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MSD 2009

The MSD Scale R/C Nationals 2009! My cousin Seth Tastad and I had been eagerly wanting to go to an event like this for a long time! Ever since we got into scalers and crawlers we had been tossing around the idea of attending one of these competitions. We finally acted on our desire! Seth registered to run in both the 1.9 and 2.2 classes and since I did not have enough time to get a rig ready I decided to give my camera a workout. We left Laramie, Wyoming very early on Thursday, the day before the competition began, for the long, beautiful drive to Helena, Montana. We pulled into Helena 11 hours later. The trek up to Montana was relaxing with very light traffic, and only interrupted by occasional rest stops and the urge to quench our hunger. Once in Montana we hit some warmer weather which could explain the increased rate of bug splatters on the windshield. Luckily, a short while before arriving in Helena we passed through a driving rain storm which removed the bug mess rather nicely. We arrived in town around 5:00 PM and got settled into a motel.

Friday, the first day of the MSD Scale R/C Nationals, we woke up early, anxious to get to the event location in time for the 7:00 AM tech inspection. Once tech inspection and a short drivers meeting were concluded, competitors lined up at the courses ready to go! On this first day of competition the 1.9 class scale rigs competed on four courses and the top five competitors from those went on to compete in the finals course. Since all four courses were being run concurrently, many drivers finished up by noon or early afternoon with plenty of time to spare. Each course covered a variety of terrain and had its share of uniquely challenging sections and difficult gates. Two of the courses were next to the river, one was further into the woods, and another was along a very small stream. Many of the courses had challenges such as steep slopes, rocks, and narrow spots where vehicles required a winch to make any progress. While Seth was running courses, I was frantically going around trying to take as many pictures as I could of the different courses and vehicles driving on them. Things wound down as competitors finished up and people started to just play around in the parking lot with either their comp rigs or other R/Cs. Seth began driving his rig an extremely muddy area of the parking lot and a few more rigs joined in for an entertaining mud bash. By late afternoon competitors had finished up the four courses and the finals course was set up. Watching a few of the finalists complete this course was probably my highlight of the day. After the finals we all headed back to town to the Montana Scale Designs shop for a swap meet and awards presentation.

Saturday, the second day of competition, we repeated the early morning routine and got to the event location on schedule for tech inspection. This time we were in a different parking area which was a short walk down the road from the one used the previous day. Again, there were four courses to run along with a fifth course for finalists. The 2.2 courses were just as interesting, if not more so, as the 1.9 ones on Friday. Seth managed to break a drive shaft on the first course he ran, but luckily he had some spares. Once people started finishing up the series, there was plenty of free time to waste. A few went to drive on what was left of the 1.9 courses and others drove around aimlessly. The finals course was in the same general spot as it was the previous day, but in a very different configuration. After the finals we went back in to town to eat and then headed over to the MSD Shop. This time there were awards presented as well as a raffle and a concourse event. Almost all of the competitors' rigs were lined up for this event where people could vote for their favorites in a variety of categories. Seth, with his expert scale and detail skills, was awarded the Best of Show 1.9 concourse trophy! The raffle was extremely impressive. Sponsors provided enough prizes that it seemed everyone who registered for the event walked away with something in hand.

Unfortunately, we had to pack up and head home early the following day and missed the 2.2 pro comp. Seth had a great time driving and we both enjoyed this amazing event. We plan on going again next year!

-Photos and writeup by Jesse Sutherland