Racing questionnaire

[Luke]

Hi i am able to do the preferences of classes , K,J, I,L,H,G,F,E,D,C,B,A. Thanks

Did some checking with this response from Ramesh ... which one of the 12 classes is in top spot.

Positions one, two, three, four & twelfth remained the same but obvious movement for 5th to 11th ... The KB class (sadly) dropped by 4 (now 11th spot) & MP (now 6th) was up by 3 spots.

Mind you, I stand corrected

[gordon]

I've updated the class preference results at the top of the post.

[RameshB]

Hi guys, i have some suggestions for changes to our current scrutineering system. NOTE. The rail on the single piece of plastic track used for testing ground clearance and USD checks are, higher than the plastic track groove it sits in , so the metal is not flat as the track. So its not an accurate 1mm measure. I am suggesting a much simpler form of testing using a solid non metal block, plastic or AL. all cars must have the following 1. a motor spec.2. a magnet location .and limits eg non race groove mag for slot it.3.a ground clearance and 4.minimum variable weight. this spec can be checked before and after a race if necessary.This is all you need and can be used in all of the classes. Not just at FRC. If the slot it class used these specs for all these years and has proven to have close racing i cannot see why this should not be a good guide. i will have more later thanks.

[gordon]

Thanks for the detailed response with some good suggestions there Ram. Here are my thoughts.

Basic class rules as suggested by Ram:

1. A motor spec.
2. A magnet location and limits (specific specification magnet?).
3. A ground clearance minimum.
4. A minimum weight.

Body type and era will determine the specific class.

So, for example:

Body: Ford Capri, so class is Historic Saloon.

1. Up to 18K
2. Location as per current specs for HS. Magnet specification: 2mm x 25mm x 8mm.
3. 1mm under magnet.
4. 70gm.

How does this differ from current HS rules?

1. No different.
2. Location is same. Magnet spec is different.
3. New requirement for this class.
4. New requirement for this class.

My thoughts with this HS example:

1. Agree.
2. Agree with location. Regarding magnet, (a) this magnet may not fit all different chassis (b) even if it did, all magnets are not created equal, so there will be different cornering capabilities between cars that are otherwise identical.
3. Agree.
4. Agree.

Conclusion:

Pros: Improved simplicity in setting up cars.
Cons: (1) Variation in downforce based on different magnet strengths. (2) A single spec magnet will not necessarily fit all chassis. In summary, cars with stronger magnets will go faster than cars with weaker magnets and some cars will be excluded from racing because spec magnet cannot work with chassis design.

We're getting there by putting our heads together. I created this post because I agree that our current regs are a bit overpowering and complex and I think that they need to be simplified to encourage participation. The most popular class based on the responses to date is the simple BTCC setup. To me this says something about simple requirements versus complex rules.

Let's get some more feedback guys.

[steveaca]

One and only one question from me (at this point):
Will simplifying the rules encourage greater participation ?

[RameshB]

Hi, This is Luke B..

My thoughts are that i prefer the faster classes because it help me with my racing for focus and concentration and thinking ahead when coming to lap slower cars..
If everyone prefers the slower classes then race cars out of box and eliminate the building process like the Stock classes you all had before..Hence the reason i do not race the slower classes..
Here are my choices based on Most favorite to Less favorite..
F: Personal Challenge
K
J
I
L
H
G
E
D
C
B
A

[RameshB]

Hi guys all of us race , because we enjoy to do so and i know the intent is for all cars to race side by side and cars exchanging the lead from 6th to 1st but thats only on TV, real world its different. We cannot gurantee that simpler rules will increase participation , but it will help in faster scrutineering and easier building and set ups for all. i do appreciate the honest comments of how some of us feel about their preferences but i like all the classes and its hard for me to choose . Although i did put the preference in an order , it does not mean i will not want to race a paticular class. I have always respected the car building capability of Steve, O Brie, Luke T , Arden and Gordon and i have learnt a lot from you all . I do wish one day when we can build a wooden track and learn a whole new type of building , engineering and driving , this will be a lot slower and low magnetic effect but in the mean time we have to realize plastic track is magnetic racing and to race it with low down force, is to take away the true high speed fun you can get out of it .to suggest you want to race and dont get your cars faster does not make sense. i have to run now but i do have some more to share later.

[Luke]

The RC class is now at the Top Spot and BTCC is (somewhat) a near second position

[arden100]

Sorry for the late response.
You all know my throttle response.

Racing in order of preference.
L,J,K,I,H,G,C,F,E,D,B,A.

This was not an easy decision.

Looking at some of the responses I wonder why we ever did away with the FRC classes if we want closer racing. Racing to me means competition. Competition with rules and regulations which are adhered to. Once the rules and regulations are enforced it is a fair playing field. When we want closer racing we need to spend more time on our hobby. Limiting ourselves and others and it is of no value to anyone who likes competition.

If you feel as if you are not winning you have the wrong concept about racing. There will always be someone who is better based on a number of reasons

Time spent on tuning
Time spent on reading and engineering
Money spent
Time spent driving

You measure your win/performance based on your improvement not on your racing position. Once you are getting faster you will get there. That is once the rules stay constant. There is only so much you can do once you have rules and regs. If you keep moving the goalpost you will always be behind. As we get better, rule change, back to school guys. It just does not make sense. How will we get closer racing.
Rally rule change 1 person faster everyone else slower.
The longer the rule stays in effect closer racing. Rule change regress.

I prefer 1 race since we finish racing early. We get down south late and we also have work the next morning. The crime is also another factor getting home at 1.00am.

Arden

[Luke]

Racing in order of preference.
L,J,K,I,H,G,C,F,E,D,B,A.

The RC class is still at the top of FRC racing but the BTCC class ~ got even closer in second position

Post 2039

Luke