Racing Classes - Stock SCT

There are plenty of different racing classes around for various driving styles and track conditions. I'll tell you what classes I'm racing in, and why.

I'm currently racing in Stock SCT and Stock Buggy on indoor clay surfaces, and loving it. I'm starting off with slower classes and eventually moving up to faster ones. Stock SCT is first, followed by Stock Buggy, which is considerably faster, and after that, I'll probably get into 4x4 SCT, which is both faster and more expensive!

Stock 2WD SCT

Stock SCT is the perfect class for new racers. It's slow and easy to control, so you won't be crashing into walls all the time, and you'll learn how to drive a line better. The full-fender body and bumpers lets them take crashes better and bump into other cars without causing a massive wreck.

Class rules:

• 2S (7.4v) LiPo
• 17.5 turn ROAR-approved 2-pole brushless motor
• "Blinky" non-timing ESC
• 2WD Short course truck

Why it's great:

• It's slow - Being slow is an awesome thing. It makes your racing line extremely important. On a well-designed track, most of the jumps won't be possible unless you've maintained a lot of momentum through the corners. You don't have the option of "punching" it before a jump in hopes of clearing it. If you don't take the corners properly, you're not going to make it. Now, just getting around the track smoothly is a challenge, and challenges are fun. Once you get a feel for the track, you feel this sense of flow as every corner and jump blends into the next. The track becomes one continuous segment, and that is an awesome feeling... when you get it right.
• The electronics don't matter - I've used a number of different stock motors, the cheapest of the cheap, a burned-out cheater, an RTR-inclusion, and a "top notch" bullet. Aside from the burned-out one, I genuinely haven't noticed a difference between any of them. With the exception of the semi-legal Trinity D3.5, which is definitely faster than the rest of them, I believe that any ROAR-approved 17.5 motor is going to be just as good as any other one. The same goes for speed controls. Since in this class, all ESC timing is banned, no ESC is going to be faster than another, as long as it can push enough amps. All timing is done directly off the readings from the sensor board.
• It's cheap - You can absolutely go racing in stock SCT, and win, with $400. The 22SCT RTC is another good example; $600 for a race-winning truck out of the box. A top-of-the-line kit is $300 new, but I know many guys who started off with a $250 RTR, swapped the motor, and now race competitively. The slower speed of stock trucks also means fewer broken parts, as crashes are less severe. Compare this to 4x4 SCT, which seems like a common entry point for new racers. The truck itself is very expensive, as is the motor and speed control, which must be really powerful.

Why it sucks:

• It gets expensive - This is common to all SCTs.  The two major expendable items are tires and bodies. Compared to buggy, SCT tires are $25/pair and buggy tires are $12/pair. SCT bodies are $40 and last a couple months; buggy bodies are $25 and last forever. I've found that SCT tires don't last as long as buggy tires either, but it depends on the track surface you're racing on and your mileage may vary.
• It's slow - The low speed and power can be frustrating for some people. I've got no problem keeping up with the faster cars on the track, but for someone who can't keep to the line very well, they're going to be bouncing off jumps and coming short very often. Also, though it's entirely subjective, some people won't be happy with a "weak" car, and would rather spend more on a powerful motor. I don't really care about how strong and manly my toy car is, so I don't really find this to be an issue.

Though I’m starting to get back in to Stock Buggy, I expect to be racing in Stock SCT for a long time to come.