The Road to KO

Here we are, only several days away from the KO Propo Mini-Z Grand Prix. For me the road to KO started about a month ago. Usually around the time of a big race, there is a mass scramble for race tires with the supply typically being exceeded by the demand. This time, I decided I was not going to be a part of this scramble. Knowing how this song and dance would shake out from my experiences racing Mini-Z last year, I ordered a large supply of tires ahead of time and have been carefully rationing them in my practice running. As a result, I will not have any issue with tires at this race :)  

This year, my focus is going to be oriented towards the Super Stock class. We are going to be given handout 50t motors and will be adhering to specification 9/53 gearing. I am also signed up for modified as well, but I will likely be running my 50t car in that class as well to get more track time and additional running to help my motor break in further. If I feel like I need a little help, I'll install a real modified motor for the last round of qualifying. Lap times are typically in the 7-9 second range on the typical ILR track setup. I anticipate that we will be seeing lap times in the 11-13 second range on the KO GP layout.  

Next Stop: KO Grand Prix V

The next big race on my summer calender is going to be the KO Propo Mini-Z Grand Prix, taking place on July 20th at Vallco Shopping Mall hosted by Inside Line Racing. The biggest difference between this race and any other held by the ILR crew is that this race will be held in the mall atrium close to the movie theaters, allowing for a bigger than usual track layout. Unlike most major Mini-Z championships, the format of this race is similar to that of a larger scale club race format with qualifying taking place throughout the day and the mains proceeding on the same day. Last year's KO race was a lot of fun to participate in and I anticipate this year will be even better! Classes offered will be Sportsman Stock, Super Stock, 90mm Porsche 911 GT-3 and Open Modified.

Something fun to try...

PN Radial 6's on the front. I narrowed, glued the sidewalls and trued up a set to try today and they worked pretty well on the smooth side of the RCP. I found the lap times to be similar to the PN 15 fronts, but a bit different of a feel. The car seemed to be more settled on power and in high speed lateral transitions because I didn't have to turn the wheels so much in those quick right-to-left movements. I only managed to get 25 minutes of track time on this set today, so I don't know how they are going to hold up yet, but early results are fairly encouraging.

If you've tried this before, leave me a bit of feedback in the comments section. I've never heard about anyone trying this before and would like to see what others have to say about the idea.

How to be fast in stock

Here are some steps on how to trick people into thinking you are running mod when in fact you are running 9/53 50t.

A) Batteries Batteries Batteries

Most important part if you want to have some power in a specification class. My system that has been working for me is to run my car, store the batteries at that state until the same day I am going to run again. That day I will discharge the batteries and recharge them. I find that it is crucial to have a fresh charge on the batteries with stock racing. I find that if I don't use the batteries the same day I charged them, they will go flat.

I charge my R1 990 and RP 900 cells at 700ma (.7 amp) and I've gotten feedback from racers who use the Peak Performance batteries that they charge at similar charge rates, .7 and .9 were the answers I got from the guys running fast with the Peak cells.

B) Clean is Fast!

Make sure that your bearings are clean and free. My system for wheel bearings has been to completely degrease them using motor spray, run them dry and consistently check to ensure they spin free. Once they no longer spin freely and the problem can't be remedied with motor spray, I discontinue use of the bearing in question. 

Also, make sure your motor stays clean too. I don't use bushing lubrication or comm drops because both products are detrimental to the cause. If you use bushing lube, make sure to monitor your motor closely for cleanliness. Motor spray is your friend, just don't bathe in it or ingest it! Common practice among racers is to use the air compressor to blow the clag off the car, but I choose not to subscribe to this method. If you're not careful, a lot of the clag can end up in the motor. For this reason I choose to clean my car with a brush.

C) The motor iteself

Make sure that your arm spins free....armature that is ;) The bushings as well as the brushes go through a break-in period. 

My method for the brushes is to mostly break them in on a designated "brush break-in" motor. That way most of the curve gets worn into the brush without having the wear on the commutator. After the brushes are about 4/5ths of the way there, I will put them on the motor and run it on ~2.4v for about 7-10 minutes. I do my mod motors the same way.

