[uf1 2024 overall points]

[super tUB gt 2024 overall points]

ROUND 6 - revelation RACEWAY

Rev!

Round 6 was our 2024 season finale and was hosted by Revelation Raceway. The skies were clear all day and the ambient temp reached a mild 80 degrees. 

Practice

The track surface was prepped with a few coats of fruit punch and allowed to dry. Driver's took their time getting out on track for practice, due to unknown data relating to tire combinations and chassis setup. Rev is one of our bumpier tracks in Southern California. Nothing wrong with bumps, but you absolutely need to account for them in your setup for the day! It had also been 2 seasons since our last round at Rev. The last time UF1 stopped at Rev, we did not have the infamous double red Exotek rears. They simply didn't exist then! Needless to say that it would take racers a few battery packs to sort out needing the double red rears. Drivers were mixed regarding front tire compounds. Some racers were on 38 fronts, while others were on the harder 40 fronts. Traction compound and amount was often the deciding factor on which front tire the racers were ultimately choosing. 

Qualifying

In the UF1 class, the drivers were broken down to 3 heats of 5-6 drivers. Qualifying was fairly straight forward as many racers were not pulling over to make adjustments during the 10 minute sessions. Rev's trackside barriers are staked into the asphalt and several drivers ultimately pushed too hard. This resulted in collisions with barriers that damaged their cars. We saw several front and rear wings damaged throughout the day. Many racers chose more conservative lines towards the middle of the track. It was clear from qualifying that the usual suspects were going to be quick for the day! Thad Garner and Tony Phalen swept pole and second qualifier with their R1 equipped Exotek Ultra's. Their balanced setups with TONS of pod droop proved to be the quickest combo on track. Third qualifier was the current UF1 commissioner, Aaron Lane. Some claim he paid off the race announcer to be third place. Aaron however, put a few good laps together and ultimately pushed his custom ALF1'25 chassis into a solid starting position. Fourth qualifier was Arizona's Brad Toffelmire! Brad has proven to be super quick, and has been a force to be recon with! Brad's Roche chassis is typically more at home on smooth / high bite surfaces, but pulled off enough fast laps to secure a spot in the 'fast heat'. Qualifying fifth was our very own Panda! We are stoked that Panda has made a comeback to UF1. Not only was Panda's car quick, but it looked freaking cool around the track. Panda is well known for his detailed liveries and helmets. Rumors are that Panda and Steven Jackson will be teaming up in 2025! 

Mains

Racing went fairly smoothly. We had a hiccup in the beginning with timing and scoring, but it wasn't anything we couldn't handle! Thad smoked everyone by winning all three rounds and even earning the fast lap bonus point... he was seriously quick. Tony had to also be quick. Since this was the last round, the championship title would be decided between the two teammates. Tony had some trouble in the first round, but was still able to pull off an impressive third place behind Aaron. Tony drove smart for all three rounds and kept it as close as he could to Thad. Tony ended up winning the entire championship by one single point over Thad! One miscalculation or bump from a back-marker and his championship hopes would have been OVER!! 

Performing well for the final round was Brad and Carlos. Both drivers scored consistently in the top 5 and did what they needed to do. Steven Jackson was third overall heading into the final round. He held third by one point over Aaron Lane. Unfortunately, Steven had some rough crashes in the mains and did not have enough points to maintain third place. Steven's Serpent ride seemed better balanced for high-bite traction and tight corners. This was displayed in Round 5 at BWS Raceway with an impressive podium finish. Will Steven look to a different chassis for the low traction surfaces in 2025? Or will next years schedule lend more towards Serpent's inline battery setup??? Rounding out the top 10 was Torrey, Phillip, Sean, and Cuda. All of these drivers are quick. Some drivers had better luck than others against the dreaded 2x4" barriers and were able to pull off quicker times... Traction was impressive at Rev. The morning was a little rough, but most all of the driver's got their cars sorted. Yes... there were bumps... but the bumps were there for everyone. We had a great time at Rev, and look forward to going back soon! 

Overall results

UF1

1st Thad Garner

2nd Tony Phalen

3rd Aaron Lane

Super Tub

1st Jonah Gallant

2nd Carlos Duarte

3rd Rocco Epler

That is it for 2024! 

We hope that everyone enjoyed the season. 2025 is looking to be even bigger and better! 

UF1 is looking to have a dinner some time in November.. we are still working on the details and place that will work for our needs. The hope is to discuss the past season, things we liked, things we didn't like, and ideas on how we want the series to grow. All racers will be welcome and look for an announcement on social media for specific dates / venue. 

ROUND 5 - BWS RACEWAY

Back to BWS!

Round 5 was a return to BWS Raceway, in Perris Ca. This time, however, it would be a normal Sunday morning event. The weather couldn’t have been any better with temperatures in the 80’s, and a slight breeze all day.

