The main "characteristic that doesn't make sense" is weight. Heavy cars love our track. When the cars go light over the crests in the middle of the corners, the heavier ones are going to keep traction and power out of the corners with more consistency and predictability than the lighter cars will ever see. It just so happens that one of the most awkward crests sits on the corner leading into the straightaway.
Our straight is, I believe, approximately 8.5 meters long and it slopes down for the first half of it. It probably isn't the longest straight slot cars has ever seen, but considering the degree of technically through the rest of the lap, the length of the straight can pose a real challenge in setting up a car.
On top of this, the braids are recessed about 1/32 of an inch, rather than being flush with the track surface which I understand is probably a more common practice.
And so the "Lucky 13" International Thingie Proxy Series lands at ASAIR for its 11th leg. The cars (20 of them) have all seen a multitude of different tracks, and are built with that in mind. How will they fare on our track? I've personally run some shakedown laps in the cars since they've arrived, and I'd like to share my, albeit inexperienced, findings. Prepare for a pretty lengthy, possibly full of crap, summary of my thoughts and concerns. I'll write about the cars in the order of their current series standings to help you get a feeling of how the cars perform respective of their standing.
Keep in mind, I tested these before any work was done on them. Tires could probably use some attention on some of the cars, but I have no way of being sure, so I just noted what I was feeling regardless.
Here we go.
Team Low Rider
Of all the cars, this felt the easiest to learn. I like to think I have a driving style that suits a lot of different cars, but this one just felt "right" as soon as I started with it. A very mild temperament and it could really hit the bank hard. It's just a little "blah" on the straightaway.
Mike Zimmerman
This car is fast, but not faster than the other fast cars. It seemed to go a little squirrely mid-way through the corners, but the solid straightaway speed could make up for that deficiency. I suspect the tires to be causing the squirreliness.
Team Wheldon/Walker
I believe this one is the car Jairus took home for repairs. The car was producing a very interesting noise, which we deduced to be the bearings, as the solder seems to have been broken. Not sure what happened there.
Andy Brown-Searle
This is probably the loudest car of the bunch. For whatever reason, the gear is making a lot of noise. I would correct it, but I'd rather wait for Jairus, since he's already familiar with the cars. The car gets really loose coming out of corners, even with the throttle flat. I don't think the mesh on the gear is bad enough to cause this, so I'm blaming it on tires again.
Pablo Wolcott
I had a hard time figuring this car out. On one hand, the car felt very easy to drive, but it was also really easy to over-drive it. I found myself feeling capable of pushing it harder, but as soon as I tried, the car would fall off. The sides of the body were rubbing on the track surface, too, so it sounded like a bug zapper while sliding. I wonder if the two are related. They probably are, and I could see how they would be.
Steve King & Team S.S.M.E.
Also had a hard time learning this car. It was, to be honest, a pretty uncomfortable experience. The car had a habit of getting really sideways coming out of corners, and then it would snap back really hard and sometimes de-slot. Again, I could see this being the fault of the tires, but the fact that they bite hard enough while sliding to snap the car back seems like it could be the track's fault. The track is freshly glued, so maybe this one was sliding over the recently rubbered lines and then hitting the untouched glue, causing it to bite.
Team REM
The driving experience of the previous two cars seem to combine together on this one. The car is fast, and I found myself wanting to push through the corners harder to supplement the speed on the straights, but this one wanted to just pop out of the slot before the slide gets too out of hand. I've seen this sort of thing happen on cars that don't tend to corner flat, but this car corners pretty flat. Interesting.
Team Evil Minnows
Probably the quietest and smoothest car of the lot. Very mellow personality, but I was able to hear the sound of tires bouncing (not really chattering - slower) going around corners, even when flat on the throttle. It didn't cause a whole lot of de-slotting, but I know this would take away from traction getting out of the corners, and it could probably corner faster without the bouncing.
Jaak BK
My favorite of the bunch. I guess this car shipped super heavy, and holes were drilled into the pan to lighten it up. It felt super balanced, I knew where the "edge" was, and I could easily push the car up to that edge, and it would remain very, very predictable. Its downfall is how slow it is on the straight. I would keep this one in a heartbeat. What a pleasure to drive.
Team WA Slotcar Club (WSC)
I feel like this car is one of the fastest of all of the cars in a straight line. It felt pretty well balanced with just enough rear end slide to keep it flat. The front end of the body has a little damage to it, which is causing it to snag on the track joints. Can't tell if it's a hindrance or not. Pleasant car to drive.
