2023 IFMAR 1:10 Off-Road Race thoughts?

[TokyoProf]

Did any of you see the 2023 race in person at Hobby Action RC Raceway in Chandler, Arizona?
What were your impressions of the winning 2WD and 4WD buggies? How did they compare with the competition? I saw the youtube videos but nothing like being there to see the action. Cameras zoom and move side to side a bit too much. On a side note, I went to the TLR website, and except for one picture couldn't find much information about their IFMAR victory. Seems strange, I thought they would have advertised heavily after their their 2WD victory!

[TRX-1-3]

Not in person, YouTube like you mentioned. Something I found interesting was the "tire debacle". I guess they issued a set amount of tires per racer for the entire event, across classes (4wd and 2wd), There was some heartburn over mounted tires brought vs. later sanctioned tires issued......

It just made it more apparent that tires are or can be the great equalizer. It reminded me of the 2.2" discussions and the narrow 10T fronts dispute, etc. of Wolrds past. The cars have changed dramatically from the past, but tire drama is same same.

[TokyoProf]

The cars have changed dramatically from the past, but tire drama is same same.

That is an interesting story. It seems like that could make a difference for sure. I'm curious to know how much better that TLR 2wd winning buggy performed on the track. That was a dominating performance by the 16 year old. At those speeds and the driver talent it's probably hard to see the differences on the track I would imagine--they all look the same.

[notme]

I wasnt there but from watching it online, it didnt seem to have the worlds "feel" that most worlds have....just my perspective.

I know a few people that have raced there and they say you need to bring your tire A game to compete there.

On a side note I bought a used B6.3 from a friend who raced the car on that track

[duckhead]

Not in person, YouTube like you mentioned. Something I found interesting was the "tire debacle". I guess they issued a set amount of tires per racer for the entire event, across classes (4wd and 2wd), There was some heartburn over mounted tires brought vs. later sanctioned tires issued......

It just made it more apparent that tires are or can be the great equalizer. It reminded me of the 2.2" discussions and the narrow 10T fronts dispute, etc. of Wolrds past. The cars have changed dramatically from the past, but tire drama is same same.

The initial debacle was they did not limit the amount of spec tire sets everyone could buy and wound up not having enough for everyone in attendance. This forced them to implement a five set limit. It angered some of the folks as they already had bought more than five sets and spent the time (and money) to mount them on wheels. That led to a lot of refunding and trading, etc. to get everyone situated with five sets.

A lot of the 'tire gate' interviews are here for anyone interested: https://www.youtube.com/@MODLIVEMEDIA/videos . You'll just have to scroll down a bit to find the interviews.

I know a lot of full scale racing implements control tires now as well as a lot of spec tire RC events. Personally I think it hampers innovation and market competition under the guise of "controlling costs". I'd be more in favor of imposing a limit control on amount of sets for an event but leave it open to all manufacturers.

Or, go back to running outside on loamy surfaces (like 1/8 scale offroad still does) and stop with the indoor clay where tire prep is essentially everything

[RPMfieldtester]

The R/C hobby has a long history to look back on of how tires can destroy racing. I have been through a couple of tire wars that all but killed the classes and in my opinion, open tire rules do not work for anybody.

[1911Colt]

I think a control tire that, frankly, doesn't work very well (as in low grip) would be good. It would be the same for everyone and would promote better racing. Cars sliding away from the apex creates passing opportunities. The super high grip we have now is why many races are won in qualifying. Also, it isn't much fun watching them follow the leader hoping the car in front makes a mistake.

The counter-argument would be that tire companies want to compete, too, and they sponsor a lot of drivers. Take that away, and there is no reason for them to do either.

RC grew as an improvement on slot car racing, so having RC cars that "run on rails" defeats the purpose.