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Hi Guys!
I
asked Stephen if
I could update my article on race car preparation on the website
because I
think it will be of great help to the new racers who plan to
join or have
joined the club.
I remember when I joined it was difficult to know what to do or where
to start
in prepping a car. Everyone in the club was really nice and helpful in
answering any questions I had, but it would have really been nice to
have a
guide to follow. For the most part, the books I purchased just gave a
few
tidbits on tuning but nothing that went into great detail or
explanation on how
and why something was done.
So I hope this article is helpful and beneficial to all that enjoy the
hobby as
much as I do.
And as always, I like to add that there is always more than one way to
do what
I’m describing in the article, these are just the way I do
it. And as you will
soon find out I tend to take the loooooooong way to
grandma’s house. J
Categories
- Selecting Your
Class Car(s)
- Tuning Your
Car
- Practicing
With Your Car
- Race Day
Preparation
- Racing
Strategy
- Racing
Tips
- Advanced
Car Preparation Techniques
SELECTING YOUR CLASS CAR(S)
Try
to get at
least 2, if possible 3 cars in each class so you have something to
compare with
and see which one handles best, which car is faster, and which
one fits
your driving style. If you are lucky, you might be able to
get the three
aforementioned qualities in one car but usually you have to give a bit
one way
or the other. Meaning you might have to sacrifice a bit of
speed for
handling or vice-versa. So in this instance your driving style will
come into
play because if you have a steady hand at the controller and control
your car
really well, you might be able to get away with the car that has a bit
more
speed. If you have trouble controlling your car you might opt
for a car
with better handling. Then there are the guys on the other end of the
spectrum
who are not as concerned about being competitive, they just love to
drive the
car they have admired through childhood just for the sheer enjoyment of
seeing
it slide around the track. Well, that’s OK too. J
I
will use the Ninco
1950/60’s Le Mans Roadster Class in this example. I purchased
three, Austin Healey, AC Cobra, and Ferrari 250TR. I looked in the catalog
and noticed the
overall design of each car and had an idea that for my driving style,
which I
will explain later, the Ferrari would probably be a good fit.
So
I took the
magnets out of the cars that had them (if any) and stuck in the NC-1
motor (with
adapter, if needed) and basically practiced with them around the track.
As
expected the
Ferrari, with its flat low profile stance, handled better, for me, than
the
other two cars. So I selected the Ferrari for the club races. Another great thing about
having more than
one class car is that if things don’t go as well as you had
hoped in the club races
you can always change to another car. In the SCX F1
class I started
with the Minardi, went to the Lola Ford Indy, then went back with the
Minardi
and now I am back with the Lola Ford Indy (McLaren). So you
always want
to remain flexible and keep your options open about using any car.
I
will continue
this article using the Ninco Roadster Ferrari 250 TR as the
example.
TUNING YOUR CAR
Well the first thing I did was pop the hood on my yellow Ferrari 250
TR.
Actually, I took the body off, but the other way sounds like I know
what I’m
doing. J
Break-In
The
Motor
I
start off by
removing the motor and going through all the steps listed in
the “breaking
in the motor” article. http://www.farroutslotcars.com/Slot-Car-Motor-Tuning-Tips-And-Tricks.html
Front
Axle,
Guide and Braid
Next
I check out
the front axle assembly. I
place the
car on a tech board, which is just a board with a groove running down
the
middle so that when the car is placed on the board the guide can fit
down into
the groove and the car can rest on all four wheels. I place the car on
the tech
board to see if the guide goes all the way down into the slot, to see
if all
four tires are touching, and get an idea of the ground clearance
between the
chassis and the board.
Usually with Ninco cars there is a lot of vertical free play in the
front axle,
so when the car is placed on the tech board the front axle will adjust
(move
upward) until the front wheels touch the board. So in the
case of the
Ferrari the guide went all the way down into the groove which is what I
wanted.
The farther the guide is in the groove the better the contact of the
track
rails and braids which means better electrical conduction and therefore
better
motor performance. If for some reason the guide
didn’t go all the way
down into the slot the first thing I usually do is check the axle
assembly for
proper vertical movement. Sometimes there is some plastic flash left in
the
vertical axle groove holder on the chassis and it prevents the chassis
from
moving upward. All that is needed is to remove the flash with a hobby
knife.
On
other brands of
cars, there is not a lot of vertical movement so if the guide
doesn’t go all
the way down I usually remove the front tires then check it again on
the tech
board, if the guide goes all the way down then the tires are the
problem.
