My return to racing- GT12 Class- Schumacher Atom 2

[PraetoR]

23 hours ago, Stormbringer said:

Cool its good new chassis arrived 

Have you had chance change it out yet ?

 

Just finished.

 

My heart sank, when I removed the old chassis and discovered it was perfectly straight. Against all the flat surfaces I tried and even against the new chassis, there was no visible tweaking.

 

Decided to swap it, anyway. You never know. Also stripped-down and rebuilt all of the structural parts, hoping to re-seat everything.

 

Thankfully, it seems to have worked! The rear pod is now sitting straight, thank goodness!

Edited March 28, 2022 by PraetoR

[Stormbringer]

Oh well at least you have a spare chassis now and glad it appears to be sorted 

[PraetoR]

Yay! 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stormbringer]

Woohoo all fixed 

Are you racing Friday night ?

[PraetoR]

36 minutes ago, Stormbringer said:

Woohoo all fixed 

Are you racing Friday night ?

Not this Friday. I'm away this weekend. Next week will be the test!

[bertberr]

An enjoyable read, did you ever get back to this?

[PraetoR]

On 14/12/2022 at 13:57, bertberr said:

An enjoyable read, did you ever get back to this?

Thank you.

 

yes, plenty to update. I'll try and get to it later.

[PraetoR]

Hello @bertberr and all. I was planning on keeping this up-to-date, but I'm rubbish!

 

Anyway, a lot has happened since March.

 

I started to make progress up the "rankings", so to speak. The championship didn't start until much later in the year, so most of the meetings were not for points. However, the computer allocates you in the appropriate heats, depending on your skill-level-score (out of 100). As a result, I started finding myself regularly put in the top half of the C heats (if it was busy), or the bottom of the B heats.

 

I managed to get the Sky RC motor in a good place, with regards to timing and gearing. It was running pretty well and would finish a race consistently around 49 degrees celsius, without a fan. It was also reasonable on acceleration and top-end.

Although, "reasonable" was as far as it was ever going to get. It was underpowered, especially in the B heats and finals. Some people would slightly pull away, some would utterly leave it for dead. It was the slowest down the straights, but almost as quick as the next slowest.

 

I needed more power! I was leaving a lot of time on the table, compared to my rivals.

Almost all of the top guys used the Hobbywing G3R motor (most have now moved to the newer G4), which was 3600Kv, vs my Sky RC's 3050Kv. Plus, the Hobbywing had bags of torque. This was the motor everyone recommended,

However, I'm a bit of a Trinity fan-boy. I've raced brushed Trinity motors in touring cars. They were the dog's dangles! I have 7 RC trophies... they have all been earned with Trinity power.

 

However, everyone said not to go for the Trinity (The Revtech X-Factor, for those interested), because it's very revvy, with little torque and it runs hot. This motor is much more suited to the 730g LMP12 cars, not the 950g GT12 cars.

 

Despite this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

OK, let me explain: I really wanted to continue running Trinity, as I have such good memories associated with their motors. Plus... BIG PLUS... everyone else runs Hobbywing. Doing what everyone else does is boring! Variety is the spice of life, and all that!

What sealed the deal was this: people said the Revtech is extremely fast, but very revvy, with low torque. Well, back in my touring car days, the Trinity Revenge of the Monster Pro was also extremely fast, very revvy and with low torque. But, geared correctly, it was easily the best and fastest 27t stock motor on the market! Touring cars are heavier than GT12s, with more rolling resistance... why wouldn't this work twice?? 

 

I fitted it on the 26th of April, with the racing being held on the 29th.

So, I was running a very high-revving and hot motor (with a very unattractive, anodised-blue end-cap and I CANNOT STAND the name "X-Factor!! It reminds me of that stupid TV show!!), that no-one else ran. It was going to be interesting...

 

And it was!

It was MUCH faster! However, it wasn't quite a rocket-ship... yet. I was running it with the stock timing, the same gearing as my Sky RC motor and with no fan. It came of the track at 90 degrees celsius!! 

 

The club secretary explained that these things are way over-timed, out of the box (for some reason), so we backed the timing off a bit. I also geared it down. It was quick! And it was getting better, as it bedded-in and I started to understand the timing and gearing.

 

Truth be told, it was too fast for me. I didn't yet have the ability to drive such a monster, although that would come.

I finished 3rd in the B Final, on my first night with the Trinity.

