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So that's the real challenge, finding a class of car that EVERYONE is interested in racing. That has always been one of the challenges, but something NASTE has always been good at finding solutions to. Since NASTE started we have always promoted racing with the emphasis on new racers. We have always tried to make it easy for new people to get up to speed and feel comfortable. I feel that is a goal worth keeping. My feeling is a new class such as the vintage chassis or whatever, would stimulate the racers in our group who are ready for more of a challenge.

I would say the majority of the racers that race with NASTE right now are primarily 1/32 scale enthusiasts. My tentative plan is to come up with a 1/32 car class that can be raced non-magnetic on 1/24 scale tracks as well as 1/32. In additon to that class I would like to have an HO class (probably Aurora T-Jet style cars) to compete on our circuit of HO tracks. Lastly a class of 1/24 scale cars that would be raced on the 1/24 tracks (of course). I would propose the races on the 1/24 tracks would be one round with the 1/32 cars, and the second round with the 1/24 cars. With this format racers would need only 2 cars to participate in ALL the NASTE races, with the option of having a third 1/24 car if they desire. I would also venture to guess there would be "loaner" cars available for new racers, which has always been part of the NASTE program.

So as far as a 1/24 class goes, we have plenty of time to do some testing and decide what we like, and what works best for the group as a whole. Everybody likes something different, everybody has their own ideas, coming to concensus is what NASTE is all about.

--------------------------------------Bill

Hello CascadeMike, Like Monte said, WELCOME!

Oakridge, is that just east of Eugene/Springfield? If so, you have racers in your area!

---------------Bill

So there you have it. 6 potential cars for NASTE racing, and 600 laps of testing. I will make some adjustments to the cars and bring them to the next race at Hemi Heights. We'll test them there, and give everyone interested an opportunity to try them out.

--------------------------Bill

Down to the last two in the testing session. This one I threw into the mix at the last minute, and it surprised me! This is a box stock Carrera 1/24 Corvette.

Carrera:

The chassis on this car uses a sidewinder mounted motor. The motor does not have a lot of power or speed, but when combined with the stock skinny rear tires it makes for a lot of fun! The car is very forgiving, with controllable power slides signaling the over-use of it's available power. Try pushing harder in the middle of the power slide and it flips. I believe tires with more grip would probably bring the "flip" around earlier. This car requires some finesse to turn fast lap times. You must be smooth when applying the power. The major drawback with this car is the guide flag. It does not sit low enough in the slot on a recessed braid type of 1/24 routed track. I temporarily cured that problem by removing the front tires. A simple permanent fix would be to use smaller diameter front tires (or turn the stock ones down). This is a car I would enjoy racing "box stock" (with the exception of the front tire modification). It's an easy car to be consistent with, and it really is a lot of fun! Best lap = 6.802

Although the Econo, FCR, and Pro-Trac cars represented the fastest cars, there was one of what I consider the lower group that made the top 3 overall. The Classic chassis car out performed the Pro-Trac car in every category but overall top speed (and that was very close considering the motor fitted to my car!). Again this car was tested as it came from the factory - unmodified.

Classic:

This type of chassis is made to run 36D motors and lexan bodies. This particular car had lots of power and speed. As it is an out of production vintage car, power and speed are relative to whatever your particular car has in it for a motor! For a class rule I would propose a "spec" motor as there are still many 36Ds available from retailers. These cars are very light and they respond well to simple chassis tuning. I cut .2 sec. off my lap times just by repositioning the motor lead wires on the guide flag. The car was fitted with Jel Claw silicon rear tires which seemed to work very well. It did not corner well with too much bite in the rear, for this car "loose" is fast. Larry Cockerham came up with a very effective modification for these cars which greatly improves the handling. Larry made a .090" center pan that mounts to the front axle. With this simple modification adding weight to the front of the car, traction in the rear can be increased without making the car excessively "tight". This car was not easy to drive fast, because of how light it is (it's somewhat twitchy and quick). Larry's modification cures the twitchy-ness. All said this is a fun car to race. It's probably a car that would be most enjoyed by racers that like to tinker. It's not as fast as the Pro-Trac car, but I felt it was more fun to run. Best lap = 6.286 sec.

I completed the first round of testing on the cars listed above. The testing was done on my 6 lane MDF routed 1/24 track - The BullRing. I used the Bob Hanna Econo Car type chassis as the base line for comparison between cars. I ran each car for 100 laps to get accustomed to the handling of each car, and establish the lowest lap time I could run with each. I completed the testing myself, so all the comments are based on my impressions of the various cars performance. The cars are listed in order as to my overall rating of the cars handling and performance.

Econo Car:

The Econo car is by far the best handling and easiest to race car of the bunch. It is also the most expensive. The chassis is handbuilt using .090" flat brass and made for mounting model car bodies. Because of the weight of the car, this is not the fastest car on the straights, however it is the fastest cornering car of the group. This heavy chassis needs and can use all the bite you can give it tire wise. The more the better! If you are looking for a fast chassis to run model car bodied cars on, this would be the one! This car is the easiest car to be consistent and fast with. Best lap = 4.406 sec.

--------------Bill

That's an appealing price, perfect for an IROC series! I've got them on my watch list.

I have one of the SCX F1 cars. The front suspension/front axle/guide flag setup is delicate. That would be my only concern.

Many of the components for vintage type chassis are still available as new parts, or old parts can be upgraded. EJs Hobbys is a good source for new vintage parts. I agree that we don't want to have to rely on Ebay as a parts source! Not just for pricing reasons, but you never know if something will be available on Ebay. As far as the Garvic and Classic style chassis, once you have acquired a chassis most all the other components are readily available, or can be upgraded. I'll do a little experimenting with upgrading and see what can be done with the bare chassis component wise.  --------------------------Bill

Found the newer version of the Pro-Trac RTR chassis on Ebay. This is the one with the adjustable wheelbase:

This is an early version of the Pro-Trac RTR chassis for "hardbody" cars. This particular chassis came fully assembled (true RTR) and the cost was $29.99. I am not sure if this model is still available. I have seen a newer version of this car (not sure if it's still manufactured by Pro-Trac) and the new version has an adjustable wheelbase. If I remember correctly the price was somewhere around $40. Rich Veccio had raced these cars in Arizona. The group he raced with had improved their handling by adding brass side pans to the chassis. The pans bolted on.

As far as this particular example goes, it came with a Cheetah II motor, and nice realistically sized wheels and tires.

Advantages: 1) All brand new parts. 2) Readily available (at least the new version). 3) Can be fitted with many different model car bodies.

Let's talk about the EJs Hobby kit. These can be purchased from EJ's Hobbies in kit form for $55 to $65, you assemble the car. The kit comes with all the necessary new parts to assemble a complete RTR car, body and all. To start off the bodies are brand new, old stock Strombecker 1/24 bodies. The bodies are collectible, making the purchase price an excellent deal!

The cars can be assembled with ordinary hand tools, nothing special required. The chassis is two piece stamped brass. The two halves are held together by screws and nuts, and the wheelbase is adjustable. The axles are 5-40 threaded type axles. The crown gear looks like pot metal in some photos, but it is actually plastic with a metal insert where it mounts to the axle. The kit comes with a Plafit Fox motor.

Advantages: 1) All brand new parts. 2) Adjustable wheelbase would allow for the use of many different model car bodies using a plastic "post" type of body mounting system. 3) High collector value. Cost of car could easily be recovered.

That digital track is sure lookin' good Monte! Nice job!!!!............but it still scares me!!!!