After nearly a month getting my off road program together, I headed out to Tacoma RC Raceway to put tires to dirt, and learn to drive all over again. When I say "learning how to drive again" I really mean it. On Road racing taught me line choice, setup knowledge, etc...... But it never taught me about hacking a buggy over a triple. So much more goes into a lap on a off road track, and each lap creates its own challenge based on grip levels, line choice, rhythm sections, etc.
It's intense, but man, it's addictive.
It always try to have a game plan before I show up to the track. Setups to try, lines to try, things like that. With yesterday being not only my first time driving the new car, but the first time on a proper off road track of any kind, the idea was just to turn laps. I didn't want to complicate things with changing setups, I had bigger fish to fry, like just trying to get around the track in a respectable manner.
During the build, I studied a lot of setup sheets for high grip clay tracks (Like TRCR) and came up with what I thought was a pretty neutral setup that would promote some rear grip. I wanted something that was easy to drive and easy to break in tires. I wasn't worried about turning great lap times, just consistent laps. Using the laydown trans, the car rotated well, but still had a hair bit of understeer.
A cold, wet track probably wasn't the best for breaking in new tires, let alone learning how to drive on dirt. Regardless, I went out and used a little throttle control to get my way around. I decided to use some Sticky Kicks "yellow" to create some grip and aid in the break-in process. With the track conditions the way they were, it was a bit sketchy, but the car was plenty drive-able. The first pack was just to try and get my bearings with how the new car drives, as well as getting a feel for the layout. Best time was a 19.2
Pack #2 was much better, as the track was still wet, but a groove was forming, and I was getting more comfortable with my driving. The second time out was all about getting consistent laps and following those that were faster, which thus made me faster. Wit the tires starting to come in, my lap times started to drop, with my best being a 18.4.
Pack #3 was crowded on track, but the tires were finally starting to come in. I was still using the yellow sauce, but probably could've dropped to the red or blue. With the grip coming up, I had more confidence to hit a tricky triple in front of the drivers stand, although I started pushing harder than I should've, and ended on my lid a few times. It was hard to get consistent laps in with the short course trucks flying around, but managed to get a 18.0 in the midst of all the carnage. I was more than happy with that.
(Signs of a rad time)
Overall, I was more than pleased with my first time on track with the B6. There's still a ways to go, but the car was drivable from the start and got better as the tires came in and as I got more confident with line choice. It's a steep learning curve compared to my on-road days, but it's a hell of a lot of fun. Now that I have an idea of what to expect, it's time to make a few changes and get'er dialed in. I'm itching to race this thing! BRAAP!!
-JRoy386
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