All that is needed is to true the tires until their diameter is small
enough so
that they will allow the guide to go all the way in the slot and still
touch
the track. Club rules say all tires much touch the track, so you have
to slowly
remove the tire rubber and retest frequently. I
guess the easiest
way of truing the front tires is to remove the rear tires and place the
front
tires on the rear wheels and true them with sandpaper. That’s
assuming the
wheel sizes are all the same size which they are on the roadsters. Or
if you
have access to a RSM truer you can remove the whole front axle assembly
and
place it on the RSM machine. Since you basically want the weight of the
front
of the car to be more on the guide than the front wheels you really
just want
to make sure the front tires roll when you push the car forward.
Poor
braid
position could be another reason the guide will not sit all the way
down. I
usually have my braids positioned fairly flat against the flat part of
the
guide with a very slight downward curvature (towards the rails) of the
last
2mm’s of the free end of the braid.
Lateral
Front
Axle Theories
Most
if not all Ninco cars come with a fair amount of lateral and vertical
free play
on the front axle. The vertical play doesn’t seem to affect
the cars handling
so I leave that alone. Supposedly the vertical play will allow the
front of the
car to absorb irregularities on the track and allow for the axle
assembly to
move up and down instead of the front portion of the car moving up and
down
which could cause your car to de-slot.
I
use to keep my lateral movement in the 1-2mm range, but
through consultations
with Michael Smalley and his reasoning behind mostly leaving
the lateral
movement alone, I have found that my cars handle better using his
method. I refer you
to his article for a thorough
explanation, but basically the outside tire being able to
slide/move-outwards
as the car travels around a curve enables the car to be more stable and
you can
actually take the corner faster. With
it all being so subjective, the only way to find out for sure which
method
works for you is to practice with the car as is (stock) and
practice with
a decreased lateral movement and see which you like best.
If you decide to decrease the lateral movement it is just a matter of
removing
the wheels and adding spacers of equal size and number on each side of
the
axle, then replacing the wheels and positioning them until you have the
desired
lateral movement. I mentioned putting the spacers on in equal numbers
because
I’m always concerned about balance when tuning. Even though
the spacers weigh
less than a gram, I try to keep everything balanced because after a
while the
various weights of objects placed on cars start to add up and if one
side of
the car is heavier than the other it can lead to handling problems.
Also, you
have to keep in mind that you must have enough axle left on each side,
after
placing the spacers, to push the wheel back on far enough where it
can’t fall
off, and keep the tires/wheels within the bodywork.
Front
Wheels
Once all the aforementioned tire truing, axle movement, and
guide
adjustments are done to your satisfaction the front wheels are
glued on.
Usually the wheels have a snug fit but it’s still a good idea
to glue them
because after a while they might begin to move which would allow your
spacers
to move and throw-off your lateral movement. Or your hubs
could fracture
and cause the same thing.
I
usually start by
roughening the end of the axle with a stone bur on a
Dremel, to remove any
paint, and to allow for the super glue to grab onto. Then I clean the
axle with
adhesive remover and place a very small amount of oil around the spacer
adjacent to the wheel just in case some super glue gets in the spacer
area.
Then you can either place a small amount of glue at the end of the axle
or
inside the wheel, (I have used both methods with decent
success), and finally
slide both wheels on the axles. You have a small amount of time to
adjust the
wheels to exactly where you want them before the glue dries. I prefer
the super
glue method but you can also use some 5-minute epoxy to give
yourself some
extra working time.
Also,
a tip that I
learned the hard way………it’s
a good idea to reinforce the hubs of all four tires
with super glue or epoxy. I have had the worst time with fractured hubs
especially on the SCX 4WD cars, and they are the hardest to get
replacements
for. Reinforcing the hubs does help. I just dip a
toothpick in
superglue and place it around the whole outside of the hub after the
hub is on
the axle. I also use super glue zapper to harden the super glue within
a couple
of seconds to make the job easier.
Rear
Axle
Next I move to the rear axle assembly.
Some
cars have the bronze bushings already in place, if not club rules say
we may
change the plastic bushings for the bronze bushings. The bronze
bushings will
improve the car’s speed and handling. They do wear out at
some point so it’s
very important to check them fairly often to make sure there is not a
lot of
vertical or horizontal free-play of the axle. (see also
Advanced Car
Preparation Tips – below)
So, once I make sure the bushings fit the axle I put
the whole axle
assembly back in the bushing holders and make sure the
bushings go all the
way down in the holder and that the bushings have a snug fit. Then I place the
whole axle assembly
on a RSM truing machine. I’m still learning how to use this
machine properly so
I won’t even begin on how to tell someone else how to use it.
