AHR43

Hello from Houston.Here is an image of the backyard oval completed and dedicated today. It is short and tight, but offers great fun. Basing the race events off the British motorcycle grass track series. It is a stadium truck course. I'll be running timed events with my RC10GTe conversions and a RC10T3 ST.

Cheers. AC

AHR43

Things are moving along swimmingly with the track. Conducted a number of test and practice sessions. Event opener, Spanish ST GP, last weekend was a rain out. Happens. Program for races follows full size Formula 1 events taking the event name from their schedule. Rules and points package is coming together, but will probably take most of this first year to fully flesh out what works.

Have decided to migrate my info on this track from the 'Racing Forum' to here at 'Texas Racing'. Think it is a better fit. Next event is the Monaco ST GP (Monaco Stadium Truck Grand Prix), May 23-26. That gives me four days to fit in a one-hour race. Should be doable.

Here is latest track image. Pure track. No cones, pipes, flags or banners. Taken in civil twilight as the plan is to conduct at least two night events.

Hope you guys are along for the ride. Should be interesting how it shakes out. Cheers and Regards. AC

AHR43

This morning's backyard grasstrack event up on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXwK...ature=youtu.be

RC10GTe brushless conversion ST qualified Q6 and finished P5 in the event. 10-lap qualifying time of 1min:49sec with a 2sec penalty add on for a net time 1:51 dropped it from Q5 to Q6 in qualifying. 10-lap race time of 1:46 for a P5 finish and 10 series points.

Cheers. AC

AHR43

RC10T3 and Futaba 4PLS radio set on the driver stand with track outline visible in the background. All are progressing well toward the June 7-9 backyard event. Being two 10-lap test sessions, only Start/Finish cones were set out. No piping or hazard markers required. Makes for a clean-looking track.

Image taken with my Galaxy J3 V smart phone. Just figured out this morning how to transfer images from the phone to my laptop for sharing on a forum. Actually better quality images than my old digicam takes. Cheers and enjoy. AC

AHR43

Greetings. Been a while since posting to this thread. Time to pick up the pace. Track is weathering the hot, humid Texas summer o.k. Summer break is over and fall season began this weekend.

Typical Texas summer Saturday morning found that portion of the track in the shade still a bit dew damp. 84deg F temp., 74% hum., Moderate UV with more sun than clouds.

On the grid for first time this season for a one-event only race is the RC10T4 '7 Truck'. She raced a 44-lap event. The '7 Truck' posted a 10-lap qualifying time of 1min:34sec (1:34). Adding on the 4sec penalty gave her an adjusted time of 1:38 and qualifying her Q4. Next came the 10-lap race where she posted a time of 1:39, barely squeeking into a P4 finish and scoring 12 season points.

Top image is bare track close cut for the event; middle image track race-ready for the event; bottom image RC10T4.

Cheers. AC

AHR43

First try at running the oval after sunset last night. 10-Lap Test Session with the RC10T3. Went well. Ready now to run off a full event. Lighting provided by a 1000 watt twin-Halogen light set.
Cheers. AC


1000 watt twin-halogen's


Sunset on the oval 7:26 P.M. CDT


From the driver stand 8:10 P.M. CDT

AHR43

Constant rains kept pushing back this weekends scheduled night race until it ran out of window. Close cut the grass around noon. Sky looked threatening then. Had the safety truck out for ten laps at 2:00 P.M. this afternoon. Track was damp, but doable. Then at 3:00 P.M. the rains came. Again. Front straight and start/finish line flooded. That put paid to any efforts to get in an event.

RD called the event and entered the RC10T3 '4 Truck' as DNS and awarded it provisional place 10 [P10], along with one (1) series point. Tough break for the current series points leader and any chance of extending its lead.

All was not lost, though. On the one day there was sun, did build a latticework pit table that also serves to store my extension ladder. At least won't have to tote folding tables in and out for events any more. Usually do not like back-to-back events, but this time it works out. Russian ST GP scheduled for next weekend. Will try again, this time with the RC10EGT Team Blue Plate. Cheers. AC

AHR43

Greetings racers,

Thirteen truck finished the last of its two-event stint yesterday with a P4 finish. Event before that, two weeks ago, she came P5. Twenty-two (22) points total for the two events places her second overall for the season, two points behind the leader. Thirteen truck also posted up fast 10-Lap race for the fall season. That is good for an additional two points at seasons' end if the time stands. Two RC10T's and four races left in the season, so that may very well change.

Thirteen truck is an RC10GT blue-plate Team Car with electric conversion. Power unit is a Novak Ballistic 17.5R and Novak GTB ESC. Both oldies-but-goodies from the pit box. Battery is 2S x 4600 60C LiPo 'Shorty'. Grass Track is standing up well, this being the thirteenth event of the points season. Rules package Beta is fleshing out well for the 2020 season.

