While I’m afraid Big Squid RC won’t be at this event, I’m a big fan of the Cup Racer series, and someone asked me to mention this one, so I have no problems doing that. The upcoming Cup Racer event is in Kennett Square, PA on February 27th, so if you are in the area, you should check it out. What I like about the events (besides the cool looking realistic vehicles), a lot of it comes down to driver skill. The Box Stock class is exactly how it sounds, if it didn’t come IN THE BOX, you can’t run it on your vehicle, except for the battery which can be a LiPo!

Again, if you are thinking about getting into on-road RC, this is a great class to start off in.

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The folks over at Slot and Wing Hobbies in Champaign, IL. are having a little bash thing at their track Saturday, Oct 17, 2009. The event starts at noon. A few of us are going to attend, and check out the action. It’s supposed to be cold and wet… but if you are in the area, try and stop by!

Update: Have a bit of a stomach bug this morning, which would make the 2+ hour drive not so fun. So going to stay local today and work on stuff for iHobby Expo coming up in 5 days!! If anyone hits the event, make sure to snap some pics.

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Finally getting a chance to start and catch up after the big computer crash! Here are some pictures of the event winners from the 2009 BASH-A-PALOOZA Event! The events this year were great! Take note of Bill S. (Firesprink281) with a little extra work during his on-camera appearances! lol.

Congrats to all the winners! There was some serious competition this year with some amazing driving!
Feel free to head over to the NEW Forums and tell him he should stick to radio!

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Well the BASH-A-PALOOZA event has come and gone! I wanted to take a moment to thank all the people that helped make the event special! Without them I would never be able to pull it off! Bill S. (Firesprink281) did an amazing job on the ramps and obstacles, while putting up with me yelling and panicking about everything. Thanks man, you rock!! Thanks to Jon at Leisure Hours for his work on the mic and getting everyone registered! Awesome job as always! Thanks to Scott and Bernie at Leisure Hours for letting us use their amazing facility! Hopefully us ‘non-racers’ didn’t mess the place up too bad. Thanks to Matt G. (Our newest writer) Ben, Chris and everyone else who helped out at the track getting things ready.

Thanks to all the awesome sponsors!
HPI Racing, DuraTrax, O’Donnell Racing, RC Pro Products , Pro-Line Racing. All your support has been greatly appreciated! Lets hope we can keep the event growing!
Lastly, thanks to all the bashers and Big Squid RC fans! Without you guys, this event just wouldn’t happen! You guys keep the web page and events growing! See you at iHobby! Thanks to pro driver Tim Mohr , Jim, all the guys from way south (they drove 5+ hours to be there today!) it’s always great seeing you guys.
The turnout of people keeps growing, lets see what we can do to double the amount next year!

I know there were a lot more cars then this there, but I guess a few got left inside since there was some major destruction after the Monster Soccer event. Make sure to visit those sponsors when ordering parts and new vehicles.

There will be a big write up and pictures, and videos sometime this week after I get the videos grabbed and some sleep!

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Sunday, August 16th 2009 is the BASH-A-PALOOZA event at the Leisure Hours Raceway track! If you have been ‘thinking’ about going to the event, maybe this picture will help seal the deal. This is not ALL the prizes, the Big Squid RC work shop was already getting crowded enough.. there are more wheels/tires, tools, and other stuff I didn’t put out here.

For those interested in in specifics, here are a few of the raffle prizes!
NEW HPI Savage FLUX!
2 NEW Brama 10b Buggies!
New Duratrax Vendetta ST!
New Onyx Charger!
Tons of RC Pro Tools
Tons of Duratrax Tools
Pro-Line wheels, tires and body!

Plus all the great events planned, how can you not want to be part of Slash Demolition Derby?! Or the Long Jump Contest? I hope to see you all there!

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Don’t forget the 2009 Futaba / OS Engines Nitro Challenge coming up this weekend. I mention it .. not only because I dig Futaba and OS engines, but because they are even including a 1/8 Scale Electric class this year! Cool.

