i like your idea Dan!

but the thing is my mini is still broken huhuhuu!!! wait... can i add some knuckles in your batch dan? just a pair please!

great idea.. just need to pick up the guys with no rides and it's off to Nadd Al Shiba..

Fixed my mini and it's ready to go..

I'm up for it......
Anytime any place as they say.

jebjeb, I checked the knuckles I have against Andy's mini too, but they don't look like they
fit his either. I really don't know if they fit any mini although that's why I brought them. If you can use them then great...... They say they are for M03 and TT01?!?

mini knuckle?

thanks greg... i think if it does not fit your minis, it will not fit mine too!

i'll wait for Dan's confirmation to include my item to his batch...

lets try our mini and tourer in mayden!! yallah!

im in for mini with ST motor & Touring with 13T BL in Mayden

Lets sched it now

Can the next person to go there take up close pictures of the track? So we can really see how big it is and how the lanes are, etc.

Ian put it in my batch and lets see if we can get it here before Saturday. Although im sure that it would take a miracle to reach here so soon!

I'll be interested to know which knuckles you purchase.

Abdul if you want to know the size, take a look at the pic at the bottom of this thread:

http://www.dubdrift.com/latest-news-f14/new-rc-club-in-dubai-for-those-who-like-big-t730-15.htm

gerg wrote:

I'll be interested to know which knuckles you purchase.

its an m05 f-parts from tamiya item no. 51393

Gents,

If you want good knuckles for the mini, get these ones from RC Mart

M03M-006BU Yeah Racing Mini Knuckles

They are very good ones, and I think they use the 1050 bearings.

The 3 racing ones that are similar, are absolute crap, dont buy them.


With regards to racing this weekend, I have no objection but we need to consider a few things...

1) I dont think think my ladder (start bridge) will fit across the track, and also the number of sensors I have may not be enough to cover the whole track.
2) The drivers stand is only good for 3 (maybe 4) people, we could get another 3 on my truck so we will have to limit the race sizes...
3) Track layout will need to change slightly, but this is a minor consideration we can tackle there...

I propose that we all go down there, if not for official racing then at least to do some testing. We can simulate some racing and if it all works out ok, we can maybe get a few heats in.....

I am keen to get down there and see how we can create long term plans....

friday morning to test our cars?

anyone?

Hmmmm,
Friday mornings don't usually work too good for me

How early in the morning are you talking. 11:45 ish?

I was thinking more along the lines for doing a Saturday session at 5pm .....instead of at Area 2, if you guys want to do something on Friday, go for it.

Bear in mind that I believe the large scale guys are there on Friday mornings...

hahahaha! 11:45??? woot woot! thats too hot!

i spoke with tomriv and said that they come to mayden friday morning around 6 to 7am

saturday test would be OK for me too as long as everyone agrees with the time earlier than 5pm would be better as it gets dark a bit early now.

Lets have a session on Saturday at the usual time. But ill also be there on Friday after noon as i need to get the correct tyre combo as my mini still has a trigger happy arse end.

Dan, reduce the steering throw, and dial in some more expo....and if you can, add a few grams in weight.....that will sort it out.

When we went there last weekend, we got there at 5pm and we got a good hour and a half of driving in....the area is a lot more open so the light is there a little longer, not as much shaded area as our normal spot.

Ian, I think I have a spare set of knuckles if you want them.....but order a set in the interim...replacement parts.

Andy ive got far to much expo going on already, but was going to attempt to add some weight in the back this weekend.

Was thinking of picking up a few more plates to stop cutting corners. My vision gets quite bad on the tricky corner that is furthest away from the drivers stand, and im sure ill end up cutting it by accident quite a lot. If we put a few more plates down and somebody cuts the corner this should slow them down

Have you put that ball diff I saw you with into it yet?
I think that might help keep the rear end in line. You need to have it fairly tight.

What tires are you using and do they have inserts?

I have a full set of both Medium and Hard and a set of Spice tires all with the cheap yeah racing inserts.

Ball Diff is on now as well and it really tight! Will mess around with different tire combos as i havent really tried this yet. Managed to get the back end a little bit more predictable by changing the springs on Friday though

I have visited the track after hearing about it at http://one5racingdubai.com/

Tried to mail them several times, unfortunately not a single reply.
Looks like the track is deserted and the 1/5-th guys have lost interest.

