Confignon Race Report

[Wireless]

Hi all,

It's been a really busy time at work and I just haven't felt like sitting down in front of the PC to write much. Anyways, I'm at a loose end so here goes. Two reports, the first one is from the Hot Bodies Challenge at Confignon on 19th April.

The Hot Bodies Challenge took place on the 19th April 2008 at the Confignon indoor circuit in Geneva. A total of 22 drivers turned out for the event which ran to the standard SITCC rules. These rules dictate that amongst other things, you car must be a 4WD 1/10th Touring Car fitted with a Team Orion Katana 23t motor, SITCC spec wheels, inserts and 35 compound Hot Bodies / Team Orion tyres. Power is either 6-cell NiMH or 2 cell Lipo. The Confignon round was a spec shell event, and as a result I was supplied with the latest Hot Bodies Morespeed Type-C shell to adorn my car as part of my Chf.30 (approx US $30 / GBP 15) entry fee.

I had picked up some bad luck with my TA05-R, managing to blow up a series of very expensive ESC's without seemingly having done anything wrong. As a result, I decided to have a bit of fun to lighten my foul mood and enter my TT-01 (yes, TT-01) into the race against the Hot Bodies Cyclones and latest spec X-Rays as well as my friend Dom's TA05-R. I know what you're thinking here. Wireless is a joker. But read on...

With my Morespeed Type-C hastily cut out, sprayed red and decal'd up, I was all set to go in the qualifiers. What about the car setup...? Well, I guess I owe you an explanation that stems from the mists of time...!

Back in 2004, Tamiyaclub held their second "Spring Drive" day at a very cold and very wet Snetterton race track in the UK. I didn't have an on-road car at the previous year's event so had elected to buy one and have a crack for 2004. My weapon of choice was the newly released TT-01 with the Nissan 350Z Racing shell. I added a few choice hop-ups to the car including the mandatory ballrace bearings and alloy propshaft. Others included the alloy racing steering set, metal motor mount and Tamiya TRF Fluorine Coated Shocks. I topped it all with the carbon chassis brace which does nothing but provide a place to mount my receiver with its short 2.4GHz antenna. No universals or metal output cups, no adjustable suspension, no ball diffs, one ways or spools, just plain old gear diffs. Over the years, the car was used and abused and by the time of the race at Confignon almost four years later was pretty much, well, worn out...

So, on to my car setup. As my TT-01 has no adjustable links anywhere, my car setup consisted of the following:

1 - Put my "Cheapo Lipo" Yeah Racing pack on to balance charge.

2 - Change my gearing to a more 23t friendly 23/58.

3 - Put a set of well worn-in SITCC spec boots on the car and dose them up with juice.

4 - Go and get a coffee and relax whilst others carefully set up cambers, casters, toe-ins, ackermans, ride heights, droops, springs, shocks and other stuff meaningless to my TT-01...

So, onto the heats. In usual SITCC style, I was placed in the Sport category (as opposed to pro where the really quick guys go). Lined up on the grid I was a little more nervous than I had been running the TA05-R. I was concerned about what if I accidentally took out a valuable car with my $30 brick of a TT-01...? Frankly, I needn't have worried, just a minute or so in, the number 4 car took the lead, fortunately for me, in this heat I was number 4.

So here I was feeling a little unnerved that guys who would regularly run with and beat me when I ran my TA05-R were taking a pasting from an old and somewhat wobbly TT-01. Anyways, I got on with it and qualified in first place. The subsequent two heats were a similar affair with a first place and then a third place after a big off.

And so there you have it. I couldn't believe it myself. I was really stoked. There was a the cheapest plasticy-est Tamiya chassis that everyone jokes about on pole for the Sport category A-final amongst machinery worth ten times as much. Ears pricked up and eyes were cast in the direction of my pit.

At this point you're all thinking "Yadda yadda, what a showoff. Just bragging about how he's an amazing driver to get a shed on pole". Well, I wish I was an amazing driver but that's not quite true. I'm OK but not spectacular (as Lonestar will testify). The car really did it's stuff. Easy and smooth to drive, forgiving of ham-fistedness and flattering in the hands of a driver of modest skills. Perfect for an amateur like me.

In the finals after lunch, I gave it absolutely rock-all as I had nothing to lose. In the first of the two finals I got nerfed twice within the first lap and ended up dead last almost a lap down after some cack-handed marshalling. I pulled it back to third but Dom (TA05-R) and Loic (Cyclone) were just too far ahead to catch and both driving well. The TT-01 was chuffing along but it's not a miracle machine and I'm not Andy Moore. Again, I was stoked. I had really fun drive through the field.