Afraid I won’t be there because we have our own event, BASH-A-PALOOZA Sunday August 16th!

Good luck to everyone that attends! Go support 1/8th scale electric!

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Hey Bashers! There is just one week left to the BASH-A-PALOOZA event at the Leisure Hours Raceway track! Don’t forget August 16th!!

I know the flyers say Monster Trucks and Truggies, but we are opening this year up to Slashes and SC vehicles! We will have a special class for them if enough show up, and at the very least run them in our new event, DEMOLITION SLASH DERBY! This is going to be a ‘last vehicle moving’ event. Not for the shelve queens! The rules are simple, we square off an area, do our best to get everyone on a different channel, and let them at it! If your vehicle gets rolled over, there is NO marshaling! IF someone rolls you back, your back in. Otherwise, the LAST VEHICLE DRIVING will be the winner! If you are bringing a monster truck/truggy the event, but own a slash, bring it for this part! It’s going to be a blast!

Hit this link for more event info: BASH-A-PALOOZA .

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We just updated the official BASH-A-PALOOZA web page with dates, info and the latest version of the flyer! We have a TON of great prizes starting to come in. We’ll try and get some pictures up shortly. We have a new LiPo Charger, some LiPo packs, wheels/tires, bodies, RTR Vehicles, and a TON of tool sets to give away!

The bash is on August 16th, 2009 at the awesome Leisure Hours Raceway! Make sure you keep the date open for the event! It’s going to be another great day of bashing action!

More updates coming soon!

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I just saw a link to the 2009 Futaba / OS Engines Nitro Challenge coming up in August, and thought I would mention it.. not only because I dig Futaba and OS engines, but because they are even including a 1/8 Scale Electric class this year! Cool. Sadly, we won’t be down there covering the event because that’s the same weekend as BASH-A-PALOOZA. Good luck to everyone that attends! Go support 1/8th scale electric!

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Day one of the No Limit RC World Finals went off with a bang! Dennis Anderson gave the opening speech welcoming all the racers. The day started off with early qualifying for the Baja drivers who were also driving No Limit style racing. After the Baja guys were done the rest of the crowd ran their respective classes. The day wrapped up around 8PM. There are all the usual suspects here with one exception Losi. I was told they show up on the final day.
I met up with Dave From BuKu, hung out with Heather from Bluegroove Concepts, spoke with Rick from SPI Racing Wheels, was wowed by Dan and his Kershaw Designs creations, talked with the HPI Racing crew and met a ton of great people. The UK branch of No Limit RC was out here too! There are two more days of racing starting off this morning with the Show and Shine competition.

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I just received the official flyer from Matt about the Silver Lake Baja Bash event. The event takes place June 19-21, 2009, in Mears Michigan. Looks like a good time. Lots of people ripping it up in the sand. For more information you can check out the HPI Baja Forums.

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Mark those calendars! This years Bash-A-Palooza event has a date!
I just got off the phone with our good friend Scott from Leisure Hours and right now we are looking at August 16th, 2009! If you are in the area, you may want to start planning the road trip. It’s a little later in the year this time, hopefully we won’t interfere with too much else.

Last Years event was a great time, and we had a TON of prizes to give away, and met with a ton of cool people! I think we gave away like 5 vehicles!

More details coming soon!

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We just got word RC Madness in Enfield CT will be hosting the Short Course RC Nationals July 24-26! Looks like they will have plenty of classes to keep most people happy. I’m sure our Pro Driver, Tim Mohr will be making his way out there to participate and cover the action!

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Our Pro Driver and good friend Tim Mohr checks in from the 1/18th scale nats! Thanks for the report Tim, looks like you got a few awards yourself! Congrats!

2009 18th Scale Carpet Off-Road Nationals Report by Tim Mohr

The 6th annual 18th scale Carpet Off-Road Nationals went down over the weekend at RC Madness in Enfield Connecticut. While attendance dropped off a bit due to the economy, the race still had a very respectable 223 entries, and 27 races per round.

