The 2011 edition of the Coleman Cup was the 17th running of this annual event. This year it was held at Knox and attracted close to 110 entries. This was the 4th and final round of the 2011 ORRCA Victoria drivers series. Traditionally the event is held the first weekend of October, however it had to be delayed 1 month to allow the new drivers stand at Knox to be completed.

The Coleman Cup is an annual memorial event for a young racer who was taken at a tragically young age, and celebrates sportsmanship, racing and the love of RC cars – all things Brendan is remembered for. I was fortunate enough to be in the A final with Brendan when he won the 2w stock nationals back in 1991, making this a special event for myself and many others who knew him well.

This was the first big race for the Knox club since their drivers stand was replaced after being burnt down in 2010.

The Track:

Even though the club had not been able to hold races for over 12 months, the dedicated track crew of Paul Sims, Michael Ellis, Matt Chisolm (to name a few) maintained the track and had put together a very challenging layout. A long straight led into a tightening sweeper, followed by a tabletop then a tricky corner with a large elevation change that would flip you if you drove too fast. This led into a fast ess section, over some small bumps that 4wd mod could just clear with a perfect line, then a short straight into a hairpin onto the centre straight. This was the most spectacular part of the track with a small single-tabletop/kicker-single jump section which you had to time right for the massive triple jump that followed. Mod could clear this jump (4w easily) and was a crowd hit with the massive air! The jump was well shaped for stocks to double-single. Immediately after the triple was a tight left hander, over a small double then tabletop, into an off-camber right hand hairpin which was tricky to judge from the stand. A short straight into a left hand hairpin, then a drop / rise into a double right hander which led onto the final straight. This ‘straight’ has a large hump, ready to make 2w mods wheelstand, and leads into the main straight through a fast sweeper. The layout was fun but with a very bumpy surface it was critical not to get too sideways or you would traction roll. The traction was medium to high, and the weather was hot in the morning but cooled off with a few small rain showers in the afternoon.

The Racers:

The mod fields were a little thin with Ben Sterling moving to 1/8 scale and Matt Griffin missing the Coleman Cup for the first time in the event’s history (also focussing on 1/8 scale). Ray Munday (JConcepts / AE B4.1/B44.1 / Novak) was looking to backup his 2010 Coleman Cup trophies, but Logan Symes (Losi 22 / AE B44) , John Grenville (B4 / B44), Mark Polistena (AE) and Andrew Giddings (Kyosho) were expected to push him all the way. Paul Sims (Durango DEX210) has put more laps on the track than anyone else and everyone was keen to see the new Durango on the track!

Ash Peeler was running 4w mod, Truck Mod and SCT and the 2008 Australian truck champion (and 2011 Keilor SCT Stampede winner) was expected to lead the truck classes. SCT was again a popular class with 20 entries and looks set to be an official class for 2012.

Stock was stacked as usual with a winner impossible to predict. Mick Salis (X-Factory), Glen Wilson (Kyosho / Fantom), John Watkins (AE / Fantom) and John Caval (Losi) from Keilor were going to have to fend off Bendigo’s Scott Rawlings (AE), Mildura Scott Giles (AE / Fantom), Paul Kealley and Simon ‘Bigshow’ Ryan, and multi-time Australian champ Chris Marshall from NSW.

As is usual, the Coleman Cup attracts many ‘old school’ racers out of retirement. Faces such as Luke Dinardo, Chris Gorgioski, Brett Todman were all seen on the day in addition to the regulars.

New Equipment In The Pits:

The main talking point was the first race meet for the new Durango DEX210 2wd in the hands of Paul Sims. The car looked good on the track, riding the bumps and jumps well and showing good forward bite with its 4 gear / rear motor layout.

Ray Munday was running the new +8mm factory B4.1 chassis and JConcepts Finnisher body. The +8mm wheelbase stabilised the car a lot on this track over the bumps and jumps.

Ray was also using the new Novak ‘X-Drive’ Havoc Pro SC ESC for the first time which has a smoother power delivery than the standard unit.

Scott Rawlings was running the new JConcepts Hi-Flow body in SCT along with the SC10 hex conversion and +3mm offset Hazard rims.

