Posted: 8/15/16
Skeeno's AXIALFEST2016 Report Part 3
Just to recap, in Part 1 of my AXIALFEST2016 Report Series, I went over the first day of the event to include Driver Check-In, Vendor's Row, the Concourse Show & Shine, some 1:1 wheeling with Cody Waggoner, and the CKRC Dollar Dash.
In Part 2, I covered the second day of AXIALFEST2016 that included the Altra Ultra 5K Enduro, Opening Ceremony, and the Adventurist Trails.
Now for Part 3 of my AXIALFEST2016 Post Report Series!
I woke up Saturday morning around 6:30am and things were a little quiet around the campground. I heard Scott G sawing some logs up in his RTT. Must have been out late into the wee hours of the morning scale trailing it up with the tiny trucks!
I didn't hear anything coming from this glamper. Oh how I would love to own an Earth Roamer. I was definitely envious of this guy. Heck, I'd even settle for a used one. Anyone got an extra $400,000 they want to give me?
Rock Racing was the first order of business today. And of course, there was a tech inspection. I heard racers being warned by John Schultz and Brandon Coonce that if the tech sticker fell off the bottom of the axle housing during the race, it would result in a DQ. It was either the early morning or delirium from three straight days of AXIALFEST fun, but things were definitely lighthearted. I even heard them tell someone that their tech sticker had to be pointed in the direction of travel or a lap would be deducted. This tech stuff is serious business!
Mr. Pham brought out an impressive Phleet for the Rock Races. He ran 5 classes. His daughter drove the 6th one. Yes, even the AXIALFEST style of rock racing requires you to physically run and Pham ran... in 5 CLASSES!
Bob Tarvin hauled in his rock racing fleet with a Rad Radio Flyer Muscle Wagon making moving equipment around a lot easier than carrying it... WITH STYLE!
Mr. Hobbywing, Charlie Sue, was up early to compete and support his boys.
John Schultz went over the rules and specifics before the races began. Is that Altra Running's 3/4 Lone Peak adventure shoes Schultz is wearing? What about those Jordache jeans? Anyway, the rules were pretty basic, complete 3 laps before anyone else. Sounds simple enough, but there are no turn marshals and you aren't allowed to touch your vehicle, so you better drive smartly. One bobble and it could be over for you.
This Axialfester found a nice rock to catch all the action.
OMG! OMG! OMG! It's Mike Beir! Actually, it's Mark Weir, the world famous mountain bike racer-personality-influencer for WTB, Cannondale, Camelbak, and I'm sure a host of other sponsors. Dude is an MTB Beast of legendary status! Last year I got a little star struck and accidentally called him the wrong name, so now his AXIALFEST name is Mike Beir.
The view from the upper road to Fordyce was a excellent vantage point to check out the racing and stay out of the dust.
Well, line em up. We haven't got all morning. Well, actually we did, but you get what I mean... Let's get this racing started!
The kids were up first. Last year AXIALFEST2015 didn't have a kids class in rock racing, but this year the 15 & under class was introduced. This was the best class to watch! It was awesome to see everyone standing so close cheering them on and shouting encouragement and helpful advice. And with the amount of youth participating this year, I bet this class will break into a couple of age categories next year!
When I first checked out the track, it looked pretty tame to me. There was some whoops logs, one jump, and a small rock garden. That small rock garden proved to be the menace of the race. The rip rap ate every car that entered. Many did not exit. I was amazed at how difficult this small section was, for how simple it looked.
On the right side of the course is Casey Currie, WERTY, and a whole bunch of other spectators cheer on the little guys. They all gave out huge cheers and gasps when drivers stumbled or made it over an obstacle.
This young Axialfester, like all of them, were fully committed to driving as much as possible and were seen all over the campground! They got a little confused during the Rock Race and ran on the track for a little while. I think they too wanted to jump some sweet jumps! They were so focused on driving, I don't think they heard one person reminding them run along-side the track. I found the innocence endearing.
Here's the one jump. Most guys tried to carefully roll over it, so they didn't flip and take themselves out of the race.
Mike Pham didn't care. He jumped that log like a boss. (note: His rig is in the air!)
Oh, hello little lizard.
I saw lots of rigs on their sides here. Most ended up spending the rest of the race trying to right themselves.
WERTY worked hard in the log whoops section. He did all he could to get through here. I lost count of the number of times he flipped, got back on his wheels, and flipped again. His perseverance was honorable.
I took a little break from the Rock Racing to go check on Skeeno Jr. and see what was happening on the Adventure Trails. I ran into JConcepts. How did I miss these guys?They must have slipped in after I cruised Vendor Row. I love that old, white F250. That's my favorite Ford body style. Thank you JConcepts for coming all the way out from Florida!
