European 2wd 1/8th pan car on-road Classic class
#616
They didn't have anymore fun than they are right now. They just remember it being more fun is all. Kinda like the older we get the faster we use to be. Back then they had to show up and set up the track, spray the track, make a chalk outline on the track to mark the infeild, set up the scoring table, then set up the pit table made of mostly cardboard with a yellow steel frame work. Now they are ready for some practice. Walk up to the frequency board and see if their freq. pin is available. (We'll assume it was) Walk to the support vehicle with car in hand. Get the bump starter hooked up to the battery of the car. Start trying to hit the flywheel while its not on a compression stroke. The engine won't start now because it won't prime its self. Now you'd need to get the attention of someone to put their finger over the stinger on the muffler while they once again bump start their car since you had to hold the car with one hand and the starter with the other. At last the car is fired up and running. Now they can run and get some practice in to learn the fresh new layout for this week. Plus you needed to run in your tires you stayed up late glueing up on a set of wheels. You still have the rubbery glue on your fingers to prove it too. You know if you run them a good amount in practice they should be good for the main. Heavin forbid you chunk one!
Practice is over.
Now we are ready for the fun part. You run your car and put in the run of your life but some how your scored as being three laps off the pace because Lon brought his kid to the races and he doesn't pay much attention when scoring someone elses car. Never mind that for now because you have to go marshal now.
While walking out to marshal you notice some airplane tires cut in half are out of place so you now have to move those back into place. With your area in good order you are ready! You marshaled much the same as we do today except you didn't get to use a chair. You have to be on the ready at all times! I also seem to recall people being in a much bigger hurry for the marshals to get their car back on track and in the race than they do these days. I think it was because if the car flamed out getting it refired was a pain. Now that you have stood in the 100º f heat and marshaled while being yelled at by driver's you get to go sit at the scoring table.
You sit down and figure out which car you are scoring. Once the race starts you have to click this little clicker and write down the number on the clicker for each lap. However the race can't start because the race director who might be you this week over looked two guys are on the same freq. in the same heat. So now someone needs to change crystals in their transmiter and receiver and off course re start his car with a bump starter.
So now you have run your three rounds of qaulifing and run your mains which might have been 30 minutes in 100º F heat.and you are ready to go home. WRONG!!! Now you have to tear down the track and stack it all perfectly into the trailer. If the bottom few boards are wrong then you have to unpack the whole thing again and start from scratch. Also remember no one had a EZ up or anything like it. Even the scoring table offered you zero protection from the beaming sun.
Thats how I recall the good ole days. Thank god for 2.4 radios, personal transponders, starter boxes, EZ ups, permanent canopies, pre-mounted tires, hudy tire truers, and most of all a Permanent track!! (Oh and SHOCKS!!!) lol
Practice is over.
Now we are ready for the fun part. You run your car and put in the run of your life but some how your scored as being three laps off the pace because Lon brought his kid to the races and he doesn't pay much attention when scoring someone elses car. Never mind that for now because you have to go marshal now.
While walking out to marshal you notice some airplane tires cut in half are out of place so you now have to move those back into place. With your area in good order you are ready! You marshaled much the same as we do today except you didn't get to use a chair. You have to be on the ready at all times! I also seem to recall people being in a much bigger hurry for the marshals to get their car back on track and in the race than they do these days. I think it was because if the car flamed out getting it refired was a pain. Now that you have stood in the 100º f heat and marshaled while being yelled at by driver's you get to go sit at the scoring table.
You sit down and figure out which car you are scoring. Once the race starts you have to click this little clicker and write down the number on the clicker for each lap. However the race can't start because the race director who might be you this week over looked two guys are on the same freq. in the same heat. So now someone needs to change crystals in their transmiter and receiver and off course re start his car with a bump starter.
So now you have run your three rounds of qaulifing and run your mains which might have been 30 minutes in 100º F heat.and you are ready to go home. WRONG!!! Now you have to tear down the track and stack it all perfectly into the trailer. If the bottom few boards are wrong then you have to unpack the whole thing again and start from scratch. Also remember no one had a EZ up or anything like it. Even the scoring table offered you zero protection from the beaming sun.
Thats how I recall the good ole days. Thank god for 2.4 radios, personal transponders, starter boxes, EZ ups, permanent canopies, pre-mounted tires, hudy tire truers, and most of all a Permanent track!! (Oh and SHOCKS!!!) lol
#617
As for Manufacturers we are not talking about cars from the 80's anymore. These are very sophisticated luxury cars these days. If you have a lathe and a mill in your shop your still not even close to being able to build a car that compares to the modern 1:8 scale car not to mention the cost. Back in the old days a guy like Ned could design, build and compete with his very own car because the cars where so basic so all the little guys got pushed out as the manufacturing became so sophisticated. With that said if you wanted to go 1:8 scale racing you could pick from
Xray
Mugen
Serpent
Shepherd
Motonica
Kyosho
Plus others and none of them are a bad car.