At races where your brushes are fixed to the motor, racers like to break in their motors in variety of fluids to keep it clean during the break-in process. I've seen fast motors that were a result of a dry break in too. With the PN70 motors, it seemed like one technique used at handout races was to allow the brushes to soak in Voodoo comm drops in order to soften them up a bit before break-in. Everyone has their own way, but the bottom line here is that properly broken in brushes will yield better results.

Sometimes, you will just get a dud & there's nothing you can do. Learning how to accept loss is something that one will eventually encounter at some point in their Mini-Z career.

D) Drive like a....

How you exit the corner greatly effects how efficiently you will be able to carry the speed down the straight. Make sure your car is set up to have enough steering so you can deliver power uninterrupted through the apex and exit of the corner. This will have a greater effect on your lap times then anything previously mentioned in this posting =D

My Setup for mod at ILR

My basic setup is as follows
Reflex Adjustable Upper Mount set to 2 caster and 0 camber
PN Soft Dark Blue springs
PN Aluminum 0 Degree upper arms
PN Low-down Knuckles, Shims .5mm under, 1.0mm above
0 toe-in (either W+4 or W+6 tie-rod)
1.5 Front Offset, 20mm PN Delrin Rim  and PN RSF15 tire trued to letters and glued sidewalls

Rear
DDS Green top and bottom spring
No preload on either spring for most conditions. Increase preload evenly on both springs for high traction
PN Discs, Carbon Fiber plate wet sanded down to 3000 grit
40wt Shock Oil
PN Silver #4 T-Plate (PN Silver #5 works in high traction conditions)
Ball diff, #1 spacers with holes down
2.0 Rear Offset, 20mm PN Delrin Rim and PN RRR06 tire, RR1106 works too, less lateral traction (aka: side-bite)

Etc.
Audi R8 Body with PN lexan window and PN Adjustable Lexan Wing (458 is okay, less midcorner steering. I don't like the 599xx on this car)
When car starts to understeer, I put the tires back on the truer and take off just enough to expose a new layer of rubber. I find I have to do this every half dozen runs or so.

Smooth is Fast

One of the biggest changes I've seen in how we race Mini-Z lately came about when PN Racing changed the PNWC regulations regarding the track surface. Now instead of running on the darker, textured side, we run on the grey, smooth side of the RCP. The smooth side of the track has less traction than the textured side which tends to cause the car to understeer more. Initially, there was a huge backlash from the racers when the switch occurred because driving styles and setups had to be altered in order to successfully acclimate to this new surface. Initially, I was one of those in the "this sucks" camp. My car was dialed and it proved tough to get my car back to the level it once drove at. Once I started wrenching and changing my setup, I realized that there were benefits to running on the smooth side. From a self-serving perspective, less traction made the experience I gain from driving Mini-Z more relate-able to other scales and styles of R/C racing. I started to enjoy the more realistic driving experience that flipping the track has made Mini-Z become. I also noticed that the smooth side makes it much easier for those starting in the hobby to get their legs underneath them. The cars aren't so reactive and they are a bit more manageable for those who are still developing smooth throttle and steering input.

Because there is less traction on the smooth side, the cars encounter less rolling resistance. Since moving to the smooth side, the difference between 50t stock laps and modified laps has decreased from ~.5 to about .2  Now I feel it's truly possible to be competitive in modified class using a 50t motor. My motor of choice for the smooth side is the PN 43T. I find that with a little less motor I can be a little more aggressive on my throttle movements and more consistent throughout a 4 minute qualifier as a result (this only applies to my driving, your personal experience will likely vary)

The only downside I've observed is that the use of tire additives has become more prevalent despite some tracks having a "no traction compound" rule. My main concern here is that many of the additives that people are using are silicone based & I fear that putting silicone based product on the tires will harm the RCP tracks that we race on. This is a very difficult thing to detect in technical inspection because many of these silicone based products are odorless and do not visually show on the tires.

Fast Little Comeback Special

Fastlittlecar is making a comeback just in time for the KO Propo Grand Prix . Stay tuned for some new postings in the very near future!