why not use a different cell with higher discharge but lower capacity? then would you be able to make smaller packs?
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Battery is a non issue for short track racing. What many do not understand is racing for 5 minutes on a closed course will wear you out. World Cup San Diego was 3 laps at 34 seconds each with 16 turns per lap. 52 riders 3 heats, quarter final, semifinal and finals made jelly out of my front leg.
Derby days DIY/Prodomod race went 15minuites plus one lap. Once again wore out the guys who were racing at their limits.
Physical fitness becomes a big deal. Riding does not prepare you for racing. Battery charge has not been an issue at any event other than poor battery construction/components.
A lipo pack switchout is the way to go if you need that.
Anyone should be able to race out of the back of their car for a couple of grand, including safety gear. Start-up low watt low cost classes is the most inclusive way to build interest and board counts. Redmond had 22 Boosted in a class and 28 in the Diy/Prodomod class.
So easy: keep the rule book thin.
:Make the racing simple.
:Short track means every board can race and you can do it anywhere.
:qualifying on a hand held stopwatch
:heats of 6 line up by qualifying times using a rolling start
:mains line up by heat race finishing positions, ties from heats sorted by qualifying times. Mains are 4person with two transfering to the next main.
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Thank you Moe.
Set the bar high for safety gear, keep it inclusive and encourage everyone to bring their pos board down and get involved.
Make rules and standards later when the sport has grown.
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A lot can be learned also from rc racing.
I remember back in the day (brushed days) we only had 3 classes for onroad:
- Stock 27t
- 19t
- Modified lower turn motors
Racing was at its peak. We were using nimh then. Transponders are/were used to get laptimes. Nowadays, we have so many classes. It has thinned out a lot.
Reedy race of champions and Euro series got it figured out. They even have live coverage of races. Look up redrc on YouTube.
Iām with @MoeStooge. Keep it simple first. Attract people then gradually bump it up. Safety gears need to be set for sure
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Thank you @MoeStooge, short track racing is not what I am concerned with, I am thinking of events such as the upcoming Maryhill event where you have three days of time on the track. Your setup is exceptional in its power efficiency and ability to make several full speed uphill runs on a single charge. Once again, I am not an EE and I do not fully understand why your battery / motor system is so far beyond most of the others. Your batteries are smaller and lighter that the rest, with more available power for a longer duration.
I am looking towards events that have not been conceived of yet even on big tracks such as Laguna Seca, Sears Point, where during a multi lap race, pit strategy becomes part of the mix. Certainly physical conditioning will play a role in this which is even better. As our range increases, so will our fitness level.
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Is there one place to go to find out where there are upcoming races?
Has anyone tried racing esk8 on the high banked velodromes that bicycles race on? I would think that impressive speeds could be hit relatively safely.
Yah, something like this could be good but frankly itās just right hand turn after right hand turn which imo isnāt that great to watch.
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Wait what? An American saying just right hand turns isnāt fun to watch.
Cough nascar cough.
I though this was very entertaining to watch and doing it seems like a lot of fun too.
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Figure 8 racing then. It is Fiesta in Santa Barbara and I am 3 cocktails inā¦
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There was an event at the velodrome in Bournemouth uk summer last year and everyone except one young man whoās here somewhere was too chicken shit to get up the top.
On his built from scraps single drive he bombed the top lane of the curve at 30mph all casual like. Balls of steel.
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Itās not hard to design a proper swappable battery, doing it cheap might be, do it with some 30T cells in a enclosure that at least one side is a heat sink so you can really push them and also have a bay with fans so you can fast charge them right after a lap, cycle life will be bad, but apparently thatās not the goal
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I was thinking about hopping the Amtrak up there tomorrow with the spousal unit. If you are out Fiesta-ing again tomorrow maybe we could hook up for one of those cocktails. Or two.
I might even wear my RipTide tie dyed tee. It is very festive.
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We do a neighborhood Westside Mesa Fiesta party and rarely venture into the public. Let me know if you make it here and perhaps we could down one
Iām not a fan of racing, but if this is what comes from it, then I support this 100%
Reliability and controlling failure is a big weak point for all of esk8.
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Nothing is hard to make until youāve built it and itās now failed. Now what? Thatās where the real work gets put in.
