Wednesday, 19 November 2008
Just My Opinion
In the past when a racer became sponsored it meant he/she had multiple race wins at large events and was pretty well known. Currently in RC there are a lot more sponsorships than ever before. If you talk to racers at any event you will inevitably hear the phrase “ I need a sponsor” so let's discuss just what that means and if you are really are ready for one.The main reason I hear for a racer wanting sponsorship is they can get a discount on product or maybe even get it for free. Normally you would associate that with costing less for your racing, right? Some people it does happen that way but a for most as I've been told it increases cost. How can that be when I pay less for the product? There are a couple reasons, one of which is you will buy more because things are cheaper. Before sponsorship you may have had a couple spare sets of tires and a spare motor but since your getting a better deal you will buy more spares and probably parts you did without before. So in reality you spent the same amount of money as before you just have more stuff now. In some instances you spend more! Your also going to have certain brands of parts you may not be able to run because it conflicts with your sponsor.
The next reason is travel costs increase. Why would that increase? Unless you are a Mike Truhe or Adam Drake level driver most sponsors don't pay travel. Well now your sponsor has certain races they expect you to go to that you may not have gone to before that may be farther from home. Usually these races are multiple days so now you have added hotel and food costs for yourself and family members that may travel with you. Plus now that your traveling farther you need more spares!
What does it take to get sponsored? As I mentioned in the past it was mainly your driving but in the last 5 – 7 years it has become more about being a salesman. Yes it helps if your the regional fast guy but it also helps if your known for helping other racers. You will be expected to do this by your sponsor. Most sponsors also expect you to maintain a level of decorum, meaning throwing fits and cussing people will eventually be reported to your sponsor and probably will get you released. Is this starting to sound like a job? That's because it is! When you sign a contract for sponsorship you are hiring out to that company. It should be treated as any 9-5 job would be except it can turn in to many more hours. You are that companies first line of sales and service. Racers may have seen the product in the magazine or hobby shop but how your car performs and how you act will sell more product. If your having a bad day and don't stop to answer a question about the product that could be a lost sale for your sponsor. I've witnessed several sponsored guys stop working on their vehicles to help someone else. I've also witnessed the sponsored guy who doesn't talk to anyone. It's not hard to figure out which company is high on the racers list and which one isn't!
At this point it sounds like I'm trying to persuade everyone to not go for that sponsorship. Not true! The reason for this article was to explain what sponsorship means so you will know what your getting into if you do get a sponsorship. So if sponsorship is what you really want then go for it just be ready for what goes with it.
Carlton Eppes
Sean Guthrie
Hello everyone, since my last column two months ago it has felt like a lifetime of activities has occurred. The Indy Lights series has had eight races from the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway to a small town in middle Iowa and just a few days ago we raced in Kentucky. In other words in the last two months I have only been home about two weeks. The good news is I am sitting eighth in points and have had multiple top ten runs.
Even with this hectic schedule I have managed to squeeze in two RC races at ARCOR (our local off-road track) and managed to win at both races. I won’t go into RC racing too much since I haven’t had time to do much of it lately. This month’s column is going to be an in depth look at Indy Lights racing and the race to race, hour by hour, fast paced action that goes along with it.
Over the last few months we have had some very exciting races one of which was in Nashville were we hovered between tenth and fifteenth position until a restart with under ten laps to go. When the field rolled around to take the green I quickly dashed through the field running all the way up to eighth spot were I finished. Another very exciting race was in Mid Ohio during a double race weekend.
Even with this hectic schedule I have managed to squeeze in two RC races at ARCOR (our local off-road track) and managed to win at both races. I won’t go into RC racing too much since I haven’t had time to do much of it lately. This month’s column is going to be an in depth look at Indy Lights racing and the race to race, hour by hour, fast paced action that goes along with it.
Over the last few months we have had some very exciting races one of which was in Nashville were we hovered between tenth and fifteenth position until a restart with under ten laps to go. When the field rolled around to take the green I quickly dashed through the field running all the way up to eighth spot were I finished. Another very exciting race was in Mid Ohio during a double race weekend.
