There’s more than one way to win a race

Somehow, I managed to come in second place last weekend, in a field with some very competent stock SCT drivers. This is especially peculiar when you look at the results:

Position	Driver	Laps	Time	Fastest Lap	Behind
1	COLLINS, JOHN	19	6:14.647	18.543	None
2	ZACH MILLER	18	6:06.510	19.270	None
3	CARY CRONIN	18	6:08.978	18.437	2.468
4	MAGGIORE, MIKE	18	6:12.824	18.395	6.314
5	BRANDON DYCHE	17	6:03.586	18.632	None
6	FROST, ETHAN	17	6:15.874	18.961	12.288
7	DAVID WINKLER	16	6:09.866	19.951	None

What should really stand out there is that my fastest lap was the second slowest of all the drivers in that race. My fastest was 19.3 seconds and almost everyone else had fast laps in the 18s. How then did I come in second?

I never rolled over. Not even in the qualifiers! See for yourself:

Okay, I rolled a couple times, but I never required a marshal to get going again. By playing it safe on the corners and the jumps, I may have added a few tenths to my laps, but I saved all the time I would have lost by making a mistake. Something to think about next time you go for the triple.

SC10.2 Setup July 27th 2013

Changed some things to get more rear traction.

[Setup Sheet]

Track Day Log: July 27th, 2013

Practice

Try out fresh tires, suspension changes, and motor fan for faster lap times.

Ambient temp: 71F, track temp: 66F

	No Fan	Fan	+Timing
@ Start	87 F	84 F	82 F
@ 5 min	134 F	118 F	118 F
@ 10 min	153 F	134 F	134 F

With this much extra cooling, I’m going to try upping the timing a bit to get some more speed. Changed endbell timing to 40 degrees, up from 35.  After timing change, no noticeable increase in temperature. Maybe even more timing, or another tooth on the pinion.

Race Results

Q1

Having trouble keeping the tail end in. Driving kinda twitchy from drinking a caffeinated beverage.

[Video|Stats]

Q2

Much more difficulty driving smoothly. had to stop mid-race and take a break to calm down. Tail end still swinging out all the time. I really want a front sway bar.

Threw away soda and chugged a bottle of water. Changed rear springs to blacks instead of whites (1.90 vs 2.10) and moved rear shocks to inner-most holes. Sauced the rear tires just a little bit, not enough time to soak in.

[Video|Stats]

Q3

Rear traction greatly improved. Peter and I had some good battles, especially near the end. Managed to qualify second.

[Video|Stats]

Main

Started second, managed to keep up with Jon Sterling for a few laps before he took off. Peter and I battled for a bit, but toward the end, I started making mistakes and got tangled up with the racers who were a lap behind me. I wasn’t able to close the gap, but Peter never actually lapped me. I think it went well.

[Video|Stats]

Takeaways

• No caffeine before a race.
• Rotate tires each morning to even out wear and performance. I’d rather have traction without asymmetric tire saucing if I can manage it.
• I feel like a front sway bar would be nice.

Setup Changes

• Black (1.90) springs on rear instead of White (2.10).
• Rear shocks mounted fully inward.
• Fresh JC Bar-codes all around.

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.