Lake Superior R/C Club

Hey there guys. I see that on a club level and maybe on a state level a lot of guys are getting frustrated with stock 1/12 because of the speed control. At the national level there is no such thing as open 17.5 1/12 anymore mainly because they seen it caused the same problems. I know its in the middle of the year and I know guys don't like changing things like this but the fact is if we don't change, there might not be 1/12 next year at a club level because of the frustration. I spoke with a lot of guys this weekend and no one is against switching to blinky for the remainder of the year. I also spoke to gary and he is in favor of making the switch as long as everyone is on the same page. I really don't care either way but I really don't like seeing so many guys upset over a speedo and wouldn't mind getting rid of the timing aspect of it. I think it would be a win win if we did switch. If you race stock 1/12, Please let your thoughts be known in a reasonable manner........

I'm for switch to blinky mode.

I would like to see 17.5 become "stock" again

I would like to see blinking in stock 1/12th and stock sedan. Anything stock

I may have kept my car if i knew this might happen. I think this would be the right thing to do if you want to keep the class going strong.

OK, being somewhat behind the times, I'm assuming blinky is a stock setting for a Tekin?, which everyone would stick with and is easy to spot...........
RCR, boy do I know were you could get another one.......

Yes that is correct. Takes all of timing out and is
just like running a gtb or sphere. It
has blinking lights to indicate that is actually in that mode.

Witta,

Does this require a firmware upgrade?

I am all for running the blinky mode. Would we run this on thursdays and sundays or just thursdays. Tom I think you need version 212 to have blinky mode.

I'm down with "blinky" mode, but who is going to tech it=?

If you guys decide to make the switch. It's as simple looking at the speedo and seeing the blinking lights. If there is a question of cheating it takes a second. No need to plug into hotwire.

Just a few quick facts before anyone gets carried away.

Blinky will make stock a larger money game.. The motor will instantly become a much larger factor as you no longer can balance the timing vrs motor for speed. Nothing has ever been simple about being fast in stock.. outside of the basic driver issues.. Battery needs to be up to the task( this is light years better), Motor has to be to task( much closer with current system.. most should remember the days of springs, cutting comms, swapping brushes.. and that was every round... and lets not forget dyno time).. bearings Ceramic all of a sudden even becomes more important. Tires also can be key.. to soft the car will bind down to the track when grip comes up too hard the car will slide out and become undrivable.

here are a couple years of results and lap spreads...

If you look closely we are a much closer group today then it has been in a long time.. Racing is a sport and to excell it will take some practice and effort.. If you are chasing there is no substitute for track time, straight car, solid setup, and not hitting the walls.

12/27/2009
201003211 Race # 6 - A Main - 1 12th stock
Molzer Mowery Racing - Web site: www.lsrcc.com

JLap Race Manager (Build: 0809) - Web site: http://www.JLapRaceManager.com

Copyright © 1999 - 2009 TGR Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Pos. Car Driver's Name Total Laps Total Time Fastest Lap On Lap Avg. Lap Time Status
1 1 John Witta 40 00:08:03.334 00:11.171 4 12.083 Done!
2 3 Mike Johnson 39 00:08:04.016 00:11.652 6 12.410 Done!
3 2 Billy Replogle 39 00:08:07.625 00:11.717 3 12.503 Done!
4 4 Tim Larson 38 00:08:00.698 00:11.723 5 12.649 Done!
5 5 Greg Guertin 38 00:08:03.733 00:11.913 8 12.729 Done!
6 9 Gary Pauna 36 00:08:00.192 00:12.395 10 13.338 Done!
7 6 Kevin Lamotte 36 00:08:03.034 00:11.691 4 13.417 Done!
8 7 Mike Scott 36 00:08:06.555 00:12.175 10 13.515 Done!
9 8 Jeff Samuel 35 00:08:07.418 00:12.120 7 13.926 Done!
10 10 Justin Fish 32 00:08:09.291 00:13.348 6 15.290 Done!


3/21/2010
201003211 Race # 6 - A Main - 1 12th stock
Molzer Mowery Racing - Web site: www.lsrcc.com

JLap Race Manager (Build: 0809) - Web site: http://www.JLapRaceManager.com

Copyright © 1999 - 2009 TGR Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Pos. Car Driver's Name Total Laps Total Time Fastest Lap On Lap Avg. Lap Time Status
1 1 John Witta 40 00:08:03.334 00:11.171 4 12.083 Done!
2 3 Mike Johnson 39 00:08:04.016 00:11.652 6 12.410 Done!
3 2 Billy Replogle 39 00:08:07.625 00:11.717 3 12.503 Done!
4 4 Tim Larson 38 00:08:00.698 00:11.723 5 12.649 Done!
5 5 Greg Guertin 38 00:08:03.733 00:11.913 8 12.729 Done!
6 9 Gary Pauna 36 00:08:00.192 00:12.395 10 13.338 Done!
7 6 Kevin Lamotte 36 00:08:03.034 00:11.691 4 13.417 Done!
8 7 Mike Scott 36 00:08:06.555 00:12.175 10 13.515 Done!
9 8 Jeff Samuel 35 00:08:07.418 00:12.120 7 13.926 Done!
10 10 Justin Fish 32 00:08:09.291 00:13.348 6 15.290 Done!


