The other year was one of my beat years in 1/10th Off Road racing and I can attribute that to slot of practice. I was racing virtually twice a week and then also at the weekend.
It's been nearly 2 weeks since I last race and it's still looking like 9 more days until I race again!!
I miss it!
Wednesday 29 December 2010
Friday 24 December 2010
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas to all my readers and fellow bloggers. As we are in the festive period coupled with the beautiful weather we are having here in England racing opportunities have been very few and far between for me!
Remember I'll be blogging live from Ellesmere Port club on 7th January and Caldicot Micro National on 9th January
Have fun all and be safe!
Remember I'll be blogging live from Ellesmere Port club on 7th January and Caldicot Micro National on 9th January
Have fun all and be safe!
Monday 20 December 2010
UK Micro X 2011
The UK Micro X 2010 was a very sucessful event held by the Hereford club at their amazing venue at Leominster. The great thing about this event was that it was FREE to enter.
Cris Oxley today confirmed on a Facebook status that the date had been determined after the 1/10th and 1/8th BRCA Sections released their own 2011 dates and has now set about the task of finding a venue.
I have 'offered' the Broughton Venue to Cris as a possibility due to my excellant relationship with the guys at Broughton so you never know. On a personal note I believe the event, as a huge one-off meeting, should be in the Midlands but if needs must I'm sure I can get something arranged
Cris Oxley today confirmed on a Facebook status that the date had been determined after the 1/10th and 1/8th BRCA Sections released their own 2011 dates and has now set about the task of finding a venue.
I have 'offered' the Broughton Venue to Cris as a possibility due to my excellant relationship with the guys at Broughton so you never know. On a personal note I believe the event, as a huge one-off meeting, should be in the Midlands but if needs must I'm sure I can get something arranged
Sunday 19 December 2010
1/10th Off Road 2011 National Dates
Well the dates ar finally out and there is a suprise as there is no Eden Park Raceway (EPR). This time last year I would have been ecstatic with this but as I made a 'B' Final there time out I'm now a bit gutted. However, EPR has been replaced by the infamous Kidderminster Track which, in my opnion, makes a welcome return to the series. The full list is as follows:
April 16/17 Stotfold
May 7/8 Robin Hood Raceway
May 28/29 Talywain
June 18/19 Kidderminster
July 9/10 Oswestry
Aug 13/14 Southport
Bring it on
April 16/17 Stotfold
May 7/8 Robin Hood Raceway
May 28/29 Talywain
June 18/19 Kidderminster
July 9/10 Oswestry
Aug 13/14 Southport
Bring it on
Caldicot Summary
Well looking back at was an interesting day. Maybe I needed to not get as frustrated when I wasn't on the pace consistently. I'll stand by my thought that Pins will be quicker but Blocks will be safer. One day I'd like to give the Carisma tyres a run out on the Shark but it's fair to say Mini-Pins are currently far and away my favourite tyre.
3 weeks today I'll be back at Caldicot raring to go as I need to continue my Top 5 National Series push. I know if I don't end up counting the next round for the series it could still be vital I take points from others!
3 weeks today I'll be back at Caldicot raring to go as I need to continue my Top 5 National Series push. I know if I don't end up counting the next round for the series it could still be vital I take points from others!
Caldicot Race Day Write Up
So race 1 is over and as you can see there is not a lot between the top 3. Craig is quicker though. Bish and I spent the race trading places and crashing at the same time!
Due to the size of the hall I felt I couldn't push on as much as I would have liked too so I'm going to go to the stiffer green spring on the rear, today is all about playing!
------------------------------
Round 2 sees me go quicker by 7 seconds but as you can see I am slightly off the pace!
The grip appears to have come up and I'm struggling on to the jumps. I'm fairly confident the stiffer spring on the back was not helping the car as there was no overall balance. I've decided to go to my usual Mini Pins and change the rear shocks back to my standard 40 weight with black springs. If this doesn't work I may go back to Round 1 set-up and spend some time learning the car. We'll see....
----------------------------------
Well that was a lot better for me! Back to something I know and it's paid off. On Pins the car felt slightly more on edge, I do need to calm down with the car a little. Craig did a 'Bish' from the previous round and battered TQ Time, despite my first 19 lapper I'm still a couple of seconds slower than Bish overall. I do now hold the fastest lap of the day (across all classes)
This is where I stick with the set up now. As long as the heaters stay on in the hall then all will be good!
If it is cold to start with when it comes to the Micro National then I will start the day as I did today and put pins on as it gets warmer
----------------------------------
15.11 lap in Round 4 is what it's all about as far as I'm concerned! Shame I couldn't do it consistently as a let a bit of tiredness and frustration creep into my race. I'll line up behind Harris and Bish for the final, my lowest Micro qualifying of the season.