[maybe an expert
like Mr. Smalley will give a free RSM truing seminar one day. J]
Once
the axle is
rotating on the RSM machine I check to make sure the crown gear
doesn’t wobble.
A crown gear that wobbles will cause vibration
and handling problems.
Usually a crown gear that wobbles may be cracked, so the easiest remedy
is just
to replace it (use a gear puller to do this). Also check the
crown gear
for looseness on the axle, sometimes you are able to move them with
your hand.
If it’s too loose then replace it. It should have a nice snug
fit. I also place
a drop of super thin penetrating super glue between the axle
and crown gear
to make sure it can’t move.
Next we check the wheels (without the tires) to make sure they are
rotating as
straight as possible. This is an extremely important
step…….wobbly tires will
cause your car to vibrate and de-slot prematurely. It’s worth
it to buy some
extra wheels to get the best fitting pair on the axle.
If you look at the cars of the top three guys in the
club……..Myself, Rene,
and Michael, you will find that their wheels and tires are perfectly
trued. This is one step that you just have to take your time
on and get
as perfectly as possible. And
if you
have problems getting it right, it’s worth it to get help. I
didn’t realize the
importance of it until earlier in 2006 and had to call in Michael for
some
assistance and I feel my results have improved because of what he
taught me.
That’s the great thing about this club…..everyone
is happy to lend a hand. All you
have to do is ask.
Tire
Truing
Now
that your
wheels are perfectly trued, you can place the tires on and get
them trued
well. The tire truing is another extremely subjective area.
When you are
starting off you basically just want to get your tires trued well
enough for
your car to handle properly.
But
as your
experience increases you will learn to true your tires in a way that
gives you
not only great handling but can also give you torque, acceleration,
braking and
top speed choices depending on what you need in terms of the track you
will be
racing on or the type of car being raced. For
example….on a small track
like Gary’s that has a lot of curves and a small
straight-away I would use
smaller diameter tires which would give me more torque/acceleration to
hopefully get through the curves fairly quickly. The smaller diameter
tires
would give less top speed so that would be the trade off, but since the
straightaway is short I hope that I would not lose too much to the
other
racers. For a more open track like
Chris’s, I would use a
larger diameter tire for more top speed for the long straight at the
expense of
a bit of braking/acceleration/torque.
The challenge is to find just the right amount of what you need for the
track
you are on and the cars being raced. So you can see that
knowing how to
true tires properly can open up a world of possibilities. But when just
starting out, it’s more
important to concentrate on developing your driving style rather than
the
advanced techniques. Maybe Stephen will let me
write an article on
advanced techniques if I ever finish this one. J
So
once the tires
are trued to your satisfaction you can glue them on the wheels if you
like. I
tend to wait until I practice on race day until I glue the tires. Since
I
usually bring 2-3 pairs of tires, I like to make sure which ones
I’m going to
use before I glue. I guess an argument can be made on whether tires
need to be
glued at all. I think there is a very slim chance that the tires would
dislodge
on their own, but my concern is that when the car is being marshaled
quickly
there is a higher percentage that the tire might be inadvertently moved
off the
wheel, especially with the smaller classic 20 x 7 tires for the Ninco
1950/60’s
Le Mans class. So you place the axle assembly back in the car.
At some point you will have to place the motor back in the
car to make
sure the lateral movement is OK. I really have no set plan as
to when I
do it, I just make sure to check it before I glue the wheels on the
axle.
Usually with the self-adjusting crown gear, once the motor is in place
the
motor axle goes into the crown gear groove area and provides just the
right
amount of lateral movement of the axle and therefore no spacers are
needed. But
if I find that there is still a bit too much lateral movement I will
just
follow the same steps of adding spacers as with the front
axle. Once
everything is OK I will glue the wheels on the axle.
Then some practice laps are run. If the car
doesn’t handle well you
may want to use smaller diameter tires which will lower the chassis
closer to
the ground and allow for better handling. If the car seems a bit slow
you may
want to use larger diameter tires which will give you more top speed.
That is
why I like to have 2-3 sets of tires at race day to give myself some
choices.
Once everything is OK, it’s a good idea to glue the bushings
down so they don’t
pop out of their holder or rotate. I use
‘Goo’ to hold down
the bushings. Goo is an adhesive that sets up firmly but is not rigid,
so it’s
easy to remove. You can also use a hot glue gun.
