The Sport/motorsport of remote control auto racing

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All right everyone, my next race is going to be in Fremont,CA which is near San Fransisco on June 7 2009. I plan to write a report of the race after the event.

Just for you information, I cut and pasted the Milwaukee TCS race report to word, then deleted off the forum, then reedited it due to the fact it had some grammar errors and reposted so it would be more understandable to read.

Just a heads up, in just two weeks will be the Tamiya Championship Series regional race from Fremont,CA. The report will follow after the race.

In just more than 72 hours I will be heading up to Fremont,CA for my first Tamiya Championship Series race in inside California. Everybody wish me good luck. The race report will follow.

All right folks, i just got back from the Tamiya Championship Series regional race from Fremont,CA this Monday, I will start working on the race report right this minute, so stay tuned!

Update.

My next race is going to be in Aliso Veijo,CA at Tamiya America Raceway which happens to be my home track. The race will be June 27-28 2009, so if I don't finish the Fremont race report in time before the Aliso Veijo race, I guess i'll have two race reports, and will be a double header.

I am almost done with the Fremont race report, and this June 27th through the 28th will be the Tamiya America Raceway TCS regional event from Orange County, CA, this i what I plan to do.
I plan to write both race reports after the June 27th-28th Tamiya Championship regional race and post them after i finish both race reports. I will post the Fremont race one day, then i will post the Orange County race the day after so you can have time to finish reading the first race report, and then the next day you have time to read the second. I plan to take a little time to edit and reedit the reports so they can be understandable and enjoying to read.


I will let you know when I finish the race reports and I will let you know when they will be posted. So keep reading this thread for updates! I also welcome comments and questions about the sport and I will be willing to respond to them. Thank you.

My apologies guys, i got things messed up, I realized that the 4th of July is on Saturday! Sorry for the goof up, I promise I will check the calendar more often, Let me say this again.

The Fremont race will be on the 4th of July Tomorrow, then the OC race will be on Sunday after the 4th.

All right guys, I just finished doing spell check on the two race reports, and now I'm doing editing and last touch up's on the both of them. The Fremont race will be on the forum the 4th of July tomorrow, then the OC race will be posted on Sunday.

Happy 4th of July everyone! I now present to you, The June 7 2009 Fremont Tamiya Championship Series regional race report.


I and my dad drove up 404 miles from Orange County, CA and Drove 7 hours through LA and through the countryside. After that we arrived around 4:45PM Pacific American time, Dad and I checked into the hotel and brought all our equipment in our room so no one would break into tour car and steal them.

The race track is located in a “Target” parking lot just five minutes from our hotel. The track is a custom build road course that is made from wooden 2x4’s and 2x6’s and are attached together by rods and screws connected to the boards and are fastened into the ground by bolts. The track owner and crew sprays soda or sugarwater onto the parking lot surface that is supposed to make the track real sticky and tacky so the cars can grip better while under acceleration and braking, before anyone goes out and does racing practice on the track. However the track crew applied too much sugar water to the track that it became glossy and slick , not to mention in the morning it was still cloudy and a little cold and the sun was not out to bake the soda into the track. For my first few practice runs, my car didn’t have any grip coming around the corner where it fish tailed and was loose (loose means that your car’s rear end will want to get sideways and slide out if you let off the throttle or are too aggressive on acceleration), another problem was that I did not have very much top speed, and I was being passed by cars coming down the straightaway and the corners, me and my dad noticed that I didn’t have enough gearing in my transmission and I didn’t have enough punch or acceleration in my speed control. When your car has no top end or top speed, your car does not have the correct gearing, how you compensate for this is that you put on a bigger gear which is attached to your electric motor called a “Pinion” gear which you line up or (mesh) with a bigger gear called a (Spur) gear which is attached in the middle or rear of the car, to the drive belts that are connected to the front and rear gears. When you add a bigger pinion gear you get more top end coming down the straightaway and the corners and will have more power coming out of them as well. Another adjustment we tried was adjusted our speed control for more power or “punch” as we call in RC racing. A speed control is a device that tells your motor to go forward, or fast or slow. And how fast it can make the motor accelerate on the straight and corners. My dad connects the speed control to a laptop computer that has a program that can increase or decrease the power on the speed control, it can also adjust braking power and other numerous adjustments. After we tried that the car had a lot more power when I was driving it and I could hang with the fastest racers on the straight. The track was still a little slick though, but as the day progressed, the track got sticky as the suns began to peek out from the clouds. My last practice run was the fastest however I clipped a corner and broke one of the parts on the front drive train, not to mention my first qualifier was 7 minutes away. My dad was able to fix my car before my first qualifier and after that I attending a drivers meeting. A drivers meeting is when the race director calls everyone to a certain point on the track and explains the rules for the race.