In terms of the car I have left the Pins on. They are quicker on individual laps but there is no room to push, it's very easy to get it wrong on the tyres. I will, as I always do, drive better at a National but it's fair to say I don't deserve to be on par with Harris and Bish today
-----------------------------------
Oh well, I came, I tried and I finished 2nd :-(. But I did get the fastest lap of the entire day 15.05 in the final!
Although I don't believe I've driven particularly well today I can come away with positives from the meeting. I know that I can be quick on Pins and safe on Blocks. Before deciding the starting set-up for the National I will wait to see the track.
Next month is shaping up to being an awesome event!
Due to the size of the hall I felt I couldn't push on as much as I would have liked too so I'm going to go to the stiffer green spring on the rear, today is all about playing!
------------------------------
Round 2 sees me go quicker by 7 seconds but as you can see I am slightly off the pace!
The grip appears to have come up and I'm struggling on to the jumps. I'm fairly confident the stiffer spring on the back was not helping the car as there was no overall balance. I've decided to go to my usual Mini Pins and change the rear shocks back to my standard 40 weight with black springs. If this doesn't work I may go back to Round 1 set-up and spend some time learning the car. We'll see....
----------------------------------
Well that was a lot better for me! Back to something I know and it's paid off. On Pins the car felt slightly more on edge, I do need to calm down with the car a little. Craig did a 'Bish' from the previous round and battered TQ Time, despite my first 19 lapper I'm still a couple of seconds slower than Bish overall. I do now hold the fastest lap of the day (across all classes)
This is where I stick with the set up now. As long as the heaters stay on in the hall then all will be good!
If it is cold to start with when it comes to the Micro National then I will start the day as I did today and put pins on as it gets warmer
----------------------------------
15.11 lap in Round 4 is what it's all about as far as I'm concerned! Shame I couldn't do it consistently as a let a bit of tiredness and frustration creep into my race. I'll line up behind Harris and Bish for the final, my lowest Micro qualifying of the season.
In terms of the car I have left the Pins on. They are quicker on individual laps but there is no room to push, it's very easy to get it wrong on the tyres. I will, as I always do, drive better at a National but it's fair to say I don't deserve to be on par with Harris and Bish today
-----------------------------------
Oh well, I came, I tried and I finished 2nd :-(. But I did get the fastest lap of the entire day 15.05 in the final!
Although I don't believe I've driven particularly well today I can come away with positives from the meeting. I know that I can be quick on Pins and safe on Blocks. Before deciding the starting set-up for the National I will wait to see the track.
Next month is shaping up to being an awesome event!
Caldicot Arrival And Practice
So we made it go to Caldicot despite the weather in the UK. I'm in Heat 3 which is the second of 2 Micro heats. Should be good competition with Harris, Bish and Oxley in there.
Will be starting on White Rally Blocks for the 3m practice and go from there. Looking at the track though there isn't that much slippy so pins could be the order of the day!!
UPDATE - No grip on slippy floor. Track is really good though, very enjoyable to drive. I have also been assured that the grip level will come up as it gets warmer, we'll see.
I'm not going to change anything for Round 1 as I'll wait until there are some times on the board to compare. Bish looked the quickest with no sign of Harris or Oxley in the building, probably having a lie in!
Will be starting on White Rally Blocks for the 3m practice and go from there. Looking at the track though there isn't that much slippy so pins could be the order of the day!!
UPDATE - No grip on slippy floor. Track is really good though, very enjoyable to drive. I have also been assured that the grip level will come up as it gets warmer, we'll see.
I'm not going to change anything for Round 1 as I'll wait until there are some times on the board to compare. Bish looked the quickest with no sign of Harris or Oxley in the building, probably having a lie in!
Thursday 16 December 2010
Nearly Time For Caldicot - Will I Get There?
It's fair to say I am really looking forward to racing this Sunday but I am anxious for a number of reasons. First of all I have got parties to attend on the next 2 nights which could hamper me first thing Sunday morning but more importantly the cold snap that is hitting Britain once more could make the 170 mile trip at 5:00am on Sunday fairly interesting!!
Let's hope I get there safely and with at least 4 regular National 'A' Finalists booked in it should be an interesting meeting!!
Let's hope I get there safely and with at least 4 regular National 'A' Finalists booked in it should be an interesting meeting!!
Team Espana - The Newest Team To Racing
Team Espana, they were in Formula 1 weren't they..........? After further thoughts possibly not!!
Team Espana is owned/ran/managed (delete as appropriate) by Eddie who is living out in Spain. I've never met Eddie before so I'm not sure of his RC History, all I know is that he is taking a keen interest in the UK Micro Scene. He is providing sponsorship to RC Veteran Tony Bishop for the remaining rounds of this seasons National Series and is looking to expand the team further in 2011 / 2012
Tony will be the driver within the 1/16th 4wd Class whereas Eddie is looking for a driver in each of the 1/16th 2wd and 1/18th 4wd Class.
