First of all I am not a great mod driver nor pretened to be.
I found myself not getting enough fun out of RC and decided to run mod to get a massive rush from trying to control something that is clearly out of control.
Whilst driving mod I have learnt in the last 3 months more about setting up a car than I have in my 2 year racing career. At 40yr old in a week.....DOH, I suppose I am late starter.
My question is will mod only be run at national or state events plus a few events during the year? Will this then effect the prospects of possible champions from Australia repesenting all of us overseas.
As a new mod driver I would not benefit from less competitions like Club Challenge to try to keep up with guys I love to race with and too frequently have let lap me.
Trevor I am not saying at all you anounced a bad decision. The interest was clearly not large enough in mod this year. I qualified last and made A Main. I somehow found a magic carpet in the finals and finished 4th.
Gentlemen,
Your thoughts please.
Brett Douce

I can't possibly believe that 10.5 (Super Stock), would be the pinnacle of RC racing.
We start in a novice class (540) then progress through to stock, super stock then when we have the experience ... on to mod.
This weekend was the first time I have even tried a 10.5.. and loved it!!!!
The thrill of moving up classes to get to the top is what any racing is about.

Badman I am with you 100%

Keep MOD

Mod is definatly decreasing in numbers. Here in SA, we have 3 mod drivers... Now at our state titles were are all moving down to 10.5 because the numbers are there So when we do race Mod, we really have no option but to travel and race against all of the other interstate Mod drivers.

10.5 is such a popular class now and it really is as fast as last years mod. 5cell + 3.5. So i think thats why no one wants to run Mod, because 10.5 is quick enough. I dont think it will affect us internationally because the few drivers that go overseas and race will never lose their touch, but there will be less new comers in mod because of this, that can represent Aus internationally.

Antoni

I think its a problem all around the world right now. Maybe in Europe wih 5 cell its still doing ok. I agree with badman thats its not good for Australian drivers who one day might wish to compete on the world stage. If enough people got together and formed the "Sydney Mod Drivers Club" and agreed that say once a month they would get enough numbers together, any club would be happy enough to run the class.

Another couple of good point badman makes is that it will improve your ability and that he is definately NOT a good driver

Unfortunately there are a couple of realities which come into effect with mod racing.

First stepping up to mod is not as simple as stepping up from stock to 10.5. I raced mod for 2 years with club challenge (NSW) and it is definitely something that is on edge and a lot more thrilling than 10.5, so i can understand how you felt.

However, with out regular club racing there is no opportunity to really learn to drive mod and i put this down to the need to learn the power of the car driving at a familiar track prior to going to unfamiliar tracks and racing with top quality opposition and seeing yourself pulling over on a regular basis and upsetting your rhythm.

During my time racing I saw a fair few good drivers look to make the step up to mod at club challenge and while being easily faster than me were never able to be competitive with the likes of local guns like brad or troy (let alone someone like simon nicholson), and invariably there were a lot of broken bits.

One thing you may also not realise yet, is the high wear which results from mod racing. I was fortunate to race when there was 5 cell racing, and to me there there was a lot less wear (lower weight and easier on power) coupled with the fact that the cars seemed to be a lot more nimble. Although 5 cell was pretty harsh on cells, but as i wasnt looking to be at the top end of the listings good cells werent really of a concern to me.


PS. in my opinion I dont agree with the comment about 10.5s being as fast as 5 cell mod, unless you are on a small or low traction track. Of course this is with respect to the top drivers....

I am running 10.5 next year weather there is mod or not. Mod is fun but lets face it... It cost more to race less. As far as I am aware brad is also 10.5 next year as thats where the constant competative racing is right now. Already both me and brad race 10.5 at club level anyway. Even OS there is very little mod at club level. If people want to race overseas in mod, then they will be practicing out of club meets anyway.

Note... I believe the fastest run of CC rnd 4 belongs to 10.5 once again proving that on the track there is nothing in it anyway.

Note... I believe the fastest run of CC rnd 4 belongs to 10.5 once again proving that on the track there is nothing in it anyway.[/QUOTE]

Brad Vercoe W 23/5m2.152s brads time also had a 16 sec lap in there 2
Grant Mount W 23/5m7.252s
Craig McPhee S 23/5m7.294s
Troy Laughlin S 23/5m7.758s

so really troy u just had trouble putting 2 laps together mod will always be faster u were just off the pace all weekend !!

I dont think mod will always be faster, however. I suspect that mod had more issues with back markers even if there were less in each qualifier.
Due to abilities and outright speeds around such a tight track.

Even though I've been badly off the pace the last few events I've tried to run I still love the challenge of setting up and driving a mod car... it takes everything you do to a different level that even 10.5 can't really reproduce...

And these days with brushless motors and Lipo's I would think the cost of running mod at club level has dropped quite a bit... and breakages are just par for the course... becoming a better driver overall is worth it I think

Battery costs would be a little easier, although ive heard from a top level perspective that LiPos do go soft and still need replacing.

From a cost perspective i am talking of extra costs from maintenance such as replacing belts, pulleys, outdrives, universals/cv joints/.... and tyres.
This is aside from extra breakages, which will happen.

This would also be relative to the type of motor you are using.

But im a pretty ordinary driver and didnt do much mod racing so if anyone can say otherwise please do so.

Here in NSW there are a number of superstock and stock guys that could step up and be competitive in mod. I think the reason they don't is because most of the tracks aren't really suitable for mod and because no one races it at club level so there's no opportunity to practice. If there was a monthly mod meeting at a suitable track then maybe a few more would try it, I know I would

In the space of less than 24hrs it seems that this thread has shown that there is still an interest in mod
Craig has made a good point in having a mod run once a month probably best at Whalan or Moorebank. Given that the Nats is only a couple of months away at Whalan I for one will be making every effort to get there for club days. It will hopefully also give us a chance to get some 1/12 racing in.
Brett

Mmm all batteries have a limited life... but lipo seems to have brought it back a little more from insanity...

Maintenance is always an ongoing conundrum... the more often you do it the less you actually need to do... and its not like running a 5.5 or 4.5 <insert multiplier here> how quickly things wears out... if anything, running mod teaches you to be more diligent and more precise with cleaning, lubricating, tolerances and tensions etc

RC is a hobby/sport that always has, and always will attract those that don't give a second thought to spending top dollar for the latest and greatest, even if they don't need to... not letting yourself get caught in that trap is the first lesson.

Gee... starting to sound a bit overboard