Pictures of the track


Me and my competition coming into the first corner, I'm the green and purple car.

I am competing in the GT2 class; this class uses cars that use a 4wd carbon plastic molded chassis, and uses a 17.5 brushless electric motor. (17.5 is the number of winds in the motor, the lower the number, the faster.) A 17.5 motor would be similar to a turbo charged 4 cylinder engine.

Qualifiers and main finals are 8 minutes long, in qualifying the racers use a staggered start, when one racers name or number is called, the begin their run, a second later the other racer is called and begins his run and so on. My car number is 3, there are 4 cars in the GT2 class.

Qualifier 1

I start off the line third as the first few laps pass by, I am in the lead by a few seconds, Mickey Cohen, a racer from Southern California is right behind me there are two other racers who are not as talented or coordinated as the two front runners and there are many times where we have to dodge them as we lap them, in RC racing, when someone who is about to lap you, you have to yield to them or you risk being penalized or holding up the leader which makes the person who is faster than you behind you upset., there was one point where I almost got into a tangle with the driver who was in last place as I tired to make a move on him and was not as talented getting out of the way, as the race progressed I was able to pull away from second place inch by inch per lap. I win the qualifier by 6 seconds.

Qualifier 2

This time Mickey was able to get his car better setup in the second qualifier, I still have to deal with stubborn traffic but I’m able to get by them cleanly, Mickey Cohen is much closer to me than in this qualifier but I have a decent 2 second lead on him, which is like a straightaway lead, time expires and I go on to win the second qualifier and take the Top Qualifier spot, which is the leading position you take on the starting grid.

A final

In main finals, races are a heads up start, on the tone race. Main finals races in the GT2 class are 8 minutes long, the driver who finishes ahead of all his competition at the end of 8 minutes is the winner. I start on the front row of the back stretch, Mickey Cohen is right behind me, and behind him are the two remaining racers in the class. Mickey Cohen in the A main final has decided to run new tires so he can try to get a good advantage on me. New tires make your car easier to drive and give you more roll speed and grip in the rear and front. The tone sounds and Mickey dives on the inside of me going into the first corner however him able to keep him from passing me. is car is on rails and really sticking to the track well while mine is sideling a little bit coming around the corners for the first 5 laps he is on my tail trying real hard to get under me and pass me everytime he tries to get under me, he bumps me or gets me a little sideways. In RC car racing if you bump someone or take them out, you have to let them by or you will be penalized. with three minutes in, Mickey Cohen clips one of the corners and I get a comfortable cushion on him, 2 minutes later he is able to real me in again and now we once again begin to duel, he continues his charge hard to get by me but 3 laps later he clips at the corner coming into the straightaway and now I have a good lead on him. Mickey decides to wait a lap since he knows he's going to lose the practice race and follow right behind me and have a practice/mock race with him for tomorrow, we duel it out for the last two minutes and I’m able to hold him off even though he's still a lap down when the race ends. I end up winning the practice race for Saturday.

After racing was over, the track was open for practice till night time and me and my father practiced and did some more tuning on the car till it got dark. I also got to practice with Mickey Cohen again and had a few sparing sessions with him on the track.

Race Day. June 7 2009

I and dad got to the track around 7 AM and we setup up our equipment for the race and we charged some batteries up for practice, and ran a few practice laps. Earlier that morning, the track crew had put down another coat a sugarwater on the track, it was cloudy and it made the track very slippery, usually when the track is sprayed the track has a lot of traction however he sun was not out yet and the soda was not baked into the track yet which made for pretty slick driving during practice.

There was a driver during practice who happens to be a northern California local named James Arluck, he has won numerous Tamiya Championship Series races in the northern part of California and as I was timing him in practice he was turning very fast laps, I knew I had some competition to deal with today as I was about to go up against Norcal’s best.