Motor
Check
Now
I check out
the motor. It should always be properly broken in.
I always remove the paper on the motor to expose the air vents to
hopefully
allow it to run cooler. I think the Ninco motors run better when they
have a
chance to cool off, but the SCX motors seem to run better when they
warm up. I
will check the pinion to make sure it’s tight on the motor
axle, if not I will
replace it. I check the wire solder joints to make sure they are OK. If
they
are loose or just don’t look like a strong joint I will redo
them. I place
the motor lead eyelets in the guide and Goo them into position
as well.
The last thing I need is for an eyelet to pop out during a race. Oil
the motor
if needed and replace it in the car.
I
put some Goo on
each side of the motor can to keep it in position and I usually let all
the
places I placed Goo dry over night. After the Goo is dry I will break
in the
gears following the gear break in procedure. I use
a toothbrush and
a motor cleaner (Duratrax Power Shot or Pure Performance) to
make sure all
the compounds are off the gears and then oil the bushings, motor, crown
gear, and pinion.
It’s
also a good
idea to glue down any parts on the chassis or car body that can
dislodge like
mufflers, interior detail, front and rear lights or anything else that
can
possibly come loose during a crash. Or if you prefer, club rules say we
can
remove delicate items that could be broken during a race.
PRACTICING WITH YOU CAR
Once you get the basic tuning done on the car you want to try it on the
track.
Things you want to look for while turning
laps………handling, listening for any
abnormal sounds, vibration, de-slotting for no reason and speed.
Handling problems, which can include too much or too little sliding
around the
curves, are usually the result of improperly trued tires or tire
selection –
you may need grooved or slicks. Through
experience you will learn how to true the tires depending on your
driving
style, that is, whether you want the car to slide a bit around the
curves or a
car that grips hard around the curves.
A quick method for checking for evenly trued tires is to place the car
on a
tech board and view the tires from the rear. Both tires should be
totally flat
on the board and should stay flat when the car is moved forward or
backward on
the board.
Another major problem that will result in poor handling is an
improperly
balanced car. This will usually only be a big problem in the classes
that we
are allowed to use lead weight. Finding the ideal weight and
locations is
a tedious process but is rewarded with a better handling car (see the
weight
placement section of the website).
Abnormal sounds and vibration can be caused by a bunch of things which
include:
rough gear mesh or a spur on the gears (usually the crown gear), out of
round
wheels and tires, loose interior body parts, poorly fitting axle
bushings, or
just lack of oil.
De-slotting
can be
caused by the guide complex (guide, braids, and motor lead wires) or
the front
axle assemble. Motor
lead wires could
be too short and not allow for the full rotational movement of the
guide. Braids
could be improperly positioned causing the guide flag not to go all the
way
into the slot. The front axle tires might not be trued enough,
and again,
the guide is not going all the way in the slot because of the
tires. You
also want to check that the axle assemble is not stuck in one position
and able
to move freely.
You
also want to
test out different motors to find the one that may not necessarily be
the
fastest but one that suits your driving style as far as torque and
RPM’s are
concerned. When
first learning to drive
you may not be as smooth on the throttle so you may want a motor that
has the
torque spread out over the voltage range rather than one that
gives a lot
of torque from the start which could cause a loss of control of the
car.
This is especially true of the SCX motor which, in my opinion, is the
most
difficult to master, both in F1 and 4WD classes.
Once
the car runs
pretty well and I have everything glued down, I evaluate whether the
car runs
better with a tight or loosely fitting body. I can’t explain
it, but some cars
just run better for me with a tight body and others run better with a
loosely
fitting body. If I decide to use a loosely fitting body, I will use the
longer Ninco
screws which make the task easier of allowing the body to remain loose.
Club
rules say we can use whatever works in regards to body screws.
RACE DAY PREPARATION
Everybody has their own way of preparing for the race. I will just list
a few
of the things I concentrate on. It’s
much more challenging this year because we have more venues.
The
first thing I
look for while running practice laps is what type of traction
the tires
are getting. As
mentioned, I usually
bring 2-3 pairs of tires which are trued differently to hopefully find
a pair
that gives me the proper grip for my driving style.
I will also find the areas of the track
where I can go full
throttle, but still keep the car under control without the backend
sliding all
over the place. Most
tracks have a
chicane so I will see how quickly I can go through the chicane without
de-slotting
and still keeping the car under control.
I
have never been
much for getting the times of my laps, during race day practice,
because
everyone is going to slow down when the race starts anyway and just
because you
have the fastest time in the heat doesn’t mean you will win
the heat. But,
occasionally, if I can’t decide on which two pairs of tires
are giving me the
best grip I will use the lap timer to assist me in making the decision.
