G'Day fellow tuxers……. Its your interim host here once again…….. Its a raining Saturday here right now…….…… It has been a good week weather wise this week…….. Was able to get out on walks nearly every day and I was able to get a bunch of work done in the garden that has needed doing for weeks……

I got bitten by the Rally Bug this week…… Played a lot of rally games and even bought WRC 10 in the final days of the Steam Sale……… Hoping to pick up more WRC games in the next few Steam Sales…… If they havnt been removed thanks to Codemasters/EA…...

[+..••] As for gaming this week in Emulationville I played [+..••]

Arcade

Garou: Mark of the Wolves (1999 SNK) - Fighting


Console

Colin McRae Rally 04 (2003 Codemasters) - Sony Playstation 2 - Sports (Racing)
Colin McRae Rally 2005 (2004 Codemasters) - Sony Playstation 2 - Sports (Racing)
Dick Burns Rally (2004 SCi Games) - Microsoft Xbox - Sports (Racing)
Dick Burns Rally (2004 SCi Games) - Sony Playstation 2 - Sports (Racing)
DTM Race Driver Challenge 3 (2006 Codemasters) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Racing)
Micro Mages (2019 Morphcat Games) - Nintendo Entertainment System - Platformer
NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona (2002 Infogrames) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Racing)
NBA Jam Tournament Edition (1995 Acclaim) - Sega Mega Drive - Sports (Basketball)
NFL Blitz (1998 Midway) - Nintendo 64 - Sports (Football)
Sanrio World Smash Ball! (1993 Character Soft) - Super Nintnedo Entertainment System - Sports (Pong)
TOCA Race Driver 3 (2006 Codemasters) - Sony PlayStation 2 - Sports (Racing)
TOCA Touring Car Championship (1997 Codemasters) – Sony PlayStation - Sports (Racing)


PC

NASCAR Heat 5 (2020 Motorsport Games) - Steam - Sports (Racing)
Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun (2023 Focus Entertainment) - Steam – First Person Shooter
WRC 10 (2021 Nacon) - Steam - Sports (Racing)


The Dick Trickles Racing Career: Part 23
NASCAR Dirt to Daytona: Part 23
Featherlite Modified Series Season 1: Race 1

Intro music…... Hello and welcome to Left Turn Heaven..... Im Murray Eastlake and today im going to be bringing you all the action from the 2004 Featherlite Modified Series: Round 1 of 11 here at Dennison Speedrome……..



Dennison Speedrome…...

Dennison Speedrome is 0.375 miles long and has 24 degrees of baking…… You need a good handling here here to deal with the high banking……. This high banked narrow track will test the patience of the drivers…. With 20 Featherlite Modified cars on the track for the race…… The chrome horn will be used a lot…... As this short track brings out even shorter tempers……

The one thing that has been on everyones lips this weekend is…… Dick……. As the 2003 Weekly Racing Dirt Series champion……. Dick Trickle is making his Featherlite Modified Series debut here today at Dennison Speedrome…… Everyman and his dog has turned up today to see the debut of Dick Trickle……. He really has got tongues waging as he has been the talk of the paddock and the stadium alike…..

I spoke with Dick just after he rolled his brand new Klipsch Modified Flaming Dick Machine off the trailer……. I asked him how he was feeling about making is modified debut today…… “Im not at all nervous today Murray……. Ive come here with a stock standard modified car…… The plan is just to run the race….. Stay out of trouble….. Minimise the damage to the car and then assess what areas need upgrading first……. The goal of the race itself is to just not come last and to not embarrass myself…..”

Well there you have it folks….. Dick Trickle is treating this like a test day and will be looking to improve the car for next race……..

Can Dick Trickle upset the modified regulars……. Can William Anderson start his title defence off with a win……. Or can another young gun take the chequered flag???…….

Dont touch the sets...... Dont touch the dials...... You wont want to miss a single moment of the 2004 Featherlite Modified Series....… Practice and qualifying are coming up right now…...


Dick Trickle at the track ready to race.…

Dick spent a lot of time in practice setting up the car….. He ran many laps and used all the allotted time to get the car somewhat dialled into how he likes it…….


Klipsch sponsorship on the boot/deck lid of the modified car…...

Qualifying was up next……. And Dicks hard work paid off…… As he was able to set a time of 13.954…… To secure ninth place on the grid……. If he can stay there his sponsor Klipsch will be very happy…… Klipsch want two top ten finishes this season….. Dick could get one of them today on debut…...

