RCRSD Iceman Winter Series Race #3, DHW, San Marcos, 3/14/21

I made it back out for race #3 of the Iceman Series to race my Formula E car.  This time out I geared up one tooth on my pinion, softened my rear springs, and increased my rear toe-in to 3.5 degrees.  Hopefully these changes increase my rear grip and straight away speed! 

In Heat 1, I finished 3rd with a 20:09, fast lap of 14.892, average lap of  15.452, and consistency of  96.79%.  This time out I used my tire warmers, as it was COLD!  I applied my tire sauce then put the tire warmers on and left then on until a few minutes before my race.  The tires were warm to the touch and tacky when I took the warmers off.  Not sure how beneficial using them is.  I guess it takes less time for the tires to heat up during my warm up laps?

Trinity tire warmers from the early 2000's!

The new extra large track marker was very unforgiving if you hit it.

In Heat 2, I finished 2nd with a 20:12, fast lap of 14.351, average lap of  15.630, and consistency of  95.54%.  For this race I increased my throttle speed and changed my throttle curve from linear to -50% expo.  My fast lap decreased as I got more used to the layout and the fact that the truck parked at the entrance of the straight left, which really opened up the entry onto it.

I qualified 3rd for the A Main and finished 2nd with a 19:04, fast lap of 14.493, average lap of  15.170, and consistency of  95.91%.  For the main I geared up another tooth on my pinion to 32 teeth.  I also changed the sauce on my fronts to Blue Liquid Wrench and used Paragon FXII on the rears.  My fast lap was a little slower, but my average lap decreased by 0.5 seconds.

For the next race I plan to lighten my rear shock oil to 42.5wt from 45wt.  I also need to change out my motor fan as the current one started spinning slowly and can't start spinning now.  I guess it's taken too many hits in crashes?

My pit area for the day

Ready for the Main

A rivet in my chair broke :(  I should be able to fix it with a screw and nut though.

Club Racing at SDRC! 22-X4 Getting Dialed In!

This was the 2nd club race for my new 4wd buggy, TLR 22-X4.  For this club race I centered the front hinge pins and maxed out the kick-up angle.  I then increased the front roll bar diameter from 1.0 mm to 1.2 mm.  I also tried out running JC Octagons on the front with Raw Speed Radar slicks on the back.

During practice I checked my motor temps as last time my motor kept going over 165F.  With an 81:21 gear in the car my motor temps were about 150F.  Much better!  Hopefully the temps stay between 150-160F during racing.

I also stripped my 2nd plastic kit servo horn 2 minutes into my 1st practice run landing a little bit sideways on the big triple.  Enough was enough!  I stripped the plastic servo horn in the Main at the last race, then again on my 1st practice run of the day.  I went in the shop and bought the optional TLR aluminum servo horn for the 22-X4.  The splines of this horn fit much better and clamp onto the the servo shaft.  I think the fit of the plastic horn isn't as tight as it should be, thus it strips rather easily.

On my last practice run my motor temp alarm went off again?  It alerts me if the motor temp goes over 165F.  I pulled the car off the track and the plastic Muchmore motor fan stopped working.  Time to replace it with my Yeah Racing aluminum fan!  Maybe this will keep the temps lower and I can gear back up?

To get the fan out, I need to remove the center diff.

Time for racing!

 

In Heat 1, I finished in 1st with a 15:04, fast lap of 19.643, average lap of  20.331, and consistency of  96.88%.  This layout is fun to drive with grip!  Big triple!  Double-triple!  Big step-up! :)

In Heat 2, I finished in 3rd with a 15:16, fast lap of 19.384, average lap of  21.119, and consistency of  92.37%.  Made too many mistakes that run trying to go a little faster.

I was able to score the TQ starting position with my run from the 1st heat.  But I blew out in the main after a crash on the big triple on the 2nd lap :(  I finished in 4th with a 14:04, fast lap of 19.389, average lap of  21.868, and consistency of  84.51%.  At least I had the fastest lap of the race?

RCRSD Iceman Winter Series Race #2, DHW, San Marcos, 2/28/21

I finally made it back out for some on-road parking lot racing!  My last race was in mid November, right before the Covid case surge.  I had some setup changes and new tire sauce (Paragon FXII) to try out on my Tamiya TC-01 Formula E car.  I also has come ESC setup changes to try out.  All these changes were meant to reduce the steering entering the corner and add rear grip on corner exit. 

In Heat 1, I finished in 4th with a 21:00, fast lap of 13.551, average lap of  14.306, and consistency of  93.06%.  I didn't get the greatest start due to starting in the back half of the 8 car field and getting run into by cars behind me.  Coming on the straight I was in last :(.  I worked my way back up to 3rd, but got passed on the last lap :(  I was also trying out a new motor fan I bolted to the side of the chassis.  My motor temps at the last race were about 150F.  This time I was coming off at 120F.  Not sure if its because the weather is cooler or if the fan helped?  Typically a fan will reduce motor temp 20-30F, so maybe my motor temps are lower because of the fan?  I plan to gear up 1 tooth for the next race on 3/14 and pack my pinion gears so I can adjust gearing at the track.

In Heat 2, I finished in 6th with a 18:03 (after getting run into multiple times), fast lap of 13.312, average lap of  16.839, and consistency of  74.63%.

With daylight running out, the race was on to get the Mains in before it gets too dark!  Luckily I was able to run my main right at sunset, so there was still enough light to see.  I qualified 4th in the A Main and finished in 2nd with a 21:03, fast lap of 13.498, average lap of  15.433, and consistency of  73.29%.  I did get missed for 2 laps, so my race time, average lap, and consistency are off.

Random pics from the race.