Welcome everyone to my Race report of the Tamiya Champion Series regional race of Milwaukee WI!
Dad and I flew into Milwaukee WI on March 23 2009, around 4:00pm US central time. We waited patiently for our relatives (my aunt and grandma) to pick us up at he airport with all our clothes and equipment. After they arrived, me and dad put our stuff into my aunt's SUV and we headed off to my grandma’s house in Racine WI, which is a small city located 30 miles south of Milwaukee. After we drove though the country side and into Racine, we arrived at my grandma’s house around 7:00pm central time. We unloaded our stuff and at grandma’s then off to bed. The next morning we rose early and took our grandma’s car to Trackside Raceway Milwaukee. The track was supposed to open at 11:00 am however the person who was in charge of opening the facility was late and we had to wait a little longer. At around 11:45AM he arrived and opened up the place for practice. We then met up with the track owner who happens to be my life long friend and exchanged hugs with him and then we setup our pit areas, then the track owner turned on the lights and the timing and scoring system that is use for practice. I got everything unpacked and then I charged up a few batteries and got ready to race on the track.
Trackside Raceway is a track located south of Milwaukee WI. It is an indoor racing facility, that has a dirt clay off road track as well. The surface for on road is called “Ozite” It is a grey grainy carpet that when many cars race on for a long period of time it becomes very grippy and is easy to drive on. However there was an off road race that was run two days ago on the off road track that spewed a lot of dust into the air and onto the track when I drove on it was very loose.
My first practice was a little challenging. My car was not turning as hard left and was very loose turning right. This condition is called “tweaked” which means when you drive the car, it wants to not turn very hard one way but turns sharply the other. I brought the car in and my dad began to do an adjustment called “untweaking” How this works is the there are a set of “droop” screws in the front/rear suspension arms of the cars and my dad puts a hex type wrench into them and turns a screw one way and another the opposite way on the side both front and rear then checks the height of the each side with a aluminum gauge to check if each arm is level, which it was, I then put the car onto the track again, drove it for a few laps, and it’s still tweaked and not driving the way I would like it to. So my dad decided to mess with the steering balance on the radio, which is a setting in the computer of your radio that you can adjust how far the wheels turns right and left, another things is when we do this adjustment is we attach something called a tweak station block. We take the front tires off and attach these metal gauge's to the front wheels then he puts a plastic gauge on top and dad turns the wheel left and right and uses a dial on the radio to get them turning properly. We found out that our radio was damaged on the plane when we got here to Milwaukee and found out that this setting was broken and not working properly. When we were on the plane flying into Milwaukee, we had a lot of turbulence which caused the luggage to shift and bounce around. It probably was one of the reasons why the adjustment wasn’t working properly. So me and dad went into the hobby shop to one of the pit tables to take the wheel of the radio off to see If we can fix it. After we put the radio back together again which like took us 45 minutes to do the adjustment on the radio was still not working. So a man who’s nickname was “buck”, who was a friend to us at the track let us borrow a radio that was similar to ours for the week. My dad then adjusted the steering balance, after that, I went back out onto the track and the car was turning equal both ways, left and right. We then decided to work on the setup for the rest of the day and I decided I was going to compete in the Tuesday night club race so I could prepare myself for the upcoming race this weekend.
This was my first Tuesday night club race at this same track in a year before I moved out to California in July of 08 so I had some race rust to clean out this night.
In Tuesday night club racing at Trackside raceway, there are two qualifiers that are 5 minutes long and then there is a main final which is five minute long as well too. First up are the qualifiers. In qualifiers, the race starts out using a staggered start, your race begins when your name is called and you are racing against the clock and not each other, the driver who has the most laps and the fastest overall time at the end of 5 minutes of two rounds of qualifying, is the top qualifier.
My first qualifier was good, I got off to a good start and I’m leading the race, however there is a local racer who I would be rooming with the weekend of the race, that is reeling me and challenging my position, with a minute left we are only separated by les than a second. Time has expired, and I go win the qualifier by only 6 tenths of second.
The second qualifier did not go as well, I started off pretty good, but with a minute into the race, my car “traction roll” This is when your car has too much grip and when you come around a corner, your front or rear inside wheels will want to lift, and your car will roll over without hitting or bumping into anything. I rolled it over a few more times while being marshaled. (A marshall is a person that stands on a certain point of the track that runs and picks up your car when you are rolled over or stuck on the boards). I ended up 3rd in the qualifier however my fastest overall time in the first round was enough for me to put me second in the main final.
Main finals at Trackside club races are 5 minutes long and are a heads up on the tone start, and where you ended up in qualifying is where you start on the grid. Since I was second qualifier I would be starting 2nd behind my friend David Weir, The tone sounded and me and David got off to a good start however with 30 seconds into the race I started traction rolling again, About two laps later, my car did the same thing again, after I rolled it a third time I decide to pull my car off the track and forfeit the race, after the night was over I knew that me and dad had some work to do on the car for he next few days of practice.
