Throughout my RC career, I've been a bit of a local hermit, so to speak. Whether it be family life, lack of funds, or work, I just don't get many chances to branch out to other tracks for my hobby kicks. So, when planning my trip to Las Vegas for vacation, I searched for some local tracks near the Vegas Strip. I'd heard of "RC Tracks of Las Vegas", but I hadn't raced Off Road in months..... I also don't own a nitro car.
I stumbled upon 702 RC Raceway on Facebook, and it checked all the boxes: On-Road, indoors, carpet. It also happened that the track was hosting round 2 of their "Summer Classic" series. This would give me a chance to participate in a local "big race" outside of my comfort zone. Tickets bought, bags packed, let's race!
A different surface than I was used to, but first-class, nonetheless.
702 RC Raceway is an indoor carpet track, just about a mile off the Las Vegas Strip. Located in an industrial park, it's a convenient $7.00 uber ride from any major hotel in the area. The facility has a fully-stocked hobby shop, and also features an air-conditioned "racer's lounge", complete with two couches and a two flat screen tv's. One happened to show the live feed of the 2017 ROAR Off Road Nats, the other happened to be showing "Sharknado 2". Variety at its finest.
The Building:
Stepping foot inside for the first time, I knew this place was something special. Not only was the track and pit area first-class, but the hobby shop and lounge simply blew me away. All that aside, it was the welcoming attitude of the racers that really struck me right off the bat. You get a real "family" feel from this group. It was rad to see. Well-lit pit areas and a clear PA system kept the wrenching enjoyable, and the multiple viewing areas around the track made watching the races worth the price of admission ($20.00 to be exact). I noticed something else too, it was hot. Like, really hot. Being a warehouse, the building does not have permanent air conditioning, thus making for a toasty climate in the Nevada summer heat. There are two massive AC fans that help move air around the pits and track, and these proved to be my saving grace, as I'm from Seattle. I'm not built for heat.....
The only solace for this northwesterner was a post-race trip to the racers lounge to watch the ROAR Nats. Hitting the cool comfort of AC after 20 mins in a sweat-box had never felt so good.
The Track:
702 Raceway doesn't use conventional CRC gray or black carpet for their surface, but instead opts for a low-pile office carpet. While this isn't generally the most preferred surface for On Road racing, the reason makes sense: This track uses the same surface for not only carpet On Road, but carpet Off Road racing as well. With two types of cars churning up and wearing down carpet that much faster, it's simply the less-expensive option. The car does some weird things on this type of carpet, and it was a struggle to get my driving comfortable early-on, but like any other surface, you make the best and adapt. The grip level was different in each corner, which made finding a balance quite the challenge. Make no mistake though, the racing was close, furious, and fun as shit on this track.
Truth be told, it was fun racing on something different, and being forced to figure it out. How do you know how you stack up as a tuner and driver, if you don't move out of your bubble every so often? Speaking of......
The Racing:
The crew at 702 split up each class by skill level, much like motocross. For each class there two levels: Sportsman, and Expert. Now, being my first time at the track, and also my first time racing on carpet of any kind in nearly 3 years, my first inclination was to race in the "Sportsman" USGT class. This would be the easy way out, but why not go for the challenge? Why not sack up and run with the fast dudes in the club? After considering my options for a full 2 seconds, I decided to race in the "Expert" USGT class. A challenge would do me some good, and I learned much more with a proper ass-whooping on behalf of the other racers, but more on that in a bit.....
Practice consisted of mainly trying to come to grips with the differing grip levels around the track, as well as the tricky layout. The layout itself was simple in theory, but each corner flowed into the next, making each turn critical. If you got it wrong in one spot, it would ruin nearly the entire lap. This is inherent with smaller technical tracks such as 702, so clean tight laps were the name of the game. I made a few quick changes to the car based on the grip and layout, but the majority or my gains throughout the day would be down to my driving. I simply didn't want to spend all day chasing a setup that may not be there. This race was meant to be fun, after all. Chasing setups can be downright maddening.
The complex would give me fits all day, as it was physically killing my lap times.
The final sector was my best of the track, as I was able to make up time on others.
1: There is a sizable gap between the Sportsman and Expert skills levels in each class from a laptime standpoint.
2: I was going to struggle keeping up with the expert racers in USGT. These guys were legit.
Q1 was a feeling-out round for me personally. I've always felt that you can practice or test until you're blue in the face, but that first qualifier tells more about the car and driver than any practice lap ever will. It was obvious that I was off the pace from the leaders, but the car was fun to drive and I was holding my own. I honestly couldn't have asked for more for my first time here. Finish was P3 of 5 in Expert, 3rd overall in USGT. The grip level was starting to come up during the run, so I knew that better times were coming in Q2, all that was needed was some clean driving from me to keep from losing the leaders completely. What really killed me was a simple chicane halfway through the main sweeper. The fastest racers could simply flick their cars through this section, whereas mere mortals like myself found the wall more than the racing line. Truly a challenge.