The first race was not to eventful but the second race started in a complete down pour. When the field rolled out of the pits for the first of two warm up laps cars had already began sliding off the track. When we approached the start-finish line for the green flag a blanket of water went up. Driving into the first corner blind, anticipation was huge, and no one could know what was going to happen. As cars turned into the corner the blanket of water lifted and exposed cars going side ways, backwards and every which way. I slid my way from thirteenth to seven in two corners. The rest of the race was a mixture of cars crashing, yellow flag laps, and every corner that I took was done in a complete drift. When the checkered flag flew I had held on to finish seventh.
The most recent race was a race that had the fans on their feet the entire time. Kentucky motor speedway, under the lights for a sixty-seven lap action filled race. A bad qualifying effort put me in the eighth row inside. As the green flag flew I quickly moved to the outside, then the inside, and finally around the outer edge passing four cars in the first two laps. The rest of the race our car was glued to the outer edge of the track and my spotter never had a break. Radio chatter was limited to inside, inside, inside, clear. Working our way up into the top six and hovering there for the rest of the race. The race was filled with caution flag laps and the team and I had picked the wrong gearing so every restart we lost at least one spot and had to work to regain it. After an exhausting battle I ended up finishing seventh for the second race in a row.
A two week break has left me time to enjoy a bit of free time, catch up on some work, and get moved into my new house. The season will race in California for our last road coarse races of the season and then finish up in Chicago. In between the California race and the Chicago race I will be racing in the 2008 Pro-Line Tumble Weed Classic at ARCOR and hope to do very well and have a ton of fun during that RC race filled weekend.
The Club Affect
Last month I left you all with a headache thinking about what racing would be like if you were in a club. Well this month think of me as Aleve; I'll get rid of your headache, even if I do perhaps eat away at the lining of your stomach. Clubs can be frustrating and even toxic if not run properly, but when they are run properly they provide stable, supportive, vibrant communities of substantial resources that can produce some of the most rewarding experiences of your life. I say that without reservation or sarcasm, they can be truly wonderful. So often however they are a disappointment when members base instincts are allowed to take control. Together we're going to find strategies to overcome those problems and provide the best chance for success.
First lets talk about why a club. The cornerstone issue is as is so often the case in the United States, money. An average RC track requires anywhere from one to three acres for the track and parking. That same RC track requires a certain number of racers to maintain operation. It seems about thirty people a race night is the least a track can have and still have reason to exist. Racing is not a cheap activity so those people must have a reasonable income. When we look at the real estate market in the US, there are very few places that have the magic trifecta of cheap real estate, large population and wealth. There are many rural areas that do but 80% of the US population lives in cities or suburbs and there the real estate market quickly eliminates the possibility of a one acre site surviving on 30 people contributing $20 once a week. "But clubs face this problem just as much as commercial tracks" you say. Well yes and no. In the open market a club will face the same real estate costs as a commercial track, but a club does not have to use the open market. Since a club is not dedicated to financial gain, it can claim, rightly so, to be dedicated to the general welfare and public interest. This means that a club can petition to access public assets, i.e. parks. Parks are the only long term viable venue for RC Tracks and where they should be. RC racing is not pursued in it's own right for capital gain. It is pursued for entertainment and education. This is a public good declared in no less than the Declaration of Independence as the "Pursuit of Happiness".