 

The next week, I had geared it down some more and had a fan fitted. Now, the Trinity comes off the track around 55-60 degrees after a race, which is perfectly acceptable (although, considerably warmer than the Sky RC motor, with no fan!).

More importantly, I won my first B Final and I had the fastest lap! 

I was LOVING this car and motor!

 

It continued that way, for a few months. With me competing for (and sometimes achieving) the top spot in the B Final.

 

 

Unfortunately, it all unravelled, for a little while.

People were telling me that my (albeit, very nice looking) Porsche 911 body shell was holding me back. Shells based on real cars don't have real racing R&D put into them. They don't produce anywhere near the downforce of the "racing body shells". I ignored it, for a while, but I wasn't making the next step to achieve a proper A Final appearance (save for nights where the top guys race their LMP12s and not their GT12s... those nights don't count). So, I decided to get a new body shell.

 

Again, something that no-one else was using, because being the same is dull.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is a BittyDesign Agata. Let's be honest... it's a Lamborghini. I think it looks fantastic.

This shell is supposed to offer plenty of steering and downforce, but without affecting your set-up (whereas some shift the bias forward, or back). It was looking great and I was very much looking forward to trying it.

Incidentally, this was also when I started to run 2x sets of tyres, each evening (like the top guys do). Swapping back-and-forth, between heats. The reason being; I was using up a full set every 2 or 3 weeks!! This is because the tyre additive softens the foam and gives it lots of grip, but if you don't allow the tyres to have a break, they wear exponentially more, with each run. Swapping to 2x the tyres gives about 4x the lifespan.

 

 Anyway, my car was looking great.

 

BUT IT WAS AWFUL!!

 

I'd be fine-ish (but far from good) for a couple of minutes, then I'd all of a sudden "hit a cliff" and the car would be sliding all over the place, constantly trying to swap ends. It felt like someone would spontaneously swap my tyres for those horrible, plastic "drift tyres" that cheap drift RCs come with... with added grease, to boot! I couldn't work it out!

 

Over the next couple of race meetings, some of the experts tried to help, but they were just as stumped. Going less aggressive with the set-up didn't help. Someone lending me a different body shell didn't help.

They were convinced I'd tweaked the chassis, as it couldn't ever track straight. They advised I buy and fit the less-tweakable carbon chassis and try a different, more forgiving, body shell: The Phat Bodies GTM (it's a McLaren).

I didn't want to, I don't find McLaren road cars particularly handsome, but my "Lamborghini" was pretty wrecked, already! Such a shame.

 

So, I did that. Armed with a new body shell and a new chassis (not to mention the chassis-specific and quite expensive top-deck conversion), I showed-up with another iteration of my Atom 2.

 

This is an awful photo and it's very recent (hence the tinsel in the background). Plus, I've now run this car for months, so it's rather beat-up. Mostly because of what happened next (below), but anyway, this is how the car currently looks.

Take my word for it, this Tamiya bright yellow and bright sliver combo USED to look good! 

 

 

 

After all that, the car wasn't really any better! I got it to the point that it was basically on-rails for a couple of minutes, then it would very suddenly become utterly evil, just like above! I couldn't work it out!

It was affecting how much I enjoyed the racing, because I couldn't seem to stop that transition and I couldn't trust the car.

 

 

However, we finally cracked it! MY TYRE PREP!!

I was doing it wrong! Remember how I started using 2x sets of tyres? Well, the tyres were no longer being constantly bathed in additive (a good thing), but I hadn't adjusted my soak-time, accordingly (a bad thing). It took me several weeks, 2 body shells, 2 chassis', 2 top-deck conversion kits and many tyres to work it out! Leave the additive on much longer, but dry them off, THOROUGHLY! Leaving them air-dry for the last 10/15 minutes.

 

So what happened? Well, the theory is that the Porsche body shell did not produce enough downforce, to ask questions of the tyres. As soon as I introduced high downforce levels, the lack of tyre-prep came to light, as the tyres were worked so much harder.

 

With that worked-out, I ditched the emergency, ultra-conservative set-up and started chasing the elusive A Final.

As the weeks went on, I got the motor in a proper sweet spot. It's a missile! Easily one of the fastest there. Although, I have to run it about 6 -7 teeth lower than the guys running Hobbywings!

I've also swapped the ball differential for a geared one. It's more consistent.

I've won several B Finals, since.