We had a drivers meeting before the race, the racing event was scheduled for two qualifiers and a main final. The GT2 class was scheduled for two 8 minute qualifiers and a 8 minute final, after the meeting, we had “concourse”, concourse is a little competition where race official’s judge cars with the best paint jobs or other numerous accessories insides the car, such as roll cages, lights, opening doors, etc. I decided to enter the contest but I did not end up winning, I had a good painted up car that my mom made, but however my rival for the day James Arluck ended up winning Concourse for the GT2 class. Then we got ready for racing.


Qualifier 1

I start out 3rd just as I did in yesterdays practice race. I get off to a good start and lead the first few laps however on the 3rd lap James Arluck takes the lead, getting through traffic is really challenged and the are a few racers who are not very experienced in getting out of the way, I have to be patient and wait for them to let me by, James on the other hand is not being as patient he sometimes has to bump racers out of his way. I end up taking second finish behind James Arluck by 6-7 seconds, which is a half a lap.

Qualifier 2

The sun just peeked out right after the first round and was starting to heat up the track very and the sugarwater was starting to bake in, which meant more traction. I went out for some practice laps and there happens to be a lap counting system that announces the lap times you do when you cross over the starting line, I was turning faster laps than my rival in the previous race and I was feeling good for my next qualifier.

This time I start second behind James, as the race gets underway I am leading the race and on a TQ pace and James bumps a corner and I get by. However, two laps later James starts getting into the grove and takes TQ position away from me. As we are coming up onto traffic James is right behind me but I have another car in front of me, since James is the leader and is faster than I am I have to let him by, however there is a slower car in front of me and is holding me up. In the middle of the infield I get by the slower car and then let James by but he hits my side and I roll over luckily back on all fours, I couldn’t tell if it was a dirty hit but my dad was yelling at James from trackside, I move down to third as I try to redeem myself and catch up to the 2nd place runner, with 2 minutes to got in the qualifier I’m able to take second back from George Lin, who happens to be a Norcal local as well. I end up taking second again in the last qualifier, then as I step down from the drivers stand, my dad and I get ready for the A main.

After the last qualifier I noticed that my dad’s college roommate and his wife were just in time to watching my last qualifier and we got to talk a little bit before the A main final. So that made me feel a little better.

A main final.

The A main is the Top ten racers in each class however in GT2 there were only nine racers where every other class had 16 or 20 so everyone was in the A final, while the other final main races were going on, there was a good amount a spectators watching the race. Probably 80-90 people with there kids and other numerous adults were watching the races as well, so I had a crowd that I had to deal with, which was fun!

I start second behind Northern California local James Arluck, who had the TQ (Top Qualifier) position. All the drivers line up our cars on the straightaway, toke a deep breath, and listened for race announcer for the start of the race.

Drivers ready, on the tone!

The tone sounds and we all sprint coming into the first corner we then bunch up in the middle of the infield, as the top 3 racers cross under the start/finish line I go wide and George Lin, one the Fremont locals, gets under me and takes second place from me, now I have some work to do. For the first 4 laps James, George, and me and only separated by only a second, I have to keep up with James Arluck, but I also have to be patient and wit for George to make a mistake. 2 laps later James is starting to pull away as George and I come onto the straight, George clips a corner and I go by, now I set my sights on first, as a minute and a half passes, I’m able to catch up to James Arluck and I’m only more than two second s behind him, I was not ready to give up yet! Me and James for 2 minutes are pushing our selves to not make and mistakes and try to gain an advantage on each other. James clipped one of the corers a few times but was able to maintain his distance from me, with one minute and thirty seconds to go, my car is starting to slow down just a tad bit and James begins to slowly pull away, I try desperately to catch up to Arluck but he has more speed in the end and wins the race at the end of 8 minutes and I end up taking second place behind the Norcal resident.

This was my first loss in the GT2 class in the Tamiya Championship Series, I had a winning streak going that started at my home track in Milwaukee WI back in January of 2001, and won in 3 different states on 3 different surfaces (Ozite Carpet, Asphalt, and a rubber indoor track and field). I was disappointed, but I felt good due to the fact I did not make any mistakes this weekend, which is critical to being successful in RC racing.

I later found out after we came back from the race on our way home my dad found out the front left wheel was falling off and was not screwed on correct, which would explain why I was slowing down and Arluck was able to pull away from me.