When I was there during weekends, lots of people are playing cricket in the area.

The area is quite promising, a lot better than driving all the way to Al Ain.
However, I prefer the Autodrome environment.
Please let me know what needs ot be done to realize that.

Ok I got a reply from the guy who runs the 1/5th scale operation and it appears that he has abandoned the idea of taking it any further, simply because there was no interest.....what a surprise. It goes to show how people make the effort, and get no support....and the whole thing collapses. In this case though, I am not surprised as the 1/5th scale setup is quite a costly one, and the running costs must be even more.

Fortunately for us, we have smaller cars, and thus smaller cost requirements. Mini's in particular have proven to be a great way to attract interest, because we use the KISS rule (Keep It Simple, Stoopid). I know guys get frustrated when we impose rules like motor size, gearing, tires and batteries etc, but it is important that we make it fair and fun, or people WILL lose interest.

Anyway, he mentioned that he never really went to anyone for permission to use the site, but assumed it was public parking, so could be used by the public. I am not sure how it works here, but I would imagine if the RTA are the authority, they might not take it lightly that someone has painted all over THEIR parking area so I suspect we should look to them to 'endorse' what has not been done by us, before they come down and start arresting people!! (not likely, but hey no kissing in public either, so who knows!). I will see if I can get the ball rolling in that department.
In the interim, I think we should really start seeing who is interested in actually getting this off the ground. We will need some amenities and we cannot do it without funding...and unfortunately, we know where this money is going to come from....OUR POCKETS. I will continue this discussion in the OPERATION:BLOODHOUND thread, but to start the ball rolling, I think we should see how much money we can collect on a MONTHLY basis. I dont want any showing off/degrading by seeing who offers more than others, but as a start I would like to suggest we all opt for a monthly donation, or a one of donation for a year...that way we can all contribute anonymously, or if required, we can establish a baseline monthly donation and ask everyone to try and adhere to it.

Although we have 200+members on this board, many are not regulars, and some are out-of-towners so I think to call on the regulars first is the most appropriate.

I suggest a monthly donation of between AED30-50 is not extortionate and would be a good start. In beer terms, it is ONE, maybe TWO beers a month if procured from a bar. Anyone who wants to pay upfront in lumpsum would be welcomed but is NOT expected.

If we have 25 members doing AED30, thats AED750 per month, at AED50 its AED1250. I think we could do something VERY good with that money. Upgrading drivers stand, more plates/markers, cleaning & maintenance, fencing etc.

I would propose that all thos that are interested email me with a simple mail stating whether you can do AED30 or AED50, and we can then see how many are interested, and at what amount. That way we can keep it anonymous and no-one has to be judged on what they can and cannot/want to afford.

You can mail me on sirandy@eim.ae and make sure I have your REAL name and your DDrfit name too. All mails will be confidential and based on the results we can move forward.

I have already asked the other guy for the name of the people who made that stand to see if we can get an extension made. Graham, one of our regulars but not a DD member has already offered to see how we could go about it through his work, and maybe we could get that done on the cheap....

In the interim, I will start contacting the RTA. If that fails, we can push the Autodrome for facilities, but I think it will cost us more, and it is far for some to travel...

Over to you guys...

Im in, will send you a mail in a bit.

Cant believe they have gone ahead and attempted to fence off the area with out any permission!

I have a feeling that the RTA will be hard to convince. Would the Autodrome charge us rent?

Dan, not sure about the Autodrome charging, but it's getting them to relinquish property that is bound to be our biggest hurdle. My man at the organisation is an avid RC'er too and suggested to me the other day that there is an area we could build an off-road track too, but he is new in the organisation and may not know where he can 'talk' and where he has to 'earn'....if you get my drift.....

RTA might be hard to convince, and who knows, they might go beserk at the mention of there already being 'vandalism' .....and destroy what is already there.... worth a try though...we could always go back to Movenpick area right? For the interim though, we need to see if we can raise funds, and go to whoever and propose something....

me in too!!!

most likely autodrome will charge us even if we shoulder the expenses building the track but who knows... maybe they will have a soft heart with us guys!

surely RTA will go nuts once they find out the track has been vandalized..