Beach Jet Race Report:
From the Beach to the Backwoods
Tom Bowman and Jerry Schmoyer were gracious enough to bring their T-Jet racing format to the Collective Chaos racing venue (backwoods of Gloucester, VA.) For most of us, these are unknown animals and would present a fresh format and ,for some, a considerably tough challenge. 12 racers would compete in this event, and it brought attendees from Va. Beach, Norfolk, and Richmond all the way to the sticks. The event began with single racer qualifying for placement into the respective semis. Once the qualifying event was over the semis were set and ready to race. Brian Edwards, Mark Smith, Jennifer 'Mopar' Harrington, and Scott Schmoyer would compete in the 'C' semi. Jennifer represented Richmond finishing 4th with 38 laps and was edged out by Scott finishing 3rd with 42 laps totaled. Brian finished 2nd with 46 laps and was beat by Mark who turned in 47 laps. Eugene Harrington, Ray Smith, Bob Hall, and David Smith would make up the very tight finishing 'B' semi. David scooted to 4th place with 46 laps. 3rd place to 1st was a separation of only 1 lap. Bob would settle for 3rd with 50 laps and was pushed out by Ray with 51 laps and 15 sections and Eugene with 51 laps and 25 sections. 10 sections separated 2nd place Ray and 1st place Eugene. Tom Bowman, Jerry Schmoyer, Andrew 'Bud' Lopez, and James Kennedy competed for the 'A' semi. Bud would finish 4th with 50 laps. 3rd place went to Jerry with 55 laps. James finished an unfamiliar 2nd place with 58 laps. Race favorite Tom would finish 1st with 62 laps. 24 laps would separate 1st place Tom from 12th place Jennifer. Mark Smith and Bob Hall deserve mention as truly great sports for taking precious time from their own Beach Jets to help others with their racecars. Great job, guys! With the semis done the scene was set for the showdown in the mains. 'C' main matched Brian, David, Scott, and Jennifer for competition. The 'B' main set up Ray, Bud, Mark, and Bob. The unrivaled 'A' main showcased a plethora of T-Jet know-how with James Kennedy, Eugene Harrington, Jerry Schmoyer, and Tom Bowman. Jennifer finished 12th overall with 56 laps, David finished 11th with 59 laps, and Scott finished 10th with 61 laps. Brian would round out the 'C' main with a 6th place finish and 69 laps 47 sections. Ray finished 9th overall with 66 laps in the 'B' main. Mark settled for 7th with 69 laps and 27 sections. Bud captured 5th with 73 laps just behind 4th place Bob with 77 laps in the 'B' main. Eugene turned in 68 laps to finish a disappointing 8th. Only 4 laps would separate 3rd from 1st. James Kennedy was a stranger settling into 3rd with 81 laps overall. James' 19 laps in the green lane would be his undoing. The two race favorites would finish in grand fashion with Tom and Jerry taking it to the wire. Tom (22 laps) would add 1 more lap than Jerry (21 laps) in both the green and yellow lanes to be the decisive interval. Jerry would match Tom in both the red (21 laps) and the white (20 laps) lanes. Jerry ended the inaugural Beach Jet race with 83 laps. Tom Bowman would take victory with by just 2 laps with 85 overall. While we are very grateful and in awe of the performances of Pro racers James Kennedy, Jerry Schmoyer, and Tom "Not bad for a T-Jet Racer" Bowman; I can't help laughing at the irony of the contributions Tom Bowman has made towards traction magnet racing.
TROPHY WINNERS:
1st - Tom Bowman
2nd - Jerry Schmoyer
3rd - James Kennedy
4th - Bob Hall
5th - Andrew 'Bud' Lopez
6th - Brian Edwards
Personal Note: I would like to thank Bob Hall for taking time out to help me with my sick T-Jet. Bob really deserves the trophy for 6th as well as 4th.
-Brian
The Semis
The Mains
Car specifications for the Beach Jet class