CRC Raceway: Rome, NY

Driver: Kevin Crandall

FINALLY OUTDOORS!!!!

This was my first outdoor dirt/clay race in a LONG time. My SC10 was still setup for carpet so it was yet another learning experience with setup and whatnot. I got about 10 minutes of practice in. The track is HUGE compared to what we’ve been doing so it was a bit of a challenge.

To get the sc10 into outdoor trim I swapped out my Novak Ballistic 17.5 for a Novak Spec 13.5 motor. I left the gearing the same at 20/87 to start. I also changed from the kit tires to AKA Enduros in Super Soft compound mounted on black JConcepts Rulux wheels. Another thing I wanted to try was the JConcepts Under Body / Over Tray thing. It’s like a 2nd body that hugs the chassis to help keep dirt out.. I bought one and trimmed and mounted it. I left it clear so I can see through it.

There were something like 20 trucks, split up into 2 sets of heats. In the first heat I did pretty terrible. The conditions were so unfamiliar to me. The track was REAL loose and dusty. It was very easy to spin out if you took a corner too fast. My rear end was still pretty stiff from carpet so that didn’t help. Between the first and second heat I swapped out the larger springs on my Proline Power Stroke shocks for a softer rate. I also moved the rear shocks into a more upright position. It seemed to help a little but not quite enough. Between the 2nd heat and the first main I decided to go to a lighter shock oil in the rear to help even more. I went from 50wt down to 30wt. It felt a little more stable in the corners after doing that.

Anyways, despite all the setup issues I still managed to squeak into the A-Main somehow. That’s not bad for my first time back on dirt in several years I don’t think.

For electric classes outdoors CRC runs dual mains, so there is like A1 and then A2. In both I finished towards the rear due to some mistakes (trying to take a double my truck wasnt QUITE fast enough to clear a couple times), etc.. To even be in the A mains was kind of a win for me though. I’ll tweak some things before returning there in the next 2 weeks for the first points race.

Also, I wanted to comment on the under tray.. it was pretty useless because where I have to mount my ESC in order to connect it to the battery, the esc sits too high to clear the tray (so the tray is not a tight fit and sits with an opening exposed…) I have a new battery strap coming that should allow me to move the ESC back, reverse the battery position and call it good. Long story short, my Cow Duster came in VERY handy because the truck was filthy under the tray every time I pulled the truck off the track. I also met some other Cow enthusiasts. One had a large Cow sticker on his truck. I’m not sure what he was running for Cow Gear tho.

Overall, a good day of racing and we had perfect weather for it.