Originally Posted by IndyRC_Racer

If you race enough against the best VTA racers, you will slowly realize that it is how they drive through the corners that makes the most difference. You watch their cars and start to realize that there is very little wasted effort. Often they aren't even the fastest down the straight.

The more I've raced this class (and talked to other racers) the more I've realized that the top drivers are just managing all the little things better than I can. They just have a better setup...which allows them to take the corners better...which keeps the motor from over-heating...which means they use a little less battery..which allows them to gear their cars better...and so on.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to get the best performance out of the individual components that make up our race cars (be it chassis, electronics, etc). You can't expect to compete if you have a defective component. However we can't be so focused on any single component that we fail to see how it operates in the system as a whole. The best motor in the world can't entirely make up for a bad setup or poor driving (as I've personally seen in many years of racing).

Current USVTA rules work because all of the individual components we are allowed to use combine to create close racing. You don't have to have the newest chassis, best battery, fastest motor, new set of tires, etc... to be successful in this class. The racer who gets the most out of their car on any given day has a good chance of winning. This is what keeps me coming back to the track week after week.

After I submit this post, I'm going to pack up my car and go race VTA this evening. I hope everyone reading this thread also has a chance to race their VTA cars this weekend. And I hope win or lose everyone will have a chance to have some fun at the track.