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MPJG!

Noob getting into racing

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Hey racers,

I have been thinking far to much while being stuck in lockdown and now fancy getting into racing. What advice would you give to someone that is thinking of getting into the racing scene?

I have always only really ever done bashing and speed runs but fancy a new challenge. I was swaying more to the buggy side of racing but not fully committed yet. Any good but cheap starting chassis? 

Thanks in advance

Marc

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The advice usually given to starters is to find the club/venue that they are likely to be racing at, and see what the most popular chassis are. This will make it easier to learn setup tips from the more experienced racers, and local parts support is likely to be stronger. It is also often said that getting a 2nd hand race-grade chassis is better than getting a newer, more basic one for the same money.

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Yep what @TurnipJF said. Check out the club first. When i got back into it i visited the local clubs, expecting to race indoors onroad, and ended up racing outdoor offroad. The vibe at the clubs was so different. I bought some onroad cars later to be able to race when it rained and only went a few times as the club was weird. I think the committee has changed and its much better now, and intend to go back.

As for gear, you may have a bunch already thats suitable like battreies, servos etc, or may not. Racing is much harder on everything and if you have some cheap servos then they may not last long. I also found I needed more batteries and chargers than if I wasn't racing. I have a battery and charger per car now (and race 4 cars, as my son comes too).

Onroad yoy can buy some cheaper kits like the Express XQ1S which works well out of the box. You don't need the latest full carbon car. Onroad clubs usually have a class like M 05 or TT02 as well which is a cheap way in. F1 is also a cheaper class. For electric 10th scale I find I need to run 2 classes, otherwise its a lot of waiting around as there can be 8 - 10 rounds on a busy day.

Offroad there aren't really cheaper options new, but there are always some near new cars you can buy secondhand for a lot less. I've had 5 secondhand offroad cars and only one has given problems, the others have all been great. The new cars I've bought have all been flawless though and you get a season or 2 before lack of maintenace becomes a real problem.

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Critical that you go to the local club or track and ask what people are racing!

I'm coming back to the hobby after a very very long hiatus. Where I am, hands down the most popular format is....SCT, something Tamiya never elected to get in on. :( Stadium Truck I'm told is on the rise (again), but Tamiya seems to have lost interest in that as well. Of course there always seems to be a least some 2wd buggy action, but that was never my thing.

So very important to find out what others are racing, lest you find yourself with no one to race against. :)

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I've been racing on and off since the late 90s, I would definitely suggest checking out the local club once they re open. My main mistake that I always did was not to keep up with the latest technology. I would always keep up with the race chassis in either touring car or buggy, but i kept the same electronics each year. In the late 90s, early 2000s i was let down by batteries as they would only just last the 5 minute race, if i was unlucky i would run out of power on the final lap. I used to have to strip the motor and clean on a com lathe after each race with new brushes. Now the batteries are very good, and brushless is great but it's quite expensive to start up, but I think it's cheaper in the long run. 

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We do carpet racing and once you have got the kit, assuming the racing is clean and not too smashy (and you can avoid hitting too much yourself!) its all actually quite reasonable. We budget for new tyres on a regular basis, tyre conditioner, and a shell every now and then. On the whole its been quite reasonable once the kit is in your grubby mitts.

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As far as costs go, the cheapest class I have raced in so far has been F1.

If collisions occur, the wing is typically the point of impact. The wings on RC F1s are usually moulded out of tough, resilient plastic that can take multiple hits. The shells thus typically last far longer than they do in closed-wheel classes where they are more likely to bear the brunt of any impacts.

Also, because the open-wheel cars are highly prone to being unsettled by any contact, the driving is a lot cleaner than in most other classes. Unlike full-contact touring car racing where it is said that if you finish with an unmarked shell you aren't trying hard enough, both sides lose when two F1s come together, so both the faster and the slower drivers tend to make more of an effort to pass/be passed cleanly. This results in fewer collisions and fewer breakages.

It is also a class in which driver skill plays a larger part than most, and having the latest kit doesn't confer that much of an advantage. You regularly see 20-year-old designs finishing on the same lap as this year's model for example.

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HI Marc,

Just coming back into the RC scene after (cough) two decades and thinking about the club scene too.  Have you look into any of the clubs around the area (they are quite spread out), I ask as I am not that far from you (Biggar), I use to dabble in 4wd off road racing, quite fancy going back to that but in 2wd format.  Challenge is finding off-road club courses thus far and I get what contributors are saying about it might be something you have to visit and get a feel for each club with boots on the ground.  

Plan to reach out to some of the committee members of clubs and get a view on things whilst in lockdown to kick the ball off.  

Cheers

Marc

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On 5/19/2020 at 1:41 PM, MPJG! said:

Hey racers,

I have been thinking far to much while being stuck in lockdown and now fancy getting into racing. What advice would you give to someone that is thinking of getting into the racing scene?

I have always only really ever done bashing and speed runs but fancy a new challenge. I was swaying more to the buggy side of racing but not fully committed yet. Any good but cheap starting chassis? 

Thanks in advance

Marc

Marc,

You're in central? 

All the club's are shut atm, my club, Glasgow RC,  would be the closest, but we where just moving to a new venue before all the fun began. We have a Team Associated 2wd, club car,  so could just turn up (with BRCA membership) and race a club night with that (or whatever 1/10 electric buggy tbh)

Then maybe the indoor track at Ayr (near the hospital) is the next closest, they have the only, perminant indoor track in Scotland.

