Andy arrived at 10:30am and woke me with a friendly reminder that he’d agreed to come in and help with constructing the layout on F1R. i’d drawn up what was in my head for the new look, but i knew it would hardly come out as expected… it never does. that’s actually a good thing as its normally something similar but better in real life. during the 3 hour process, Joom fueled our efforts with coffee, sandwiches, eggs and bacon. by opening time, our work was complete and upon inspection, my latest creation looked like a dancing figure, celebrating our success in giving it life. on testing, the layout was fast but has many obstacles and challenges, which could lead to breakage – hence the name ‘Breakdance’. i’ve set my fast lap time at 7.74 seconds, but i’m sure someone will shave a bit more off that. its faster but infinitely more precarious than the previous layout so expect fast & furious racing ahead for the next 4 months.

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i wasn’t expecting today to turn out the way it did. i suppose that’s how life is – one minute you’re under a dark, rainy cloud and the next the sun is beating you down like a stepchild – wait…. anyhow, let’s just say today turned out well, the best turnout of all club races this year with 9 drivers qualifying for a position in the final. Joe came in with his family, Olaf brought two friends and the rest of the gang came to play, but we all struggled to get good qualifying times on F1R, now running clockwise in the last month of this layout. we all discussed how the surface felt rather slow and all agreed the WD-40 we’d been using as a traction compound was ultimately making the circuit slick and so, its now banned as a traction compound at nanotrax. nonetheless, we had a very competitive qualifying session but since i was the only one that got in real practice this week in the new direction, i took the top spot @ 9.13 seconds. this -of course- is meaningless in the final, the qualifying actually sorted out who would be in the Main B fighting for a spot in the Main A. Olaf & Slim immediately fell to Main B due to a car change during qualifying along with Joe and Yerky (sp). Joe and Olaf graduated to the Main A and it was a close one to say the least.

Main A began and after only a few laps, i lost a tire and moments after that, had to change from an under performing battery which dropped me down to last place. Olaf had taken charge but quickly lost the lead to an inspired Hugh, dashing ahead with Dahm and Ian close behind. Joe was struggling to keep pace and his problems only continued as his car setup contributed to tire troubles that eliminated him as a factor. i quickly got back into the game and slowly moved thru the ranks, battling for most of the race to catch Hugh and finally moved into chasing Olaf. Ian lost pace after having to make a battery change late in the race but was still close behind Dahm and Hugh, the three separated by only 2 laps. i was pushing hard and grabbed the lead from Olaf but lost pace on a crash and mistakes that left me trailing by 2 laps. Olaf felt me breathing down his neck and with a 2-lap lead, he felt it best to make a battery change and that was my chance. i caught him during his break and took the lead in the last 2 minutes. thereafter, i kept pace just behind him to insure the victory. this was definitely a tight, gut-wrenching, intense race for all participants and that’s the way we like it, the competition is real and loads of fun. if you’re in the area, we hope to see you in to watch or to participate and around the world, i hope you’ll have the chance experience micro rc racing the way we do @ nanotrax! here are the final results:

Championship Points (Season 3): Ian = 173pts, Olaf = 143pts, Hugh = 99pts, Dylan = 85pts, Calvin = 67pts, Robby = 40pts, Slim = 15pts, Vincent = 15pts, Ek = 10pts, Doug = 10pts, Ryan = 8pts

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just as i was thinking traffic thru our shop was slower than Iceland lava flows, we’re hit on Sunday with a pleasant breeze of new & old members, new & old visitors, F1 racing and a club race with enough participants to complain about the traffic on F1R.  Boris and his Uncle Tony from Holland joined us recently and made their first appearance in a club race.  Olaf, Ian and even the mysterious Marc returned along with Hugh with IPad in hand.  BKK Will stopped by to enjoy some of my wife Joom‘s wonderful cooking and take a short spin in a rental before heading back to Bangkok in his chauffeured limousine (well, its a pathfinder driven by a very patient Thai dude… but, its quite luxurious).  after a few practice laps  and qualifying, the final began at ~6:25pm.  though i was top qualifier, it goes to show the fastest driver isn’t always the winning driver.  for a while, there was a battle brewing for 3rd place but Marc was out of practice and Ian took command to round out the top 3.  this is the first official club race of May and i’m sure it’ll only get more competitive.

