AWRA Tech

12/18/2023

Slot car tires dry out easily, and once they do, it's not easy to bring them back to life, They can be trued, but a tire trier is about $250 and requires a power supply which can also be expensive and take up lots of room when traveling. A tire truer can only do one tire at a time. Tire truers are good to have,, but they are more than is needed for the job at hand.
Dried tires don't need the precision of a tire truer. They simply need the layer of dead rubber scuffed off. I figured out a way to do it, but while it works, it can be messy and takes three hands. I was planning to make a gadget to make it easier than what I was doing. There are gadgets on the market that will do the trick, but they cost about $100. Still easier to make my own.
Enter Professor Motor. They have the perfect gadget. It holds the chassis in place while you scuff the tires. It's battery powered, so there is no need for a power supply, and it can be used in your pit area instead of on the track. It has an on-off switch and takes up no more room than a tech block.
At $25, it's just what the doctor ordered. One teeny=tiny problem. Professor Motor is out of stock. They will restock and you can leave a "notify me" message and they will email you when they get more. If you have tire maintenance issues and don't have a tire truer, then this is a good answer. I will do a post on it when I get mine.

https://www.professormotor.com/product-p/pmtr1413.htm?fbclid=IwAR0YAczjeEm7yqPnNPWa2VziPv3FZoMAQ-JD3BeRmiLREJKVFUzwBrVDykA

Professor Motor is a Saline Michigan U.S.A. based worldwide exporter, exclusive importer, distributor and manufacturer of slot cars, slotcars, slot car home sets, slot car motors and general hobby supplies. The Professor Motor INC company practices green eco-friendly electronics manufacturing and en...

01/08/2022

07/08/2021

https://youtu.be/JVewJtWeSAQ

Quite a difficult concept to explain so there is lots of talking in this one. Stay watching till the end for my explanations of how the ride height can effec...

03/10/2020

The AWRA rules allow for spacers, but there is nothing in the rules that say that a "spacer" has to be on the outside of the axle uprights. So, a "spacer" can be placed between the front axle uprights where it will serve as a brace.
According to the Legends and Sportsman rules, you can't solder or glue the "spacer" in place, so you measure and cut it so that you get a snug fit.
The brass tubing is cheap and easily cut with a Dermel tool.

11/23/2019

11/19/2019

11/18/2019

Here are some tips to make AWRA Mid Atlantic Championship Series tech inspections as painless as possible.

The good news is that there were no changes in the rules for 2019, but as some of the classes being run in the series may not be familiar, here are some tips

Stock Cars - This is a builder's class and a lot of chassis mods are allowed, however, the body selection is limited. Please consult the rules before choosing a body. In general, the Champion and other "WOMP" bodies are not legal. The Stock Cars are a maximum 3" as opposed to the 3 1/4" allowed for most other classes. White lettered tires are required front and back, and a 3-D interior (NO paper) painted with a minimum of three colors. No offset or excessive slop allowed. Numbers are required on doors and roof, applied as on a NASCAR car.

Sportsman - The Sportsman cars are straightforward and simple, but please consult the rules to make sure your body is legal. Because of the space limitations on some Sportsman bodies, three numbers are not always possible. In cases of that kind, do as well as you can to follow the rule.

When choosing a body and other parts, always consult the rules to make sure that you will be legal on race day.

You can get the rules at these links.

awrawomp.com

https://www.facebook.com/awrawomprules/

[email protected]

11/18/2019

Here is an overview of the parts that are being used in the AWRA Mid Atlantic Championship Series 2019 after race #1. This information is taken directly from the tech sheets that each racer fills out for every race.

CHASSIS

The Parma steel chassis is still the most used chassis, and despite its age, it is still a solid performer. The Champion Thumper Is second, just ahead of the Parma brass chassis in popularity. The R-GEO Raven, despite only two having been entered, scored a first and a third in the Stock car class. The Raven is a contender in any race it is entered in. The K&G Brute has relatively few appearances, but it performs consistently well, as does the H&R Stinger and LVJ Charger. The Riggen 5003 is still a frontrunner, despite its age and bendability.

MOTORS

The JK Mini Brute and Hawk 7 remain the most popular and successful motors, but the JK Hawk 25, H&R Crusher, and H&R Lightning are starting to make more appearances at the races. Both H&R motors are fast, and usually dependable, despite on late-race failure at Randleman.

