Region 6 Web Report #11
May 11, 2011
2011 has started off great for our region. Although we think the weather has been cold, every prediction for smow has not occurred.
Recently I had an incident occur that was both a pleasure as well as a shock. Mike Morris, of Clinton, Mississippi is a racer that I have have known long before he had his drivers license. Mike gave me a copy of a Rev-Up magazine that contained the very first item written by yours truly (me). It was very pleasant to see that he had kept this copy and it brought back some fond memories. The shocking part was the date on the magazine - SEPTEMBER, 1987. Wow, that was a long time ago. Have I really been reporting about ROAR activities for almost 23 years? Well in my defense, let me say that I am still having fun.
March 26, 2011 I was invited to attend the first official race at the Riverside R/C Racing Complex in Petal Mississippi. William Sharp and associates have been working for four years in order to bring this facility to life. At this time there is only one off-road track. However, they will race any scale vehicle from 1/18th to 1/5th. They have plans for a larger off-road track as well as a large scale dirt oval track. The race day went smoothly with no problems that I could see. Mrs. Sharp did a great job counting as well as keeping the grill hot - she fed us very well. Parking and room to build and expand will never be a problem here as they have a very large piece of property. The City of Petal had two representatives attend this race. It would appear that they were very impressed with the event. I was told that the City Parks and Recreation Department would support R/C Racing in their town. It was very rewarding for me to learn that the Mayor of Petal, Mississippi and the City Fathers were so forward thinking and supportive of our sport of R/C Racing.
[caption id="attachment_1095" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Riverside R/C Track"]
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Two years ago we lost a local racer. Leighton Dillard passed away while driving in a R/C race. Last year Lee Collins owner of Nitro Toys and Hobbies in Flowood, Mississippi held a memorial and benefit race for Leighton and his family. This year I was invited to attend the Leighton Dillard Second Annual Moeorial and Benefit Race held at Nitro Toys and Hobbies April 2nd and 3rd, 2011. Leighton's family attended the event and Leighton's son Chris drove in a class as well. The driver turnout was great. Of course the local drivers attended, but there were entrants from Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee and Texas. Lee collins along with Rocky Burney and Terry Vaughn hosted a great event. They even asked me to "guest" commentate a race. The Bar - B - Q and Hot Wings kept folks coming back for seconds. I have been assured that there will be a 3rd annual event. If you want to be assured of a good time, watch for it.
[caption id="attachment_1096" align="alignleft" width="225" caption="Nitro Toys On-Road Track"]
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[caption id="attachment_1097" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="The Winners - Leighton Dillard 2nd Annual Memorial Race at Nitro Toys"]
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That's all for now.
Yours in racing,
Ed Hill
