Slapmaster6000

iTrader: (16)

Chad, wait! 91-92 for H30. 95 for the CC.

HeliYogi

iTrader: (17)

Fabulous night - Thank you and HNY

mustangswan

If anyone has a few sets of used stock touring tires that they would like to donate to the loaner car program at the hanger that would be greatly appreciated. We're down to a few mis-matched sets and could use a few sets to replace some slightly mistreated ones on the loaners. Just trying to give the guesses the best experience we can. See Rob, Kyle or Bill, Thanks.

HeliYogi

iTrader: (17)

I Have downtown activity in the late afternoon so the Pit bag is in the trunk.

Bring 'm out...

bradshawkyle

iTrader: (3)

The long nights and cold temperatures of Seattle’s winter have done little to dampen the spirits of our racers, in fact I’m guessing most people like me get a little bit of cabin fever this time of year. In that case, a trip to your friendly local track for a night of racing may be just what the doctor ordered. Entries were solid once again, with two full heats of Scale Spec, six 1/12 scale cars, three novice drivers, four F1 entries on top of four Stock Touring entries, 29 entries in all.

The existence of a Formula 1 class at H30 is a direct result of grassroots organizing of our drivers – so thank you for making the effort and bringing your cars! Russ Dyer and Marcos Wandless joined H30 regulars Adam Shelton and Rob Swan for their open wheel fix on the rug. Adam was dialed in Q1 and Q2, taking the TQ chicken in both rounds. His performance in the main was equally strong, owning the top spot from tone to tone, with Russ taking 2nd and Rob in 3rd.

Stock 1/12 was a scrap between Todd and Stuart in Q1, which gave Brian plenty of room to stretch out and burn off a solid 49/8:06, which is only 2 seconds off his track record. Q2 brought us an unusual sight: Bodine parking his car at the 3 minute mark….why would he do that? Did he have a mechanical failure? Was he bent out of shape that young Stuart was on-pace to claim TQ and overturn his track record? We had to wait to the main to find out, but in the meantime Stuart laid down a blistering 49/8:08 with a 9.435 fast lap. While his run was 4 seconds off the record, Stuart did reset the fastest lap ever turn on this H30 track by 0.013 seconds over Brian. As the field lined up for the main, I wondered if Brian’s early exit from Q2 would come into play. He let out like a scalded cat at the bell, and with good reason because Todd and Stuart were on him from start to finish. All three cars were as quick as I’ve ever seen them, Todd clipping a 9.487 fast lap and 49 laps while Stuart and Brian managed to eek out 50. At the 6 minute mark, Brian started squawking on the stand about something, and that’s when I figured out why he stopped in Q2. As you know, foam rubber grips far better than CA glue. You may also know that it’s important to ensure you have enough tire left to finish your race night without wearing your tires down to the glue. Welp, the Slapmaster may have missed his calculations by about 2 minutes, because his car began pushing like a deranged snowplow near the end of the run. Stuart sensed blood in the water and pressed Brian all the way to the line, crossing a scant 1.1 seconds behind. The top 3 were on fire, each of them getting into the 9.4’s at some point in the evening; in fact the end of the main was so tight I actually parked my car to watch the last couple of minutes. Great stuff.


Stock Touring was a bit light, with Mike Boyle out sick (get well soon, buddy!) and a couple other regulars unable to make it. What we were treated to was a go-fast clinic from Donny and Jake. Donny spent the night flirting with Kody’s track records and Jake invested time in refining yet another DanilchikAmatix homebrew chassis design. Turns out it’s a purdy as it is quick. In the main Jake and Donny sparred for the majority of the run, trading spots, resetting and starting over, bumping, passing, and generally havering a great time on track. In the end, Donny took the win, Jake 2nd, Jeff Johnson 3rd on what looked like one of his best night in Stock at the hangar.


