Summer Drift Shootout at FPR

It's comp time! FPR is hosting its first comp at the new location. We will be drifting on the inside track with the scale gas station right in the middle of the track. So good photo opportunities will be there when everyone is crashing into each other to "fuel up" their drift car.

We won't be using Raiku tires like it was orginally planned since there wasn't enough to fill the order. But! We will get a chance to buy discounted T Drifts! $12 for 4 tires? I can dig it.

Also, this is a point series. We will drift inside on the current track, then outside on the grip racing track then head back inside for the final round. There is a nice trophy waiting for the winner of the series.

New(ish) R/C: Tamyia M04

Newish is right. I've had this kit forever now. So why did I never mention it? Well, there wasn't a use for it. Until now that is. With the new larger location for FPR, there is a dedicated track to run M chassis cars. Yeah, I mean the drift track. It's going to be multi purpose. FRP will have drifting and M chassis racing on the same track. The surface isn't the best for drifting at the moment but perfect for grip racing. The floor is covered with a type of paint that is used on handicap ramps so there is A LOT of grip. Plus its very rough so drift tires get eaten up very fast.



Anyways, back to the new car. So this was the first kit I ever built. It was cheap, easy, and cheap so I got one. It was originally my sister's car but she never used it so it became mine. I planned to race it in the mini class that was supposedly at Nor Cal. But steering problems and terrible commute forced me to put it on the shelf for about a year.

So in all, this chassis had about 5 runs total on it's life up to this point. With the announcement of M chassic racing at FPR, I dusted it off, rebuilt the steering and put my TA05's TRF Dampers on it. After adding some ABC Tires and Wheels, this thing is a beast. It is FAST compared to the ABC Genetics that everyone else is running. To be honest I though I wouldn't stand a chance against the 4WD chassis. But now it looks like they are getting nervous.

The body is Peter's old Cup Racer body he destroyed and then started using it. I have a Cup Racer BMW body planned for the future of this chassis. If this race class works out, that won't be the only thing planned for this chassis.

My R/C Update

After being unemployed for I think it's a year now, not much is happening in R/C on my end. The only thing worth mentioning is the new bodies for my Mini Z. Eric donated some old Porsche LM bodies for me to use.



I have mixed emotions about these. They are some really cool racing style body that I love to use. But I think these are those THE BEST style bodies that everyone would use. Then again, no one else besides Eric and myself use these. I guess it's alright.

They handle like a charm. Once they get going, they are stuck to the track. The down force on these is incredible. The first race I entered with one of these I got second or third I don't remember. But they drive nicely thanks to the extended wheelbase.

Another part I got for the Mini Z was my own motor mount. I was borrowing Eric's old motor pod forever now and he needed it back and FPR had a good motor pod in stock so... I got it. Luckily I have enough $$$ with me a the time so I was able to get it.



As for my drifter... nothing changed really. I still need to get the aluminum steering set to get rid of the play. I got one of those old school car bodies from one of those Japanese companies. Surging made a very nice old school Soarer that I got for the new team body. It looks orange but it's really supposed to be fluorescent red.

RC News: Local Update

OK, enough gaming news.. Whats going on in R/C?

In no particular order, first up, Fast Pace Racing is at a new location! They have moved from a block away from Sheldons to the other side of San Jose on Tully near the fairgrounds. The new facility is much larger then the last store. Now, there is a store front, and a warehouse where the track is located. So when you walk in the front door, you see all the things for sale and walk past it and you'll find the pit tables and the tracks. I don't have any pictures at the moment.

There have been so uncertainty around the FPR drift track. For a while now, we believed that it was going to be a realistic city drift track but Peter, the shop owner, planned to put in dirt to make a a mini Losi SCT track. A 1/16 truck track to be exact. I'm not sure what will go there but seeing how there is only drifting and Mini-Z in San Jose, I'm guessing we will get a drift track there. Tengu Drift Club will be building the city around the track. The size is about about the same as the indoor track at the old shop. I don't have any exact measurements but eyeballing it, it seems the same size.

