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About TJ MotorsportMay 12, 2005: PLRC Practice Race Recap TJ Motorsport had an eventful day on Sunday at the PLRC Practice Race. Conditions were excellent, with bright sunshine, warm weather, and even hotter action. However, the day wasn't all perfect for the team and eventually ended in disappointment. The day started of with being put into the #1 heat position for the one practice and three qualifying sessions. That meant that the first practice session would be run on a completely "green" track. Not much development work would be accomplished, other than learning the track. The team put a conservative set-up into the car to prevent any problems, and the session ran smoothly, other than the car running out of fuel with about 90 seconds left in the 8 minute session. It was later learned, that the car had run closer to 10 minutes on the tank of fuel, due to the car being sent out on track, some 3-4 minutes before the 8 minute session began. This was reassuring to know that the car was running well. Qualifier #1 began and the same set-up was used as in practice 1. The session went well, with no incidents, smooth driving and a decent time. However, the session was perhaps too conservative, and the car was not quick enough. In total, 12 laps were run in the 5 minute qualifier, with a best lap of 22.68 seconds. Before Qualifier #2, the cars set up was changed drastically to overcome a large understeer. Springs were changed all around, and the chassis was fine tuned. The car went out, and was immediately faster in the warm-up, certainly, this qualifier would be better. The car sped away at the start of the qualifier, and was running well. Lap times dropped considerably by almost two seconds per lap at one point, then something went wrong. Driver Thomas Gordaneer made a slight error, and gently nosed the car into the barrier. The contact did no damage to the car, but while resting against the barrier, the engine lost revs and stopped. The team scrambled to get it restarted, but the motor just would not fire. After some 2 minutes of trying, the session was over, and the team was disappointed. The session ended with 7 laps on the board, and a best time of 20.65 seconds, some 2.03 seconds faster then the previous session. Hopes were high heading into Qualifier #3. Qualifier #3 did not start well, in fact, Qualifier #3 didn't start at all. As the 3 minute warm-up began for the cars, the TJ01 Porsche was sent out to get everything warmed up and ready for the session. However, problems arose, and once again the 15Fe powerplant quit on the team just before the qualifier, and could not be restarted. It appeared as if the motor had failed internally, possibly due to overheating at idle speeds. With this setback, the car would not make the mains and unfortunately, the team packed up the hauler, and headed for home, all to early. Before the next race, the engine will be removed and either overhauled or replaced. Hopefully, this can be done before the season opener. With the promising pace of the car and the improved skill of the driver, it would be a great disappointment to miss any round of the championship. Hopefully, we'll see you there at the Opening Round of the PLRC Championship.
About: TJ Motorsport was founded in 2002 by Thomas Gordaneer. The sole purpose of creating TJ Motorsport was to compete in any events that essentially involved four wheels and an engine. Initially, the team hoped to compete in full-scale automobile racing, however those hopes were dashed due to a severe shortfall of funds. The team rallied though and decided to compete at a scale that would match their budget. Introduce the world of R/C cars and competition. Since 1/10th scale racing is less than 10% of the cost of full-scale racing, the team was able to pull together enough money to compete. The team took delivery of the first chassis, an HPI RS4 3 renamed chassis TJ01 in October 2003. A brief winter testing program took place, and the team after a spring 2004 development program, the team competed for the first time in June 2004.
The event was a learning experience to say the least. The first practice session took place at 10:30am and was a difficult start to the day. The team made the wrong tire selection for a cold morning track which resulted in a number of spins and minor brushes with the barriers surrounding the track. The next session was the first qualifier little over an hour later. The team saw an improvement in times, and a suddenly over confident driver. About half way through the session, while navigating the twisty infield, contact was made with the barrier, resulting in a damaged left front corner of the car. The repair was made quickly, however much time was lost, and the resulting qualifying position was poor. The team would have to hope for better in the second round of qualifying. Second qualifying saw an improvement over the first round as the team took a conservative approach to the session. The goal was to run as many clean laps as possible to score the best time. The session ended with no incidents and a decent run. However, the lack of pace would mean a placing in the E-Main for the days races. The E-main saw a quick start and some blistering pace on a well grooved and very warm racetrack. As the race moved on, the car got better, and so did the driver as the car moved up through the positions. At the end of the day, the team scored a hard fought 4th position in the main. As the team packed up the equipment into the hauler and set out on the highway for home, they left feeling better and with confidence that they could only get better from then on. There will be more additions to this page as the 2005 season begins. Check back often for fun stories and race reports. |
