Class A Endurance Race #2 [Race 5 of 20]

Due to yesterday's close finish, another endurance race is being run today, this time on a more wide-open track. 10 minutes, no power limit.

The big corner [upper left] was the cause of all the offs. The rest of the track was very fast, and the cars handled it well.

Curves - 9
Straightaway length - 4 Carrera straights

All cars were cleaned, tuned and trued last night and are running in top condition. Grub screws have been added to the front end of the Alfa, giving it a bit more control. I also switched the spur gear around so the teeth are on the inside of the Gulf Ford.

Team orders are to run pod/body loose.

Here are the results:

Car                Laps             Offs                Points

#11 Gulf         187               1                        5
#8 Shell          184               0                        3              
#2 Alfa           184               2                        1              
                             

The offs hurt the Alfa. It was a bit looser than the other two cars, probably due to me getting used to the new front axle setup. Both times it came off was on the big corner and my fault. Regardless of it being a little loose, it was still fastest. I handled it gingerly in the big corner, and that definitely effected lap times.

The Shell car is getting smoother and smoother as time goes by. I suspect the chassis might have a warp in it, but it didn't show in this race. Not a tire out of line the entire time. I probably could have pushed it a bit more, however, as it was braking pretty hard.

I brought up the Minimum Speed % on the SCP-1 controller for the Gulf car, and it responded brilliantly. Absolutely floated through the corners and leapt down the straights. Even with the single off it was still posting fast laps. I found a few corners late into the race that I was able to pick up speed through that I couldn't with the other cars.

Team Standings [Race 5 of 20]:

Car             Points          Total  

#11 Gulf         5                17
#8 Shell          3                17
#2 Alfa           1                15

[Class B did not race]:

R18                 0                4
SC                   0                2

The standings changed a little, with the Alfa dropping into third based on the solid performance of the #8 Shell car. The Alfa has a bit of catching up to do....or should I say the driver of the Alfa has some work to do.

Slot.it Axle Blocks

Since taking the magnets out of the car, I was struggling with keeping the front wheels on the track. I first checked the braids, keeping them flush with the chassis so they couldn't spring the front end. Then I tried making an axle adjustment to get the wheels down, and discovered that the axle blocks inhibit the amount of downward movement to the axle and wheels.

So I removed them.

The #8 Ford front end after the axle blocks have been taken out. Upward movement is still the same and controlled by the grub screws on top of each side of the axle, while downward movement has improved, bringing the wheels back to the track.

I spoke with a few other people who agreed with me that the axle blocks weren't really needed, and in fact they sometimes caused problems due to binding.

The axle blocks. Small as can be. In fact, the first time I removed them was through a violent accident while taking the front axle assembly apart. They flew away and weren't located until the next day.

The Alfa is of slightly older construction and uses an oval-shaped insert to keep the axle in place. It has a limited upward movement, and when the blocks were taken out, the downward movement improved.

The Alfa front end. It has lower profile axle blocks, and the axle sits well in place without them. This is in the most downward position, which is not making any contact with anything.

This morning I was going back to the boxes the cars came in to retrieve an M2 wrench that is taped on the bottom. As I grabbed the wrench off the box for the #11 car, I noticed it contained two small grub screws. I put them into the Alfa's front end.

Taking out the axle blocks gave me just the right amount of room to bring the wheels down, and all three cars sit perfectly now, without magnets. Here's pics of the post-extraction:

Ultimately, I will be buying the necessary grub screws for the bottom of the axle. I'll have more adjustment possibilities with them than without them. However, I now have the movement that I wanted in the front and can live with it for the time being.

If you're reading this, I would suggest you try removing the axle blocks if you're having difficulty keeping your wheels on the track. Best slight improvement I've made so far. 

Class A Endurance Race [Race 4 of 20]

The next race on the docket is a short endurance race, consisting of 10-minute heats with unlimited top speed. Points will be distributed as follows:

1st - 5 points
2nd - 3 points
3rd - 1 point

The purpose of this point structure is to put pressure on me to drive a solid race with each car. Offs will definitely matter here, so the less offs the better.

New Class A rule: All Class A cars will be run from now on without axle blocks. If their performance suffers because of it, all cars will be evaluated and the rule looked at again. Due to the previous race's result, however, I feel that the removal of the axle blocks will be an improvement on the overall handling of the cars.