I guess my point is we are in the golden era of rc racing right this second. Look around and enjoy it because these are they days we will look back on and say man we really had it figured it then!
#618
How many racers are you really talking about? We have 120 people coming to the GLC next week. 120 people at a race in the 80's would have been the worlds or something. As for Clubs, property has become harder to come by. With the boom in law suits from the 80's and 90's everyone is scared to let anyone use their property for anything now. With less available sites to pick from one local club that has a permanent track draws the serious racers (the guys willing to spend 60 bucks in gas) to that track for the reasons listed above. Now the few guys left in that one club with a portable track have no one to help them set up and tear down and it becomes more work than fun. Now we have a good group of die hards gathering at the same place and racing which in turn makes everyone try harder and get faster.
As for Manufacturers we are not talking about cars from the 80's anymore. These are very sophisticated luxury cars these days. If you have a lathe and a mill in your shop your still not even close to being able to build a car that compares to the modern 1:8 scale car not to mention the cost. Back in the old days a guy like Ned could design, build and compete with his very own car because the cars where so basic so all the little guys got pushed out as the manufacturing became so sophisticated. With that said if you wanted to go 1:8 scale racing you could pick from
Xray
Mugen
Serpent
Shepherd
Motonica
Kyosho
Plus others and none of them are a bad car.
I guess my point is we are in the golden era of rc racing right this second. Look around and enjoy it because these are they days we will look back on and say man we really had it figured it then!
As for Manufacturers we are not talking about cars from the 80's anymore. These are very sophisticated luxury cars these days. If you have a lathe and a mill in your shop your still not even close to being able to build a car that compares to the modern 1:8 scale car not to mention the cost. Back in the old days a guy like Ned could design, build and compete with his very own car because the cars where so basic so all the little guys got pushed out as the manufacturing became so sophisticated. With that said if you wanted to go 1:8 scale racing you could pick from
Xray
Mugen
Serpent
Shepherd
Motonica
Kyosho
Plus others and none of them are a bad car.
I guess my point is we are in the golden era of rc racing right this second. Look around and enjoy it because these are they days we will look back on and say man we really had it figured it then!
#619
Joe don't get me wrong. I'm all for the pan car class and I hope it catches on! I think its a better option than the GT cars to get a new person's feet wet in the on-road hobby.
#620
#621
Tech Regular
Was he taking notes, or what?
I can't beleave my boy remembers all that stuff! Very well done!
If you need anything for your build Joe, just call! Beef that front end up right away.
If you need anything for your build Joe, just call! Beef that front end up right away.
#622
#623
#624
you better make it 6 ' wide......im gunna come thru like a freight train.........,,,,,,,if my donuts stay on this week....
#625
Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Gee sure wish I could be there to watch this................. (Matt some of the trick tire glues were "tiger snott" and Delta had some wet suit cement that worked pretty good ;-))
#626
How many racers are you really talking about? We have 120 people coming to the GLC next week. 120 people at a race in the 80's would have been the worlds or something. As for Clubs, property has become harder to come by. With the boom in law suits from the 80's and 90's everyone is scared to let anyone use their property for anything now. With less available sites to pick from one local club that has a permanent track draws the serious racers (the guys willing to spend 60 bucks in gas) to that track for the reasons listed above. Now the few guys left in that one club with a portable track have no one to help them set up and tear down and it becomes more work than fun. Now we have a good group of die hards gathering at the same place and racing which in turn makes everyone try harder and get faster.
As for Manufacturers we are not talking about cars from the 80's anymore. These are very sophisticated luxury cars these days. If you have a lathe and a mill in your shop your still not even close to being able to build a car that compares to the modern 1:8 scale car not to mention the cost. Back in the old days a guy like Ned could design, build and compete with his very own car because the cars where so basic so all the little guys got pushed out as the manufacturing became so sophisticated. With that said if you wanted to go 1:8 scale racing you could pick from
Xray
Mugen
Serpent
Shepherd
Motonica
Kyosho
Plus others and none of them are a bad car.
I guess my point is we are in the golden era of rc racing right this second. Look around and enjoy it because these are they days we will look back on and say man we really had it figured it then!
As for Manufacturers we are not talking about cars from the 80's anymore. These are very sophisticated luxury cars these days. If you have a lathe and a mill in your shop your still not even close to being able to build a car that compares to the modern 1:8 scale car not to mention the cost. Back in the old days a guy like Ned could design, build and compete with his very own car because the cars where so basic so all the little guys got pushed out as the manufacturing became so sophisticated. With that said if you wanted to go 1:8 scale racing you could pick from
Xray
Mugen
Serpent
Shepherd
Motonica
Kyosho
Plus others and none of them are a bad car.