Whereas the level of sponsorship to Tony is unknown all I can say is if Tony is happy to put his name alongside Eddie then there must be something in it for all parties. Whatever it is good luck to Eddie, Tony and any potential new drivers for not only the rest of this Series but for next year and beyond
Team Espana is owned/ran/managed (delete as appropriate) by Eddie who is living out in Spain. I've never met Eddie before so I'm not sure of his RC History, all I know is that he is taking a keen interest in the UK Micro Scene. He is providing sponsorship to RC Veteran Tony Bishop for the remaining rounds of this seasons National Series and is looking to expand the team further in 2011 / 2012
Tony will be the driver within the 1/16th 4wd Class whereas Eddie is looking for a driver in each of the 1/16th 2wd and 1/18th 4wd Class.
Whereas the level of sponsorship to Tony is unknown all I can say is if Tony is happy to put his name alongside Eddie then there must be something in it for all parties. Whatever it is good luck to Eddie, Tony and any potential new drivers for not only the rest of this Series but for next year and beyond
Racing Outside Of the UK
I've been very fortunate to have represented Britain at the 1/10th Off Road European Championships, something I have done 4 times:
2004 Turin
2005 Paris
2009 Bilbao
2010 Vienna
All 4 have been fascinating experiences that I will never forget. I even made a 2wd C Final in Bilbao! I should be good enough for an invite to the 2011 event in the South of France at Pau however it is an invite I may have to decline due to Finances.
As a BRCA Micro Committee Member I'd love to race the Micro outside of the UK and this is something I'm going to have to speak to Cris Oxley about. It would be amazing to host a Micro Euro's in Britain, I wonder if this would ever happen? Many searches last night on You Tube would suggest there is a market out there, especially over in Sweden and Finland. Maybe even go over to the States to race but their tracks did look a bit rubbish!
You never know, one day maybe.....
2004 Turin
2005 Paris
2009 Bilbao
2010 Vienna
All 4 have been fascinating experiences that I will never forget. I even made a 2wd C Final in Bilbao! I should be good enough for an invite to the 2011 event in the South of France at Pau however it is an invite I may have to decline due to Finances.
As a BRCA Micro Committee Member I'd love to race the Micro outside of the UK and this is something I'm going to have to speak to Cris Oxley about. It would be amazing to host a Micro Euro's in Britain, I wonder if this would ever happen? Many searches last night on You Tube would suggest there is a market out there, especially over in Sweden and Finland. Maybe even go over to the States to race but their tracks did look a bit rubbish!
You never know, one day maybe.....
Wednesday 15 December 2010
Sunday 19th December - Caldicot Preview
This Sunday sees me having a change in my original racing schedule. I was due to be racing my Schumacher 1/10th cars at the popular Batley Club hosted series at Chadderton but due to my excellent start in the Micro National Series I have decided my time would be better spent with my LWB Shark at Caldicot, the venue for the next round of the National Series
My main reason for heading down the English/Welsh border is the chance to run my Micro on slippy floor, something which I really struggle with! Craig Harris is currently leading the Micro Series and it's also Craigs home club so it will be interesting to see how our times compare!
I think I'll be using the day to try a couple of set up tweaks. Based on last years National the tyre choice will be Schumacher White Rally Blocks and these are tyres that I don't have a great deal of experience of. At the last National in Dudley I ended up on the aforementioned Rally Blocks and this is one of the first times I'd ever ran them!
So I plan to have a play with tyres as well as oil weight and also possibly the new motor that I mentioned in my Pinion blog post on Tuesday. Thinking about it though I may have a run with my original short wheel base Shark, just to see the difference, it will look tiny against the Carisma!!
Roll on Sunday
My main reason for heading down the English/Welsh border is the chance to run my Micro on slippy floor, something which I really struggle with! Craig Harris is currently leading the Micro Series and it's also Craigs home club so it will be interesting to see how our times compare!
I think I'll be using the day to try a couple of set up tweaks. Based on last years National the tyre choice will be Schumacher White Rally Blocks and these are tyres that I don't have a great deal of experience of. At the last National in Dudley I ended up on the aforementioned Rally Blocks and this is one of the first times I'd ever ran them!
So I plan to have a play with tyres as well as oil weight and also possibly the new motor that I mentioned in my Pinion blog post on Tuesday. Thinking about it though I may have a run with my original short wheel base Shark, just to see the difference, it will look tiny against the Carisma!!
Roll on Sunday
CML Carisma - LiPo Choice
It's an interesting one this as the Carisma is designed to be ran with saddle pack LiPos. However, these are not easy to come by as Mat North explains in a post on UK Micro RC:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've spent a lot of time searching for batteries, gone 16-17 pages deep on google searches and called al of the major OEM UK based lipo manufacturers and this is what i have found;
Saddle Packs
UK based;
Carisma 2000mAh Lipo pack - avail from CML distributors soon price not known at the moment.
