KerosineMonkey

Hey everybody, I've got a TC4 kit being delivered to the LHS soon and I cant wait to start building it. Anyways, this is mainly going to be a parking lot basher, drifting, etc... But, it is also going to have to do double duty as a racer on the weekends.

Now, I have never actually raced any kind of RC at a track before and am looking for some advice. I am probably going to run 19T class for now (is this a good choice?) What other classes are there. Are there rules as far as bodies go for racing as I always see the protoform style bodies at the track and in videos. Can I use, say, a 240sx body or a camaro body for racing?

What else should I know before I go out to the track the first time?

Thanks in advance and I hope to learn a lot from this forum.

surrealmaterial

iTrader: (4)

hey,

if youve never raced before, i would NOT go for the 19turn class. Id go for something like a novice class if your local track has one, and use a silver can for now, then eventually when your driving skills increase you can race in 19turn.

Ben.C

You could start of in the novice 27 turn stock if you think silver can is too slow for you.

If your local track is a asphalt track, just go for the Protoform Mazda 6. Its a 2 time IFMAR world champion's choice for a reason...

F. Mendoza

iTrader: (79)

Making lefts and rights on the street is not the same as racing. Novice class with silvercan or 27T are good choices to start with. Check out the car bodies used at the local track. Try to get get help on picking a body. Protoform's Mazda 6 is a good one to use. I still have faith in HPI's Dodge Stratus, that's just me though. Good luck and have fun.

BigDaddyT

Yeah - definitely go with stock or silver can. You'll save a lot of time and frustration with broken parts if you start out a bit slower. It's way more fun to drive a bit more slowly, but keep your car in one piece for the day.

As the other guys said, most racers choose either a Stratus, Mazda 6, or one of the other Protoform bodies. It will give you the most even downforce and a good starting point. The sports car bodies look good, but don't have the same level of aerodynamic tuning. However, if you've only got sports car bodies, you should be fine to get started with those.

Other than that, here are a few other tips that come to mind for your first time on the track:

- Be careful with your radio. Don't leave it on in the pits and remember to use whatever frequency control system they have at the track (clips, etc.)
- Be careful when you pull out onto the track. Don't pull out into traffic. Watch out for super fast modified cars. Don't go the wrong way. Don't stop on the driving line.
- If you crash or spin out on the track in a precarious spot (like the straight) call out to the other drivers on the stand and let them know. Otherwise, they'll smoke into your car going full speed and both of you might break.
- Just be careful, and ask lots of questions. People will help out.

Overall - just have some fun and rip it up! Try not to take too may people out.

KerosineMonkey

Thanks for all the help guys! I am mainly going to be racing on asphalt if that makes a difference... I read in another thread how people had different suggestions as far as bodies depending on whether racing on carpet or asphalt. Why does it mattter? Also, why do you need to set your car up differently if you are running rubber tires as opposed to foam? Which tire is better for asphalt?

Sorry for all the questions but there is just sooo much info to wrap my head around.

RaceAce701

iTrader: (87)

theody affects the airodinamic ballance of the car

some bodies produce more frontgrip while other more in the rear

it depends on the type of track you race on and its size

rush evo dude

yeh, 27T is good for racing, and also, a good shell, for carpet i think, would be the Protoform DNA.
A nice looking Sedan like body and strong and reliable. Only about £16 aswell.

or8ital

iTrader: (38)

For asphalt you cant go wrong with the pre-mounted Take-Off CS-27 tires. Pretty much standard. For body use a Mazda6. As for other tips, just have fun and dont be afraid to ask questions. Most people will be more then willing to help you.

BigDaddyT

For electric racing, people typically use rubber tires exclusively on Asphalt. They wear longer, and it's basically just the standard, so you should focus on that and not worry too much about foams if you're going to be on asphalt.

On carpet, it's a different story - foam is more of the standard in North America, although elsewhere in the world they typically run rubber on carpet as well.

The reason you set up your car differently is that the two tires produce vastly different amounts of grip. You typically soften the setup for rubber so that the car can roll from side to side a bit more to get maximum traction. Since the foam tire has so much grip on it's own, you typically stiffen the setup to take advantage of that and to avoid scrubbing speed in the corners.