The race concluded with the awards ceremony and I receive my first GT2 sliver medal which was a little odd due to the fact I was used to winning gold medals in the GT2 class.
After the awards ceremony, everyone pitched in and help disassemble the track and get everything packed up in the trailer for the race organizer.

After me and my dad packed all our equipment up, we then had dinner with my dad’s college roommate and his wife and we talked about the day and other numerous things that. After dinner, we then took a picture of all us four then, Jeff my dad’s college roommate showed me the picture he took of my car coming around the corners of the race earlier that day. Then we headed back to the hotel room and went to bed.

The next day we checked out of our hotel room, and drove back down to Orange County, we took highway 1 back south to home, then after driving for awhile we stopped off to visit the “Monterey Bay Aquarium” and got to see all of the wildlife there, then we took highway 101 through the mountains and took a lot of pictures along the way, then drove the rest of the way home, we arrived in Orange County around 11:25PM.

Thank you for reading the Fremont race report! I really appreciate comments and the Orange County Tamiya Championship Series race report will be posted tomorrow. Happy 4th of July everyone!

Hello everyone!


I hope everyone had a good 4th of July yesterday! Today is my race report of the Tamiya Championship Series regional race of Orange County.

The race is located in a town called Aliso Viejo, a small city in Orange County, CA, the race track is called Tamiya America Raceway, which happens to be only 5 minutes from my house, and it is an asphalt track with green painted concrete curbs and berms similar to that of a Formula One track. It is one of the best on road remote control auto racing facilities in America and possibly the world. This race track has hosted many national and world caliber races over the years, it was built in the early 90’s it was once a remote control car testing facility, for the manufacture Tamiya, however the southern California RC racing community convinced the owners of the track to turn it in a public racing facility later down the road. The very first Tamiya Championship Series regional race in the USA was held at this track in spring of 1994 and has grown to be the most recognizable Tamiya Championship Series racing track in North America. The Tamiya North America headquarters and warehouse was also right next to the track. So when someone broke a part, the driver could always head to the customer service room 340 meters from the track and get the part he needed. Unfortunately in spring of 2007 Tamiya America announced that hey would be moving their headquarters to Irvine and they would be selling Tamiya America Raceway, which shocked the TCS North America community, many believed that in August of 07, the Tamiya North American Finals (which I attended that year), the year’s biggest race would be the last race ever held at the track. Fortunately the fizzling American economy helped keep the track open and from being sold which is still open today and still has many people run on it


Pictures of The Tamiya USA Raceway
Friday June 26 2009, the race track is sprayed with syrup and keeps the track sticky so cars have good traction when cornering and braking around corners, there were numerous racers from outside California who came to this race and set up their pit area. I exchanged hugs from my friends from my former state of Wisconsin and from other states as well.

Saturday June 27 2009

Me and dad got up early and headed up to the track and sit up our pit area and all of our equipment, in the TCS we have something called controlled practice, which means for 10 minutes we let GT-1 class cars run then the next 10 GT2, Formula One, etc. We did one practice run out on the track and drove for few laps just to check to see if our car was working right, which it was was. After practice was over all the drivers assembled to the announcers both for a “drivers meeting” this is where the race director explains the rules and how the races will be run in each class. I am competing in the GT2 class, there are 3 qualifier’s and one main finals run, two qualifiers will be run on Saturday and one qualifier and the final main will be run on Sunday. Qualifiers are 5 minutes long, your best two out of three qualifiers are added up and your worst is thrown out if you have a bad run. The racer with the fastest time and the most laps at the end of 5 minutes with their second fastest run added up after that is the Top Qualifier (a.k.a. Pole Position or “TQ”). After the drivers meeting, all the drivers huddle around the straightaway and has a group picture taken to be put onto the Tamiya USA racing website, after that there is a little contest called “concourse” this is where, in each class, drivers showcase their best painted up bodies and judges pick the best decorated or painted car. After concourse, qualifying begins and everyone gets their car ready for their heat.


