01-20-2005, 11:52 AM
Info for racers and what to do on a night of racing.
If you've never raced before, you might feel a little intimidated showing up for your first time. There are some things to know that will make your first outing go more smoothly and help put your mind at ease. I often hear statements such as this, "I'm not good enough to race, I'll just embarass myself." The fastest way to get better is to get out on the track and race. You have marshalls to flip your car, and you get out there with people that know what they're doing and you can learn a lot real quick. To make you more familiar with the racing process we'll list some "quick hits" to get you off to a good start.
Show up early to get signed up and practice
Check the heats listings for your frequency, car number, etc
Wait for your race to be called
Install your transponder
Race
Turn off your radio and RETURN THE TRANSPONDER
Report for corner marshalling duties
Repeat and enjoy
When you're at the races, there's an order to the madness. You'll want to show up early (at least an hour before the start time) so you can get signed up and also get some practice time on the track so you can get your motor tuned in and your car ready for the race. During practice make sure that you get the appropriate frequency clip BEFORE you turn your transmitter on. And, return your clip when you're not using it, there will likely be others sharing your frequency and they might need some practice time too.
Once everyone is signed up, the race director will print the heats listings and announce that they have been posted. Check the listing to make sure you're in the proper class with the correct frequency assigned. You'll also want to pay attention to your car number, transponder number, heat number, and the race or two that preceed your race. There will be number decals available and you should place your car number on your car. The transponder number will tell you which transponder you should have when your race rolls around (more on this later). You can keep track of the races by the heat number, when the heat before yours is running, you should start getting ready so you're not late for your start (don't turn on your radio yet!!). Most days there will be 3 heat races followed by the mains.
Before you get on the track, you need to install a transponder in your car so the computer will count your laps. Transponders are the means by which laps are counted during the race. There's a wire in the track (called the "loop") that picks up a signal from the transponder and sends it to the computer which recognizes the unique signal from each transponder and registers another lap for your car everytime it crosses the loop. The transponders will be referred to by the last number listed on them. You can mount the transponder on your car in a variety of ways, but we'll be discussing the two most common techniques. The transponder has a body post sized nub on it with a place for a body pin to pass through. On most gas trucks and monster trucks you'll need to make a hole in your body, pass the transponder nub through (from the inside), and insert the body pin to keep it on the car. Mount it such that the transponder will not interfere with anything under the body, and where the transponder will be protected in the event of a crash (the windshield is a good place). On most 1/8 scale buggies a transponder mount is included that attaches to the radio tray. It's usually a piece of plastic with a hole in it that you pass the transponder nub through and pin it - simple as that. It is imperative that as soon as your race is complete you remove the rechargeable transponder and place it back in the rack so the next race will be able to start on time. There is also the Personal Transponder that you can purchase and permanently mount to your car. It is powered by your receiver pack and is lighter and much more convenient than the rechargeable transponders. If you plan on racing frequently, I'd highly recommend getting a personal transponder.
OK, so now they've called for your race and you've installed your transponder and are ready to go. There will be a short warm up session before the race starts (usually a couple of minutes). This will allow you to get your motor up to temp and get a last second feel for the track. The heat races are typically 5 minutes so you may need to top off your fuel tank after your warm up just prior to the start of the race. If you don't have someone who can do that for you (a pit person) it's generally pretty easy to find a friendly person willing to help you out. If you can't find anyone, just ask the race director and he'll likely find you a helping hand. Don't wait 'til the last minute though, try and find someone well in advance of your race.
After the warm up, the race director will say something like, "Let's top 'em off and get 'em on the gate." At this point you should drive your car over to the starting gate where your pit person will place your car on the gate and top off the fuel tank. Now you just wait for the gate to drop and you'll be RACING!! Try and drive smooth without crashing. If you can keep your car on all fours and without needing the help of the corner marshalls you'll likely finish pretty well. If you stay in control and place the car where you want, you'll get faster and faster. After your race immediately pull your car off the track. Exit the driver's stand and kill the engine on your car. Turn off your receiver and transmitter and RETURN THE TRANSPONDER TO THE RACK!! Get your car squared away quickly so you can get out on the track to perform your corner marshalling duties. After that race is done you can get back to the pits to perform any necessary repairs on your car to make it ready for the next race.
The nice thing about racing is that you'll have marshalls for your race that will be on the track and their job is to right overturned cars, unstick stuck cars, etc. The marshalls are the racers from the previous race, so after your race you'll be expected to take your trun at marshalling for the guys that are racing after you. For the first race, the racers from the last race will be the guys on the track taking care of the marshalling duties. Make sure you report for corner marshalling duties as soon as you return your transponder and make sure your radio is turned off, the next batch of racers will be counting on you during their warm up as well as during their race.
