The Dirt Nitro Challenge 2018

From February 21-26 I was in Arizona at The 2018 Dirt Nitro Challenge. This race was one that I will never forget. I had a good time with friends, I achieved goals that I set for myself, the track was super challenging, and I made great progress in keeping myself calm and collected. Thank you to my Sponsors Team Trinity and AKA for helping me on my journey. 

Here is a shot of the track, it was very challenging and also very fun to drive. Maximum effort was required to get around this track without hitting a hay bail.

Here is a shot of my nitro buggy before the main.

Here is a shot of my E buggy before qualifying.


The TLR 8ight 4.0 is an amazing platform. The buggy is easy to drive and maintain and is very competitive. I am very happy with the 8ight 4.0 platform.

Here is a panorama of all the pits. There were so many people at this race, I was truly astounded.

I had the honor of getting to pit the the AKA team at the Dirt Nitro Challenge. Thank you Oscar Lopez, Buddy Blacksmith, Lance Hubbard, and Jeremy Hase Sr for all the help at this race, I could not ask for a better RC Family.

Here is a shot of the TLR pits. I have to give a big shout out to the TLR team for being so helpful at the races. I have been helped at nearly every large race I have been too, whether it be with set up tips or parts that the hobby shop doesn't have. Thank You TLR.

Dakota Phend was super helpful at this race. He is a class act at the track.

Here is a shot of Jose Alvarado in the TLR pits.

Here is a shot of Lance Hubbard's TLR 8ight 4.0 buggy.

Here is a shot of Oscar Lopez's TLR 8ight 4.0 buggy. 

Here is a shot of the Kyosho pit. The AKA pit was right next door, so I got to see Jared Tebo prep his vehicles. 

Here is a shot of the MIP pit. These guys were racing 1/5 scale vehicles, it was really cool seeing the huge 2 stroke engines ripping on the track.

Here is a shot of the JQ pit.














JQ pays out a bonus to his expert driver for taking the win in Expert Nitro Buggy. The JQ crew was very bombastic at this race. It was entertaining to witness all of the JQ shenanigans.

Here is a shot of the Xray pits.

I was lucky enough to catch Ty Tessmann working in his pit!

Hobbico was showing off products here as well!

Here is a shot of the Serpent pits.












Here is a shot of the Tekno pits.













Here is a shot of the Team Associated Pits.












I saw Ryan Cavalieri and Spencer Rivkin working together a lot at this race. Here are some shots of them checking out the track, racing Truggy and right before a qualifier.




























Here is a shot of the Nitro Pro pits.












Here is a shot of the Hot Bodies and Reds Pits.

There was even a mobile hobby shop at this race! I needed bearing and the they had them! I was really happy that this shop was there, they saved me  by having the parts I needed.

Here is a shot of the drivers stand. It was very tall.

Live RC was on hand documenting things.

The Dirt racing tent.

Here is a shot of pit lane right before the Truggy A main. This race was cool to watch.















I broke lots of shocks this race. I broke shock bodies, shafts, inserts, cap, pistons... It felt like my buggy was constantly in pieces.



















I also broke shock towers....























Here is the second time I broke a shock...

This is what my buggy looked like most of the time...













Here is a shot of me and Buddy Blacksmith right before the B Main in Ebuggy. Here is the Video as well.

I ended up 8th overall in E buggy after I bumped up to the A main.

Here is a video of the A main.

Here is a Video of the my Nitro Buggy E main. I was able to bump up!

Here is a video of the D main. I tried to make the bump again but I came up 1 short... It was a tough race.

Overall I had a great time at The 2018 Dirt Nitro Challenge. I would definitely attend this race again, there is nothing else like it. My TLR buggies performed great the entire week and I had such a great time.

Thank you AKA and Team Trinity for all of your support with keeping my tires, motor, and batteries dialed.

-Matthew Garcia

Top Notch Tour Finals Thunder Alley R/C Raceway 2018

On February 10th 2018 I attended the Top Notch Tour Finals at Thunder Alley RC Raceway. I struggled at this race, but I did well enough in the series to earn a 3rd place overall finish.  Thank you Oscar Lopez and Buddy Blacksmith for all the help, you guys are legit. 

Here is a shot of the massive triple that proved to be a huge challenge.