For Q2, I decided to get a little more aggressive with my driving. The top 2 racers from Q1 were consistently hitting mid-13 laps on this quick little track, something I had yet to do. I dropped down a tooth on gearing and got after it a bit harder everywhere. This was one of those qualifiers where I felt I was truly going faster in every section, but sometimes, looks don't equal lap times. This was one of those cases. Although I'd improved my overall laps and time by quite a bit, I still hadn't cracked into the 13's, and thus had dropped from 3rd to 4th on the grid.
I'll be honest, thinking about it now, I most likely was over-driving the car and the track. I tend to run a smoother line, and while it doesn't always look the fastest, it works for me. Getting away from that made the car overwork itself, thus killing any real progress I could've made. Having said all this, I had an epic battle with Vaughn Johnson for nearly 5 minutes for the 4th spot on the grid. Swapping the spot back and forth during the IFMAR-style format, I squeaked past Vaughn for 4th by just 1 tenth of a second. It was a bitchin' run, and we laughed and shook hands after. It's those types of races that make this hobby so much fun.
The pits at "Da 702".
After a few changes, the car drove well, but more adjustments will be needed to crack the podium. ;)
The Main would would start with Gus on pole. Having missed Q1, his just made it for the 2nd qualifier, and promptly stole TQ away from North, who was seeded 2nd. 3rd for be Oscar, followed by myself and Vaughn in 5th. Following the official USGT rules, our Main would be extended to a full 8 minutes, leaving plenty of time for action.
At the tone, I had a great start, and everyone was patient as we completed the first lap. Oscar was having some drive issues and was a bit off the pace from Gus and North. I felt like this was my chance to make a move and put myself in a podium spot. I have a feeling Vaughn was thinking the same thing, because as I'm pressuring Oscar for 3rd, Vaughn is all over me for 4th. After a few laps trying to make a pass for 3rd while fending off 5th, something had to give... And I gave. I went in a bit hot into the first chicane and was relegated back to 5th. As I regrouped I was able to make my way back to Vaughn and put some pressure on, only to get too aggressive and hit a corner board again. At this point, the goal was just to make clean laps and try to make my way back to the main group.
At this point, the lead duo of Gus and North had completely checked out, and by virtue of an amazingly clean race, so had Oscar. My only hope was to catch Vaughn, and as I was putting in clean laps, he had a few bobbles ahead of me. As the gap closed, I heard a groan on the drivers stand. Vaughn was in the wall and I saw an opportunity to get my place back. As he was gathering himself up, I was able to just squeeze my way through, and thus started a nose-to-tale battle for 4th that would last until the final tone.
As I crossed the line, I sighed and laughed. It's always amazing to me how much action can happen in a scale car race. Vaughn and I bumped fists afterwards and I couldn't help but smile. I had throughly gotten my ass handed to me by the three fastest guys in the club, yet it was probably one of the most fun days I'd had racing in a very long time. The comradery between the racers is very evident, which makes days like this so much more enjoyable. No drama, no attitudes, just hooting, laughing, and racing.
Beaten and battered, but ready for the Main.
Race of the day:
Each class was entertaining in its own right, with good hard racing on every level. The race of the day thoug, was the "Euro Truck" A-Main. These are box-stock Tamiya touring car chassis' under a top-heavy lexan semi-truck body, made to resemble the wild racers over in Europe. These cars have been extremely popular around the U.S. because of the strictly-stock rules and close door-to-door racing it cultivates. This class was stacked with a full 10-truck field for the start.
After a few laps of mayhem, the group settled down and unsurprisingly, the three guys who wiped the floor with me in USGT were taking it to the field in Euro Truck. North was doing everything he could to fend off a hard-charging Gus in second, followed by Oscar in third, just behind the leaders. What followed was 3 minutes of amazing nose-to-tail racing with a drag race down the straightaway to the finish line. North would win my less than a tenth of a second from Gus, with Oscar right behind for the fupinal podium spot.
Here's a link to my Facebook page with the video. Rad stuff, to say the least. https://www.facebook.com/JRoy386/posts/1783286211699579
In conclusion:
I really cannot overstate how my fun I had racing with this group. Like any great program, there really is something for everyone. With classes and skill levels to suit all needs, this is one place you need to check out while visiting Sin City. From the racers, to the staff, it truly has a family-feel. I can't wait to head down again in the near future and mix it up, maybe even try the Off Road program as well.
Electric RC Racing is alive and well in Las Vegas, thanks to Dwayne Battie and his wife, the track owners/operators. 702 RC Raceway has a good thing going, and is, in my opinion, a gem for the hobbyist vacationing in the city of entertainment. You can "bet" I'll be back!
Track info can be found at:
www.702rcraceway.com
Facebook.com @702rcraceway
Instagram: @702rcraceway
Here's the results for the Mains:
Peace and fast laps.
-JRoy386
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