BODIES

The king of the heap is still the Champion '37 Chevy for Legends racing, but some coaches and sedans are also in use, as well as the Dodge coupe, the '33 Ford, and the '40 Ford coupes. There is no detectable performance advantage in any one of these over the others.
The Lumina is the choice for Stock Car, with a few Monte Carlos on hand.
The Parma Kremer is the most popular and successful Sportsman body. The C-100, which has been successful in AWRA races elsewhere has yet to make an appearance, but will certainly be competitive upon arrival. The Caveman Cramer and Late model Wedge are also frontrunners. This race saw the first of the Outisight Jaguar GTP, which posted a 6th and a 15th place finish. It must be noted however that the 6th place car was underpowered and the 15th place car suffered a motor failure, so the Jaguar is certainly better than its initial foray into AWRA competition suggests.

GEARS

As odd as it seems, despite the class and despite the track, the most popular and successful gear combination is a 48 pitch, 28 tooth crown gear and a 48 pitch 9 tooth steel pinion. This combination seems to work on any track. Many racers prefer the Koford crown with an ARP pinion,

TIRES

The rules require ProTrack Daytona Stockers on the Stock Cars, but they are becoming popular as rear tires in all classes, but with Parma o rings where allowed.

This information will be updated as needed during the series. Good luck, and happy racing to all!

11/18/2019

In answer to repeated requests for a follow-up to our tech article by Stroker Ace and Clyde Torkel Racing's crew chief, Lugs Harvey, we went in search of the one man who personifies stock car construction. We sought out the one man who can, even in the modern era of car builders employing wind tunnels, computers, and dynamometers, build a championship Stock Car in the rickety barn on his farm. And one foggy September morning, we found that man riding a tractor on his small farm in North Carolina. That man is none other than Harry Hogge, the championship crew chief for Cole Trickle, who drove car dealer Tim Daland's Mello Yello Chevrolet to the NASCAR championship in 1990.

So without further adieu, here is the man himself, Harry Hogge.

Thank you, now let's get down to the business of building an AWRA Stock car.

First, we will start with the chassis. The chassis is the basis of any race car, and there are several good options for your AWRA Stock Car. You will want a strong chassis the can withstand hard crashes, but will also give some flex. The AWRA allows the Stock Cars to be braced, and that bracing is crucial to a successful race car. The Riggen 5003 is cut to allow for a lot of flex, which makes it outhandle the conventional AWRA chassis. Add bracing, and you have a hard to beat oval car. Another choice is the LVJ Charger, which is available in both steel and brass. The LVJ has been criticized for being easy to bend, but when braced properly, it is a rugged and good handling chassis. The wild card in the deck is the R-GEO Raven, which has been shattering track records on the Virginia oval tracks. Only time will tell, but mark my words, this chassis will win a lot of races.

When it comes to powering your round tracker, the JK Mini Brute is the motor that most crew chiefs swear by. The Mini Brute combines torque with the essential good top end and it has won more races than any other motor in this class. But, I have a tip for you. There are two other motors that are identical to the Mini Brute and they are both legal as well. The Kelly Bullet has won a lot of races at Cordle Model Speedway in Georgia, and the H&R Lightning motor just won in its first AWRA appearance at Thunderdome in California. These motors are the exact same motor as the Mini Brute, so take your pick, they will all perform for you.

All the engine in the world won't win races for you if you can't get that power to the ground. A car that won't hook up is a weapon on the race track. To win in the AWRA, you need the proper tires. AWRA rules require lettered tires on the front and back of your race car, and there is no better choice than the Pro Track Daytona Stockers. Ask your local raceway owner for a special matched set of Daytona Stockers and you're on your way to victory. With a perfect matched set that are staggered special, you can even pass on the outside in turn four.

You will need a good set of gears to keep friction at a minimum and get a good mesh. Most of the AWRA stockers are running a 9 tooth pinion, with a good quality crown gear. The most popular setup is a 9/28 pinion/crown setup using an ARP or Sonic pinion and a Parma crown.

Now the car I built for Cole Trickle was shaved an inch and shaped like a bullet. That might work in NASCAR, but you will never pass AWRA tech with sheet metal like that. The best choice for your sheet metal is a round front Thunderbird or a Lumina from Caveman Bodeez or S&E Bodies. All four of these bodies are as aerodynamic as the rules allow, and they are proven race winners.

So, what do I recommend for your AWRA Stock Car setup? Here's the scoop.

Chassis - I have to go with the R-GEO Raven
Motor - JK Mini Brute
Gears - 9 tooth ARP beveled pinion and a 28 tooth Koford crown
Sheet Metal - Caveman Bodeez Chevrolet Lumina
Tires- Pro Track Daytona Stockers

This setup will give you the right stuff to run out front.