International;
MaxAmps 1720mAh saddle packs - designed for4 the mini inferno, these look to be a perfect fit @ 49mm long
Expensive as they list @ $49.99 plus a min of $14 p+p, get caught at customs and these could be really expensive!!
avail from www.maxamps.com
Single Packs
UK Based;
Storm 800mah 35C - avail from Logic RC, these packs are listed @ 54mm, but are out of stock so i've not had a chance to measure them. cost less than £10
Overlander Extreme 800mah 40C - These packs were very popular in the sharks a year ago and i'm confident they will fit. (the curent 60C packs are way too long!)
However, the 40C's are no longer in production. I've called Overlander and spoken to several guys there. Although they cannot supply these packs again with their current manufacturer, they are investigating whether something can be done in the future - more as and when i hear back from them.
Loong Max Tipple 800Mah 20-30C - an amusingly named lipo available from www.giantcod.co.uk, @ 54mm long it looks to be the right size. cost less than £10
I have one of these on the way and will Measure it as soon as i get it.
My worry is wether 20C will be enough.
HobbiesRuz 800mah 25C - listed @ 52mm long and £12 inc postage from www.hobbiesruz.co.uk
again i have one of these on the way and do worry about the 25C rating.
International;
Maxamps 1290mah 2s lipo - 49mm long so perfect, but expensive again at $35 + $14 p+p
interestingly Maxamps don't list C rating and claim 100C, which is a bit silly. they have a good rep though so i'm sure they will be powerfull enough
Right, that's it so far, worth noting is that most manufacturers seems to be moving to longer cells to aid heat dissipation so out challenge is a big one.
it's also worth noting that a lot of sites will list the CELL SIZE and not the PACK SIZE!!
There are some cheap 800mah Kokam lipos on ebay listed @ 49mm, but the pack is over 58mm long, trust me i bought one and have returned it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Will this be a stumbling block which will halt the introduction at the UK National Scene or will drivers be able to source them. There is always the alternative of running the NiMh's that come with it but that would surely be taking a backward step in terms of technology, backward by about 3 years.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I've spent a lot of time searching for batteries, gone 16-17 pages deep on google searches and called al of the major OEM UK based lipo manufacturers and this is what i have found;
Saddle Packs
UK based;
Carisma 2000mAh Lipo pack - avail from CML distributors soon price not known at the moment.
International;
MaxAmps 1720mAh saddle packs - designed for4 the mini inferno, these look to be a perfect fit @ 49mm long
Expensive as they list @ $49.99 plus a min of $14 p+p, get caught at customs and these could be really expensive!!
avail from www.maxamps.com
Single Packs
UK Based;
Storm 800mah 35C - avail from Logic RC, these packs are listed @ 54mm, but are out of stock so i've not had a chance to measure them. cost less than £10
Overlander Extreme 800mah 40C - These packs were very popular in the sharks a year ago and i'm confident they will fit. (the curent 60C packs are way too long!)
However, the 40C's are no longer in production. I've called Overlander and spoken to several guys there. Although they cannot supply these packs again with their current manufacturer, they are investigating whether something can be done in the future - more as and when i hear back from them.
Loong Max Tipple 800Mah 20-30C - an amusingly named lipo available from www.giantcod.co.uk, @ 54mm long it looks to be the right size. cost less than £10
I have one of these on the way and will Measure it as soon as i get it.
My worry is wether 20C will be enough.
HobbiesRuz 800mah 25C - listed @ 52mm long and £12 inc postage from www.hobbiesruz.co.uk
again i have one of these on the way and do worry about the 25C rating.
International;
Maxamps 1290mah 2s lipo - 49mm long so perfect, but expensive again at $35 + $14 p+p
interestingly Maxamps don't list C rating and claim 100C, which is a bit silly. they have a good rep though so i'm sure they will be powerfull enough
Right, that's it so far, worth noting is that most manufacturers seems to be moving to longer cells to aid heat dissipation so out challenge is a big one.
it's also worth noting that a lot of sites will list the CELL SIZE and not the PACK SIZE!!
There are some cheap 800mah Kokam lipos on ebay listed @ 49mm, but the pack is over 58mm long, trust me i bought one and have returned it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Will this be a stumbling block which will halt the introduction at the UK National Scene or will drivers be able to source them. There is always the alternative of running the NiMh's that come with it but that would surely be taking a backward step in terms of technology, backward by about 3 years.
