Ok, you've been racing for several years...you are pretty good at wheeling the car... When you decide to travel to a race - HOW do you decide what class you are going to run?

Do you have a certain class that is the ONLY class you like to run (ie: Stock, Mod., etc) or do you run a class based on WHO else is running in the class?

Are you a so called "Cherry Picker" and choose to run a class..because you have a better chance of WINNING it?

...I know for myself, part of what makes me pick a class is the TRACK.

If it's a track I feel I can go fast on, I love running a MODIFIED SPEED class, even though I'm not the best driver...I love MOD SPEEDS.

If it's a short slippery track, I prefer a slower class that I can actually drive and not have to fight the car so bad...

I also choose my class a lot of times to race against a group of guys I like competing against. There are those guys I really don't care to race against...and others I love going door to door against.

Some guys make RACING against them FUN - where others make it an awful experience..and that takes the FUN of the day away...does that affect what class YOU choose to run?

...curious minds need to know~

Good question and an interesting topic!

Right now I have one class that I prefer, and if I can, I will run it at any race I attend. The reason I prefer it is it's the maximum speed I can run and feel 90% confident I won't take another guy out if we are an inch apart.

If my preferred class isn't available I'm happy to go with the flow of what the locals do assuming I have the equipment to do it.

I won't take another guy out if we are an inch apart.


THAT'S THE KIND OF RACING I LIKE ...as both a driver...and a spectator~

I personally try to race an oval car/class that I can easily travel with and know that there will be enough in that class to race. However, I should add that I typically race "oddball" classes, so not sure how much that applies.

Lately I've taken the approach for oval that I should have at least 1 car setup that can race in a widely accepted class - in my case it is 4-cell 13.5 brushless. I race the oddball class to have fun and improve on my own times. I hope people don't think I'm cherry picking. I race the accepted class for the competition and to remind myself that I'm really not as good of an oval driver as I am in the oddball class :)!

The only place I let the oval track dictate my class selection is at the Indianapolis Velodrome. The rest of the time I try to take the same cars with me everywhere I go. Now on-road is a different story - I try to take a car that I will break the fewest parts on!

Indy,

I too do about the same thing. It's fun to run in the "oddball" classes, usually because it's a bunch of guys just wanting to have fun. Then you also enter in the SERIOUS class...just to see how BAD you can get spanked by the hotdogs.

Hopefully at the end of the day - you still have 2 complete cars to take home w/o a TON of repair work.

(OnROAD - exactly - something that will break the LEAST amount of parts is always a good start)

Good question and an interesting topic!

Right now I have one class that I prefer, and if I can, I will run it at any race I attend. The reason I prefer it is it's the maximum speed I can run and feel 90% confident I won't take another guy out if we are an inch apart.

If my preferred class isn't available I'm happy to go with the flow of what the locals do assuming I have the equipment to do it.

I too try to pick a class that I can handle with my ability and equipment and not be so slow that I am always having to move to the outside, slowing me even more. I tend to have the racing equipment to fit my speed ability and look for classes that are offered. Lately that can be 13.5 brushless and .09 nitro.

Sometime I chose a class for body style (truck) to do something different.

I love Mod racing. I have been running alot of B/L, just so I can learn to make the "car" faster. But it does depend on who's in the class, if they are the "guys" to beat then thats where I want to be. No matter how slow or how fast, I just want competition, and clean racing with some fun.

I prefer either brushed stock or NOW 13.5...........So it falls under the idea of what class has the most entries. I like to race and would rather be a small or medium fish in a big pond then a big fish in a small pond. That way it's more fun and one those times I make the A or pole in the B it feels even better.

Mod for sure ... I'm average at best in mod, but it's just about the speed, control of speed :thumbsup: .

I prefer either brushed stock or NOW 13.5...........So it falls under the idea of what class has the most entries. I like to race and would rather be a small or medium fish in a big pond then a big fish in a small pond. That way it's more fun and one those times I make the A or pole in the B it feels even better.

Interesting...NOT TO OFFEND, but, so what your saying is you would rather race against 100 farmers who have never wheeled a car, and when you win the "A" you'd feel better than winning a class with only 10 cars, but every one of them was a National champ???

jet, that sounds like the way mod was around here a few years ago...

I prefer what ever class is the most "prestigous", the one where you if you make the "A", it's a really big deal. That class

at the current time in most of the area I race

is Stock, (it may change eventually to 17.5, I don't know.) Stock takes the most finess and is most realistic to stock car racing. In stock, you race other cars, not just yourself. Speeds up to 10.5 or 19 turn are cool too because there fast but you can still race with people.

What's most prestigious kind of depends on your location and what race it is.

I prefer what ever class is the most "prestigous", the one where you if you make the "A", it's a really big deal. That class without a doubt is Stock, (it may change eventually to 17.5, I don't know.) Stock takes the most finess and is most realistic to stock car racing. In stock, you race other cars, not just yourself. Speeds up to 10.5 or 19 turn are cool too because there fast but you can still race with people.
Tommygun, how many times have you been to a race and seen what most people would call a "pro" driver in the stock class yell at a novice driver or a young kid to get out of the way because they were on a tq pace. I believe theres got to be a beginners class and that class is stock. I agree with one point, and that is that in 19turn you can still race because its not to fast. I think if people put more effort in and had patience, maybe even helped out the guys that are on the edge of being real fast, that 19 turn or even mod could have good racing.

I have never seen a pro driver yell at a novice driver or a young kid to get out of the way. I have seen a pro driver yell at another pro driver to move over though.

I have a very different opinon as far as what a beginner class is. To me a beginner class is (for example): Box stock mini-T, Box stock slider, or 1/10 gearbox. After that they can move to a "spec" pan car or "sportsman" stock pan.
I think stock is way to fast and technical for a beginner.

I have seen the sportsman stock classes work....at a non for profit club....that just does what they think is best for R/C. It's the ONLY track in at least 10 years I have seen get NEW racers. There are racers there working up through the ranks, it's great seeing that.

Oh, Jeff, just figured out who you were, I'd have to say the R/C Toybox is very unique in that due to the size of that track and the type of carpet...stock is slow at that track. Some tracks I run at stock is quite a handfull like plattsburgh, 88 ft runline.

None, with the luck or problems I've been having the last couple of years. I'd run in any class stock, super stock, mod and even 19turn in the past. But for last couple years the car seems stuck at 50 laps on local track, even ran the 13.5 recently and again 50 laps (didn't bother running the main). Until I shake this monkey or find the problem I'm staying in stock.

NITRO! I have gone nitro all the way. I am looking to build a new electric car to run brushless/lipo. Thanks to the high demand for this class at my home track I will be doing so next year. Still nitro oval .12 and .09 classes are the best.

it's not uncommon in the asian market to see racers jump directly into mod,lol.