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2015 Australian Plafit Championship


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Glad your coming next time Cam to keep the boys under control they were loose all weekend especially Pagey.....lol

 

It was good to see Greg and a local take a win, taking the risk on running the untested 1900 chassis paid off it handled the changing track conditions better than the rest and he drove a very consistent race as always.

 

Also worthy of a note was Chris ( we were told before the race he was the local gun and everyone was barracking for him) who took a 3rd in Historic another local that was damn fast only missed out on the win by .4sec in the closest ACP race in history.

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Thanks Shane , know you love the Red Bulls . Would be awesome to see you and some of your SA mates at the next one ! Need help to straighten some of those QLD bananas out ! Kev ,Ian maybe Bill ? As for me being loose Jason , you better polish up your drinking boots and come and join in the entire experience and see me at full noise at the pub . Might also help equal up the driving to give me a chance . Try driving with a hangover and a meat lovers stuck in the s bend ! Nasty . Lol

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Howdy

 

Still recovering from the huge APC weekend. Seems whoever bunks with Simon ends up with the flu, please take him back Andrew :P

 

Congratulations to Werner , Greg and Peter for organising a very enjoyable APC event. Well run and relaxed , racing aside, with Peter proving to be well organised and in control throughout the weekend. It was a pleasure to be at Mobile Raceway and I went home a little envious of the Victorian slotcar community. Very nice.

 

It was great catching up with the folks I've come to know over the past few years and put faces to others I've followed on Auslot. After seeing some of Pagey's cars in the flesh I can understand why everyone wants one of his cars. Master modeller.

 

APC can be a bit of an emotional rollercoaster and this one was no exeption, but a few events stand out for me. I have to agree with Glen with the Historic race being a cracker. From very fast qualifying times(I think I qualified 8th or 9th), locals dominating, Simon having a melt down, it had everyone hanging on the edge of the seat. It was very nice to watch the final race unfold. Two of the local guys had 20 point cars(some nice photo's in Werners album) and drove very well with Chris Watts on the lead lap until the last bracket. Apparently his car didn't do a lap until practise Friday,amazing. It was awsome to see him close the gap in the second last bracket then challenge for the lead in the last bracket. I think he didn't fall off until the last corner of the last bracket. Awesome race right to the end with 0.4 second across the podium.

 

Then on the other end of the emotional rollercoaster there was Jason in Mini-Z. From top qualifier and running way out the front, to plugging in to a bye lane that was vacant and running half a bracket for zero laps. His Mini-Z HooDoo continues. To his credit he didn't cry in front of everyone.

 

Also nice to see Greg get the big one at the end of the weekend. Congratulations again Greg, well done.

 

Another enjoyable quality about big events is having time to catch up and chat about stuff in general, which is when I discovered Rodneys secret life as the Senior Vice PooBaa Duke of Scalextric. Very interesting to share another side of the hobby that I still enjoy. After looking through the Stock at Mobile Raceways I think we both went home with a new Ninco Honda NSX's that had been sitting undiscovered on Peter's shelves for way too long.

 

Can't wait for next year. Maybe a beer or 2 with the Dapto boys to see Pagey in action next time round.

 

Cheers

Paul

Edited by paulthetexan
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Guest jazzbell

Just a question on rules for the 1/32 US Trans am!!

 

Looking through the rules I notice nothing on wheels must be "inside the guards" but states max spur front and rear. Have I miss read rules,does it say somewhere wheels can hang outside the guards?

 

Looking at the photos how come there's a Wompy Pioneer sitting amongst the rest cars. The rest of the field look there at the right scale event.

 

Regards Shane a

 

Team NSR

Edited by jazzbell
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Some cars like the pioneer mustang and the scaley cougar aren't wide enough to get the wheels inside the guards, so you have to have the car sitting above the tyres, I'm told it all works out because those cars have a much higher center of gravity than the cars that sit down over the tyres.

They do look strange sitting up like that, and you'd think they wouldn't be as good as a lower car, but that little mustang won.

Mind you, Paul was driving it.

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Thanks for your inquiry Shane, Yes the Mustang is a narrow body and Yes the tyres are allowed to exceed the body width.

 

The Mustang and Mercury are by far the narrowest bodies in the TransAm class at 57mm. The SCX Barracuda on the other hand is one of the widest at almost 64mm. That is a huge advantage compounded by the fact that the Cuda is also one of the lightest bodies. The last thing anybody wants is to see an entire field of slammed Barracudas which is what generally happens with competitive slot car racers.

 

With that in mind the rules have been formulated so that all cars run the SAME CHASSIS. SAME POLAR LENGTH, SAME SPUR WIDTH and minimum body height.

 

The outcome from these rules is that body choice doesn't effect performance , you can choose the body you like and still be competitive.

