Restrictor Plate racing

[D. Newland]

...MMEU has some guys trying this for this season. Near box stock boats. Duplicate props. It's an unofficial class for us. As I mentioned......"prove it works" That's what we're doing even before we ask our club to adopt it. We have zero plans to take it further than that.

Some of you have heard this from me before. A wise man once told me that the first race happened when the second guy showed up. The first rule was written by the guy that came in second. Since I was told that I've discovered that if the second place guy comes in second again..........he wants additional/different/better/more restrictive/less restrictive rules.

What Terry said is the only way to have a serious discussion about P-Ltd rules (knowing that his club isn't looking for a discussion, but they are following the right procedure).

It happens pond-side. Get proof of concept. Get your club to adopt it. Then, get your district to adopt it.

It's not going to happen with an idea being posted on a public forum, IMO. The chances of it being taken seriously are slim. We tried going the public forum route years ago and it fractured the FE racing scene which can still be evidenced today.

It's kind of like the unwritten rule that you don't talk about religion or politics with your neighbors. You don't talk about P-Ltd changes on public forums. Why? It always ends up in a big heaping mess. Why? Because we all have opinions on how it "should be", but most have the posting fortitude to recognize that what they think may be not what others think or that it may not be a good "big picture/organizational" idea.

And, to post a rule change discussion brings on a ton of feelings and emotion from those that are taking the time and spending the money to make the existing rule happen. But, sometimes we grow weak and feel the urge to post...typically finding out quickly that it probably shouldn't have been posted in the first place. That's OK, too. And, I'm guilty of this myself.

The current proposal only received 4 "No" votes and there is nothing on my radar to show there's a problem with it. It's growing. Too many guys are making the current rule happen...guys that have spent so much time tuning P-Ltd setups that they are probably ashamed to admit that amount of time to their family (or boss!). Too many guys see that what we have is good. Maybe even great. Though, not perfect. Too many guys are having tremendous reliablity success. Too many cross-over racers are digging it.

To tag on to what Jay said, if you are having equipment trouble, you need to take a long and serious look at yourself and your setup first, before thinking the rule needs to be changed. The equipment isn't the problem because there are too many of us having fun, close and exciting racing with the current P-Ltd rule.

[AlanN]

Randy,
Really??? I mean really really?????

[photohoward1]

No one asked. Randy, what high cost? Maintenance? It's made to eventually be thrown away. As said in a previous thread...Don't over amp it and it will last a long time. Want a reliable motor? Buy a Neu 1515 and limit it to 50 amps. It will run forever. BTW. Not a good idea. If a Ul1 motor is high cost then you might have to rethink the hobby. Sorry about the tough love Randy..

[T.S.Davis]

We tried going the public forum route years ago and it fractured the FE racing scene which can still be evidenced today.

Amen. There are guys that walked away from the hobby forever over it. The on-line debates have been heated. My favorite was the LiPo debate. Lipo was supposed to be the end of the hobby. The brushless or no brushless debate was pretty tasty too. The sky was falling. Imagine your boats running on Nimh today. Kooky but it was what some thought we should be doing.

Hey Howard, remember when a Hacker77 used to cost $275 and then we would burn up three of those and a matched set of 32 Nimh figuring out a setup? All for a 42 mph T Offshore. Now that was expensive racing. You can almost buy a whole boat for what we used to pay for the ESC alone. Same speed on just 4s.

[TRUCKPULL]

Wow
A post from Alan and Howard, all in the same day.

PS- You can't fix it if it's not broken.

Larry

[RandyatBBY]

I should have known you guys would take it to the extreme, I was thinking about club racing and when a group has several different boats and motors to allow them to run together. This is club level racing, A Idea nothing else. Thanks for the insight.

[T.S.Davis]

Then it would more fair to every one and the old motors that are sitting in the closet could be used! This is for NAMBA ONLY.

IF YOU DO NOT RACE IN NAMBA DO NOT REPLY

Come on Randy. Words mean stuff. We didn't write this. You sais it's for NAMBA. In great big bold red letters. That's all of us not just your club. It doesn't say "we're thinking about trying this at the club level what do you think?"

[RandyatBBY]

Gee do I need to say NAMBA Club racing? Sorry for being me. I thought it was a good idea. I will just keep to my self from now on. Really was thinking about a 55MPH limit. 67 MPH would be nuts.

[T.S.Davis]

Yep. Spin it after the fact. Nowhere did you mention your club but I'm the a'hole for assuming you meant what you typed in big bold red letters.