Club Race Results for May 9, 2010 (Week 19)

Main A Final (30 Mins):
1– Olaf / Audi R8 (155 Laps) +20
2– Q’on / Ferrari F40 (151 Laps)
3– Ian / Aston Martin Racing DBR9 (133 Laps) +11
4– Marc / Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 (128 Laps) +8
5– Hugh / Mazda 787b (102 Laps) +6
6– Boris / ENZO Ferrari (96 Laps) +5
7– Tony / Audi R8 (72 Laps) +5
— Top Qualifier = Q’on / Ferrari F40 (9.47secs)

NanoTrax DCP Standings
Olaf = 186 pts
Marlowe = 143 pts
Vincent = 134 pts
Ian = 117 pts
Dylan = 92 pts
Erwin = 44 pts
Marc = 18 pts
Brian = 15 pts
Calvin = 11 pts
Hugh = 10 pts
Doug = 10 pts
Boris = 5 pts
Tony = 5 pts
Johnny = 5 pts

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its hard to explain these kinds of days where just about everything goes as planned and even those things that didn’t got worked out well.  Sunday, March 14th was our Season 2, Week 11 Club Race but it was also the first day of the Grand Prix, Formula One (F1) Racing Season.  i’ve been a fan of F1 for some time now, but as everyone who follows F1 knows, this season is special so we wanted to mark it with an F1 Party @ NanoTrax.  you can’t have a full race party without race queens so we got those and called in the guys who all came ready for a heated mini R/C battle on F1R.

i ran the MOTUL Autech Z today with an X-Power ‘HOT’ Motor since many of the members have stepped up the speed with their own high performance power plants.  i took the TQ spot with a 10.41sec fastest lap with Vincent and Marlowe taking the next 2 spots in the grid.  Johnny was ‘the rookie’ in the group but he qualified well and stood his own for his first club race.  Vincent was in often over the past week preparing and he obviously came to win, jumping out to a big lead right out of the gates.  my performance was extremely inconsistent for the first 48 laps so i stopped in for a quick battery change.  Vincent changed about the same time which allowed Marlowe to storm into the lead.  as i jumped back into the fray, i chased Marlowe down during a series of laps that saw me post a 10.29sec fast lap and take the lead.  Vincent made his move, going on a run to take 2nd place and Marlowe dropped to 3rd to finish the race.  Ian, Brian and Johnny grabbed 4th, 5th and 6th spots while Erwin caught a DNF with recurring tire troubles in our 30-minute final.  we now have a new championship race leader – here’s the official results and current championship standings:

Results for Season 2, Week 11 – March 14, 2010

TQ = Q’on / Nissan Fairlady Z GT500 Class

Main A Final (30 Mins):
1 – Q’on / Nissan Fairlady Z GT500 Class (140 Laps)
2 – Vincent / Corvette C6-R (138 Laps) +15
3 – Marlowe / Corvette C6-R (137 Laps) +11
4 – Ian / Aston Martin Racing DBR9 (129 Laps) +8
5 – Brian / Porsche 917k (107 Laps) +6
6 - Johnny/ Nissan Fairlady Z GT500 Class (105 Laps) +5
7 – Erwin / Ferrari FXX (14 Laps – DNF) +5

NanoTrax Driver’s Championship Points Standings
Marlowe = 119 pts
Olaf = 118 pts
Vincent = 101 pts
Dylan = 76 pts
Ian = 73 pts
Erwin = 38 pts
Calvin = 11 pts
Brian = 15 pts
Marc = 10 pts
Doug = 5 pts
Johnny = 5 pts

if you haven’t noticed, things have been very busy @ the online shop as we’re clearing inventory for new Mini-Z related items so visit now for ultra low prices on chassis sets, option parts and accessories while supplies last!  new items added included a wide range of tires from X-Power and money saving combos you won’t find anywhere else.  i’m currently testing new wheels and ribbed tires from X-Power – see photo – when available, they’ll appear in stock at the shop.  thanks for everyone who either e-mailed or commented on my last post, its good to know someone’s reading me.  until next time, enjoy mini-r/c to the fullest!

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i love dNaNo.  i think its a model that opens the world of R/C racing to a broader demographic;  its been designed, developed and produced at excellent quality;  the costs of enjoying it are minimal compared to larger scales;  its tiny and allows us to enjoy it indoors.  wait… isn’t there another R/C racing model that offers all these features?  that’s right… Mini-Z.  from the beginning of this venture, my goal was to build a venue and we’ve done that successfully with a new scale (dNaNo) at the forefront.  unfortunately, while my love for dNaNo has not faded, it has yet to gain the following it needs to support NanoTrax.  Mini-Z has been around for 10 years and there are a plethora of aftermarket parts, auto scale collection models, and chassis sets available allowing us to increase sales to a wider demographic with a larger existing fan base.  NanoTrax is a Mini R/C Racing Lounge and whether we’re racing dNaNo, Mini-Z or any other available miniature scale model, it should be a mini R/C paradise and that’s always been my goal.  what do you think?  should we maintain our commitment to dNaNo or should be we focus more on Mini-Z?  if you’re reading this, i need your feedback so post a reply here or send an e-mail to qon@nanotrax.net and give me your thoughts.

