Totally DIALED

iTrader: (4)

That is what I enjoy about VTA. Racers who do whatever it takes to get others on the track. Like you, I would rather be beat by my lent out equipment then to have that person sitting out that round. Its also nice to find your backup stuff is just as good as your race stuff..lol
I got into VTA because of Battman (Myron) I went to the track and watched, I saw the heat race and when they came off the track, I started to ask questions. Myron started go talk to me, then within a few minutes he handed me his controller and put the car he just set TQ with on the track and said. " Here, try this..it will answer some of your questions" He didn't know me, but he was willing to sacrifice his TQ car to get me involved in VTA racing. Now I race with him all the time and he still let's me borrow things, but I have yet to beat him with his own equipment...course I have yet to beat him in the main with my own equipment...but that's another story...lol

scirocco14

iTrader: (5)

Ditto on this. I built up a "backup" USVTA car with an older Silver case Novak 25.5, Club ESC, cheap shocks, and old tires. He promptly beat me every qualifying session that night and nearly TQ'd.

He's now converting his Xray '14 from 17.5TC to USVTA.

Mark

PS...Myron, I was racing USVTA this weekend at Bush River RC in Columbia, got 2nd in the A-main.

18to88

iTrader: (4)

So myself and buddy started VTA.....I have raced 1/8 scale nitro dirt oval for 3 years and I thought I was pretty good. My buddy has raced off an on for years and is way better than me.
We both buy TC 6.1's and were off.........we think......
We have been to the track for 4 race days. We always get there early so we can practice.
Bottom line is we suck....bad.....like I am around 3 sometimes 4 seconds off the pace,he is better maybe 2. We thought this class was for beginners I guess not.
So how do we improve? I don't want to bother the other racers.
Or am I expecting too much to soon?
We are old guys also....lol

RotorTruck

iTrader: (2)

I learned the most about how bad my car was setup by having the winner of the race drive my car during practice after the race. And I drove his car. Eyes opened, light bulb turned on. I did all the suspension and alignment changes he recommended and got much faster.

Also, tire prep is key. His tires were much softer than mine. Paragon Ground FX black can he used. I put his tires on my car and gained like .3 seconds per lap.

Ask someone to watch you drive and give feedback on your line. Practice!

scirocco14

iTrader: (5)

Driving is a huge part of the equation in USVTA. Momentum and nice tight lines are worth TONS of laptime.

Are you using a setup station on your cars? Once I bought a setup station, I found out how poorly my cars were aligned and setup. Picked up a bunch of time once all 4 wheels were pointed in the right directions!

Have one of the fast guys drive your car and get some input on setup. It's hard to go fast if the car isn't setup properly.


Mark

DARKSIDE

iTrader: (2)

Gentlemen Drivers at Slower Speeds Class.....what track and surface

18to88

iTrader: (4)

Thanks for the quick replies.
No I do have a setup station. I do understand that fast is smooth and smooth is fast.
I guess I will ask one the other drivers to drive my car.....I have read and read on setup....but I could and probably are off.
Pretty much all the other drivers run the 17.5 class also....so out classed there...lol
One thing we are doing is tire prep......maybe over doing it!

mikel33

iTrader: (2)

Bothering other racers is the key. Don't be afraid to ask for help. That's one of the great things about the hobby and especially this class. Almost everyone will help you out. And it is a great class to get started in, just stay with it for a bit.

k_bojar

iTrader: (30)

old guys can do pretty well in the class just a matter of time getting used to the class/chassis/tires... did you try and track down a setup for the 6.1? If not, I would try and find one - myron might be able to help you with that as well, since he is an AE driver

I used to hunt and hunt for a setup for my TCX, but then I asked one of the guys that I race with that used to run the TCX for his setup - he gave me one that works EVERYWHERE, and I mean EVERYWHERE... asphalt, carpet, local tracks or a track I never been at before..the nice thing with VTA is that once you find a good setup - that will give you more time for learning the layout(s) and finding the right line that works for you..

Also, if you're an offroad guy - you'll probably need to change up some of your driving habits as some don't always translate well from dirt to road racing

keep with it - you'll get there and you'll 'find' that few seconds you need to be on the pace

as far as USVTA being a beginners class?? hogwash - that's just an excuse the stuck-up fast guys use to explain it.. USVTA was never meant to be a true beginners class - its just a class with slower speeds and much closer racing.. which IMO, makes it one of the best classes out there.. its never any fun getting lapped constantly by the faster drivers

RussF

iTrader: (22)

I would agree that USVTA is not a beginner class as well and maybe you are expecting too much too soon. With that being said I definitely think it is a beginner welcome class, and I would encourage racers that this is a great starting class. Fast guys are fast because of experience mostly.

The best way to get fast at any class of RC racing is turning laps. The more laps turned then better. Practice is king. But at our track there really isnt alot of practice time so most of the experience is race laps. Race laps are hard to test with but if you know you are off pace anyway concentrate on just your line and consistency. Dont worry about the traffic, they will find their way around. I only ever drive the car as fast as I can without wrecking. A slower car that isn't crashing will be faster than a car that wrecks every couple laps. Between races concentrate on small changes to the car to add or change behavior you want.

Turning laps with an RC car translates from class to class. If there is something out there that offers more race and practice time try that. Myself I love racing Kyosho Mini-Z's. The experience I've gained over the years racing those translates into everything I do now. In fact I picked up offroad this year and was placing in the A main every race even though I have never raced offroad before or ever set up a buggy. It all comes from being smooth and being smooth means not crashing.

A drivable setup is required and if you car is mechanically challenged then it makes it hard to turn smooth laps. Check your PM.

jdob

iTrader: (1)

YES! YES! YES! This is my favorite below...Come on Protoform!!! Make it!!! Please!!!

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RotorTruck

iTrader: (2)

While using brake cleaner to clean tires last sunday, someone said it'll remove the essential oils in the rubber tires, and reduce their longevity. So I switched back to Simple Green.

After I got home I used WD40 to clean the tires and WOW that works good and is oil based so won' remove oils from the tire. I'll try that next weekend.

I also got some white GoJo hand cleaner mixed with water to try out too. Which I know also softens tires...and easy on the hands and nose.

theproffesor

iTrader: (66)

I stopped using simple green a while back. Dont know what, but something about it mixed with STX seems to make the trires super soft and baloon out pre-maturely. Have been using tire sause to clean ever since and it works great. Im thinking of swithing to lighter fluid to clean sinc eit has a similar chemical make up and is a whole lot cheaper.

Simple green may work on outdoor tires without compound though. Never tried it.

John Wallace2

I race outdoors. I use the STX tire and body cleaner on the VTA tires in between heats and then use Tire Tweak for the traction compound. The STX seems to work better than Simple Green for cleaning; however, I use Simple Green on the USGT spec tires as that seems to work better there than does STX for cleaning.

After the race weekend I clean everything with Simple Green.

DarthRacer

iTrader: (8)

How old is the USVTA class now?

This thread just got bumped and it looks like one of the first discussions about the possibility of a vintage class, calling it a Nostalgia series.
http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric...gia-class.html