SDC 2024 SoCal Round 3

SDC 2024 SoCal Round 3

June 24, 2024

This past Saturday was the SDC (Super Drift Competition) 2024 SoCal Region Round 3, and as always, it turned out to be a great time! The weather has heated up quite a bit, and it put the air condition to the test. To our surprise, it was able to keep up for the most part. It warmed up, but didn’t become unbearable like in the past. We were also able to fit all the competitors indoor, so that helped quite a bit.

There were 57 competitors this round. Not only was the SoCal Region being represented, but also NorCal, Arizona, and Vegas. This is what we hope to see in all the regions, competitors from other regions participating together, regardless of where they are from. It’s not always about points or winning, but just enjoying the hobby with like-minded R/C Drift Heads. Taking home the win isn’t bad either.

The layout for Round 3 was no joke (again). Each round has had a layout to prepare the drivers for anything that is thrown their way. It’s always a skill-building layout meant to challenge the competitors skills. Being able to adapt and make the adjustments necessary for a clean run is an invaluable skill. As always, by comp time everyone had stepped up and were driving the layout like they owned it.

A big thank you to Shaine Collins and Manny Campalans for judging along side of me. Only a few can appreciate the stress that goes along with judging a field of 50+ drivers. We all appreciate your dedication to the hobby. This wouldn’t be possible without your help.

Qualifying

As stated earlier, this round’s layout wasn’t an easy one. All the competitors really stepped up and put forth some really strong efforts. To get through without making a mistake was a feat in itself. Even a small miscalculation would land you in zero territory. This was proven by some of the big names scoring double-zeros this round. Don’t feel bad guys, it was tough. (I’m positive you all know). With that being said, 2 competitors really brought the heat and tied for TQ (Top Qualifier) with 91 points each! Jason Fordyce of Team Super-G and Dallas Weimer of Team Drifwell found themselves at the top with the next closest score being 84 points by Vittorio Santiago.

Per the SDC2024 rules, a tie for TQ is broken by one additional run each. The best score will be awarded the top spot and TQ for the event. Roshambo was played to decided who has the choice of first or second. Dallas took the win and chose to go second. Jason was up first. He put down a great run, but coming into Zone 4 he went 2 out, scoring him a Zero! Next up was Dallas. Going second has its advantages, and this was a clear example of that. Dallas put down a great run, but coming out of Zone 1, he had made contact with the barrier which also scored him a Zero! The two Top Qualifiers both managed to score Zeros! Talk about pressure. Rather than to go with the “first to crash” rule, the judges chose to give it a OMT (One More Time). It’s just more exciting that way!

On the OMT, Dallas would go first. He put down a serious run! Filling the dreaded Zone 4 completely was amazing to watch! Then it was Jason’s turn. We are used to seeing Jason go hard regardless of what he needs to do, and this was no different. Jason put down an amazing run and went just as deep into Zone 4. The deciding factor, on Zone 2 ( high-speed nose clip) Jason nailed it. Dallas had missed it, giving Jason the win and ultimately TQ for the event! Congratulation Jason!

The Lower Bracket

As always, the winner of the Lower Bracket will bump to the 32nd spot in the Top 32. A lot of the heavy hitters found themselves in the Lower Bracket due to the difficulty of the course. This made for some exciting battles early on. It all came down to Don Hadix vs. Mike Ill, with the winner advancing to the Top 32. The battle was exciting, with Don pulling off better runs and landing him in the Top 32! Congrats Don!

Top 32

Of course this brought us to the Top 32! All of the Top 31 Competitors had put up at least 54 points in Qualifying, which as I keep saying, was great considering the level of difficulty of the course. Don Hadix of Tech 1 Drift was first up against the TQ of the event, Jason Fordyce of Team Super-G.  Jason was on the Lead and Don was on the Chase. Jason ran a great lead while Don was out to prove why he belonged in the Top 32 with an awesome chase. They switched roles and Don was leading and Jason chasing. Don put on a great lead, but Jason was giving him some serious pressure being right on his door the entire time. Then coming up the last straight, Don made a miscalculation and made contact with the barrier ending his winning streak. That was a great run all the way up from the Lower Bracket to Top 32 Don!

The Top 32 battles were intense! It was clear to see the pressure was on and the Competitors were feeling it. It all came down to the Top 4, Jason Fordyce of Team Super-G vs Charles Ong of Tech 1 Drift for 1st and 2nd, and Alfredo Chan III of Team Weld vs. Armando Pimentel of Driftwell for 3rd and 4th! First up was Alfredo vs Armando. Alfredo was on the Lead and Armando was on the Chase. Alfredo put down a wicked lead and Armando was right there with him through the entire run. He left the door open a bit on Zone 4, but it had proven to a risky zone all evening. Armando took the Lead and Alfredo on the Chase. Right away, Alfredo started with his chase we have become accustomed to, leaving very little space. But then it happened coming out of the Sweeper, Alfredo made a slight miscalculation and came off the wall a bit too hot, making contacted with Armando going into Zone 3. This secured the win for Armando, giving him 3rd Place!!!  Alfredo took home a hard fought 4th! Congratulations Armando for a solid 3rd!

Then it was time for the Main Event, Jason vs. Charles for 1st and 2nd! Jason was first on the Lead, Charles on the Chase. Jason put down an amazing Lead run and Charles was right on him the entire run! They switched positions, and Charles took the Lead and Jason on the Chase. These runs were near identical on both the Leads and Chases. Both were aggressive and even more impressive, there was no tactics going on. This was just pure driving for the sheer enjoyment of the competition. This is really what it is all about! This all came down to the dreaded Zone 4. On Charles lead, he pretty much filled it all the way, Jason fell a bit short. It was mere inches separating these two on their Lead lines, but as they say, win by an inch or a mile, Winning is Winning! Charles locked down the win and takes home the Top Podium Spot, 1st Place!!! Jason secured a well deserved 2nd Place! Congratulations Charles and Jason on 1st and 2nd Place!!!

What an amazing round this was! I keep saying this, but the skills just keep leveling up. This isn’t just a select few putting down the mad skills, there are a lot of Top Tier drivers who compete here at Super-G. The proof is when you look at the podiums for Round 1, 2, and 3. They are all different Competitors taking the top spots each round. Such a difference from just a few years ago when you would see the same few people on the Podium every round. All I can say is for myself, this is what I love to see! It’s a lot more exciting when you can’t even begin to predict who will win. Three rounds, 9 different winners, AMAZING!

Again, congratulations to our winners of SDC 2024 SoCal Region Round 3 - Charles Ong First Place, Jason Fordyce Second Place AND Top Qualifier, and Armando Pimentel Third Place!!! You guys earned that!!!