Welcome to the first WLRC newsletter of the 21st century. It still feels strange writing "2000" (or "00") but I guess we will all get used to it in time. Lets hope the sport of model car racing will continue to flourish in the new millennium. It will be interesting to see what developments in the technology of R/C cars lie ahead. Improved tyres, more powerful motors and revolutionary types of battery are likely to head the list. It's difficult to imagine how much more the performance of scale touring cars can increase, but progress is inevitable. Hopefully rising costs will not prevent new racers from entering the sport.

When the WLRC Pole Hill track was built, Pro10 was the premier on-road class, and a lap chart was produced (for the "full" circuit) which went down to a quickest lap time of 16 seconds.  No one would have thought ten years ago that a touring car would be able to lap in a time that would require the lap charts to be re-written! How much quicker can we go?

AGM Report

At the AGM in December some new rules were adopted (all effective for the summer series onwards)

1. (The bad news) Membership fees are increased from £15 to £20 for club + BRCA membership.

This is mainly because BRCA have increased both individual membership fees and also the club affiliation fee. It is worth mentioning that the BRCA have made it clear that all drivers must be members of the BRCA even if they only race at club events. This is a stipulation made by their insurers. "Casual" racers may compete as guest drivers at up to three meetings a year, but regular drivers must be full BRCA members in order to be covered by BRCA public liability insurance.

2. As previous years we shall not be holding any club off-road races in 2000.

3. A proposal to divide the summer championship into two classes, Super Touring as per BRCA rules, and an open class, was defeated. The result being that the 2000 summer series will be as previously, a completely open championship, with no restriction on tyres, motors or batteries.

4. We shall be introducing a "Stock Motor" class in the summer championship. For further details see later.

5. For finals we will start from the BRCA grid (the one marked in red).

Batteries

The subject of batteries looks like being a subject for much debate during the coming year. 

WLRC has said that we shall monitor the situation regarding cells, and that we would follow the BRCA on any decision regarding the eligibility of new types.

The BRCA have now decided to allow all types of cell for the summer championships (subject to the usual cost limit of £52.50 per pack).

In keeping with the above, WLRC will therefore allow any type of cell to be raced in the Summer Championship.

WLRC Stickers

It was asked at the AGM if we could produce some stickers to promote and advertise the club.

In response to this we now have two types of sticker available. One is for use on model car bodies, like across the "sun strip" at the top of the windshield, and the other is a larger "My other car is Radio Controlled" for the back window of full sized cars. Available from race control.

Stock Motor Class

As mentioned earlier, it was voted at the AGM to introduce a Stock motor class for the summer series. For this to be a success we need support, so if you voted in favour of the class then let's see it well supported. Please let us know at race control if you intend to support this class.

If there is sufficient interest then we can run separate heats, otherwise heats will have to be combined (but still count as a separate points championship) In order to make scrutineering easier we will only be allowing the latest generation of re-buildable 24 degree stock motors with tagged armatures. These include the Trinity "Paradox", the Reedy "Rage", Orion "The Edge" and the Peak "Illusion" to name a few. Being re-buildable allows the added benefit of extending the life of the motor.

Hopefully this should be a competitive and economical class in which to race.

Interference

 Most racers will have experienced interference to their radio system at some time or another.

 Some people seem to have almost continual problems whereas others rarely seem to suffer.

The vast majority of cases of "interference" are attributable to poor installation and maintenance of the radio equipment.

Radio interference can be divided into two categories. Airborne signals from other transmitters or external sources of radiation, and interference generated within the car, usually from the motor itself (arcing of the brushes).

It will be obvious if your car is "glitching" on the startline before the race begins, that interference from lack of motor suppression is pretty unlikely to be the problem, and it's going to be down to an unwanted signal arriving at your receiver.

 If you are having a problem, the first thing to check is your own radio system, starting with the transmitter.

Are your transmitter batteries charged/fresh? Check the meter  or power indicator on your transmitter if you have one.

Is your antenna screwed into the transmitter tightly? A poor contact between the aerial and the socket will cause problems.

Are you on the correct frequency?  (A bit obvious this one!)

Are your transmitter and receiver crystals the correct way round?

It is possible for a radio system to work with the transmitter crystal fitted to the receiver and vice versa, but if it does work the sensitivity of the receiver will be affected, and you may also be transmitting on an illegal frequency, and probably causing interference to someone else.

 A crystal is a mechanical device which when connected to a suitable electrical circuit, will oscillate at a precisely defined frequency. The transmitter crystal sets the operating frequency of the radio system. Crystals are fragile and should be treated with care. They should be kept clean and stored in a clean dry place. Take care when plugging and unplugging crystals.  Inside the metal case, the crystal is housed in a vacuum, inside a glass envelope. Forcing or bending the pins can crack the glass. If the glass becomes cracked, the vacuum will be lost and the crystal may no longer work at the correct frequency or may stop working completely.  Because of the high frequencies involved, dirt around the pins of the crystal, or oxidation of the pins may affect the operating frequency. Keep the crystals clean, especially around the pins, and keep the sockets clean and dry.

One of the main causes of poor radio operation is the installation in the car itself.

Firstly, make sure the receiver aerial wire is undamaged and of the correct length.  Constant bending of the aerial wire, especially close to the receiver case, can cause the thin stranded wires to fracture. The outer insulation may appear to be OK but inside there is no connection so the signal reaching the receiver is greatly reduced.

The receiver aerial should not run close to the motor, or the heavy current wires from the speed controller to the motor or from the batteries.

Servos and speed controllers are always supplied with generous lengths of wire attached so pay attention to tucking the surplus neatly out of the way.

 Try to keep all wiring as short and as tidy as possible and out of the way of belts, driveshafts or any other moving parts that might rub or chafe the insulation. Any servo or speed controller wires with the insulation damaged, i.e. the strands of wire showing, should be replaced. If you need to join wires together, make sure they are properly soldered and sleeved or else use an appropriate plug and socket.

NEVER just twist wires together and rely on insulating tape.

Receivers should be kept clean and dry. Dirt in and around the crystal socket is a big no-no, and can cause the crystal to oscillate at the wrong frequency. It’s surprising how much dirt and dust can build up inside a receiver case, so take the time to clean out your receiver case from time to time, especially if you have been running in wet conditions. If water enters your receiver, dry it out by spraying it with motor spray or wash it with distilled water. Just drying it off can leave corrosive deposits inside which can eventually eat away at some of the delicate wires in the coils and transformers. (This is from experience!) When running in the wet you can help by sealing the crystal and servo connector holes with “blu-tack” or plasticine to help keep water out. If your receiver case is damaged then have it replaced and at the same time have the receiver checked and serviced, it won’t cost a lot and could prevent further problems in the future.

Keeping your radio equipment clean and neatly installed will go a long way towards minimising any potential interference problems.

Finally, do not come whingeing to race control with allegations that "I only get interference at West London" and "Its because of the metal crash barrier" when the majority have no problems at all.

We will do all we can to help you solve any problems you are having, but there are limits to what we can do.

Charity Endurance race

We have received details from the Racal Decca club, of a four-hour endurance race to raise money for charity. This is to take place on May 7th. Basic rules are; one car, six drivers, 27 turn stock motors & NO 3000mA cells. WLRC have been invited to enter a team. If you are interested we have full details at Race Control.