Finding the line! RC Car Racing To Win!

What's the point of practicing from a racers perspective? I mean, why waste all this time and car wear? Yeah, right! Practicing is one of the core components to becoming a good driver. This is the time where you get to discover how your car, and your driving style adapt to a new track or layout. Take the first few laps slow, think of your car going from corner to corner hitting your target spots. We will call them targets because it's a target that you will want to place the inside front tire of your car on every lap. These targets are normally a few inches from the edge of the board at each corner. The distance out from the board where you aim to target is dependent on your skill level. Remember: the goal is to drive such that your inside tire passes directly over all of these target points every lap. The more confident you become of your targets location and the better you get at judging these targets, the more your lap times will drop.

Tip: Always remain on or outside your targets. If you find yourself going inside your target then two scenarios will have happened: 1. You are finding that you crash a lot, or 2. You may have become a better racer and need to set your standards higher (or targets closer to the board). It is important to remain outside your target to ensure you are hitting your target well (not dodging in or mistakenly missing your target).

The best line to drive on entirely depends on finding the best set of targets to hit on each corner. During those first practice laps, don't even try to go fast but simply concentrate on accurately placing the car within a foot of your targets. With each lap you will develop confidence of the location of these targets and a feeling of how to place your car near them. You will begin to drive a tighter line with the eventual goal of consistently hitting every target point on every lap. The most important thing to take away from this sort of practicing is to commit to memory all of these targets so you can make judgments and alternative routes when there are pile ups, lap traffic or corner marshals in the way.Your trying to get a feel for the line you want to take.

Get comfortable with the targets locations and then you can start to build on your driving skills. When you drive through a corner decide how well you took it in accordance with your target and speed. Pay close attention to the sticky section of the track and then branch out. Focus on the ares of the track that require the most attention. While you are practicing, spend your time thinking about the two or three corners that you need the most help with and only worry about those corners until they feel comfortable. It's a good idea to constantly evaluate your performance in each corner while you're racing, and with each lap try to get closer to your target while carrying as much corner speed as possible.

It is important to use your race heats and main to improve upon your target/speed strategy. Use these races, just like you do practices, as tools to help you become a better driver overall. Even evaluate your lap times with the heat posts to see how consistent you where.


by: Todd Levi

Used Cars deal tip

Make a listing and stop it twice for used cars Yep, another listing, but this one is a little distinct. Now it's moment to discover real candidates for purchase. This listing might include some of the same cars you looked at during your test-fit hunt, but get backwards to those websites and your local paper and yield the biggest listing you can. Note that new-car dealers will mostly get the better candidates -- cars that were used for test-drives or that have been newly returned by folk who leased them -- and these are frequently offered under maker "certificate" programs that include a warranty. Make these your best stopover.

When I go used car shopping, I usually try to figure out if there are any colors I can't live with and any features I can't live without. Of course, the market has a way of calling my bluff -- I once decided I could live with my target car in any color except yellow as long as it had a manual transmission, only to immediately find a beautifully maintained yellow one that had every single option I wanted, just the way I would have ordered it from the factory, at a great price. I spent a weekend hemming and hawing over the color, only to go back with my checkbook and find that it had been sold. I ended up with a dark red one that worked out well, but I paid more for it. The moral: Make sure you really know where you can (and can't) compromise.
The large tryout: Test-drives Test-driving, with that salesperson in your cheek, can be a fraught experience if you're not prepared. Before you get, learn our test-drive primer and go the Foolish Test-Drive Vow: No buying today! No issue what, wear't let stories of particular one-day offers and new buyers who are purportedly expected backwards any microscopic lure you into taking away your checkbook. Really, get read that primer and have certain you know precisely what you're going to tell when the salesperson starts his song and dancing act.

Making the deal
Have you found it? The green one with the twincam engine and the good stereo? The one that meets all of your needs and most of your wants? Congrats, Fool ... but hang on a minute. This is a used car, so we can't just make the deal and drive it home. You need to know what you're getting. If it's "certified" by a new-car dealer, make sure you understand the terms of the warranty. Some certification warranties, particularly those from luxury brands like Toyota's (NYSE: TM) Lexus division, General Motors' (NYSE: GM) Cadillac, and BMW, are very broad and rival new-car warranties from cheaper brands -- including cheaper brands from the same manufacturer. Others may sound good, but their long-term coverage might be limited to "powertrain" problems, which are far less common than, say, warped brake rotors.

Sometimes independent used-car dealers who specialize in just-off-lease luxury models will offer an extended warranty package that compares well with "certification" programs. (And occasionally, you'll find a car that is still covered by the balance of its original factory new-car warranty.) But often, the independent extended warranties that are offered by used-car dealers are expensive and offer very limited coverage. Read the fine print and make sure you know what you're getting -- and paying -- before you sign.

If the car you're considering doesn't come with a warranty, you'll need to arrange for an inspection by an independent mechanic to make sure it isn't a "salvage special." Many used car dealers will resist this step; if they do, and if they aren't willing to stand behind the car with a warranty of some kind, just walk away. Unless you know how to evaluate a car for crash and flood damage yourself, it isn't worth taking the risk.

Wrapping it up
Congrats, Fool! With luck, at this point you've found one or two examples of the used car of your dreams. It's time to make the deal and drive it home. Follow the steps outlined in the Fool's car-buying primer, remembering to use sites like Edmunds.com to get the true fair-market value of the used cars you're considering, and you'll cruise through the process like a champ. Enjoy your new ride!