In this page we will advise about F1 racing around Sth East Qld, what’s happening, what cars are available etc etc and why we love F1.The 2010 ruleset is here

Firstly let me say -yes we do stock F1 tyres, bodies and wings etc.

The RC F1 racing was very strong back in the late 80′s and early 90′s – we raced every Friday night at Pine Hills and later every Thursday night on carpet at the Gold Coast. The onset of Touring Car racing and the demise of the Gold Coast club changed all that and F1 died a natural death. Now it’s back.

Big Mac has started racing them again at Toowoomba, we are racing them at Logan on a Wednesday night, and there has been some exploratory racing at the Gold Coast at their Sunday meets – they go good at the Gold Coast track.

Big events are happening, the second round of the expansively named “World F1 Tour” was held at Logan , the Northern Rivers Championships at Gold Coast on 29/30 August 09 had a class for F1 and the Logan club included F1 in the class list for their event on 2/3 October 09 for round 3 and then hopefully one of the other other clubs for round 4.

Series Pointscore 09 here

The Cars.
The leading contenders around Brisbane at the moment are the Corally cars
1. The original F1 – around 1990 vintage. (stick pack down the centre)
2. The new NGX F1 – (saddle pack batteries at the rear)

and the AGR which is currently the winning combo with Bob Vardy at the wheel. The AGR is designed and built on the Gold Coast by Adrian Beggs and looks very promising. We’ve seen both the stick pack and saddle pack versions performing very well so far. There will be three versions of the AGR available early in 2010 in a bid to suit everyones budget.
Champioship
Racer
Clubman
All models will be upgradeable as desire takes hold.

As of January 10 these cars are about to hit the market with the basic Clubman out first. This will be available with a varied battery mounting position (stick LIPO) and a non T bar rear end and an adjustable front end – early Associated type.

There are some new cars as well -
Tamiya F104 and HPI – just starting to make an appearance at our tracks .
There is still the Tamiya F103 which would be competitive and a host of other F103 deriviataes like the Cross, TRG, and Tech Racing cars all very good value and competitive cars. David Guyatt’s Tech ran out 4th at the first round of the World Tour at Toowoomba in 2009 so it does work and has been qualifying well at club level at Logan on a consistant basis – that might be the drivers limitation rather than the cars. The 3.5 degree castor blocks are a recommended option for any of the Tamiya derivitives
STOP PRESS
The 3 Racing new release F1-09 is available again from the Hong Kong stores and at an incredible $109US plus freight it looks like great value and a great starter to the class. Gary Sturdy has one and will be running it at Logan and at the big events so come along and have a look – it’s very bling (blue) and very tempting. Probably the best thing about it is the price – don’t expect a Corally beater but in the 540 class it should be ok. Again the 3.5 option front blocks will probably settle this car a lot.

See the following Links to some of these cars
Corally NGX go to Car Kits and search down for the F1

D Drive – a shop with links to most of the Asian derivitives. When I get time I’ll make some notes about how to make a Tamiya F103 into a Corally beater – watch this space.

The Motors
There are two classes – 540(21.5) and stock (17.5) see the 2010 ruleset above

The Tyres

The cars are best on foams and that is the way we are going – most are using Jaco Purple fronts and a variety of Green, Pink or White on the rear. There is also a good range of foams available for the Tamiya size wheels. Most are using traction compounds on the rear tyres at the moment.

The Drivers

Most of the drivers around SEQ have only ever driven 4wd Touring cars, so for them the 2wd light weight F1 cars can present quite a handful, get it right and it’s very rewarding and a whole lot of fun, but there is plenty to learn both in driving and in car preparation, tyres, tweak, ride height etc etc.

There are plenty of guys willing to help so if you have a yearning to try F1 don’t be afraid to come down to Logan on a Wednesday night – it’s a fun night, there are definitely no sheep stations anywhere in sight.

Keep an eye on this page as we develop it further.

Go F1 racing – it’s a very pleasant change.

Heavy’s Tip #1
Don’t introduce tweak – make sure you use the most flexible wire from the speedy back to the motor, don’t make it too tight – you don’t want it to interfere with the free movement of the rear pod.

Heavy’s Tip #2.
Don’t be afraid to go with a firmer tyre on the front and usually you don’t need any traction compounds on the front. Be prepared to try much less steering travel on the front as well.

Heavy’s Tip #3
The older Tamiya F103 etc cars can still be competitive, especially with a 540 motor, so don’t be afraid to come out on the Wednesday night and turn some laps. You don’t need a new car.

Heavy’s Tip #4
Get an AGR Clubman.