Racing by post - Round 45 takes us to Anderstorp!

[Ferruz 11701]

Congrats @TurnipJF for the top spot as well 👍 and well done everybody!

I'm impressed with the exuberance of the Terra Scorcher lately, good to get this unexpected result before moving on to drifting on snowy surfaces for the rest of the winter.

It's great to see so many entries (25, impressive!) and new people joining in. Thanks everybody for participating!

And now indeed, which raceway will be hosting our next Round? 🤔 Let's see...

[SlideWRX 781]

So Ferruz/Turnip, you two have a secret death match to decide who picks the track?  Winner is still recovering?

[Ferruz 11701]

Ahah nope, I guess it's whoever comes up with a suitable track first?

I am working on an idea, but life is getting in the way of finalizing it so maybe @TurnipJF will figure out something before I'm done, in which case all good! 🙂✌

[TurnipJF 9181]

In situations where I tie for first place, I prefer to defer track choice to whoever I tied with, as it doesn't feel fair otherwise. Don't worry though - if @Ferruz doesn't beat me to it, I'll have a track posted up by Sunday.

[Ferruz 11701]

@TurnipJF fair enough my friend! I'll see if I can finalize my track by then -I believe so- or else go ahead with your course.

[Ferruz 11701]

Have you guys ever blasted your 1:1 race car at full speed through the Brands Hatch Circuit? I certailnly have not.

...but I'd love to at least give it a try in 1:10 scale!

This is a simplified version of the Indy track at Brands Hatch, given the shape of the circuit I've pushed the lenght to 7 meters this time, may be a tad more than the usual 6 mt but hopefully it will still fit everybody's playground.

Please racers let me know if this works for you, or if there's any objections/doubts/perplexity/things to be changed 🙂

[Re-Bugged 10099]

Cool, I watched many a Bike and Truck race there in my youth 👍🏻

[c64orinoco 667]

That brings back memories of an F1 game on the C64 from the 80s - Jeff Cramond's F1 I think? Anyway it had Brands Hatch, so I really should give this one a go, I haven't raced for a few months.

[TurnipJF 9181]

9 hours ago, Ferruz said:

Please racers let me know if this works for you, or if there's any objections/doubts/perplexity/things to be changed 🙂

That looks awesome! I'd happily race the next round on that!

[El Gecko 1343]

Looks like fun! I might have a window of opportunity to get some runs in today.

[Tamiyastef 1966]

Looking forward to try this one out too 

[Grastens 2795]

Brands Hatch, eh? I may need to bring out the Ferrari 312T3 for this one  And the Bruiser 

When is the deadline for submitting times?

[TurnipJF 9181]

26 minutes ago, Grastens said:

When is the deadline for submitting times?

Each round runs until midnight GMT on the final Sunday of the month, so this round is due to end at midnight on Boxing Day.

[TurnipJF 9181]

Looks like there aren't any objections, so let's make it official. The track layout for Round 18, the last round of 2021, is Brands Hatch!

Rules as usual, please check the first post of the thread if you would like a reminder.

Round 18 ends at midnight GMT on Sunday 26 December.

Hope everyone has fun!

[Ferruz 11701]

Right on!

[GeeWings 2830]

On 12/4/2021 at 5:46 PM, Re-Bugged said:

Cool, I watched many a Bike and Truck race there in my youth 👍🏻

Same. Even had a couple of laps in a passenger seat once. Terrifying! Great memories.

Hoping to finally get involved in one of these, great design.

[Grastens 2795]

My first session for Round 18 involved the maiden run for the Ferrari 312T3:

On a suitably cold and windswept day, I took it out for a shot alongside the Super Striker.

Unfortunately, it looked more like Gilles Villeneuve's first test with Ferrari than his first win  The story goes that he was invited to test for Ferrari at Fiorano in late 1977/early 1978, where he impressed Enzo himself despite spinning multiple times and turning in rather disappointing lap times.

After about three(!) attempts, it became clear I would not be posting a worthwhile result, and so my entry is on hold - back to the pits for this one! The combination of untreated rubber tires on cold pavement surely did not help, but it is obvious that the car needs a lot of sorting before it can be competitive for this round...

On the other hand, the Super Striker feels well-dialled in!

Both cars have some motor issues, though, with the Ferrari's Super Stock RZ being particularly rough (especially for a brand-new motor!). I did not post a result for the Super Striker yet, but am confident I can put in another decent finish this time! I am still quite surprised I was able to finish as high as 9th for Round 17 - and the first driver not named TurnipJF or Ferruz 

With some motor maintenance (and maybe some more negative front camber on the Super Striker), I believe I have what it takes to put one inside the top 20! And probably not the Bruiser 

[Ferruz 11701]

Freezing rain and overall horrible weather won't allow me any postal racing activity this weekend either.

Furthermore, I'll be flying off to the other side of the pond next week, so that means I won't be able to run Brands Hatch at all  

I'll be away for a while so I won't participate in the next Round either, but I sure will be keeping an eye on the thread as I'll miss the activity.

