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2009 Winternats: DJ Apolaro reports (17/02/2009)

By:: Reporter
Linked to:: Serpent 720 08 1/10th scale 200mm, Serpent 720 -09 1/10th scale 200mm

Hi Serpent racers,

This past week was the very long Winternats race held at the famous Fort Myers track. It is the first International race of the year and always show to be very competitive. Team Serpent was there with Michael, Paolo, Myself and others. We were on hand to show off the new 966 1/8 scale and sedan 720 09'. Doug was there as well to support Serpent racers with parts and had a Serpent display booth. We arrived as a team on Sunday morning and started breaking in motors and testing the new cars. Serpent Off-road designer Billy Easton was also on hand to help the team with set-up ideas and conversation.

For Sunday and Monday we practice and started getting ready for the qualifiers, which started on Tuesday. On Monday night I found out I was going to have to go home on Thursday and work, so the first 2 days were going to be very important for me. I felt good with the sedan and did not do much practice with it. I mainly practice for 1/8 scale and tried to get comfortable with the speed and reaction of the car. I found myself being very fast with the car, however not very happy with my consistency. As the days went on I was getting better. A side note; I ran the new Novarossi motors in both classes and all I can say is WOW. My 1/8 scale is the fastest it has ever been. I was able to get down to 11.2 second laps which is very fast and was able to get down to 12.6 second laps in sedan which was also very fast.

Come Tuesday I took it easy for the first round and just wanted to finish. There was going to be a resort after the first day and I needed to make sure I was in a good heat for the rest of the week. In sedan I put in a decent run and was sitting around 3rd or 4th. In 1/8 scale I ran out of fuel and was sitting 5th. For the 2nd round I started to push in sedan and from this point won each round for Tue. and Wed. I ended day 2 with a new track record in sedan and turned the only 24 lapper ever to be done. In 1/8 scale I was doing ok, however I was not as consistent. I ended day 2 in 3rd. Overall I was very happy sitting TQ for sedan and 3rd for 1/8 scale. Unfortunately I had to leave Wednesday for work and drove back to Miami that night and had to miss the last day of qualifying.

Wouldn't you know it, Thursday morning before the qualifying starts I get a call telling my the track is a lot faster and the traction is insane. In the morning round Paolo was able to also get 24 laps and beat my TQ by 4 tenths of a second. He ran a great race. Paolo and I are the only people to have ever done that many laps in sedan. In 1/8 scale Michael was able to better my time and pushed me back to 4th on the grid. Not bad for me though, running 2 classes, leaving for work and still being able to make the main for both classes and starting 2nd in sedan and 4th in 1/8 scale. Not to mention I am now 1 of 4 people to ever do 26 laps in 1/8 scale. :) :)

Friday came and I drove back to the Fort and started rebuilding both cars. I pitted for a couple of people and by 4pm I was done and started setting my cars for testing. I wanted to see how the tire choice was going to be for the final. First I tested 1/8 scale and the car was no good. I was traction rolling with the really big tires. I tested some 40's (yes 1/8 scale and 40's) the car was actually really good. I finally found a balance for 1/8 and now started testing sedan. My sedan was pretty good and only needed some minor changes. I ran 45's with less dual rate and glued the front tires. With this combo I could push the car if needed and felt ready for the final. Friday night we went to eat and and talked about how we felt good for the mains. We had in sedan 4 serpents direct qual and in 1/8 scale we had 3. Things were also looking good for more to bump up into the final.

Saturday was here and the A and B main were getting started. It was a long day for me. I had to pit people, turn marshal and then race two 45 minute mains. Sedan was first and I felt good in warm up. Paolo was starting the grid with me second. I felt like I was the faster car and would just be patient and see what happens. At the start Paolo and I started to check out on the field. We race so much together that we have a comfort even if we drive within a few inches of each other. We looked like we where towing each other around the track. Hopefully it made for a good show. I opted to pit early and wanted to be off schedule from the other drivers. I felt I was fast enough to do this and still win at the end. My pitman Rafael Angulo did a great job getting me in and out with no problems and we ran a smooth and smart race. After the first pit stop we where able to maintain the lead. Paolo had a stall and that gave me about a 7 second window from him. At this point I was already starting to lap some of the field and would only pull a larger lead. At about the half way point I started to reserve the car and just make sure not to make any mistakes. I backed way off and brought home the first victory for the Serpent Team and my first win at the Winternats. It felt great to get it done, especially for my sponsors and my team mates. I really like to show their products, as they are the best in the world. Also it was rewarding after a long week of hard work.

Now for 1/8 scale. In the warm up I felt amazed at how good my car was. It was super fast, the clutch was awesome, the tires were the perfect choice and the chassis was on rails. I felt this just might be my first big win in 1/8 scale. At the start of the race we took off and I was right behind Swauger and Burch. We went into the sweeper onto the straight and I just touched the metal board that sticks out going onto the sweeper. It killed me that I did that. It was all my fault. I took it too tight and ripped the front right wheel off. Ronnie did his best to get another wheel on, but the car was not the same. I got used to it and after a few laps started pushing the car and me to the max. I was by far one of the fastest cars on the track, but I had lost too much time. In the final my best lap was a 11.3 which was the 3rd fastest lap in the race. Burch had a 11.1 and Swauger an 11.2. They were like machines the entire week. Meanwhile Paolo was quietly waiting for his car to come in. He had a different tire strategy. He was going all the way on one set of tire. Or he was going to at least try. After a few pit stops he started to push and was able to get on pace and chase down Tosolini, who at this point was in second. Burch was in the lead. Then all of a sudden Burch made a mistake that cost him some time and Paolo was also able to pass Tosolini. It was now Burch and Paolo and Paolo was gaining ground on Burch. Paolo was driving hard and fast and was able to take the lead at about the same time Burch had some issues. Paolo now had a lead of about 5 laps on second. He started to reserve the tire and motor and with about 3 minutes to go started having issues with the tires. He had plenty of time so Mark Harrison, his pit guy, made a tire change to help him finish the race. Paolo would bring home the victory with 2 laps to spare. Giving Serpent a clean sweep with Myself taking sedan, Maxy winning Masters and Paolo winning 1/8 scale.

All in all Serpent had a great week. Winning all three classes, showing off the new 966 and the 720 09' and giving outstanding customer support to all racers that asked for help. I must say it was fun racing at the highest level with all the talented drivers at the event and seeing old and making new friends.

I would like to thank the entire Fort Myers crew for the great effort and putting on such a smooth event. The weather was great all week and the racing did not disappoint. I also need to thank Kevin Hutchinson from Twister Tires USA for the pit work in all the qualifiers, to Rafael Angulo for pitting me in the Sedan Main and to Ronnie Regalado for pitting me in the 1/8 scale final (sorry for making you run so much). Last but not least; to my wife for the time off and to all my sponsors for the best products in RC racing. Serpent, Serpent America, Xceed, Maxy's fuel, Twister Tires USA, Novarossi World, ATS, Parma and Paintin Pete(those bodies are sick!!!).

Till next time racers,

DJ Apolaro

DJ with 720-966

10 scale podium

Serpent Team

720 wins