On road beast?

[Lhodgo 208]

I'm a offroad nut. But I do have a superb sealed track near my house that I occasionally run my buggies on and I do have some old alfa', mini's ect.

every now and then I see the race meets and think "that could be fun, but those cars look terrible" However, I've been thinking about purchasing an on road beast, tamiya of course, but putting a vintage shell on it.

I know nothing about on-road can someone give me the heads up on what is Tamiya's quickest competitive platform and motor combo?

[drcarlos 57]

NIce, my nearest track was only 100m from my house (Yateley School Model Car Club), but it is now abandoned, derelict and slowly being reclaimed by nature. After the work that went into the club and building it only fairly recently it's a real shame.

I am not sure if there is the interest in RC to generate the numbers needed for a revival (as I'm sure I could persuade the new head of the school it is a good thing to have running) as I'm pretty sure this is why it died. You are lucky to have this, can you just pitch up and go for a spin?

Carl.

[El Dougo 326]

Nice track    The latest model is the TRF419x and the combo will depend on the racing class.

http://www.tamiya.com/english/products/42301/index.htm

 

[Lhodgo 208]

10 minutes ago, drcarlos said:

NIce, my nearest track was only 100m from my house (Yateley School Model Car Club), but it is now abandoned, derelict and slowly being reclaimed by nature. After the work that went into the club and building it only fairly recently it's a real shame.

I am not sure if there is the interest in RC to generate the numbers needed for a revival (as I'm sure I could persuade the new head of the school it is a good thing to have running) as I'm pretty sure this is why it died. You are lucky to have this, can you just pitch up and go for a spin?

Carl.

Had to join the club to get a key. But now, yep just rock up and roll.

[qatmix 794]

If you want to race then there are only really 3 options from Tamiya

• TT02 Type-S (A good budget alternative, it handles surprisingly well as it uses TRF suspension. It comes with the essential parts to get around a track).
• TA07 (A club class racer, really suited to outdoor as it has a good amount of flex. The drivetrain is very nice with a single belt design which works well with stock racing classes. It is also priced competively and you get TRF419 style suspension, TRF shocks etc. Many guys have used these at local clubs and they can cut it with the top end cars).
• TRF419X / WS (The top of the range Tamiya Touring car. Very competitive at the top level, (Has recently won national and ETS finals). Top of the range touring car at more than double the price of the TA07 (http://www.thercracer.com/2016/07/42301-tamiya-trf419x-build-review-and.html)

Do not consider the older cars, these are where Tamiya is currently focused for onroad racers. As for shells, some are more attractive than others. I run the Bitty Design M410 and it handles well, is light and looks really close to a BMW.. It actually looks better in my opinion. http://www.thercracer.com/2017/04/bittydesign-m410-bodyshell-review.html

I have a sight that focuses on racing Tamiya cars, so take a look if you want more info. http://www.thercracer.com/

 

[Mad Ax 9310]

The awful look of modern race cars is why I don't do touring car racing

As for what chassis and power combo to run, best to check with the club what classes they run and what everybody else runs.  If everyone else is on top-end chassis then you'll want the TRF; if people are mid-spec then the TA-07 should be fine.  Sometimes racers home in on a particular chassis because it works best on their club track; if everyone says "don't get a Tamiya, get a Schumacher", accept that they might actually be right.  Last time I had a serious crack at TC racing (a long time ago now) I went with a TA05 because it was the latest club-level Tamiya TC and I didn't want to step away from the twin stars.  I never ever got that car to run right, and nobody I gave it to did either.  It went through several other racers after I owned it and was never competitive.

You can fit a detailed Tamiya bodyshell to your new race chassis but racers use those ugly jellymoulds for a reason - they work.  If you don't mind not being competitive with the top racers then that's fine, and if you haven't raced TC before then you'll have a way to go before you're there anyway, but it's worth bearing in mind.

It's worth asking if they run a vintage class, although most places don't.  If enough people ask, they might start.  My local club intermittently starts and stops running various classes depending on demand.

Finally - if you really want to race with scale-looking cars (and if you're based in the UK), look up the Iconic RC group on Facebook.  Next year they're running 5 rounds of the Iconic Cup, which is vintage Tamiya chassis and scale-looking bodies only - no ugly jellymould race shells!  

[qatmix 794]

You do not need a top level Touring car to compete at a club. Yes many of the guys will have them however as soon as you hit a kerb you have lost any of the advantage of running an optimised chassis. The TA05 is a great case in point, I would win A-Finals at a local club with that car. I sold it on and other drivers also did very well with it. Without sounding rude, you could spent £1K on all the top gear and still probably be last for a few weeks. Racing is 90% about the actual driving skill, the rest is gained via the chassis and electrics. 

Most clubs are actually about having fun. They will have classes to run 17.5 Blinky, 13.5 Blinky and 13.5 Boosted are the most popular classes at a club level. Again you can get good combos for most of those classes for cheap which will compete and put you in a good stead.

Racing shells are actually pretty good looking in their own way. People have racing colours, and they are like drivers helmets, unique to the drivers. It's a niche look but is is pretty cool from a sporting perspective. Also as mentioned some look better than others, although as it's racing you need ones that handle well. The Mazda 6 and the M410 are good all round shells, the M410 looks really good. However if you are just learning the ropes, tootling around with a nice scale shell it wont make much difference, although a spoiler is essential . 

I would check it out,  all decent clubs are very welcoming and once you get running there will be a lot of people willing to help. Those 3 chassis are the only ones that are in any way viable if you want to run Tamiya. In reality you will not be able to get many other new racing kits for £100-200. So they are a good option if you want to build a new car.

[Backlash 481]

How well do you drive??

The simple reality is that a good driver running a beat up TA02 will probably still beat a bad driver running a TRF 419..

My advice is the same as what I would give anyone who wants to start racing..

Go to a race meeting.. Leave your RC car at home.. Walk around and have a look at what cars other people are running.. If you buy the same car that other members are running, then they may be able to help you with car setup, and spare parts in the event that you break something..

Introduce yourself, and talk to the other racers.. Find out what class they run, and what tyres they use.. Using the correct tyres, or tyres that work on that track is probably more important than what chassis you decide to run..

Watch the races.. Try and work out what class seems to match your skill level as a driver, and if its what you would like to run.. If the racing classes are governed by motor, then find out what motor (21.5, 17.5 13.5 etc) and ESC (eg blinky or boosted) that you need.. See if the drivers will give you an idea of the gear ratio that they are using with the motor that you need to run, and then make sure that you have enough gears to be able to run that gear ratio in your car..

AS for buying a car to race... IMHO, as qatmix has said, I don't think that you need a top level chassis for club racing, especially if you are only starting out... If you already have a Touring Car that is in good condition, then use that for your first few race meetings, and concentrate on your driving and getting use to running with others on the track.. When you get to the stage where you can string a few laps together without crashing, then consider buying something better..

OH, and practice, practice, practice...

[Lhodgo 208]

Awesome thanks!!!