Scale Spec was stacked with talent, with Gary Lewis and Jim Glasgow making the trek down from NORA to mix it up with H30 strongmen Donny Banks and Chris Perry, as well as the rest of the usual suspects. Donny looked strong all night, and in Q2 he showed his hand by blazing a 33/6:05.111 with a 10.79 fast lap, which was good enough to retake the H30 track record from Portland’s Ryan Brownlee. Ryan will have to settle for the consolation prize of fast lap, but Donny managed to bring the big prize back home to Seattle. The top 3 starting spots in the main were Donny, Franko and Gary. Franko found trouble on the first lap, letting Gary and me through and dropping himself to 4th. Franko quickly regrouped, rounded-up and passed me and set his sights on Gary, reeling him in slowly over the next 5 minutes. When the clock ran out, Franko crossed the line a scant 1.2 seconds behind Gary, with Donny taking the win.

We’re back in action at the Hangar on January 23rd, mark your calendars and I’ll see you there! Results and updated track records are posted below.

skibum989

I've got a set from outdoor season that only have 2 runs on them! They're the 34s, but I suppose that's ok for Novice since they have no spec tire?

PutAwayWet

iTrader: (1)

Last nights’ effort highlighted the power and purpose of being a club. As these things tend to go, there was of course no warning: the club’s computer simply decided to fail. I called up Andrew, Panos, and Mike to take a look, and it was agreed, we were SOL. So, what to do? I carry spares, of course, but I do not carry entire spare computers. However, Andrew had his on hand, and he was willing to pitch it into the fray. I do carry spare software, and with a quick install and a download of the appropriate drivers, we were in business. The net of the affair was a 35 minute delay as I had to manually enter everyone into the database, and the first round was slowed by dragging and dropping transponders for the first runs, but overall we were okay. Huge thanks should go out to Andrew, who now has an official club backup computer in case I want to go on vacation. Ha ha Andrew! I got you. It’s like the Godfather, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.”

And of all nights...it was a solid one, with 57 entries in 11 heats (60 and 10 is the ideal). Once again, I have to say this layout has a superb technical flowing character, more an evolution than a revolution, and it qualifies and races very well. The upper left entrance to the straight keeps it real, but overall, it punishes mistakes without causing heartache from broken gear. I’d say it’s the best we’ve ever had…I have to maybe think about that one…but it’s on the short short list.

Every season, we see a dominant Scale Spec racer. In past years it was Ruete, Reyes, Garber, Reece, and usually there’s an out of town joker like Tsang to mix it up. This year, it’s Donny who is ruling the class, with occasional visits by Ryan Brownlee to break the monotony. Donny enjoyed a mostly unchallenged run at the field, and in the process reset the track record. In the main, he checked out at the tone, but deeper down the sheet, Willie and Ray swapped the 3-4 spots to maintain interest in the stands.

Bodine continues to be the class of the Stock 1/12th field. While I was able to stay within six seconds by the bell, it wasn’t enough to count as an actual challenge. All I could do was keep my feet while he grimly applied the pressure. All credit to Brian, whose program on all levels is dialed in to near perfection. His bench game—chassis, motor, and battery—and his on-track prowess are difficult to beat at any time, and this season has not deviated from that pattern.

We’ve graduate a couple novices already this season, so it was good to see a new face in the house to take up the hobby. His name is Collin, and he got his start at Galaxy Hobby last summer and found his way to us. He seemed to have fun, and it was good to have young McKenna on hand to dish him out his first beat down. It’s good to start off on the right foot and to begin stripping away all pretenses, I think. Racing makes no allowances for the dignity that comes with age or wage, it simply measures speed. And McKenna had more, so good on her.

Modified Touring was fantastic, as is so often the case. Korey, Andrew, and Brian Shook were the front runners, with both Donny and Panos laying down some fast laps. Come the main, Korey was gone-dy early and took the win going away. But Andrew and Brian battled fiercely until Brian tapped and broke, letting Donny through to the 3-spot. But back for a moment to Korey…it’s easy to look past sushi boy as if his consistent on-track excellence is a foregone thing. But he works at it, and every lap is the product of a meticulous attention to detail on the bench and years of on-track experience. Making it look easy is actually hard, and Korey does not flinch from the challenge.

