I'm trying to think of ways to simplify some (if not all) of our class regulations to make it easier to set up cars and thus hopefully encourage new drivers. Here are some of my thoughts.
First of all, I can think of seven basic areas which must be considered for classifying slot cars:
- Body - determines the era and the class within that era and generally has no serious impact on performance.
- Motor RPM and torque- these determine straight line speed.
- Gearing - used to fine-tune performance and can affect acceleration, top speed and braking.
- Magnet location and strength - these affect cornering speed.
- Tyres - affect cornering speed.
- Car overall weight - affects acceleration, braking and cornering.
- Drive train weight (gears, axles, wheels and tyres) - affects inertia (acceleration and braking).
Assuming we don't want to only be doing IROC racing, when making rules for each class we need to ensure that all cars can be checked for compliance in these seven areas. Items 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 and even 7 can be checked quite easily. The real problem is item 4, checking magnet strength equality. In addition, even if each car had the identical magnet strength, lighter cars will always be quicker than heavier cars. This is where the USD rule that we've been using comes in. The beauty of the USD rule is that it takes both the magnet strength and the overall weight of the car into consideration. Given a fixed magnet strength, a lighter car will stick to the block when a heavier car falls away from it. This will necessitate that the lighter car have its magnet strength reduced or its weight increased, making the two cars closer in performance.
Here is an example set of "simple rules" for a hypothetical GT car class:
- Body: Must be a GT body from 1976 onwards.
- Motor: Up to 23,500 RPM.
- Gearing: Free
- Magnets: ??????????????
- Tyres: Free
- Weight: Free
- Axles: Free
- Wheels: Free
Let's hear your suggestions below.
