OT: Back from "the track" (long, just delete instead of bitching)

[roccit_53 at scirocco.cs.uoguelph.ca (C Boyko)]

As you know, Boxing day is the traditional Bear race. It's starting to feel
like real racing. Our competition (my nephew, who has a modded GTI, and my
brother, a professsional mechanic who does Monster Garage type stuff
annually for the firefighter's big float competition) came up with a radio
controlled Civic (their first radio controlled effort, they went with
rocket powered last year). They visibly whitened when they saw ours,
modelled after "my future daughter-in-law's" car. This being Melanie
Simmons, one of Canada's fastest females, she's 22, has an alcohol rail
that does 7s, and Adam is sure she's his soulmate.
Our car sported an all aluminum chassis, sponsored by HeliLynx (where my
son works). (I'm sure it didn't detract from their completion of the
multiple helicopters they're working on). Alexander Keith provided the wing
shell, which housed the battery. It was mounted on part of a (previously
wrecked) Scirocco grille, with some Lexan structural parts. I love Lexan! 
We were going to attach it with titanium bolts, but we figured that was
just going overboard. Drivetrain was from a carpet racer, same one we used
last year, but I got some tire compound that really revived the grab of the
slicks. Servos and radio stuff was scavenged from my Chris Craft, I really
want to put it back together at some point, it's too sweet not to use. But
I digress.
The bear had been on a diet since last year, he'd shrunk down to the point
where we were accused of removing his head, that's all you could see of
him, and he had a cute little helmet and a roll cage to keep him safe.
Sticker tuning was helpful in adding a few Hp, and the only downside of the
build was the speed controller, it's a two speed mechanical, and would only
go fast or super fast. It did good wheelies too.
Anyway, I set up to take pictures and got nothing when ours shot out of the
hole, it was just TOO fast. Theirs took easily three times as long to go
down the track. Sort of like an import ricer against an alcohol rail in
real life. Ours then proceeded to produce quite a bit of SMOKE!, video
shows what appears to be a small fire up in the works. Mr Avionics didn't
use enough cable ties, one of the power cables got tangled in the gears,
and managed to burn through the main drive gear. So it was a one run
wonder. But what a run! We've already planned a new car for next year
anyway. 7 years we've been doing this, with only one loss. We still need to
find enough adult beverages for a "meeting of the sanctioning body" to cook
up next year's rules. Ours will most likely go amphibious anyway, so we'll
be ready for whatever.
That's the report. 
Oh, and Santa was good to me, there were tools and go fast parts under the
tree. Which is always cool!
Cathy