1/15/2012  TQ R/C Raceway  Chino, California

        ROAR's  Region 12 Indoor On Road Championship took place this past weekend at TQ R/C Raceway in Chino California. With over 17 heats of competition it would go down as a very successful race not only for TQ but for Tamiya as well.

      Starting Saturday we had a full day of testing and practice on TQ's very smooth carpet track, owner Sean Park put in a  flowing yet tricky layout for us to compete with. I started my day with confidence that my F104 Pro would be good but how good would I be? My first run I tip toed around the track to figure out how this car was going to handle since I have not driven F1 since 1995-96.  After 2-3 sighting laps I started pulling back the trigger to find that my set up was very tricky to drive.  It didn't want to turn but was twitchy, back to the pits.

    Giving the car another once over to see what I may have wrong the pod felt much to "tight". Well as that was the case. The center screw for the T-Plate was "too tight". Another trip to the track. Much better! I shaved .2 of my lap time avg off. The rear was more planted but now to deal with the twitchy part. I tried no sauce on the front tires,  nope now the car won't steer. Back to sauce and harder front springs..... ah! Now this is better another .2 off my average but still.... 

  I looked at the rear damper plate set up where the post slides over the screw and thought even though everything is build correctly it has too much slop. I was getting ready to run a longer bolt through to hold down and center the outer post and local F1 fast guy Brett Reichert came by to say hello and I posed my fix for my issue. He shook his head agreeably but said instead I should switch to the X1's top plate and side damper assembly 54331 . So on that recommendation I did. How about .5 seconds avg gain! which put me at the heals of the track record.

   Sunday, Race day:  I'm ready for this race and with a few more practice sessions this was confirmed. My first qualifier went well though I made two mistakes one I traction rolled the sweeper at the end of the straight and then a lap later stuffed the exit of an infield turn. Even so I managed to pull of a second qualifying position for the first round. the second qualifier I "short time" sauced the front tires which made the car push for the first few laps and it paid off. I had a flawless run and took the TQ spot for the A main.

   The A main would see some good battles for position and as the tone went off I carefully rounded the first lap not to hand my first position away. On lap 3 someone had crashed in the sweeper and with no call I hit the car that was dead in the middle of the line coming off of the straight. I was now a 1/2 track down in 3rd. Determined, I set off to run the tightest lines I could and catch first and second. A few laps later a big wreck in the sweeper again this time it was a couple of cars in the back of the field but did slow first and second and by the time I made it to the scene it was clear and I had made up about 4 seconds. Now within sight of the second place car I skinned more of the Pirelli names off of my sidewalls to further tighten my lines to catch up. On lap 14 in the first corner after the loop second place turned in too soon bounced the pipe and I went underneath to set my sights on  first. With only half way to go I had to make up 3.3 seconds. I chewed away at his time a tenth here a couple of thousandths there. Then there was a wreck on the back straight. Could it have been first?!? No it was another back marker. 

   Once I passed the already marshaled wreck on the straight the guy followed in behind me and for the next several laps. I drove defensively to keep him from klobbering me. Alas even with verbal warnings from the race director you guessed it..... I took one in the diffuser on lap 25. After being marshaled I was still able to retain second and finished out the race uncontested. 

Podium:

Steven Jackson    F104

Jimmy Wright      F104

Brett Reichert      F104

(pictures up soon)