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 McLaren Racing Shell came and went recently… a testament to how rare items for dNano get snatched up quickly by dedicated fans. if there’s anyone who knows about dedicated, its the nanotrax crew and we’ve pushed for important replacement parts (main frame -plastics only with ic tag- set) that you can find now available @ our dnano and mini z online shop. there are also new dnano optional parts on their way into stock + the latest optional parts for Mini Z AWD. currently, we’re weathering the storm of the current economic atmosphere and we expect to be here for years to come, providing a special little something in an infamous city called Pattaya.
on sunday, we held the last race on the disastrous ‘WTF’ layout which i believe drove everyone away from play at the shop. it was difficult and certainly, that word and ‘fun’ just don’t seem to fit together for most people. as a matter of fact, we held only 2 races and ran in only one direction before removing and installing a new one. Hugh was rather direct, frank, honest…. even rude with his vocal melee on the layout but… he was right. it had to go and now, i’m sure he and everyone else will find fun again with ‘Blur’ on F1R. i call it that because the lanes are wide and action will be ridiculously fast. Gary surprised us with a rare visit and Calvin re-joined us on sunday so i suspect we’ll have some interesting racing to say the least during the next 5+ weeks before he leaves us again. i’ll get around to posting the race report over @dnanoclub soon so visit there to check that out and share your thoughts and experiences with dnano and club racing in your area.
after an exciting weekend of ‘big’ scale R/C, this week things slowed down tremendously with several of our visitors going back to their home country and other locals taking a break from the every day party that is Pattaya. during this very quiet week, we received the latest in highly detailed, scale replicas from the always impressive, Kyosho dNano Auto Scale Collection. the detail in the works of art they produce for us to play with is simply amazing. take a look at the photos of the all new, Xanavi Nismo GT-R 2008 and you’ll see what i mean. this is a 1/43 scale car and that means its tiny. the sponsor decals, the spoilers, the fixtures are all there and if you’re starting a collection of models in this size, i guarantee you’ll want to make this a part of it. unfortunately, the body mount and fitting parts haven’t been released so if you’re looking to change from one dNano to another, you’ll need to wait a few more weeks but if you’d like to be pick up a CCS (Complete Chassis Set), then that’s available now. speaking of which…. how could we get this in and not give it a test run?
the first thing i noticed about this new shell is the length. though the wheelbase is only 62.8mm, the body extends several mm beyond the rear end of the chassis making it equally as long as the DBR9. this extension gives it a ‘swing’ sort of handling feel when navigating corners. i suppose that can be good or bad depending on how you drive it. another thing i noticed is the discrepancy between the specs of the car and the actual setup. if you’re familiar with the spacers used to adjust ride height and front suspension travel, you’ll know there are .5mm and 1mm spacers used between the upper & lower front suspension plates. in the DNX410 documentation, it specifically says there’s a 1mm upper spacer and no lower spacer but in the chassis sets we received, there ‘s a 1mm lower spacer installed (see photo). i ended up changing this spacer from 1mm to .5mm which helped to reduce the ‘swing’ feel in cornering and leveled the ride height. a car’s setup is really a personal decision based on driving style and circuit layout so if you get one of these, play with the setup to find what works best for you. after racing with many dNano, i’ve discovered the body is very important in the way the chassis will handle so always take care to choose that fits your driving style & performance expectations. a new ‘white’ version of the IC Tag is now installed, the previous generations were a light blue, then a dark blue. i assume the evolution is to implement improvements in functionality but that remains to be revealed.
just like the MOTUL Autech Z, this body is very low profile so you may notice it rubbing the surface during high speed cornering which can cause unpredictable oversteer. overall, i like the way the car handles on straights, it tracks like a bullet when i hit the throttle. the body is somewhat delicate and after the ‘Dylan Test’ parts that came off included the front ‘scoop’ spoilers + the front air filter/toe hook. as usual, when racing you shouldn’t expect the side mirrors to last long and the spoiler could come off easily if involved in a hard rear end collision. if you’d like these parts to last longer, strengthen them with acrylic, Joom handles that for all our members. that’s all i have for now, expect an update this week on the R8 Type Shell and if you’re interested in our club races, stop by the forum for the latest info.
