Revo Race Coverage from the
2007 Rodslinger MT Xtreme Race
Rodslinger Raceway - Williamson, GA
Saturday, April 28th, 2007

 

 

Red dirt, gorgeous scenery, and beautiful weather is what everyone was treated to at the first ever Rodslinger MT Xtreme race at Rodslinger Raceway in Williamson, GA. Traxxas team drivers Mike Battaile, JJ Turk, and myself joined many enthusiastic MT racers from the southeast at Rodslinger’s to enjoy a weekend of big truck nitro off-road racing action. The MT Xtreme race was created by Mark Holloway (owner of Rodslinger Raceway), and designed for nitro monster trucks and 1/8-scale trucks only. Mark provided an incredible track layout to see who’s monster truck would come out on top in the Pro Monster Truck, and 1/8 truck classes. Mark went all out with this event and organized the local 4-H club to come out and provide ALL of the turn marshalling duties. This was awesome! The marshals were energetic and got pretty good as the day went on. It was a nice change to not have to marshal after each race, and the proceeds from the event also went to the local 4-H club. Thanks Mark! Mark was even dishing out $300 to the winner of the Pro Monster Truck class. Being that Traxxas is a huge supporter of R/C monster truck racing, we made plans to attend the MTX race to provide Revo racers with support and to have some fun racing on one of the coolest tracks in the southeast. We were NOT disappointed.

Recaps:   Track  |  Practice  |  Sway Bar Set-Up  |  Qualifying  |  Mains  |  Links  |  Gallery

 

 

The Track

 

The Rodslinger track provided a perfect mix of jumps, bumps, berms and speed. Once your truck dropped from the gate, it was hard charge down the front straight, then a fast left under the huge bridge away from the driver stand and on down a gradual slope into a wide right-hand hairpin. This section was fast. Next, was a short (slightly uphill) shoot into a hard right-hand turn leading up the bridge. There was a stutter jump at the foot of the ramp entrance that would slow you down just enough to keep your truck from clearing the entire bridge top. After landing on top of the bridge, there was about a 6-foot drop to the ground, but you could back off a little and catch the down hill landing to smooth things out. Following the bridge was a small double set just before another right-hand hairpin that made things interesting. Then it was full-throttle around a left-hand downhill sweeper that led into a fully functional hard left-hand berm. Many tracks have big berms, but this one was virtually mandatory, which made it way more fun. After blasting out of the berm, you could stay on the throttle up the hill into a large double jump. This jump provided lots of air, and the landing was shaped perfectly for smooth landings. Next, was a step up into a 90-degree left-hand followed by another short shoot back toward the drivers' stand. This led to a hard left-hand downhill drop turn, then over a small table-top exiting the turn that veered back toward the right into a short bumpy downhill straight. This led into another 180-degree right-hand hairpin that dropped about two feet. The drop was sloped, but was very short, so good braking control was important to keep from endo-ing. Next, a short uphill run led to a triple set that transitioned into a sweeping 180-degree left-hander that included a small double set in the middle keeping racers on their toes. The last double set sent you back to the front straight to do it all over again. This track was FUN!

Recaps:   Track  |  Practice  |  Sway Bar Set-Up  |  Qualifying  |  Mains  |  Links  |  Gallery

 

 

Practice / Set-Up

 

Practice went great, and everyone seemed to be getting around pretty good. I was using a different set up than in the past. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with sway bars on the front and rear suspension of the Revo with good results. Sway bars are used to reduce body roll in the corners. Without a sway bar system, roll resistance must be addressed by using firmer springs, thicker shock oils, less down travel, and/or lower roll center locations. These adjustments are effective in reducing chassis roll, but it’s usually at the expense of rough handling. There’s always a trade-off when adjusting set up, but with the addition of sway bars, the trade-off isn’t nearly as drastic. The sway bars can handle the roll resistance while the suspension is allowed to do what it does best - handle the bumps and jumps on the track. Softer suspension settings and more down travel can be used in conjunction with the sway bars to cover a much larger variety of conditions while making the truck easier to drive. Check out my sway bar set up below.