Results [Race 4 of 20 - 10 minute race - no ties - offs count against]:

Car                           Laps              Offs              Points
#8 Shell GT40          183                   0                   5
#2 Alfa                      180                   0                   3
#11 Gulf GT40          180                  2                   1                        
                                             

I ran the Alfa first and it performed flawlessly. Didn't set out of line once, and was running fast. I thought it would be the time to beat since it was the starter in the race and set such a blazing lap time.
The Gulf GT40 had a couple offs, which went against it in the points as it came in tied with the Alfa. Still tells me there's work to be done on the Alfa, but it's good to see the cars so competitive with each other.

I don't know what to say about the Shell GT40. Secretly I've wanted it to be the best, as it was the wounded puppy of the group when I got it, and was my primary inspiration for picking up these cars in the first place. It performed wonderfully. Fast, gliding nicely through turns, not to butt-heavy, yet still more solid feeling than the Alfa.

I'm surprised at how close the results were given the time and laps covered. I was expecting a bit more of a discrepancy. As a result the points given will be heartbreaking for the Gulf team that came up short, yet gives the #8 Shell car a boost in the standings.

Team Standings [4 of 20 races]

Car           Points             Total
#8 Shell       5                     14
#2 Alfa        3                     14
#11 Gulf      1                     12

Class A Invitational Unlimited [Race 3 of 20]

Late last night I was up and got to thinking about something: I've been struggling with getting the front wheels on the ground on the Slot.it cars, and had resigned myself to the fact that I'll have to replace the axle blocks with grub screws if I want to get the two to meet. Then it came to me: what if I just took the axle blocks out? They only seem to be restricting the downward movement of the suspension, and not the upward, as that is handled by grub screws from above.
As I was attempting to take the front axle assembly off, the wheel came off wildly, sending the two axle blocks flying into the unknown. I searched for awhile and then went to bed.

This morning I found the two blocks, but decided to run a race without them, which consisted of only the Class A [Slot.it] cars. Here are the team orders:

#11 Gulf Ford - pod/body float, axle blocks in
#8 Shell Ford - pod/body float, axle blocks out
#2 Alfa - pod/body float, axle blocks out

The decision to take the axle blocks out of the Alfa was based on the older suspension system, with the oval insert, and what would happen if that worked alone. It doesn't use a grub screw from the top, as there is a limited amount of travel the oval insert will allow.
All cars have the same basic construction: if you take out the axle blocks, there are two posts that act as supports. They also will keep the axle in line, yet give it a bit more travel. The wheels on the #8 and #2 touch the ground now, giving more support than previously. Prior to this I was able to slide a piece of paper between the front tires and the track, but now they're making contact.

The race is called "Unlimited" due to me setting the maximum speed on each car higher, depending on the car. I wanted to see how fast each car could go without a uniform top speed limitation.

Results - 3 minute heat:

Car          Laps       Offs   Points
#2             55            0         3
#11           52            0         2
#8             52            0         2

The Alfa's performance increased radically, from being consistently a few laps down in the races prior to now having a clear lead over the competition. The handling improved immensely, and is now more in line with the speed of the car. The shorter wheelbase has a lot to do with this, I suspect, as it just refuses to lose grip. There isn't any upward travel limitation being applied other than from the oval insert.

While the #8 and the #11 tied, it was still a victory for the #8 because it didn't go off. The handling problems it had before are gone now, and there's enough upward travel limitation keeping the wheels on the track. Neither car was skittish or biting in the turns.

Since the improvements for the two cars were so drastic, I have decided that it will be a Class A rule to take the axle blocks out of all of the cars. This should improve the #11 as well, which will start the next race without them.

As this was an invitational and only Class A participated, only they will score points for this round. This shouldn't matter, as Class B is on a two point system per race anyway, and shouldn't have an effect on the total outcome. If, for some reason, it looks like a Class B car is going to become a threat, the Class B part of this race will be run and counted.

Team Standings [after 3 of 20 races]:

Car         Points        Total
#2              3                11
#11            2                11
#8              2                 9

Class B [did not race]:
R18           0                 4
SafetyCar  0                 2


Next Race: Class A 10-minute endurance race.