So I hope you guys are enjoying the current track, bye for now and Happy racing!! ✌🔸️🏁🔸️

[Aerobert 2125]

11 minutes ago, Ferruz said:

Freezing rain and overall horrible weather won't allow me any postal racing activity this weekend either.

Furthermore, I'll be flying off to the other side of the pond next week, so that means I won't be able to run Brands Hatch at all  

I'll be away for a while so I won't participate in the next Round either, but I sure will be keeping an eye on the thread as I'll miss the activity.

So I hope you guys are enjoying the current track, bye for now and Happy racing!! ✌🔸️🏁🔸️

Have a safe journey!

[Grastens 2795]

Stay safe out there, Ferruz!

If you were racing, you would have no problem beating me this round, either - on a very warm and windy day, I made my first attempt at the Mini Indy!

Cars were the Super Striker and Ferrari 312T3. The former was modified with new front uprights and a more tarmac-friendly set of wheels and tires (which necessitated the new uprights), while the latter got a lightly-used Sport Tuned motor (replacing the more powerful yet recalcitrant Super Stock RZ) and its kit-issue foam tires with wheels (over the lovely 3D-printed types that featured in its build).

The wind played havoc; I bought weighted cones to use to mark corners, but as I was putting the 7th and final cone in position, a strong gust blew them across the parking lot I was using! Taking it as a sign, I used hockey pucks instead, which seemed more wind-resistant.

The Super Striker, being the car I used for Round 17, was the first one I ran. Initially, it was going to be the only one I would use for the day - especially as the wind managed to snap the rear wing off its stay on the Ferrari!

The wheels and tires were touring-car-style width, but 4WD buggy-style diameter. The subsequent offset (or lack thereof) meant that I needed longer axles on the front uprights to make it work, which I had as a happy accident from an unrelated bag of spares. Thus equipped, I now had a better tarmac tread, tire profile, and a wider front track, which all seemed eminently suited to Round 18.

Sure enough, on my first attempt, I put down a decent result, despite scattering the pucks (typical) halfway through. I am sure with more sessions, I can get an even better time - as long as the snow stays away... Towards the end, though, I had to widen my stance to brace myself against the wind, since there was a legitimate risk of getting knocked over! It was that bad.

Looking over at the rear-wingless Ferrari, I remembered that Gilles Villeneuve once drove a lap of Zandvoort on three wheels (among other feats!), and thought: "What's stopping Gilles now?" Some test laps were very reassuring: with foam tires, the car had a lot more grip out of corners, even if the throttle still needed careful attention.

So a second attempt was made, with the Ferrari 312T3. The circuit was measured out, and we did it all over again with a slightly-damaged (but still very scale-looking!) F1 car.

Again, the test drive at Fiorano comes to mind... The car understeered at the one hairpin while oversteering everywhere else, and since the car was low and its bumper prominent, hitting the corner markers sent them sliding like... hockey pucks on ice! Should have seen that one coming... I think chalk is on the list for next time!

And yet in spite of scattering corner markers all across the lot and spinning almost twice per lap, I finished only a few laps behind the Super Striker. Like Enzo Ferrari said to himself upon seeing Villeneuve: "Let's give him a try..." The potential is definitely there for a competitive result! For now, some more tuning (and glue) will be in order 

I believe I will continue with these two cars, amidst rumours of the Lancia 037 4WD-H joining the festivities, until the snow comes out... at which point I will make my run for last place with the Bruiser 

[Yalson 514]

On 12/4/2021 at 6:46 AM, Re-Bugged said:

Cool, I watched many a Bike and Truck race there in my youth 👍🏻

Please tell me they were racing together, like an organised Mad Max meeting?

[Yalson 514]

9 hours ago, Grastens said:

Looking over at the rear-wingless Ferrari, I remembered that Gilles Villeneuve once drove a lap of Zandvoort on three wheels (among other feats!), and thought: "What's stopping Gilles now?" Some test laps were very reassuring: with foam tires, the car had a lot more grip out of corners, even if the throttle still needed careful attention.

So a second attempt was made, with the Ferrari 312T3. The circuit was measured out, and we did it all over again with a slightly-damaged (but still very scale-looking!) F1 car.

Again, the test drive at Fiorano comes to mind... The car understeered at the one hairpin while oversteering everywhere else, and since the car was low and its bumper prominent, hitting the corner markers sent them sliding like... hockey pucks on ice! Should have seen that one coming... I think chalk is on the list for next time!

And yet in spite of scattering corner markers all across the lot and spinning almost twice per lap, I finished only a few laps behind the Super Striker. Like Enzo Ferrari said to himself upon seeing Villeneuve: "Let's give him a try..." The potential is definitely there for a competitive result! For now, some more tuning (and glue) will be in order 

Maybe you could investigate some of the strange grip-enhancing measures Ferrari tried in the real world, like the six-wheeled 312 T6, or the double rear wing they used on Gilles' 126 C2 at Long Beach in 1982?

[Goudar 526]

First run today, on a mix of dirt/grass and stripes of concrete. There was a lot of rain during last days, so a part of the track was muddy.