 

Then, on the 25th of November, I made my first, legitimate A Final!! Goal achieved!

I've done it every week, since! 

 

So, I'm basically now at the same level as I was with the touring cars, all those years ago. I'm pleased with the progress.

 

I also have a sworn rival! His name is Steve. Last official club night, I bumped him out of the A Final... by 17 hundredths of a second!!

That's right!

0.17 seconds.

1.7 tenths of a second.

Not over a lap... over a whole 5-minute race!

And our best-10 lap average was identical, down to the hundredth!

Amazing! 

 

We have started to do things like that, basically every week. There's nothing between us. It's great fun.

On the Christmas event, we finished equal second, overall! Because, of course we did! 

 

My skill-rank, out of 100 is now at 96.

 

So, yeah. A LOT has happened. Some good, some bad, but it's all been a real learning process and I am soooooo happy that I got back into racing. It's a blast!

Next is to find out where I'll finish in the championship...

 

Right next to Steve, I suspect!

 

His rank, FYI, is 96 

 

For next year, Shark Fat is doing another body shell for me. This time, it'll be another BittyDesign Agata. Because it looks great, no-one has one and it was proven to be not the cause of my issues!

This will be in a GT3-esque racing livery, albeit created by myself and Shark Fat.

 

Cheers.

Edited December 21, 2022 by PraetoR

[ReggieC]

Great read that mate. Nice to see the workflow to sorting out your problems.

 

I had my first TC meet in 10 years the other week and looking forward to getting back up to grips with it!

[Stormbringer]

Well done mate realy pleased your getting there and that red lambo looked awesome 👌 

Good luck in the rest of the season as well 

Edited December 21, 2022 by Stormbringer

[bertberr]

Very good update on your racing progress, glad you’re realising your early goals. I’m half thinking about getting into indoor racing as I have a club 5 mins away, but just trying to decide between gt12 and tt01 trucks. Erring towards tt01 due to them being a bit cheaper and simpler to set up.

[PraetoR]

On 21/12/2022 at 16:04, ReggieC said:

Great read that mate. Nice to see the workflow to sorting out your problems.

 

I had my first TC meet in 10 years the other week and looking forward to getting back up to grips with it!

 

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, it's good to steadily begin to understand the technical side of the little GT12 cars.

How did you get on? Have you written up anything? I'm so envious of you, being able to run touring cars!

 

EDIT: Just saw your write-up on various race meets and classes. Good stuff!

 

 

On 21/12/2022 at 16:17, Stormbringer said:

Well done mate realy pleased your getting there and that red lambo looked awesome 👌 

Good luck in the rest of the season as well 

 

Thank you, much appreciated! It certainly did... it doesn't now!

Cheers, at least I have a new goal... beat Steve!

 

 

1 hour ago, bertberr said:

Very good update on your racing progress, glad you’re realising your early goals. I’m half thinking about getting into indoor racing as I have a club 5 mins away, but just trying to decide between gt12 and tt01 trucks. Erring towards tt01 due to them being a bit cheaper and simpler to set up.

 

Thank you and thanks for prompting me to update this, I have been meaning to.

 

Definitely do it! You'll have a great time and it's really nice to meet like-minded RC enthusiasts.

 

Honestly, I'm loving GT12, but I'd recommend the TT-01 trucks. It's not just cheaper, it's much cheaper! I think my GT12 has probably cost me £600+, not including wheels/tyres and additive. I imagine the TT-01 truck rules keep upgrades minimal and costs low. Plus, they'll survive crashes much better. If my club ran TT-01 trucks, I'd run a TT-01 truck! 

Edited December 22, 2022 by PraetoR

[bertberr]

Yeah, think I'll pop down to a meet after xmas, have a chat with them and go from there.  Tell me, I mainly use a GT3C radio for bashing / crawling, will that be OK for indoor racing, or will I need something better (faster response)?

[ReggieC]

9 hours ago, PraetoR said:

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it. Yeah, it's good to steadily begin to understand the technical side of the little GT12 cars.

How did you get on? Have you written up anything? I'm so envious of you, being able to run touring cars!

 

EDIT: Just saw your write-up on various race meets and classes. Good stuff!

 

I was too young to really understand what set ups did last time round so I'm enjoying chasing around good set ups now!