Tuned Racers [Race 2 of 20]

Race Two started with a proper tuning of all the cars, with grease and oil added, and tires sanded. The track is fast and mostly outside turns, so it should be pretty even:

Team orders for this race:
#8 Ford GT40 Shell Team - no float
#11 Ford GT40 Gulf Team - pod float only
#2 Alfa Team - pod float only

Results:

Car               Laps      Offs

Class A [no magnets]

#2 Alfa           54          2

#11 Gulf         54          3 

#8 Shell          54          1

Class B [w/magnet]

R18                 50          0 

Safety Car       46          0

The Class A cars ended in a three-way tie after the race. Each car was fast, yet each had offs in the same area of the track; the 180º before the start. The #8 feels the fastest, and still has a bit of anger in it. Had it not come off it would have won. 

The Alfa was light and nimble, but I think I got a bit overzealous when racing it. All offs were driver error, as they almost always are.

A bit of a dogleg right. Cars struggled with the corner at the bottom of the photo due to it being at the end of the stretch.

Due to the tie, a tie breaker heat race for Class A would have to be run. Three minutes, winner take all. No additional points for the heat race; cars are scored based on their final standings. Here are the results from the tie-breaker heat race:

2nd heat/Finish

Car               Laps       Offs

Class A

#11 Ford         58           0 

#8 Ford           57           1
#2 Alfa           56           0

Class B

R18          [didn't race 2nd heat]
SC           [didn't race 2nd heat]

The #8 was on a tear. Had it not come off it would have surely won by a few laps, as it was already chasing down the #11 and it took me about a lap's time to re-slot it. I played it a little more conservatively driving the Alfa so that I could get a clean heat, but I think I was too careful. The Alfa really is quick and light as a feather, but it requires a bit of dexterity. One wrong finger twitch and that thing is over the fence. 

The Fords, on the other hand, feel stable and secure. The length is more than the Alfa, and that's probably got something to do with it.

In Class B, the Safety Car really needs to make a better showing. The next track will be more technical, which should slow down the R18 a bit. We'll see. The Slot.it cars, on the other hand, act like they have magnets in them when they don't.

Team Standings [after 2 of 20 races]

Car               Pts            Total

Class A
Gulf #11        5                  9
Alfa #2          3                  8
Shell #8         4                  7

Class B
R18                2                  4
SC                  1                  2

Looks like Class A is off to a good start, and keeping competitive with each other. Unlike Class B, there is no clear leader here yet. I still expect the Alfa to start performing faster than it has been. The stalwart #11 has not given me the slightest problem since I've taken it out of the box. Such a smooth running race car.

Slot.it Spur Gear Placement

I had the three Slot.it cars flipped on their backs and noticed something: one of the Fords had the spur gear set up with the teeth on the inside near the chassis, while one [GT40 #11] was set up with the teeth near the wheel.

I noticed that the spur gear was grinding against the chassis on the yellow Ford and the Alfa. It was suggested to put a space in between and leave the spur gear in that position. As a test I switched the two cars that were set up this way.  [Note: see the two light gray scratch marks on the underside of the chassis directly in front of the wheels? That's paint from my track from when the cars go over the edge in a turn, then correct themselves. Pretty cool. They haven't scraped any of the paint off the corner edges yet.

I don't have spacers yet, but I have a list of spare parts I'm collecting. Once I get the spacers I'll flip the spur gears back to teeth-inside and see if that changes anything. I've asked around and haven't got definitive word yet which way is optimal.

I have run the two cars, and they are indeed quieter now that they aren't rubbing against the chassis. Here's what one looks like now:

Here's the Alfa after switching the spur gear so the teeth are near the wheel. It's pretty much right on the edge of the pinion either way it is set up.

I'm going to leave them this way until I get the spacers. I'd rather they not rub and maybe not be ideally setup until I can get the parts to do it.

New Series [Race 1 of 20]

I worked out a new racing season and have just undergone the first race. Here were the rules:

3 minute solo heat
Manual-control racing
Restricted speed set via SCP-1 controller
5 point scoring system

Track: #1 Reverse

I decided that I didn't want to exclude my Carrera cars, so I've worked out two classes: Class A [no mag], Class B [mag]. Each Carrera car has only one magnet in it as opposed to two, both set in the middle position. This automatically separates brands by class, as there is just too much of a speed difference between Carrera and Slot.it to make it competitive straight across the board.
In order to make restricted speed work, I took the first Class A car and ran a few laps, setting the maximum speed to just allow the car to de-slot if I punched it. Once at that maximum power setting, all cars were required to race there. This would help put a limit on the Carrera cars, keeping them somewhat in line with overall lap times, and in theory competitive.
Manual-control was done by running a few laps with each car prior to starting the heat in order to familiarize myself with differences in car setups and responsiveness. Manual control also added the possibility of de-slotting during racing, which doesn't happen in a ghost-mode race.

