Only a couple of Carson City racers traveled over the hill for the final race of the prestigious QRC Cup at Red Bluff on Saturday, Dec. 10.
Both experienced some success, with young Tanner Thorson taking home the big prize in the Box Stock division. Thorson qualified fifth, ran third in the trophy dash, and second in his heat race before leading the field to the checkered flag in the A main. Thorson bested a field of 25 racers, 19 of whom qualified in the 10-second range.
In the Open Division, Christian Steele didn't quite have the same luck as Thorson, but he did a lot of racing. After qualifying a disappointing 39th and running seventh in his heat, Steele won the D main, ran fourth in the C main and transferred to the B main where he finished 16th.
The Dec. 17 race was much better attended by our local heroes, with 11 drivers from the area in attendance. The Box Stock division saw four racers from Carson and Minden in action.
Kellcy Bell led the pack with a second place in the A main, a trophy dash win, a runner-up spot in her heat race, and a fifth-place qualifying effort. The other three ran nose to tail in the A main, with Thorson finishing seventh, Zachary Heinz eighth, and Mason Millard ninth. Thorson won his heat race after qualifying eighth. Heinz took a second in his heat following a 10th place qualifying run, and Millard was fourth in his heat and 12th fastest qualifier.
Matt Sciarroni made his debut in the F200 class, qualifying seventh and finishing eighth in the A main. Cameron Millard was the lone Intermediate division entry, racing into the B main with a third place C main finish after qualifying 17th and taking ninth in his heat. His B main finish position was eighth.
Daniel Thorson had an excellent run in the Intermediate Open division, coming home in second place after a second in his heat. He qualified 12th. Mackena Bell had to run the B main after taking sixth in her heat. She finished eighth in the A main, the same placing as her qualifying position.
Local drivers qualified in the bottom half of the huge Open field, with Christian Steele in 21st, Dave Sciarroni 32nd, and Chris Rytting 43rd. Steele again got a lot of racing for his entry fee, taking seventh in his heat and advancing through the D main (second), C main (fourth) and into the B main, where he finished 11th. Sciarroni, also with a seventh place heat race finish, was 12th in the D main, ending his evening. Rytting also failed to transfer out of the D main with an 11th placing after taking eighth in his heat.
Red Bluff will be dark for the Christmas and New Year weekends, with five races remaining in the winter series when action resumes on Jan. 7.
