5th USVTA title for AE and Battman at the Thunder Jam Event

The ninth running of one of the best warm-up races to the Snowbirds Nationals was back again to kick off 2017. Thunder RC Raceway is one of the best tracks in terms of size: 90' x 48' track size with Snowbirds layout, counter-clockwise and location. The event has brought in racers to compete for trophies, cash, and the glory. For an event that was created for kids to have their own special race, it has grown over the years to give racers of all ages a chance to win an event.

Team Associated was on hand as this year's title sponsor and team drivers Myron "Battman" Kinnard and Will Sheffield were in attendance to help address many visitor questions on AE/Reedy products and setups.

For Saturday, the event would have three qualifiers and AA mains. This is a format that has been used for years and works very well to maximize the time so travelers can get home at comfortable times.

Team Associated/Reedy driver Myron Kinnard was able to lay in a TQ run in the first round with his TC7.1 Reedy-powered VTA car, which included the new Blackbox 510R. He reset that TQ again as the day went on. Running the PROTOform 1971 Chevy Camaro Z28 body, he was able to complete a start-to-finish win with a .097 deviation for a solid eight minutes. Teammate Will Sheffield, running his Reedy-powered TC7, secured a third-place finish, and young privateer Joseph Steele locked in a second-place finish running an AE TC4.

So for the second AA main, the USVTA rules allow the racer either a rolling start or inverted start. Inverted was the call and being TQ meant starting from the back of the pack. At the sound of the buzzer it was Will Sheffield who jumped to the front of the line and laid in some of his best laps of the event with a .69 deviation. As Battman and Will battled for the lead, it would take only one mistake to make a difference in this hard-fought win. And it would be Battman claiming his fifth Thunder Jam USVTA title. Will secured a solid second, with newcomer Steele taking third. A clean sweep for AE in VTA!

Also for some of the most exciting racing of the event, the Jr. VTA class took to the track and absolutely electrified the crowd and racers in attendance. They all exhibited great patience and driver etiquette beyond their years. But it was Orlando Boullard running his Reedy-powered AE TC6.2 who set an early TQ and held tight in the main to secure his first "big" race win. Also not to be outdone was young Mya Kinnard, still mixing it up after a great showing at the past Nationals, who laid in from a fifth-place start on the grid to challenge for the lead in the mains. After a few mistakes she had some of the best battles with her Reedy-powered TC6, and finished to a standing ovation in a solid fourth. Also another newcomer, Marcus running another TC4, finished a nice third place.

Vehicles used
#30121 TC7.1 Factory Team
#30120 TC7 Factory Team
#30101 TC4 Club Racer Race Roller
#30106 TC6 Factory Team
#30109 TC6.2 Factory Team Kit

Reedy Products used
#27005 Blackbox 510R Competition ESC w/PROgrammer 2
#27003 Reedy Blackbox 1000Z+ Competition ESC
#27309 Reedy Zappers LiPo 6000mAh 100C 7.6V LP Stick
#27301 Reedy Zappers 5600mAh 7.4V 100C
#315 Reedy LiPo 2100mAh 7.4V RX/TX Battery
#27200 Reedy 1216-C2 Dual AC/DC Competition Balance Charger
#27108 Reedy RS0806 LP Digital HV Hi-Speed Competition Servo
#29166 XP DS1313 Hi Performance Digital Servo

Thanks to Myron "Battman" Kinnard for this report.

Team Associated - Champions by Design

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