Logi Maker

iTrader: (56)

The quality is worth the extra coin is what I meant to say... oh I know the "price".

R3VoLuTiOn

iTrader: (29)

Maybe you can work on the process of turning tire grinds back into tires.

The gift that keeps on giving.

Logi Maker

iTrader: (56)

RC Herpes.

MarkBrown

iTrader: (9)

It was great to see a large, enthusiastic group of Mini racers last night at H30! I've been getting questions about how to set the Mini up for carpet, so I figured it would be best to post something here.

As always the first thing to get right is the tires. If you are running the TCS spec tire (as mandated by our local rules), the main thing is to apply superglue to the entire outer sidewall of the front tires, plus about half of the outer tread block. You can glue more of the outer block if you are having traction roll issues and can't cure them any other way. (The TCS rules as written prohibit applying glue to the horizontal surface of the tread block, but this rule is always waived at carpet venues to make the racers happy.) Run full sauce on the rear and start with half sauce on the front. If you aren't running the TCS spec tire, I can't advise you, but I can sell you premounted tires -- I have plenty!

Run the short Mini shocks (TAM 54000 or similar) if you have them, with two-hole pistons and one black o-ring inside to reduce the droop if your Mini does not have droop screws. Run thicker oil in the front shocks, say 50wt front and 30wt rear. Start with front springs stiffer than rear: blue front, yellow rear if you have them. Run the ride height at 4mm front and rear, and camber at 2 degrees front and rear.

I don't have experience on carpet with the newfangled oil-filled Mini diffs, but go easy here until you see how your car is behaving. A heavy diff can make the car very twitchy and it might be too much. 200K might be good to start with. On the older cars, run the gear diff with two thrust washers per side and tune the feel of the diff by adding or removing material from a Mack's clear silicone ear plug (available at most drug stores). Do not fill the diff with anti-wear grease because it will just leak out and make a mess of your gearbox. I have never run the ball diff on carpet, so I can't advise on how to make it work.

I would not recommend running short wheelbase (210mm) because it is a big challenge to make the short car work. Both mid and long wheelbases should work fine on our tracks.

I hope this gets you in the ballpark and having fun. If you see me at the track I'd be happy to drive your car and see if I can figure out what it needs.

big al

iTrader: (10)

Does anyone have an idea as to gearing the Maclan 25.5??

OVA

iTrader: (86)

depending on end bell timing and throttle control
maybe start at 3.7 - 3.9 fdr

bradshawkyle

iTrader: (3)

Thanks for the setup advice, Mark! I would have asked you to drive my mini last night, but I'm afraid we didn't have the extra 10 minutes needed for it to complete a lap around the H30 track. So, I guess there's another tip to add here, which is to make sure you don't put a 25.5 in your mini. Holy balls, that was slow!

Again, thanks for the advice. I plan to run through your suggestions after I solve my motor "issue".

bradshawkyle

iTrader: (3)

We're back at the Hanger, and once again Jesse from The Racer Underground has volunteered to write the race reports. Thanks as always, Jesse, and thanks to everyone who came out to kick off the season in style. Results can be viewed here.

********************
Ten years.

Let that sink in for a bit. They say time flies when you’re having fun, and that phrase has never rang more true than when referring to our now decade-long run as a club. From humble beginnings, rising from the ashes of the darkest period in PNW On-Road, to the vibrant, wide-open landscape we all now enjoy, we enter our second decade at Magnuson Park with momentum on our side, our foot to the floor and a grin on our face. It’s safe to say that On-Road racing is stronger than ever across Cascadia because of the tireless efforts that have been put in over the past ten years. Thank you to anyone that has ever had a hand in making this club possible.

In the spirit of nostalgia, what better place to celebrate 10 years of Seattle carpet racing than the very building where it all stated so many years ago. A lot has changed in the hobby since 2009 (good and bad), but through all of the changes, “Wednesday Night worlds” at Hangar 30 has been a consistent producer of dialed mid-week racing and a reminder of just how great this scale sport can be.

A couple thoughts on the night’s activities:

While the entries in Scale Spec were on the light side, I’d argue that the racing was just as close as it had been in previous seasons, and with a couple race nights under everyone’s belt to dial in the new spec Maclan motors , I’m willing to wager that the quality of competition will be on par with the “glory days” of the class. Apart from Mark Brown’s walk-away win, racing was tight throughout the night with Kyle, Jeff and Willy trading blows consistently. The guest-drive by Brian Bodine was a treat, although seeing him wheel a touring car was about as normal as snow in July.