If you've never raced before, you might feel a little intimidated showing up for your first time. There are some things to know that will make your first outing go more smoothly and help put your mind at ease. I often hear statements such as this, "I'm not good enough to race, I'll just embarass myself." The fastest way to get better is to get out on the track and race. You have marshalls to flip your car, and you get out there with people that know what they're doing and you can learn a lot real quick. To make you more familiar with the racing process we'll list some "quick hits" to get you off to a good start.
Show up early to get signed up and practice
Check the heats listings for your frequency, car number, etc
Wait for your race to be called
Install your transponder
Race
Turn off your radio and RETURN THE TRANSPONDER
Report for corner marshalling duties
Repeat and enjoy
When you're at the races, there's an order to the madness. You'll want to show up early (at least an hour before the start time) so you can get signed up and also get some practice time on the track so you can get your motor tuned in and your car ready for the race. During practice make sure that you get the appropriate frequency clip BEFORE you turn your transmitter on. And, return your clip when you're not using it, there will likely be others sharing your frequency and they might need some practice time too.
Once everyone is signed up, the race director will print the heats listings and announce that they have been posted. Check the listing to make sure you're in the proper class with the correct frequency assigned. You'll also want to pay attention to your car number, transponder number, heat number, and the race or two that preceed your race. There will be number decals available and you should place your car number on your car. The transponder number will tell you which transponder you should have when your race rolls around (more on this later). You can keep track of the races by the heat number, when the heat before yours is running, you should start getting ready so you're not late for your start (don't turn on your radio yet!!). Most days there will be 3 heat races followed by the mains.
Before you get on the track, you need to install a transponder in your car so the computer will count your laps. Transponders are the means by which laps are counted during the race. There's a wire in the track (called the "loop") that picks up a signal from the transponder and sends it to the computer which recognizes the unique signal from each transponder and registers another lap for your car everytime it crosses the loop. The transponders will be referred to by the last number listed on them. You can mount the transponder on your car in a variety of ways, but we'll be discussing the two most common techniques. The transponder has a body post sized nub on it with a place for a body pin to pass through. On most gas trucks and monster trucks you'll need to make a hole in your body, pass the transponder nub through (from the inside), and insert the body pin to keep it on the car. Mount it such that the transponder will not interfere with anything under the body, and where the transponder will be protected in the event of a crash (the windshield is a good place). On most 1/8 scale buggies a transponder mount is included that attaches to the radio tray. It's usually a piece of plastic with a hole in it that you pass the transponder nub through and pin it - simple as that. It is imperative that as soon as your race is complete you remove the rechargeable transponder and place it back in the rack so the next race will be able to start on time. There is also the Personal Transponder that you can purchase and permanently mount to your car. It is powered by your receiver pack and is lighter and much more convenient than the rechargeable transponders. If you plan on racing frequently, I'd highly recommend getting a personal transponder.
OK, so now they've called for your race and you've installed your transponder and are ready to go. There will be a short warm up session before the race starts (usually a couple of minutes). This will allow you to get your motor up to temp and get a last second feel for the track. The heat races are typically 5 minutes so you may need to top off your fuel tank after your warm up just prior to the start of the race. If you don't have someone who can do that for you (a pit person) it's generally pretty easy to find a friendly person willing to help you out. If you can't find anyone, just ask the race director and he'll likely find you a helping hand. Don't wait 'til the last minute though, try and find someone well in advance of your race.
After the warm up, the race director will say something like, "Let's top 'em off and get 'em on the gate." At this point you should drive your car over to the starting gate where your pit person will place your car on the gate and top off the fuel tank. Now you just wait for the gate to drop and you'll be RACING!! Try and drive smooth without crashing. If you can keep your car on all fours and without needing the help of the corner marshalls you'll likely finish pretty well. If you stay in control and place the car where you want, you'll get faster and faster. After your race immediately pull your car off the track. Exit the driver's stand and kill the engine on your car. Turn off your receiver and transmitter and RETURN THE TRANSPONDER TO THE RACK!! Get your car squared away quickly so you can get out on the track to perform your corner marshalling duties. After that race is done you can get back to the pits to perform any necessary repairs on your car to make it ready for the next race.
The nice thing about racing is that you'll have marshalls for your race that will be on the track and their job is to right overturned cars, unstick stuck cars, etc. The marshalls are the racers from the previous race, so after your race you'll be expected to take your trun at marshalling for the guys that are racing after you. For the first race, the racers from the last race will be the guys on the track taking care of the marshalling duties. Make sure you report for corner marshalling duties as soon as you return your transponder and make sure your radio is turned off, the next batch of racers will be counting on you during their warm up as well as during their race.