Buddyboys R/C is our closest track and hobby shop. They are located in South New Berlin, NY. This is typically Team Soup’s weekly running grounds during the winter months. They race indoor carpet oval and short course on Sundays. Typically Buddyboys splits the long winter months into a Fall and Spring season, and has this event in between to break them up. This is their largest event of the year, the Northeast Nationals. Total this year, they had 78 entries across all classes.

The Nationals were run a bit different from last year, and for the better we think. This year they ran a 2 minute seeding round, followed by two 4 minute heats, and then went on into the mains. Last year they ran individual car qualifying, which was unique.. but time consuming. The classes they ran are listed below.

• LOSI 1/18 EDM (Eastern Dirt Modified)
• LOSI 1/18 VINTAGE
• LOSI 1/18 OPEN
• LOSI 1/10 SLIDER
• SPORTSMAN TRUCK (17.5)
• STOCK (17.5)
• 1/10 Eastern Dirt Modified

What sets this event apart from some of the others is 2 things. First, their mains are 100 laps, instead of the traditional 4-5 minute races. This is unique because there is no set time, it’s just that the first to 100 laps wins, like a full size race. The other is that the sponsors that are involved with the event donated products that Buddyboys gave away as door prizes. With each class entry, racers received a raffle ticket. Winners were picked throughout the day to win cool stuff. This year’s sponsors were Labatt Blue, CowRC, McAllister Racing, Agro-Farma (Makers of Chobani yogurt), and Team Losi.

Unlike weekly club races, there was a tech table setup. Each racer had to bring their car to Tech before their heat. The Tech Team checked for ride height, body height, weight, and battery voltage, motor & battery temp, along with all other rules.

Trophies were awarded to the Top 3 finishers in every class (A Mains only). These were done by The Trophy Guy in Norwich, NY & were paid for by Agro-Farma.

Here is a shot of the track from the race announcer’s point of view. Buddyboys uses an iLap timing system, so that’s what that PVC pipe is (sensor bridge).

Continue reading for full results sheet and more photos.