So fine lets say the stars align and your local mayor knocks on your door to say he'd like to build you a mini Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you just have to create a club to run it and make sure it's used regularly. Right, piece of cake; I'll just summon the magic fairies of Rodney King and AJ Foyt and we'll all just get along and go racing. If you don't happen to have a spare King and Foyt sitting around, (I have three but no you can't borrow them, I just used four Kings and one Foyt to unify ChampCar and IRL and I'm saving the others for the unification of F1 and the IRL), there are other ideas. First thing to do is decide if your area is ready for a club. The first questions to ask are; How many tracks are there around the area? What types do we have? How many hobby shops are there in the area and do they support racing? Almost every town will have a hobby shop and track within a 50 mile drive of the city center. If you don't but you live in a town with more than 20,000 people, consider yourself the Phil Collins of RC and start banging the drums of genesis to build a club. If you have a local hobby shop but no track, the hobby shop is where to start. If you also have a local track, talk to them both. If you have several tracks and hobby shops the problem becomes a little trickier but provides benefits as well. Summon your inner diplomat and start talking to people in the know. Talk to everyone and anyone who is in the racing scene. don't have a plan before you talk to them, listen and see what people think. Maybe there is a form of racing that's missing like nitro on-road that others would like to see. No matter your situation, the first step is connecting with others so go to your hobby shop or track, get online and start finding others in your area. In the interim, Drive it like ya Stole it.
Frank Connolly
Pro Driving Tips
Let me begin by saying that I have raced 1/8th on-road for 16 years and most of the tips and experiences in this article pertain to on-road racing, but hopefully some things will be universal in helping you no matter what your r/c racing pleasure is.
I often get asked… “Scott, what’s your set-up?” I can honestly answer…. “I don’t know!” Well, that’s because I have an overkill of mechanics that do an incredible job with all the work on the car so I’m kind of left out of the loop on that one. I feel what the car is and isn’t doing to my liking, then, relay that information to them, and they do….um, something (and usually they don’t tell me what that something is, and I don’t ask). It’s okay though because set-up is not my strongpoint, but many of you already knew that!
The real question is not what MY set-up is, but what’s a good set-up for YOU? I can tell you that my car feels great to me, but usually does not feel good to someone else that drives it because they say that it doesn’t steer enough. I don’t like the car twitchy, I like it stable and smooth…. But to many people this translates to not enough steering and, well, they can’t deal with that! Here’s my point…. The only good set-up for YOU is the one that you’re comfortable with. Don’t be concerned if this is not the same as what everyone else is running. Remember, there are no “laws” of car set-up, but some people would like you to think there are. They will say that you have to do this, and you have to do that. Really, they may be taking you away from what works for you. There are definitely good starting points that will get you in the game, but from there it is up to you to find that sweet spot that gives you and the car that Magic Spark together to improve your times on the track. Aaahhh…. So nice when the Spark is ignited and you become one with the car!
Now with all that in mind, there are some things that can help you, Mr. R/C SuperStar-Racer-in-Training, become a better driver. Hopefully, the tips listed below can help put you on the path to the winner’s circle. Just remember, even if you don’t find your way to the podium….having fun is what should be most important to you, but that’s for another article.
Okay, okay…. You want to go faster and drive better, and I know this! Let’s get out the Special Tires, and open up the bag of tricks to see if there’s anything inside that might help you become a better driver…………..
1) Be Prepared
Seems simple enough right? But let me ask you… do you go to the track with engines broken in and ready, some tires pre-cut, bodies mounted, and batteries charged? Or do you spend half of your practice time just getting ready to practice? The more prepared you can be before you get to the track, the more time you will have to spend on the track driving, learning, and improving. Before you go to your next race try to cut two or three sets of tires at home (and make sure you know what a good starting tire and size is, from either your prior experience or by finding out from someone who knows the track). If you have more than one motor, get extra clutches and put one on each motor so that they are ready to go and you can quickly switch between them. Mount an extra body in case of unexpected damage, and charge your batteries the night before you run. When practice opens, you will have more time to actually learn the track and find your limitations so you can try new things to improve your car and your lap times.
2) SLOW DOWN!!What? Huh? You’re saying to yourself…. I thought he was gonna tell me how to go faster!! Well, when you’re at the race track you usually aren’t thinking about slowing down but it really can help you get faster. When I watch a less experienced racer drive, the biggest area I see where they can immediately improve their times, is over-driving the car. They overshoot one corner and square it off, then power out to the point that they overshoot the next turn, and so on and so on…. It becomes a never-ending cycle that not only kills your lap times, but also your fuel mileage. Trust me; it’s not a good thing to make a 12-turn track into a 25-turn track! That math just doesn’t add up Einstein! Once you slow down a little, you will then be able to find “the line” better. Brake before you get to a tough corner, stay in control of the car, and let it roll through the corner…. carrying valuable speed with it. I promise, if you learn to not overshoot corners your driving will have immediately improved.
