The latest gathering of the ORCCC was held March 15^th at the A2Z office. We had another meeting on March 29^th to discuss the upcoming state series race. For those of you reading the newsletter just to get series race information, I’ll start off with that topic. I’ll follow by droning on and on about stuff you aren’t interested in and you can nap!

APRIL 9^TH the Ocala R/C Car Club will host race #4 of the Florida State Off-Road Series. While the site is open for practice at anytime during the week prior to the race date, on Saturday, April 8th practice is open from sun-up until 4:30 p.m. The rest of the remaining daylight will be used for track maintenance.  Beat the registration rush and register in advance.  You can register here on the web site using our on-line registration form or someone will be available at the track to accept registrations from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Saturday.  On-line registration will close at midnight Saturday.  Race day registration will close at 9 a.m. promptly and racing will start at 10 a.m.  Registration is $10.00 per class.  Cold drinks will be available at the site on Saturday while full concessions will be available all day Sunday.  For more information, e-mail us at race4@orccc.org or call the ORCCC hotline at (352) 369-1895.

Here’s other news regarding the state series race that you might be interested in. Melanie Stalnaker and myself will be overseeing the concession area. The menu includes cold sodas and water, meatball subs, BBQ sandwiches, hotdogs (I can’t function unless I smell boiling hotdogs!), chips and homemade baked goods. Bill Hamilton will run the computer. Mason McCombs will oversee track maintenance, with the assistance of Fletcher Grosz and Justin Ridgely. The race director job will be shared by Rob May (oh, yeah, haven’t we told you yet?) and Tom Hitchcock. James Grosz will be handling the transponders. There will be no radio impound during this race. Obviously, if we have problems, we may change our position on that come race day.

The March 15^th attendees were Tom Hitchcock, Melanie Stalnaker, Carl Ross, Mason McCombs, Justin Ridgely, Bill Hamilton and myself. The March 29^th attendees were the same 7 from the 15^th, joined by Christian Ginter, Trevor Iverson, Fletcher Grosz and Susan Danvers and family. DUE TO POPULAR DEMAND, THE MEETINGS WILL NOW BE HELD ON THE THIRD THURSDAY OF EACH MONTH AT 7:30 pm AT THE A2Z PEST CONTROL OFFICE BUILDING!! We are hoping this change will make the meetings more convenient for everyone and thus boost attendance. Join us for our next meeting on Thursday, April 20^th.

To make the soon to be "old" race site more aesthetically appealing, we are planning a little spruce up session on Saturday, April 1^st. Our goal for that day, besides hosting an awesome club race day, is to tear down and haul away the dilapidated shed. The fence panels will be rearranged to "house" the tractor. The computer area barriers will be replaced (they were torn down by our local thugs!) and the handicapped driver’s stand will be blocked off to avoid injury. We urge anyone who can help us get the place presentable for company to lend a hand prior to or after the race.

In case you haven’t noticed, there is a change to the track that is a hit among all the racers. Thanks to the after dark escapades of Mason McCombs, Tom Hitchcock, Rob May, Melanie Stalnaker and Shawn O’Hara the tabletop is now a triple jump. So far, the racers love it. If you haven’t experienced the "triple terror", join us at our next scheduled race!

We are actually making headway on the new track site. Thanks to Tom (a/k/a if it’s free, it’s for me) Hitchcock and Melanie Stalnaker’s endless pursuit of donations, deals and free stuff, the club has obtained the wood for the track frame. They’ve also gotten screws and post hole diggers for assembly. Guess what folks, it all came together magically one Sunday and shazaam, the makings of an R/C track can be found in the back lot of A2Z Pest Control. It is HUGE! Check it out by driving by. You will be amazed. The power pole is up and it’s hooked up and supplying power, too. Next up is the water and electrical set up, which is being organized by Mason McCombs and Tom Hitchcock. Things are really hopping at the new site and we are all very excited and thankful for our endless workers and their accomplishments. Let’s just keep it going, folks.

We would like to make the broad announcement that every Sunday at 10 AM will be a workday at the new site. If you have even an hour of time to donate to our site, please contact Mason McCombs at (352) 237-4283 or Tom Hitchcock at (352) 369-8309 and they’ll hook you up with a job that fits your schedule. Every little bit helps, so offer your time whenever you can.

On a lighter note, Mason almost dumped the wobbly chair at meeting headquarters. He quickly saved himself at the last minute though, and avoided an embarrassing moment! Another little known fact, Mason knows Pythagoreans Theorem (gads, I love spell-check!). Our Mason is one awesome dude, oh yeah!

Due to the Easter holiday as well as our construction schedule, there will be no scheduled racing for the month of April after our April 9^th State Series race. We will resume our normal every Saturday schedule starting May 6^th at our new Super Site!

We thank all of our helpful members who make this the best little R/C car club in Ocala. Just keep up the good work and we might become the biggest stinking R/C car club and track in the whole state of Florida!