I would definitely call this track "The Lunacy"... for me, a first timer on this track, it just about drove me crazy!! It is one technical track. That said, I listened and watched the other guys that were there and picked up a thing or two. " The Lunacy" is owned by Lewis Wuori in New Hill NC. If you're interested in what I picked up then click the read more link.
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The Coasting Factor
I got there when the doors opened at 8:00 am. Racing started at 10:00 or 10:30... I figured I needed all the practice I could get given it was my first time on the track. I figured I could maybe place somewhere around two thirds down the roster, anyway that was my goal. Well, after about 20 minutes of practice that goal changed to... "My goal for the day was just to keep the car in the slot!". While practicing Lewis the owner of the track made the comment that he used a lot of "Coast"... I responded that I normally used braking. Anyway after another 20 minutes of frustration it hit me... If the owner of the track uses a lot a coast there just might be something to that statement. Some of us are slower learners than others... so I started playing with Coast on the controller. It helped but It took me a while to get it dialed in. If you look at the track 3 of the 4 corners are pretty tight and then there are the esses. If you were on the inside lane of one of those corners you just about had to coast through them. The catch to the adjustment was finding the right setting that would help you out in the 4 places you really needed coast on the track.
I got there when the doors opened at 8:00 am. Racing started at 10:00 or 10:30... I figured I needed all the practice I could get given it was my first time on the track. I figured I could maybe place somewhere around two thirds down the roster, anyway that was my goal. Well, after about 20 minutes of practice that goal changed to... "My goal for the day was just to keep the car in the slot!". While practicing Lewis the owner of the track made the comment that he used a lot of "Coast"... I responded that I normally used braking. Anyway after another 20 minutes of frustration it hit me... If the owner of the track uses a lot a coast there just might be something to that statement. Some of us are slower learners than others... so I started playing with Coast on the controller. It helped but It took me a while to get it dialed in. If you look at the track 3 of the 4 corners are pretty tight and then there are the esses. If you were on the inside lane of one of those corners you just about had to coast through them. The catch to the adjustment was finding the right setting that would help you out in the 4 places you really needed coast on the track.
The Marshal Factor
Given the layout of the track and the arrangement of the driving stations all at one end of the track, at times, the marshals while doing their job caused the drivers to loose sight of their cars and for me it was every time my car was in one of those "coasting" corners so I was driving blind. Of course given my performance one could say I was driving blind all day. On the flip side of the coin the marshals on each side of the table had to really be on their toes. While not marshaling a car you had to take a step back from the table so the drivers could see their car and when a car de-slotted in the coverage area you had to step up quickly and get the car back in the slot and the step back. Things really got hairy when more than one car de-slotted at the same time. Whether you were driving or marshaling you had to be on your toes and pay close attention.
Given the layout of the track and the arrangement of the driving stations all at one end of the track, at times, the marshals while doing their job caused the drivers to loose sight of their cars and for me it was every time my car was in one of those "coasting" corners so I was driving blind. Of course given my performance one could say I was driving blind all day. On the flip side of the coin the marshals on each side of the table had to really be on their toes. While not marshaling a car you had to take a step back from the table so the drivers could see their car and when a car de-slotted in the coverage area you had to step up quickly and get the car back in the slot and the step back. Things really got hairy when more than one car de-slotted at the same time. Whether you were driving or marshaling you had to be on your toes and pay close attention.
The Shoe Factor
When the other racers starting showing up I kept my eye on them as to what they were working on with respect to their cars. The overwhelming majority were concentrating on the pick-up shoes. It wasn't arms, magnets, wheels tires it was the pick-up shoes. Ray Etheridge, Rick Phillis, and others were working on making sure that they maximized the surface contact between the shoe and rails in order to maximize the current flow. They did this by sanding them flat. In talking with Ray, once he has a shoe flat he does NOT touch it not even to polish it with a dremel. Another thing I noticed that Rick Phillis did was polish the pickup shoe hangers to make sure he maximized the current flow between the pickup shoe and shoe hanger. He used a thin strip of fine grit paper and pulled it through the shoe hanger. (I will touch on this later when I get the materials and try it out myself). The picture below is of Ray checking the surface contact of the pickup shoes.
When the other racers starting showing up I kept my eye on them as to what they were working on with respect to their cars. The overwhelming majority were concentrating on the pick-up shoes. It wasn't arms, magnets, wheels tires it was the pick-up shoes. Ray Etheridge, Rick Phillis, and others were working on making sure that they maximized the surface contact between the shoe and rails in order to maximize the current flow. They did this by sanding them flat. In talking with Ray, once he has a shoe flat he does NOT touch it not even to polish it with a dremel. Another thing I noticed that Rick Phillis did was polish the pickup shoe hangers to make sure he maximized the current flow between the pickup shoe and shoe hanger. He used a thin strip of fine grit paper and pulled it through the shoe hanger. (I will touch on this later when I get the materials and try it out myself). The picture below is of Ray checking the surface contact of the pickup shoes.
The Connection Factor
The last thing that I noticed was when my car was at the far end of the table I did not feel connected to it I lost the feel of the car. My friend, Joe Colburn, made mention of this. As soon as he did I realized he was correct I did loose the feel of the car or the connection. With larger tracks I guess this happens when you don't run on them regularly. There was one corner in particular that it would go under the tunnel and then make a sharp u-turn and you would loose sight of the car completely when it went in the tunnel and did not see it again until you had made the turn and it was coming back towards you. This connectivity got better as the day progressed but It was something that I had not expected.
The last thing that I noticed was when my car was at the far end of the table I did not feel connected to it I lost the feel of the car. My friend, Joe Colburn, made mention of this. As soon as he did I realized he was correct I did loose the feel of the car or the connection. With larger tracks I guess this happens when you don't run on them regularly. There was one corner in particular that it would go under the tunnel and then make a sharp u-turn and you would loose sight of the car completely when it went in the tunnel and did not see it again until you had made the turn and it was coming back towards you. This connectivity got better as the day progressed but It was something that I had not expected.
Other Nuggets of Gold
​Below are two videos of the racing. The first video is of the Magnatraction racing and the second is of the Beach Jet racing (T-Jets)
- The M.A.S.C.A.R. group are a welcoming group of good people!! If you have a chance to race with these guys DO IT!!!
- Tom Bowman runs Dash armatures in Aurora chassis in the Beach Jet class as is (not balanced). He is an ambassador of this hobby!
- Rick Phillis while racing does not take his eyes off his car... he concentrates on his car. He is the example of concentration while racing. He also concentrates on the race when it's his turn to marshal. He is also an ambassador for this hobby!!!
- Vernon Dew shows up with the smallest pit box I have ever seen... It holds one car and maybe a controller and he is competitive... what this says to me is the driver is still a major factor in the equation... it is not all the equipment... :-)
​Below are two videos of the racing. The first video is of the Magnatraction racing and the second is of the Beach Jet racing (T-Jets)
There were 12 racers. I finished 12th... I was the 12th runner up! :-) I had a great day, I learned a few things that will make me better and I met some great people so I had a winning day!! If you have an opportunity to go to a race take it and have your winning day!!!
2017_11_04raceresultslunacy.pdf |