I headed over to SDRC to club race on the Top Gun layout (since I don't attend bigger races anymore). My expectations were low as the only triple I could make was a little one in the whoops section in the back left corner of the track. The bigger one in front of the ramp to the drivers stand can only be made by Mod 4wd.
For Heat 1 I went with my practice tires (JC front and Pro-Line rear slicks) since I was able to get around the track ok. Maybe with a little push? So I sauced the front and rear tires the full width and called it good. The track was freshly blown off and misted so I figured it would be fine since I was in the 1st heat of the round. I finished in 3rd with a 15:05, fast lap of 18.996, and consistency of 94.63%. The video shows that I made 7 mistakes which slowed me down and crashed 3 times.
For Heat 2 I stayed on the same tires. But I think the track wasn't watered as much and dried off? I went faster overall, but that was due to better consistency, since my fast lap slowed slightly. The guys in front of me went a lot faster though, and a car behind me went a lap faster?! I finished 4th time time with a 15:00, fast lap of 19.146, and higher consistency of 96.36%. This time I made 7 mistakes again which slowed me down but at least I only crashed 2 twice?
I would end up qualifying 4th of 8 cars. I decided to switch to my Dirt Webs/Ellipse tread tires for the main, as I think the track was drying out and becoming dusty, as the dust was not blow off between races. I crash into the wall on the landing of the step down on the 2nd lap and lose touch with the top 3 cars. For the rest of the race I fight off the car behind me, but I end up making 6 driving mistakes and crash a total of 6 times! This prevents me from improving on my starting position and I finish in 4th with a 16:21, fast lap of 18.646, and consistency of 93.72%. I guess the tread on my tires helped as my fast lap improved by half a second!
I decided to try and paint my buggy wings fluorescent yellow to make my cars easier to see. Unfortunately this type of paint is meant to be used with a white backing layer, which I didn't use. So the wings are still translucent. I think I'll try a normal yellow color when I run out of this can of paint.
Slapped on some fresh chassis tape for my Tekno EB410! This chassis is prone to rubbing the surface at the leading and tail edges. It is also known to snap the kick-up at the front off when the aluminum wears too thin. Thus, I run a double layer of chassis tape here and sometimes a custom made 3D printed skid plate.
I picked up a Tekin RS Pro Black Edition on sale for Christmas! I was able to get it for a cheaper price than when I bought another one in May for my 22 5.0 SR. This one will go in my 4wd buggy along with a Protek 160T low profile servo.
I headed out to SDRC again for more club racing during Thanksgiving weekend. We would be doing heads up starts again for qualifying, which were fun, as you had to race your way to a starting position in the Main, but more risky, as you are racing everyone.
For Heat 1 I would start on the pole. I have a clean start and keep the lead for the first 7 laps. Then with a fast 2nd place car behind me I go too wide over the hump before the triple and don't carry enough speed to clear the double. I crash on my wheels, but end up pointed into the pipe. I hop over the pipe and get back on the track in 3rd place. I make a pass for 2nd on lap 13, but lose it on the last corner at the end of the race. I finish in 3rd with a 16:07, fast lap of 17.835, and consistency of 91.7%. My crashes where I lost track position were due to driving errors with no other cars involved and needed no marshal.
For Heat 2 I started last this time, 7th of 7. I made my way up to 4th by lap 3 and started to hunt down the top 3. But after a hard landing off the triple, I had no throttle for a split second. It drove alright for another lap, but stopped again right before the hump to the table top step up leading back to the straight. The marshal picked up my car then put it back down and I was able to drive to the start of straight, where I could pick up my car. All the symptoms pointed to a disconnected sensor wire, which I did find and plugged back in. For Heat 2 my fast lap was 18.024 with a consistency of 85.7%.
I thought I was ready to go for the Main, as I plugged in the senor wire to my motor which was clearly loose when I inspected the car. But the set screw for the rear diff input coupler also loosened in Heat 2, and I didn't find out until I hit the throttle to start my warm-up laps.
Since I had the day off from work on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving this year, I decided to race that night. Apparently this was the 2nd Annual Pumpkin Pie Nationals! At this race the winner of each class gets a Costco pumpkin pie and there's a pie eating contest before the mains. Fun!
Unfortunately for me I strip the composite gears in my center diff during Heat 1. I was running in 4th when the diff stripped enough that I wasn't able to clear the triple or step up leading onto the straight. My fast lap was 18.156 with a consistency of 93.7% before I broke.
I wasn't able to start Heat 2, since I was still trying to replace the composite gears with the stock metal ones. I was close though. I was reassembling the diff just as the 2nd Heat started to warm-up, but I still had to get it back in the buggy.
Since I didn't finish either Heat race I would start last, 9th of 9 cars. By lap 8 I worked my way up to 4th and was chasing down the top 3 cars. Third place makes a mistake and I pass him for 3rd. On the last lap the 2nd place car makes a mistake and needs a marshal. I follow him over the hip jump and land on top of his car by accident! Opps! I was able to get off his car without needing a marshal and make it over the line to claim 2nd! Not the cleanest way, but it's just a club race? I was driving a bit aggressive, after not completing both my heat races. I completed the main in 2nd with a 16:16, fast lap of 18.084, and consistency of 92.96%. The winner's consistency was 94.09%. I really need to stop crashing and get my consistency above 95%!
