old buggy still competetive?

[roadrcr]

Hey all,
I need some advise. I used to race 1/8 buggy but I stopped about 5 years ago when I got into racing mororcycles > the real ones. I thought RC tires were expensive, Ha Ha. A set of tires for the bike cost about $500. And they only last about 1 hour at race pace. That pretty much put an end to the RC thing. Anyway, I want to get back into it...maybe just a few local races for fun. I have an ultra worlds 1 and it is set up pretty well for 5 years ago...all the best at the time. I have a TON of spares and could probably build 3 complete cars just from spare parts alone. OS .21 RZ, Torsen diffs, CVD C hubs all around... Just wondering from you guys that are in this now....Is this still in any way competetive?
I know that 90% of racing is skill and set up...I raced for 5 years, so I"m not really a noob. I know what it takes to win...or to not win. I just want to know if I will get blown away by some of the new stuff or if I could manage with an "old" rig. Once I remember how to drive that is...
I know..I know, best way to find out is to throw it on the track and find out....I'd just hate to waste time tweaking this thing only to find out it's gonna get blown away.
Is the new stuff really alot better....or is it mostly just hype from noobs that think their brand new $1500 unobtanium rig that just won the last worlds owns all?

[lykan]

You know things have really gotten advanced.

Example the savage Vs. maxx the savage is 10x the rig just because of the innovations.

I wouls say if you can handle the rig well you;d be just as competitive with the locals. Locals usually have more cash than handling practice. I will however tell you that you might want to check the condition of your engines, those can make a huge difference, and they've come a long way.

[HumboldtBlazer]

Just in the last 1-2 years huge changes have been made to buggies. I couldn't expect to show up to the track anymore with a GS Storm or Kani 1 and expect to hang. That is just my opinion though.

[bigfreak]

I actually heard it was cheaper to race motorcross. Maybe it depends on the track or something. The guys around here that have done both swear buggies (tires specifically) cost more money than motorcross.

As far as it being competitive, throw it on the track and find out. It sounds like you've got the skills. The biggest question might be: would you be embarassed when someone comes up to you in the pits and asks what kind of buggy it is?

Maybe it'll be competitive maybe it won't. If you got the itch for a new rig and you've got the cash, go for it. Building RC's in fun.

[roadrcr]

I roadrace motorcycles. Trust me it is alot more expensive. The only reason I can race RC again is because I am just starting to pay off my sponsers (mastercard and visa) from the start up costs. By the time you figure racebike, spares, trailer, and all the support stuff your at close to $30,000. Race weekends are 3 day weekends....so your trailer needs a/c, cots to sleep on......just the trailer set up cost me close to $10,000. Now of course this is done over a period of years...I'm not made of money. But all said and done....setup alone cost close to 30k........and that is NOT including on going costs like tires and fees. Figure $500-750 a race weekend.
The key is contingency money. You can recoupe alot of the ongoing expenses by placing in the top 5 and collecting. I just wish I was good enough to do that every race......

The rush is worth it though! second to none......well close anyway. I still smile ear to ear every time I put my knee puck on the pavement at 100+ mph.

About my engines....I have three that are rebuilt....not broken in yet. Are the OS RZ's sitll even close to the top? I looked on there website and they still have them listed as good stuff. Below the new v-spec anyway. Going by HP #'s that is. Back in the day they were the shiot....at least around the tracks I raced.

[psunitro]

I would say since you already have it and a TON of spares,race it. At local tracks its all about driving and you said that. I would maybe upgrade the mill when you get the "feel" of driving again,maybe servos too,depending on what you have. If you drive some of the new buggies AFTER you get yours up and running you should have a good idea of what you want to do. Good Luck

[bigfreak]

$500-750 a weekend damn!! That's like a new kit every race meet. RC should be peanuts for ya then. :P

Originally Posted by roadrcr

About my engines....I have three that are rebuilt....not broken in yet. Are the OS RZ's sitll even close to the top? I looked on there website and they still have them listed as good stuff. Below the new v-spec anyway. Going by HP #'s that is. Back in the day they were the shiot....at least around the tracks I raced.

By RZ, you mean like a v01b right? or maybe a v99b? Does it have the boost bottle? Those are still good engines I know folks were runnin the v01b as late as last summer or the summer before that for sure. We had an engine come out of OS that really tanked (VZB). The compression went soft after a couple of gallons (new piston design). The bomb OS engine right now is the "v-spec". So far so good on that OS engine.

The other race engines guys run these days are the RB WS72 (basically the same as the S7 and WS7) and the Novarossi P5 (or Top P5 or Rex P5 all the same).

I think you'll be fine with the RZ. By the way look in you private messages inbox.

[muswagon]

The main reason sponsored racers do not use old buggies is because racing old buggies does not sell new buggies for their sponsors. I agree there are huge innovations, however, dirt is a great equalizer, and a good driver can really make all the difference.

The only reason local racers race the new stuff, is because they they want to be just like the sponsored racers.

I should talk, I just bough TTR S3! Me Muswagon, Me hypocrite! Hehe.

[TeamPlayers]

Age aint nothing but a number. Two examples

The guy I used to race for back in the states still races has Mugen Super Athlete!!! We call him Ol Fogie Racing but when it came down to racing the man can just flat out dive. He has bastardized it a bit but it is still a Super Athlete.

The last Race I went to in Germany a guy was running the ORIGINAL Crono buggy. This thing was old, heavy, and looked weird as hell. But I had the fastest lap in the C-main, he had the second. Bumped up to the B-main and he was right be hind me the whole way untill I blew a clutch bearing. Months later I saw him at a 2HR endurence race and he finished.

I say if you know the car,and drive well with the car stick with it. Buy spare part and even add new parts from some of the newer cars. Before you know it you will have a dependable car YOU can drive.

[UltegraSTI]

y do we do this? for fun. if the best your car could ever do is 10 laps in 5:10, and u've only managed 10/5:15. keep pushin to improve your car to get that 5:10. bear in mind, who's to say 5:10 is the barrier . so what if the winner is 11/5:20.

thats the fun part, seeing what you can do. its just more fun when you can do it w/others having fun. the super serious crap, is just that....crap, and it accelerates you to burnout.

-Ult