Rubber Pit Mats
Something which appears to be new in the RC World is the Rubber Pit Mat. Gone are the days of the Towel placed over your Pit Table (except on my pit table), the Pit Mats look awesome and leading the way in stylish Mats appear to be Team Durango. Jimmy Storey from the ever popular oOple website has today reported the release of the Durango Pit Mat and more details can be found at http://www.team-durango.com/part-info.php?partNo=TD390051
It could be the best £40.00 you've ever spent
It could be the best £40.00 you've ever spent
My LWB Shark Set-Up
I have been very fortunate since putting the Longer Chassis on my LRP Shark in terms of set ups. In fact until the Dudley National the other week I hadn't changed the set-up at all!!
In terms of the Micro, when going to a new track with my I always start with the set-up listed below. Please remember though that set-ups are very individual. There are a lot of drivers out there who have done 1 lap with my Shark and handed it straight back to me! Yet for me the set-up is amazing!!
Setting up the Micro is so much easier than the 10th cars. In 1/10th you have to be reacting to the changes in conditions every step of the way. You'll find this is because when you race outdoors the weather plays a major factor in proceedings and grip levels change so frequently
In terms of the Micro, when going to a new track with my I always start with the set-up listed below. Please remember though that set-ups are very individual. There are a lot of drivers out there who have done 1 lap with my Shark and handed it straight back to me! Yet for me the set-up is amazing!!
Jonesy LRP LWB Shark Starting Set-Up
Motor: Speed Passion 6900kv
Speedo: EzRun 25A
Received: KO302F
Servo: GM
Spur: 49
Pinion: 10
Speedo: EzRun 25A
Received: KO302F
Servo: GM
Spur: 49
Pinion: 10
Front Tyres: Schumacher Mini-Pins (slim) on 20mm Wheels with Schumacher Blue Inserts
Rear Tyres: Schumacher Mini-Pins on 25mm Wheels with Schumacher Blue Inserts
Front Anti-Roll Bar: Yellow
Front Shocks: Schumacher 80 weight oil with 4 hole pistons
Front Shock Spring: Green
Rear Anti-Roll Bar: White
Rear Shocks: Schumacher 40 weight oil with 4 hole pistons
Rear Shock Spring: Black
Front Shock Tower: Team RCMI (formally Frogger)
Front Shock Tower Position: Middle
Front Shock Wishbone Position: Inner
Rear Shock Tower: Team RCMI (formally Frogger)
Rear Shock Tower Position: Upper / Outer
Rear Shock Wishbone Position: Outer
The only difference I made as noted above was at Dudley National. I found that once I changed to White Rally Blocks from Mini-Pins I was losing the back end more and the car didn't feel too balanced. As a result I changed the rear shock oil from Schumacher 40 weight to 80 weight oil and the car was so much easier to push when needed
Rear Tyres: Schumacher Mini-Pins on 25mm Wheels with Schumacher Blue Inserts
Front Anti-Roll Bar: Yellow
Front Shocks: Schumacher 80 weight oil with 4 hole pistons
Front Shock Spring: Green
Rear Anti-Roll Bar: White
Rear Shocks: Schumacher 40 weight oil with 4 hole pistons
Rear Shock Spring: Black
Front Shock Tower: Team RCMI (formally Frogger)
Front Shock Tower Position: Middle
Front Shock Wishbone Position: Inner
Rear Shock Tower: Team RCMI (formally Frogger)
Rear Shock Tower Position: Upper / Outer
Rear Shock Wishbone Position: Outer
The only difference I made as noted above was at Dudley National. I found that once I changed to White Rally Blocks from Mini-Pins I was losing the back end more and the car didn't feel too balanced. As a result I changed the rear shock oil from Schumacher 40 weight to 80 weight oil and the car was so much easier to push when needed
If you have any questions about the above set up then give me a shout
PLEASE NOTE: The Pictures above show the car with Big Bore Shocks on, I am not using these shocks and I also do not use the Team RCMI Top Deck
Tuesday 14 December 2010
Carisma Is Here
Keith Robertson, - formally of Microtech - CML Legend has reported today that the CML Carisma was delivered to the factory late this afternoon
Shark v Carisma is on!
Shark v Carisma is on!
New Pinions For The Micro!!
My new RW Racing pinions have arrived today to try with my new motor which may get it's first run out at Caldicot this Sunday. I have picked myself up the same motor that is currently being used by Craig Harris and Dan Osborne which is The Emax 4950kv rated motor (at least I believe they're running it!)
I just need to find gearing to suit, I'm currently running a Speed Passion 6900kv motor on a 10 tooth pinion and 49 spur. I'm going to start with the new motor on 14 or 15 pinion and go from there. I may have to seek further advice!
I'll be previewing Sundays race meeting later on the week
I just need to find gearing to suit, I'm currently running a Speed Passion 6900kv motor on a 10 tooth pinion and 49 spur. I'm going to start with the new motor on 14 or 15 pinion and go from there. I may have to seek further advice!