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yep. 10churs
Creating more engineering work and hurdles to create an event or get people to come to an event is looking at it upside down imo. You want to build an event with what exists already. The tech is there - plenty of race ready 10s and 12 production and DIY boards. I mean some people go as far as race lawnmowers and itās fun - just need the right set of rules to make racing exciting to watch (racing is exciting by definition, so not concerned about making it fun for the riders, thatās a given).
So IMO first thing should be to create fun, safe events that people will want to watch. It needs to attract people, that should be priority number one.
Seems easier in my mind to do with shorter races where classes are divided in a number of ways - but not a lot - as we learned from RC, above - letās keep it simple to start (perhaps by 10s or 12s batteries and each subdivided in weight categories? Production vs DIY? Production boards could be supplied by the mfg - weād supply 4 Nazares for a race? Iād be down with that - could vet the riders first through other races?)
Also, not requiring a race track is paramount. Donāt expect people to go to the race. Bring the race to them - itās easily doable. There are many new neighborhoods with pristine asphalt where you can do a race around a block or 2 with a roundabout in the middle and a small park. 30 sec laps seems like a sweet spot. If the crowd loses line of sight of a rider, itās only for brief moments and it adds to the excitement. Lots of turns, perhaps one straight where you can get to 30-40mph for a very brief moment. @Sender, like cat and mouse, but with a defined course.
Market this as a safe, family event in a suburb neighbordhood (where events rarely happen and people need to go to the city for entertainment) and youāll have 200-300 people gathering around on a usual calm saturday night to come see and learn all there is to know about these boards with their kids and their whole families. Just drop some flyers in the mailboxes the weeks before and bingo.
In this idea, all is needed are physical barriers to make sure that wipeouts are āsafeā - and keep riders from crashing into the crowd (which is basically what got Group B rally banned in the 80ās - a real shame). Being able to setup an event in any neighborhood around the world will make this thing explode - you can crowdsource the places where the events will take place and check it on google maps to approve and tweak. All we need are a set of rules (weight and equipment power), defined safety equipment (what type of barriers and cushioning). Then, a 10 page document detailing the race you can send to city hall of a usually dormant, middle class neighbordhood is all youāll need. I bet the mayor will jump in this. Emphasis on safety measures taken for riders and the crowd.
Iād try to start in a town where there is a racetrack not far away. A town that has a racing culture. People will come out 100%.
Fast forward 2 years.
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Now imagine Red Bull has its stamp on it now. Yeah, this thing can (will?) become mega huge.
And while weāre dreaming, why not a Giant Slalom Uphill Event at Lookout Mountain near Denver with 12s12p setups only. 3 live streaming gopros per riders and 5 helicopter live cams (I know drones could do the job but choppers are the sexiest machines on earth so there)
PS; Iām thinking this needs to be made replicable in many countries without always having the same people fly around to attend and organise them - at least not at first. So having a white paper that details this and that anyone can use and improve after each race could be a way to fast forward the growth of these race events.
PPS: these are just ideas I had on top of my head, feel free to add, substract or insult 
PPS: by making races fun and popular, the engineering will resolve itself. You can bet the guy who blew his 12s setup will come back with a vengeance in the next race with a better setup. Also, just made me think firefighters should probably be invited. With their big ladder truck while theyāre at it - so kids can go in it while their rad-dads are drooling on which board to buy
ok i can go on for hours obv, Iām out, need to work for real now if I want to have 4 Nazares to send for these events!
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Do it like Paris with even better race coverage.
All the other events might as well have never happened for those that did not attend them.
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100%. Coverage needs to be uber professional. One of the first expenses Iād do is get advice from a videographer on how to maximize bang for the buck through gopros and still cams. It needs to look like Bernie Ecclestoneās new gig and cost a fraction of what he would need to make that happen (actually, a fraction of that fraction lol). This is where this community could really shine - ideas on how to broadcast and capture crazy images. Perhaps the event has a few gopros and each race the rider attaches it on his board and gives it back at the end of the race?
Easy quick edits for social media + a still cam and even a drone flown by some crazy fpv wizz kid (that might be pushing it with new laws) seems relatively easy
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Ha! I got mentioned TWICE! Been busy building boards that damned fools will ride way faster than they should. Just got swamped with customs and my day job just turned up the bullshit level to 11 so now i barely have time to think. I canāt even do interviews right now, and the lawn is a foot tall.
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