1/9/2011
201101091 Race # 5 - A Main - 1 12th stock
Molzer Mowery Racing - Web site: www.lsrcc.com

JLap Race Manager (Build: 0903) - Web site: http://www.JLapRaceManager.com

Copyright © 1999 - 2010 TGR Software, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Pos. Start Car Driver's Name Total Laps Total Time Fastest Lap On Lap Avg. Lap Time Std. Dev Status
1 1 1 John Wiita 40 00:08:09.342 00:11.818 3 12.233 0.380 Done!
2 3 3 Kevin Van Ert 40 00:08:12.518 00:11.488 3 12.312 0.624 Done!
3 4 4 Greg Amendola 39 00:08:07.695 00:11.741 6 12.504 1.229 Done!
4 2 2 Mark Sweeney 39 00:08:10.838 00:11.657 9 12.585 1.321 Done!
5 8 8 Chris Bangle 38 00:08:00.402 00:12.078 4 12.642 0.926 Done!
6 6 6 Brian Post 38 00:08:01.104 00:12.266 7 12.660 0.678 Done!
7 7 7 Rick Pfielsticker 38 00:08:08.928 00:12.212 6 12.866 1.107 Done!
8 9 9 Mike Johnson 37 00:08:02.343 00:11.962 11 13.036 1.385 Done!
9 10 10 Geoff Bakken 36 00:08:03.026 00:11.968 2 13.417 1.892 Done!
10 5 5 Billy Replogle 35 00:07:34.607 00:12.013 14 12.988 1.525 DNF

Spread between Mod and stock.. History over time from the big show's.

ROAR nats 2007 4 cell brushed 27t Stock-10.762 fast lap
Modified Brushless 4 cell 9.8 second fast lap

ROAR nats 2008 4 cell Brushless, limited timing available to consumer close to blinky 1/12th stock 10.580
modified brushless 4 cell 9.510

ROAR nats 2009 4 cell brushless, limited timing for speedo's SPX was the most you could get. 10.2
modified brushless 4 cell 9.4

ROAR nats 2010, Lipo brushless, Sportsman rule no timing, no sponsors... Not enough entries to run
SS 1/12 expert 13.5 BL open timing. 10.1
Open Mod 1/12 Brushless, Lipo 9.3

Just a couple of comments on the "blinky" issue. While I am not a member of your club, I do travel around to different events running "stock", either 1/12 or sedan. As well as operating a shop/track.

The class shift has been pretty pronounced in the Chicago,Detroit, Indianapolis and Cleveland markets. Stock sedan has become 17.5 zero timing (in some cases open 21.5 and closed 17.5 run together) and stock 1/12 is open esc.

1/12's are going slightly faster in lap times than a few years ago, but tire and equipment wear is way down. With this we have had many more new 1/12's hit the track over the last few months then in any year previous.

I agree completely with the above post, that if in fact you do decide as a club to go to "blinky"mode, then the motor, battery wars will start up, unless you limit those to, and that is no good for anybody, nor is it cheap. If some type of parity is what the end result might be, spec a tire such as Lilac and Grays which used to be the choice around here for stock 4-cell.

Regardless, looking forward to this year's WoW event again as long as the schedule allows for it.

I too believe if you go away from open ESC there will be more problems. There are several classes today that use a fixed system (VTA, Mini) for those that want to run a simple baseline setup no timing or tweaking and it works out great. This year, alot more people are racing the stock 12th and stock sedan classes, look at the numbers, they are getting close to what we had back in 2003 at our peak. That's a really good sign that something is going right.

What I believe to be the root of the issue is a communication issue. Alot of people want to have the "hot" settings for an ESC, and I think both John and I have been very open to share them (what works for us). But people need to realize that programming is just a small part of being competitive. Fresh cut tires, how and when you apply compound, the type of compound, car setup, roll-out, and about 20 other thing beyond your driving skill determine how the well you will do.

I think people need to assess the classes they run and figure out which they are best suited for so they don't get frustrated and sell their stuff. For example, if easy going fun is what you want, then VTA and Mini are great options. Simple, cheap and there isn't much you can do to get faster in terms of setup/electronics. When I think 1/12th scale, things like complex, dedicated, competitive come to mind. It's alot fo fun when it works, and its hella frustrating when it isn't. I feel stock sedan is much that same, but its the complexity that makes it fun to me, sitting there thinking about my run, what small change to do, will one more or one less boost factor help me, etc.

I wouldn't change a thing, since this year has alot of momentum and success going for it, rather, I would find out who feels frustrated and help them anyway you can and let them grow into the class or perhaps find another class more suited to what they want out of the race-day experience.

If anyone wants my advice, email me at gamendola@yahoo.com. I have no qualms with telling you my settings or plugging in my esc for you to view. I'll take time to go over your car and explain/change/fix the car along the way.

Also, just so you know, your motor and FDR play a huge role in your esc settings so if you use someone else's settings and they have a different motor/FDR, you will still need to tweak it, and/or your FDR.