This is the Scottish championship, cancelled for this season, but talks of a one off event  ,if possible,  later on in the year 

 

http://www.sorcinfo.org/

 

- Glasgow RC still race on VRC on a Wednesday night, if you fancy joining in?

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Probably easier moving everything to this thread @Gibbo78  🙄😁

If you're on Facebook

-Glasgow :- 

https://m.facebook.com/GlasgowRC/?locale2=en_GB

Falkirk (well, in Denny now) :- 

https://m.facebook.com/falkirkrcc/

Ayr:- 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/161092140649851/

Dumfries:- 

https://m.facebook.com/groups/1459210977724951/?ref=share 

 

All the club's will welcome you with open arms, and no reason why you can't run a DT03, in fact Ayr ran a DT02 serise at one point! 

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Cheers Wooders28 for the steer on the club front.  Will have a look at the links and FB sites.   

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3 hours ago, Gibbo78 said:

Cheers Wooders28 for the steer on the club front.  Will have a look at the links and FB sites.   

There's nothing happening right now.

There's lots of emails getting flung about, and head scratching ,but, need clarification from the BRCA,  only outdoor could open for practice, with the max of 2 families, and 8 people, so the club key holder and another family 🤷‍♂️

Join the Facebook pages and everyone will keep you upto speed, and help you out.

As above, if you want to get yourself a ,VRC Adapter - plugs into the computer USB, and has futaba plugs on, which plugs into your receiver, then download the Virtual RC game/programme, you can control your virtual rc car with your controller!

One of the computer boffs where making them at the club, and join the Glasgow club racing on a Wednesday night, you're more than welcome.

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Latest for Scotland, 

Dunfirmline are opening for practice only, need to book time slots via email and also.

 

You MUST Provide: -

Your Own Hi-Viz Waistcoat for Marshalling.

A pair of Gloves for Marshalling – not latex disposable, ones suitable for working in.

Some disposable Face Masks – to wear where space means Social Distancing can’t be done.

A Bottle of Hand Sanitiser.

You MAY need to provide a face shield – IF Your Club or the Venue asks you to.

Highly recommended to have available: -

A Face Shield – IF this isn’t mandatory for your club.

Some disposable latex gloves.

Surface Cleaner.

Hand Wipes.

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Cheers for the update.  Feels more like prepping for surgery than RC practicing does it. :rolleyes:

I remember being at my old club when I was a boy and marshalling..... the adults started to shout at you if you didn't put their car back on the track first :angry:..... I guess the face shield will protect against any projectiles being thrown at you :ph34r:..... have things on the marshalling front calmed down in the last two decades?  :lol:

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3 hours ago, Gibbo78 said:

Cheers for the update.  Feels more like prepping for surgery than RC practicing does it. :rolleyes:

It's getting that way, but ,it's pretty much how work places are going anyway!! 🤷‍♂️

It has given the opportunity for some, Glasgow RC, merchandise ,and help promote the club at other venues.😃 (just waiting on prices coming back) 

 

3 hours ago, Gibbo78 said:

have things on the marshalling front calmed down in the last two decades?  :lol:

Yes / No 

You still get the odd one, that'll shout abuse, but usually ,they're taken to one side after the race, and told if it carries on, they'll not be allowed back on the rostrum. I've had words with someone on the rostrum, as there was a 9yr old inbetween us, and the language wasn't suitable, and I think the parent had words too.

Universally, shouting abuse (can still shout, if your car is under a ramp, and not been seen by a marshall etc), is frowned upon and not excepted.

We also try and swap marshalls over, if someone inexperienced is at a busy marshall spot, they'll be swapped with an experienced member, usually over the tannoy at the Scottish national events (club events ,we don't usually have numbered marshall posts).

 

We're all there to have fun ,racing toy cars. Which I'm happy to say , is what happens 99.9% of the time. Where it's normal to talk shock oils, diff settings and gear ratios ,without people looking confused, and where someone you've never met, will lend you parts ,to help you try and beat them in the final. 

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17 hours ago, Wooders28 said:

It's getting that way, but ,it's pretty much how work places are going anyway!! 🤷‍♂️

It has given the opportunity for some, Glasgow RC, merchandise ,and help promote the club at other venues.😃 (just waiting on prices coming back) 

 

Yes / No 

You still get the odd one, that'll shout abuse, but usually ,they're taken to one side after the race, and told if it carries on, they'll not be allowed back on the rostrum. I've had words with someone on the rostrum, as there was a 9yr old inbetween us, and the language wasn't suitable, and I think the parent had words too.

Universally, shouting abuse (can still shout, if your car is under a ramp, and not been seen by a marshall etc), is frowned upon and not excepted.

We also try and swap marshalls over, if someone inexperienced is at a busy marshall spot, they'll be swapped with an experienced member, usually over the tannoy at the Scottish national events (club events ,we don't usually have numbered marshall posts).

 

We're all there to have fun ,racing toy cars. Which I'm happy to say , is what happens 99.9% of the time. Where it's normal to talk shock oils, diff settings and gear ratios ,without people looking confused, and where someone you've never met, will lend you parts ,to help you try and beat them in the final. 

Good to know, which is how it should be.  

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