Practice Race #2 for Platinum Battle

This would be the last practice race for me before the Platinum Battle on the 29th. I used this race to tryout different tires and pick the ones that work best for the big race :) I would be also working on my lines for the hairpin, step-up tabletop, and triple.

Super Stock Truck
For round 1, I was experimenting with Panther Switch 2.0's. These tires had too much wheelspin, leading to slower laptimes. The front end didn't seem to steer as well either, pushing some in the sweepers. I finished last with a 14:00.

For round 2, I went back to my trusty Panther Stingers, which always worked well in Stock. I also increased the power setting on my ESC, as I noticed Robert spraying his "secret sauce" on the racing groove, so I gambled that the traction would be better for this round. The Stingers did work a little better, as I was barely able to make it over the line for the 15th lap, finishing 3rd with a 15:20.

For the main, I tried running Holeshots, as it was the tire of choice for everyone else. I was pulling wheelies with these tires during practice on Saturday :) However, the truck was still pushing in the sweepers. Which has a big impact on lap times, as there are a lot of sweepers on this layout. I barely hung on to 4th, finishing with a 14:02. I really don't like the new roll center settings I have on the front end, and I changed them back to my old settings for the race next weekend.

It's also worth mentioning that every race I was battling with little Andy Castro. He's this young kid that comes up from TJ with his parents to race. He's pretty quick and drives clean (unlike others, Casey B). Keep an eye out for him at the big races in the coming years.

Super Stock 4wd
For round 1, I would be trying out my Panther Bobcats/Switch 2.0's. These tires worked great on the old layout when the track was bone dry and swept. While they felt ok, my lap times were slow, in the mid 19's to 20's. I also had what started out as a good start, only to get taken out by Tyler and got stuck on the wrong side of the pipe. I finished dead last with a 15:00.

For round 2, I tried out a weird tire combination that I had only been using during practice days, Blockhead fronts with Square Fuzzie rears. I also turned up my power setting on the ESC, to profile 2. I was able to turn a couple of low 19's, but the rear end was a still sliding around some, making it difficult to drive fast. I didn't go any faster with a 15:01, but at least I didn't finish last.

I qualified horrible! I was seated in the 9th spot :( I decided to quit testing tires and put on my Holeshots that I was saving for the Platinum race. During warm up these tires felt dialed! Hopefully I can make some time on the cars in front of me. I was able to keep up with them and was in a 4 car fight for 5th!? But, I landed short a few times on the step-up table top and triple, because I began shortening up my approach to catch up to the cars in front. I could only make it about 90% of the time, and that other 10% when I ended up on my lid, dropped me back down the order. I managed to finish in 7th with a decent 16:12.

I need to be able to clear these jumps consistently if I'm going to turn a fast time on Saturday! To be able to clear these jumps with a short approach, I tightened up my slipper, increased the power profile in my ESC, and need to run the right tires.

Well that's it. No more practice for me. Next race will be the one. I will be in San Diego with my family for Thanksgiving, but will drive back up to OCRC on Saturday for the Platinum Battle. The cars are ready. Just need to glue up more tires, in case I need to run new rubber. Wish me luck!