She runs well, despite tufts of grass, front stay pretty low. Handling and cornering better then expected that was great. I need to improve my trigger finger cause I keep loosing the rear from bumps.

 

Can't wait to rank up my lap count. Great track !

 

 

 

 

 

[Re-Bugged 10099]

4 hours ago, Yalson said:

Please tell me they were racing together, like an organised Mad Max meeting?

🤣😂, sadly no.

But I was there when this thing crashed into the pit wall. As he came up the hill round the corner he’s front wheels were still turned once they got airborne, so as it came back down the truck shot of to the side through the wall. From memory I think he broke a leg and a rib or two…

The back brakes could be operated independently for a bit of steering while the front was up.

[Grastens 2795]

Second and third days of racing:

I purchased sidewalk chalk to mark out the course, deciding it would be more efficient than knocking over cones and/or hockey pucks. It gave me the opportunity to create a bit of a backdrop/scene for my attempts 

Joining the Ferrari 312T3 were:

And:

As before, I am using the overflow lot at the local park. I have seen maybe one or two cars at a time using it, which leaves me plenty of space to drive. It was on the second day that I actually put down the chalk, and it was still around by the third day. Rain is expected tomorrow, so hopefully most of it should wash off - not for my sake, but for the lot's.

Day 2 was another session with the Ferrari 312T3, using the sponge foam tires. This time, the rear wing just broke off, and so I raced it again without it. I improved my result, which was a good sign, although the steering was still acting up. The Super Striker did not record a time, with its battery being flat.

Day 3 was when the Ferrari, Lancia, and Super Striker all got in the action. I began with the Lancia:

I was immediately impressed by how easy it was to drive. I had swapped out the 13T brushed motor for a milder 20T unit, and the result was a very docile car that responded well to the controls, if tending towards understeer. My first and second runs were nearly identical, with a good racing line being easy to find and follow. I was quite pleased with its performance, especially as I managed both runs on one battery charge. An attempt at a third run lasted a handful of laps before the battery went flat, but it owed me nothing at that point.

To boot, it produced a bit of a raspy note not unlike the original 037s as it accelerated. With full lights, cockpit, and engine bay, it was quite a sight and experience! I found driving it to be most enjoyable, even if I suspect I will not place very high with it.

The Ferrari 312T3 was next, and was the focus of my efforts (and camera!):

Having spent a full session on the foam sponge tires, they had noticeably more grip today. It helped that conditions were dry and mild, but I noticed that the car spun a lot less on the tighter corners of the circuit. Coming from the 037, which handled nicely but still required close to full-lock steering for almost every turn, I had to dial back the steering for the 312T3 since it was so responsive. The combination of decent grip and sharp turn-in made for a very good run (by my standards), and I was quite happy with the result 

I tried again on the rubber tires and special 3D-printed wheels, and was back to the same issues with instability. It still had enough grip for some photography (but not on the circuit)! The camera seems to like it, after all 

There are others, but then, this is a "race report" or something like that...

The rear wing stayed on; unfortunately, I broke one of the exhaust pipes while working on the car, which had me disappointed. More glue!

In between these cars was the Super Striker, which proved very disappointing. With a dry track, the tires had too much grip and tended to skip as the car turned. The left rear tire started peeling off the rim, which was just as well since the battery went flat about halfway into the first run... The servo tended to cut out as the power ran low, which messed up whatever lap times were going to be recorded, so in the end I had to retire it for a DNF.

The second session was even worse, though I had finally switched to the mini-pin rear tires (hence, the different-coloured rims in the photo). This time, the (freshly-swapped and allegedly-charged) battery went flat after about a minute, resulting in a second consecutive DNF. The Super Striker therefore did not record a time...

But two out of three is not bad, as the saying goes, and I still had plenty to be satisfied with as I packed up the racers:

The biggest revelation had to be the 037. For anybody driving 4WD touring cars regularly, perhaps it would not be, but this particular Lancia had spent most of its time on loose dirt or dusty tarmac. Therefore, presented with a clean asphalt track, it handled a lot better than I thought it would. Most importantly, it was a lot of fun, and brought a smile to my face as it buzzed around the circuit 

As I had serviced the 312T3 prior to today's session (motor cleaning, fresh friction plate grease, refreshed differential, along with new servo and ESC), it was satisfyingly quiet as it zipped along. It made me think of the build-up to Round 18 and "the wish to fly around Brands Hatch in a 1:1 F1 car." (or something like that!) It was probably the main reason I elected to enter the Ferrari into this round.

The Super Striker definitely needs either sorting or lower-grip conditions to be competitive - heck, even a fresh battery would be nice! Since the 312T3 had been taking up most of the practice/race time, the Super Striker has been caught out with partially-depleted spare batteries. Between that and some charger issues, this buggy has had a rather unfortunate time since registering a solitary result on the first day of racing.

The weather looks to be taking a turn for the worse over here, so this should put an end to my driving activities for the week... Best of luck to everyone else competing! I have the feeling this will be a particularly exciting finale 

As an aside: it looks like the Google form at the start of the thread is not accepting entries. @TurnipJF is there another link we can use in the meantime? Or should I try the same link again later?