FRC's first Tune and Test session
Posted: Fri Feb 07, 2014 11:55 am
Instead of our regular Thursday night racing, last night FRC held its first scheduled tune and test session. In attendance were Luke, Steve, Arden, Ramesh, Boo and I. This worked out well since everyone was allocated a controller for their cars and there was ample workbench room because Arden and Ramesh, being the professionals they are, walked with their own table, lighting, electrical wiring and other equipment.
Several cars were tested and in Luke's case, he was able to cut a whole two seconds off his Subaru Impreza rally car's lap time, so it was time well spent for him. I can't speak for the others, but I too made some good progress with my Group 5 Sports Car Alfa 33/3. I also discovered that my LMP Lola-Aston needs a complete rebuild! In addition, I repaired the chip's motor-lead connection on Kyle's Mustang and did some laps with it to check its performance, then tested my F1 McLaren to remind myself of what work will be needed to improve its performance.
For those who missed last night, this type of event is now part of the regular FRC class groupings cycle and, like each other group, will be repeated every eight events. Its an excellent way to sort out car issues without the pressure of time on a race night.
Here are a few pics:
Ramesh and Arden at their well-organised workstation. Note the anti-slip mat to prevent small items from rolling off the table.
Luke and Steve focusing on testing a car driven by Luke.
Luke's work area with the south-boys' own in the background.
There were containers of cars, tools and parts all around the track area.
A special, perfectly-horizontal "Magnet Marshal" table was set up to check G5SC cars.
Even FRC's IROC Minis were present on their new storage mount (once again Luke's initiative - thanks!)
Several cars were tested and in Luke's case, he was able to cut a whole two seconds off his Subaru Impreza rally car's lap time, so it was time well spent for him. I can't speak for the others, but I too made some good progress with my Group 5 Sports Car Alfa 33/3. I also discovered that my LMP Lola-Aston needs a complete rebuild! In addition, I repaired the chip's motor-lead connection on Kyle's Mustang and did some laps with it to check its performance, then tested my F1 McLaren to remind myself of what work will be needed to improve its performance.
For those who missed last night, this type of event is now part of the regular FRC class groupings cycle and, like each other group, will be repeated every eight events. Its an excellent way to sort out car issues without the pressure of time on a race night.
Here are a few pics:
Ramesh and Arden at their well-organised workstation. Note the anti-slip mat to prevent small items from rolling off the table.
Luke and Steve focusing on testing a car driven by Luke.
Luke's work area with the south-boys' own in the background.
There were containers of cars, tools and parts all around the track area.
A special, perfectly-horizontal "Magnet Marshal" table was set up to check G5SC cars.
Even FRC's IROC Minis were present on their new storage mount (once again Luke's initiative - thanks!)