Race Format:

Due to the high entries and 9am start time curfew for the Knox track (it is close to houses), the decision was made as per ORRCA rules to cut back to 2 qualifiers (best round score to count) with 3 A finals.

4W Mod (11 entries):

In qualifying, Ray TQ'd, winning both rounds of qualifying with his B44.1 from Logan Symes, who is getting quicker with each meeting. A1 was a close race after Ray had a technical issue and had to start from the back of the grid. After battling to the front, Ray had a crash through the bumps onto the straight, allowing Logan to catch him. Ray also crashed on the bumps in the back section, allowing Logan to pass. The two tangled through the esses when Ray misjudged the gap between them, allowing Ash Peeler to get past but Logan soon passed him with Ray following. Logan had the lead into the last lap but ran wide through the sweeper in turn 1, allowing Ray to get underneath him and take the win.

In A2, Ray led from start to finish with the only 12 lapper of the day to take the title.

In A3, Ray again led but with 2 laps to go ran into the foot of a marshall who was fixing another car, breaking a front shock. This mean Logan won A3 to seal second place with his B44, John Grenville placing 3rd.

2011 ORRCA Vic Series 4w Mod final placings: 1) Ray Munday 2) Logan Symes 3) John Grenville

2Wd Mod (17 entries):

Ray was never headed in qualifying to take TQ by around 10s from John Grenville and Paul Sims (running the new DEX210).

A1 was thrown open when Ray crashed on the big triple jump on lap 1, allowing Brett Todman (racing off-road for the first time in many years) to take an early lead with Johnny G and Sims close behind. After a few laps, Ray patiently made his way back to the lead and was never headed. Paul Sims was elated to take 2nd from Johnny-G.

In A2, Ray got a clean start and showed the field a clean pair of heels, winning with a mistake free run to do the fastest time of the day (11/5:11) to take the crown with Johnny-G 2nd and Bret Todman a great 3rd.

A3 was a similar result to A2. Surprisingly, Logan Symes (running the 22 in mid-motor config) was a long way off the pace after winning the previous round at Wodonga. Could we see him switch to the rear motor for future events?

Overall John Grenville finished 2nd and Paul Sims an excellent 3rd overall.

2011 ORRCA Vic Series 2w Mod final placings: 1) Ray Munday 2) Logan Symes 3) John Grenville

Mod Truck (5 entries):

Only 5 entries were received for mod truck, and as expected Ash Peeler was dominant winning all qualifiers and the first 2 mains to seal the Coleman Cup trophy. Pete Wooster and Mick Ellis pushed hard to stay in tough with Ash and finish 2nd and 3rd respectively. Consistent results throughout the year have allowed Neil Russell to take out the 2011 ORRCA Vic truck mod series.

2011 ORRCA Vic Series Truck Mod final placings: 1) Neil Russell 2) Peter Wooster 3) Michael Ellis

SCT (10.5T) (20 entries):

Ash ‘Truck master’ Peeler backed up his big win at the recent SCT Stampede by taking out the SCT demo class at this event. Next year SCT is set to become an ‘official’ class so it may receive even more entries! Ash won both qualifiers and the first 2 finals to win, but it wasn’t as easy as mod truck with Scott Rawlings, Logan Symes and Wayne Edwards very close behind, finishing in that order. The big triple was difficult for the SCTs to clear, but after the event Scott Rawlings was showing how it was done with his new H-Flow body.

2011 ORRCA Vic Series SCT final placings: 1) Scott Rawlings 2) Nathan Burge 3) Sean Connolly

Stock Truck (9 entries):

There was a monumental battle between multi-time national champ Scott Giles and Keilor club president John Watkins, both running T4.1s. Scott TQ'd but uncharacteristic mistakes in A1 allowed John Watkins to win. In A2 Scott made amends by winning, but John was only 2s behind pressuring all the way. In the 3rd final Scott led, but then had a crash in the jumps allowing John to take the lead. Through the esses the two collided in a racing incident, with John coming out best and holding it together to take a popular win from Scott, with Paul Kealley and 'Big Show' Simon Ryan battling for 3rd.

