805LikesTamiya Championship Series
12-23-2014, 05:19 PM
12-24-2014, 08:55 PM
Gents... FYI the Tamiya Raceway is still up for sale. The stock market hit 18000 this week and gas is way under $3.00 gallon. The US economy is rebounding and getting stronger every day. One day and it could be soon the announcement will be made by FMW and company that sadly the Tamiya track has been sold! If our economy continues at this pace, that piece of land that the track is located on will become irresistible to some company looking to expand. When that day comes, the sky could possibly be the limit on what track, what surface and where the TCS Nationals could be held. Tamiya USA and Fred running the show may be open to making it a revolving Nationals from one region to another. From carpet to asphalt, from New Jersey to Seattle, options would only be limited on to the amount Tamiya would want to invest to make it happen.
However, until then I would expect Tamiya USA not having much incentive to move away from one of the nicest facilities in the country that they own to hold this event. Know how many extra Tamiya kits they'd have to sell to move this race somewhere else? I think the answer is "too many"!
Then factor in 340 days of sunshine, with the average year round temperature of 71 degrees. The chances of avoiding a rainout, which by the way has never happened in the 20 year history of the event are better than anywhere else in the country save for an indoor track. C'mon Man! Why would they want to move it?
As far as treating the East Coast any differently than Memphis Tn, Winthrop Harbor IL, Omaha NE, or Seattle WA which are other TCS regional events on the annual Tamiya TCS schedule play by the same rules. I don't quite understand why guys from the East Coast feel that the format that has been in place since the TCS Series inception 20 years ago should play any different for them. The difference in price for a plane ticket from New Jersey or Virginia compared to Chicago or Milwaukee is very small in the grand scheme of things with all other costs for a racer traveling to this event being the same. So you may not be able to make it out every year due to cost of the trip. You may save up and come once every two or maybe three years. Lots of guys from my home town did it that way.
My dad and I traveled from Milwaukee WI to the TCS Nationals every year (but one) for 11 years 1997 thru 2008. It was something that we saved and looked forward to every year and made the trip with a variety of other Milwaukee drivers. We all thought of it as kind of a pilgrimage to the Mecca of the best RC National event held for the "club racer". Come to think of it.... it still is.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
However, until then I would expect Tamiya USA not having much incentive to move away from one of the nicest facilities in the country that they own to hold this event. Know how many extra Tamiya kits they'd have to sell to move this race somewhere else? I think the answer is "too many"!
Then factor in 340 days of sunshine, with the average year round temperature of 71 degrees. The chances of avoiding a rainout, which by the way has never happened in the 20 year history of the event are better than anywhere else in the country save for an indoor track. C'mon Man! Why would they want to move it? As far as treating the East Coast any differently than Memphis Tn, Winthrop Harbor IL, Omaha NE, or Seattle WA which are other TCS regional events on the annual Tamiya TCS schedule play by the same rules. I don't quite understand why guys from the East Coast feel that the format that has been in place since the TCS Series inception 20 years ago should play any different for them. The difference in price for a plane ticket from New Jersey or Virginia compared to Chicago or Milwaukee is very small in the grand scheme of things with all other costs for a racer traveling to this event being the same. So you may not be able to make it out every year due to cost of the trip. You may save up and come once every two or maybe three years. Lots of guys from my home town did it that way.
My dad and I traveled from Milwaukee WI to the TCS Nationals every year (but one) for 11 years 1997 thru 2008. It was something that we saved and looked forward to every year and made the trip with a variety of other Milwaukee drivers. We all thought of it as kind of a pilgrimage to the Mecca of the best RC National event held for the "club racer". Come to think of it.... it still is.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Last edited by Leester; 12-24-2014 at 09:08 PM.
12-26-2014, 07:33 PM
Quick question for you guys...what Tamiya chassis is the most popular in the GT-2 class at the TCS races?
12-26-2014, 08:04 PM
It's too bad there are not more TCS races in the Midwest. The one in Omaha is tempting, but Nebraska in February is a very risky trip. Eric at Winthrop Harbor does a great job. I'm sure there are other tracks that could do an excellent job. The Hobbytown in Lake in the Hills, IL, has a good on road program in the summer and carry Tamiya parts.