Before I started using sway bars, I generally used firm spring rates and thicker shock fluids, like Gold and Tan springs and 60wt shock fluid. With the sway bars attached, I found that moving the push rods in one hole for more down travel and going to a lighter shock/oil combo (White springs/45wt oil) made the truck much more predictable off of jumps and bump handling was improved significantly. The sway bars also offer another area of adjustment to get the steering response and feel that I was looking for. See my set up sheet from the MT Xtreme race below.

I started with Pro-Line Holeshots and molded inserts in practice and the truck felt great. I figured the track would roughen up a bit so I kept in mind that I may need to change a few things before the main.

Recaps:   Track  |  Practice  |  Sway Bar Set-Up  |  Qualifying  |  Mains  |  Links  |  Gallery

 

 

Sway Bar Set-Up

The Revo’s rocker suspension allows the option to link the sway bars to the rockers rather than the arms (like traditional upright suspension systems) This keeps things inboard and allows you to use number of different configurations to work with different chassis layouts.

I use 1/8-scale sway bars for the front (2.3mm) and rear (3.0mm). There are many different ways to configure the sway bars and linkage to provide the same function. First you need to establish your pivot point and what bars are going to be used. The base (horizontal pivot area) of the bar needs to be located in an open area to allow ample range for the bar. There also needs to be about 1.5” to 2.5” of distance between the base of the bar and the linkage connection, so allow enough room for this when planning where to mount the bar. I chose to mount my front bar just in front of the transmission using the same two 4mm holes that were originally used for two plastic wires clips. I made the sway bar mount out of a Traxxas Spirit® front body mount (part #1278), but anything that can be used as a base to attach the bar to (and allowed to pivot freely) will work. Make sure that when the bar is mounted it pivots freely with minimal play back and forth and side to side. I connected the sway bar to the front rocker arms using Jato steering rods. Shorter rods can be used if the sway bar mount is closer to the rockers than this - any turnbuckle rod will do. Just choose a length that will keep the sway bar in an upright position. The bar will swing front to rear, so make sure that it is bent upward to clear surrounding components. I shimmed my rods up at the rockers by 2.0m to decrease the rod angle, and I used long button head screws to replace the stock shock screws in the rockers to allow the extra hollow ball and 2.0mm spacer. This set up allows you to access your front shocks without removing the sway bar system or any extra hardware.

On the back, I used the sway bar mounting portion from the Jato® front bumper (part #5535) to attach the sway bar. I removed some extra material from the slots to accept a larger sway bar (3.0mm), and trimmed away all of the excess material that wasn’t needed. I then drilled two holes through the mount to center the mount on the rear bulkhead using same two holes as the rear Revo inner toe links. Longer screws are needed here to compensate for the extra material on the mount. I used Jato upper camber links to connect the sway bar to the rockers along with 2.0mm spacers like the front for extra clearance. I route my exhaust down the left side of the chassis so there are no problems with exhaust clearance, but for use with the stock exhaust set up, the links may need to be mounted directly to the bottom side of the rocker. A little bit of range is lost, but this set up can be used with the stock rear exhaust configuration without any issues.

The bars are adjustable by sliding the links up and down on the sway bar. Moving the linkage down toward the base will tighten the effect of the sway bar while moving the links upward (away from the base) will soften the effect of the sway bar. Tightening the front bar adjustment will gain more steering response while reducing roll and overall steering in the corner. Tightening the rear bar adjustment will increase the response of the rear end and allow the rear to rotate more easily, which increases overall steering and response. The reverse settings of these will do the opposite.

