Race report #117 - Thursday 21st February, 2013

[gordon]

RACE REPORT #117 - FEBRUARY 21ST 2013

Ferrari Team Challenge racing. Six Ferrari F430s and six drivers - just the right amount to ensure that no one had to sit out a race. Things started out looking good for team Giallo (Yellow) in the first three races but team Blu (Blue) made a big comeback in the last three! Check the results for the outcome.

As the rally cars took to the stages, electronic demons reared their ugly heads to sideline a couple cars, Arden's super-quick Subaru Impreza being unable to take part and Jonathan's new Citroen Xsara missing the first stage. They both drove other cars anyway to join the others to see who would achieve rally honours.

Digital-rookie A.D. ajdusted well to the new world of digital - if not to race pressure - to survive his first FRC event.

The results





















Congratulations to the winners.

Next event's classes: Porsche Cup - 6 races @ 30 laps, Historic Saloon - 3 races @ 30 laps. Don't forget to see the updated fastest times for the FRC classes to know what the benchmarks are for your cars. Also of interest are the updated class average qualifying times.

See you on the circuit...
Gordon

[steveaca]

Great night of racing as usual. Can't believe how Team Blu came back and beat us (Gordon and myself in Team Giallo) in Ferrari Challenge after the great start we made, winning the first 3 races. Well done Alex and Arden ! Disappointment for Jonathan as his new Citroen Xsara which was going so well right up to rally stage time, suffered problems which sidelined it for the first stage. Thankfully he had the old faithful Citroen C4 on hand and was able to put in 3rd fastest time with it. He insisted however, that he wanted to race the new car on the following 2 stages but, even after the quick fix effected by Arden (thanks a lot Arden) the car needed to be re-sorted as some settings had gone off and wasn't as competitive as before. First-timer to digital racing, AD had a blast, managing to avoid the ignominious 6th spot in 2 races.
Eagerly looking forward to the next event.
Steve

[arden100]

Team event was very enjoyable. It was probably the best I have driven at FRC. I think my driving is improving.
Alex good job!
Hopefully I will have my rally car working next time.
Steve your rally car is very impressive. The car is very low and handles very well. Luke you seem to be doing quite a lot of research on motors and specifications. Good job. If you work a little more on that little Corolla you will be beating everyone!
Gordon you do set up cars very well. That Subaru is a very good performer. With a little more work you will get it doing 50 secs.

Arden

[gordon]

Contrats Alex and Arden! You both outdrove Steve and I to come from a not-so-good position to win the FTC event with an excellent set of finishing results in the second half of the competition. After the first three races I really thought that we couldn't be beaten, but you both proved me wrong.

As for that rally car of yours Arden and those magnificently set-up Aqui cars, I've already started trying to improve my Ford Focus to see if I can ever get it to run with them. Everyone's raising the bar and the only way to have a chance is to try to get one's cars to go faster, so I'm trying

[Luke]

Fellas,

I needed to get this off my chest ~ How come all of a sudden such a nice change of heart by Arden..? There is really no need to pull my rally car (again) maybe because I have seen GG shown almost every FRC racer what it can do on metal surfaces with the MB Slot Motor (Item#08003 - 21K rpm High Magnetic Downforce) from Pendle Slot UK Racing. It wasnt no sweat to locate this motor because I have been shopping at PSR long before I got onboard FRC... Maybe this could be your solution for more speed GG or is this what you are saying/mean by me bending the rules in a "smart man" kind of way with this type motor but when you look at rally regs, I'm really not doing that

Plus, looking back a rally results this car of mine isnt winning anything atm.

So fellas, doh beat up - ok...

Luke

[gordon]

Luke,

Your rally car is completely legal. In fact it was smart of you to look in that direction to get the best of how the rules are written. The history of motor racing is filled with designs that "bent" the rules with great success. Here are just a few examples:

• "Smokey" Yunick's 1966 Chevy Chevelle was actually 7/8 scale. He once also built a race car that would run longer between fuel stops which was eventually found to have a 100 ft fuel line giving the car an extra 3 gallons of fuel.
• The Lotus 91's water-cooled brakes were a way to have legal weight in scrutineering, but the water was jettisoned once the race started, reducing the weight of the car.
• The Brabham "fan car" and the Chaparral "fan car".
• There's even a book written about NASCAR rule-bending/breaking: Cheating: An Inside Look at the Bad Things Good NASCAR Winston Cup Racers Do in the Pursuit of Speed

So bending the rules is par for the course in motor sport and has been for decades. The main thing is to either smartly interpret how the rules are written (as with your car Luke) or hide any "cheating" so that no one finds out.

That said, there's another little thing called the "spirit of the rules", but that's a different discussion for a different day.

Gordon

[arden100]

Gordon,

If I heard someone saying the amount of knoweledge you have on racing I would have said OK. Actually experiencing it is alot different.
When did you get time to study and work? With the information you have you clearly demonstrate you went to motor school and not primary, secondary or tertiary schooling.

You are amazing!

We need a new section for this type of information.

Arden

[Luke]

Gordon - All I could say here is, like I make you come out with all your pistons firing boy..!

If Arden didnt know, he knows for sure now that you are a Professor from the North of the highest rank in the racing world.

I personally must thank you for reminding me of that and saying how smart of me setting up my rally car with the MB Slot motor.

The "spirit of the rules" I would like to know about one day because I try to live my life by walking in The Spirit

Have a blessed day,

Luke