its a shame i’m so horrible with names because we’ve had a load of new visitors and made so many new friends but i can’t keep up with all of them! not only have we had a steady flow of old friends, we’re getting new ones from our feature on XTV, produced by Pattaya Channel. they’ve yet to release it on YouTube but when they have, i’ll load it here @nanotrax. check out the gallery to see whose been in and what we’ve been up to. i’ve been busy with multiple projects and admittedly lazy with race reporting but believe me, we’ve had a few and its been fun in small groups. check out our new fan page on Facebook and if you’re looking for the latest parts for dNano and Auto Scale Collection items for Mini Z, stop by our online shop. that’s the short of it for now, i’ll catch ya in a few days when i have more to report. thanks for your continued support!
the thing about art is that it rarely turns how you expect it to, but it always turns out as it should. i drew a couple of layouts i had in mind for the latest circuit layout on F1R but in the middle of making it, i decided to improvise and ended up with what i call ‘Funnel’. its one of the first layouts that will almost certainly require braking and precision due to its high speed straights, corners and hair pin turn smack dab in the middle. this was a 2-day project that started with the first attempt at making the surface virtually seamless. Brian came up with the idea to use a clear silicone sealant to close the gaps and fill the dimples in the flooring. we tested the solution and it worked well so Brian picked up a few items and graciously donated to the cause. check out the gallery for a step-by-step of the construction of ‘Funnel’, now available for high speed racing only @ nanotrax!
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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last week, a quiet American named Brian visited us and seemed to have a genuine interest in R/C of all types including airplanes and gliders. he attended last week’s club race and he was hooked. shortly thereafter, he chose the first in his collection, the Porsche 917k 1970 LeMans Winner. like me, he’s a guy who likes to study his car and slowly add option parts to observe how each improves handling & stability. i’m sure he’ll be a formidable competitor in our championship points race. for this week’s race, i’ve decided to go with the Porsche 911 GT3. unfortunately, its not competitive without adding weight for stability during high speed cornering. i’ll post pics and discussion about that on the forum, so check-in with your input and start your own threads to help our community thrive. tomorrow (Saturday, February 20th) is our next race day, so look for the latest race report and championship points race standings on the forum as well. for the latest info on products available in the shop. browse to our online shop to conveniently pick up any and everything you need for your dNaNo and even various items for Mini-Z and Minium AD.
only a couple months after our grand opening, a visitor from Belgium named Robby DV visited NanoTrax for a few days and stunned us with extraordinary skill driving a Mazda 787b. he left promising to return for more in December. true to his word, he’s come back to join as the latest member @ NanoTrax but now, he’s chosen the Nissan Fairlady Z GT500 Class (Motul Autech Z) as his representative in our dNaNo club racing. this means i’ll go back to ‘old faithful’, the Mazda 787b (now with gold plated body!) for club racing on Sunday. tomorrow should be very interesting since we have 3 drivers from Belgium (Robby, Vincent, Erwin), 3 highly skilled Thai drivers (Tee, Nu, Neung), myself and possibly others… the battle is only for bragging rights + the fun & love of dNaNo racing. this weekend is Father’s Day in Thailand so shipping on orders from our online shop will be delayed until Tuesday but otherwise, everything is business as usual. expect an update on new, exclusive items added to the shop within the next few days. for those who have sent an e-mail, thanks for your support and personal contact. it feels good to know people actual read what i write – lol ;-).
i couldn’t wait any longer… this morning, i installed the new “Long Wind” layout on F1R. Erwin & Slim visited today and were both delighted with the fresh circuit. it uses all 32 tiles so its a huge track for dNaNo with lots of long straights and sweeping turns. i thought the column would obstruct vision but its not an issue now that this layout is a reality (as opposed to a drawing). Long Wind is not quite as technical as the previous layout so even beginners should enjoy a run on it. average laps will probably hover around 10-12 seconds with fastest lap coming close to 8. we got a new visitor from Romania on the forum and he says that what i’ve created will be the standard for anyone following in NanoTrax footsteps. feel good feedback… join us in the micro R/C revolution! ;-)