Pole was taken by Jason Sulivan with a rapid time of 12.974…… 0.2 seconds faster than Francis Lee who secured second…..

Joel York took third with a time of 13.364 just 0.1 seconds ahead of the defending Featherlite Series champion William Anderson who took fourth with a 13.470……

Rounding out the top five was Gary Soros who set a time of 13.540……..

For all the people who have tuned in for the first time to see Dick Trickle…….. There are no heat races in the Featherlite Modified Series…….. That means we now go straight to the race……. And where you qualified is where you start……..


Qualifying Results........



Dick Trickle lined up ready to start the race......

Jason Sulivan lead the field as the green flag dropped to the start the 88 lap race…… Dick charged hard up the inside as he got a great start and made it three wide into the first turn……. Andy MacNamera and Luis Rivas could only watch in amazement as Dick stuffed it up the inside of both of them…….

MacNamera was able to beat off Dick as they exited turn two…….. Rivas was not able to do so and had fall in line behind Dick……. Dick was now up to eighth place…….

Luis Rivas and Dick had a great battle for the first half a race……. With Rivas never more than 0.3 seconds behind Dick……. Dick protecting that inside line with all his might...... He was running the nose of the car on the inside white line like he was Charlie Sheen on a Saturday night…. And Rivas did not have the car under him to make a move on the outside stick…….

Dick was also very cleaver in the way he was used lapped traffic to make sure Luis Rivas could not get passed him…… Using the slower cars as a pick to block any attempt by Rivas to overtake Dick…..

After 40 laps a very frustrated Rivas made a desperate bid to beat Dick and drove the car hard up the inside of Dick into turn three….. Getting all four wheels below the white line and onto the apron….. This unsettled the car just enough for Rivas to side up and into the rear quarter of Dicks Modified Flaming Dick Machine……. Dick was able to maintain control of the car but Luis Rivas was not so lucky and went for a spin……

The spin lost Rivas a lap and he was out of contention for eighth place now……. This gave Dick a eight second gap to Mark Kanazawa who didnt have the car to compete and never got any closer than that…….

Andy MacNamera who at one point was 4 seconds ahead of Dick…… Was starting to lose pace as the race went on…… His long run setup was not working out to well for him……. He found it harder and harder to pass lapped cars and finally…. Dick was right up his rear……

Dick again used the lapped traffic to perfection and pinned Andy behind a lapped car and used it to pass him to take seventh place with 30 laps to go…..

Andy MacNamera was not done yet and was able to catch Dick rather quickly……. But just like with Rivas……. Andys setup was not allowing him to use the outside line to overtake……

With 20 laps to go Phil Shields engine expired in spectacular fashion as huge plumes of smoke bellowed from the car…… His day was done and all he could do was pull over to the side of the track and watch the exciting battles going on track……

With 5 laps to go Andy MacNamera was not able to use the outside line at all…… And was stuck behind a lapped car….. Which allowed Dick Trickle to get away to take the chequered flag to capture a historic seventh place finish on debut…… A comfortable 4 seconds ahead of MacNamera……. But three laps behind the winners……..

Out in front……. Jason Sulivan and Francis Lee were having a ding dong battle for first place…. The lead was changing hands every other lap…… Finally Jason Sulivan was able claim the win in the opening round of the 2004 Featherlite Series……. 5.8 seconds clear of Francis Lee who had trouble with lapped traffic in the dying stages of the race…….

Defending series champion William Anderson had a great start to his title defence as he was third…… 1 lap behind Sulivan….. With Joel York hot on his heels in fourth…… And Gary Soros had a very quiet race as he mostly circulated the track on his own……. To pick up a very respectable fifth place finish…… 2 laps behind the winner…...



Race Results..…

After the race I was able to grab a hold of Dick for an interview…… I congratulated Dick on such a wonderful debut……. And asked for his thoughts on the race and his future in the series….

“Thanks Murray……. That was a wild ride…… Seventh was way better than I thought I would do out there today……. The car was handling quite good to be honest…… This tiny high banked track is a great place for these cars…… The racing was much better than I expected from my point of view…… I had some great hard battles….. And the car is fairly straight at the end of it…… I achieved all the I goals set for myself today…….”