Practice

As the racing teams arrived and the track setup was complete, drivers made their way to the driver-stand to learn the layout and begin the process of fine tuning for the day ahead. Grip was up but conditions were tricky, resulting in drivers resorting to some unconventional tire choices. Tires that had more wear seemed to be the trend around the paddock. By the end of the practice session, most of the drivers had settled into a setup for the day. Lap-times were tracking in the 15 second range, and the occasional mid-14 second lap being called out.

Qualifying

In the UF1 class, the drivers were broken down to 3 mostly full heats with a total of 25 drivers. Brad Toffelmire took the pole position with a top-3 consecutive time of 43.835 and fast lap of 14.478. Steven Jackson followed in the 2nd position, and Hector Martinez in 3rd. The Super Tub class had a light turnout this round, with only 2 drivers making the trip. The Candyman Nick Pantana would earn the Super Tub Pole with Mark Lane taking the second position on the grid.

Mains

We tried out a different race day schedule this round where in we opted for short breaks between each race in lieu of a traditional lunch break. This worked well for turn marshalling as it freed up drivers from having to worry about prepping for their next race, enabling drivers to volunteer as needed.

In Super Tub GT, Nick Pantana carried on his dominance and won all 3 rounds taking Super Tub win. Mark Lane sealed the deal by finishing second in all 3 rounds. As the day went on these drivers started to have more fun with each other and the last round was fun for the crowd as well as the drivers with Mark taking the occasional “joker lap” to spice thigs up! In UF1 Tony Phalen took the top spot in the first 2 the Mains, taking the UF1 win for the day. Steven Jackson took the second step on the podium finishing 2nd in round 1, 3rd in round 2, winning round 3. Thad Garner clamed the 3rd spot on the podium for the day. Finishing 4th, 2nd, and 3rd .

Overall results

UF1

1st Tony Phalen

2nd Steven Jackson

3rd Thad Garner

Super Tub

1st Nick Pantana

2nd Mark Lane

Round 6 will take the UF1 series to Revelation Raceway for the Season Finale on October 12. Going into Round 6, Tony Phalen maintains his championship lead, Thad Garner, his team mate holds on to his second place ranking. Steven Jackson has taken over the 3rd position with his strong performance in round 5. The Super Tub Top-3 has been shaken up, with the Candyman Nick Pantana taking the lead, followed by Mark Lane and Jonah Gallant. 

ROUND 4 - rc fun park, palm desert

UF1 in the Desert

Hobby Town – RC Fun Park hosted round 4 of the 2024 UF1 series. Being an indoor carpet track, this would be the outlier event for the UF1 drivers as the rest of the calendar is made up of outdoor asphalt tracks.

Practice

A handful of drivers made the trip out to Palm Desert a day early, hoping to adapt their car setups and driving style to the unique venue and track surface. As drivers made chassis adjustments and experimented with tire compounds and prep methods lap times dropped from the high 12-second range into the mid 11’s. Saturday morning the doors opened and the pits were flooded with the UF1 paddock ready to make the most of the open practice session, the driver’s stand was busy but all drivers were able to put in some meaningful laps and prepare for the day of racing ahead. By the end of practice most drivers had made only small chassis adjustments from their asphalt setups with the biggest factor being tires and tire prep. Brad Toffelmire won the UF1 Contingency point and Jonah Gallant took the Super Tub GT Contingency point.

Qualifying

With the track layout and size, the decision was made to limit the heats to 8 cars each. Super Tub GT would take the track first with The Candyman, Nick Pantana taking the TQ with a Top-3 consecutive laps time of 34.6 seconds, half a second ahead of Jonah Gallant and Hector Martinez. In UF1 Philip Enriquez took the pole position with a time of 34.225, barely edging out Brian Ruvalcaba with a 34.252 and Tony Phalen with a time of 34.389. The top 3 in Uf1 were incredibly close and the top 7 all put up Top-3 consecutive lap times within a 1 second, from 1st to 7th.

Mains

After a short lunchbreak we went right into the Triple-Mains, this track proved to be a fast layout with very few passing opportunities which lead to some long and hard-fought battles. The winning strategy seemed to be applying pressure and wearing down the car ahead until an opportunity presented itself.  

In Super Tub GT Nick Pantana took full advantage of his work in qualifying and won all 3 rounds taking Super Tub win for the day. Jonah Gallant would take 3rd in the first round and 2nd in rounds 2 and 3, as well as the Super Tub fast-lap point earning him Second Place for the day, Hector Martinez rounded off the podium in all three rounds grabbing 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd securing Third place for the day.

In UF1 Tony Phalen dominated the Mains winning all 3 rounds and taking the UF1 fast lap locking in the top spot on the podium for the day. Brad Toffelmire took the second step on the podium finishing 4th in round 1 and 2nd in rounds 2 and 3. Hector Martinez ended up taking 3rd for the day in UF1 just as he did in Super tub making him the most decorated driver of the day.

Overall results

  UF1

1st Tony Phalen

2nd Brad Toffelmire

3rd Hector Martinez

  Super Tub GT

1st Nick Pantana

2nd Jonah Gallant

3rd Hector Martinez

Round 5 will take the UF1 series back to BWS Raceway in Perris on September 14. Going into Round 5 Tony Phalen has taken over the championship lead from his teammate Thad Garner who is now in second, followed by Aaron Lane in 3rd, a very different top-3 proving that the championship is still very much up for grabs. The Super Tub Top-3 remains unchanged with Jonah Galant leading in championship points, Nick Pantana in second, and Carlos Duarte in third.

Visit the UF1 website at UF1rcracing.com for current standings, results, schedule, rules and more!

ROUND 3 - bws raceway

UF1 - Night Under the Lights

Round 3 of the 2024 UF1 Series brought the racers to BWS Raceway in Perris CA. With a history of being hot in July, this was to be a night race under the lights of the BWS Pavillion. As the day began different strategies revealed themselves as some drivers arrived to the paddock in the morning with the intent of gaining the advantage of additional time on the track, some drivers showed up mid day to minimize the heat exposure and still get some track time while still others opted to sacrifice track time for cooler conditions.

Practice:

Towards the end of open practice with temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, many drivers were putting up laps in the 16 second range, with the occasional 15 second lap being called out by the automated practice announcer. Drivers were dialing in their chassis setups, while experimenting with tires and finding the fastest lines around the 120’ long track. Drivers were treated to lunch on the grill provided by UF1.

Qualifying:

In traditional UF1 form, Qualifying positions would be determined by drivers’ fastest 3 consecutive laps.  Track conditions were tricky making it a challenge to set 3 consecutive laps without incident or traffic impediment, a few drivers made a short session of it after logging satisfactory laps in an effort to save tires or minimize risk of an incident. As usual the race groups shook out pretty appropriately with the F1 A-sort being made up of the usual drivers. Mike Rydwell of Exotek would take the TQ position in F1 followed by Brian Ruvalcaba and Thad Garner. All of which are past UF1 Champions. In Super Tub Nick Pantana found himself on the number 1 spot on the grid with Jonah Gallant and Brian Ruvalcaba taking the numbers 2 and 3 spots respectively. 

Mains:

The Sun was still up for the first round of Triple mains in the Super Tub class the competition was tough with only 3 of the 6 drivers finishing the race, Brian Ruvalcaba took the win, John Caudillo took second and Carlos Ledezma grabbed the final spot on the podium, proving that in order to finish first you must first finish. The F1 B-sort was a similar story with Chad Rott taking an easy win leading the race from start to finish excluding the few laps while most of the pitting was taking place. Steven Jackson and Carlos Duarte rounded out the B-sort podium, there were 2 drivers who didn’t make it to the finish line. The F1 A-sort saw all drivers finishing but in a very different order than they had qualified. Hector Martinez found himself on the top step, joined by Thad Garner in the 2nd position Tony Phalen taking the 3rd position. Round 2 was run mostly under the lights with the sun having set during round 1. In the second round the Super Tub class saw more drivers finishing with only 1 DNF, the round would be won by Nick Pantana with Jonah Gallant and John Caudillo in the 2 and 3, the top three drivers were each separated by 1 lap. The F1 B-sort saw 3 DNFs with Steven Jackson taking the win followed by Carlos Duarte and Torrey Parker, each separated by 1 lap just like the previous Super Tub race. The F1 A-sort provided the closest racing of the round with no DNFs and the top two drivers finishing the 12-minute race only .3 seconds apart. The podium was made up of Thad Garner, Tony Phalen, and Philip Enriquez. The 3rd round Super Tub main had no DNFs with Jonah Gallant taking the win, followed by John Caudillo and Carlos Ledezma. John Caudillo was the only Super Tub driver to visit the podium all 3 rounds. In the F1 B-sort Steven Jackson continued his domination taking the win with 3 laps over Torrey Parker and Carlos Duarte in 2nd and 3rd. In the final race of the night the F1 A-sort, Thad Garner would take the win by 1 lap over Mike Rydwell in 2nd and Tony Phalen in 3rd.

Overall results:

  UF1

1st Thad Garner

2nd Tony Phalen

3rd Hector Martinez

  Super Tub

1st John Caudillo

2nd Jonah Gallant

3rd Nick Pantana

UF1 will travel to Palm Desert for the season’s only indoor carpet race at RC Fun Park Hobby Town for Round 4 on August 17. Going into Round 4 Thad Garner leads the F1 points race followed by Aaron Lane and Mike Rydwell. Jonah Galant leads in the Super Tub points race with Nick Pantana in second and Carlos Duarte in third.

ROUND 2 - camarillo roadrunners

ROUND 1 - THE LAP FACTORY