Here is a shot of the straight away in front of pit lane. This part of the track was very fast.

 Here is a shot at the top of the track. There are lots of elevation changes, off camber jumps, and rhythm sections.

Here is a shot of one of the step ups! This jump really kicked my butt.

There double double in the middle of the track was tricky. You had to get this section right otherwise you would fall way behind before a turn marshal got you.

A shot of where I was pitting.















Here is the video of the A main of Sportsman Nitro Buggy. I landed this crazy flip over the triple in this race. The flip was insane.













Here is a shot of the podium for the overall points. I was super pumped to make the podium.

The AKA crew did really well  series, check out all the trophies!

 I really like the Top Notch Tour racing series, I think I will race it again. I am still new to nitro, so I have a long way to go in improving my skills.

Thank you AKA and Team Trinity for all of your support with keeping my tires, motor, and batteries dialed.

-Matthew Garcia

Top Notch Tour Round 6 at Revelation Raceway 2018

I attended the Top Notch Tour round 6 race at Revelation Raceway on January 6, 2018. I want to start off by thanking Oscar Lopez and Buddy Blacksmith for all the help in the pits and Don Vinkemulder for all the setup tips! 

The track really didnt change since round 4, but I still had a great time racing! I made lots of set up changes this race and I was able to get my buggies to a point I was really happy with. I had some issues in the main for gas buggy but I was really happy with how I drove. Ebuggy was a challenge for me, I like to be courteous when racing but I am starting to find that I end up getting taken out for being too nice...

 Here is a shot of my TLR 8ight E 4.0 before the A Main. I got these new wings from Amazon and they work really well, but the color kind of throws me off. My next paint scheme will have to match! 

It turns out my Protek servo simply overheated last race and all it needed was some new grease to perform good as new. 

 Here is a shot of my TLR 8ight 4.0 before the A Main. My gas buggy was on point all day, but I blew a glow plug right before the main and it threw my tune all out of whack.

Here is a shot leading onto the straight. That berm was really tough to navigate at speed and many people ended up hitting the pits!

Here is a shot of the off camber double doubles before the berm. This buggy was getting a little sideways!

This track has lots of double doubles, and here is a shot of the set after the straight away!

Here is a shot of the optional straight away and some more double doubles. Many people took the optional straight away and would clip those pipes in the center at full speed!

Here is a shot of the other end of the option straight and doubles.

There were plenty of AKA drivers racing, here is a shot of Oscar Lopez's buggy after some morning practice. 

Here is another AKA team driver Jeremy Hase Sr ,  he ended up taking the win with his Truggy here!

Here is a shot of the center field of the track. Lots of 180 turns and doubles!

 Here is a shot of the the front straight, those puddles made the track extra challenging. 

I ended up placing 5th in the main even for Sportsman nitro buggy! I was really happy with how I performed. 

I ended up placing 6th overall in Open E-buggy. I am still trying to find my groove in E-buggy, this race was challenging for me. Buddy Blacksmith again passed me on the last lap of the race... I need to step up my game for next race! I ordered some Lipo Factory LCG batteries to help lighten the load for next race, I am super excited to try them out! You can check out the batteries here: https://www.teamtrinity.com/4S-148v-5200mah-55C-LCG-Pack-with-T-Plug-Deans-Style_p_259.html

Overall I was really happy with this race. I learned a ton about setup and got the chance to rebuild the front end of both buggies!

Thank you AKA and Team Trinity for all of your support with keeping my tires, motor, and batteries dialed.

-Matthew Garcia

Top Notch Tour Round 5 at Channel Islands Raceway 2017

On December 16th, 2017 I attend the 5th round of the Top Notch Tour at Channel Islands Raceway in Santa Barbara, CA. First I would like to thank Shara and Jeff Hurley for all the help in the pits and the epic turn marshaling!!

It was a interesting day in that the Thomas fire was bearing down on Santa Barbara and we had to wear masks to avoid breathing in smoke and ash. Overall I was extremely impressed with the track facilities, with both a 1/10 scale track and 1/8 scale track. Although the only hiccup we had was the power going out in the pits due to the some issue with the generators.

Here is a shot of my TLR 8ightE 4.0 right before my first qualifier. The buggy felt good in the morning with a fresh oil throughout the buggy.

I was driving really dumb in practice and took out my front shock tower... Here is a shot of the aftermath.

