Search options (Page 102 of 226)

Read more about The Fray here: http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/266-slot- … ndale.html

And here: http://www.slotcarillustrated.com/porta … ost1006286

On this trip to the Fray I spent much more time poking around the pits and observing. The attention to detail and time these guys spend on their cars is incredible! They take these toy cars that were mass produced in the 1960s and turn them into precission racing machines. No detail is overlooked, and every part is reworked into a precission piece. I have to give these guys credit, they know what they are doing!

So here's a few things I picked up on. Things I think are a must if you want to have a competitive car.

MOTOR MAGNETS - Dash magnets seemed to be THE motor magnets of choice. In addition you NEED the strongest DASH magnets you can find! The fast guys use a gauss meter to check and match all their motor magnets!

WEIGHTED FRONT END ASSEMBLY - A good weighted front end assembly is also a must. A tungsten axle also helps out. Wizzard makes one that seemed popular http://www.dynamicarmatures.com/. I was using an RTHO front end setup on my cars, one with the "rocker" setup and one with the standard weighted front axle. They worked well but I think the Wizzard setup is superior.

REAR AXLE - A good straight rear axle, either stainless or tungsten.

ARMATURE - I felt I would be OK giving up a little speed for good handling in the tight curves. Well, I was wrong! The fast guys are fast in the curves and even faster down the straights! You NEED speed, which means a good armature. Armatures cannot be less than 16 ohms across each pole. With a factory stock Aurora armature you need to be sure each pole of the arm measures as close to 16 ohms as possible. Aftermarket and Dash 2 laminant armatures are allowed in the team race on Saturday. Balanced armatures  are the way to go.

PICKUP SHOES - Wizzard pickup shoes seemed to be a good choice.

CROWN GEAR - With the extremely small diameter rear tires used on the Fray type tracks, the stock Aurora rear crown gear will touch the track. You need a smaller diameter 15 tooth crown gear. RTHO makes a good one http://rt-ho.com/gears.html

I also picked up a few tuning tips. For some of the tracks good brakes were a benefit. A little extra motor brush tension helps out there. When assembling your chassis work to eliminate every bit of friction you can. Even small improvements pay off! Be sure your front wheels rotate freely, very freely. Use spacers on the rear axle to ensure your crown gear and wheels maintain their position on the axle. The fast guys were running rear tire diameters of .322" to .326", front tire diameters were close to .300". Bodies should be mounted somewhat loosely, and the front guide pin should be glued in place.

I know there are many more tuning tricks, but these are just a few I picked up on. I'd like to thank Dave Smith for getting my chassis built for the race. Dave gave me four of the best running and handling Tjets I have ever owned! Even at that I was not competitive in the Fray. The level of performance these guys reach is just astonishing! I was definitely schooled!

After the team introductions the Team Race competition began around 8 A.M. The format was the same as the IROC race with each race consisting of 10 lap heats. All the teams raced each other head to head with 3 drivers from each team on the track in each heat race.

I apologize for not getting any photos duting the big race competition, but I was pretty busy all the time. There was no time for anything but driving and turn marshalling for the first 4 hours. If you weren't on the track racing, you were needed to turn marshal. You had to run to have time to take a leak!

There was a lunch break around noon. After lunch which was about an hour break, the second half of the race began. Same routine as the first half of the race. No time for anything but racing and turn marshalling! The race ended at approximately 6:00 PM. It had been a really hectic FULL day of racing and I was beat! I was wanting to get on my home so after the last heat race I loaded up and headed out the door. As I write this I still don't know how we finished. As soon as I can get the results I will get them posted.

We had dinner here at the Hotel Ivanhoe. The food was excellent and there was also live music.

I saw this cool display in one of the downtown store windows.

The Gingerbread Mansion.

Here's Rene White with Team Oregon getting in some practice laps. Although Rene did not actually race she was of great help to the team turn marshalling, helping get cars ready between heat races, and taking photos. thank you Rene!

This photo says it all!

Anthony and I still at it on the track. Anthony was in the top three and moved up. I was not and did not....

Turn marshalling in the Fray is stressful. The cars are fast and things happen just as quickly. Pressure added by the race director Richard Phillis watching on!

Mike Leech readies himself as the cars are lined up for another heat race.

I think I must have tricked him into it!!!

The individual race was intense! The format was of a work-up type race. The bottom six qualifyers were on the track first in the Y Main. Each racer raced each lane in a 10 lap heat race. Points were scored for your finish position in each race. The top three finishers of each heat moved up to the next main. Here Dave Smith prepares for a run.

Monte Saager racing in his heat races.

Dave Smith and I were in this heat together.

Dave Smith at the Black Track during his qualifying run for the Individual Race.

Left to right in this photo, I believe this is Mr. Hurley of the South Bay Team, Mike Leech Team Oregon, Dave Smith, and Brad Bowman.

During qualifying and the Individual Race, racers that were not on the track in qualifying runs, racing, or turn marshalling had the opportunity for track practice on other tracks or for tuning their cars in the pits for Saturday's team races.

On Friday the complete IROC Race results were posted and racers could see how well they performed on an individual basis in the race. The race program Richard Phillis uses for the Fray races is very cool and captures a lot of data! Sorry about the sideways photo!

The qualifying order for the 83 participants was random and posted. I was set to be the sixteenth racer up to qualify. Each racer would receive one warm up lap and then four timed laps. Their qualifying time was the average of their four timed laps.

After each racer ran the qualifying heats their cars were inspected and placed in the impound area.

Cars were checked for compliance to width and magnetic standards.