Razdawg

Well I am quickly approaching my late 30's and have never ever raced RC. I went to the local track and enjoyed what seemed like a friendly crowd with some good racing. I am thinking since Short Course is so popular right now that this might be the class to get into?

But some questions:

What is "required" for a day of racing? Do you need 2.4 radios nowadays? How does a newb not make enemies right off the bat?

I am eyeing either the HPI Blitz or the Kyoshso Ultima SC and I want to stay in Spec class...right? What exactly does that mean?

I guess just looking for some general info/experiences from the folks here.

FieroMan121

My Feedback: (2)

well to answer your first question, no 2.4 is not needed but it makes it a heck of a lot easier, that or bring alternate xtals if you need to change freqs. i normaly pack everything ill need in my hiking pack and after everything is said and done it weights about 50lbs this includes:

every tool i might possibly need, including hex, nut, philips, and slotted drivers, utility knive, zip ties (lots of zip ties) pens, plyers, various sized vice grips, wire snips, wheel nut wrenches, etc
2 chargers, 2 balancers, lipo, plug adapters, leads, cooling fan of doom, power source
2-3 packs per chassis im racing that day
as many spare parts as i can fit in every corner of my bag
soldering equip.
stuff to stay hydrated (out door track, you would do well to bring that along with a pop up canopy)
tires for wet/ dry track conditions for every car im racing
a "contractor" bag for if it rains i can cover all my stuff
lubes, oils, glues, tape, etc (includes various shock oils)
tunning equip like the oil, springs gears, shims, even motors and motor parts

i also strap my cars to the pack since i walk their because its like 2 min drive from my house


to answer you question about spec, each club has a varing rule about spec classes, the track i frequent for example really only stresses a spec motor and tires in sc along with a 2s lipo or 6c nimh pack


the best way to act at a track is to be yourself, help when you can, dont be afraid to ask questions and make sure to stay away from the kid who walked there, hes probably crazy

deviltrigger529

I actually just experienced my very first RC race a few months ago and it was alot of fun. I've always wanted to get into it as a kid but the parents wouldnt support it and now that I'm older I did it. It was an after season small get together and I took mine and my fiances slashes to the track and it was really cool. Take FieroMans advice, pack everything you can. I was lucky enough to be invited by a guy that works at my LHS and he was there with all his tools and everything so I had everything I needed at my disposal to fix things and all. I wanted to go again this year but I dont have anything race-able for my track, I wish they had a mod slash class.

john01374

First thing you need to do is Call the track and find out what the SPEC class rules are. To me this would help with the decision on which truck to buy. If the rules say the truck must be run exactly the way it comes out of the box then I would look at the Kyosho. If you can swap parts between trucks then the Blitz is a better option as long as they allow you to swap on stuff like the Slash tires and Servo.

As far as the first things to do.. Get the truck, charge some batteries and go practice. Running on a track with 6 or 8 other guys is a totally different experience than bashing with friends in the park. I would recommend you run a few packs on the track before entering your first race.

As far as things you really need. I'd take all of your tools, super glue, charger, batteries and any spare parts you have for the truck. I like to carry a spare set of front and rear arms, carriers, links, screws, bearings and any tuning parts the truck came with. If you buy the Blitz it will come with a bag of optional parts that help tune the truck.

2.4 is not mandatory but it makes life a lot easier at the track. for $75 you can get a great setup and selling the stock stuff will bring you $30 or so...

Razdawg

Thanks for all the excellent advice so far guys!

I called the LHS and asked about the racing. The guy I talked to suggested the CORR truck - Stock class. He said pretty much the only things this class was limited to was:
13.5 brushless or 27 turn brushed motors
2C Lipo or 7cell NiMH

Also said I was welcome to practice on the track anytime they are open and the weather permits.

Looks like
a) I need more tools
b) I need a truck
c) I need better batteries/charger/radio equipment?

Brainanator

My Feedback: (1)

the list is pretty good, but to fall into the motor specs you'll need a new motor with your rig.
I would first off suggest going to a race day, or heading to the shop to watch people practice. You will be surprised at how much you can soak up by just watching a couple different races/talking to people practicing there.