For the super final, I went out and gave it what-for. I managed a close second place behind Loic's now very quick Cyclone. Fact is, I was as quick down the straights and into the corners, but he could just put the power down on the way out of the turns and run away from me. Those gear diffs letting me down...! Factor in some nice and tidy driving from Loic and he was not beatable. I just managed to hold off Dom for second place who was catching me until he binned it on the last corner and tore a wheel clean off.

So, what was it like racing the TT-01...? In a word, fantastic...! Running well with a beater of a car amongst high spec machines was great for sure, but I also had a great sense of satisfaction from putting a Tamiya on a grid that is awash with Cyclones and X-Rays and turning in a result that caused people to really take an interest in the basic car from Japan. I would be thrilled if my support for the Shizuoka brand rubbed off enough on someone to make them think twice before buying a "no brainer" X-Ray or Hot Bodies chassis and perhaps consider that TA05, TB Evo, or TRF416...

Some pics below :

My pit area

The circuit

Trusty TT-01 - Number One Baby, Yeah...!

Frontenex 26th April

After the success of the TT01 at Confignon, I went back to the TA05-R for the first outdoor of the season at Frontenex in Geneva. This was my first race in the Super Stock category, essentially the same as the Stock, but with 19t brushed or 10.5 brushless power and Take-Off CS27's. As my LRP brushless system had proved itself incompatible with my Futaba S9452 digital servo and subsequently blown itself up for no aparrent reason, I was running my Team Orion / Peak 19t Dynasty lay-down and latest spec Hot Bodies Atsushi Hara Twister 2.2 Carbon ESC.

I didn't write much here as I was too busy either fixing my car or drinking beer so apologies for the slack report.

Essentially I qualified about mid-field with my car beign very quick but seemingly just not having the mechanical grip that the other guys had. I was having huge fun though with the car actually handling really nicely. The Peak 19t was really punchy and having adjusted the gearing for the second heat really went superbly. I was as quick as anyone down the straights and through the sweepers but as the corners tightened, I was loose and just couldn't hold on.

Lonestar (Paul) happened to take a look at my car during the lunch break as I was fiddling around with it and noticed I was using the wrong tyres...! I had been told that they were CS27's but on closer inspection there were some oddball Hot Bodies tyre with a rock-hard compound. I ditched these right away and Paul kindly lent me his practice CS27's.

Next race was the first of two finals and the different was unreal...! I had grip...! Unfortunately, I got into a tangle just a couple of laps in and broke a turnbuckle and was out of the race.

For the second final, I brushed the guard on a warm up lap and caught a piece of the guardrail where it overlapped with the next and it literally tore the NSF suspension off my car. Paul pulled out the stops and with his help, I switched out the busted suspension arm while we held off the start of the final (thanks JMB).

I was on the grid, I think I was in last place, but can't remember. Anyways, I drove the wheels off the car - it was clearly bent as we had no time to set up any geometry and it was a bit wayward, but I managed to cane it six places up and finished third behind Jeremy Frey's HB Cyclone Morespeed and Georges Camicas-Aycardi's TRF416. I was stoked...!

For this event I must say a massive thanks to Paul for dropping everything and helping me fix my car as well as the loan of the tyres. Without his help, I wasn't in the super final. Simple as. Second, thanks to Georges who lent me a turnbuckle after mine gave up in the first final.

During the lunch break I took out my TTG Hotshot and TTG Buggy Champ for a laugh. Both now fitted with Lipos they went like stink. One of the guys from the Modified touring car class (unlimited motor) was testing his car and he couldn't pass my Buggy Champ down the straight - Tekin power rules...!!!

Some pics below courtesy of OverRC :

My TA05-R with Mazdaspeed shell

Circuit panorama. That's me on the left mucking about with Tamtech Hotshot...

[Dazza1]

fantastic great read.

my daughter races a tt01 and we love it mainly because it is unbreakable. But never the less a great car to drive.

[Lonestar]

At this point you're all thinking "Yadda yadda, what a showoff. Just bragging about how he's an amazing driver to get a shed on pole". Well, I wish I was an amazing driver but that's not quite true. I'm OK but not spectacular (as Lonestar will testify).

I hereby officially testify

Great race-report! Brings good memories back to the surface too. And it's a pleasure to have you running with us See you Saturday!

Paul