Tonight was the first night of racing at Speeders in Lexington, KY. I had a great time racing in the 1/18th scale scalpel class. These little cars are very quick! The Losi sliders are the next class and will probably be the biggest class at the track. Tonight was also the start of a 12 week points series. Congrats to Brad for the first win tonight too! More later....

I will be there next week Rick to whip up on you!

That was some fun stuff last night. The Scalpels are ballistic for that track. I think 6 is a good cutoff for the field. I didn't race mine because it would have split the field. I'll only be in the way anyhow. It looks like we might have enough next week to run A+B mains. The Sliders are definitely the "rubbing is racing" class. They look just like the full-size tumbling down the track. Mine took a couple REALLY good shots but I don't think it will need any parts. I do need to work on the handling. Wait until you guys see Mike Shelby's Slider. Last time it was there he had it hooked up.

I was surprised we didn't have a Micro-T turnout. I'll talk with some of the guys who wanted to race that class and see what happened.

I would like any of the racers who were there last night to make suggestions for next week. Is there anything else you would like to see provided by Speeders. Things already on my list are:

More extension cords
More power strips
Personal transponder system (sending the order today)
Traction compound in stock (waiting on dealership approval, should be resolved Monday)
Timesheet printouts (Shouldn't be a problem)
Race Results online (Will try to get them posted Monday)

Keith Hollifield
Speeders Hobby Center

You guys need to try a BRP car :thumbsup:

No offense...but I had one years ago and just didn't like the way it looked? Contact Keith at Speeders and send him a demo kit to try for free and you never know, they might be a good seller. Its worth a small investment...don't you think?

I had a great time last night!! Keith you have a nice facility, and a well stocked hobby shop for sure!!! The main was interesting to say the least... I think the mini cars will bring the FUN back to racing..

I think alot of guys went to an offroad race this past weekend.?

I know that Mike and Mack went. I'm pretty sure a couple others did as well. Hopefully we'll get them back next weekend.

I talked with the company with the new timing system today. It is possible we'll have that for next weekend.

We only run scalpels..

brp car looks kinda cheap..
I don't know totally stock out of the box BRP SC18m's dominated the Micro Onroad Nationals. Pan car stock class 4 of the top 5 in the a main were BRP's. Top qualifier for the event (all classes) was a BRP with a brushless system and no other mods. The new car has amazing handling and is just about unbreakable and a set of tires will last most of a season. You sure can't say that about a scalpel. The scalpel looks pretty with it's carbon-fiber but a lot of it ends up in the garbage can in short order. Bud does need to update the website so the information on the new car is easier to find though. Maybe we can get some guys to make a road trip this winter to show you what your missing. And yes they are cheap.(price wise anyway) You can buy the racer kit and probably race all winter without buying another part. :thumbsup:

Well, Looks can be deceiving, The BRPV2M is the most competative 1/18 scale platforms on the racing scene today.

Parts, we don't break no stinking parts! Bud has pull his knowledge into this car and it shows. The cars are almost unbreakable, adjustable and fast. Oh yea 1/18 National champs!

Are you running a oval or what. Maybe I can come up one weekend, bring some BRP racers up and you can show us a good time.

Guys we originally started this thread for comments about our track and the racing within. Anyone is invited to race. I am sure that Speeders will welcome one and all. Racing is on Saturday and start at 5:00pm. The 1/18th scale class we race is the scalpel. If you guys want to race then go to the www.speedersonline.com to see the rules and email the owner. I am sure that he will add an additional class for the brp racers. Thanks!

Will Do!

Mike where do you race at now?

WOW, Good web site!

Lakeland Speedway Hueytown, Alabama
We race a Oval.

We are racing the scalpels on the road coarse but we are looking for an oval car too. Is the BRP car fast out of the box or did you have to do a bunch of mods. I had one back on the late 90's but I also raced 10th scale so next to it the BRP car looked really cheesy. We started a class but felt the cars were really slow on the big track that we raced on but now on the small tracks of today and the updated technology who knows. You guys that are racing them are the first BRP racers that I have heard of since then.

Well let me put it this way. We are racing on a Oval track that has 16' straights and we are turning sub 3 second laps on slot car D16 stock Parma motors, stock gearing and 4 AA Nimh 1900 batterys. Look up the BAMA BRP's video on this site and you will see our trucks in action.

Will do, thanks for the info!

Check out the "on the big track thread" to see what a brushless BRP can do on a very large asphalt track!!!

Just Dont Paint The Body Red! And Bring It!

what....? bring what?

Was Talking About Mcallister! He Said He Was Coming This Sat. Was Telling Him Not To Paint His Body Red And Bring It On! Lol

He always paints his bodies with pink...go figure?

The new timing system didn't arrive today. It should be there tomorrow. I doubt that I will have enough time to learn the new system for racing Saturday. Plan on running the same setup we had last weekend with a little more sharing of transponders.