Here are the results [3 minute heat]:

Order of finish.

Car             Laps      Offs

Alfa #2         61           1   saved itself on curve / nimble / the most pleasurable to drive

GT40 #11     60           1   traction improved with tire sanding / solid and quiet       

GT40 #8       58           3   smooth and fast / responding great to no mag / possibly fastest          

R18 eTron    56            0  not fast, but smooth / engine strength not enough      

Safety Car    50           1   hard braking created driving inconsistencies, slow lap times

First Race Class A Winner: #2 Alfa Romeo 

The Alfa is going to be hard to beat. It got out of the gate fast, and doesn't feel problematic at all in the way of handling with the magnets out. It's quick as can be, and always seems to have that extra bit of oomph when needed. Not only a fast car, but it hasn't even come close to its full potential yet. 

And just as I had suspected, it was much faster than the ghost mode race. It really has a lot to give and rarely comes off. The center of gravity on the Slot.it cars are so low that the cars will frequently save themselves is a tire comes off the track in the corners. That kind of move would send the Carrera cars spinning out. That's a bonus since I run without borders.

First Race Class A 3rd Place: #8 Shell Team Ford GT40

After the last race, I did extensive tuning and tweaking to the Shell #8 GT40. The axle was binding, causing a squeak. I cut a guide groove into each of the axle blocks to help stop the binding, and it did the trick. 

With the mags out, all of the Slot.it cars front wheels hover just over the track. This can only be fixed by replacing the axle blocks with grub screws, which I plan to do on each car. 

The #8 had sanded tires and body and pod float. I didn't add the pod float to the #11 as a team decision. The #8 was also the only car to have the improved axle blocks. While the #8 came off three times, it still was competitive, and likely would have won had it stayed on the track. It still made a respectable showing. All three offs were driver errors, but I wanted to stay true to the objectivity I'm trying to have with every car and not race favorites. 

First Race Class A 2nd Place: #11 Gulf Ford GT40

The #11 Gulf GT40 only got better with the improvements made to it. It hasn't given me any problems since taking it out of the box, and it responds to every tuning move. It's remarkably smooth, and now that the mags are out has an even better acceleration curve. It came off once, but otherwise handled very well. The #8, by comparison, is a bit wilder and more hyper. All three Slot.it cars are very competitive with each other. I suspect there won't be a clear winner, unless it's for reasons of car failure with one of the teams. 

The eTron R18 finished first in the B Class, blowing away the Safety Car by a large margin. I don't think the R18 could have done as well with the magnets out, as it's extremely butt-heavy. It could have used more power, however, since the one magnet held it on the track well enough for it not to be in any danger of de-slotting. Whether or not that still would have been enough to keep up with the Class A cars, I don't know, but I doubt it. The orange end bell motor in Slot.it cars is quite strong and more powerful than the generic Carrera motor. I don't expect the R18 to truly compete against them, but I'm going to try. 

I'm convinced the Safety Car is not running right. It's got such hard braking it almost feels like it's fighting against the motor. Like there's such a hard bind that it's locking up. But there isn't anything that's binding that I'm finding, so it must be the motor. Extraordinarily twitchy. But since I don't want the eTron to run away with the class championship, I'm going to try to get the Safety Car running better.

So, here are the team standings after one race:

Car               Pts           Total

Alfa               5                 5 [leader Class A]

Gulf #11        4                 4 

Shell #8         3                 3 

eTron             2                 2 [leader Class B]

Audi              1                 1

Each car will be checked, tuned and tested between races. Team orders will stand for each car to keep them separate. Team orders for each car are as follows:

Alfa            any setup
Shell #8      grooved axle blocks, pod and body float
Gulf #11     no axle block modification, no pod float, body float only
eTron          any setup
Audi           any setup

I think this racing plan is going to work. By splitting them into two classes, it makes the Carreras matter more, as they are a bigger threat with mags in against a no-mag car. It also makes me want to see if I can tune the Carreras to beat the Class A cars. Gives me something to push for with these cars as opposed to putting them in a drawer somewhere never to race again.
Team orders will work out well, and while there aren't many to start with, it's most there to keep a little separation in the two Fords. Just because I have two similar cars, it doesn't mean I have to tune them that way. In fact, it could be argued that I'd never get them truly even anyway.