Coming from behind to win
Coming from behind to win
Between two straight runners. How can a car that is 2 inches behind the front of the other car and 2 feet from the finish line overtake the car and win the race? We race on a beautiful wood, 3 lane, 30 foot, Piantedosi track. He was ahead of us all the way down the track except near the end. If it was Bore Prep why didn't my Bore Prep show up earlier? Was it one thing, or a combination of things, that forced that car to slow down at the 28' mark? I was the inspector for the Pack so I know his car was legal.
Re: Coming from behind to win
It is common for straight runners to get a little ahead on the slope but they lose any gain during the flat where they don't maintain a straight line like a rail runner.
Re: Coming from behind to win
We were both straight runners.
Re: Coming from behind to win
If your car had a better CoG, then this wouldn't show benefit until after the curved section, when the cars were no longer falling. The car with less advantageous weight would decelerate faster on the flat, no?
Re: Coming from behind to win
There is a few reasons here. Maybe just one.
But kind of have to go thru the process a bit.
1. Different weight placement can cause this.
2. One car having more weight, and in a more concentrated area.
3. Alignment. Even tho the both were straight runners. One could have been hitting the rail more often. Then the other car.
4. Graphite type used. How it was applied. And the bore prep process.
And axle prep.
But in general when I seen this.
Most often. It was one of two things. Sometimes both.
Graphite/bore prep. And alignment.
Now you could say. Hay the car had more weight and less wood. That's likely why it was out front. Added into better weight placement.
However, it was the alignment and the poor gra7/ bore prep that likely was a good reason why it slowed.
Over the years. Seen this often. With other cars. Most of the time it was poor graphite and prep work. The friction over took the forward momentum of the car. Slowing it down farther down the track.
a car with poor alignment. Tended to have issues right away. And just lost its energy from the on and off touching of the rail.
To tell the difference between the two on race day. I use to count how many times I would see a car touch on and off the rail.
Which on averge seem to be anywhere from 8 to 12 times.
the cars I found touching on and off the rail . 14 to 16 times. We're slower by a car length an were almost always not in the lead at any point of time during the race.
Cars that only touched 8 times to 4 times. We're often the fastest cars of the day.
Naturally alot of that. Was before rail riding came into play and more widely known and used.
Many fast straight runners had the front end narrowed 1/16th of a inch on each side of the front end. (Wheel area).
now. Keep in mind. Our rules were 4 wheels touching. So my information is based off of that .
I also seen a little wider axle gap on the rears back then. To try and reduce the rears touching.
Where as today. With rail riding. It's a controlled ride of the car. And the more common axle wheel gap in the rear works better. Due to more control over the rears.
where as in rail runner days. It was so hard to really have control. That the wider axle gap in the rears. Helped you be a little faster. With a narrowed front end.
But much has changed since those days.
I recall people even narrowing the width of the car for the rears too. which was called rail hugger. Worked good. If you were on a great track. But not so much on a typical scout track. That often was ruff. And not set up real well. Not to leave out. Alignment became more important and noticed more.
Sporty
But kind of have to go thru the process a bit.
1. Different weight placement can cause this.
2. One car having more weight, and in a more concentrated area.
3. Alignment. Even tho the both were straight runners. One could have been hitting the rail more often. Then the other car.
4. Graphite type used. How it was applied. And the bore prep process.
And axle prep.
But in general when I seen this.
Most often. It was one of two things. Sometimes both.
Graphite/bore prep. And alignment.
Now you could say. Hay the car had more weight and less wood. That's likely why it was out front. Added into better weight placement.
However, it was the alignment and the poor gra7/ bore prep that likely was a good reason why it slowed.
Over the years. Seen this often. With other cars. Most of the time it was poor graphite and prep work. The friction over took the forward momentum of the car. Slowing it down farther down the track.
a car with poor alignment. Tended to have issues right away. And just lost its energy from the on and off touching of the rail.
To tell the difference between the two on race day. I use to count how many times I would see a car touch on and off the rail.
Which on averge seem to be anywhere from 8 to 12 times.
the cars I found touching on and off the rail . 14 to 16 times. We're slower by a car length an were almost always not in the lead at any point of time during the race.
Cars that only touched 8 times to 4 times. We're often the fastest cars of the day.
Naturally alot of that. Was before rail riding came into play and more widely known and used.
Many fast straight runners had the front end narrowed 1/16th of a inch on each side of the front end. (Wheel area).
now. Keep in mind. Our rules were 4 wheels touching. So my information is based off of that .
I also seen a little wider axle gap on the rears back then. To try and reduce the rears touching.
Where as today. With rail riding. It's a controlled ride of the car. And the more common axle wheel gap in the rear works better. Due to more control over the rears.
where as in rail runner days. It was so hard to really have control. That the wider axle gap in the rears. Helped you be a little faster. With a narrowed front end.
But much has changed since those days.
I recall people even narrowing the width of the car for the rears too. which was called rail hugger. Worked good. If you were on a great track. But not so much on a typical scout track. That often was ruff. And not set up real well. Not to leave out. Alignment became more important and noticed more.
Sporty
Re: Coming from behind to win
Thank you, All.
Sporty's talking about hitting the rail. If the car hit the rail hard at the same moment our car was completely off the rail, that is what might have happened. We gained a couple of inches very quickly. It was very interesting to watch.
Sporty's talking about hitting the rail. If the car hit the rail hard at the same moment our car was completely off the rail, that is what might have happened. We gained a couple of inches very quickly. It was very interesting to watch.
