History of The ohio cup
The Ohio Cup started in 2008 as an idea from a few guys within the Central Ohio HO Racing Association, that wanted to branch out from our regular Saturday night groups racing, and host an individual race where others across the region would likely come and pit their skills against us. That first race was hosted by Ryan and Ann Peoples and 34 racers gathered in their basement to participate. Many came from Ohio, but some from KY, PA, NC, WV, MD, WI, VA, and SC, to run 2-2 minute qualifiers and 4 minute "bump up" mains on Ryan's 4'x16' MaxTrax. The event ran long into the night with Ryan getting the win in what would be our first annual event.
In 2009, we planned to race on two tracks, to expand the amount of green flag racing for each racer and maybe a little less downtime between races. The race was held in the Hilliard Presbyterian Church and 33 racers came to compete. After all was said and done, we had a situation that we didn't plan for, with Paul Kniffen getting the most laps on one track and Travis Joop getting the most laps on the other track. We declared co-champions that year and from that point on we started combining total feet traveled on each track to determine a champion. Again we had nearly 10 states represented and after some reflection, we realized that the event was fairly popular, even though we never dreamed it would make it to 10 years.
2010 was again at the church and 27 racers competed. Charley Karnes was crowned the champion that day. Although the attendance was down a bit, the competition was strong and the fun level was very high. Several states were represented again and we started gathering more support from sponsors and prize donations. Our event was starting to gain some attention.
2011 and 2012 was held at the church again, but attendance numbers were still down a bit as we struggled to find the date that fit the racers ability to travel from other regions. Ken Ott went back to back to become the first 2 time champion of The Ohio Cup as he was the best of 25 and 24 racers respectively.
2013 and 2014 saw a change of venue, and we found a date that seemed to fit. Attendance was 40 and 38 at Grandpa's Garage, which was a terrific venue for the race since it was a transportation themed flea market/antique shop. Kevin Bacher would claim the crown in 2013 and Charley Karnes won his second title in 2014. I believe we had 13 and 12 states represented in those years and the racers were making our event a very popular one to attend.
In 2015, we decided to let Rt. 93 Raceway in Akron host The Ohio Cup. It proved to be an excellent venue as well, and 34 racers came from 12 states, and one came down from Canada for our event. Ryan Peoples reclaimed the crown, for his second championship, making 3 drivers now as 2-time champions.
2016 would bring us back to the church in Hilliard, and the last year that we would use 2 tracks. 60 racers signed up, making this the highest number of entrants we've ever had. As usual, not all of those entrants could make it come race day, but 54 of them did. This would be Charley Karnes' 3rd victory in The Ohio Cup, and this would arguably be one of the most memorable races in our 9 year history.
The 2017 race would be our 10th annual event. WOW! We never had a clue we'd actually get to the second one when we started this, and now we're staring 10 right in the face. So, we shook things up a bit and added a third track to the mix. We were not sure how this would go over but we went full speed ahead into it. Again we had 62 paid entries and 57 actually competed in the event, that was held at the church one more time. I guess the 3rd track didn't scare anyone away. This would make Ken Ott's 3rd championship, as his car traveled 7 actual miles between the qualifying heats and the mains. The 10th annual race was a huge success and we're looking forward to what might be in store as we go forward into the 2018 event.
The 2018 race saw 87 initial entries of which 74 actually competed in the event. We added a 4th track this year and ran the mains a bit differently than in years past, dividing the field in two groups and each group running two separate tracks in the mains. A new champion would be crowned this year. Jeff Kraatz would take the Cup home to St. Louis for the first time. Another hugely successful event and a very long day as the 11th annual Ohio Cup came to pass.
Below are some links to files containing results from all 11 Ohio Cup events to date.
