Originally Posted by
b_esser
I'm pretty sure I did my research and unless the Associated Timeline is wrong it shows that you won the race at Ratteys with an RC300. In 1982 was the 24 Hours of Miami at Tamiami Park which I was a scorer, Team Associated ran an RC300 (one engine...same glow plug!). This was the race that Art Carbonell was driving the prototype Eagle for their primary endurance test. 1982..still no RC500. Again...you won the Oval class at the nationals in Indy with an RC300. So, the RC500 basically debuted in 1983 as a two wheel drive car with a chain drive and then evolved from there into the 4WD belt drive car in 1985.
I do remember Warren Jameson and Jamie Franklin in Florida both ran PB's during this period but I don't remember either of them having supension on them. Maybe I just wasn't looking close enough.
Nope - Bill Jianis (with Mike Rowland as mechanic) and myself ran the two Associated RC500 prototypes (that had been built in England by Dave Preston and Phil Booth) (unfortuneately the only thing I have left is the diff and the chain from that car)at the 81 nats at Ratteys - I distinctly remember breaking one of the o-rings that served as suspension springs late in the race and watching the car shower sparks through the banked turn at the left.
You are 100% percent correct that we ran an RC300 at the Miami Enduro - we were relatively sure that reliability problems would arise with the suspension cars.
By the 82 nats we were running mostly production RC500 pieces and am relatively sure Assosiated was shipping kits by then.
At the 81 worlds in Indy at Castleton mall most of the Brits and some Americans were running PB Alphas (I have a box in my attic that theoretically has enough pieces to assemble one - I hope, betting even Robert at Ashford won't have parts for that, and it was obvious that even on the very smooth surface the suspension cars were superior and it was because of the early suspension cars lack of reliability and Arts superior preparation and driving he won - he did not have the fastest car.