Recaps:   Track  |  Practice  |  Sway Bar Set-Up  |  Qualifying  |  Mains  |  Links  |  Gallery

 

 

Qualifying

 

Qualifying was set up ‘Rocket Round’ style with three six-minute rounds. The fastest single round from each driver seated the mains. The top eight drivers were seated directly into the A–main, while the rest would have to battle it out in the B-Main for the last two positions for a total of 10 in the A-Main. Area locals, Scott Stahl and Tyler Burgess, laid down some very respectable runs in Pro MT qualifying. They had their Revo trucks dialed in and running strong. Scott managed to wheel his Revo around for a strong third place qualifying position, and Tyler was right in there securing the fourth place spot. Mike Battaile experienced some trouble in the early rounds, but managed to get things together by the last round and managed to qualify in the top five of the A-Main. JJ Turk and I had some pretty good battles in our qualifying heats and in the last round, we were both on TQ pace for much of the race until I bobbled in a corner and lost some time I managed to get within a couple seconds of him, but time ran out JJ finished strong with the TQ and my time was good enough for the second spot. Qualifying was tight, and the competition was spread out through most of the A-main field with about 10 seconds separating the top five or six qualifying positions. This was shaping up to be an exciting A-Main final. Dennis Allison, Jason Deputy and Jon Tanner was tearing up the Sportsman MT class taking the top three spots respectively after qualifying. Dustin Myers and Moose Wells rounded out the top five.

Pro MT A-Main Qualifying Order 1. JJ Turk 2. Steve Slayden 3. Scott Stahl 4. Tyler Burgess 5. Mike Battaile 6. Ricky Johnston 7. Cole Ogden 8. Bill Voss 9. Andy Manor (Bump from B-Main) 10. John Hodges (Bump from B-Main)		Sportsman MT A-Main Qualifying Order 1. Dennis Allison 2. Jason Deputy 3. Jon Tanner 4. Dustin Myers 5. Moose Wells 6. Sam Hudson 7. Donnie Helms 8. Matt King 9. Anthony Bunch 10. Neal Scoggins

Recaps:   Track  |  Practice  |  Sway Bar Set-Up  |  Qualifying  |  Mains  |  Links  |  Gallery

 

 

Mains

 

Sportsman MT A-Main
The 45-minute Sportsman MT A-main was a battle of attrition. All A-mains were 45 minutes long, even for the Sportsman classes. For most of the drivers, this was the first time to race for that long. Extra attention must be given to the truck when preparing for a long race. Everything must be checked over and built to endure the beating of a fast-paced off-road race for 45 minutes. I was very impressed with the Sportsman MT racers as over half of the field drove hard the entire 45-minute race. Aside from a few of the racers experiencing trouble early, I’ll bet they all could’ve made it. However, it was Dennis Allison’s Revo that crossed the finish line first with a 67-lap run, and Jason Deputy just two laps behind with a 64-lap run. Dustin Myers rounded out the podium with a very respectable 63-lap run. Excellent job guys.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pro MT B-Main
The Pro MT B-Main was the last-chance run to make it into the A-main and secure a chance to race again for $300 cash. The 20-minute B-main was just long enough to settle the field and provide a good chance for everyone to fight for the top two bump positions. Andy Manor kept his Revo on all fours and drove solidly to work his way up to the front of the pack. John Hodges started off strong, and eventually fell back to second place, but held on for the second bump position. Mark Holloway suffered a horrible start, but charged through the field trying to make that last bump position. It would prove to be too much to recover, but Mark showed great perseverance as he made up seven positions to take the 3rd spot at the finish. Randy Parrot and Paul McBrayer would rounded out the top five respectively.

 

 

 

 

 

Pro MT A-Main
Next was the Pro MT A-Main. I had to make a decision on whether to run the Holeshot MTR or the Bow-Tie MTR tires. The track was going to be watered before the main, and the surface was retaining the moisture quite well. The track was a little rough, but held up well throughout the event. I knew that the traction was going to be good and fairly consistent. Both tires would work very well for the conditions, but I wanted to make the best choice for the entire race. Holeshots gave the truck a little more response, but the Bow-Ties seemed a little easier to drive. I decided on the Holeshots to give me that extra edge. I went with the firm grey inserts instead of the molded units for the main, as they give a little extra damping through the ruts and bumps to ease control.

