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TomTom
Average Member
Kyrgyzstan
596 Posts |
 Posted - 12 May 2011 : 20:34:50
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Hi. I know I said I was going to make some kind of guide to cover this, but it sits on my hard drive 1/2 finished. With the questions e.t.c being asked at the moment I thought I would summarise it and post on here. Please feel free to add to it e.t.c. These are a few things that helped me when I started. Everythings my opinion of course 
1. Drive the car like you are sat in it. The thing with RC racing is that when you f**k up it dosent hurt or cost alot, this can lead to alot of erratic driving resulting in silly crashes. Drive within your limits.
2. It takes 2 to tango. When your racing someone, its all give and take between both drivers. Both cars have to adapt their lines so that they dont hit. Remember that if someone is racing you, and they get past you because you had to yeild the racing line, its better than losing 2 places because you didnt yeild and ended up on your roof. This is especially important in the races we do on Tuesday nights because its all about the average lap time, not track position
3. When your new or learning, start slow and build consistency. When you become consistant with your driving then the speed will come naturally.
4. Dont whinge at marshalls. I know it can get heated on the rostrum for one reason or another, but whinging at a marshall because YOU messed up is just plain annoying!! If you constantly need marshalling re read no. 3 
5. Car setup. Leave it at the stock setup. I know its tempting to fidddle with things on the car but if you are still learning to drive then you will just make life hard for yourself.
6. Bling. Dont be tempted with all the aftermarket stuff you can get for your car. Firstly it probably wont make you a better driver and secondly most cars are built with weak points in them for protection. If you beef these weak points up then you risk breaking something more expensive.
7. Slow in fast out  . You make up more time on corner exit than entry. Go slow into a corner to make sure you get a good exit. This applies more to racing the tugboats, I mean short course trucks indoors but will help on the outdoor track and is a good habit to get into.
7. MOST IMPORTANT!!!!! Have Fun
There I hope thats of some use to someone. I might add more to it if I think of anything myself. |
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hpi_guy
Junior Member
United Kingdom
401 Posts |
Posted - 28 December 2011 : 21:57:10
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Now, I know I'm not the best person to comment on here but here are some tips that helped me.
8. Ask other drivers, asking a driver who gets round a corner perfectly but you struggle ask them how to approach it.
9. Slightly corresponding with numbers 5 and 6, tyres, making he change to minipins or kourse kings can make a huge difference.
10. Maintainence is the key to everything, after every meeting check your truck for cracked parts or warn out parts, regularly grease gearboxes and check diffs, nothing is more frustrating than arrivin on Tuesday evening to find that you broke something last week. |
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grasshopper
Senior Member
1652 Posts |
Posted - 28 December 2011 : 23:54:20
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Include in your maintenance routine, an inspection of electrical connections, cables and wires, plugs and sockets and soldered joints equally. Sometimes the soldered joints fail and are only held together by the heat shrink. Disconnecting and reconnecting plugs and sockets ensures they are secure, it also helps to clean the contact area ensuring better conductivity.
Needless to say - but I will anyway- maintain your batteries!!! Irrespective of them being Ni-cd, Ni-mH or Li-po, look after them and they won't let you down as quickly. Check how to store them, balance them and charge them correctly and they should last for ages. As they lose performance over time use them for practice and invest in a new set for racing only. |
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hpi_guy
Junior Member
United Kingdom
401 Posts |
Posted - 29 December 2011 : 00:13:20
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| Good point phil, I should check mine more often |
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grasshopper
Senior Member
1652 Posts |
Posted - 29 December 2011 : 08:08:06
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Every week in your case Will!
Remember the 6P rule: Prior Planning and Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.
Even cleaning your equipment makes a difference, indoors it helps get rid of the fluff and carpet fibres which slow you down, sap power from the motor and eventually leads to premature bearing failure. Outdoors, it removes the highly abrasive sand and fluid mix that leads to premature wear and failure, left on your model it dries, which could lead to rusting and seizure. |
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hpi_guy
Junior Member
United Kingdom
401 Posts |
Posted - 29 December 2011 : 20:10:02
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| Fluff isn't as much of an issue as ow that the carpet has been changed |
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fishakindamagic
New Member
United Kingdom
17 Posts |
Posted - 13 February 2012 : 23:27:40
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I would like to add one thing:
DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK!!
I have found over the years that most drivers are happy to help you out if you get in a bind or want some advice. When I joined I wandered around the pits just getting to know people and what kind of racing was happening. It helped that I knew Ian Hammond prior to A1 but then I bumped into Will (HPI Guy) who was happy to share his workbench with an traxxas E-maxx which is pretty much a tug boat (tom tom). When I finally purchased a truck I got a lot of tips and ideas on how to set it up, what the changes would make etc.
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Edited by - fishakindamagic on 13 February 2012 23:29:45 |
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