Shut it down or don't. I'm done with this nonsense.

[DPeterson]

This is a little off topic and not directed at Randy.

I love the guy's that complain about the cost of P-Limited motors and esc's when one burns out or whatever. These are the same guy's that own 6 electric boats, 8 nitro boats, 5 gas boats, and a few heli's and airplanes. Yup - that $80.00 esc and motor is breaking the bank.

[BILL OXIDEAN]

Randy,
OK, my spec rigger hits 67mph reliably on a UL-1 motor in heat trim. Everyone else can now go throw more motor in their boats to try and hit that number. In essence, throw money at it to make up for lack of tuning skills.

If my boat is the bench mark and we can run any motor, what's keeping me from swapping to a hotter motor and setting the new bench mark at 75mph?

Or do we pick a max speed and that becomes the performance wall for the class? So now I take an 80 mph boat and throw a bit of technology at it to hold it to whatever the magic speed is. It'll be a real challenge to get around a boat that runs right at the speed limit at every point on the course. Especially if you're driving one that only hits max at the end of the straits. The tech is there to build the ultimate restrictor plate boat right now, in fact I have everything I need in the shop.

What Randy is more interested in is the growth of the hobby and our club. Hitting 67 in a spec class when most can barely get in the mid to high 50's will do nothing more than discourage new guys.
Sorry, but thus far since a certain handful of "top racers" introduced their rendition of "monster power" hasn't helped the growth of our hobby. Of course a newbie is gonna be behind the eightball in tuning.


Randy's idea is great for our club, we're getting things going and fostering our new members.
Left up to some individuals FE will become gold motor racing. Its nearly Diminished N-2 classes at a club level.

[TRUCKPULL]

I am still running the same first two Spec motors I bought, a UL1 for LSH and a Proboat 1580KV for LSO
I have been racing them for three years, Have never burned a ESC either.
I can turn 10 laps on the Offshore 1/6 course in LSO with my Mono.
My LSH (27" WIP) is FAST also.
If I can run my stuff this hard for three years, and not cost me any extra, What are you guys doing wrong?????

Larry

[properchopper]

OK, I've been sucked in to this, so here's my take (coming from the very start of "spec" racing). If one (among several) obvious goals of spec racing is to attract new talent, the best way that I see it is to have "rookie classses" to allow newbies to compete against each other and not be discouraged by being routinely blown off by more experienced tuner/racers. Even "IROC" type classes (which I'm in favor of) are likely to be won by more seasoned drivers . Case in point : last year two eager rookies came to a race in Camarillo - one traveled @ 150 miles and the other @ 90 miles. We raced P-Sport Hydro & P-Mono. They were BADLY blown away by the better racers. One was never seen or heard from again and it took about a year for the other to jump back in. If there could be a way to classify "rookies" the way the D19 gas guys do, there might be a better feeling among the up-and-coming and less drop-outs. Just sayin'...

[TRUCKPULL]

OK, I've been sucked in to this, so here's my take (coming from the very start of "spec" racing). If one (among several) obvious goals of spec racing is to attract new talent, the best way that I see it is to have "rookie classses" to allow newbies to compete against each other and not be discouraged by being routinely blown off by more experienced tuner/racers. Even "IROC" type classes (which I'm in favor of) are likely to be won by more seasoned drivers . Case in point : last year two eager rookies came to a race in Camarillo - one traveled @ 150 miles and the other @ 90 miles. We raced P-Sport Hydro & P-Mono. They were BADLY blown away by the better racers. One was never seen or heard from again and it took about a year for the other to jump back in. If there could be a way to classify "rookies" the way the D19 gas guys do, there might be a better feeling among the up-and-coming and less drop-outs. Just sayin'...

Tony
This is why we have club races every two weeks.
When the newbes come out they try, and then the club members help them out with there setups and what ever else they need.
We have had newbes come out with 6S and 8S setups as there first boat.
Within a month or so they are right up there with the rest of us.

Larry

[properchopper]

Tony
This is why we have club races every two weeks.
When the newbes come out they try, and then the club members help them out with there setups and what ever else they need.
We have had newbes come out with 6S and 8S setups as there first boat.
Within a month or so they are right up there with the rest of us.

Larry

Lary, Sounds good. If there was that much interest here, I'd love to have setup/driving clinics . Send some of your guys my way

Beside myself personally, some lessons about what to do on the oval would help. Some noobies don't have the guidance needed but we're trying. Hasn't worked that well so far - I've been T-boned twice by the same new guy (with a boat I built for him).