it was all good vibes today at our Season 2, Week 5 Club Race today.  there was a 3-way tie for 1st place and it was meant to be broken today. 7 members (including myself) came through to battle it out on Circuit F1R (Patchwork).  it was obviously going to be a close final race cuz the top qualifiers were seperated by only one lap and some with the same number of laps.  unfortunately, i suffered tire loss in the final but this was one day where it felt good to lose cuz it was great fun and the members got to split the bonus points earned by making the top 3.  a big thanks to all the members and spectators who came thru and made this one of the best club race days ever at nanotrax!

Season 2, Week 5 Club Race Results:

Top Qualifier: Q’on / Mazda 787b No.55 Mazda Racing

Main A Final:
1) Dylan / ENZO Ferrari (69 Laps) +20
2) Vincent / Porsche 962 CLH (68 Laps; 15:02.98) +15
3) Olaf / Aston Martin Racing DBR9 (68 Laps; 15:16.84) +10
4) Q’on / Mazda 787b (66 Laps)
5) Ian / Aston Martin Racing DBR9 (58 Laps; 15:04.22) +5
6) Marlowe / McLaren F1 GTR (58 Laps; 15:12.11) +5
7) Erwin / Ferrari FXX (47 Laps) +5

Current NanoTrax Drivers’ Championship Points Standing:
Vincent = 40 Pts
Olaf = 35 Pts
Dylan = 30 Pts
Marlowe = 30 Pts
Ian = 20 Pts
Calvin = 10 Pts
Erwin = 5 Pts
Daw = 5 Pts

*Click Here for Club Racing Data (CSV) Files*

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congratulations to our 2009 NanoTrax Drivers’ Champion, Olaf Stuermer!  he reached 100 points to collect the most in our inaugural season and just before the final today, was awarded the coveted hardware.  for this special day, i invited all members who happened to be in town to enjoy draft beer on the house along with some tasty snack food as we held our Season 2, Week 2 Club Race.  we had a few spectators, new staff members and 7 drivers in the grid.  everything turned out perfectly and everyone enjoyed the food, the racing and especially the free beer!  just as i’ve said many times, qualifying is important and normally indicative of who will win but anything can happen in the final!  here’s the final standings:

Season 2 : Week 2 : Club Race Results

Top Qualifier = Olaf / Aston Martin Racing DBR9

Final Race : Circuit F1R (15 Minutes)
1 – Q’on / Lamborghini Countach LP500S (67 Laps)
2 – Olaf / Aston Martin Racing DBR9 (64 Laps) +15 Pts
3 – Vincent / Porsche 962CLH (60 Laps) +10 Pts
4 – Marlowe / McLaren F1 GTR (60 Laps) +5 Pts
5 – Ian / Aston Martin Racing DBR9 (49 Laps) +5 Pts
6 – Daw / Porsche 911 GT3 (40 Laps) +5 Pts
7 – Dylan / ENZO Ferrari (16 Laps; DNF) +5 Pts

Current Drivers’ Championship Points Standings:
1 – Marlowe = 20 Pts
2 – Olaf = 15 Pts
3a – Vincent = 10 Pts
3b – Ian = 10 Pts
3c – Calvin = 10 Pts
4a – Daw = 5 Pts
4b – Dylan = 5 Pts

Dylan lost a wheel which caused his early exit; Ian lost a tire but recovered to finish; and Vincent surprised us all, showing up with very little practice but snatching the 3rd spot.  it was another interesting race and an excellent way to enjoy the evening.  now that we’re growing, our championship rules, regulations and guidelines need to be clarified so i’ll create a post on the racing forum, then revise and refine it over the next week or so.  i may not post for a few days but you can reach me as usual by e-mail:  qon@nanotrax.net.  big thanks to everyone that made the time to come out, our members most of all as they are what make nanotrax a joyful reality.

