Rules Discussion

[Potato]

Looking over the rules, I though this rule was a bit odd:


"5. Vehicles are not required to look like any type of "real" car or truck, but all entries must have some type of 3-dimensional “cockpit area” with windows (clear or painted). It’s OK if your car looks like a space ship as long as it appears to have a place for a guy to sit. "


At what point is it not a "cockpit area?" A car could be designed so that the driver lies down, facing forward. Would that make it a "cockpit area?" Personally, I think this rule is too subjective and not necessary for an all-out speed run vehicle. Is this supposed to be a contest of r/c cars, or a contest of display models? R/C cars don't need miniature drivers to sit in them, and since realism was never the point of this contest in the first place, why add this rule?? It doesn't seem to match the spirit of the contest.

Any other opinions on this?

[rc10gtisthebest]

Well it's supposed to go with the theme R/C "CARS", cars aren't cars without a driver

[tperkins]

This has nothing to do with the first post, but I dont like the rule about no "thrust" power vehicles. I think any vehicle powered by a nitro or electric motor made for r/c should be allowed. This would still not allow jet turbine engines or rockets, but would let in ducted fan systems. I just saying that cause a project im working on has ducted fans for power, but hey, it would be fun to see what kind of speeds fan powered cars could get to.

[Craps]

I just wonder is the speed measured through a trap with 2 runs each direction is it an all out run measured around the 1/2 mile track?

How long would the measured distance be, like maybe 100 feet or 100 yards?

Just curious about the RC vehicle needed to have anykind of handling to negoiate 100+ mph speeds through a long sweeping corner of the 1/2 mile track?

[Speedtester]

Kinda weird how they dont have any width requirements. I guess someone could have a 24" x 100" car with lotsa motors and batterys.

[Grant Tokumi]

Originally Posted by Speedtester

Kinda weird how they dont have any width requirements. I guess someone could have a 24" x 100" car with lotsa motors and batterys.

And it happens to drive sideways....

[Speedtester]

Originally Posted by Grant Tokumi

And it happens to drive sideways....

Lmao.

[Sigurd Ruschkow]

Hello,

I think that it is a great thing to have this event!

With great disappointment I read that there is a very low max length of the car. Only 61 cm! This will rule out the fastest cars! No doubt about it.
For ex, This will rule out the 1:5 scale cars!

Is this competiton only for 1:8, 1:10 and smaller cars???

My car that I am designing right now is around the same size as a 1:5 scale rc car.

I do not mind restricting the size, but why rule out such a polular size as 1:5 scale (and 1:4 scale) rc cars?

I suggest that you change the rules to incorporate normal rc car sizes like 1:4 and 1:5.

Please comment on this.
Thanks.


Regards,
Sigurd Ruschkowski
Sweden

Extreme Speed Electric RC Car

[racerrandy]

I got an idea, why don't everyone interested in competing, build their car according to the rules set out by the guys that are hosting the event. Nobody is making you enter.

[StevePond]

Thank you randy. We're actually considering opening up the size requirements to allow bigger cars like the 1/5 and 1/4-scale machines. We'll post it soon so everyone will be aware of the change once we have a consensus on the rule change.

[cool head]

i don't think the rules should be alterd to accomodate everyone. i can understand accomodating the handicapped with wheel chair access. but not a normal guy that can read the rules. the idea is to build a car to spec and compete with it. the bigger the car, the easier it will be to beat the record. that will also wipe out the chances of a 1/8 or 1/10 car of winning. which will probably be the most popular and affordable.

[Sigurd Ruschkow]

I guess I am one of the guys that "cannot read" the rules.

As I have understood the intention of this race, it is all about breaking the RC car speed record that Lett now has (and having fun!).

I am designing a larger than the rules allows car, and I plan to race that at the end of this summer. Let's say I beat Lett's record doing impossible 180 mph, and also have Guiness there at my race.
Then, you guys at the race in June 2005,
will have to try and breake my official record. And my record will be made with a larger car than is allowed in the June 2005 race (but it is still legal for Guiness).

This would imply, that no one stands a chance in beating my record as you will all race smaller, 1:10, scale cars!!!

Or if I fail this year, maybe another racer will beat Lett's record in Feb 2005 with a large car. Then we will have the same problem at the race in June 2005 - an impossible mission.

No, I do not think that this problem should be allowed to happen, so,
let's allow larger cars up to max 1:4th scale cars.


Regards,
Sigurd

Extreme Speed Electric RC Car

Originally Posted by cool head

i don't think the rules should be alterd to accomodate everyone. i can understand accomodating the handicapped with wheel chair access. but not a normal guy that can read the rules. the idea is to build a car to spec and compete with it. the bigger the car, the easier it will be to beat the record. that will also wipe out the chances of a 1/8 or 1/10 car of winning. which will probably be the most popular and affordable.

Extreme Speed Electric RC Car

[cool head]

my post wasn't aimed at you sigurd. i just think that the challange was put out by RCZ and they stated the rules. so if you want to play with them, you have to follow their rules. the guiness record doesn't state that the car can't have a chase vehicle or be rocket assisted either, i can beat the record with a rocket assisted vehicle. but the rules are pretty clear about what you can and cant do. the rules will bring more people and even out the competition a bit. i also think there should be a buy out for the first place cars. meaning, if your car wins, anybody has an option to buy the car for say $1500. that will keep it from being a rich man competition.

steve, can you give us an estimate length of the competition area? and can i use more than one radio? are parachutes allowed for stopping?