 

I have built 6 cars all with different bodies for parity testing and they all achieved identical times regularly over the last 12 months. At APC this year I tested 4 different cars that also ran identical time on the Melbourne track.

 

I would also suggest that cars from this era of racing generally did sit higher over the wheels and were not slammed or lowered. The respective minimum body heights were also chosen to closely reflect the origanal height of the models produce by Scalextric , SCX etc.

 

I hope this explanation helps you understand the intention of the rules for TransAm.

 

You can choose the body you like and still be competitive.

 

Regards

Paul Stevens

Edited by paulthetexan
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I setup my Camaro different, I chose to narrow the rear spur and lower the body to the 4mm mark. By going in that direction I had to narrow the tyres though to stop it rolling over.

 

Best class of the whole weekend it was great see such a variety of cars all running so close together rules make it easy for anyone new or experienced to build a competitive car right from the get go.

Edited by slotcarnut
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Have had several people ask about Mini-Z setup so I thought I would share some details about the car I have used to Pole at APC in 2013 and 2015.

 

There are two theories to building a fast mini-Z ad it depends on your driving style. I am a aggressive driver that likes to run full brakes and a slide the car a little.

 

Build Thread removed from here to another forum.

 

Pleasse PM me if you would like help setting up Plafit cars.

Edited by slotcarnut
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Great post slotcarnut

 

Whilst metal chasis cars are not my thing, there are some very nice tips there with great descriptions for both the work, and your reasons...

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Is the lead,Carbon Fibre frt Axle and torx screws included in the packet?

 

Hi,

 

I know that the Carbon Front Axel and Lead Weight are aftermarket products. With the Torx Screws, i think you get some in the kit, but are also available as an aftermarket product. You can order these parts from Werner, except the lead weight. You might wan't to pop by a hardware shop or even better a plumber's supplies shop to grab some lead flashing. However it can be very expensive though. approximately $60 a metre. It's best to know a Plumber!

 

Brooksy

Brooksy

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As mentioned in the text the carbon axle is an upgrade an can be purchased from here for $5 http://acehobbies.co...products_id=478

 

The screws are just a hex head and they are plafit items that come with some of the ready to run chassis.

 

Didn't think I needed to cover the lead but Brooksy is spot on. A lot of guys use wheel weights as well but I don't like them as they are thick and have a higher centre of gravity. Its the sum of all the little things that make a fast car. Bruce you can also get small self adhesive sheets, many slot car tracks stock it . You could ask your local track to get some in or order it on-line from here http://www.mrslotcar.com/magnets-lead

Edited by slotcarnut
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Thanks Slotcarnut

The post on the Mini Z was just what I needed

I have recently discovered Plafit racing thanks to Greg an the guys from phoenix in Melbourne and I ran in the Mini Z and Can Am classes at the APC 2015 and had a great time.

all of the Melbourne racers also had a great time so we have now formatted a weekly race schedule on Friday nights at Mobile Raceways including Mini Z, Can Am, JGT, Group C, and FLM.

so if you have anymore set up tips on the above mentioned classes it would be very much appreciated :rolleyes:

Race Ya Later

 

Jason

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Sorry Jason

But I'm a bit of a Noob with posting pics I have tried a few times and even followed the forum tips and failed.

will attempt again sometime but i need to cool down first!!!

my cars are in the pics that have been posted

Can Am number 16 David Piper Ferrari

Mini Z number 56 Audi R8

Jason Lane is my name Arkin is my nickname

Hope this helps

Race Ya Later

 

Jason

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G'day Arkin (Jason )

Great effort at the APC mate , I remember you well ? Had a good race with you in the Can Am . Also great paint job on the Ferarri getting equal 20 points max for concourse. I remember you being quick in the Mini Z as well . Good to see you getting in to more builds and hope to see you at the next APC as well in QLD next year . It was my first APC aswell , making the decision to travel interstate was worth it . Great racing , great to meet blokes who share the same hobby and above all else so many laughs and fun . Would be great to see a good number of the Melb boys at the next one .

 

Cheers Pagey

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  • 2 months later...

Follow on from the Mini-Z build thought I would put together a Historic build thread. In my opinion this is one of the best classes around. Chassis are fixed no extra bits needed from out of the packet except a set of bearings, fixed pinion makes gearing easy but allows you to tune for tyre wear and different tracks, basically somewhere from a 32-34 and your good. Bodies look fantastic with a wide variety of bodies where any body works as good as the next.

 

So how to build one. Firstly I will say a ready to run chassis has been shown to be just about as quick as blue printed one, but i enjoy building chassis so here is how I do it.

 

Sorrry Post had to be moved, anyone wanting Plafit build tips please send me a PM

 

Cheers

Jason

Edited by slotcarnut
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