Track Type

[dryguy]

We had an interesting time at district this year. We finished 1st in pack on a plywood/formica track with a center rail in fairly good condition and a fairly gradual slope, but with a strong tendency for the winners to all come from the same lane. We ran a rail rider with COM about 0.65 inches in front of rear axle and about a 5" pull to the right over 8 feet.

At district, we came in fifth, same as last year (1 place shy of a trophy), but the third place winner from our pack took third at district. We had managed to beat the same car at pack even though we ran in the slow lane and they ran in the fast lane. The district track was plastic, with side rails, not center, and a very steep initial slope. Unfortunately, we never know what kind of track will be at district until we get there. Last year it was a different plastic track with side rails and the year before it was a fairly old plywood track with center rails. The second place winner from our pack fared much worse and came in about 9th or 10th if I recall correctly.

The previous year, one of the same families wound up having to race backwards because they were so heavily back weighted that the plastic track tended to bounce the rear of the car out of the lane as it transitioned out of the steep part of the curve. The same car won 2nd place at pack where no such problem was evident.