Here’s a quick race recap-

2wd Stock- TQ Ron Spinelli ran into problems in the main, while Castle Creations/MaxAmps driver Wesley Dennis picked it up and finished with his first win at the off-road nats. Second place is listed at Dean Berry, but perhaps it was RC Drivers Greg Vogel behind the wheel? Third place went to Matt Maziarz.

Stock/Spec Buggy- RC Driver’s Greg Vogel hot a race long battle with carpet guru Mark Smyka, with Vogel ending up on top. Both the top two guys were running the Duratrax Vendetta. Third place went to Associated’s Bob Stellflue.

Stock Rally- TQ Ashely Villar took down the win, with Ron Spinelli finishing second on the podium, and Nick Zaccaro nailing down third.

4wd Stock Truck- TQ and factory MaxAmps/X-Ray driver Zack Barry destroyed the field in both qualifying and in the main. Nick Zaccaro and Aaron Wilson rounded out the podium.

Tamiya Spec Class- TQ Carrisa Smyka ran clean out front for the win, while RC Drivers Greg Vogel and Mark Smyka went back and forth for second place, with Vogel gaining the spot at the end.

Novice- Talk about a good group of racers having a great time out on the track! Andrew “Lil’ Fish” Bishop took the win with his Assocaited RC18, while Cameron Dopp came in second, and Trevor Stevens finished third.

Mini-Monster- Once again, MaxAmps/X-Ray factory driver Zack Barry had the field covered, pwning qualifying and the main. Castle Creations/MaxAmps driver Tom Loranger put his X-Ray M-18MT second on the podium, while John Cravotta started his day on the podium with a third.

2wd Open- John Cravotta really upped his game for this years nats, and was way out front for the win driving his Team Scream Thunder Tiger mid-engined 2wd truck. Second on the podium was yours truly, with Team Scream driver Mike Wilder coming in third.

Buggy Open- Another race, another big win for MaxAmps/X-Ray driver Zack Barry. Mark Smyka piloted his Duratrax Vendetta to second, and John Cravotta continued his podium streak with a thrid.

Rally Open- Get used to his name, because he proved his incredible speed this year. Team Scream’s John Cravotta totally pwned this class, putting in times nobody else was even close to for the win. Dillon Spinelli finished second, with Castle Creations/MaxAmps factory shoe Tom Loranger finishing off the podium.

4wd Truck Open- This was the premier class at the event, and also had the most entries. Alex Galinski was in a class of his own though, as he dominated qualifying, and took the win in the A main with his Associated. Team Scream’s John Cravotta proved to be his closest competition, finishing second a mere 3 seconds back, Another Team Scream driver Mike Wilder finished off the podium in third.

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Just wanted to post up a few pictures of the winners from the Breakneck Bash at the Lynwood RC Dragway. Anyone who came out to support the RC Drag Racing scene is a winner in my book!

Congrats to all the winners! Check out their cars and sweet winners plaques. (Provided by Big Squid RC)

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It’s that time again! Another part of the Midwest RC Drag Racing Series! This time we will be at the Badgerland RC Drag Racing track in Wisconsin! The dates are July 12th and 13th! Click on the picture for the full event flyer!

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Wow, what a great event! First off, I would like to thank all the awesome companies that helped provide prizes for the event!
HPI Racing, Duratrax, Parma, O’Donnell Racing, XXX Main, and ofcourse Leisure Hours Hobbies!
I would also like to thank John (from Leisure Hours Raceway) for doing an awesome job on the microphone, also Bill (Firesprink281), Chris (thenewguy812), Jodie, Josh (xirtic), and everyone else who helped make the event happen.

One of the coolest things about this event was all the different types of RC’ers that made the trip out to the event. We had the die hard bashers, a bunch of newbies and even pro-driver Tim Mohr! Most of these people have never even set foot at a race rc race track, and I think a lot of them will be back. We saw both nitro and electric trucks, with all sorts of makes and models, and towards the end of the event we had over 50 spectators enjoying the long jump action! This was cool for 2 reasons. 1) It’s a ton of fun as a driver to hear a big crowd of people ‘Ohh-ing’ and ‘Ahh-ing’, and B) A lot of these people got to see how fun RC can be, and will hopefully go out, buy some vehicles, and get into the hobby. I know I had several people ask me about specific trucks, and advice one what their first should be.