I'll be previewing Sundays race meeting later on the week
The Return Of Losi to 1/10th Off Road
The below is taken from a post on oOple. Losi had appeared to have dropped out of 1/10th Off Road after many many successful years then out of the blue the TLR 22 is released and has a highly successful debut! Special note for my good friend Dave Poulter who has had an amazing 12 months:
In what could have been dubbed as being “the Race of Champions”, round 3 of the Taplow R/C Car club’s winter championship was to be the first public race meeting of the TLR22 outside of the USA.
Some of the most respected racers in the UK including the current double European champion Lee Martin and the current BRCA 1:10 and 1:8 national champions Tom Cockerill and Darren Bloomfield took to the indoor track just outside of Slough in what turned out to be an epic meeting and a fitting debut for the TLR 22.
All 3 UK TLR 22 cars qualified into the top 10 in 2WD but with 8 car finals, it was the 3rd car of Andy Carter that had to settle for poling the B-final. Up at the sharp end though, it was the TLR22 of Darren Bloomfield who lined up 2nd on the grid alongside current EFRA European Champion Lee Martin with Tom Cockerill and David Poulter locking out the 2nd row of the grid with their Schumacher Cougars and ahead of the 2nd TLR22 of Simon Reeves in 5th and the XXX-CR of Special Agent Richard Barton in 6th place on the 3rd row of the grid.
With wins a piece for Lee and Darren in legs 1 and 2 of the final, it was all to play for in leg 3. After some incredible driving from both drivers, an uncharacteristic error from the pole man allowed the TLR22 of Darren Bloomfield into the lead – a position which he didn’t relinquish, ending up nearly 7 seconds clear of tom Cockerill in 2nd and Lee in 3rd.
So the overall win went to Darren Bloomfield with the all new TLR 22, 2nd place to Lee Martin and Tom Cockerill in 3rd. Simon Reeves made it a good day for the TLR team, placing his TLR22 in 4th place
There are some images of the car in action on the Horizon Hobby UK website -
http://www.horizonhobby.co.uk/autoon...mfield_22.html
Some of the most respected racers in the UK including the current double European champion Lee Martin and the current BRCA 1:10 and 1:8 national champions Tom Cockerill and Darren Bloomfield took to the indoor track just outside of Slough in what turned out to be an epic meeting and a fitting debut for the TLR 22.
All 3 UK TLR 22 cars qualified into the top 10 in 2WD but with 8 car finals, it was the 3rd car of Andy Carter that had to settle for poling the B-final. Up at the sharp end though, it was the TLR22 of Darren Bloomfield who lined up 2nd on the grid alongside current EFRA European Champion Lee Martin with Tom Cockerill and David Poulter locking out the 2nd row of the grid with their Schumacher Cougars and ahead of the 2nd TLR22 of Simon Reeves in 5th and the XXX-CR of Special Agent Richard Barton in 6th place on the 3rd row of the grid.
With wins a piece for Lee and Darren in legs 1 and 2 of the final, it was all to play for in leg 3. After some incredible driving from both drivers, an uncharacteristic error from the pole man allowed the TLR22 of Darren Bloomfield into the lead – a position which he didn’t relinquish, ending up nearly 7 seconds clear of tom Cockerill in 2nd and Lee in 3rd.
So the overall win went to Darren Bloomfield with the all new TLR 22, 2nd place to Lee Martin and Tom Cockerill in 3rd. Simon Reeves made it a good day for the TLR team, placing his TLR22 in 4th place
There are some images of the car in action on the Horizon Hobby UK website -
http://www.horizonhobby.co.uk/autoon...mfield_22.html
Popular RC Forums
I would urge anyone with an interest in Off Road Racing of any scale to visit the 2 below Racing Forums:
oOple - http://www.oople.com/
UK Micro RC - http://www.uk-microrc.co.uk/
They will provide you with ALL the knowledge you will ever need from people who want to share their racing knowledge and experiences with you!
oOple - http://www.oople.com/
UK Micro RC - http://www.uk-microrc.co.uk/
They will provide you with ALL the knowledge you will ever need from people who want to share their racing knowledge and experiences with you!
Monday 13 December 2010
Schumacher Set To Join The Micro Sceen........... ??
Are Schumacher ready to join the Micro Scene in the UK? Well the simple answer is not at the minute!
However, Schumacher's owner Robin Schumacher was at the recent Dudley Micro National to check in on the UK Micro Scene and I can assure you he liked what he saw. As the UK Micro Nationals continue to flourish and with new cars out you just never know if Robin will commission one to be built in the Northamptonshire based factory. You can be rest assured that Robin and the rest of the team at Schumacher are being bugged by me on this!
If Schumacher did enter the Micro Scene then common sense dictates that it would be a 2wd car based on the highly successful 1/10th vehicle, Cougar SV. Could they produce a miniature CAT SX, can they fit in 3 drive belts - that would be amazing to see!!