I guess my point is we are in the golden era of rc racing right this second. Look around and enjoy it because these are they days we will look back on and say man we really had it figured it then!
"one local club that has a permanent track draws the serious racers" You are probably correct, but again, the "serious" racers are and have always been in the minority, maybe not "Serious Racer Wannabes" but guys that have half a chance at winning even at the club level. How many different winners in the Club? The MWS? What if everbody that has not won in two years quit? How "Serious" are they if they never win????????????????? I think they may be less serious and more interested in having fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"which in turn makes everyone try harder and get faster." ANy chance some quit because they cannot compete at the top level and/or go over to another hobby? Also you told me you were worried about the future of the club and 1/8 scale rc racing because you were one of the youngest drivers involved!
So you are saying it's better to have more sophisticated cars that racers can't build is better? I think Joe, Matt, me, and probably Rick would agree that one part if the hobby we enjoy is making something different. That's at least part of the interest in the Pan Class.
These may be the Golden Days of RC but I fear some of the classes may have peaked in interest and participation and be heading for extinction. I think most indications are that 1/8th Scale is a class of really fast serious racers, die hards, wannabes, and old farts
(I agree with your Dad, you have a great recollection of what racing was like! Only thing is - we didn't know any better! We wanted to play with RC Cars and that was what had to be done! And it was FUN!! )
Have fun this weekend, good racing!
P.S. Boat test schedule for this weekend...the Bass better watch out (can you catch 'em this time of year?)
Last edited by aarcobra; 08-19-2011 at 07:44 PM. Reason: addition
#627
wow you said a mouthfull. i'm just hoping our simple class can stir up some new faces so we can keep the club going. too me it's more than worth the border crossing too race with you guys. my wife liked the more realistic cars in the old pics maybe we could try for more of that with the pans.
#628
In France abaout 5 or 6 years ago, pan cars were almost extinguished... 1/10 TC were all over. But 1/10 got more complicated and costly... and now many drivers are back in 1/8th, some go to pan cars and some to 4wd.
I think that pan cars are easier for beginners than 1/10th TC. And like it was said earlier some are just here to compete while having fun! Even if they never win.
And in France like in the USA we need those kind of guys, that helps keep going the business... and helps clubs surviving!
The guy who wants to win every race and if he can't after two years of racing and quites, well too bad for him... But those guys won't help out our hobby
I think that pan cars are easier for beginners than 1/10th TC. And like it was said earlier some are just here to compete while having fun! Even if they never win.
And in France like in the USA we need those kind of guys, that helps keep going the business... and helps clubs surviving!
The guy who wants to win every race and if he can't after two years of racing and quites, well too bad for him... But those guys won't help out our hobby
#629
In France abaout 5 or 6 years ago, pan cars were almost extinguished... 1/10 TC were all over. But 1/10 got more complicated and costly... and now many drivers are back in 1/8th, some go to pan cars and some to 4wd.
I think that pan cars are easier for beginners than 1/10th TC. And like it was said earlier some are just here to compete while having fun! Even if they never win.
And in France like in the USA we need those kind of guys, that helps keep going the business... and helps clubs surviving!
The guy who wants to win every race and if he can't after two years of racing and quites, well too bad for him... But those guys won't help out our hobby
I think that pan cars are easier for beginners than 1/10th TC. And like it was said earlier some are just here to compete while having fun! Even if they never win.
And in France like in the USA we need those kind of guys, that helps keep going the business... and helps clubs surviving!
The guy who wants to win every race and if he can't after two years of racing and quites, well too bad for him... But those guys won't help out our hobby
#630
In France abaout 5 or 6 years ago, pan cars were almost extinguished... 1/10 TC were all over. But 1/10 got more complicated and costly... and now many drivers are back in 1/8th, some go to pan cars and some to 4wd.
I think that pan cars are easier for beginners than 1/10th TC. And like it was said earlier some are just here to compete while having fun! Even if they never win.
And in France like in the USA we need those kind of guys, that helps keep going the business... and helps clubs surviving!
The guy who wants to win every race and if he can't after two years of racing and quites, well too bad for him... But those guys won't help out our hobby
I think that pan cars are easier for beginners than 1/10th TC. And like it was said earlier some are just here to compete while having fun! Even if they never win.
And in France like in the USA we need those kind of guys, that helps keep going the business... and helps clubs surviving!
The guy who wants to win every race and if he can't after two years of racing and quites, well too bad for him... But those guys won't help out our hobby