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welcome to the new year which to me is just another day but we marked its arrival with the installation of a new layout on NanoTrax F1R Showroom Circuit.  Calvin arrived @ 8:40am to help with the project and it took just over 8 hrs to complete.  by 5pm Ian stopped by and we all took our first runs on “Patchwork“.  its a complete turnaround from “Art Deco“ with more narrow lanes, tight curves and long straights.  this week’s club race should be interesting since the layout is ‘fresh’ and no one has any advantage outside of racing experience.

at the end of year and beginning of another is always a good time for reflection:  the 1st quarter of 2009 saw the birth of nanotrax and my move into a new line of ‘work’.  previously, i was in web development and nanotrax became a new passion that i shared with Joom (my wifey!).  the 2nd quarter saw the grand opening of the shop and an unfortunate and tragic accident that put everything on hold temporarily.  during that time, my son (Nalani) was also stolen from me by his mother who vowed to never let me see him again.  very trying times, but life is as such and we continued to move on.  3rd quarter saw the opening of our online shop and a burst of interest from around the world that has allowed us to maintain and prosper.  customers from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Holland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, France, Norway, Finland, Spain, Italy and the USA have all caught ‘dNaNo fever’ and we’re happy to be first place they look to find what they need to enjoy their hobby.  also, it saw my son (Paris) and my mom visit and get to see what i do on the daily – in person.  the final quarter of 2009 confirmed that NanoTrax had finally built a place that would attract excellent racing with our “Special Race” Tuesday.  that was an exciting event and i look forward to having many like it in the near future.

i expect this year should bring unexpected but hopefully pleasant events that help us to enjoy our hobby and life in general.  i’ve come to appreciate the little things and i’m thankful for every breath i take.  i’m  not perfect and i’m not always good but i’m brutally honest, fair and i put 100% into what i do daily.  i’ve built this business with my customers and everyone who loves this hobby in mind.  i’ve invested all i have including time, money, blood, sweat & tears.  i won’t get financially rich doing this, but that’s no matter, as no amount of money can buy the happiness i get every day when i open the front door – the entrance to NanoTrax.

it was another packed Sunday Club Race with 8 participants in the grid. representing Team PRC was Tee, Farr and Neung; shop members included Erwin, Vincent, RobbyDV and our surprise new member, Marlowe (USA). “Lowe” rented a car for club racing a couple weeks ago and was interested in getting his own dNaNo so he finally came in on race day and picked up the McLaren F1 GTR (Kokusai Kaihatsu Racing ASC).  he popped in an hour before the race, quickly installed all necessary option parts and sent it into battle.

RobbyDV was our top qualifier and ultimate overall winner setting record lap counts in both qualifying and the final.  whenever Robby shows up, he always raises the bar and forces us to give a better performance to keep up with him.  that’s why its great to have highly skilled drivers like him visit and compete with us.  unfortunately, i put in a poor performance in the final due to putting my responsibility as business owner ahead of my need for the fun & excitement of the final race.  no worries, i’ll make it happen next time.  here’s the full results:

NanoTrax Club Race Results for 12/06/2009
Top Qualifier = Robby DV / Nissan Fairlady Z GT500

Final Results:
1 – RobbyDV / Nissan Fairlady Z GT500 (90 Laps) +20
2 – Tee / Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 (80 Laps)
3 – Neung/ Porsche Carrera GT (77 Laps)
4 – Vincent / Porsche 962 CLH (72 Laps) +5
5 – Farr / Ferrari 360 Modena (70 Laps)
6 – Erwin / Ferrari FXX (66 Laps) +5
7 – Marlowe / McLaren F1 GTR (49 Laps) +5
8 – Qon / Mazda 787b (41 Laps; DNF)

2009 NanoTrax Drivers Championship Points
Olaf = 85 Pts
Dylan = 70 Pts
Daw = 70 Pts
Erwin = 55 Pts
Gary = 25 Pts
RobbyDV = 20 Pts
Slim = 15 Pts
Vincent = 10 Pts
First = 10 Pts
Darren = 5 Pts
Marlowe = 5 Pts
Marc = 5 Pts

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the 2nd floor circuit hasn’t been getting much attention since the installation of ‘Art Deco’ on F1R so i took a few days to update the layout on F2L to increase interest and brighten the room.  its a bit more technical than previous layouts but once you find the racing line, its a pretty quick run as well.  if we have less than 5 drivers, we’ll hold the club race on F2L from now on.  otherwise, there’s not much to report on at the moment, but you can jump in on our discussions @ the NanoTrax dNaNo & Mini-Z forum and help make our community the #1 place to meet and greet others who are discovering 1/43rd scale indoor racing.  i post race reports, new products and tech updates you won’t find on the blog so visit and register to participate!  i’m now waiting for the next dNaNo release… what will be next??