3) Watch the other guyThe fast guy, you have to find him, study him, and learn from him. It’s one thing to watch
a few laps and say, “wow, he’s fast”. It’s something completely different to study how he drives and watch how he enters and exits turns, especially the ones you would deem the most difficult on the track. Even better, stand under the drivers stand and watch him drive. Examine his finger movements to see how much throttle he is applying at certain areas, and where he might be braking. Pay attention to where on the track that certified fast guy is really gaining on other cars. You will soon notice that there are particular areas where he is exceptionally fast, and if you can steal just a little piece of his Mojo, then you are helping yourself too baby, Yeah!
4) Video Tape yourself
This is my favorite, and I put this tip to use on a regular basis. Think about it, you watch the fast guy, your buddy, the entire rest of the field, but how often do you watch yourself?!? This really can be a powerful tool to help you improve. Have someone record you racing whenever possible, then watch and compare what you see with what you felt while actually driving. If you have never done this before then you will be in for quite a surprise when you actually view yourself and how you drive. Another helpful thing to do is ask the person shooting the video for you to try and capture at least a few laps of someone fast on the track so you have a comparison to look at. Be sure to carefully study how you enter and exit turns, and compare that to the other car. You should be able to very easily see where you can improve. This is also very helpful if you travel away to a track, and then return there maybe a year later. Just pull out that video and watch it to help get you in the right mindset of how to handle that track before you go!
This is my favorite, and I put this tip to use on a regular basis. Think about it, you watch the fast guy, your buddy, the entire rest of the field, but how often do you watch yourself?!? This really can be a powerful tool to help you improve. Have someone record you racing whenever possible, then watch and compare what you see with what you felt while actually driving. If you have never done this before then you will be in for quite a surprise when you actually view yourself and how you drive. Another helpful thing to do is ask the person shooting the video for you to try and capture at least a few laps of someone fast on the track so you have a comparison to look at. Be sure to carefully study how you enter and exit turns, and compare that to the other car. You should be able to very easily see where you can improve. This is also very helpful if you travel away to a track, and then return there maybe a year later. Just pull out that video and watch it to help get you in the right mindset of how to handle that track before you go!
5) Learn patience Young Jedi
Well, if you learn nothing else, you must learn patience! You must feel The Force flowing through you and around you……. Not quite, but almost. Sounds good though. Seriously, you will have good days and bad days but that is just part of racing. It will be very hard for you to improve if you don’t have patience, and sometimes lots of it. Remember, you are at the track to HAVE FUN! If needed, take a step back from the toy car and refocus your energy to the having fun part. Go socialize in the pits. Tell some stories. Help someone else with a need they have. Grab some lunch. Return to your own ride with a clear and relaxed mind. You’ll get a lot more enjoyment out of a great hobby called R/C car racing!
Well, if you learn nothing else, you must learn patience! You must feel The Force flowing through you and around you……. Not quite, but almost. Sounds good though. Seriously, you will have good days and bad days but that is just part of racing. It will be very hard for you to improve if you don’t have patience, and sometimes lots of it. Remember, you are at the track to HAVE FUN! If needed, take a step back from the toy car and refocus your energy to the having fun part. Go socialize in the pits. Tell some stories. Help someone else with a need they have. Grab some lunch. Return to your own ride with a clear and relaxed mind. You’ll get a lot more enjoyment out of a great hobby called R/C car racing!
See you at the track…………
Photo Credits: lead photo DTS Photography, others RobsPics
FEATURED RC VIDEO
Latest News
ASK THE EXPERTS
More
Sponsors
|
Official Sponsors:
|
