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Yesterday was yet another day of IHSR competition and camaraderie. It included the normal four classes of racing -- Vintage, Carrera, Sportscar and Modern LeMans -- plus a Revoslot race and a special Ninco Go-Kart IROC.
The IROC was the second such bonus race at an IHSR event. But this time there were issues. Serious issues. Two of the karts performed well, but the other two -- well, one was noticeably off the pace, but the other was simply "undriveable". It came off far, far too easily in the corners. Just ugly.
Okay, it was an IROC event, so everyone had to cope with that malign machine, but it wasn't the race we had hoped for.
Turns out the host of the event had heard of a tweak that was supposed to improve the karts' handling. It was suggested that the screw fastening the driver to his seat should be loosened a bit, much like the standard practice of loosening body mounting screws on cars.
So we tried that, and oh my gawd! What a difference! Backing out that screw a couple of threads turned that dog of a kart into a real performer! So all four of our karts got that treatment, and the change was remarkable!
No more formal racing was done that day, but we had four racers still on site, and we spent -- gosh -- maybe a half-hour or more just driving the wheels off those go-karts. Terrific fun! The karts were very evenly matched. They could be driven hard with few offs. But watch out making passes. Those small rear wheels could swing awfully wide.
I should mention that we raced the karts at an increased voltage -- 15 volts instead of 11. The higher voltage gave the cars the speed they needed to make them exciting. They were turning in lap times competitive with our Carrera cars. To address any concerns about controllers being damaged by the higher voltage, I provided four identical Professor Motor Club Racer Pro controllers for the race. These controllers are designed to handle HO cars at their native 18 volts.
It is a shame Ninco has stopped producing these karts. They provide a whole different challenge and level of fun. They can still be found on eBay, but not cheap.
I should also mention that our host tried removing the driver's mounting screw entirely, in the twisted hope that the driver would be ejected in a crash. Didn't happen. Someone's inner 10-year-old was disappointed.
Ed Bianchi
The IROC was the second such bonus race at an IHSR event. But this time there were issues. Serious issues. Two of the karts performed well, but the other two -- well, one was noticeably off the pace, but the other was simply "undriveable". It came off far, far too easily in the corners. Just ugly.
Okay, it was an IROC event, so everyone had to cope with that malign machine, but it wasn't the race we had hoped for.
Turns out the host of the event had heard of a tweak that was supposed to improve the karts' handling. It was suggested that the screw fastening the driver to his seat should be loosened a bit, much like the standard practice of loosening body mounting screws on cars.
So we tried that, and oh my gawd! What a difference! Backing out that screw a couple of threads turned that dog of a kart into a real performer! So all four of our karts got that treatment, and the change was remarkable!
No more formal racing was done that day, but we had four racers still on site, and we spent -- gosh -- maybe a half-hour or more just driving the wheels off those go-karts. Terrific fun! The karts were very evenly matched. They could be driven hard with few offs. But watch out making passes. Those small rear wheels could swing awfully wide.
I should mention that we raced the karts at an increased voltage -- 15 volts instead of 11. The higher voltage gave the cars the speed they needed to make them exciting. They were turning in lap times competitive with our Carrera cars. To address any concerns about controllers being damaged by the higher voltage, I provided four identical Professor Motor Club Racer Pro controllers for the race. These controllers are designed to handle HO cars at their native 18 volts.
It is a shame Ninco has stopped producing these karts. They provide a whole different challenge and level of fun. They can still be found on eBay, but not cheap.
I should also mention that our host tried removing the driver's mounting screw entirely, in the twisted hope that the driver would be ejected in a crash. Didn't happen. Someone's inner 10-year-old was disappointed.
Ed Bianchi
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