Motorama is always one of those weekends that feels like equal parts race weekend + giant motorsports show—and this year’s layout ended up being one of my favorites.
We made the 2-hour trip in early, got a quiet(ish) track walk before the building got loud, and kicked the weekend off running E-Buggy + E-Truggy with Scotty Ernst on the mic as RD (always a good time). The track this year had a more motocross-style flow—less “send it and double everything,” more timing, rhythm, and surviving the whoops clean.
Below is the full blog-style recap of the weekend: what the track was like, what changed as it grooved in, tire choices, qualifying progress, and how the mains played out.
First Look: This Year’s Track = Rhythm + Whoops
We rolled in while the crew was still finishing the track, but even half-built you could tell it was going to be a skip-and-blip kind of layout. A few sections looked like they might double, but the lips didn’t really have the pop—so the fast way around was going to be:
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clean throttle control
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staying composed through the bumps
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not getting greedy in the whoops
Once the pipes were finished and the groove started coming in, it became clear pretty quickly: corner speed and consistency were everything.
Race Plan + Weekend Schedule
Motorama runs a packed program, and this year was no different:
Day 1
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Practice round
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(2) seeding rounds
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Qualifier 1
Day 2
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Qualifiers 2–4
Day 3 (Main Day)
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Mains (adjusted due to weather)
Because a snowstorm was moving in, they changed main day format to help people traveling north get out safely. Instead of the usual triple A-mains, it became double A-mains with best single main (still with a drop).
Tires + Track Evolution: Reflex → Relapse (Green)
Early on, we started with green Reflex, then shifted to green Relapse once the surface developed an “okay groove-ish” and stayed relatively low-dust.
Why the switch worked:
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As the track packed in, Relapse felt more “locked” and predictable
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Less hunting around = easier to drive clean
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Tire wear stayed surprisingly low, so we weren’t torching sets every run
By mid-weekend, tire wear was still minimal, but the older set started feeling like it had too much edge and got a little squirmy—so we cycled to a fresh set to keep the truck calm and the pace consistent.
Car Notes + Setup Direction
E-Truggy
Truggy was the most “up and down” early, mostly because it didn’t feel fully broken in yet. It came into its own later, but one thing became clear as mains approached:
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The diffs needed time to warm up
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Early laps felt more “active” in the rear
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Once warmed, it drove more “racy”… but could also get more grabby and roll if you weren’t ready for it
Key adjustment mentally (and practically): warm the diffs before the run, then drive the first minute like you mean it.
E-Buggy
Buggy felt good most of the weekend, but we still made a couple key direction changes:
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Lower diffs all around
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Softer spring to get it working harder through the bumps and producing more grip naturally
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Take a little push out of low-speed sections so corner speed doesn’t leak away
Buggy rewarded “smart driving” more than aggression this weekend.
Qualifying Recap: From “Not Great” to Locked In
Q1: Solid baseline, but mistakes cost
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Truggy: decent pace, but a pipe bonk + traffic cost time
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Buggy: one early marshal moment + last-lap mistake dropped the result
Not a dream start, but importantly: good enough to be in the mix and give us a foundation.
Q2: Truck better, buggy breaks through
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Truggy felt fully broken in and fast, but a novice mistake kept it from being what it could’ve been
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Buggy run was strong: quick enough to recover after a mistake and still land a top result
Q3: Consistency mode = big gains
This was the turning point.
Instead of trying to be the hero, the focus became:
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hit marks
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stay tight on pipe
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stop driving “too hard”
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let consistency do the work
Buggy in particular was very consistent here, and the whole weekend started trending upward from that point.
End of Qualifying: Grid positions
By the end:
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Buggy locked in P2 on the grid
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Truggy locked in P4 on the grid
Considering the practice/seeding day wasn’t the cleanest, that’s a solid rebound.
A-Mains: Final Results + What We Learned
E-Truggy Mains
Truggy races went pretty well overall, but the story was the same theme:
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early laps: rear felt too active until diffs warmed
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once warmed: more grip and pace, but less forgiving if you clipped pipe or entered whoops wrong
A1 included a solid battle mid-race and a racing incident that cost time, but the run still ended strong.
A2 had better early feel (diff warm-up helped), but a couple mistakes (pipe rub, whoops tumble) made it harder than it needed to be.
Truggy overall: P5
E-Buggy Mains
A1 was clean and straightforward: held P2 with only minor pipe taps as grip came up.
A2 got spicy early:
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took the lead briefly after an early mistake from Lee
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then a slightly under-committed tabletop section led to an unlucky bounce
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later: a racing incident in traffic cost a little more time
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final lap got hectic, and one more mistake pushed the finish back
Buggy overall: P3 (podium)
And personally, that’s the class I care about most—so leaving Motorama with a buggy podium feels good.
Takeaways Going Into the Next Big One
This weekend reinforced a few big things:
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Consistency beats hero laps on tracks like this
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Warm-up matters (especially diffs) when grip and temperature change
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Tire management was huge—Relapses lasted, but knowing when to swap mattered
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The region is getting faster—there are more “wildcards” now, and they’re legit
What’s Next: PNB Prep
Next major event on the list: Psycho Nitro Blast.
The plan:
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E-Buggy
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Nitro Buggy
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E-Truck is “maybe” (we’ll see)
Main goal between now and then: clean up personal mistakes, get comfortable being uncomfortable, and keep building speed without giving away consistency.
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