Warm-up went pretty smooth and we all gathered at the gate for the start of the long 45-minute final. MX-style gate starts are a Love/Hate thing with me as I really like the excitement of that kind of start as a spectator, but as a racer, so much can go wrong so early in the race. Once everyone was on the gate and ready, the horn sounded and everyone was released. Mike Battaile decided to stay punched to see if he could grab the hole shot. I decided to hold off at the drop, and weave my way through the destruction. It worked out pretty well for me through the first turn under the bridge as I skimmed by two good-sized pile-ups. I hammered down into turn two and as I was setting up for the corner, I saw my truck get spun around by an over-zealous driver. This left me waiting for the rest of the pack to get around before I could get back on the race line. I’ve been through this before, but it was going to be tough to work my way through the entire pack for a chance at the win. Mike got through the first couple of corners and was the first to cross over the top of the bridge. From there, he just put on auto-pilot. JJ had a rough start getting hit in one of the first corners suffering damage that would pull him out of the race on the first lap. Man, that’s tough luck after being smoking fast in the qualifiers. He had an excellent shot at the money, but would have to repair his truck to return to the race. In the meantime, Ricky Johnston and Andy Manor were up front trying to hang onto Mike, while I managed to make my way up to fifth place after the first few minutes of the race. Scott Stahl had also sifted his way though the pack to challenge for the third spot. Mike was running fast and smooth, but was still within a few corners, so I knew if I kept out of trouble I could eventually take a shot for the lead.

After ten minutes of racing Mike was still leading the way, while Scott and I were swapping back and forth for the second and third positions. Cole Ogden and Ricky Johnston were battling just behind us for the fourth spot. JJ managed to get back in the race, but had a lot of ground to make up. About halfway through the race, I managed to put a little bit of distance between myself and Scott, and Mike just a couple of corners ahead. Then all of a sudden, a collision with another truck left my left rear suspension dragging on the ground. I wasn’t sure what it was at the time, so I brought the truck in for my pit man (Danny Beers of Pro Hobby) to check-out. He informed me it was a disconnected shock end from the left rear shock. In fear of giving up too much time, I decided to ride it out instead of replacing the shock. He fueled my truck up and put me back out on the track. I had a horrible torque-steer to the right, but it was hanging on well enough to make fairly decent laps. After about six more laps, the torque-steer got me into trouble. While accelerating up the bridge the truck cut hard to the right and straddled over the right-side pipe and snapping a lower suspension arm when it slammed into the doubled-up pipe at the top. My truck fell about seven feet from the top of the bridge down onto the ground crashing onto an unknown object ultimately ending my run. Scott experienced some trouble of his own, and wasn’t able to capitalize. This left the second spot open for Bill Voss and the third position for Tyler Burgess. The order would pretty much hold this way for the remainder of the race. Mike had a big scare with about 10 minutes left in the race though. Mike’s truck caught one of the sharp spikes that held the pipe down and snapped one of his front suspension arms. He kept the truck on its wheels for the first place finish though. Bill nailed second place, while Tyler held onto third. I give Bill and Tyler props for running a solid race, putting their Revos on the podium after the long 45-minute main. I also give a lot of credit to Mike Battaile for driving 14 hours from Texas to struggling during qualifying, and then laying it down in the main like that. Great race.

 

 

 

 

 

I had a great time hanging out and meeting all of the racers who came by our pits. The attitude at this event was awesome, and everyone had a lot of fun. I would like to personally thank all of the volunteers from the 4-H club who marshaled all day. I know it’s a tough job to stand out there in the heat for hours on end chasing these crazy R/C trucks. They did a great job for not knowing what they were getting themselves into. Thanks again to Mark Holloway for putting on a great MT race, and his track is one of the best I’ve been to. So, if you’re in the area and are looking for an excellent place to race, check out Rodslinger Raceway in Williamson, GA. Congratulations to all of the winners, and until next time, keep the hammer down. See ya.

Recaps:   Track  |  Practice  |  Sway Bar Set-Up  |  Qualifying  |  Mains  |  Links  |  Gallery

 

 

Links:

Steve Slayden’s set up

Mike Battaile’s set up

Rodslinger Raceway

Recaps:   Track  |  Practice  |  Sway Bar Set-Up  |  Qualifying  |  Mains  |  Links  |  Gallery