SoCal U4RC Winter Series 2018 – Round 7 – Cherry Valley RC Raceway | CompetitionX

Tony Phalen December 4, 2018 New RC Cars and Parts 36 Views

The final round of the 2018 SoCal U4RC Winter Series has finally arrived with the top podium spot still up for grabs. With 2 throwouts available during this series, you could have 2 bad races and still be in the hunt for the overall. I, unfortunately, had to take a pair of zeros in races 5 and 6 (commitments with the wife during R5 and us moving out of our place in Irvine during R6), which meant I needed to place well in the last race to retain my lead. Thankfully, that worked out … read on.

Axial RR10 Bomber

Taking the TQ and win in 4 of the 5 races certainly helped my points in the 2.2 Solid class. The Axial Racing RR10 Bomber was fantastic all series (except the last round – see below) – easy to drive (for the most part), fast and super reliable. I did upgrade the wheels to SSD Champion aluminum units for this final race – If you saw my post about Round 4, you will see the issues I had with the plastic wheels and why an upgrade was mandatory.

2.2 Solid Axle – Qualifying
Due to the threat of rain, the 2.2 Solid class was pretty light – only 3 cars made it to the grid. The good part was that because the turnout was light, the worst I could do was 3rd place, enough to secure the overall in this class. I decided to use this time for some Nationals testing.

This was my first time on the new Cherry Valley track which had just received a complete rework with some difficult obstacles now in place. Notable features included some tight corners, crazy-downhill rock section, long rock garden and a straight that had a couple low-lying areas – you could blast full speed down it be had to be careful not to wheelie.

In qualifying, I kept to my slow, controlled laps against my own clock and the Bomber felt great. I took the TQ by just over 1 lap, feeling confident that I’d be good in the main. That’s where I found out how different aluminum wheels are vs plastic ones.

2.2 Solid Axle – Main Event
With only 2 of us lining up for the main (one of the other drivers broke out), it was going to be a heads up, no holds barred race. At the horn, I got a good jump off the line and led into the first corner, but that’s where everything quickly fell apart!

Let me explain; for the whole season (as well as the past season and the Summer Nationals), I’ve been running the same set of plastic Axial wheels. These wheels were lightweight and allowed the Bomber to not only accelerate quickly, there was very little bounce through the rocks (due to the weight). The SSD wheels are heavier and carry much more rotating mass, something I didn’t think about going into the race. This extra weight not only made the wheels hop more in the rocks, they also caused the Bomber to carry more speed down hill!

I found this out, lap 1, second corner. And third corner. Maybe even 4th and 5th corner. I think, in total, I crashed 9 times in the first lap!? You see, when it came time to push the Bomber, the added weight of the wheels became obvious – more hop in the rocks meant more flipping, more weight in the corners meant the tires were digging in more (and flipping) and more weight going downhill meant more speed (and more flipping).

I did finally figure it out (3-4 laps later) but by this time I was a good 1/2 a lap down. Head down, push push push – I was able to catch the leader and finish 1/2 second behind him.

That TQ and 2nd place finish was enough to hang on to the top spot in the series! Feels good to finally have figured out the RR10 Bomber!

So, what do I think about my upgrade to the aluminum wheels? I honestly don’t think that the issue was so much with the wheels, more about how comfortable I was with the way the Bomber has been working for the past 14 races. It works fantastic, but the heavier wheels threw a slight monkey wrench in the mix.

While I will be keeping them (they look friggin’ awesome!), I think the reliability of the aluminum vs the plastic is what I’m after. I will need to tweak the setup slightly to make up for the added weight, but in the long run these wheels are where it’s at. I highly recommend them.

Another winning season in the books! Thanks to all of those that supported – time to get ready for the Nationals!
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: SSD 2.2″ Champion PL Wheels
Tires: Pro-Line Racing Hyrax 2.2″ G8 Rock Terrain Tires
Radio System: Futaba 4PX Computerized Radio System
Paint: Sharkbait Designworks

Unfortunately, the battery in my GoPro went bad and I didn’t know it until I stepped on the driver’s stand for the main. So, no video. 🙁 Sorry.

Losi Rock Rey

One of the other classes I’ve been interested in is the 2.2 Indy class. About 99% of this class are the Losi Rock Rey, the other 1% (or 2 cars) are Axial Yetis. Since the Rock Rey is larger with more people driving it, I felt it was the better choice if I was going to jump into this class. Vehicle built and ready for battle – this would be the second race with it. Turned out it would be a good result against guys that have a TON of time invested in their Reys!