Saturday

Qualifier 1

Qualifiers, in remote control auto racing, use a staggered start at the beginning of the race. (For example) You are given a sticker on your car, lets say your number is 5, the race will start off using a tone, the race announcer will call off racers numbers every second, car number one usually starts his run immediately on the tone, then the announcer will call out “go 2… go 3…go 4” and so on. You are racing against the clock, not other racers, what you are trying to do is you are supposed to complete as many laps in 5 minutes in the fastest amount of time. If you, lets say complete 19 laps in five minutes and five seconds and everyone else completed 19 laps in five minutes and 13 seconds, not just in your heat but every other heat in your class, you are the TQ.

My number is two. I will be starting out second, the race gets underway and I shoot off the starting gird, as 3 laps pass by I am in the lead and on a TQ pace, (which means you are driving on a pace that would make you the fastest qualifier in your class). My car is handling very well and I’m driving very consistently and not making any mistakes or rolling the car over, I’m pushing myself and my car to achieve the fastest overall time, I patiently weave my way through traffic while slower cars let me by, if you are slower than someone you have to move over for them, if you get in their way or get into a wreck with them you will slow down their time and you will be penalized. Time expiries and I set TQ pace by with a Time of 20 Laps and 5 minutes and 8 seconds, second place finishes behind me by a mere 7 tenths of a second.

Qualifier 2.

This time the track is really hot and it starts to become slick, even though the track has been sprayed with syrup, the track has become a little slimy, when the temperature at Tamiya America goes above 135 degree Fahrenheit the track become a little loose and cars slide around and try to find traction. The track temperature was 140+ degrees which is very hot. In this qualifier, my number has changed to 1 due to the fact that I am the TQ and I’m starting out first. My dad put on new tires, which makes your car grip and corner a lot better than that of older tires. So it looked like I was going to have to deal with a little bit of a loose track.

This time I’m starting out first, when the tone sounds immediately that mean my round starts, the first car on the grid starts out first the monument the race starts. The tone sounds and I’m off and running as three laps pass by I am in the lead and I am on a TQ pace, and my car is really handling well, it is not slide around and my car has very good traction, as I come up on my first lapped car he is holding me up just tad bit but I’m able to get by, but as we head into the middle of the infield he is getting real close to my rear bumper, I yell at him just a bit to not rear end me and he yells at me a bit too, and apologize 2 seconds later. With 3 minutes to go, I’m really doing well, I’m still nervous and still driving hard and not to make any mistakes. I still weave my way through traffic and continue to turn good laps. As 5 minutes expire, I go around taking Qualifier number 2 and resetting TQ pace. With a time of 20 laps and 7 seconds, I was real happy!

After qualifying was over for the day, we packed up our equipment and headed back home, we didn’t do anything to the car or unpack our equipment due to the fact that the car as really set up well and there really was nothing much to do or fix.

Sunday

After we got to the track and charged up some batteries I went out and drove on the track for a little while to see if the car was handling well, the car had good steering and good power in the infield. I pulled the car in up to my dad after 6 laps and we got ready for the third and last qualifier.

Qualifier 3

I had won the previous two qualifiers from yesterday and was felling pretty confident, but I was more nervous than yesterday, I knew that taking the lead was one thing, staying on top was another, but I was determined to keep my TQ position.
I start off first again and speed off when the tone sounds, the first lap I set the fastest lap of the qualifier the GT2 class this weekend, and I ‘m on a flying pace I start to pull away from my competition, and then begin to come up on lapped cars, this time the racers are being more generous of getting out of my way which helps keep of my “faster than TQ pace” the car is still handling well and I am really trying the car hard but being smooth on the throttle as well, and keeping the car with the shiny side up. With one minute to go, I can feel it coming, the pole position was only a minute away then 45 seconds, then 30, 20, 15, As time expires and I go around to finish the qualifier I finish the last qualifier of the race with a time of 20 laps and 5 minutes and 5 seconds. I…was… THIRLED! It felt so good to get my first TQ here at his track for the first time in my life.

A main

I was quite anxious and a little jittered coming into the A main final. The A main is the top ten racers in each class, The A main final for the TCS regional race In the OC is 8 Minutes long. The driver who finishes in front of all the other racers at the end of 8 miuntes is the winner of the class. The lower mains such as the B main and C main which are the top 20 and 30 are five mintues long. There is a twist to this, if you win the C main you are automatically bumped up to the B main and start last on the grid, if you win the B main you are moved up to the A main and have a shot of winning the race. My dad put our last set of new tires on for this run, we were going to need them, this time the track was a 155 degrees Fahrenheit, which is the hottest the track has ever been for me racing at this track, so everyone looked like they were going to deal with their cars being loose for this track. I drove up to the front grid, said a little prayer and then got ready for the regional race of my life. I patiently waited for the race announcers command.