Novice was re-named the “Gary Bennett memorial shitshow” for the night, as the elder statesman was outnumbered and overrun by pesky piss-ant minis. With an all-hands-on-deck marshaling effort, Novice became the class (train wreck) to watch for the night… for better or for worse. It was however, an entertaining train wreck nonetheless.

Stock 12th was a battle of the Masons in the main, with Stuart pipping a hard-charging Todd to the line in the end. We were paid a visit from newly-retired Mike Clifton, which added some more OG flair to the ever popular pan car tilt, as well as Donny Banks, who was shaking down a new car of his own. A solid 7-car field was a welcome sight for one of our bread & butter categories on opening night.

While I had my own feelings last season about the advantages of 21.5 power in Stock Touring, after one race on equal footing with the entire field, I can now say without a doubt that this is THE perfect touring motor for the H30 bullring. With the more manageable speed, came better quality racing, as evidenced throughout qualifying and the main. Mark my words; this class in its current form is MONEY. Couple that with Mod talent on a Wednesday night, and you have a class with the potential for massive growth this year. I could be biased though… I did have a pretty bitchin’ time.

And just like that, we’re officially underway for out tenth season racing at Magnuson Park. What this season’s Hangar 30 schedule lacks in quantity, it more than makes up for in quality. While we won’t be racing at the Hangar for the better part of a month, there’s plenty to look forward to, including our Community Center season opener this Saturday night. The “smooth” is back!

-JRoy.
******************************

tpczx6

iTrader: (3)

Ok I might be in the Area Saturday, Anyone have a rent a ride?


Tim

big al

iTrader: (10)

Thanks Franko.

JeffofSpace

PutAwayWet

iTrader: (1)

Toothless9

PutAwayWet

iTrader: (1)

So, we begin our tenth season in Magnuson Park. First on Wednesday at the hangar, last night at the community center gymnasium. If the hangar is characterized by its tight, grippy, bumpy, bullring qualities which push us to our limits on setup and restraint, the gym is wider, faster, smoother, and altogether more refined. It's not a bad to good, or even better to best, so much as, sometimes it's good to listen to short furious punk songs on the headphones, while other times it's nice to crank arena rock power chords to ten and blast them out full-size speakers. Our 41 entries worked out to single full heats in all of our regular classes, with Logan and McKenna rounding out with a brace of novices on the father/son, father/daughter program.

Two old friends of the program made welcome returns. First, in past days, Mike Ruete was one of our most dominant Scale Spec racers who was also handy in both Stock and Modified touring. After taking two/three seasons away for other fun, he was back with what seems to be a refreshed outlook and an interest in resuming where he left off. He even picked up a Maclan motor, so I'm hoping Mike, being the smart guy he is, intends to amortize the investment down to pennies with regular use of the asset. Second, an even older friend, who for me reaches back to my SIR days, Jerome Bryson showed up with his typically sharp setup and seemed happy to be back on the scene. My earliest days racing 1/12th scale were with JayBee, on the asphalt at SIR. I drove what was one of my favorite all-time cars, a 12L4 with a Co27, while he raced a BMI with a 17.5. It was back in the day when we were still mixing the power up. We had many close battles between the SIR pipes, sometimes with me coming good, others JayBee. Always, it was full-bore on track and in the pits. He showed me pictures of his latest road bikes, so we know what's been keeping him busy. He also voiced enthusiasm for the next club race, and I look forward to seeing him back.

The Maclan package in Scale Spec is being embraced here, at Rose City, and at NORA. The results on track are promising. Of course, the fast guys we are used to are still fast, but any anxiety about which motors are (not so) secretly faster are out the window. Remember when Mark Brown was untouchable with a silver can VTA? Well, he's still the guy with a Scale Spec car. He was tough on Wednesday, and he was tough again last night. Further down the order, Ruete was dusting it off and showing some pace. And once Mike Boyle decided to dig in and give us some serious laps, suddenly he was up the bracket. But more to the point, everyone looked to be on equal terms, with the differences evident in corner speed, consistency, and good judgment in traffic. You can't order those from Stormer! Or purchase them from your LHS or track, for that matter.