I tried to get this little one to smile, but she was suspicious of me. This was the best I could out of her.
Boom Racing was over checking out all the RTRs CKRC had for sale. I guess they didn't have room on their carry on luggage all the way from Hong Kong!
#yearofthebridges. This one ran all the way across Rattle Snake Creek. TwoChainzScalerz built this 65+ feet of bridge way complete with barge and floating dock!
There was a snack shack barge in the middle, so you could stop for a soft serve cone on the way over.
There were some sweet 1:1s around AXIALFEST2016, but the real-deal Randy Slawson 1:1 FULL-SIZE RR10 Bomber was probably the sweetest! Here it poses with a 1:10 version.
Wait a minute, stop, drop, safari time!
Hi little mousy. Whatcha doin'?
WERTY saw me checking out the 1:1 Bomber and wanted in on the action, so he pulled up for a flex shot in his Toyota.
I'm glad he didn't run over the Skeeno Skooter in his zeal. That little CT70 saved me a lot of walking.
Tree even got a little ride time on it. Good thing it's a 125cc now. I don't think the 70cc engine would have been able to push him around. Also, check the custom Axial badging. That's limited edition!
Kimberly Chai, Axial's Marketing Coordinator and Skeeno-wrangler-handler, also got a little ride on the Skeeno Skooter. I hear she's sponsored by HRC now, so look for her on the ArenaCross SuperMini tour next year.
I went back to the Rock Racing to check out the Mains. Here Pham works his rig through the Garden of Eden.
Hold on little buddy. It's a bumpy ride.
This back corner got a little dusty as the speeds increased.
By the final race in the mains everyone was ready for lunch. Poor Pham was about to collapse from exhaustion after running 5-classes that was at least 15-laps! I think he was in every heat race and main event race. It didn't help that the temps were approaching the 90's.
After lunch, I headed back out to check the Adventurists finishing up their trails.
Looks like these two are also on a lunch break.
I saw Reno legend and ex-aMain customer service rep, Nate Hart out getting some wheel time in.
These guys were cooling off in the "Hot Tub" swimming hole for a cool down!
I think this was a Unimog, but he wouldn't slow down for me to confirm.
Almost thought this was a picture from KOH, but then I saw the trail markers and overpass.
This is called the concentration crouch. It's usually spotted next to ledges and areas of possible long falls.
I loved seeing how many Axialfestettes were out this year.
Kids, families and friends... It's what makes AXIALFEST, AXIALFEST!
#yearofthebridges. I'm not sure what this one was called, how about the BamBooBridge over AXIALFEST creek? Why yes, yes that is the RC4WD logo on the AXIALFEST2016 Trail Marker! They were displaying in the vendor area as well!
Mike "Beir" Weir was out on the trail with his son. We will call him "Root-Beir" at AXIALFEST2017.
#yearofthesnackshack I bet this guy was getting a cherry dipped cone. At least that's what I would have ordered.
#itookoffmyshoesforthesepictures
You have to get a little muddy at AXIALFEST! I think it's in one of the rule books.
There's Bob Stern, the oldest Axialfester. He's in his 90s somewhere, but age is just a number. He's like a little kid out running his toy trucks with his son, grandson, and great grandsons! He is our HERO!!!
A little father/son time.
I think that was an outhouse. Luckily, it was vacant for this picture.
Pura Vida! My Costa Rican friends were taking a little break up by the camp store.
These guys were wishing they had Don Hughes's pit guy with them. They had to do their own trail repair.
This gas station was busy all weekend. They ran out of 87 octane, so this guy had to fill up with premium 92 octane. All the Rock Racers said they want 101+ next year!
This family came up from Reno to check out the action. Good call bringing the bikes to get around on. Cisco Grove is a big campground. That's why I have the Skeeno Skooter, or else I would be walking all day trying to get to all the Adventure Trails for pictures.
#yearofthebridges. These guys were crossing the Welcome-Mat Bridge.
These guys stopped at the camp store for some Ice Cream. Looks like they went with the Dibs. Notice the #AXIALFEST2016 posters in the window? We love our Cisco Grove Campground!
More father/son time.
I had to stop and check out this teardrop trailer. It was a work in progress, but it sounded like a fun project. I talked to the builder's wife. She was in there reading a book and relaxing while her crew was out wheeling.
Who doesn't love a Toyota Hilux?
Pit stop for a nutrition break. Gotta keep the littles fueled up. The Finnamex family came up all the way from southern California (8+ hours) for their first ever AXIALFEST.
Almost time for the Awards ceremony and raffle. Here, Mr. Rivas Concepts poses, so I can check the lighting and angle for the winners photos. At least that is what I told him as its always hard to get him in front of the camera for a photo! He should win a prize for setting some awesome Adventure Trails. Matt Kett is showing us his good side. They were about to get into their boy-band routine!