The first event was the monster truck obstacle course. (See the video after the read-more) The course consisted of some wooden whoop-di-doo’s, a big jump, some smaller ramps, a slalom, and the final table top challenge. I honestly didn’t think the table top was going to be as difficult as it turned out to be, but it sure did keep things exciting! The final part consisted of a split ramp and split table with two orange cones on the end. The first truck to run the obstacle course and touch one of the cones was the winner for that round. We ran a bracket style race with each section running for the best 2 out of 3.

After the obstacle course, it was time for RC Monster Truck Soccer! We had a nicely decorated ball (thanks Mini Squid!) and with a little work, we were able to work out the frequencies so that everyone who wanted to participate in the soccer event was able to do it at once! This proved a little insane! We every r/c monster trucks all on the field at once, all supposedly trying to get the ball into their goal. I say supposedly because most of the pile ups we no where near the ball! The red team won with a sudden death goal!

We then went inside to draw the raffle prizes and allow people to make repairs before the death long jump competition. I can’t thank the event sponsors enough! We had some of the greatest prizes an event like this has ever seen! We had a HPI Savage XL, a Duratrax RT-X 27, and 3 (yes three!) HPI 4×4 Wheely Kings, t-shirts, banners, tools, temp gauges, bodies, dvd’s, and more!

Pro-Driver Tim Mohr and John did the ticket drawing for the event, and we made sure that everyone that attended walked away with a prize!

We also had plaques for the winners of the long jump,obstacle course, and winning goal!

Last up was the LONG JUMP! The ramp was huge, and this truly was a ‘Go Big, or Go Home!’ event!
We are talking SERIOUS air here! Easily 40 feet high, and over 65 feet distances! Many trucks survived to make two passes, and the crowed showed their appreciation with cheering the brave drivers on!

The weather was perfect, everyone told me they had a great time, and are looking forward to the next one, and a lot of people got introduced to the world of RC. You really can’t ask for better than that!
If you didn’t make it out to this event, I hope to see you out at the next one! Thanks to everyone who came out and helped make the day special!

Keep an eye on the Big Squid RC news page for details! If you have any suggestions for events you would like to see, drop me an email!

Tons more pictures AND videos of the event after the jump: ,

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Here is another video I put together from the Big Squid RC Bash-A-Palooza event this weekend! This time up we have some awesome rc monster truck long jumps and soccer action!

Again, Thanks to everyone who came out to the event! We couldn’t do it without you all!

There is also a HI-DEF version of the video Located HERE! Right Click/Save As. You’ll need Quicktime or a mp4 codec to play. WARNING: It’s about 35 meg!

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Here is a quick video I put together from the Big Squid RC Bash-A-Palooza event this weekend! I will post up a full recap tonight along with another video. The folks over at HobbyZip also have a ton of videos posted, so make sure to head over there and check them out!

Thanks to everyone who came out..I hope everyone had as much fun as I did!

There is also a HI-DEF version of the video Located HERE! Right Click/Save As. You’ll need Quicktime or a mp4 codec to play. WARNING: It’s about 55 meg!

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Our own Big Squid RC BASH-A-PALOOZA event is coming up! Hosted By: Leisure Hours Hobbies at the amazing Leisure Hours Raceway June 14th!

The official event page is Right HERE! Or click the new link over on the left! This event is going to be awesome!

Here is a Prize List Update:
- New HPI Savage
- New Duratrax RT-X 27
- A Bunch of Bodies from Parma Racing
- DVD’s and Skins from XXXMain
- Tools from Duratrax and O’Donnell Racing
- T-Shirts, Stickers, and More!

That’s TWO NEW RC Monster Trucks! Most Pro Events don’t give away this much stuff!
If you are in the area, you do not want to miss this event!
Event Page for all the details you need!

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