1mrdad

iTrader: (48)

I know the axiom of practice, practice, practice. But, after 2 1/2 years (after returning from a 20 year lay off) my driving still sucks with a 2wd blinkjy buggy. My fastest lap time is no different than 2 years ago. I consistently qualify last and finish last (of the running cars) whether it be at a club race or big race. It's not the car. The car handles very well, and straight line speed is faster than most (my son can compete with the a main drivers with it). Also, my jumping sucks. Visually I think the car is lined up and square, and I inevitably land to the left or right into/between the tubes, when I try to "soft" peddle to land on the down slope, the car will top the jump, otherwise I overshoot it. Forget about lap after lap consistency. I would not mind finishing last if I could run clean for 6 minutes without being marshaled 6-8 times per heat. I don't break parts that often, it's more cutting the corners too short or jumping badly. I even had glasses made just to race thinking it might be depth perception. Any suggestions?

Mike in Bama

iTrader: (1)

If you have time, go to the corners/jumps you have the most trouble with. Line the car up in the correct position and then go back to the drivers stand and try to burn a mental picture of the proper position. Your spatial reasoning may be off but I found this helps me. Also, for the speed, stand right by the jump and try to get a feel for the speed needed. Do it multiple times trying to dial in the speed. Don't worry about laps, work specifically on each trouble spot.

vw addict

iTrader: (38)

Some people are pros, and some run last in the B. If you are practicing and you car is setup well I would point out you said you can't judge hitting jumps straight, that's an issue. I fell your pain, I am very mediocre to, I do it to have fun

asc6000

iTrader: (15)

Welcome back to the club from another old but still wicked fast guy Sounds like an odd question but. Do you steer then let off the wheel ? then grab the wheel to steer again ? I've seen the symptom many times, but you should have been around long enough to not be doing that, just making sure. Or it could be something as simple as youv'e been watching too much short course and your brain has been infiltrated.

1mrdad

iTrader: (48)

While your advice is sound, the track is never empty to do this even on practice nights. Also, the layout changes frequently, especially during this time of year because of multiple major races.

Unfortunately, it's gotten to the point of not being fun any more. Tomorrow are the mains for my local club's largest annual race. (4 day race with 5 heats of blinky buggy and 7 heats of mod buggy, 33 full heats in all). This is my 3rd year doing the race and I am in the bottom of the bottom E and G mains of both classes.

I had to stop and think about your question. No, I don't. That said you might be right about watching too many SC trucks.

Corners

iTrader: (2)

Hmm...maybe this is too outside the box the thinking, but have you tried running modified? Why? Because sometimes when you drive something really fast, get used to the speed, then go back to a slower level, the difference in speed allows you to "think" a little more, as the reduced speed will seem quite tame.

Just an idea.

kyoshojoe1

maybe its the controller to me a stick controller is easier to feather. also hand eye coordintation and rection time gets worse as we age. it sounds to me like you keep practicing the mistakes as well. not your fault if track is too busy. if it were me I would also maybe try a different car just to see if it suits you better. drive anothe members car. it may be set up right for your sons driving style but not yours.

iamahuman

If possible, try VRC Pro. I was out of racing for 2 years but spent a lot of time on VRC Pro and I didn't have a lot of trouble on my first time out.

If you like it, you can get the paid membership.

kyoshojoe1

VRC Pro looks pretty cool. Think I might have to check it out. I wonder if they have a pistol grip compatible controller.

VenturaDC

iTrader: (32)

Just order a USB receiver adapter and use your own remote, that's the better option so your using you gear to practice with, also if you give vrc a shot make sure its on a pretty good computer, one of the biggest complaints with vrc is that it doesn't feel real or there is lag which can be true with a computer that is struggling to run the physics engine. I have a quad core processor 6gigs of ram and a decent invidia video card and I still have to turn all the graphics way down for it to be smooth.

McC Luke

slow is fast.

try keeping the buggy slow and under control and tight to the tubes, no sudden jerks.

KAWIDAD

iTrader: (24)

I know it sounds basic and maybe obvious, try staying in the middle of track(instead of cutting corner tight) Helped me quite a bit get consistent, then I learned to drive tighter.

will5879

This was the problem I had (and still do somewhat) after a ten year layoff from racing. I was thrashing the steering way too much without realizing it. And surprised how easy it was to clip pipes, wall, jump crooked, etc. And struggled to judge where my car was in proximity to everything else on the track. So I guess all I can say is try to be really smooth with the steering and throttle input, line up straight for those jumps before blipping the throttle, tap brakes in the air as needed to let all 4 tires hit the surface at the same time. I will usually jump on the throttle just before the car lands to really plant it (unless there's a corner right there after the jump or something). And I like to dial in some expo into my steering (-10%), found I was more consistent that way. And brake EPA, fast guys use push brake but it has to be controllable, so start at like 75% or something and adjust from there. Maybe if you posted a video folks here could offer some pointers?

bambambennett

Maybe your equipment is messing you up. What radio do you use. Long latency times between radio to receiver make driving smooth very difficult. Your mind thinks of what to do and sends the signal to your hands, your hands change controls on your radio and the radio transmits the inputs into signals, those signals are sent to the receiver which gives the data to the other equipment on your car. If you make a thought and a move, then your equipment hesitates, you end up over correcting all the time. If you don't have a good radio, I suggest getting one. My recommendation( middle of the road) is a Sanwa MT4 but use a FHS2 receiver instead of the stock FHS4. This combo worked very well for my son making his reactions to vehicle balanced and consistent.

Another issue might be where you stand on the drivers stand. I move around from spot to spot and try to find "my" optimum spot where "My Bad Depth Perception" is minimized.

Try to run your slipper on the loose side, this will keep you from fishtailing and cross jumping. This might prohibit you from clearing the big double or triple, but you can maintain the vehicles composure and keep it going strait.

On practice days, Focus on jump approach. Run the middle of the track as previously stated and run a clean straight approach. Let the other drivers on the stand know you will be going slow and not to follow in. Once you get to the face of the jump throttle down and single everything. This will enable you to take a close look at your approach since you can concentrate on your cars positioning rather than the landing. I also sometimes tense up trying to hit a big jump or go a long distance which inadvertently causes me to turn the steering wheel when tensing. Avoiding caffeine helps with this along with understanding my limits. My consistency is insane,.3 from my fast lap to my top ten, but I am slower than half the others. Understand your limits, drive within them, and most importantly have fun. That is what driving toy cars is all about. Don't lose the fun factor!

Hope this helps a bit.

RC10Nick

iTrader: (9)

this is going to sound a little backwards, but trust me, it works. Practice going SLOW. Just follow me... practice driving laps as consistently as possible. really concentrate on how you enter and exit turns. roll all the jumps. you should be going so slow that you have plenty of time to think about where your car is, where it's going, and how it needs to line up for the turn. it will feel very awkward at first, but just go with it. drive as slow as you possibly can. the goal is to be as consistent as you can, don't worry about how slow you're going. consistency first. when you can turn lap after lap without crashing at a snail's pace, bump up the speed.

this is how I will practice from time to time. it makes a difference. it forces you to think about consistency, and gets you used to being smooth and easy on the controls. you don't want to do this by turning down your epa. you'll end up mashing the throttle the whole time. you don't want to do that! keep your epa at 100% but practice only pulling the trigger just a little bit. this will encourage better throttle control.

it's very awkward and counter intuitive to practice this way, but it works!