Come on Schumacher, get it done and remember to let me do the testing!!! :-)
However, Schumacher's owner Robin Schumacher was at the recent Dudley Micro National to check in on the UK Micro Scene and I can assure you he liked what he saw. As the UK Micro Nationals continue to flourish and with new cars out you just never know if Robin will commission one to be built in the Northamptonshire based factory. You can be rest assured that Robin and the rest of the team at Schumacher are being bugged by me on this!
If Schumacher did enter the Micro Scene then common sense dictates that it would be a 2wd car based on the highly successful 1/10th vehicle, Cougar SV. Could they produce a miniature CAT SX, can they fit in 3 drive belts - that would be amazing to see!!
Come on Schumacher, get it done and remember to let me do the testing!!! :-)
CML Carisma 1/14th Scale Madness??
Firstly I appear to have made an error in my title, the Carisma has been rebranded to 1/16th Scale as it fits in to the BRCA Micro Section Rules and it is finally here and available to all! I say available, it is listed by CML as so (as reported on The ever popular UK Micro RC Forum) and will more than likely be making a public wide debut at next months BRCA Micro National!
At the moment there is only one car to have in the 1/16th 4WD section and that is the LRP Shark with the longer chassis. The Carisma will be the challenger to the Shark Domination of the previous 2 years.
The car itself is no stranger to the UK tracks and made its UK debut in August at the UK Micro X 2010. Not only did it make it's debut but in the hands off 1/10th Scale Off-Road Hero Phil Sleigh it absolutely dominated and won by over 10 seconds from reigning UK Micro Champion Mark Stiles and myself in 3rd.
Based on the above domination all the talk in the Forums has been about the availability of the car as every Tom, Dick and Harry appears to want one!
So how has the car fared since it's amazing debut? It's fair to say its been less amazing!! Due to it's width the car struggled at Round 1 of the UK Nationals at Broughton. Sleigh placed in the A Main but was low down as the car appeared to struggle on jumps. In Round 2 at Essex Sleigh qualified 2nd overall but after a breakage ended up at the back. Dudley was the next stop and Sleigh qualified 3rd and finished 2nd which has renewed interest from the public. The other Carisma to appear at the UK Nationals in the hands of Cris Oxley is yet to make the Top 10 in a round of the National Series. It is only fair to comment however that Cris is running Ready To Run version of the car and Sleigh the Pro Version. Cris did also place near the top of the B Main and has enjoyed podium success.
I for one will not be jumping ship (yet) to the Carisma. It would be the hope that the introduction of a new car will spur on growth in the Micro scene. Also, there is no guarantee that the Carisma will be able to break Craig Harris current domination of the series along with myself, Tony Bishop, Steve Biscoe, Danny Conway and many more!
Will the car become the must have car?? What will need to be done to upgrade from RTR to Pro?? Will the car spur on the growth that we (BRCA Micro Section) would like to see...... Only time will tell.
I'd just like to point out that all of the above is of my own opinion based on my thoughts (I don't want to upset people)!!
At the moment there is only one car to have in the 1/16th 4WD section and that is the LRP Shark with the longer chassis. The Carisma will be the challenger to the Shark Domination of the previous 2 years.
The car itself is no stranger to the UK tracks and made its UK debut in August at the UK Micro X 2010. Not only did it make it's debut but in the hands off 1/10th Scale Off-Road Hero Phil Sleigh it absolutely dominated and won by over 10 seconds from reigning UK Micro Champion Mark Stiles and myself in 3rd.
Based on the above domination all the talk in the Forums has been about the availability of the car as every Tom, Dick and Harry appears to want one!
So how has the car fared since it's amazing debut? It's fair to say its been less amazing!! Due to it's width the car struggled at Round 1 of the UK Nationals at Broughton. Sleigh placed in the A Main but was low down as the car appeared to struggle on jumps. In Round 2 at Essex Sleigh qualified 2nd overall but after a breakage ended up at the back. Dudley was the next stop and Sleigh qualified 3rd and finished 2nd which has renewed interest from the public. The other Carisma to appear at the UK Nationals in the hands of Cris Oxley is yet to make the Top 10 in a round of the National Series. It is only fair to comment however that Cris is running Ready To Run version of the car and Sleigh the Pro Version. Cris did also place near the top of the B Main and has enjoyed podium success.
I for one will not be jumping ship (yet) to the Carisma. It would be the hope that the introduction of a new car will spur on growth in the Micro scene. Also, there is no guarantee that the Carisma will be able to break Craig Harris current domination of the series along with myself, Tony Bishop, Steve Biscoe, Danny Conway and many more!
Will the car become the must have car?? What will need to be done to upgrade from RTR to Pro?? Will the car spur on the growth that we (BRCA Micro Section) would like to see...... Only time will tell.
I'd just like to point out that all of the above is of my own opinion based on my thoughts (I don't want to upset people)!!