I have a few option parts already installed, things that people suggested as far as reliability hop ups. Those parts include:

LOS331002 Losi Aluminum Bellcrank Servo Saver Set
LOS334006 Losi Aluminum Lower Rear Trailing Arm Set
LOS334009 Losi Aluminum Spindle Carrier Set
LOS334010 Losi Aluminum Front Camber Link Mount
LOS331001 Losi Aluminum Steering Servo Mount
LOS334002 Losi Aluminum Axial Housing Upper Track Rod Mount
DYN4955 FUZE 130A Sensorless BL WP ESC
DYNS1616 FUZE 550 BL Motor 3800kV
SPMSS6250 Spektrum S6250 Ultra Torque High Speed Digital Metal Servo
SSD00204 SSD HD Front Bulkhead for Rock Rey
SSD00177 SSD HD Third Member for Rock Rey
SSD00260 SSD Scale Steel Driveshaft for Rock Rey

2.2 Indy – Qualifying
One of the first things I like to do when working with a rock racer is to open up the rear differential. This makes the car easier to drive and allows me to power into and through the rocks a little better.

Unfortunately, I don’t have an option for that (yet), so it was a little strange driving the Rock Rey with a locked rear diff. However, since it is a bigger, weighter car, I was able to put in some good laps and take the TQ by just over 22 seconds. I think the car feels great, but I still have alot of work to do on it before I feel completely confident with it.

2.2 Indy – Main Event
A good start lead to what could be considered the toughest part of the track – the back downhill rock garden. Speed is not your friend, as I found myself bonzai’ing down it lap after lap. I was quickly passed by the Vasquez brothers (Richard and Anthony) – these guys have the Rock Rey figured out! As I tried to regain, I slowly fell out of touch with them. The biggest issue I came across was my tires. I have been running the new Boom Racing Rock Racing tires, however I’ve had them matched up to SSD’s D Hole wheels – the ones made specifically for the Pro-Line Racing tires. This combo doesn’t work together and I found myself having to add a dab of glue to the tire beadlock, however, that only works for a short time. During the run I had 2 of the 4 tires pop out of the bead, throwing the handling right out the window.

Other than that, the Rock Rey seemed to work well and I was able to salvage a 3rd place finish. All the killer upgrades from SSD were on point and, if you’re going to run the Rock Rey, I would highly suggest getting these. I’ve also ordered up a set of the PL Hyrax tires to mate up to my D Holes. I’ll be ready for the Nats, that’s for sure!

This car was fun to drive and I definitely see a future with it at the top of the U4 2.2 Indy heap. Thanks to these manufacturer’s for supporting my rock racing efforts!
Car: Losi Rock Rey Kit
Servo: Spektrum S6250 Digital Metal-Geared Servo
ESC: FUZE 130A Sensorless BL WP ESC
Motor: FUZE 550 BL 3800kV Motor
Battery: MaxAmps 6500mAh 2S 7.4v LiPo Battery
Wheels: SSD 2.2″ D Hole PL Wheels
Tires: Boom Racing Hustler M/T Extreme 2.2″ RR Rock Racing Tires
Radio System: Futaba 4PX Computerized Radio System
Paint: Sharkbait Designworks

Sorry, no video here either. Fail.

Tekno RC DB48

What can I say about the Tekno DB48 – it’s a beast. Time after time I put this car on the track, it just continues to shine. I have 5 TQ’s and 5 wins in this category and, with a 10 point cushion, I just needed to place well.

I am, however, getting to the point where bits and pieces might need replacing. Some body panels are starting to have pop open. I definitely need a proper body mounting system (zip ties aren’t as secure as one would think). I tore a hole in the side wall of one of the PL tires. The aluminum A block is looking a bit worse for wear. I’m getting intermittent brown outs with the electronics. Not sure what the deal is, I just know this car has to be on point before the Nats. Time to get to work.

2.2 Unlimited – Qualifying
The track is certainly tough but what’s getting tougher is the competition. Guys are getting their cars figured out and getting faster and faster each race. After 2 rounds of qualifying I took the TQ, but not by much.

Anthony Vasquez, ShumzzR, Richard Vasquez, Chris Pickering – all these guys have cars that can win, so during qualifying I have to maximize my efforts for a front row start. I can usually get a good start and into the lead, I just have to be in position to do it.

2.2 Unlimited – Main Event
Most of the guys in this class have switched to a shorter wheelbase car which, in the tight stuff, makes sense. However, with the straight having it’s rolling hills, this benefits the LWB car more. At the start, I was able to power into the lead and down the back rock garden. That was my main fear (from the last two races) – not making it that far before I blew out. However, entering the top right rock garden, I clipped the large rock at the entrance and it deflected the DB48 to the left and off the track. Oh boy – here we go again.

That, however, would thankfully be the last of the drama. I was able to put all the pieces together for the next couple of laps and pull away, taking the win by almost a lap. I was also able to put in a blazing 52.950 second lap – was shooting for a sub-50 but that just wasn’t going to happen. This is good to see, knowing the Nats are going to require me to put some seriously fast laps in it I’m going to want to be on the top spot of the podium!

That final TQ and win sealed my first place position in the series! Another great season with the DB48!