualifiers. I ended up qualifying 2nd for the A main in open nitro truggy, 6th for the A main in open nitro buggy, 1st for the B main in Short Course and 8th for electric buggy B main.
Marshall catches my short course truck in qualifier to keep
me from hitting him while he was trying to get off the track.
This weekend marked the second round of one of the hottest RC series in the US. The JBRL Nitro Series presented by Pro-Line Racing was started just over 10 years ago and has grown into a monster that now attracts the nation’s top drivers and media. While it is still considered a club race rather than a national series, taking home top honors is a big deal to some of the nation’s top pros.
This past weekend the JRBL visited Palm Desert R/C Raceway in Palm Desert CA. The event attracted over combined 130 entries between the classes and made for a great day of racing. With temperatures reaching 110 Degrees, drivers were put to the test not just mentally, but physically as well. Beyond the physical demand of the competitors came the abuse that drivers inflicted on their cars, especially their tires. When the heat reaches numbers that high you generally see tires start to deteriorate very quickly and lap times fall off.
Pro Buggy
At the end of qualifying Pro-Line Racing Driver Adam Drake claimed the front spot on the grid followed by Pro-Line Racing team mates Mike Truhe and Cody King who were sitting second and third. As the 25 minute main was run things got shuffled around quite a bit moving Pro-Line’s Cody King to the top spot followed by teammates Adam Drake in the 2nd spot and Mike Truhe in 3rd. All the guys said it was a great race and were happy to see Pro-Line Racing go 1-2 3 in Pro Buggy.
E Buggy
In the E Buggy Class more Pro-Line domination continued to take place. Team Driver Mike Truhe set both the fastest pace in qualifying and was able to continue his domination during the A main. Congrats also go out to Fellow teammates Adam Drake who clinched the second spot and Chris Marrale for wrapping up the 3rd spot on the podium. As with Pro buggy Pro-Line tires took all 3 spots on the big box.
Pro Truggy
In the Pro Truggy division Cody King was the man to beat at Round 2 of the JBRL. King was able to lock down TQ with the normal big dogs nipping at his heals. As the main started out Cody put in an amazing run keeping his Pro-Line equipped Truggy at the front of the pack and eventually took home another big win with teammate Adam Drake locking down the second spot.
Congrats go out to all the competitors that were able to make it out to Palm Desert Raceway this weekend for the second round of the Nitro JBRL. If you are interested in making it out to one of Jimmy’s Races please visit www.jimmybabcock.com for all information.
Event: 2013 Spring Challenge Track: Revelation Raceway Date: April 27th 2013
This past weekend Revelation Raceway hosted the Spring Challenge. The one day event had 100 entries including top driver’s Mike Truhe, Cody King and Adam Drake. In round of Pro Buggy, Pro-Line‘s Mike Truhe set the TQ with his Team Losi Racing 8ight 3.0 followed by teammate Adam Drake and Cody King. Drake set the quickest time in the second round of qualifying followed by Truhe, but Drake wasn’t able to better Truhe’s time from round one. Before the start of the 30 minute final Cody King had mechanical problem and was forced to start the race late. Drake and Truhe had a battle for the win. Drake came out on top followed by Mike Truhe, Cody Smith and Ronda Drake. It was a great day for TLR, Nova Rossi, Pro-Line and Nitrotane!
This past weekend was round 2 of the RC Pro Series, Delta division, in Shreveport, LA. at TNT Raceway. The weather was great all weekend and there were over 100 entries. The track started out pretty smooth and a little dusty. They were watering off and on to try and stop the track from falling apart and this made it tough to dial in tires and set up.
We planned on running four rounds of qualifying but computer issues forced James of RC Pro to set up the mains based on qualifying after the re-sort. This worked to my favor in E-buggy where I was TQ, and in nitro I ended up starting fourth on the grid. If I’m not in the top three I’d rather be in the bottom three so I can go around the first turn pile up instead of being in the middle of it.
Saturday April 27th was the 1 year anniversary race of LFR racing at Floridas largest indoor clay track Space Coast RC. With over 200 entries it was stacking up to be a Long and fun filled day with a lot of floridas top drivers in attendance and it proved to be some great racing.
I was racing St Buggy and St Truck. Up first was St buggy and to say the least buggy set up was awful and I had a lot of work to do. Truck was up next and Truck was awesome right of the start. A handful of mistakes and I finished 4th. I knew I had some work to Rd 2.
3.5 hours later and some tweaking to set ups and it was time for Rd 2. Buggy was again the first race up. again went the wrong way with the set up and buggy was worse. Just a bad overall day in Buggy. Truck was up and it was go time set the pace early and was 2 secs ahead of TQ pace set in Rd1. Tool a turn to tight and rolled it gave the lead up but was still ahead of Rd1 TQ pace and finished 2nd. That put me 2nd on the grid for the St Truck Amain.
With a long wait ahead I totally changed the Buggy set up and was hoping for better results but it did not work. Needless to say a very disappointing weekend overall with the Buggy.
Truck Amain finally came around and it was go time. Starting 2nd on the grid I was ready to go. The tone sounded and by the third turn I was putting a lot of pressure on the leader and caused him to make a huge mistake. I took the lead by the end of lap one and started to check out. A costly driver error let the 2nd and 3rd place driver catch back up. Caught a pipe trying to block and it it cost me, went to third but caught back up and went back to 2nd. Just to much time and distance to run the leader back down so I ended up 2nd. Fellow teammate Brian Lewis finished 4th.
Picture courtesy of Cheryl Shiver.
I would like to thank Daniel Adams for the opportunity to represent Pro-Line and my Pro-Line teammates for a great racing weekend.
The warmup race for the 2013 ROAR Fuel Off-Road Nationals took place this past weekend at Gulf Coast Raceway’s covered track in Texas. Defending ROAR National champion Pro-Line driver Ty Tessmann was there along with other former National Champions, Worlds finalists and fast locals. In qualifying Ty took the TQ in both buggy and truggy.
In the hour long buggy final Tessmann would take the win over TLR/Pro-Line driver Adam Drake. In the 30 minute truggy final we would see the same 1 – 2 Pro-Line punch.