The next morning when we got to the track for practice, we decided to do a different type of adjustment on our car. We use a liquid on our tires called “traction compound”. What this does is makes the tires on the car very sticky and, make the car have a lot of grip on the track, We were applying the traction compound on all of the front tires but we realized that this is only good for asphalt and in our previous experience at last years TCS Milwaukee race, we know that applying the traction compound on only half of the front tires works the best due to the fact that it does not make the front tires bite into the track as much and does not make the car overreact as much. We also decided to try a different body shell with a higher downforce wing in the rear that would help keep the car planted on the ground. I found out that this did indeed work. We then still continued to practice well into the night, the car did traction roll again but a racing friend of mine who was practicing with his car helped us with that problem and then did an adjustment on the car that seemed to fix the problem, me and my dad and David and his son Nathan then went to get some lunch at a local Mexican grill. After that, we spent a few more hours at the track then went back home to grandma’s to get some sleep for he night.
The last few days of practice, dad and I just started doing fine tune adjustments, and keept on working to improve to lap times as more cars ran on the track and as traction went up. By Friday there were more than a 180 racers practicing on that day. Traction really was starting to come up, our car did traction roll a few more times but we were able to come up with a solution to fix that problem. The last practice night was over, and we drove to David’s house and unpacked our clothes. We then watched the college basketball game then went to bed.
Saturday morning was the day of the qualifiers. Me, Dad, David and Nathan got to the track around 7:30AM and we charged up some batteries for the first qualifier, Then we had a drivers meeting, it was announced that this was the biggest Tamiya Championship Series regional race of all time, in the history of North America with a total number of 201 entries. Scotty Ernest the race track announcer had the TCS general manager from California on speaker phone, that he put near his microphone, so everyone could listen to him. After we had the drivers meeting, we had Concours. Concours is a little contest to see who has the most decorated or beautiful paint job in each class, I decided not to enter due to the fact I was getting ready for the first qualifier. (We have won a few in the past! Yeah mom!)
In previous TCS regional events at Trackside raceway there are 3 qualifiers however due to the huge number of entries it had to be shortened to 2. The qualifiers are 5 minutes long
Before my first qualifier I got to see the person who set the Top Qualifier pace, It was set by a 15 year old teenager named Austin Vacek from Maryland. He and his dad got here the day of the qualifiers and had very limited time to practice on the track, however it looked like he and his dad who was his pitman as well, got their car setup up and working very good. After his run, I stepped up onto the drivers stand and got ready for my first qualifier.
Qualifier #1
I got off to a good start and I was on TQ pace that would put me ahead of the pack, I had to constantly be patient through traffic where slower racers had to yield to me due to the fact that in RC racing, when someone is faster then you, it’s your responsibility to make way for him. With 1:30 left there was a car that spun out in front of me, coming into the infield, and I slammed into him hard, just when It couldn’t get any worse a car behind me rammed in the rear end and I got stuck into the boards and had to be marshaled, and that lap cost me 6 seconds, which is a lot, I ended up finishing 2nd in my heat and 3rd overall. I was NOT happy!
Qualifier #2
This time I’m not as nervous and now I’m a little more hungry and determined to set TQ pace with out getting into any other wreck. Austin Vacek set an even faster TQ pace in the heat before and now I had some catching up to do but I was confident that I would take the top spot.
I rip right off the start line and within 4 laps I now am on a TQ pace right there with Austin, I’m ducking, diving through traffic and gunning it and zooming around corners like a mad man possessed, during the first two minutes of the race, the TQ pace bounces back and forth as I constantly try to fight to the lap counter for the top spot, With 1:25 left into the race coming around the hairpin, WHIP! My car traction rolls once again and now I’m off TQ pace. Now I only have a minute and 10 to go in the last qualifier. Everytime I go into the hair pin, I slow down enough where the car will be planted to stay on all fours. At the last minute, I’m constantly going back and forth, on master clock, every lap, on TQ pace! One lap I am, not anymore, this lap for sure! Back and back forth. With one lap to go I am coming up on traffic, I go wide into the hairpin and I slam doors with David Weir my friend and as I come around the last corner and I finish my race on the straightaway. Now we got to the race results!
I have…..MISSED TQ BY 5 ONE HUNDRED’S OF A SECOND! Which happens to be a blink!
I wasn’t really happy but I knew that I had the car to win tomorrow’s A main final. The A main happened to be the top ten racers in a class and I am sitting 2nd. I didn’t get TQ but I knew that the win was up for grabs tomorrow.
The next race format is called triple A main’s. What this means in the GT2 class in the Tamiya Championship Series, there are 3 heads up races that are 8 minutes long, every other class (GT1, F1, Rally) has triple A mains but they are 5 minutes and not 8. The A main is the top ten racers in each class.