12-28-2014, 10:08 PM
Tech Master
iTrader: (2)
Seems like each year there is a discussion on local advantage.
Which is followed by rotating the Nationals location.
If there is a local advantage, why bother racing at all, anywhere?
Any track you/me/anybody goes to, there will ALWAYS be a local advantage. At Aliso, it really comes down to setup, how a person knows their car and having new/newer bearings/electronics/motors/servos/etc. Finding local setup info really only helps a driver to skip many steps and time in getting car closer to what track demands.
The question that really needs to be asked is why do locals need to practice during speedweek's 2 days, when they have 44-48 Saturdays a year of practice at the Tamiya track? That should be something Tamiya should consider looking at. By restricting, it would reduce the crowded Friday and maybe eliminate controlled practice.
It is hard to believe it will be the 20th year for Nationals next year.
Which is followed by rotating the Nationals location.
If there is a local advantage, why bother racing at all, anywhere?
Any track you/me/anybody goes to, there will ALWAYS be a local advantage. At Aliso, it really comes down to setup, how a person knows their car and having new/newer bearings/electronics/motors/servos/etc. Finding local setup info really only helps a driver to skip many steps and time in getting car closer to what track demands.
The question that really needs to be asked is why do locals need to practice during speedweek's 2 days, when they have 44-48 Saturdays a year of practice at the Tamiya track? That should be something Tamiya should consider looking at. By restricting, it would reduce the crowded Friday and maybe eliminate controlled practice.
It is hard to believe it will be the 20th year for Nationals next year.
12-29-2014, 05:07 AM
Seems like each year there is a discussion on local advantage.
Which is followed by rotating the Nationals location.
If there is a local advantage, why bother racing at all, anywhere?
The question that really needs to be asked is why do locals need to practice during speedweek's 2 days, when they have 44-48 Saturdays a year of practice at the Tamiya track? That should be something Tamiya should consider looking at. By restricting, it would reduce the crowded Friday and maybe eliminate controlled practice.
It is hard to believe it will be the 20th year for Nationals next year.
Which is followed by rotating the Nationals location.
If there is a local advantage, why bother racing at all, anywhere?
The question that really needs to be asked is why do locals need to practice during speedweek's 2 days, when they have 44-48 Saturdays a year of practice at the Tamiya track? That should be something Tamiya should consider looking at. By restricting, it would reduce the crowded Friday and maybe eliminate controlled practice.
It is hard to believe it will be the 20th year for Nationals next year.
12-29-2014, 09:03 AM
Tech Regular
iTrader: (16)
12-29-2014, 09:11 AM
12-29-2014, 11:11 AM
The question that really needs to be asked is why do locals need to practice during speedweek's 2 days, when they have 44-48 Saturdays a year of practice at the Tamiya track? That should be something Tamiya should consider looking at. By restricting, it would reduce the crowded Friday and maybe eliminate controlled practice.
It's a social gathering where friends get together to run some laps and exchange banter. Then there are others locals who just like any TCS regional races around the country show up 3-4 weekends before the Nationals and try to knock the race rust off to enjoy the atmosphere and tradition associated with this event. One thing no one ever talks about is that a large portion of the locals drive their cars no where else but the Tamiya track. There is no "racing" program at Tamiya. Guys just go out and charge a pack and hit the track with a mixed bag of cars be it Mini and Modified and run laps. Kind of like going to a public ice skating rink and skating with a crowd of folks with a variety of skills. Everyone tries their best to be respectful of each other but it is next to impossible to get a full 5 or 6 minute session without having to slow down for a slower car or move over for a faster one. Pretty hard to get any meaningful practice in an environment like that.
Many of the guys have little actual formal race program racing experience. It's not what they're about. Some of us have tried to setup a race program where the track is open for practice in the morning and later in the afternoon we'd set up classes to at least run one, maybe two heats of racing, but there is little or no interest in doing so by the majority. So the locals may have an advantage of practicing at the track to gain a setup advantage but really don't have an advantage when it comes to out and out wheel to wheel, nose to tail racing. No club racing, no points series, no trophies.... no stress man! It's the So Cal way
12-29-2014, 11:37 AM
Tech Regular
Seems like each year there is a discussion on local advantage.
