Introduction to the Event
Now. This is my brand new willp Speed Buggy, and it is a beautiful piece of Kit. So I had my first outing for this car at the will Speed GP down at 106 6. The event was amazing: the standard the driving there was absolutely um amazing. Lee Martin, who has featured in many a race on the channel um was the Top Dog on the day, followed in second place by um the top wheel, speed driver.
Technical Details
So these cars are very, very competitive, so if we start from the beginning, I will talk you through what went well and what we could have done a little bit better. So lets just take off the uh shell for one moment and we can have a look inside this car. Here is my willp speed chassis and electrics that weve got in here. We have gone with um Ora motor and orca ESC. This is an 8.5 turn motor. My previous buggy, I was running a six and a half turn and I personally felt it was probably a little bit too Punchy for me. So therefore, Ive gone to an 8 and 1 half turn for this car.
Performance Evaluation
ESC wise, this is the mark 2 version of the Orca ESC. Servo wise, I went with uh Power, HD D12 um comes in a lovely little tin and uh. The product itself looks amazing, so um wiring wise, as you can see from this, this car has been wired beautifully and um.
The First Test Drive
If you’re a regular to the channel, you will know that means I didn’t do it. My soldering is not the best, so because this is an amazing looking car, I didn’t want to let it down by putting in the electrics badly. The electrics have been put in and they are super tight. The super slick car looks absolutely amazing. Once the electrics were in, they got tested and there was not a problem at all.
On the Track
So I brought the car home, fitted the servo, turning it left and right on the transmitter was not a problem at all. We headed off to the Wheels Speed GP and fired it up. Set the trim on the front wheels, put the car on the track, and as soon as I pulled full throttle, the car was doing some very strange things. I was a bit stumped really. Fortunately, at this event, we had the Wheels Speed team there who were offering us support all the way through the day. They helped with setting up the car, and Nathan was there helping me tweak the car to suit my driving style. We were all scratching our heads a little bit at the beginning when I was having this issue with the steering.
Troubleshooting
The first thing that we tried was adding a capacitor, but that didn’t fix the problem. The next thing, because I always take a spare radio with me.
Servo Troubles
I tried it with a different radio receiver that wasn’t the issue. I tried different batteries, but that wasn’t the issue either. We came to the conclusion that the issue lay with the servo itself. We still haven’t gotten to the bottom of this ongoing issue. I’ll be taking it back to where I got it from, and hopefully, they’ll be able to sort the problem out and I can get a new servo back in this car.
A Solution at the Event
Not all was lost, however. The speed guys at the event lent me a Servo just to get me through the event. They lent me a Power HD S15, a different model than the D12 that was causing issues. I put the new Servo in the car for the first time and it felt amazing on the track. The car drove smoothly and responsively, without the understeer issues that plagued my previous buggies.
Great Performance
The car felt planted on the track, turning in nicely and behaving just as I had hoped. Despite missing out on practice laps due to the servo problem, I was pleased with how the car performed. I had originally planned to use those practice laps to tweak the Expo and set up the radio gear, but even without them, the car’s performance was very impressive.
Practicing on the Track
You can eyeball a car, but until you actually put that car on the track, it’s very difficult to know how the car is going to perform, so those practice rounds at the beginning were vital. Getting this car set up and due to the issue with the servo meant I missed out, and I felt a little bit like I was playing catch up. By the time we got into qualifying, most people were getting dialed in and I was still trying to get the car set up.
Performance and Handling
Despite the setbacks, the consistency of the car and the way it drove left me really happy with it. I was pleased with how the car handled and how it drove. However, I did encounter some issues with back markers during the race, impacting the consistency of my lap times.
Challenges on the Track
I must admit that I am not the fastest driver in the world, but I do like to think that I am a pretty consistent driver. Initially trying to get used to the track, I noticed a few tricky features that posed a challenge. Many racers were overshooting the first turn, leading to collisions and mishaps.
Unexpected Obstacles
During the final run, as I tried to navigate the first turn cautiously, I found myself involved in a collision that put me on my roof right on the first lap. While this was not an unusual occurrence for me, it did add an unexpected element to the race.
Impressive Start
Working my way through the traffic during the first few laps, I managed to secure fifth place. Finding some clean track allowed me to put in some really smooth laps, and I was pleased with how the car was performing.
Boosting Confidence
As the day progressed, my confidence with the car grew. I realized that I could have turned up the boost on the ESC to give me more punch up the straight. Even though my driving had improved, I felt there was potential to push the car further in the infield.
Maintaining Consistency
Aiming for a middle-of-the-road approach, I focused on keeping my driving clean and consistent. However, when traffic closed in on me, I adjusted my approach, taking tighter turns and trying to hold the line. In doing so, I started to clip the inside of the curves, leading to a few mistakes.
Intense Racing Moments
Throughout the weekend, I found myself engaged in close battles with other drivers. Unlike races with GT2s or MTCs where the pressure is sustained for multiple laps, these encounters felt more fleeting. Despite the challenges, I enjoyed the thrill of competitive racing with the best 2WD race buggy.
Initial Impressions
If I’m with the buggies, there’s more variables and with my driving standards and my ability I’m not good enough and consistent enough as yet to be able to hold sort of lap after lap and keep that pressure on. But you know what it will come say up. Boys I’m really happy with how it was handling.
Tire Concerns
So I did notice, as we got through to the finals, that my tires were going off a little bit and I was losing a little bit of grip. But overall the car performed really well, but for a first outing really pleased with the car.
Improvement Plans
I do need to take this Servo back. Get that sorted. Electrics are amazing, potentially I’m going to get this hooked up to the Bluetooth setting system. The mark has got and we can sort of bump up my boosts and turbo and all that sort of stuff to try and give me a little bit more punch on the track, but all in all what a great car.