What a great weekend for Jamie “Triggaman” Hawes, SCMP, and Sticky Mafia! We finally started the 2019 season! We were very excited that it could happen in January! Sticky Mafia was on hand at South Carolina Motorplex for testing and Jamie “Triggaman’s” event “The First A$$ Cutting of the Year” this past weekend January 18th-19th.
Sticky Mafia’s weekend began on Wednesday, however, as Jimmy traveled from Maryland
where we have are working on some equipment that we will soon have to sell, all the way back to South Carolina for this event. Traveling is just a part of the deal, so after a few short hours of sleep, Jimmy was ready to travel to SCMP to get some track grooming underway. But of course, it rains, taking several crucial hours of prep away. All that means in the track prep world is getting up the next day earlier.
The 18th dawned, but clouds still threatened the area. That didn’t keep Jimmy off of the track however, he continued to work on the track in order to get the surface the best it could be for the racers coming in to test. Finally, the sun came out to shine on a great day of testing. All said and done, 12 cars joined us for the private testing session, and many ran their best numbers or sorted out new cars and combinations.
The 19th was RACE DAY; and everyone was excited. You could feel it in the air. As Jimmy and the SCMP staff put the final touches on the racetrack and groomed the starting line, we were greeted by so many of those we have come to see as our racing family. A gambler’s bracket race began the day, allowing many to take their first hit of the 2019 season. As the day progressed, more cars, trailers, motorhomes, racers and fans continued to pile into the track. It was an incredible turnout from racers and fans alike and all involved were so thankful for the support.
As the bracket race finished, the sun was just beginning to set, and the nighttime grudge activities started to run. Halfway through the evening, Sticky Mafia and SCMP had to clean up a broken rear and then just a few passes later, an oil down. This held up the action for a little bit, however, when all went back to racing, the surface was a good as ever. As the night progressed, rain came in twice, and twice the track was dried, cleaned and resprayed to continue the racing action. This allowed us to finish many locked in races. Finally, at the very end, with only a few pairs left, the rain won, as a large rainstorm swept in.
However, all in all it was an incredible show with some incredible side by side passes. It was great working with Triggaman and South Carolina Motorplex staff and we can’t wait to do it again.
Our next event will again be at South Carolina Motorplex, on February 10th, Grudge Mania; Tommy Krupa’s Birthday Bash held by Kiewan Webber. We also plan to test Friday and Saturday Feb 8th and 9th before the event.