Drivers ready, keep it clean… on… the tone.

The tone sounds and did get off to a good start, as the racers com into the middle of he infield, second place is right behind me challenging me for the lead. But three laps later I am beginning to gain some distance on him, and start to break away from the pack. I push myself to gain more and more ground while keeping my emotions under control and prevent myself from hitting anything. My car has very good grip coming around the corners even though the track is a sizzling 155 degrees. I know that if I roll it over once my competition will catch up to me and pass me and then I would have to make up ground, but I was determined to not let that happen. Halfway through the race, I have a good lead on second place and I am still pulling away just so every slightly. With two minutes to go, I work my way through the field while other racers move over for me so I can continue my fast run, with a minute to go, I could feel it.. I could feel my very first victory at this track, with two laps to go in the closing 30 seconds I was coming up on lapped car but decided not to pass him cause I already a awesome lead, 8 minutes are up, I finish the lap I am on, and I go on to win the GT2 class Tamiya America for the first in my life! I was really...really excited!

When all the other racing classes concluded for the day, I waited patiently for the awards ceremony to begin; I was really excited to receive my 20th Tamiya Championship Series gold medal in 12 years. I got my picture taken with my car and my awards, and I even had my mom video tape the entire the awards ceremony Me and my dad packed up after the awards ceremony concluded and we headed on home which was only 5 minutes away.

I started racing at Tamiya America Raceway for the first time in September of 1998 as a Wisconsinite and a 8th grader in Middle school in Milwaukee, me and my parent went out to the Tamiya North American Finals every August-September when the race was held. I had come close to wining the national championship in previous years, but always came up short. Even thought this was not the North American finals, it still felt like an important win, that I was one step closer to achieving my life long dream of winning the Tamiya North American finals that I have been trying to win for 13 years now.

Thank you for reading this race report, and I welcome comments and question about the sport and I hope you American readers have enjoyed reading my race report , and I hope you enjoy the rest 4th of July weekend, or whatever celebration you have anywhere in the world!

Here's a link to pictures the race results from the Tamiya USA website, I am driving the green car with purple in the middle,
http://www.tamiyausa.com/tcs/race.php?tcs_race-id=89

My next race coming up is going to be the Tamiya North American Finals. This race will be held in the same town, at the same track that hosted the Tamiya Championship regional race that I competed in on June 27-28 2009. The North American finals will be held in Orange County CA on August 29-30 2009 at Tamiya America Raceway. This is the most prestigious and competitive race for the Tamiya Championship Series in all of North America, from Canada to the USA, there is no other TCS race anywhere on the continent that is more important. Stay tuned for updates of the upcoming race.

With the 2009 Tamiya North American Finals just only 5 weeks away, I would to take some time to explain the rules for the class that I will be competition in. Also i will explain how the race will be run

The class that I will compete in is called the GT2 class. This class uses a "17.5 Brushless motor". 17.5 is the number of elctrical winds inside the motor, and brushless means that the motor uses a rotor instead of brushes used in a conventional electric DC motor. There are two motors from two companies that are only allowed in this class. One is from a German manufacture called "LRP" and the other is from a American company named "Novak". a 17.5 motor is equivalent to a very powerful 4 cyl engine or a twin turbo V-6 engine. The chassis that are used in this class are plastic carbon molded tub chassis only. No carbon fiber woven chassis are allowed.



Novak 17.5


LRP 17.5
another rule to explain is that these motors have "adjustable timing", what this means is that there are three screws on top of the motor that when loosened the top of the motor can be twisted in one direction that can increase the power of the motor and give it more top speed and acceleration, which can be an unfair advantage. No one can adjust the timing on the motor and has to be set at the original factory setting. If the timing has been tampered with, the racer will be disqualified for his qualifier or from the event.

There is a handout battery that every GT2 racer has to use to level the playfield and to make sure that no one has a an advantage due to the fact that they have a special type of battery that is too expensive or has been tweaked to have more voltage and top speed than everyone else.



Team Orion 3400 Lithium Polymer Race Spec Handout Battery.

