So the resurrection is complete!
Last night I took my Worlds Car to a nearby track (well, about an hours drive away) And raced it for the first time, in what must be about 15 or so years.... for the car..... & at least 10 years since I last raced on an off-road track!
This is the track, Stotfold Model Car Club, Herts. UK.
Not hoping for too much I booked myself in & told the race director to put me in the bottom heat... as it was a mid-week club night there was just enough people for three heats of 4wd & two heats of 2wd.
Rnd1, Not getting there in time for practice, the first round was very tentertive, not only was I trying to get used to the car (first time i'd driven an ali tubbed RC10 in anger) But getting used to the very different disciplin of racing on an off road track... indeed I think its the first time that i've ever run on a fully astroturfed track. I finished flat last, having had a few spills & both rear tyres came unglued from their outer edges (I suspected that my superglue had gone-off when I glued the tyres on the night previous ) Causing very sketchy handling!
Rnd2, I went out in my second qualifying race with tyres glued back on, wing wire straightened, slipper backed off & ride height lowered a bit. The car was a bit more driveable - it was now not wheelieing midway down the straight!
) & the lower ride height made it more stable over undulations on the high grip astroturf. I was a bit quicker, but in the heat I was still last!
..... oh & my rear tyres fell off again!
B Final, I actually qualified 4th for the B final - so second from last (five cars in the final) There was a guy in the 'top' qual heats that was actually slower than me
By now the light was fading fast & the floodlights were switched-on. Somehow once the buzzer had signalled the the start of the race, I felt much more at home with the car & the track, I had the confidence to get more 'air' & attack the jumps & bumps & the car flowed better for it, I was still well off the pace of the top 'A' final guys, but with a clean run, I brought the old RC10 home in first place
In summary; back when I was a regular off road racer, I would probably expect to be running mid/top of the A final on such a club night, the fact I was not up there last night was mostly down to my own rustiness to running off road - however I could see that the modern cars, with their wider track, longer wishbones, & smoother shocks were easier & less edgy to drive on the technical track compared with my pretty much standard spec RC10. However i'm sticking with my antique, i'm not going to try too hard and enjoy my racing - like I did last night
A friend who used to run them on his B2/3 gave me this set BNIP, not sure if i'll use them on the track as I also have some pro-line dished rims that look more robust.
Oh they also did a couple of one day race meetings under the banner of 'Damn Yankees' one for on-road & one for off road - I did the on-road meeting & qualified for the 'A' final... my claim to fame, probably the only time I would qualify in the same final as the then World champ Dave Spashett 