It looks like we'll have a few more Scalpels and Sliders than last week.

We didn't have a good turnout of Micro-T (stock or modified) and Mini-offroad (Mini-T etc). If that doesn't pick up we may need to look for a new class to add. I'd like to have at least 3 different flavors.

Some other classes that are being mentioned in the shop:

Oval pan car - NASCAR
1/18 Touring

Nascar, Maybe Even Dirt Late Model Or Hand Made Open Wheel Modifeds. Just My 2 Cents!

For info We have had 1/18th cars since 1993. They have changed over the years.

Here is a short video of my 1/18th BRP SC18V2M on a 1/4 scale track in ravenna ohio. This car was running 4 cell and 8000 brushless but it was geared for the indoor track that is only 50 ft long so there is much more speed in it.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gK5ryqdOi3w

How about 12th scale oval?

How about 12th scale oval?
Do you mean how will it work on a 1/12th oval??
If that is the ?? They are fine.

no that question has nothing to do with a buds car. I am asking about running 12th scale on our track?

OK got it.

Bud - Keith said he talked to you, I am looking forward to seeing the new updated car. I think the last time I saw one was back when Dale Sr. won Daytona.

How realistic looking are the nascar bodies? Like compared to the 1/10 bodies?

the way you drive...it will look generic in no time at all!

Rick If He Still Drives Like He Did 10 Yrs Ago That Will Be The First Lap Or Two!

remember that wreck that those two cops were in the other day? Thats Brian and Sam everywhere they race...wait and see. And it is never their fault!

Sam Did Say He Was Like A Magnet! No Wait That Was You And Mc Lol Come On Brain You Got To Race Now So I Wont Be In Last Place In The Points Lol

we have to be kind to him he doesn't type to fast....=-)

The BRP bodies look pretty decent there are some good pictures in a couple of other threads. If you don't care for the BRP stock bodies Windtunnel has some that'll fit too. One of the new cars is on ebay if you wanna check it out. If anybody else wants to run 'em I'm in.

Well heck I stuck my TBud Car on the wrong page, no wonder I couldn't find it.
Look at Scalpel VS BRP. The COT car that Bud came out his year will be HOT.
It's a dead ringer for the big boys.

Another great night of racing! The scalpels are getting faster and faster. Congrats go out to Steve for the big A-main win!! The sliders were kickin' too! Its just to bad no one took that pink car out! But I guess one of Lexingtons finest had to get a win eventually? Good job Brian! I am not sure who won the other classes but great job there too!

Thank you to everyone who came out. I haven't crunched the numbers yet on points. I'll have those posted by Monday. Each week I'm learning a few more things about running races. I should be pretty comfortable by the end of this 12 weeks if we keep growing the entries like we did tonight. I believe we had 23 drivers and 30 class entries. That's pretty good for week 2.

There was a problem on Slider scoring. Even though we had the breakout limit set at 3.5 seconds it was not counting laps below 4.01. I feel badly for Mike and Brad as they were the ones most affected. They both ran test laps after the main on drained batteries that were well under 4 sec. We'll have a short discussion regarding this next week. My initial thought is to allow an extra drop for this class. That way the guys who scored well tonight still get to use their points and the guys who are faster will still be there in the end.

We will be running the new timing system next week. If you are definitely in for a personal transponder at $40 let me know now. I have 10 in stock now and will be ordering more Monday if it looks like we will need some. This system will automate a lot of the things that are taking time now like sorting classes and mains. With a personal transponder it will obviously also end the need for swapping. It should speed things up and make things run smoother. If you don't wish to purchase one I will have "house" transponders for rent.

Some other things I am looking at improving for next week:

More "real" food like sandwiches and burgers
WAY more Mountain Dew
More pit spaces
More power strips and outlets