Which is followed by rotating the Nationals location.
If there is a local advantage, why bother racing at all, anywhere?
Any track you/me/anybody goes to, there will ALWAYS be a local advantage. At Aliso, it really comes down to setup, how a person knows their car and having new/newer bearings/electronics/motors/servos/etc. Finding local setup info really only helps a driver to skip many steps and time in getting car closer to what track demands.
The question that really needs to be asked is why do locals need to practice during speedweek's 2 days, when they have 44-48 Saturdays a year of practice at the Tamiya track? That should be something Tamiya should consider looking at. By restricting, it would reduce the crowded Friday and maybe eliminate controlled practice.
It is hard to believe it will be the 20th year for Nationals next year.
Which is followed by rotating the Nationals location.
If there is a local advantage, why bother racing at all, anywhere?
Any track you/me/anybody goes to, there will ALWAYS be a local advantage. At Aliso, it really comes down to setup, how a person knows their car and having new/newer bearings/electronics/motors/servos/etc. Finding local setup info really only helps a driver to skip many steps and time in getting car closer to what track demands.
The question that really needs to be asked is why do locals need to practice during speedweek's 2 days, when they have 44-48 Saturdays a year of practice at the Tamiya track? That should be something Tamiya should consider looking at. By restricting, it would reduce the crowded Friday and maybe eliminate controlled practice.
It is hard to believe it will be the 20th year for Nationals next year.
There is no substitution for track time and Lap after Lap!
See ya in Aliso Viejo?
SH
12-29-2014, 04:37 PM
Tech Regular
Really an advantage?
Seems like each year there is a discussion on local advantage.
Which is followed by rotating the Nationals location.
If there is a local advantage, why bother racing at all, anywhere?
Any track you/me/anybody goes to, there will ALWAYS be a local advantage. At Aliso, it really comes down to setup, how a person knows their car and having new/newer bearings/electronics/motors/servos/etc. Finding local setup info really only helps a driver to skip many steps and time in getting car closer to what track demands.
The question that really needs to be asked is why do locals need to practice during speedweek's 2 days, when they have 44-48 Saturdays a year of practice at the Tamiya track? That should be something Tamiya should consider looking at. By restricting, it would reduce the crowded Friday and maybe eliminate controlled practice.
It is hard to believe it will be the 20th year for Nationals next year.
Which is followed by rotating the Nationals location.
If there is a local advantage, why bother racing at all, anywhere?
Any track you/me/anybody goes to, there will ALWAYS be a local advantage. At Aliso, it really comes down to setup, how a person knows their car and having new/newer bearings/electronics/motors/servos/etc. Finding local setup info really only helps a driver to skip many steps and time in getting car closer to what track demands.
The question that really needs to be asked is why do locals need to practice during speedweek's 2 days, when they have 44-48 Saturdays a year of practice at the Tamiya track? That should be something Tamiya should consider looking at. By restricting, it would reduce the crowded Friday and maybe eliminate controlled practice.
It is hard to believe it will be the 20th year for Nationals next year.
01-01-2015, 10:01 PM
01-02-2015, 05:23 PM
The economy is doing better? I must have missed the memo. Last time I checked the fat cats in wall street are the only ones' making record profits while wages and salaries across the board are stagnant while rents, utilities and cost of goods continue to rise.
In the meantime we will carry on and race RC cars as economically as possible until there is a regime change in Washington
Happy New Year everyone!
In the meantime we will carry on and race RC cars as economically as possible until there is a regime change in Washington
Happy New Year everyone!
01-05-2015, 02:25 PM
Maybe I should enter next year under a pseudonym ?
01-06-2015, 06:38 AM
Hey Fred, any reason you stuck with the 8.44v battery rule vs ROAR's 8.4? Not that .04v matter, just wondering why not stay consistent if you are referring to their approved battery regs for TCS.