“I need to now go and speak to some parts dealers and sort out what I can get for next week…… Seventh was a great result with a stock standard car…… Im hoping to be eyeing fifth next week….. But it just depends what I can get my grubby little hands on……. Besides my wife Pussy Galore that is……. Next week we are off to Crystal Lake Raceway and hopefully we will be talking about a top five finish after that race…… Next week will determine what my season long goals are……”

Well there you have it folks…… That is one happy and confident Dick…..

Next week the 2004 Featherlite Modified Series heads to Crystal Lake Raceway….. After a fantastic race here at Dennison…... Jason Sulivan will be looking for another win…… Francis Lee will be looking for redemption and William Anderson will be looking to reassert himself as top dog of the Featherlite Modified Series…….

A seventh place finish on debut made Dick huge news this weekend……. Dick Trickle will be looking to upset more modified regulars and hoping to snag a top five finish next week……. He was last seen talking to several parts dealers in the paddock area…...

Can any of them do it????….. Or will another young, hungry, talented driver take the spoils at Crystal Lake Speedway???……

Tune in next week for the answers to all these questions and more….. Exclusively here on Left Turn Heaven……..

This is Murray Eastlake reporting for Left Turn Heaven..... And until next time its goodbye from me....


Winnings.…



NASCAR Heat Weekly.…



2004 Modified Series Championship Standings after round 1 of 11.…


Dick Trickle picked up three new sponsors after that Featherlite Modified Series race…….


Don’s Fish and Chips…..



LeMode Restaurants…..



Tonga Toy Store…..



Dicks toybox…...







First lap Modified Dick action....


Sanrio World Smash Ball!



Here kitty kitty kitty kitty……..

The graphics are really nice……. Very bright and colourful….. As you would expect…… The playing area is also bright an colourful……. The puck is coloured and spins in a why that almost hypnotises you…… Its everything you would expect from a Hello Kitty game……

Controls are simple……. Move the character around and hit the ball……. You can hold two buttons to charge a meter to go super saiyan and kick with extra power…… The controls are good and it never feels like they are the reason you lost……

Sounds are…… Well…….. Serviceable……. Nothing really stands out and is not offensive to the eardrums either……. The *POCK* sound when hitting the puck is nice……. Not much else to say…….

Storyline……. April O’Neil has been kidnapped and its up to the Ninja Tur…….. Hang on………. Hmmmmm I cant find the storyline????……. Oh thats because there is no storyline…… So I can make up any crap I want…….. April O’Neil has been kidnapped by the evil Hello Kitty…….. And to get the information out of April they have applied the ancient Sanrio torturing technique of “World Smash Ball!”……. April has been bound and gagged and held captive inside the puck the game is played with…….. April is hurled and kicked across the field…… Hello Kitty watches on waiting for April to crack and spill all the secrets she has on the pesky Ninja Turtles…….

The gameplay is good……. The action is fast and frenetic….. Its just like vertical pong…… But there are blocks that block the goal and need to be knocked down first……. This can bring in strategy…… And makes the points last longer…… A point can last 5 seconds or 5 minutes…….. Its a very cleverly designed game….. Its a pity it never got an official release outside of Japan……. There is also a two player mode so you can battle a friend…… But if your playing Sanrio World Smash Ball!…… You dont have any friends….. Do you……...

Overall its a great game…… A tiny bit shallow but still great fun….. The two player competitive games are fantastic…… Kidnap a “friend”…… Load up Sanrio World Smash Ball!……. And battle each other in an overly cute evil world filled with ancient torturing techniques……..

I rate this game…… A Waterboarding out of 10…...



Sanrio World Smash Ball!


Next week……. I dont have much planned for next week…… More games and more fun I guess….. Besides that there is nothing planned to do around the house or anything….. I do need to make a barrier to stop Natasha getting down the side of the house……. I might get around to that…… Maybe……. Just one more Rally……. Then ill do it….. Promise……...

As for gaming there will be more hardcore modified Dick Trickle racing action in NASCAR: Dirt to Daytona……. Getting down and dirty in WRC 10…….. And I will play an almost forgotten Blizzard game…….


Dick Trickle in WRC 10???…..

Well thats it from me…… Hope all you tuxers have a good week……

Now for my bad joke of the week……
Dont tell secrets in the the garden...... The potatoes have eyes....... The corn has ears..... And the beanstalk......
*ba dum.... tssssh…...*

Last edited by StoneColdSpider on 15 July 2023 at 8:06 am UTC