[racerrandy]

This is the Worlds Fastest R/C Car Challange. Not I.M.C.A. Claim motor racing. Do you think they have a claim at Bonneville? I don't think so. This is not a race that some teeny bopper is gonna save his allowance and build a car and win. There is gonna be some serious cash laid out to win this deal, even in the individual catagory.

[cool head]

it was just a suggestion. i don't think "serious cash" should be spent on a hobbie toy for some no biggie record.i doubt letts car costed more than $500. there could be hundres of entries in this event. this is not a open race where anything goes. a claim car event would give the designers something to think about as they build their machines. not the "build it at any cost" way or thinking. thats how our government does things. i'm sure there will be lots of kids that would love to try and build a car for this event on thier allowance.

[Mac The Knife]

Kids, attempting to build a 150 mph rc car, on their allowance,,,,,,, Scary.

[racerrandy]

The motor on Letts tc3 was a neo-mag motor that on the street brings $250. They went through several doing it. I don't think they were off the shelf batts either. As well as he had Mike Reedy there building the motors on the spot too.
This is a money is no object contest. You need to read the rules again. There are lots of avenues for cost controlled racing. This is not one of them. Nobody outside of R/C cares who won what race but to show the true potential of "toy cars" is what this is really about I think.
I think this contest is a big deal. There are hundreds of roar,state,national and world champions
but there will be one fastest overall world record holder. Again this contest is not being forced on anyone. I only wish that it was possible for me to participate, but its just not in the cards. But that doesn't mean that they should change the rules so I can.

Randy

[born2rc]

I also agree that you shouldn't have deck out thousands of dollars for this.

[REVOman]

Buy Out for $1500??? LMAO, man, its near GUARANTEED that there's gonna be quite a few people who enter this, where that $1500 wont even kover the kost of the 1st wk of konseption in the project, let alone the overall kost of the projekt, inkluding parts, supplies, man hours, etc... BAD IDEA

[Craps]

Let's hurry up and change the rules allowing 1/5th, 1/4th, 1/3rd and even 1/2 scale. It doesn't matter as long as it is remote controlled. We can go buy a Super karts with 6 speed tranny's and the 250cc Rotax engines that can crank out betwen 120 to 150 hp that without the Super karts driver weight will weigh in around 150lbs and who knows the top speed of it that can easly run over 170 mph on the back straight at Daytona with a driver weighing it down. Take the driver out with improved aerodynamics and and alot less weight, who knows where the limit is.

See how ridiculious this all sounds!!!!

Leave the 24" length rule alone and if you do change the length rule just modify it a little to allow for a little more aerodynamic shapes in the 1/8th scale range to maybe around 26" to 30".

[patcook]

I agree with Craps. Just leave it the rules the way they are, and stop complaining. although those rotax engines can only really crank out about 50 horses or so, that will still be way to fast to be safe. I've heard of a 250cc kart topping out at about 120, so just imagine what one of these engines could do in a go kart.

if it has to be increased to 1/5 scale just make a rule that limits engine size to like 70cc or less, as there are also some 85cc kart engines that will still put out about 20 horses. Those are the 2 safest options. That would be what I think. Otherwise there would be a team that had an really good driver, and some of the best kart engine tuners with a 1/5 scale that would put everything else to shame, and then blow to pieces after the speedtrap when i thit a corner. Yeah, so just think about it a little, those little kart engines have just as much potential as the bigger ones, and also remember that most are now water cooled, so a smaller engine would work better simply by virtue of a smaller radiator and therefore a lower cg.

[Craps]

I think they should still keep the rules simple with the wheel driven powerplants and the overall length measurement. Leave the powerplant size and type open for some engineering imaginations to help improve RC vehicles in the future.

There is some very smart people that have RCs and with the right incentives, maybe we kind find out what is really out there that can improve RCs into the future.

[CENthasizer]

Going back to the inital question in this thread, what kind of cockpit are we talking about? if i am building my car to be areodynamic, then having to stick some kind of cockpit on it will mess things up. I dont know if anyone here has gone to the "which will win, nitro or electric and how fast" thread, but if you see half way down PeterV, shows a pic of a carbon fiber body. that is the kind of design i want, sleek and aerodynamic. But there is no windows or anything like that so does this count or not?

Let me know

[born2rc]

Maybe it means that it has to have windows. That way it can't just be a dart. Truck bodies for instance, they have the windows in where the cab would be but there is no spot for the driver to sit. In buggies they have a similar design. So I think what the rule means is that from the outside it has to look like someone might possibly be able to fit in it and drive.


Plus, these are radio controlled cars not radio controlled motors hooked to wheels.

[Mike Keeney]

I like the rules as well, but I would be amenable to opening up the total length. Perhaps make an 'unlimited' class? I would like to bring a dragster, but my engine alone will easily eat up over 1 foot, possibly a foot and a half.

Cheers,
Mike