Formula One has not had a consistent patron this season. It has been a toss-up between McMullen and Dyer, and this one was more of that. Russ TQ’d a mere two seconds ahead of Dave, and in the main Russ took the win with Dave trailing right behind on the same lap. I occasionally wonder the class wouldn’t be well-served to go 25.5. It’s a trend elsewhere in the country, as it makes the little beasts easier to handle in close quarters. 2s 21.5 power is no joke in these cars. It may as well be modified, as the existing package delivers an excess of power for most conditions. And there is no question that when care is taken to avoid bumping wheels, it’s finesse and delicacy that pays off as opposed to outright rip. That said, if the will to adapt emerges, it will have to come from the guys racing the class, and my hunch is that no change will be forthcoming. So, I’m just talking.

Stock Touring (or should I say Super Stock since ROAR Stock will almost certainly go 21.5 within the year) saw a familiar face at the top of the qualifying sheet. Malkinson likes his time trials, far more than mains, it must be said. Every time the “let’s cut quals and race more” thing comes up, I think of Mike, who would as soon cut the mains and add another qual, I think. It’s a “says who, you?” thing when these conversations come up, and more than anything highlights the confirmation biases of both sides of the debate. At any rate, Mike recused himself from the main, opening the door for Donny to take charge of the race, though Sam, Justin, and Ritchie did what they could to knock him off. But Donny is a hard one to take down, particularly this season as his efforts have taken a step up, it seems. I don’t know whether or how he has made deliberate changes, but I detect an improvement in preparation and consistency.

Finally, Modified 1/12th scale, where we have been experimenting with a couple of “power down” strategies. The ancient art has waned of late, as it has been obvious that the cars are simply too fast and unforgiving of the least slip in setup or preparation. It can’t survive at that pace while making those demands. This is a hobby, not a job. We’ve tried 6.5…blah. I mean, it’s okay, and if everyone is running it, it’s fast racing, to be sure. But it lacks the essential modified quality of having to control the power. We’ve been gravitating toward open motor/blinky, which takes the insane edge off while preserving the essence of open modified classes. Plus, taking away the boosted surge makes it far easier to race wheel to wheel. No surprise, it was Korey again, with Brian second, Stuart third. Stuart has graduated to full-blown 3.5 power, and one catastrophic wallop on the upper left aside, he kept his stuff mainly in good order throughout.

Thank you for your patience with the delay, we will have the situation remedied next time out.

Results attached.

Lence

I can't believe how much fun it is to drive a complete rocket around the track. After I was able to finish my 3RD MOD race in a row without breaking (Well a few parts did get knocked out each run) I left the drivers stand feeling like I had just won the IFMAR. Man, what a rush. Yes, if you look at the time sheet I was down like 10 laps, but those cars are so fast that you have a hard time telling if you are passing or being passed so a finish is a win.
For the night, I took my HW 4.5 that I have used to destroy my ARC R11 in the past, and hung on for dear life. I have never had so much fun racing. So, I have been able to run 1/12 MOD twice now, once with a 6.5 and on Saturday with a 4.5. But were crazy fun but the 4.5 was really something special.

R3VoLuTiOn

iTrader: (29)

Accurate description of the twelf mod class.

Ask Korey for his 3.5 Boosted Turbo setup

Lence

Ah yes, well maybe in about three years.

Slapmaster6000

iTrader: (16)

Don't fall for it, Ryan. I asked one time. My car actually exploded the moment I squeezed the trigger.

Carnage9270

iTrader: (6)

I cornered Korey's car one time and just the act of touching it gained me 2 tenths per lap on my next run.

T-Hawk

iTrader: (2)

Not trying to hijack, but for you racers not on FB, Sven Boehringer Family Reunion Race (TZGP) July 13-16th 2017. No thread will be started on rctech due to big brother prying eyes PM me if you need more info. Thanks and sorry

Carnage9270

iTrader: (6)

Never a hijack for the TZGP.

I've fondled Ryan's Newbury's, it leaves lasting memories...

T-Hawk

iTrader: (2)

Who hasn't?