Usually,
(if we are allowed!), I will spend more time practicing on the
difficult lanes (usually
the outside lanes), but it depends on the track. For some reason I have
more
trouble on the inside lanes at Chris’s place so I tend to
practice more on the
inside lanes there.
So
you have to
make constant adjustments and change your game plan around as needed.
That is
one thing I try to keep in mind….never be afraid to change a
losing game. Basically,
I just try to make sure the car
runs closely to the same on the host track as it did on my
home track.
RACING STRATEGY
If
at all
possible, try to make sure your car is at least 1/10TH of a lap ahead
of
everyone else’s car in the race when the stop and go box,
‘STOPS’. J
RACING
TIPS
I
do a few things
during the races that I’m sure everyone else is doing also
but I will just
mention them.
Getting
grip is
always of paramount importance so I use the method of putting a
few drops
of PPR tire cleaning solution on a rag and wiping it around
the tire once
- PPR
Slots Super Tire
Cleaner (www.pprslots.com). Then I take the lint roller (a masking
tape roller works best for me, rather than the 3M Lint roller) and just
keep
rubbing the tire until it begins to pull back on the roller. It takes
about a
minute for this to happen, but once it pulls back against the roller I
usually
get very good grip on the track. I do this before the start of every heat so if I run
practice laps I have to redo the procedure before the start of the
heat.
To clean the braids I use a
very small amount of the Parma braid conditioner. Again, if I
run practice
laps I re-clean the braids before the heat. Sounds like a pain to have
to redo
everything but grip is everything and even a slightly dirty braid can
slow your
motor dramatically.
Things
I
concentrate on once the race is about to begin is whether or not to try
and get
the lead or hold back. Usually if I’m on
the outside lanes I try to
get into the lead, but if I’m on the inside lanes sometimes I
will let the
other drivers clear the first turn first and just follow closely
behind.
To me there is nothing more frustrating than falling off on the first
turn of
the race, kinda sucks the air out of ya. J
I figure even if the race ends as it
starts I will only be about one-two 10th’s of a lap behind
the leader whereas
if I would have fallen off I could be quite a few
10th’s of a lap back if
not more.
Another
thing I
think about…... naturally when you fall off there
will be a tendency to
put more pressure on yourself by racing harder trying to catch the
bunch, and
this in turn can lead to more mistakes. That is what I have
admired about
Rene, with all his success throughout the years, he always stays within
himself
during the race, you never see him over-driving and making mistakes.
I just basically concentrate on not doing anything stupid, which is not
easy,
and keeping myself in the race. I keep reminding myself that
you can’t
win a race in the first two heats but you sure as heck can lose it.
Of
course, having
fun is the number one priority and I must admit, in the heat of battle
I loose
site of that, but with the ‘cast of characters’ in
our club you will always
find yourself smiling and laughing throughout the race day.
These
are just
some of the things that I do because I enjoy the hobby so much. A car
right out
of the box with a minimum amount of prepping can also be competitive,
as
Michael Smalley has proven time and time again. So it
basically comes
down to how much time you want to spend on everything.
Finally
just some
tidbits I thought would be helpful for those that want to go beyond the
basic
preparation techniques.
ADVANCED
CAR
PREPARATION TECHNIQUES
These are additional preparation techniques that I do to
hopefully bring
out all the car’s performance and handling
capabilities.
Wires,
Eyelets,
Screws, Bushings, Spacers and Other Small Details
Keep
in mind that
club rules state we can use whatever works in regards to screws, wires,
spacers, eyelets, and bushings (except ball bearings ). So
it’s a good idea to
experiment with different varieties and manufacturers of these products
to see
which, if any, may enhance the car’s performance.
I
always change my
motor wire to the Slot.It silicon cable
(SISP03)……I like it because it has
thick wiring and is very flexible.
For
the eyelets I use professor motor 85% copper eyelets (PMTR1062). With the Slot.It wiring
and the copper
eyelets I always get a faster motor than with the stock wiring, per the
Kelvin
Light Bench readings. I
also have more
confidence in the thick Slot.It wiring than the thin Ninco wiring
especially
since I have had the Ninco wiring break on me. Thank goodness it was in
practice. J I
like it better than the SCX motor wiring
because even- though the SCX wire is thick, it can sometimes hinder the
movement of the guide because the wiring is somewhat stiff. The silicon
wiring
is soft and flexible and allows for easy movement of the guide.