Post any other suggestions

Keith

I had a blast last nite and congrats Brian, Keith once again you made a fun night of racing for all the guys in rc. And just for the record i think i hold the title for most wall hits in one race lol, most amazing thing is i didnt break one single part. (hats off to Robitronics guys for building one tough lil car) now for some venting. KEITH I AM ALL EXCITED THAT YOU ARE TRYING TO IMPROVE THE HOBBY AND GIVE EVERYONE A PLACE TO RACE WHAT THEY HAVE, BUT WHEN THE IMPROVEMENT IS AT THE RACERS COST THATS NOT FARE! I WAS ALL TALKED INTO BUYING A SLIDER UNTIL THE ISSUE OF THE TRANSPONDER RAISED ITS HEAD. LIKE I SAID ITS GREAT YOU WANT TO IMPROVE THINGS BUT RENTING A TRANSPONDER COME ON. WE DONT RENT THE ONES WE HAVE USED IN THE PAST 2 WEEKS, NOW WERE TOLD WE GOT TO RENT IT! THEN ON TOP OF THAT SHARE IT TOO! ARE WE GOING TO SHARE THE RENT COST AS WELL OR DOES EACH RACER PAY THE FULL AMOUNT? ALSO DOES OTHER TRACKS USE THE SAME SET UP SO IF WE DO BUY OUR OWN WILL IT WORK WITH OTHER SYSTEMS? 5 BUCKS TO RENT ONE ISNT MUCH BUT ITS NOT ABOUT THE MONEY ITS THE PRINCIPAL OF IT, WE THE RACER SHOULDNT HAVE TO PAY FOR YOUR IMPROVEMENTS, AND MOST GUYS WILL NOT SAY A THING ABOUT ANY CHANGES BECAUSE THEY HAVE INVESTED TOO MUCH MONEY IN THEIR STUFF AND WANT A PLACE TO RACE. SO MUCH FOR KEEPING THE COST DOWN! LIKE LAST NITE, I HEARD A GUY SAY HIS MICRO T NEEDED A TRANSMISSION, BUT HAD TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK TO BUY IT DUE TO LOW FUNDS, SO IF HE HAS TO PAY 5 BUCKS RENTAL FOR A TRANSPONDER NEXT WEEK THAT HAS JUST ADDED TO HIS EXSPENSE OF RACING! YOU KNOW 2 WEEKS AGO SOMEONE TOLD ME IT WAS GOING TO BE 15 BUCKS TO RACE, I BLEW THAT OFF UNTIL I CAME TO RACE, COME TO FIND OUT IT WAS NOT TRUE AND COST TO RACE WAS A FARE PRICE, BUT LAST NITE I HEARD THIS TRANSPONDER DEAL STRAIGHT FROM THE HORSE'S MOUTH! AND WOW! BOTTOM LINE I THINK ITS UNFARE!

Thank you for the input. I'd like to see some more comments before I respond.

Keith

Here is my .02.... I would just say the race fee should be $10 wether you have a personal or not, $10 is VERY FAIR entry.. (compatible with most tracks). If someone pays to race the transponder should be provided in the race fee.. (you could still be getting $3 "rent" and $7 entry... But charge the $10 either way.. Its a win win.. And if someone wont pay $10 for 4 or 5 hours of fun, they need to be sitt'n on the couch at home! Do $10 for 1 class additional $5 for the second.. I think that would work out very fairly for everyone...


Keith I think you have done very well considering you have only had 2 official race weekends.. The automated system should cut a TON of time off the race night as it will figure the heats and determine the drivers! I will be getting one of those personals this week.. Again THANK YOU for providing us a great place to race, a super nice facility and parts on the wall... I think last night you were overwelmed (your comment) by the #'s of racers that turned out, but thats a good thing, I really see an avg of 40 entries or more every week.. Thats fantastic!!!!!!

Thanks again!

I Agree Hotspot But Dont Change Horse's In The Middle Of The River! Wait Until After The 12 Week's Of Racing Before You Change The Fees! And Like I Said Before The Money Part Of It Isnt The Issue Here! I Can Afford To Throw My Junk In The Closet And Let It Collect Dust And Not Have To Place It On E-bay Or A Hobby Board For Sale! This Is No Means A Bash To Keith, He Has Done A Great Job And Has Provided A Super Nice Place To Race. Iam Just Sorry Iam The Only One With Big Enough Balls To Confront The Issue Here!

I have to agree on the $10.00 deal. I have never had to rent a transponder from any track that I have raced at. It was a given that the house transponder was included in the entry fee. Since the introduction of personal transponders I have always bought one to save on the yelling, "who has the #4 transponder" over and over until someone acually realized they had it.


In todays economy everyone is trying to save a buck or two. If you start charging to rent the transponders and also having to share them, then I see alot of folks loosing interest. I personally will buy one to save on the headache but there are alot who are on a budget and will not have the funds to purchase one.


I am glad there is a track so close to home, and I will do all I can to support it. There are alot of internet sites as well as local hobby shops around but they don't give me a place to race what I buy. I don't mind paying a little more to support my local track.


I would also like to see a print out of the heats and who is in them with the transponder number and also the final results from the heats with lap times. I know this is probably coming in the near future with the up graded system. Bob quit yelling.

I also think bob has the most wall hits in one race!!! "hello wall"

Well here it goes I have had a great time racing but i am with Bob I have been racing a long time I have never had to rent transponder in over 20 yrs of racing and I have never had to pay practice on A race day so if you take 12.00 practice 7.00 to race and 5.00 for rent thats 24.00 to race a toy car I just think its getting out of hand i understand support your track but that dont mean rip me off and to not to pick but I have spend over 300.00 this week at speeders and paid more for what i bought then i could have got it somewhere else but I wanted to help keep somewhere to race but it just seems that someone is getting greedy i have paid 10.00 to 15.00 to race but they had tables plug ins chairs lap times print outs and give out plaques or trophies to the winners but I guess thats enough for now big SAM

Oh yes for 15.00 you get 3 heats and a main and a plaque or trophy no practice fees no rent and you dont have to bring your own chairs