Sunday 12 December 2010
Racing Diary
Although Christmas 2010 is only a few weeks away (13 days to be exact) there is at least one more opportunity to race before Santa comes down the Chimney! My next planned meetings are listed below:
Sunday December 19th - Caldicot - Micro National Practise
Tuesday December 21st - Neston - Club Meeting, Micro Practise
Friday January 7th - Ellesmere Port - Club Meeting, Micro Practise
Sunday January 9th - Caldicot - Micro National Series Round 4
My next 1/10th Off Road Meeting will be the Winter Championship weekend meeting in January to be held at the amazing Leominster Venue, hosted by Hereford Model Car Club
I will be looking at updating the blog at the above meetings or at least not long after.
Sunday December 19th - Caldicot - Micro National Practise
Tuesday December 21st - Neston - Club Meeting, Micro Practise
Friday January 7th - Ellesmere Port - Club Meeting, Micro Practise
Sunday January 9th - Caldicot - Micro National Series Round 4
My next 1/10th Off Road Meeting will be the Winter Championship weekend meeting in January to be held at the amazing Leominster Venue, hosted by Hereford Model Car Club
I will be looking at updating the blog at the above meetings or at least not long after.
Who Supports Me?
Racing is not cheap and for someone like myself who is a full-time house husband it's fair to say I do need support to help me do what I enjoy as money is limited. I do have a number of sponsors that help me along the way, I'd like to publicly thank them all and would urge you to visit their sites:
Dad - (No website) but if it wasn't for Dad I would not be doing this now
Schumacher - Main 1/10th Off Road Sponsor http://www.racing-cars.com/
RC Model Imports - Main 1/16th Off Road Sponsor http://www.rcmodelimports.co.uk/
Core RC - http://www.racing-cars.com/scp/manufacturer/Core_RC.html
Speed Passion - http://www.speedpassion.net/
Trishbits - http://www.trishbits.com/
T.O.P Models - http://www.topmodels.org.uk/
Once again, many thanks to you all
Dad - (No website) but if it wasn't for Dad I would not be doing this now
Schumacher - Main 1/10th Off Road Sponsor http://www.racing-cars.com/
RC Model Imports - Main 1/16th Off Road Sponsor http://www.rcmodelimports.co.uk/
Core RC - http://www.racing-cars.com/scp/manufacturer/Core_RC.html
Speed Passion - http://www.speedpassion.net/
Trishbits - http://www.trishbits.com/
T.O.P Models - http://www.topmodels.org.uk/
Once again, many thanks to you all
What Car Racing do I do??
Hi, my name is Andrew Jones, 28 years old and have been competing in my hobby of Radio Control Model Car Racing since 1990, 20 years in the making!!
I am a member of the BRCA (British Radio Control Association) and a member of Ellesmere Port Off Roaders and Oswestry Radio Control Car Clubs. Please check out the clubs at the following links:
EPOR - http://epor.webs.com/
Os - http://www.oswestryrcc.com/
I currently ply my trade in 2 classes of the BRCA, the ever popular 1/10th Off Road which I have been racing since day 1 and more recently started to race in the Micro class which covers both 1/16th and 1/18th scale cars.
Racing Honours
It's fair to say that the hobby can be taken seriously at times and I have been fortunate to achieve some good results, well good results in my eyes!
1/10th Off Road
5 Time National 'B' Finalist
2 Time End of Season British Regional Championship Top Qualifier
Regular Top Ten Finisher in the BRCA Mid-West Regional Championships
1/16th Off Road
5 Top Ten Finishes in 6 National Meetings
3 Time Top Qualifier in 6 National Meetings
As I said above, I am quite happy with those stats but there are far more impressive stats out there so there is plenty of scope for improvement, only time will tell!
I am a member of the BRCA (British Radio Control Association) and a member of Ellesmere Port Off Roaders and Oswestry Radio Control Car Clubs. Please check out the clubs at the following links:
EPOR - http://epor.webs.com/
Os - http://www.oswestryrcc.com/
I currently ply my trade in 2 classes of the BRCA, the ever popular 1/10th Off Road which I have been racing since day 1 and more recently started to race in the Micro class which covers both 1/16th and 1/18th scale cars.
Racing Honours
It's fair to say that the hobby can be taken seriously at times and I have been fortunate to achieve some good results, well good results in my eyes!
1/10th Off Road
5 Time National 'B' Finalist
2 Time End of Season British Regional Championship Top Qualifier
Regular Top Ten Finisher in the BRCA Mid-West Regional Championships
1/16th Off Road
5 Top Ten Finishes in 6 National Meetings
3 Time Top Qualifier in 6 National Meetings
As I said above, I am quite happy with those stats but there are far more impressive stats out there so there is plenty of scope for improvement, only time will tell!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)