Race Day Report - 02/11/13

I should write these things much sooner after the event - less chance to forget stuff

Another good club day this one. New track layout and the usual crowd of racers. Numbers were a little lower than previous and, unfortunately, I was the only one there with an F1 but they were kind enough to set up race for me to play around in while everyone else had their break between rounds. This meant I could get some idea of lap times but I was doing most of my own marshaling, though I did get a bit of help here and there. Best way to not need a marshal is not to crash, but not always easy advice to follow.

I was surprised at just how much I was looking forward to strapping on an F1 body onto the 109 and having a run. I think my recent interest in 1/12 has helped satisfy the "Le Mans" thing and with an RM-01 on the way should stay that way. I'll admit I did have a bit of a mental "hissy fit" over a few F1 based things recently, but a bit of sanity has returned. I'll stick to running a 200mm car as long as I can and if the time comes to run a bigger event I will probably just have to buy myself a narrow car. SpeedPassion anyone?

Personally, I haven't had much success with a narrow 109 - I know others have, but for me it just isn't nice to drive and seems to be a setup black hole. Honestly, given the current frequency and level of competition, I don't need the angst.

With no one else to race there isn't much to report on. I was trying longer side links on the rear but if they make a difference is hard to say. Certainly, if the various 1/12 and F1 threads are to be believed. it SHOULD make a difference, but on the F109 I certainly couldn't say it did. This is, possibly, due to the link mounting locations which are much further back on the chassis and pod than compared to other cars. On a 1/12 car, as little as 3mm difference in the mount locations can have quite an effect on handling, but this is on a car with the pivots and the rear link locations inline. This is not how the F109 is setup with the pivots and link locations being around 30mm apart. This could also be a possible reason for some of the F109's set up idiosyncrasies.

Actual lap times were comparable to the 17.5 tourers, with my best being around 12s and the tourers doing around 12.3s. Consistency was all over the place as the car was a big handful, with a very loose rear end compared to other race nights. Whether this was because of lower track grip, the link changes or the fact I was running VERY old tyres (which I only realised towards the end of the night) I can't really say. In the end the transmitter battery bought my meeting to an end (damn lipo and their flat discharge curves). Probably should've charged that one - its only been a couple of months DUH!!

In a couple of weeks I am off to Brisbane for a night of racing and hopefully there will be some F1's there. Maybe I can keep my record of finishing last on every trip intact?

This project has hit a bit of a wall because of ride height issues. I simply can't get enough to fit "typical" 1/12 size tyres. I am working on it but, as usual, it all takes time (and $$$). So a Tamiya RM-01 is on the way so I can at least dip the toe in the water properly and see if I like the class!