I
try to use the
Ninco ProRace metric brass screws (NIN80906) when possible because they
screw
in snugly and still allow for body movement. Also, they weigh
a tiny bit
more and act like weight to lower the center of gravity of the car.
[yeah, I
know this is stretching it a bit, but it’s a nice thought,
huh ? J] If I can’t use the brass
screws then
my second choice is the long Ninco screws. (NIN80902).
With the bushings I just see which manufacturer (Fly, Slot.It, Ninco)
fits the
axle the best. This is such an important step and worth taking your
time on
because a bushing that just allows for rotating movement without a lot
of
vertical and horizontal movement will mean a much faster and smoother
running car. Michael
Smalley swears by Slot.It Double
Brass Bushings (SIPA27)
Painting the body is also something I believe will improve handling. I
guess
it’s the added weight or the stiffening of the body, I really
don’t know but in
my opinion it makes a difference in the way the car handles. Even if you
don’t want to go through the
trouble of removing the old paint or sanding you can still apply 2-3
coats of
clear gloss coat. The
gloss coat
application just requires removing all the fingerprints from the
already stock
painted body with a micro fiber towel, removing or masking the windows
and just
spraying on the gloss coat. I usually apply one coat a day and put on
about 3
coats. I use the Testors gloss clear coat spray (#1814).
Tire truing is also a very important area where you
want to spend a lot
of time. When you think about it, other than the braids, the tires are
your
only contact with the track, so you really want to make sure the tires
are as
perfectly trued as you can get them.
I
now spend more prep time on the tires than any other area. I feel I have improved in
the area but still
have a long way to go to reach the level of the Smalley’s and
the
Farr-Jones’s.
If you have no idea how to go about it, I can just
recommend looking at
some of the experienced racer’s car tires
and asking them what
machines or instruments they used to true them. There are so
many ways of
going about it, so you just have to find a way that works for you. If
you have
the time to run hundreds and hundreds of laps, this will also true your
tires,
especially if you have a Ninco track. J
Adding
lights to
the car can also benefit the handling because of the added weight
– and it is
completely legal! Depending on the lighting kit being used you can
usually add
about 3-5 grams of weight to the car along with that cool looking glow.
The
weight addition doesn’t sound like much but the difference
between a car
weighing 80 grams instead of 75 grams can make a huge difference in the
way the
car handles. I like the Slot.It lighting kits the best (SISP10
& SISP11)
because they have a separate plug in module which allows you to have
the wiring
on the body and the base module on the chassis. That way you can
separate your
body from the chassis and not have the wiring in your way.
It’s a direct drop
in for the Slot.It cars but can take a bit of work to fit other
cars. But
there are many lighting kits (Overdrive, Ninco, Cartrix) that may be an
easier
fit for other cars.
As
with
anything…………practice makes
perfect!!!!!!!!!!!
The
above procedures
are all secondary to practice and improving one’s driving
technique.
[SFJ’s
Note: the
following is directly from Daniel’s answer to the 2006
Questionnaire – Do you
practice between races?”: “I will
run anywhere between
2000-5000 practice laps. I once asked
Chris R. why he is so
good. He replied I try not to fall off. Pretty basic answer I thought
at the
time, but reading between the lines I guess another way of saying that
is:
Practice!”
FYI Daniel has now (in 2007)
cut back drastically on his
practice, he usually does only 2000 laps!
”I
now run closer to 2000 laps
but I always practice against a magnet car set at a voltage where the
magnet
car runs about 2 to 3 10th's of a second faster than I can do a lap and
try to
keep up with it. I also practice at a couple of volts higher (on my
lane) than I think the club race voltage will be. This is
usually around
15v, so between trying to keep the car on my
small twisty-curvy track with
2 crossover tracks at 15v and trying to keep up with a magnet
car that I
know will never fall off, I think this type of practicing
has been more
beneficial because it has improved my reaction time and has
made me
mentally tougher.”]
FINAL THOUGHTS
We
have a great
website that basically has all of this I have just mentioned. I just
tried to
expand on certain aspects that might make it even easier for
newbie’s. The
website is packed with helpful explanations and tips and really
requires
reading 2-3 times to really grasp all the information
available. Stephen
has done a great job of keeping the
FarrOut user friendly especially for members who don’t have
enough time for all
the small stuff but just want to come out and race and have fun.
I just thought I would mention the above techniques for club members
who have a
bit of time on their hands and would like to experiment.
HAPPY
RACING!!!!!!!!!!!!
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