Region 6 Report Report #10
February 9, 2011
"Yours in racing" Ed Hill
2010 has been a great year in Region 6. We now have two new racing facilities to welcome to our ROAR family of racing.
T & T Speedway in Shreveport, LA has opened their doors as a full service racing facility. Just check out their features. Inside you will find a paved On-Road course that can be quickly converted to a Flat Oval Track. There is a Rock Crawling area as well as a "Little Tykes" Track for birthday parties. Last but not least you will find a large pit area. Spectators have an unobstructed view of the action on three sides of the track.
Outside of the T & T building you will find a well built Dirt Oval Track. Next to the Dirt Oval Track is an Off-Road Track that is large enough to handle all Off-Road classes, from the largest to the smallest. Now, talk about parking, there is paved parking "for days".
Lap counting is done by AMB. While there are snack and drinks available in the hobby shop, orders for box lunches are taken and are catered by a local restaurant. I tried a box lunch and will be sure to order another the next time that I visit T & T Speedway.
[caption id="attachment_1191" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Inside T & T On-Road; Oval; etc."]
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[caption id="attachment_1192" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="T & T Pit area"]
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[caption id="attachment_1193" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="T & T Off-Road"]
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Last summer disaster hit Flowood, MS when the City Fathers "in their divine wisdom" revoked the permit for the Trackseeker's R/C/ Car Club racing facility. But, did that stop Bubba Barham and the Trackseeker's Club? Heck no!!!!! With Bull Dog tenacity, an R/C racing campaign seldon seen was launched. Politics were played, favors were called in and some arms were twisted, but not in public. What was the result? The City of Flowood, Mississippi, a rather unique community, that borders Jackson, the Mississippi State Capitol to the east, with the Trackseeker's R/C Club managing, has opened what is believed to be the only city owned R/C track in the United States of America. What we have now is an 1/8th scale Off-Road Track with ventilation to safely run all of the nitro classes your heart desires. Did I say ventilation? There is such ventilation that the flags are always in motion. I for one like the smell of Nitro, but you won't smell it here. This facility, now known as "Flowood R/C/ Racing Center"", is counted with AMB. There is a small track for the "little ones" as well as a "Birthday Party Room". There is a unique "loft" above the race track with bleachers for spectators. The view is so spectacular that I like it better than the drivers stand. At most tracks you will have a problem with photographers wanting to be on the drivers stand as well as kids who just want to see better. Here that will never be a problem. Parking is a little tight, but there are plans to expand the parking area. Last but not least, there is indoor plumbing.
The opening day race at Flowood R/C Racing Center was a special event because not only was it the 1st official race held here, but it was also a "Toys for ToTs" event held in conjunction with the United States Marine Corps. Bubba Barham and the Trackseeker"s R/C/ Car Club have every right to be proud of the results. The race was well attended and over 100 toys were donated. Not wanting to be left out, I brought a big blue bear to be added to the toy collection. So that no one went hungry, Bubba arranged for a local restaurant to set up in the building and serve hot food. What a treat!
[caption id="attachment_1194" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Flowood R/C/ Racing Center - check out the 3 huge fans on the far wall. Note: this photo was taken from the spectators "loft"."]
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[caption id="attachment_1195" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Yours truly with the First Sergeant"]
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Many thanks to Steve Pond, 2011 ROAR President, for teaching me how to get stuff posted to our web site. From what we have seen so far, I know that he will have a good term of office.
That's all for now. Yours in racing, Ed Hill
