Welcome to the Grand Prix of Geetroit, The Geelong RC racing club is proud to bring back the F1 class that just so happen to coincide with the release of the Xray X1 2024 model. It is time to dust off the old F1 and get it ready for some racing. https://www.grccc.org.au/event-details/grand-prix-of-geetroit
On top of the F1 540 and 13.5 classes, the club is hosting two new classes at the Grand Prix of Geetroit meeting featuring a new class of 3D printed prototype 1/10 cars plus the exciting range of Vintage F1 cars produced by Andy Cooke. https://grandprix3d.store/ Check out his website and shop as the F1 vintage replicas that he is making with 3D printing is amazing.
I am finding getting back into Racing against other drivers is challenging, exhilarating and nerve racking all at the same time. The guys at the Geelong indoor track are welcoming, passionate and full of knowledge and experience that are willing to help out where they can, whether it be spare parts to keep you on the track or selling tyre compound or borrowing spare batteries.
As the interest in racing F1 picked up at the track and the event listed as the title of this post meant that I had to get the car ready and possibly get a whole new diff assembly for the X12 and keep the F1 drive shaft where it is. I also had to get the X1 chassis replaced due to the nose pieces being snapped off from a heavy collision. Looking back now, I should have purchased the paired alloy rear pod plate for the chassis to be perfect. The original graphite chassis being 2.5mm and the Alloy one at 2mm caused a binding action between the pivot ball and the rear pod. I had to have 0.5mm shims added at the right point to correct and eliminate this specific problem. I also found the 2017 chassis plate is different to the 2016 model at the centre shock front mount position. To correct this issue, I had to drill and countersink two news holes for the mounts the be in the correct position for the shock to fit in.
I am looking forward to this old car back on the track this weekend with the new tuning adjustments like Inline battery configuration and increase the Camber to 2.5 degrees to see how the car reacts to these changes. Some new tyres will also help with increasing the traction, Team powers Soft rear and Medium fronts are the locally supplied low budget choice. The club has recently changed the restrictions for the tyre choice and have opened up the field to either rubber or foam tyres.
Back to the Xray 1/12th Pan car, even after all the bruises and dinted panels to the car, driving at the local track conditions has proven to be an exciting, expansive and costly experience but the results are speaking for themselves. With the switch to the ball diff, my racing times improved dramatically from 14 laps up to 19 laps while on average the top drivers are running around 22 laps in 5 mins. This learning curve takes into account of not racing for 5 years, driving a new class of pan cars and new local track. Over the last couple of weeks my progression against the other 11 drivers in 1/12 stock class has improved and the results of the Friday Flat Bottom cars racing can be found here.
https://grccc.liverc.com/results/?p=view_event&id=418166 I am pretty chuffed about my overall position which has moved from 9th up to 5th from the last 4 race meets both club championship and various events for the 1/12th pan car.
The first major issue is that the Xray X12 EU version comes with a fixed Spool in the kit. The decision was made to go with the ball diff over the geared diff was due to the track condition being low traction asphalt. Noting that the local drivers mostly ran ball diffs and very loose at that, either wasy the choice to replace the spool was imminent. After a quick email consultation with Alex at Xray the possibility of the option of going to the ball diff using parts from the Xray X1 formula 1 ball diff, all I needed was the Right Rear Hub for the X12 to switch the diff from one car to the other. But this option ended up being pointless as I needed to get the F1 on the road as well. So a new ball diff for the X12 and a chassis plate for the F1 were ordered along with a new brushed ESC and Silver can motor was purchased at Hobbies Direct and fitted to suit the lowest class entry so I could get used to driving a 2wd car verse the previous 4wd racing.
On the virtual front the 2023 VRC Worlds is starting in November, find info at https://www.vrcworld.com/news.aspx
Unfortunately I need to repair the USB dongle being an original from 2007 it is doing well for its age. As for the rankings at the moment I have dropped from 4th to 5th in 1/8th Onroad Sportscar on the oval track weekly challenge. Once I re-solder the usb pins connecting the PCB I'll get back on the track to keep up with the podium drivers as soon as I can.
https://www.vrcworld.com/rankings/results.aspx?id=38&level=3