TM2 at Eden Park National

[Smartalec]

A very big well done to all three of the TM2's competing at the Eden Park Off Road National 25th May.

Firstly, SMD Team C Team driver Iain Mellish on another excellent result with the TM2 on a track that he rarely visits. Iain qualified 18th with the TM2 and then drove a very impressive final to finish an excellent 3rd in the B final (13th overall). Iain's set up for the day included the geared diff (standard kit) as this is how he prefers the car. He drove four very consistent rounds of qualifying on an extremely challenging track. The track at EPR is very tricky and has various different surfaces and many undulations that, if not familiar with them, can catch out even the very best of drivers so a result here is extremely rewarding. Iain will post his set up on here soon for all to see.

Secondly, RC Domination's David Poulter who, after loaning a car from me for a week to test, has now chosen to use the TM2 for the remainder of the national season. David only finished building his own TM2 on Friday so the practice on the morning was it's initial shakedown. David chose to use the ball diff at EPR and with four very impressive qualifying rounds qualified in 12th place (B2), one place behind multi national and European champion Ellis Stafford, his fourth round of qualifying resulting in a very commendable 5th in round against the best drivers in the country. David drove an impressive final against Ellis and Iain Mellish who drove his socks off to come up from 8th on the grid, to finish second behind Ellis and just ahead of Iain. David is one of the top 20 drivers in the country but has not gelled with the 2wd he has been testing over the winter period and so has not had the best starts to the national series this year with two poor results (by his standards) at the first two national events at Kidderminster and Southport. His current sponsorship with RC Domination allows him to use whatever cars he decides and after a very encouraging test session at Stotfold he has chosen to use the Team C TM2 for the rest of the year. Looking at this first national result with his new car it looks to be an excellent choice

Thirdly, privateer Mr James Helliwell using the almost completely box standard TM2 (he ran different front axles allowing him to use his endless box of wheels). James qualified a very commendable 24th overall at EPR with very little running of the car beforehand. A strong run in the final saw him hold on to that position and finish 4th in the C final in front of some very well respected drivers. Being a privateer, James can run any car he chooses and with results like this all of us at SMD are very glad to have him choose to drive the Team C TM2.

Once again, a very big thank you to all three competitors for putting the Team C TM2 at the sharp end of a very competitive national event and I wish you all the best for the remainder of the series.

Alec

[Tbone]

Hey another great result
Happy to see my m8 David finally chosed a car lol.
David this is the fastest option you can get. hope to see you soon on the track
well done team UK
regards Tom

[David Poulter]

As Alec said, I only tried his car a week ago at Stotfold and straight away I found it very balanced and easy to drive. I was able to do consistent lap times and focus on trying to go quicker rather than having to react to the car every time it found a bump.

I was a little concerned when I turned up at Eden Park on the Friday afternoon to find the track was very wet and it had a lots of puddles on it.

However on Saturday morning the sun was out and the track was already starting to dry. I did both practice runs on Schumacher Silver spikes all round and tbh I found the car handling to not be that bad and certainly didn't think it was any slower than the cars around me.

By the time I was ready to go out for Round 1, the track conditions were almost ready for yellows but there were still a few damp patches. I took the gamble and put a new set of Schumacher yellows on and cut staggers on the front. I made 2 errors in the run on the 1st and last laps which was annoying but still posted a top 20 time.

The track got dryer and dryer throughout the day and despite not making any setup changes to the car apart from tyres, my times kept coming down. I finally managed a clean run in Round 4 and went 5th in round.

I was very happy with the car all day and I am sure that after a few more meetings and more track time before the next round at Broxtowe it will be even quicker.

I would like to thank Alec Springer (Team C/SMD) for the help in getting the car ready for the national and the loan of his car the week before. I would also like to thank RC Domination for providing me with a sponsorship deal this year which allows me to choose the best cars to run.

Thanks DC

I don't know to much about the car at the moment but if anyone has any questions then please just ask and ill try my best to answer them.

My setup should be in the Team C TM2 section of Petit RC Setups website this week.

David

[Mossy]

Your welcome? Lol

[stall4king]

Thanks Alec

It was another great day and we had to work hard through the day to stay in the top 20. Our normal setup was decent but with a few tweaks here and there we felt as if we made some good progress for the future. Set-up below....

Front

Green corerc springs
32.5 oil
Kit pistons, two holes drilled to 1.4mm
Outer hole on wishbone
Middle on tower
30 degree blocks...we normally run 25 but I felt the 30 degree blocks made the car feel more stable through tricky sections, of which there were many, of the track. They also seemed to make it possible to drive a bit more smoothly.
45g weight over the servo.
Longest possible camber link +1mm spacer

Rear

Green corerc springs
25 weight oil
Kit pistons
Longest possible link
Drilled inner hole on wishbone
Middle on tower

One of the most important changes I think we made was the gearing. We normally run a 21 pinion whereas everyone else runs nearer a 25. I was struggling with the car feeling a little unsettled through certain sections and after a little gentle persuasion from John at SMD we geared up to a 24. This had the desired effect and I felt the car was much easier to drive from there on in.

Well done to David and James too....you guys are too good, take a day off for Broxtowe

[Dr_UpGrade]

Can I ask what motor you were running with the 24 tooth pinion and stock spur?

[David Poulter]

Originally Posted by Mossy

Your welcome? Lol

Didnt think you would want it to be common knowledge you were helping out the opposition lol

Thanks Simon for your setup advice too

[highlander]

any chance of a pic of the drilled wishbones .. and cut top deck please

well done guys top job at that level .. keep the setup info coming for meer mortals

[john333]

Originally Posted by Dr_UpGrade

Can I ask what motor you were running with the 24 tooth pinion and stock spur?

I can answer that one, its a dualsky 7.5

[Dr_UpGrade]

Thank you!

(I'm on an 8.5 and viper speedo and currently around 26tooth pinion and I just wanted to see if I was in the right ballpark - I think I am)

Cheers...

[john333]

Yep, I would say you were spot on

[David Church]

Well done Mr Poulter!!!
Keep up the good work, oh and how about more post on oOple??? 109, come on haha

[David Poulter]

Here is a link to my setup from the weekend

http://www.petitrc.com/setup/teamc/s...aceway20130525/