The race is two days, Saturday the 29th of August which will have 3 qualifiers which are 5 minutes long and racers race against the clock and not each other. Sunday the 30th of August, there is one last qualifier and then racers enter "mains" there is a d main which is the top 40 racers, then a C main which is the top 30 racers, B main, top 20. Then the top 10 racers compete in the "Triple A mains" These races are scheduled for 5 Minutes or possibly 8 minutes, the race director has yet to announce how long the mains will be so I'll keep you posted on that. There are 3 heads up on the tone races where you earn points for every main you compete in, You earn 100 points for first, 99 for second, 98 for third, 97 forth etc. your two best races count with your worst race thrown out. The driver with the most points, with their two best races added up, at the end of all three A mains is the winner, there is however another rule to this, if one driver wins the first two A mains, he/she gets to sit out the third A main and is automatically the winner.


The winner of the GT2 class, gets an all expense paid trip to Japan, and qualifies to compete in the Tamiya Championship Series World Championship, in Shizouka City, Japan. This is something I've been trying to win all my life since I was 11.

The race report will follow right after the Tamiya North American Finals. Stay tuned!

One of the cars allowed to compete in the TCS North American Finals GT2 class


Tamiya TA05R


Tamiya TA05IFS


Tamiya America Raceway (host track of the 2009 North American Finals)

The north american finals are now less than two weeks away, the race format should be coming up soon, so i can tell you how long the races will be. Keep tuned into this page as the race format is explained.

Another thing to mention is that the host track Tamiya America Raceway, has been resurfaced and the islands, corners and burms have been repainted as well. The track has been deteriorating and went through a lot of wear and tear over the years. The Tamiya Championship Series racing community convinced the owner's of the track to improve the appearance.


Here's a picture of Tamiya America Raceway after it was resurfaced and repainted

I have just gotten information about how long the Triple A mains are going to be. During the regular season for the GT2 Class in the Tamiya Championship Series, the A mains (top ten drivers) have been 8 Minutes long. For nationals this year it has been reduced to 5 minutes. Here is how the race format will work.

In qualifying you are racing against the clock, not against other competitors. The goal of qualifying is to be the fastest car on the track that runs the most laps in 5 minutes in your class, however there is no door banging or battling out on the track which could cause an accident and you can mess up you and your competitor's time. When you are faster then someone or someone is faster than you, you are to yield to or the slower racer is to yield to you so there will be no accident. If you cause an accident you could be given a stop and go penalty.

another thing to mention in qualifying that are points to be awarded, however this time it's the driver with the least points at the end of four qualifiers is the person who will start up front, or as remote control racers call it Top Qualifier (TQ). The qualifiers are 5 minutes long and are a staggered start, the tone will sound and the race announcer will call driver's number every second, for example car # 1 will speed off first, then a second later car # 2, then 3, 4 etc. If you qualify first in your class you get 0 points, if you qualify 2nd you get 2, 3rd 3, and so on. Your two best qualifiers count, the driver with the least amount of points at the end of qualifying will be awarded the top qualifying spot on the front row. Even though your two best races count, the remaining two are as important as well. If there are two drivers who have 0 points, the TQ will be decided by time. If your fastest time in your best qualifier is better than the driver who has 0 points but has a slower time than yours. The TQ position belongs to you.


Now I will explain how triple A mains work

This time, races are a heads up on the tone start, every driver lines up to the starting grid in their qualifying position. If you win you get 100 points, if you come second, 99 points, 3rd 98, 4th 97, etc. Your two best mains are added up, the driver with the best two out of three races at the end of 3 A mains is the winner and will represent North America in their respective class, at the Tamiya World Championship in Shizouka City, Japan. There is a twist to this this rule, if you win the first two A mains, you are unanimously declaired the winner and you are to sit out the third and final A main due to the fact that our two best mains count and you have already earned them.

The Tamiya North American Finals are this August 29-30, the race report will follow after the event.

All right everyone, the Tamiya North American Finals are over. I will start to get to work on the race report as soon as possible. Keep checking into this page for updates!

All right guys, I just got started on writing the race report for the Tamiya North American Finals, I plan to take fairly good amount of time to write this report due to the fact that this race is the most important part of my life not to mention it's been my life's ultimate dream to win this race. I want take some time to put a very good effort in writing this race report, so I could make it as interesting as i can. Thank you.

-Lee