There was a 3 way tie for the win in the overall series, with the final placings as below:

2011 ORRCA Vic Series Stock Truck final placings: 1) Paul Kealley 2) Nigel Spokes 3) John Watkins

2wd Stock (17 entries):

Scott Rawlings took out round 1 of qualifying, but it was Mick Salis’ X6^2 with an 11 lapper in round 2 who would take TQ from Scott and Scott Giles in 3rd.

A1 was an easy win for Mick, with John ‘the Ninja’ Caval coming out of nowhere to take 2nd from Scott Giles. A2 was a much closer affair with Mick taking the win from John by just 0.8s to take out the Coleman Cup, Scott Rawlings 3rd. Scott Rawlings pulled out a win in A3 to secure 2nd from John Caval, Scott Giles 4th and PK 5th. Mick Salis took out the series with a perfect result of 3 Tq/1sts.

2011 ORRCA Vic Series 2w Stock final placings: 1) Mick Salis 2) Scott Rawlings 3) John Caval

4wd Stock (17 entries):

Mick Salis made it 2 TQ’s by winning both rounds of 4wd stock qualifying with his X-5, Chris Marshall close behind in 2nd and Scott Rawlings nipping on their heels in 3rd.

A1 saw Mick Salis take the win from John Caval, again using his ninja skills, and Glenn Wilson 3rd. Scott Rawlings had a DNF in A1 but made amends by taking out A2 (by less than 1s) and A3 to seal the Coleman Cup trophy. Mick Salis ended up 2nd, John Caval again 3rd and Glenn Wilson in 4th after experiencing a few problems through the day.

2011 ORRCA Vic Series 4w Stock final placings: 1) Scott Rawlings 2) Mick Salis 3) Glen Wilson

2wd 540 (10 entries):

2w 540 saw the return of Mildura young gun Harrison Ryan to take on Matt West, but it was Knox’s Joshua Gunn who took TQ from Matt with David Gunn 3rd and Harry 4th. There was less than 4s separating the top 4 after 5 minutes with the rest of the field left in their wake. In A1 Matt took the win with a 9 lapper from Dave and Josh Gunn. A2 saw Harry Ryan return to the winners circle with a 7s victory over Matt and Dave. 3 drives were in contention for the wingoing into A3 (Matt, Harry and Dave) but it was Josh Gunn who destroyed the field by over 10s to cross the line first from Matt and Harry. In the end, Matt West took the title with a 1st and two seconds, Josh Gunn 2nd and Harry Ryan 3rd overall after a very intense final series.

2011 ORRCA Vic Series 2w 540 final placings: 1) Matt West 2) Max Brouggy 3) Michael West

4wd 540 (5 entries):

2011 Vic Title holder Matt West showed just why he has been a dominant force in 540 this year, winning both rounds of qualifying quite easily to take TQ from Max Brouggy and Dave Gunn. Josh Gunn and Michael West qualified 4th and 5th respectively – their fathers coming out on top in these father / son battles! The results show Matt West won all 3 finals to take the crown, however he was pushed hard with Josh Gunn (A1) and Dave Gunn (A3) coming within 0.4s of him. Josh placed 2nd overall and max Brouggy 3rd after a consistent drive.

2011 ORRCA Vic Series 4w 540 final placings: 1) Matt West 2) Max Brouggy 3) Michael West

The Coleman Cup:

The Coleman Cup trophy is awarded to the person who best shows the true spirit of R/C racing. At the end of the day, Michael Ellis was awarded the prestigious Coleman Cup for his dedication to the sport and his sportsmanship on the track. Congratulations Michael and well deserved!!

Wrap-Up:

The 2011 Coleman Cup was a great success. Big turnouts, co-operative weather, close racing and a return of racing at Knox meant that everyone had a great time. The 2011 ORRCA Vic series was contested by over 217 entrants and 2012 looks to be even bigger with rumours of Bendigo joining as an official club and the increasing popularity of EP racing. Bring it on!

Thanks to the Knox Club for putting on a great event!

The final ORRCA Vic event of the year will be the Interclub Shield event held at Wodonga on the 4th December. This has been moved to the end of the year and should be a fun and relaxing way to finish off the 2011 season.

Photo Gallery

Results

Click here to view the complete results.