This guy was finishing up on of the many trails and having a great time!
These Bombers went under the Transition Dirt Jumper that someone will win at the raffle. #sweetbike
Tree couldn't get enough of the Skeeno Skooter. #bigmanlittlebike
sPod? I don't know, but this Yeti SCORE TT won't have any troubles seeing in the dark.
#BigLightsWithMotorToMatch
One last picture with my Costa Rican friend, Adolfo Gutierrez.
After dinner, the crowds started to stream in for the Awards Ceremony and Raffle. Look how excited that guy is. He knows there's gonna be thousands of dollars in prizes given out.
This swag-pile courtesy of Lasernut, Braven, Axial, and Monster upon entry of the Awards Ceremony.
David and Dolly were ready. They were smart and brought their camp chairs. If you didn't, you had to sit in the dirt or stand. #ThingsToBringCamping CAMP CHAIRS!
Look, Chris Zemek and Dan Wilson of Team OldGuysRule. Mr. Zemek make the trip up to AXIALFEST2016 from Texas!
Hey, that's Chris Prestwood of ScaleByChris, aka SBC. He makes some of the coolest scale accessories around.
This is Shane Krause, aka Big Yeti. His job was to keep this truck from rolling away.
Dang, those Two Chainz Scalerz guys again. They were everywhere.
#twoPlusTwoEqualsFourTiresCHECK
The OG, Mr. Brad "Bender" Dumont with Mrs. Bender and Mini Bender. They are sitting with Shaniqua-D of CKRC.
Once everyone got situated, it was time to present the winners their awards. I was most eager to find out the winners of the Altra Ultra 5K Enduro since we they weren't announced at the race. I was in suspense for two days!
Let's start with the Rock Racers. This is the 15 and Under group:
1. Angelo Lanford, 2. Davey Batta, 3. Cole Parrish
1.9 SCX10:
1. Johnny Stephens, 2. Mike Pham, 3. Anthony Ramirez
1.9 Tubers:
1. Mike Pham, 2. Ryan Gerrish, 3. Tom Mazza
EXO Class:
1. Mike Thompson, 2. Sebastian Valencia, 3. Frank Hsing
YETI Class:
1. Daniel Ramirez, 2. Ben Thomas, 3. Ben Harmon
2.2 Tuber:
1. THE Jake Wright, 2. Gene Boyd, 3. Tony Mazza
Now, if you were in the Wraith/Bomber or Stock Bomber Class, you will have to look for yourself in the October issue of RC Driver magazine. It was Mike Pham's fault, blame him.
Wraith/Bomber:
1. THE Jake Wright, 2. Mike Thompson, 3. Mike Pham
Stock RR10 Bomber:
1. Mike Pham, 2. Vlad Askenoff, 3. Bob Tarvin
You saw these guys on day 1 Report. This is the Concourse Show and Shine Winners Group. Last year concourse was just one class, this year EIGHT CLASSES!!!
This is what I was waiting for, the Altra Ultra 5K Enduro winners.
1. Kyle Listul, 2. Mike Thompson, 3. Casey Currie
This is my competition next year!
THE Jake Wright DNFed the Altra Ultra after clearing out all the spare parts on the CKRC parts wall. We was in the lead until a chain of breakages stopped his race. BUT, despite not finishing, he was awarded a pair of Altra Lone Peak running shoes by Altra's Chris Cru Jones for setting the FASTEST SINGLE LAP time, so he can start training for next year's Altra Ultra 5K Enduro. This man is/will be hard to beat!
After the awards came the raffle. These are just a few pictures of all the bigger prizes that were awarded. There were also TONS of smaller prizes given out and even more shirts, stickers, and tires tossed out into the crowd at random times during the night. I think everyone walked away a winner.
Heather O'Connor won a scale Jersey Barrier.
This guy got to choose his rig of choice from the A-Main crew.
My, that's a big box you have. This guy took home a YETI XL.
This guy won the sweetest bundle of the night. Not only did he win a Casey Currie SCX10, but Casey Currie bundled a full size Magna Flow exhaust system with it! Sweet!
Dang, this guy took home what I wanted, a RR10 Bomber kit for the Altra Ultra 5K next year.
There's nothing better than a little winning a big.
YETI is ready for Rock Racing next year.
What the heck, this guy took my RR10 Bomber kit, too?
Best smile of the night went to this guy. He got the brand new SCX10-2 kit. That's the other one I wanted.
So, that wraps it up for another Skeeno AXIALFEST report. We made it home safely, and are already preparing for AXIALFEST2017. Did I mention next year I'm running the Altra Ultra 5K Enduro? Well, I am! Now, I just need to start building up an RR10 Bomber. See you next year!
Now, what's the number to CKRC? I need to place an order.