Also, FPR will be more then a Mini Z shop and track. Soon, we will have Fast Pace Racing Hobby store. That's probably not going to be the name but the point is clear. FPR is going to become a hobby store. So let's show our support by buying there instead of online. We can race and drift at FPR not on eBay.

OK, enough of my FPR plug.

D&J Hobby now has a track of their own! It is a carpet surface track that, from pictures, looks wider then Sheldons. The opening day comp was on the 23rd and I wasn't able to go but it looks like everyone had a good time. I'll try to stop by there when I get some time to look over the track and maybe even get pictures.

Edit on 4/30/11 I got a picture of the track. Also a test of the new camera.



So from reading the Hyper Drift threads, looks like we have some things to look forward to that are coming up. The next point series is coming and we will drift up in Sacramento as well as San Jose and even San Fransisco if I recall correctly. There isn't many details on the next point series as of this point.

Team Battle Comp? It could happen... if there are enough teams. That thread caught my eye and it sounds like a good comp. I just hope we can have it on something other then carpet. I personally don't like carpet I find it too grippy but the comp idea is nice.

Gaming News: Prototype 2 Update

Well its been a while since the last post and I've found quite a bit on Prototype 2.

Some things that will be in the game:

New York is part of the place we will be playing.

This one is kind of hard to understand but in the developer interviews, they said that they couldn't say anything about it but I did find that it will be spread up in 3 areas. The Green, Yellow and Red zones. So the green will be the clean area. The virus hasn't reached them yet and it's supposed to be a safe zone.


Taken from the Heller Throws Down trailer you can see what is probably the green zone. No chaos in the streets with many people walking around and cars driving normally. Also in the trailer you can see a guy wearing medical face mask. I thought this is a nice realistic touch to the game.

Yellow is the area that people are evactuating to from the red zone. It's supposed to be a slum district with huddled masses of people trying to escape the infection and shantytowns of homeless people.

And finally, the red zone. This is going to be the bad area where the infection is at its worst. Think of the first trailer where you see destroyed buildings and that red and black crap growing everywhere.





You can see, the red zone is a mess. I have a theory that the city will be broken up in levels. For the start, you end up in the green to learn the game and whatnot. Then you eventually move over to the red zone as you progress through the game.

In this picture, you can see behind the guy is a map of the city. The zones are all on three different islands. It will probably be like in GTA series how you unlock the islands before you get to the next area. If this is true, the city will be much bigger then it was in the first game.



So the story was cleared up. James Heller returned from the war overseas to find his family killed by the virus. He loses all hope and takes a mission that was supposed to kill him since he didn't have anything to live for. His squad battles into the red zone and everyone but him was killed. In the ruckus he spots Alex and goes after him. He catches up to Alex and Alex sees he is a worthy subject for a new strain of the virus (I'm guessing new strain) and infects James to make him the new prototype.



Seems pretty good story in my opinion. Here is James pissed off that his family is dead from the virus and he gets infected instead of killed by the guy who is responsible for his family's death. Insult to injury. The Mercer vs. Heller boss fight is going to be f#$%#ing sweet.

I thought this was worth mentioning:



Yes, that's rain. Weather could be a part of the new game. Also a nice view of the Heller powers. According to developers, all the old powers (that we loved) will be coming back. So far, Blade, and Fists..



Also a note to add, in this clip, James rips that missile launcher off the tank and uses it to blow up the tank. In another video, James uses the new and improved tendrils to grab a helicopter, whip around it with the tendrils and kick and slice right through the chopper. "Wow" was the only word I could stutter after seeing that.

And last thing I'll say since this is getting very long, is one picture of a monster:



First, James is ripping off the monster's arm which is a new combat feature most likely. In the backround is probably what the yellow zone will look like and lastly, look at that monster. What is it? I dont know but I like it. This might mean there will be more infected to fight other then hunters and boss hunters. First game was all: military, hunter, military, hunter, military, hunter, military, hunter, military, hunter, military, hunter, boss, military, hunter, military, hunter, military, hunter, last boss. So now, it could possibly have some variety to the combat.