 

Really enjoying getting back into racing and have a couple of different classes to do. Was really nice to get out with a touring car too. The track is probably just on the limit of being too small for them, but I think that probably means my 22 year old chassis isn't shown up as much

[PraetoR]

4 hours ago, bertberr said:

Yeah, think I'll pop down to a meet after xmas, have a chat with them and go from there.  Tell me, I mainly use a GT3C radio for bashing / crawling, will that be OK for indoor racing, or will I need something better (faster response)?

 

The GT3C certainly has enough functions for you to start racing. My Futaba T2HR system doesn't have dual-rate adjustment and I've never really felt it has held me back. I can still adjust the amount of steering, just not left/right, independently.

 

As for response... I mean... is there a delay? If there is, don't use it. If there isn't, then go ahead!

I'm sure that there are top radio systems that, on paper, have faster response times. However, if yours is already so fast that you cannot perceive any delay (very likely the response time is considerable quicker than human reaction speed), then what's the benefit of spending more money? ESPECIALLY if you're running TT-01 trucks. Surely that's meant to be a fun class?

[PraetoR]

2 hours ago, ReggieC said:

 

I was too young to really understand what set ups did last time round so I'm enjoying chasing around good set ups now!

 

Really enjoying getting back into racing and have a couple of different classes to do. Was really nice to get out with a touring car too. The track is probably just on the limit of being too small for them, but I think that probably means my 22 year old chassis isn't shown up as much

 

Yeah, I get you. I definitely miss the tweakability of the touring cars. GT12 just doesn't have that same scope of adjustment. Man, I love touring cars!

 

I saw that. You seem to be doing really well and (more importantly) having a lot of fun. I honestly think the whole "latest and greatest" thing is a little overrated. A good driver with an old TC is going to be faster than a not-so-good driver with a new TC.

 

Touring cars were amazing 20 years ago. They are better now, but not by a huge amount.

Not like showing up with a 20 year old Mardave and trying to compete vs modern GT12 cars! That would be a bloodbath!

[ReggieC]

On 23/12/2022 at 11:34, PraetoR said:

 

Yeah, I get you. I definitely miss the tweakability of the touring cars. GT12 just doesn't have that same scope of adjustment. Man, I love touring cars!

 

I saw that. You seem to be doing really well and (more importantly) having a lot of fun. I honestly think the whole "latest and greatest" thing is a little overrated. A good driver with an old TC is going to be faster than a not-so-good driver with a new TC.

 

Touring cars were amazing 20 years ago. They are better now, but not by a huge amount.

Not like showing up with a 20 year old Mardave and trying to compete vs modern GT12 cars! That would be a bloodbath!

 

Yeah I'm surprised with how well I'm doing really. I was far from fast when I used to race, but just seem to have a bit better control of it now.

 

I also find it funny how when I used to race TC, I always wanted to go off road racing, and now I've come back and started racing off road, the bug for TC racing pops up again. 

[PraetoR]

OK, so this isn't going to last, because of the drop-score system. The top guys will rise to the top.

 

But, in the meantime...

 

 

Waaaaaaaahhhh!!!

 

 

 

[Stormbringer]

nice 1 mate really pleased for you 

[PraetoR]

Thanks, man!

[ReggieC]

Top banana mate!

[PraetoR]

On 21/01/2023 at 09:45, ReggieC said:

Top banana mate!

 

Cheers!

[ReggieC]

Really liking the look of these GT12's. There's a decent amount running on the Tuesday night sessions I go to and they suit the smaller hall a lot better. Trying to stop myself from just picking up cars for every class I can get into is proving difficult currently!

[PraetoR]

Ha! Sounds very familiar!

 

Just FYI, if you do decide to dip your toe into GT12, the Atom 3 has already been announced as is on the way. However, it's a VERY  marginal (read "disappointing") upgrade to the Atom 2. So, if you want a good car at a lower price point, there will be plenty of Atom 2s flooding the market.

 

However, the new Zen seems a bit better than both!

[PraetoR]

 

Sharkfat does it again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, this is my new Bittydesign Agata (to replace the red one that got smashed). Hopefully, this lasts longer!! 

 

Tomorrow evening (Friday 10th) is the last race meeting of the Winter Championship.

 

I told you the cream would rise to the top... a guy who is an ex-HPI Team Driver has taken the lead in the championship. His average points score is probably around 99.5 out of 100.

We can't catch him.

 

I'm now second... one point ahead of Steve! It all comes down to tomorrow night!