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.
i’ve had two Mini Z *MR-03* Chassis Sets in stock since before they were officially released but no one seemed to be interested so they’d sat on the shelf waiting for someone to claim and breathe life into them. after discussions with our local Mini Z expert (RobbyDV) and another member sparked my interest (Ek), i confiscated one of the sets for myself and ordered some option parts cuz anyone who knows anything about the “D” or the “Z”, knows they just aren’t what they can be right out of the box. my list included 1) ball bearings (Kyosho), 2) ball differential (Kyosho) 3) 94mm motor pod v2 (Atomic) 4) 94mm titanium damper kit (Atomic), 5) lexan t-plates (Atomic), 6) low down front springs (PN Racing), 7) king pin shims (PN Racing), 8) gyro (X-Power), 9) metal servo gear (Kyosho), 10) IC Tag (Kyosho) and 11) a clear grey skeleton (Kyosho). most important of each of these was the skeleton because i’ve never worked on a Mini Z so my ignorance needed some attendance and rebuilding one with a fresh skeleton would force me to do it and get it right. no need for a meticulous set of construction pics, at the heart of this hobby is DIY (do-it-yourself) so, i won’t bore you with the details, let’s just say every step of dismantling, rebuilding and replacing was a learning process. surprisingly it only took yesterday afternoon and a coffee-fueled morning session to get it all together and running properly. none of my cars are shelf queens, so when i do get the chance to throw this baby down on a circuit, it’ll be ready to blaze. i’ve coveted the ADVAN Supra JGTC 2003 GT Limited Edition ASC for some time and the 94mm motor pod allowed me to set the chassis up to fit this impressive shell. many of the option parts i’ve installed are now available in our online shop, so if you’re looking to hook up your Z, login for convenient online shopping. there are a few other option parts i still need including some decent tires (the stock just don’t give any grip on any surface i’m aware of) but this is just the beginning. want to discuss your Mini Z projects? stop by the forum and share your thoughts and experience with our community. unfortunately, we won’t be racing Mini Z @ nanotrax due to size limitations but we shall see – perhaps a nanotrax 2 for the Z? who knows what the future could bring? ;-)
every week is a small event for our small r/c racing club here in Pattaya but this weeks event was special as we honored our racing points champion, Olaf and loyalty award winners, Ian & Doug. Joom whipped up some spring rolls for the occasion and everyone appreciated the excuse to enjoy free draft beer but only after our first race of Season 3. since Robby is still visiting us, it wasn’t hard to guess who would prevail in this contest. he was clinical in practice and preparation and it showed as he sailed to victory, the closest competitor being me and i trailed by 15 laps! the wide lanes and multiple corners present opportunities to reduce lap times and provide passing lanes that kept the 30-minute final interesting despite the major gaps in the final lap totals. Olaf performed well with his R8 placing 3rd and Daam participated to grab 4th place. Ian wrecked his DBR9 but was able to best Hugh who placed 6th and Doug drove his Reventon, wrapping up the field in 7th place. the points race is now underway with six competition-packed months lying ahead of us to decide who will hold the awards at the end of Season 3. thanks to all members who participate throughout the season, local and abroad.. nanotrax is only special because of you!
