The Grand Meeting [Part One] - 25 Laps All 16 Cars

So here we are. Of course I had to get times down for these cars. Right now all I have to go by is how they feel to me. And while many feel pretty good, some are not quite there yet, including some of the new cars. But I wanted to get all the cars out and see what kind of times they were going to run. 

I've added weight to the cars, getting each Slot.it up to about 6-7 grams heavier than they were before. I'm still waiting on the Ortmann tires, but it looks like they're not going to arrive until after the holidays, and I need to time some laps. I've gotten most of the cars to a comfortable spot, so I decided to elongate the course, doubling projected lap times. I did this for a few reasons: I wanted to see how the cars ran on a more complicated layout, I wanted a longer lap time to give more separation between cars. 

Might not work on this Softybahnplaner software, but it works in my attic.

I still wanted speed, so I kept most of the test track and extended the end sections. I jazzed up the 180° U-turns at each end so that they were a little different from each other. So it's a fast track that can get a little twisty at bits. I like it so far, and the few cars I tried on it seemed to like it too.

The plan is to run 25 laps with each car and set their time. I'm going to see how much of this I can get done over the holiday. If it works out I should have numbers on all the cars before I gotta pack this all up and move out.

Each car will have their current condition listed, including upgrades, tires, tuning info and whatever other pertinent info might be there. Each car will run with the SCP-1 controller set at 70% power.

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The Grand Meeting - 25 Laps

Porsche 908/3 Escuderia Montjuich #83

I have no idea what any of these cars will do. 

Weight: 66.4 grams. I added 2 gr just behind the front axle.

Tires: NSR roughly sanded

I haven't gotten this car exactly where I want it yet. It still seems to need a little work. I haven't done much to the tires as I'm waiting for the Ortmanns. You'll hear that excuse with a lot of the cars. I have been sanding the tires over time, but they're not completely sanded down. I'm running it as-is and will accept whatever consequences may arise from it. 

Pos   Car          Time          Lap      

1.     908 #83   2:33.00      6.12

I don't know if that's good. If felt okay. Didn't feel completely fast, but I didn't feel out of control either. Could have been first car syndrome, could have been nothing and it's a fine lap time. 

I love the shorter cars for how forgiving they are. They're much more easy to correct when things get weird. It never feels like you're flailing about in the car. A slight deceleration and it snaps right back into place. 

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Porsche 917K Rothmans #9

Yeah, arty. I know. I take those kinds of pics too. I just never put them up here.

Weight: 70 grams

Tires: NSR roughly sanded. I've done even less to these tires than I did on the #83 908/3. 

This car seemed ready to do this, so I went for it. I haven't spent all that much work time on it, but I have driven it a lot. It might be the quietest car of the entire bunch. I haven't added any weight, and spent the most amount of time on the ride height. I have it where I like it now. 

Pos   Car          Time          Lap      

1.     917K #9  2:26.89      5.84

2.     908 #83   2:33.00      6.12

That's quite a difference in times between those two cars. 3/10ths would still be competitive between the Slot.it cars, so I'm good with it now. There is a long way to go on my tuning adventure. 

The smoothness in the 917K wasn't there in the 908/3, which I'm going to blame myself for. But that's a by product of doing a race with so many cars in the middle of a transition. They'll almost all have new tires, so this could be a rubber tire showdown. 

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Porsche 908/3 Sunoco #6

I haven't been able to take a pic yet that does this paint job justice.

Weight: 64.7 No weight added

Tires: NSR roughly sanded

I gotta say before this gets started that it already feels smoother than the Montjuich 908/3. I don't know if that'll translate to the race track, but it has that smooth feeling of the Rothmans 917K, or the Matra, or the GT40 #9. 

Pos   Car          Time          Lap      

1.     908 #6     2:20.77      5.60

2.     917K #9  2:26.89      5.84

3.     908 #83   2:33.00      6.12

A thing that happens when you have two similar cars from the same make is that you are always comparing them, even if they are not tuned similarly. Such is the case here, and now I'm thinking I'm going to need to look at the Montjuich 908/3. The Sunoco 908 ran so well that I can feel everything wrong with the way I set up the other car, and why it's a half second a lap behind. Again, I'm still at the early stages of getting these cars going, so they're at wildly different points of the tuning process. Dang, that Sunoco car is fast.

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Porsche Gulf 917K #19

More arty stuff.

Weight: 70.5

Tires: NSR roughly sanded

The first 917K did some hot laps around this track. This car has seen about as much shop time, and even less tire time and less overall laps. But it feels really good, so we'll see what happens. 

Pos     Car           Time         Lap      

1.     908 #6       2:20.77      5.60

2.     917K #19  2:21.35      5.64

3.     917K #9    2:26.89      5.84

4.     908 #83     2:33.00      6.12

I need to insert a "I'm having a great time" break. I really am. These cars are so much fun to drive. This car especially. Gulf colors, 917, it's just so cool. And it's right in the running. Curious to see if either the GT2 or the Momo can beat these numbers. Something tells me the Montjuich 908/3 is in danger of being beaten by another car or two. 

I'm going to lay a lot of the blame on tires producing some funky lap times. I really should take the time and sand the tires to slicks and do it all right, but I just don't have it to spare. I have to run 16 cars. I need to do as little pre-race prep as I can, which is one reason I'm going with urethane tires. Longer lasting and require less maintenance. Better grip, too. 

So that's all the cars I ran today. I'll hopefully do another group tomorrow.