Here is a shot of the track from the top left corner when looking from the drivers' stand. The track was very challenging to many large, off camber jumps and tight technical turns. This was actually the top of the off camber step up that claimed many broken parts throughout the day.

Here is a shot of the step up, it was massive!

Before the step up, there was a small rhythm double in front of the drivers stand. After the double, there was a small down hill to a small double into a very tight turn. So many people got the small double wrong and ended up flipping over. 

After the downhill double and tight turn, there was a very technical mid field that would jump onto the back straight. A lot of time was either gained in the middle with a smooth tight lines, or you blew it and got passed. Many times people would flip you in the first turn, you you would end up wide from coming in too hot and promptly be passed.

The top straight away was very narrow and it was easy to to get the line wrong and hit the back wall. the end of the straight led into a step down, that then lead into a high speed berm. That step down gave me so much trouble all day and the berm nearly took me out completely.

Here is a shot of the berm. Trying to make a pass in the loom in the middle left of the image sent me flying off the track. In order to make it fast through the berm you has to stay low.

After the berm, there was another off camber double right out of a 180 degree turn. This part of the track was fairly simple.

After the previous double, you came up to another 180 degree turn and directly into this huge double that lead into the lap counter. The objective of the big double was to stay low and downside perfectly in order to set up the turn that came immediately after landing.

The weather was nice overall, but a plume of smoke rained down ash over the track. Here is a shot of the sun being blocked out!

Here is another shot of the smoke that lingered over the track.

The Ebuggy main was rough for me. I ended up getting taken out pretty hard and here is a shot of the aftermath.

            Here is the video of the main.

The Sportsman buggy A Main started very poorly for me, but I kept my cool and tried my best to keep it all together. I ended up getting a 3rd place finish!

           Here is the video of the main.

This race was a great learning experience for me and I really enjoyed myself overall! I am excited to paint some fresh bodies! 

Thank you AKA and Team Trinity for all of your support with keeping my tires, motor, and batteries dialed.

-Matthew Garcia

Toys for Tots Race 2017 at Thunder Alley RC Raceway

On December 9th 2017 I attended the Annual Toys for Tots Race at Thunder Alley Raceway. I want to start by thanking Oscar Lopez for helping me set up my buggy the night before this race, I cant thank you enough sir! Thank you Buddy Blacksmith for the help in the pits, I am looking forward to the DNC!

The track was very high speed and required you to flow with the many ruts  and Gale force winds. It was a packed house with over 100 entries, and there was plenty of competition. 

Here is a shot of the drivers stand!

I had the privilege of pitting with the Buddy Blacksmith, Ryan Taylor, Ryan Pavidis, and Don Vinkemulder. I was lucky enough to get a lesson on buggy set up and racing techniques. Turns out my late night wrenching caused me to assemble the rear hubs improperly...

This is what it looked like walking from the track to the pits.

As the day progressed the track started to smooth out and groove in more on the long straights and big jumps. Other parts of the track continued to deteriorate and larger ruts formed.

Here is a shot from the top of the track.

There where two Double Doubles and a triple. This shot shows the straight leading up to the top of the track. At the top you would have to Double and then accelerate to make the massive step down Double that followed.

Here is a shot of some serious acceleration. This buggy was fully loaded and ready to launch!

After rounding the corner of the step down, you would immediately approach the Double to Triple. Here is a top down view of the section!

After all the huge jumps, you had this little berm into some double doubles and then a single double to a tabletop. The tabletop actually led to the straight away that was very high speed.

Here is a shot of the straight away and the pits. Everyone was very focused on their pit duties! You can see a couple buggies pushing hard down this section of the track.

Here is a video of my TLR 8ight 4.0 buggy in the C main. The buggy was super dialed all day long. The Oscar Lopez set up had the buggy performing great! I used AKA Soft Long wear Gridiron II tires on all 4 wheels.

Overall I had a great time at the Toys for Tots race. I got some valuable testing in and learned some important set ups. I only raced gas buggy this race and ended up getting 4th in the C main. I made some really dumb mistakes while trying to play the bump game and it cost me. I will be ready to crush it at the next race!

Thank you AKA and Team Trinity for all of your support with keeping my tires, motor, and batteries dialed.

-Matthew Garcia