lots of money = champion??
#61

Originally posted by xxxkat
Man,Rc that sucks,I'm still using the same tires I had 6 mo. ago,I have not broken anything in over a year,I do buy new motors and batterys..alot..well cars to.I used to run off road but at the tracks I was racing at it just cost to much money to be competitive,I was going through the same spending,tires is what made me switch to on road,1 set every weekend(rears)x 2 cars = way to much money,I do and can win at my local track with a small budget,$ 50 per week,2 classes + gas & food.I have a different budget for cars and parts..
It's a little bigger..but not by much
Man,Rc that sucks,I'm still using the same tires I had 6 mo. ago,I have not broken anything in over a year,I do buy new motors and batterys..alot..well cars to.I used to run off road but at the tracks I was racing at it just cost to much money to be competitive,I was going through the same spending,tires is what made me switch to on road,1 set every weekend(rears)x 2 cars = way to much money,I do and can win at my local track with a small budget,$ 50 per week,2 classes + gas & food.I have a different budget for cars and parts..


#62

You can't get anywhere without talent and a shat load of practice. A skilled driver will always triumph over a driver of lesser skill and slightly better equipment. If you can't finish a race without hitting anything(including other cars) you should focus on gaining driving skill instead of the battery wars. Just my take.
#63

Hand-out motors are a good idea, however, earlier somebody posted that a track charged $25 a race??? That's a bit much.... with a little thought I can easily get the cost way down....
Start with a very good spec motor.... The Tamiya/Mabuchi 540.... they can be bought for $15.... number each one and hold a "lottery" for your motor before the first heat... Make the "season" 10 weeks with 2 throw-out weeks and make it a points series. at the end the top 3 drivers get a small reward and their choice of 1 motor..... and all you have to do is charge $2 more per race.....
With the mabuchi you don't have to limit batteries, and you can choose a set of spec tires for everyone to use..... and a set of tires should last for the entire 10 race season......
Oh and for each "season" make it a different body "class".... season 1 is trans-am, season 2 european exotics, 3 Japanese tuner cars.....ect....
Start with a very good spec motor.... The Tamiya/Mabuchi 540.... they can be bought for $15.... number each one and hold a "lottery" for your motor before the first heat... Make the "season" 10 weeks with 2 throw-out weeks and make it a points series. at the end the top 3 drivers get a small reward and their choice of 1 motor..... and all you have to do is charge $2 more per race.....
With the mabuchi you don't have to limit batteries, and you can choose a set of spec tires for everyone to use..... and a set of tires should last for the entire 10 race season......
Oh and for each "season" make it a different body "class".... season 1 is trans-am, season 2 european exotics, 3 Japanese tuner cars.....ect....
#64

I dont like spec racing,IMHO its a huge waist of money,Racing is not fair it will never be fair,if you suck as a driver all the "equal" in the world wont help.Problem with the spec. tire rule is If I wanted to I could run a new set every race(I have seen this happen..and not by me..
)I do think that most spec. classes start out in the right direction but some how end up costing more than running stock 27 class..


#65
Tech Master
iTrader: (28)

Some ppl like "spec" racing (whether its something invented by
one manufacturer, or something ruled up by a club eg 540), others racers don't 'cos of the restrictions.
The more-restricted "branded" Spec race series often work out
more expensive than something more generic, like "540 novice"
where we handicap 'better' cars by lower gearing.
I race to go as Fast as i can afford, not go slow as the lowest common denominator.
That's what Mod class is there for... and cost usually prohibits the novices who can't drive from creating havoc amongst the mod front-runners.
Face it, top-class RC racing will become cheap only when Formula One costs less than running the family grocery-getter.
one manufacturer, or something ruled up by a club eg 540), others racers don't 'cos of the restrictions.
The more-restricted "branded" Spec race series often work out
more expensive than something more generic, like "540 novice"
where we handicap 'better' cars by lower gearing.
I race to go as Fast as i can afford, not go slow as the lowest common denominator.

Face it, top-class RC racing will become cheap only when Formula One costs less than running the family grocery-getter.
#66

Actually, spec tires are not that big a deal, as long as the race organizers do it right. At the Novak US TC Champs, for example, they ue the Take-Off CS-27 premounts as the spec tire for rubber-tire classes, but they do NOT let racers buy all they want. You get one set with your entry, & then you can buy additional sets up to a maximum(which I believe was 2 additional sets) for practice & qualifying, & then if you make the A-Main, you can buy a couple more sets I think. But in all honesty, you don't even need them all there, as those tires hardly wear at all & their performance does NOT drop off, even after a couple of DOZEN runs(I know I used 3 pairs of them all that weekend myself, & that was mostly because I wanted to try using some glue on the fronts' contact patch to reduce their grip a bit & take away some steering from my car, was fighting some traction rolling quite a bit). But I know that on some of the more abrasive surfaces it won't work quite like that. However, as long as a maximum number of sets you can buy or use is set up, I don't see a problem....