A main #1
As I Patiently wait for my race to start I bounce up and down like a heavyweight boxer. It helps get me loose and keeps nerves calm, and then I said a little prayer, then I stepped up onto the drivers stand as my race was called.
I sit 2nd behind Austin, he is on the pole in front of me, I am thinking out my strategy before the race, if he goes wide coming into the first corner I will let up and wait for him then hound him and wait for him to make a mistake. The race is about to start and I’m waiting for the signal from Scotty! Here we go!
Driver's ready! Corner marshals ready, we’re goin’ racing…on the tone!
The tone sounds and we all make mad dash to the first corner just as I predicted, Austin goes wide but I maintain my distance and pull back on the reins, and the race is on! For the first several laps, Me and Austin are separated by only 9 tenths of a second he is able to pull away from me in the right side of the track and I’m able to reel him in on the left side of the track, it’s a constant tug of war between me and him, then with 9 laps in we are coming up on traffic. Now we are going to see who can get by lapped racers the best. Austin and I are constantly tooth and nail with each other but we are also trying to weave our way through traffic, some racers are harder to get by than others. With 3:54 into to the race as I’m chasing Austin, a car rolls less than 2 feet in front of me but I’m able to miss him and get by clean. Two laps later as I pass another car he then spins out in front of me and nearly clips my rear end, close call there! Now I refocus on the leader! With 3:45 seconds left, Austin traction rolls in the same place that I have and I zoom by while he has a little trouble getting marshaled. Now I have to buckle down and look ahead and not look back. With 2 Minutes left on the master clock, I dice my way through traffic and Austin now is starting to gain some ground on me, “I have to get through the slow racers… but so does he!” With 30 seconds left the gap is now 1 second, but Austin is having trouble getting by slower racers. On the last lap, Austin clips a board and loses ground, time expires and I go come down the straightaway to win A main #1!
Amain # 2
I was still a little nervous coming into this race but I was a little more confident due to the fact that I won the first Amain. Now I had to see what Austin would do in this race. I knew that if he went wide I would wait for him to make a mistake as well, just like I did in the first Amain.
Once again I sit 2nd behind Austin, I said a little prayer before the race and there was even a racer on the drivers stand next to me that wished me good luck and said “God bless you” to me, which was very nice of him. Now I’m, ready, and I’m anxious as ever to get down to business and take this race.
In the triple A main format if you win the first two A main finals you get to sit out the third and final main, so this race very was crucial for me and I have to make all the right moves and be patient for my opportunity.
In just a few seconds the tone sounds and everyone zooms into the first corner. Austin, just like in the first Amain, goes wide but I check up for him and wait for him to make a mistake, then on the next corner he hits the boards and I got by and he gets sent back many positions. However David Weir is right behind me but he gets collected as well too. Now I have a good lead coming into the first several laps, with 2:30 into the race I have a good 4 second lead and on second place, but I have get by traffic and be patient not to get into a wreck or second will be right there challenging me for the lead. As the race progresses I try not to make any mistakes or not drive into the corners to close so I won’t bounce off and lose time. Half way through the race, I’m still driving consistently and zig-zaging through the field of slower drivers and 2nd place hasn’t gotten any closer to me but I haven’t gotten any farther from him. With 3:35 left in to the race I tell myself, “Don’t give up! You may have to get trough traffic but so does second place as well!” With 2 minutes to go I’m getting just a little nervous, trying to fight off any bad thoughts or visions in my head. One minute to go! I can feel a victory coming, I knew it! 2nd place has caught up by just a second in a half. When time expired and I have one lap to go I’m coming up on a lapped car but decided not to pass him I just follow him and not run into him or get into a tangle with him. I go around to the finish line and take the second A main win and the overall victory!
Since I won the first two A main races I got to sit out the third and watch the other racers duel it out so I can enjoy the last A main race.
This is the sixth year in a row that I have won the GT2 class and is the seventh year in a row that I have walked away with a gold medal at Trackside raceway, which is a big accomplishment for me.
After the racing was over, we had an awards ceremony, for all the racers who had made the top 3 in each class as well as the winner. I then went up to receive my 19th career gold medal in the Tamiya Championship Series. After everyone had left and had cleaned up the track, me and my dad went to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings with my former racing friends and we all celebrated our achievements in the race that weekend. We spent our last day at grandma’s house and then went down to Panera Bread, to get some dinner to celebrate our victory. The next morning we rose at 3:30AM central time to make our flight to Mitchell Int’l Airport, to Orange County. After we got to the airport, we kissed grandma goodbye and she drove off. We then got onto the plane and flew back home to sunny California!
Thank you for reading this race report, again I welcome comments and questions about the sport. I will also let you know when my next race will be, again thank you for reading!
Here is a video of me in the First A-main of the GT2 class. I am the acid green car.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrMTixyGDVM[/youtube]
05 Jan 2009, 8:43 pm