Enjoy. Cheers. AC

AHR43

Number 8 truck finished its two race stint yesterday and now leads in series points. She smoked the natural turf oval with a 1:29 10-lap Qualifier and a 1:27 10-lap Race. Good for a P3 and 18 points, plus an additional 3 points up for grabs at season's end for TQ and Fastest Race. Race was one of the shortest of the season at 56 laps, so battery capacity was still high for qualifier and race. The 8 truck over-staged at the start/finish line and had to complete a slow lap to re-stage, using a little more precious battery capacity. Driver error, but no time penalty imposed.

Week before she came P4 just missing a podium P3 finish by one second. Truck is an Associated vintage RC10GT brushless conversion with HW Pro 17.5T motor/ESC. Battery is GensAce 2s x 4600 60C 'shorty'. Radio is Futaba 4PLS T-FHSS.

Susie, our ACD (Australian Cattle Dog), corner marshaling turns 3-4 just ahead of the drivers stand.

Two races in the season left. The last one a night race. Having great fun. Enjoy. AC

AHR43

Results are decided. Team Eagle wins the 2019 ahr43 RC Grass Track Constructor Championship. With one event left and only the '2 Truck' left to run, Team Eagle's scored cannot be topped. Nice day today, so did the trophy presentation photo session. Both are RC10GT mid-motor brushless conversions. Both powered by 17.5 motors. The '8 Truck' HW Pro; the 'Deuce' Novak Ballistic. Tight points race with Team Condor coming runner up 3 points shy. Great season. Looking forward to 2020. Enjoy. Cheers. AC

Rodarbal

iTrader: (49)

Looks like a good time Arnie! Sorry, I'm not sure why this is the first time I'm seeing this thread. Guess I haven't been visiting the Texas section of RCtech much this year. Maybe the next time I'm in Houston I'll bring my old XXX-T over and give your Associateds a challenge for the trophy!

AHR43

Cool beans, RJ. RD will waiver an off-brand truck to run the turf.

Only kidding. Be happy to see a Losi run a Practice Session for Record on the oval. Give me a heads-up before you come so I can be sure the track is cut to racing height and get the pipe and cones set. If your business takes the day, can set up a light set for a night session. Glad you are visiting the Texas Forum here on R/C Tech and happened on this thread.

Cheers. AC

AHR43

'2 Truck' wrapped up the season ender on the ahr43 RC Back Yard Turf Track with a Q5 qualifier and a P5 finish. Having finished on the podium last event, it was in a position to challenge for the season o/a championship. Not to be this time. Four second penalty added to qualifying time and a two second penalty assessed for the race set her back just enough to drop her out of the running. However, the ten points scored for a P5 finish did elevate the '2 Truck' to a second placing overall for the season.

Night event running is a whole nuther muther compared to a daylight event. The Spec Ops/Night Ops glasses (WalMart ~$20) were a big help in defining track boundries at turns 1 and 2, far end of course.

Coming soon! A double check of the points tally and a post up of awards ceremony.

Cheers. AC

AHR43

Here is the 2019 Windy Acres Grass Track series champion. Carrying racing No. 8 during the 2019 season, for 2020 she sports a brand new No. 1 number board. And a traveling cup trophy, of course is hers to display for the upcoming season.

"1" Truck is a RC10GTe mid-motor brushless conversion. Power unit is Hobby Wing V10 Xerun 17.5 and XR10 PRO ESC with GensAce 4600mAh 7.4V 60C 'Shorty' Lipo battery. Deans connectors. Radio system is Futaba T4PLS. Front tires JConcepts Carvers; rear tires PL Hole Shot and (not pictured) AE "Pin-X" OEM tire set. Chassis set-up is box stock settings.

This puts a wrap on the 2019 season. Seventeen (17) Events scheduled. 3 rain-outs. One of the 17 Events was a first ever night race. During its four events the 8-truck compiled a total of 54 points for the win. The points spread between the four trucks competing was only 10 points, with the 4th place truck scoring 44 points. That validates the close points series I was hoping for. There was a fifth truck (RC10T4) that was a late comer to the series scoring 12 points in its only race.

Now to fit in a 'Victory Party' before the 2020 season begins in January. Thanks for looking in and following along all year. Hope you enjoyed it. Cheers and Regards. 'AC'

AHR43

Last act of the year for the backyard grass track. Close cut the track and vacuum cut the yard today in advance of beginning the 2020 season. Grass is dormant, so trying for the best track definition for an opening test and/or practice session early 2020.

Back straight is in full shade this time of year with the sun so far south on the horizon. Fence blocks any sunlight to the track there. Just for grins did a track temp comparison. Front straight in full sun: 79deg. F.; back straight in full shade: 53deg F. Ambient air temp 61deg F w/23% humidity. With both straights so short, there is probably no effect either on tires or electronics. Just an interesting thing to do.

Happy New Years, guys and gals. Cheers and regards. 'AC'