#67

The main reason I've seen for spec racing failure at a local level (no matter which brand that "spec" class is tapping into) is that people can't blame their gear for their crappy performance. When you run mod, it's easier to say "oh yeah, I dodn't win because I don't have the latest batts/brushes/G37magnets/insert_name_here.
You know it, we hate to admit we're lame drivers. It's much less humiliating to say it's our stuff's fault.
I'm talking local level here. I'm aware that at the national level, spec racing is just as gear-intensive as mod.
Later,
Paul
You know it, we hate to admit we're lame drivers. It's much less humiliating to say it's our stuff's fault.
I'm talking local level here. I'm aware that at the national level, spec racing is just as gear-intensive as mod.
Later,
Paul
#68
Tech Adept

In all my years, I can't tell you the number of racers who tell me that the reason they didn't win was because of their equipment.
Then, when you watch them race, they bang off of every board and can't find the apex of a corner if you point it out to them. It's so much easier to blame the equipment than it is to blame your own driving.
It is amazing how much speed you can gain from a car just by modifying the setup or your approach at driving. People tell me that they don't have a good enough battery or motor because someone pulls 5 feet on them down the straight, then I try to point out that they scrubbed off a ton of speed in the corner entering the straight and they don't believe me.
Very small adjustments on our cars can make HUGE differences in their handling. This can then translate into gains in speed. Spend your time learning your car and how each adjustment affects the car. That is the best tool you can have in your box.
But, at some level, money does come into play. And spending more can improve your speed, to a point. At the largest events, there are MANY drivers at each skill level. If you can get a small advantage over them, you can improve your finishing position by several spots. Unfortunately, it is not feasible to do this for normal club racing. That is why you see many drivers spending a lot of money on batteries and tires for national level events and then using that equipment for the rest of their club season.
So, spend money, but spend it wisely.
Then, when you watch them race, they bang off of every board and can't find the apex of a corner if you point it out to them. It's so much easier to blame the equipment than it is to blame your own driving.
It is amazing how much speed you can gain from a car just by modifying the setup or your approach at driving. People tell me that they don't have a good enough battery or motor because someone pulls 5 feet on them down the straight, then I try to point out that they scrubbed off a ton of speed in the corner entering the straight and they don't believe me.
Very small adjustments on our cars can make HUGE differences in their handling. This can then translate into gains in speed. Spend your time learning your car and how each adjustment affects the car. That is the best tool you can have in your box.
But, at some level, money does come into play. And spending more can improve your speed, to a point. At the largest events, there are MANY drivers at each skill level. If you can get a small advantage over them, you can improve your finishing position by several spots. Unfortunately, it is not feasible to do this for normal club racing. That is why you see many drivers spending a lot of money on batteries and tires for national level events and then using that equipment for the rest of their club season.
So, spend money, but spend it wisely.
#69
Tech Addict
iTrader: (4)
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Getting practice 1/10 stock onroad
Posts: 664
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gotpez-i feel the same way lol.but when people tell me stuff i actually listen.bcuz i can sure drive my tc3 but when it comes to settin it up, i have to ask some1 else to hlp me.
Steven
Steven
#70

I can tell you why I don't win. Its simple, really........
I don't drive. period.
I race.
Racing leads to mistakes, mistakes leads to accidents, and accidents leads you back to the pits. When I am 3rd, 4th, 5th, or even 2nd, I tend to race. But when I am in first, I just drive.
Then I get nervous and scrape the wall cut a apex too close, turn too wide, and lose the lead. Then its racing all over again!
I don't drive. period.
I race.

Racing leads to mistakes, mistakes leads to accidents, and accidents leads you back to the pits. When I am 3rd, 4th, 5th, or even 2nd, I tend to race. But when I am in first, I just drive.

Then I get nervous and scrape the wall cut a apex too close, turn too wide, and lose the lead. Then its racing all over again!

#71

Originally posted by gotpez
In all my years, I can't tell you the number of racers who tell me that the reason they didn't win was because of their equipment.
Then, when you watch them race, they bang off of every board and can't find the apex of a corner if you point it out to them. It's so much easier to blame the equipment than it is to blame your own driving.
It is amazing how much speed you can gain from a car just by modifying the setup or your approach at driving. People tell me that they don't have a good enough battery or motor because someone pulls 5 feet on them down the straight, then I try to point out that they scrubbed off a ton of speed in the corner entering the straight and they don't believe me.
Very small adjustments on our cars can make HUGE differences in their handling. This can then translate into gains in speed. Spend your time learning your car and how each adjustment affects the car. That is the best tool you can have in your box.
But, at some level, money does come into play. And spending more can improve your speed, to a point. At the largest events, there are MANY drivers at each skill level. If you can get a small advantage over them, you can improve your finishing position by several spots. Unfortunately, it is not feasible to do this for normal club racing. That is why you see many drivers spending a lot of money on batteries and tires for national level events and then using that equipment for the rest of their club season.
So, spend money, but spend it wisely.
In all my years, I can't tell you the number of racers who tell me that the reason they didn't win was because of their equipment.
Then, when you watch them race, they bang off of every board and can't find the apex of a corner if you point it out to them. It's so much easier to blame the equipment than it is to blame your own driving.
It is amazing how much speed you can gain from a car just by modifying the setup or your approach at driving. People tell me that they don't have a good enough battery or motor because someone pulls 5 feet on them down the straight, then I try to point out that they scrubbed off a ton of speed in the corner entering the straight and they don't believe me.
Very small adjustments on our cars can make HUGE differences in their handling. This can then translate into gains in speed. Spend your time learning your car and how each adjustment affects the car. That is the best tool you can have in your box.
But, at some level, money does come into play. And spending more can improve your speed, to a point. At the largest events, there are MANY drivers at each skill level. If you can get a small advantage over them, you can improve your finishing position by several spots. Unfortunately, it is not feasible to do this for normal club racing. That is why you see many drivers spending a lot of money on batteries and tires for national level events and then using that equipment for the rest of their club season.
So, spend money, but spend it wisely.
DRIVING ABILITY(hand & eye coordination)
+
GOOD EQUIPMENT
+
PROPER SET-UP and of course
+
MONEY ie...sponserships, parents

=
CHAMPIONSHIPS
- JAybEE
#73

Originally posted by GundamWZero
Then I get nervous and scrape the wall cut a apex too close, turn too wide, and lose the lead. Then its racing all over again!
Then I get nervous and scrape the wall cut a apex too close, turn too wide, and lose the lead. Then its racing all over again!

JayBee - Your sig is a serious waist of bandwidth, cut it down to size please.