Rod Morrison
Not a whole lot to note on this one, which should mean it's a decent all-around car, right? I did notice that on our track, the front wheels and the rod rub on the surface all the time, and you can hear it. It stays nice and stable over the crests - probably one of the most stable out of the entire field, but I think that's a product of the super low ride height. We probably need to correct that rubbing, though.
Ray Fellows
The tires on this car definitely need attention. Starting on the straight away, the car immediately began to "track" sideways. Our straight is not level, so this is typically indicative of tires that have no grip. The car is still really nice to drive, though, and I think it has to do with the weight. The movements are predictable, though undesirable. Jairus ought to be able to take care of the tires before the race.
Tony Davey
This car is cute. The front wheels are super loud, and touch the track surface basically all of the time. Unfortunately, it feels like it is all over the place. The tires may need work, but there's something else there that just makes it feel a little uncomfortable to drive. I'm not sure what it is, really. I do like the sliding butterfly-esque weight in the middle of the chassis, though. Neat.
Team Last Minute Men
I didn't leave much for notes on this one. The car carries a nice, mild attitude and takes our ups and downs quite well. Feels very middle-of-the road on our track, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Team Lo Bucks
Also in contention for fastest on our straightaway. It's very fast.... but I don't feel like its composed enough entering the corners to work well with the speed. That being said, it still felt decently balanced the rest of the time, and the rear end movement jives well with me. It's just scary going into certain corners.
Ben Kernan
The first big thing I noticed with this car is the rear end swings out to the right when the car is slowing for the corner after the bank. It's nice and predictable through the rest of the corners, though, so I wonder if the cause isn't just the tires. The car sure gets through the straights and the banks quickly, though.
Al Bond
This car feels very unpredictable. I had trouble convincing myself I could push it at all because of how loose it was entering and leaving corners. The body was rubbing on the track surface, however, so it's possible that is contributing to the issue.
John Dilworth
I like this car. First, it's very fast. So fast that sometimes I'm late braking into the corner at the end of the fast sector of the track. But the car just sort of hangs on. It stays flat, and I imagine the downforce from the body contributes to the great handling. It does slide out a little much while exiting corners, but that could totally be a tire issue. More importantly, it doesn't seem to adversely affect the driveability of the car. It's like it slides out and mutters "don't even care" and gets on with its business. The real problem is, just like with wing cars, you can't really feel where the "edge" of its capabilities lie. And you're going so fast that when you do fall over that edge, it wants to leave its slot at a pretty high speed. Luckily, I only had this happen a couple times, and there weren't any walls in the way. I suspect with the number of wing car oriented drivers I'm expecting on Saturday, this car could take the cake. The big hurdle is going to be when drivers start to feel comfortable with it midway through the heat and start to push it just a little too hard.
Jim Struckle
Just like the previous car, this one is fast. Quite fast. And it's challenging to find just how hard to push it throughout the lap, and again, it just sort of falls off that edge. I think this contributed to a sort of awkward feeling while entering corners. I never was sure if I was entering too fast or too slow.
Gary Vogeler
This car sports, in my opinion, one of the cooler chassis designs. Unfortunately it rubs on my track, and I think that's what causes the car to corner so flat. Hah. Unfortunately, I didn't leave many other notes. I suspect I didn't want to run it too much while it was rubbing.
So that's it for my car impressions. Some of it may make sense, and some of it probably doesn't make sense. In the latter case, just fault my inexperience and my reasoning abilities. As a whole, the cars are all great fun to drive around my track. And I'm sure had they been set up explicitly for our track, they'd be even more fun.
As far as results go, here's what I would expect if everyone drives exactly like I do:
P1 - John Dilworth
Either Jairus Watson or Team WSC in top 3, the other in P4
Jaak BK in top 3
But they don't. And that's about as far as I thought about it.
I suppose it's a good idea to end with a little about myself as a driver. I'm a run-of-the-mill racer from a general point of view. Where I excel is in wing car racing. At the shop, we race wing cars on flexi-chassis, and I like to believe I could lay the smack down on our fastest racers with a car set up for me. Unfortunately, directing races at the shop has taken away my ability to race at the shop.
I like a car that slides moderately to holy crap it's real sideways, but I need it to be predictable and respond well to smooth but progressive throttle input and harsh, late braking. I'm pretty picky when I set up my own cars. With that said, I've taken a real liking to the box-stock Champion Turbo-Flex. Hah.
I guess that's about it. I'm pumped for the race tomorrow. We've got a solid field of drivers who intend to be there, and they're all very skilled and level-headed. They'll treat the cars right and get them to the end of the race, most likely, without any big problems!
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