Season 3, Round 1 @ F1R – July 4, 2010
Main A Final (30 Minutes, F1R-ZigZag, CCW)
1 -Robby / ENZO Ferrari (183 Laps | 9.87 Avg. Lap | 47/8.91 Fast Lap) +20pts
2 -Qon / Mazda 787b (166 Laps | 10.92 Avg. Lap | 93/8.90 Fast Lap)
3 -Olaf / Audi R8 (159 Laps | 11.4 Avg. Lap | 26/9.58 Fast Lap) +11pts
4 -Daam / Porsche Carrera GT (135 Laps | 13.34 Avg. Lap | 26/11.58 Fast Lap)
5 -Ian / Aston Martin Racing DBR9 (129 Laps | 14.01 Avg. Lap | 30/9.93 Fast Lap) +6pts
6 -Hugh / Mazda 787b (124 Laps | 14.61 Avg. Lap | 13/11.31 Fast Lap) +5pts
7 -Doug / Lamborghini Reventon (101 Laps | 18.5 Avg. Lap | 18/11.61 Fast Lap) +5pts
TQ = Robby / ENZO Ferrari – 8.86secs
there’s been very little interest in racing in the lounge for a long while… it took a while to figure it out, but as i pulled apart the layout and prepared to install the next, i finally saw it: with the same flooring as F1R, F2L was too similar in look and feel. it was like F1R’s little brother who just couldn’t live up to the feats of the elder. what it needed was its’ own ‘personality’. with this in mind, i decided to go ‘retro’ and installed the black tiles, giving it a unique surface. the black tiles have been in warm storage, and therefore have become very hard and smooth. this of course forces one to tune differently for optimal handling. at first, i couldn’t figure out what was happening when driving on the new layout but after installing a soft suspension setup on my F40, i could see that the sweeping curves forced it to ‘power slide’ its way around the circuit. i could hear the diff working hard and feel the ‘slide’ as it hit the tighter corners. this is exactly what F2L needed! Hugh, Tony, Boris & Dahm stopped by for a few practice races and were instantly excited about the new look and feel. 3 days of creating my latest masterpiece for the moment it could bring joy to those who appreciate it – that makes every drop of sweat & every second spent worth it = life is good.
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!
we had heavy traffic in and out of the shop today, 90% of whom were visiting for the first time. if you’re looking for family fun in Pattaya, NanoTrax is slowly becoming a new destination for just that. our normal rules require all customers who rent cars to be at least 12 years of age but today, we had 3 kids 6-11 years old who got their first taste of dNaNo racing. it’s a pleasure to see families enjoy time together here so we had a good time entertaining them. i’ll try to take more pictures of the kids in the future, i think they’d like to see themselves on our website. just as a general rule, all visitors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian becuz we serve alcohol and we aren’t interested in becoming a hangout spot for kids skipping school.
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Peter from EasyKart, Brian from Rodeo A-Go-Go & Matt came by to wrap up their motor sports day with a few runs on both F1R & F2L. it was their first time as well, but they quickly got the hang of it and competed in a few 3-minute quick races. as you can see, mini r/c (radio control) racing is for children of all ages ;-). for the past few days, i’ve been busy adding the entire inventory to the online shop and attempting to install additional payment options. unfortunately, i’m having some issues integrating PayPal but i should have that resolved shortly. the layout at the shop should be integrated with the design here within the next 72 hours so i’m hoping that adds a bit of professionalism to the look (personally, i’m kinda tired of looking at that standard wordpress template). last but not least, for web developers and site owners, we’ll have an affiliate program where you can get a commission for referring sales to the shop. be sure to take advantage of the 900ThB worldwide shipping promotion which expires August 29. why wait for 3-4 months when you can have the latest dNaNo and/or Mini-Z options on your doorstep within 7-10 business days? only while supplies last…
every customer that has come into the shop has been stunned by the fact that these tiny cars are radio controlled. at first they think they’re just collectors’ items when they see them displayed in the NanoTrax showroom window. when they’ve finally decided to stop in for a look, the smiles & often puzzled expressions are always entertaining. i’m looking forward to the grand opening but i’m enjoying every day we spend building this dream of mine. thanks to our suppliers @ PRC, we’ve acquired some of the latest models available in the Kyosho dNano Series. we’re only missing a few from our shelves now so visitors can expect a wide selection now or on opening day. the 2nd floor interior design is complete so we’ll be flooring the lounge race course starting tomorrow. expect to see pics of the 2nd floor lounge & F2L Race Course in the next 3-4 days. for now, stop by the forum & help us build our pattaya r/c lovers community & check out pics of the latest chassis sets added to inventory:
