New years resolution

[DPeterson]

My New years resolution - Incorporate some sort of mill time into electric racing.

Those of you that have experience with nitro and gas racing know that the mill time is half the race, very strategic and tons of fun. We have the battery capacity to do it and for the most part have equipment that can handle it.

Something like - must launch prior to the 1 minute mark. Besides the positives mentioned above, now we won't have boats on top of each other heading for turn one.

What say you? Maybe I can get Terry going again.

Doug

[Darin Jordan]

At combined races (PSMBC - Puget Sound Model Boat Club - NAMBA District 8... NOT PSFEMBC, which is FE only), the start computer/clock has an "Electric Start" setting. When everyone is standing on the stand and ready to go (In PSMBC we follow NAMBA rules, which require a co-driver), They start the computer and it says "Electric Start - 30-seconds"... The countdown starts there. That gives plenty of time for 1 full mill-lap.

I think you'll be pushing things for some classes if you try to force more Mill-Time than that. NOT saying it can't be done, but people will have to pay MUCH closer attention to their equipment and setups that they are currently willing to pay.

[RandyatBBY]

Oh you are going to start grinding corn?

[Quietlee]

I think Doug has been outside in the below zero weather too much today.

Interesting idea, but implementation and enforcement could prove difficult. I can drop in before a minute, but I'll still hold on pulling the trigger until the clock hits under 30 seconds.

[Doby]

Sure, longer mil times/laps.....just reduce the actual racing laps to 4

Unless you mean just throw then in the water and let them float there until everyone takes off at the same time anyway.

[Darin Jordan]

That gives plenty of time for 1 full mill-lap.

To clarify this a tad... by 1-full "mill-lap", I mean that your launcher puts the boat in the water and you can drive around all 4-turns and take the start.

Everyone probably already go that, but just in case.

[Darin Jordan]

At that Nationals in 2012 (Legg Lake), Mr. Newland implemented a policy where they would use the same 30-second clock like we do here in PSMBC, and you could put your boat in at any time. However, if you put it, say, a minute early, once you touched the throttle, you could NOT come back off the throttle.

In other words, once you started out onto the course, you were required to continue forward motion with the boat. You couldn't, for example, drive out onto the course at 1-minute and park in lane one on the back-stretch.

[DPeterson]

Lee - LOL. Been outside once - and that was enouph.

My theory or intention is to launch all boats before the 1 minute mark. Once launched the boats must stay on plane - just like nitro and gas. Looking to have to make at least two laps on mill.

In my part of the country we will/may get more interest from the nitro and gas guy's to run electric. The lack of mill competition is one of their dislikes.

All my boats can do these two xtra laps no problem. Even the P-Limiteds with the 2030 motors (prior to the crappy batch) could do this. And I am a guy that doesn't know how to set up a boat so I know this is attainable.

Better get ready Lee.

Doug

[Peter A]

Here in NZ we use a 1 minute countdown, but at 30 seconds you still have to be milling the course. For club days most of the boats are petrol so a 2 1/2 minute countdown gets used. I will usually start a slow mill at around 35 seconds before the 'pit time has elapsed'. The almost instant acceleration of electric means that I can usually hog lane one for the start and am at full noise before the end of the front straight. Helps to beat the gassers! Haha!

[Peter A]

BTW, why would you want to drag more out of your batteries than is necessary. For me I run my boats to take as close to 80% as possible on a 5 lap race, which includes the mill and finish laps, so 7 total. The more laps you do the hotter everything gets and the lower the voltage at the end of the race. Seems sort of counter productive really.

[Doby]

Peterson's just pissed because Dallas is coming to town next week.....

[T.S.Davis]

We're already being asked to do a burn down lap for no real reason. We have a 5 minute clock. At zero you have to hit the line. If you leave shore and get out into the lanes of traffic you have to stay on plane. You can leave anytime you want though. There is a 10 second no launch. Mill away. Run 22 mill laps. I have no interest in adding another 50 or so seconds of run time to my setups. Why........I'd have to "re-tool" all of my fleet. Sorry it was on the tip of my tongue.

Why is it always that we refer to the fuel boys for the definition of how to do things?

I know, I know:
it's always worked
we can learn from their vast experience
yada yada yada

Heard it all. You all know that's fossil fuel right? haha As in yesteryear's power source. Doesn't it take about a minute for those to come to life. Have to wake up the dino fuel.

That's how we got the bake lap. Because "they" do it so it must be right. As a guy that's called a ton of heats now I can tell you that it is much much easier to determine the finishes when boats turn into the middle at the end of a race. But nooooo, because there is no consensus we have to argue about who finished where for 4th, 5th, 6th because 1st place and 3rd place did an extra lap.

I have couple resolutions too

1. Pit men. Let's get clubs that don't think the "pit man required" rule applies to them to get their crap together. You know who you are. We've seen the videos. If there was a mishap the lawyers would find them too.
2. I personally want to learn to recognize a lane violation better than I have. It's a CD thing that I have failed at wwwwaaayyy too many times. This a is a goal I have for my little band of misfits. Recognize it when you see it, when you do it, and when it's done to you.
3. Turn marshals for club races. See number 2. There's no reason we can't do that locally.

[T.S.Davis]

Peterson's just pissed because Dallas is coming to town next week.....

I wonder if the refs got their bonus check for the "officiating" they did yesterday.

[DPeterson]

There's my Debate Club buddy.

Pro Sports suck. The action is at the College level. Go Badgers. I mean go Buckeyes. 2nd choice for me. I'll be at a Boat Club meeting during the Packer game. LOL

I guess we need a boat builders class. I assumed there were many guy's that could make 9-10 laps with their set ups. More battery, better drive line, better tuneing, better cooling, right prop choice.

Once I got a taste of the mill competition and strategy in gas I can't get enough of it. For me it is more than half the race and fun factor. I think we will have at least one class at our club that trys the mill.

Doug

[Darin Jordan]

I wonder if the refs got their bonus check for the "officiating" they did yesterday.

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