Well it’s been a while since we ran 1/24 scale cars on the ASCC track. It was a day full of challenges in tech as the start of a brand new series begins. Nothing ever goes as planned and this was no exception. The rules were taking from the European series and then adjusted for our MJK spec tire. The issue began with Steve’s Viper as we’re allowing the older metal chassis as well as the new carbon fiber chassis. The Viper body is heavier than the BMW or Porsche body combined with the heavier metal chassis caused Steve to go over the maximum body and combined weight. We will adjust the maximum weights for the older chassis. The other struggle was the rear track. Some racers didn’t check their cars prior to tech and we kicked back due to the rear track being wider than 80mm. Fortunately for those racers, Marty brought his box of Scaleauto spacers with him, so they could get their cars legal. The one issue that had us all shaking out heads was with Marty’s 2 carbon fiber chassis cars not passing the chassis height limit. After he tried several different front tires, we measured his front axle to the chassis plate to find that it’s 1mm taller than the other carbon fiber chassis cars. He spent so much time getting that discovered and fortunately had an older chassis car that he could use.
Prior to the race, there were concerns brought up given the tight fit of the cars on track that we might not want to run 3 racers in the heats. This was going to cause some issues with the timing system, but Shawn decided that we would run a normal format. This proved to work well and since we’re all adults, we were able to drive our cars respecting the other competitors.
We only had 6 racers show up, so it was a quick day and given the fact it’s summer in Texas, not entirely unwelcome. The first heat matched up Steve, John and Shawn. It was a bit touch and go as they got used to keeping their cars in line given the tight quarters. In the end, Steve and Shawn ended with 67 laps and John with 65. Steve set the initial quick pace with the fast lap of 4.237.
The next heat saw John take a break and David joined in. Steve continued to show the speed of the Viper going even faster with a 4.224. David using an older chassis Porsche but still not getting fully to terms with the bigger size put in good laps. The end of the heat put Steve still in front with 69 laps, Shawn with 68 and David with 66.
Heat 3 saw Shawn out and Marty come in. Although Marty didn’t get to use the car he wanted, it didn’t stop him from put out some fast times as he did the fastest lap of the race at 4.157. This goes to what Shawn has determined during the testing that the older metal chassis was just as competitive as the carbon fiber chassis on our short course. It wasn’t all roses for Marty as he struggled with grip issues as the heat went on. At the end of the heat, Marty had 66 laps along with Steve, and David got the better of them at 67.
Heat 4 brought in Randy as Steve had done all his heats and currently leading the race. Randy following Shawn’s lead on car was very smooth and quick. It’s great to see newer members get a hold of a car that allows them to show how well they can drive. Randy’s BMW was very smooth and was able to get fastest lap of the heat at 4.252 and finish with 68 laps. Marty still came in with 67 laps and his fastest lap was only .012 slower than Randy. David had a solid 66 laps finishing out his race.
Heat 5 brought John back into the race. Randy slowed up a bit as he let John get fastest lap of the heat at 4.236. Marty was right there with John as they both finished out with 68 laps to Randy’s 65. This concluded Marty’s race but frustrated running the backup to the backup car.
On to heat 6 and the final heat. Shawn came back to finish his last heat. It’s always tough trying to finish out the race and seeing where everyone else sits. At the start of the heat, John and Randy were on the exact same lap count. Shawn was trying to finish in the top spots of Group A and not wanting to affect the Group B racers. In the end, John couldn’t keep up the pace with Randy and only managed 66 laps to Randy’s 69 laps. Shawn made the final push with 69 laps and the overall race win.
This series is very interesting as it’s the slowest series we’ve raced in a long time. The cars reward smooth and consistent driving. Marty may have grabbed the fastest lap of the race, but Shawn won with his consistency. I’m very excited to see this series progress. Also, all the racers are extremely close in laps. Only 5 laps separate first from last place. This is going to get very competitive and any off could cost a racer huge.
See everyone next race!
Curious Minds Want to Know – were tires Sponge or Urethane?
Great story Shawn. Thanks for getting it posted so quickly. I am looking forward to getting my car set up correctly for the next round. Should be interesting.
Marty
Marshaling also turned out to be a real event with this class. The de-slots often blocked two lanes resulting in juggling acts with the wayward car to get it out of the way. Bu I don’t think we had an unusual number of “yellow flags” for two car pile ups. Although the lap times were slower than classes this year, those following cars were coming strong and heavy. I got hit on the hand a few times. This was one of my favorite races, right up there with the RevoSlot and ThunderSlot cars. I heard someone say after the results were in, that we have a class that fits Randy’s slower reflexes. True, but everyone seemed to be suffering from the intensity of the close racing (and the heat). I’ve been won over after some skepticism.