SoCal U4RC Winter Series 2018 – Round 3 – Cherry Valley RC Raceway | CompetitionX

Round 3 of the 2018 SoCal U4RC Winter Series had us back at Cherry Valley RC Raceway. Now, when we say Winter Series, you probably think cool weather, maybe even drizzle or snow. But this is Southern California, the state that really doesn’t know what winter is. We were looking at playing with toy cars on the hottest day of the week, pinging the mercury at around 100°. Not only was it hot (again), but we’d be running the track with a few minor changes. To further mix things up, we’d be navigating the rock and tumbly terrain in a reverse direction.

Axial RR10 Bomber

The Axial Racing RR10 Bomber has certainly become a very solid performer; consistent handling, good speed and, thankfully, alot less traction rolling. That being said, taking it out on the Cherry Valley track with some minor track changes and a reverse direction didn’t seem to daunting. Or so you’d think.

2.2 Solid Axle – Qualifying
During the practice runs before the race, I noticed (after a bad landing) the left rear tire had formed a bit of a wobble. At first I thought it was the axle (praying it wasn’t) but come to find out the screws that attached the hub to the wheel were starting to pull through. Now, I’ve been running a set of Axial Walker Evans plastic wheels since my very first rock race and they’re getting beat up pretty bad, so I guess I shouldn’t be all that surprised that this is finally happening.

Since I didn’t have any spare tires or wheels with me, I needed a solution that would get me through the entire race day. Yes, those are small washers to try and support the screws pulling through the wheels. Certainly not pretty, but it worked. Guess it’s time to upgrade to some aluminum wheels.

On to qualifying. The track was certainly challenging but with a light turnout (only 3 drivers in the 2.2 Solid class), I was able to experiment a little in the rock sections and gather up my timing for rhythm sections and jumps. I found myself having to constantly adjust on how I needed to approach certain areas, not an easy feat when you’re used to basically ‘bombing’ everything!

In the end, though, it was more about slowing down a bit and keeping the car on all 4 wheels. That allowed me to take the TQ and put the Bomber 1st on the grid for the main.

2.2 Solid Axle Main Event
Typically I seem to overdrive a little on the first lap and end up dropping back a few places, but thankfully this time that didn’t happen. A clean start followed by some slow, controlled lines helped get me past my first-lap blues.

After that, it was simply an easy pace in the rocks (and jumps) to keep me out front the entire race, taking the win over second place driver Richard Vasquez. That’s not an easy feat as my fellow competitors are getting faster and faster each race, but the backwards-track is certainly going to take some getting used to.

I’d like to once again say thanks to the following for their support. It has really helped the performance of my RR10 Bomber!
Car: Axial Racing RR10 Bomber
Servo: Hitec D-951TW High Torque Titanium Gear Servo
ESC: Castle Creations Mamba X Sensored ESC
Motor: Castle Creations 1406 Sensored 4600kV Brushless Motor
Battery: MaxAmps 6500mAh 2S 7.4v LiPo Battery
Wheels: Axial Racing 2.2 Walker Evans Wheels
Tires: Pro-Line Racing Hyrax 2.2″ G8 Rock Terrain Tires
Radio System: Futaba 4PX Computerized Radio System
Paint: Sharkbait Designworks

Here’s the 2.2 Solid A Main event video. Enjoy

Tekno RC DB48

Even with the improved grip and power over the Bomber, the Tekno DB48 would also prove to be a bit challenging on the reverse-layout track. There are certain areas you just can’t power your way through; finesse is still a major requirement in the 2.2 Unlimited class.

2.2 Unlimited – Qualifying
I’ve been struggling with steering on the DB48 for quite some time, working with setup as much as possible. After giving the DB48 a quick once-over after practice, I finally found my issue, fixed it and went out in Q1 with GOBS of steering. Basically, I think it was a build error on my part, but the bigger problem was now the Tekno had too MUCH steering and not enough rear grip! Some minor changes after Q1 and the DB48 was feeling magical again, good enough to put me in the TQ spot ahead of the field.

I’ll have a build video coming soon with the setup on this car as well as the changes (and upgrades) you might need to make to your DB48.

2.2 Unlimited Main Event
I was able to jump to a solid lead early on and, even with a slight bobble on the ‘wall’, I managed a good run and started pulling away.

That is, of course, until I tried to make my first pass through the 5-pack. A little light on the throttle had me case the 2nd jump, flipping over and landing on my lid. That, followed by a dumb mistake where I slid up and over the berm, pretty much let Chris and Shawn catch up to me. There was a bit of action in the next rock garden and just like that, I was in third position. By the end of Lap 2, I was about a straight behind both of them.

It was time to gather things up and put in some good laps. By the end of Lap 3, I had recovered and passed Chris for 2nd place. Shawn, however, was motoring away in record fashion. But, all good things come to an end, and Shawn’s car starting making some pretty horrible noises. Knowing his car was wounded and figured he wasn’t going to be pushing it very hard, I just had to keep it together and put in some decent laps.

That, of course, seemed challenging on Lap 4 (more mistakes on my part), but then Shawn’s noises stopped – as did his car. I was now in the lead so it was just a matter of slow, controlled laps and keeping the car on all 4 wheels.

I will say, though, that Shawn was on fire and, if it wasn’t for his unfortunate issues, I probably wouldn’t have ended up on the top step of the podium.

3 races, 3 TQs, 3 wins. The Tekno DB48 is an awesome rock racer. But, of course, I couldn’t do it without all the help from the people below! Big thanks goes out to the companies that help keep the Tekno DB48 up front!
Car: Tekno DB48
Servo: Futaba BLS1755SV S.Bus2 HT Programmable Servo
ESC: Tekin RX8 Gen2 Brushless ESC
Motor: Castle Creations 1515 Y Sensored 2200kV Brushless Motor
Battery: MaxAmps 5450mAh 3S 11.1v LiPo Battery
Wheels: Vanquish KMC 2.2 XD229 Machete Aluminum Wheels
Tires: Pro-Line Racing Hyrax 2.2″ G8 Rock Terrain Tires
Radio System: Futaba 4PX Computerized Radio System
Paint: Sharkbait Designworks

Here’s the A Main video; enjoy!

Losi Rock Rey

You’ve probably already noticed a third vehicle in the line-up at the top of the page; yup, that’s a Losi Rock Rey. I’ll be campaigning this ride in the 2.2 Indy class, however I’m not really looking for points in this series. I want to get some runs in, do some tuning and, ideally, run this rig in the upcoming 2018 SoCal Winter Nationals later this year.

Excited about this drive as well!

Links:
Axial Racing, available at AMain Hobbies
Tekno RC, available at AMain Hobbies
Castle Creations, available at AMain Hobbies
FreqEsKinz
Futaba, available at AMain Hobbies
Hitec, available at AMain Hobbies
MaxAmps
Pro-Line, available at AMain Hobbies
RPM RC Products
Sharkbait Designworks
Tekin, available at AMain Hobbies
Vanquish Products, available at AMain Hobbies