Having invested years in a father/son program myself, it was a real treat to see McKenna and Logan on track while their dads watched and coached from the side. McKenna is older, and of late threatening to show sufficient good form to consider maybe bouncing out of novice and into the full speed scrum. She has always been a 1/12th scaler, for which I will give partial credit to dad, Ryan, but will reserve the greater portion to her own good sense and taste for the better things. Logan is but a little lad, still, but he's showing more enthusiasm and engagement, which for Kyle, if he is paying attention, punches his ticket to race.

Stock 1/12th took a turn for the real, as in real fast right now, with Bay Area all-star Tim Copp in the house. Tim is a frequent visitor to our tracks, and he always brings the speed. Good thing, because Brian is headed with Team Mason to New York on Wednesday, and he needed a tune-up with his spec car. Tim was borrowing a Brian ride, so he needed a little bit of time on stick to get a feel, but come the main he had it sorted and proceeded to give Slappy all he could handle. They traded the lead back and forth, running nose to tail through and around traffic. In the end, Brian took the win, but only by tenths. It is worth mentioning that Donny has dived into the Stock 1/12th game with a former Bodine Roche car. It's fast, no surprise. After he sorts out some finer things, Donny will be a force.

Korey has been the man to beat in Modified, touring and 1/12th, for the better part of the three seasons. He's a lifer, with hundreds of races on track and thousands of hours on the bench. He's fast, consistent, unflappable in traffic, and just plain better than the rest of us. And what else is there to say? It's modified. It's not special motors, batteries, or other stuff reserved for team drivers. His equipment, while top end, is what any of us can buy. I's just that right now, and until shown otherwise, he's consistently the best among us. Unbeatable? No. Trav can get to him, as can Jake, and there are others who could have a go. But on any given race day, taking odds, Korey is the one. He TQ'd and won both Mod classes.

Formula One drivers, a tip of the hat, a doff of the ol' chapeau to you! You show up and race, indoors and out. Mark Brown again was the class of the field, though Russ kept him honest. We carried over the revised format from outdoors to the gym. The guys race two 4-minute quals, and then indoors they race an 8-minute main. It works out to the same total track time, but we try to capture a little of the scale element from the full-size version. So many of the guys put the time into making the cars look good, so it seems only right to add that element of scale realism to the actual race.

Stock touring was the Trav show, as he made a demonstration of his legendary fast and smooth style. Truly, I don't know who drives a stock car with more flowing, fast lines than Peeler. He has the big race pedigree to prove it, obviously. The 2-3-4 battle between Malkinson, Reece, and Banks was the racing thrill of the class, with all of them leading their train at different intervals. I will say, now with a hangar race and a gym race in the books, the move to 21.5 seems to have restored the “stock” feel to the class. The premium on corner speed, drive out of corners, and in every way having to carry through at all points on track seems fitting to the class. Which is to say nothing at all bad about 17.5 touring, it's awesome, too. It's only that it several seasons ago overpowered any coherent sense of what stock racing should be. I think 21.5 will prove to be a good move, and I believe it will play well at NORA and in the Great White North.

I'll mention that there were others in Modified 1/12th who were driving well. Brian in particular was very rapid, and were it not that Harbke was also on hand, he would have proven the class of the field. While my own effort for the night was concentrated on launching our season on the right foot and setting the proper pace through the program, I was able to wrangle a backup car into reasonable form on a track that had more grip than I expected while setting up at home. Sam Forbes has also jumped in and is looking confident and competent right off the bat. So, good for him, and good for us in Modified 1/12th land, lonely little mountain kingdom that it tends to be. We gained a tax paying new citizen!

And with that, Season X is under way! We'll be back in two weeks, and hopefully the Team Mason/Slapmaster combo can bring back something from the Big Apple that does us all right.

Results attached.

Logi Maker

iTrader: (56)

Was a great night for sure..

I had power or should I say rollout issues with the new HW gear... Would have been easier on the math if I used calipers to check the tires after I cut them... My 42's were 44's... 1 line on the truer equals 2 mm, 1 line on the truer equals 2 mm....LOL.

With a pointer from Tim I ended up at 78... 78 with a 17.5 is insane!!! We used to be at 100! Strapped a 13.5 in for the Sasquatch Challenge so hoping the boys down there figure it all out.. I know my man Charlie will be there but I am already picturing his face on the topic..

Logan had a blast and was working on "quiet labs". Keeps telling me his radio steering is too sensitive... I have 45 percent EXPO in that damn thing.. He will be solid in no time...