Trail Class Information

[JohnRobHolmes]

This is the current RCCA/ USRCCA Trail Comp Class ruleset. The aftermarket body length is now 1" longer than wheelbase or more. The dig and 4ws restriction has been removed. The 3 month advance availability restriction of vehicles and tires has also been replaced by "readily available" requirement for National level events.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j6-3Z2Uu406cMRHTtmmzM31NHGw4NbSYl2jcZ1kYHxA/edit?usp=sharing


This is the guideline for Trail events to encourage new and non affiliated hosts to hold events. You will notice it is much less about the rules, and much more about how to organize an event to have fun. Trail Comp is included with the possibility of unaffiliated events getting series points to encourage interest in the official requirements.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eSmGIrU_UY3pYhPbmv7ZrHDx35mK3g_TpGW9gEHOMsE/edit?usp=sharing

 

[Solitaire]

Interesting there's no mention of 4WS and dig in the new ruleset.
And that's a good thing.

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

Yessir. Just like the old rules in being run whatcha brung.

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

A more organized and succinct post of Trail Comp class and Trail Event guidelines . I had originally used the terms "event" and "class" improperly and needed to word the documents better to clarify the difference. I hope I did a better job this time! Sorry for any confusion guys, been a rough week at home and work with little sleep on top of it.

This is the current RCCA/ USRCCA Trail Comp Class ruleset. The aftermarket body length is now 1" longer than wheelbase or more. The dig and 4ws restriction has been removed. The 3 month advance availability restriction of vehicles and tires has also been replaced by "readily available" requirement for National level events.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j6-3Z2Uu406cMRHTtmmzM31NHGw4NbSYl2jcZ1kYHxA/edit?usp=sharing


This is the guideline for Trail events to encourage new and non affiliated hosts to hold events. You will notice it is much less about the rules, and much more about how to organize an event to have fun. Trail Comp is included with the possibility of unaffiliated events getting series points to encourage interest in the official requirements.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1eSmGIrU_UY3pYhPbmv7ZrHDx35mK3g_TpGW9gEHOMsE/edit?usp=sharing

 

[DiabloPres]

A more organized and succinct post of Trail Comp class and Trail Event guidelines . I had originally used the terms "event" and "class" improperly and needed to word the documents better to clarify the difference. I hope I did a better job this time! Sorry for any confusion guys, been a rough week at home and work with little sleep on top of it.

John, two questions...just for clarification:

1. Since the restriction of dig/4ws is lifted, there is no restriction listed to number of channels. Will this mean that someone can run 4 channels and have both dig and 4ws?

2. Is the minimum comp weight going to stay at 5lbs? There are several trucks that stock out of the box with battery weigh less than that.

Just looking for some clarification because I know these questions will come up.

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

Yes, people can currently run however many channels they want and for national events they may need to add some weight to meet the 5lb weight. Clubs are encouraged to only tech as much as they feel necessary for attendees.

After a season we can look at areas to improve, since it will basically be a wraith with 4ws class for the seasoned drivers.

 

[EvilTwin v2]

John, thank you for the clarification. I thought that seemed out of character for you to have made such a huge change with no warning.

In order to avoid confusion, I'd suggest in the Rules section of the Event Guidelines document, reference the Class Rules Document so people know that there's another document with guidelines on the vehicle.

As for your statement about it being a Wraith Class, I completely disagree. Each vehicle has its advantages and limitations. At our events, we have had 2.2 Wraiths, 2.2 SCX-10's, 1.9 SCX-10's, and 1.9 Trailfinders. While occasionally one truck has an advantage over the others on one given course, we try to vary the terrain and mix in technical sections, climbs, side hills, etc, and no one type of truck has a tremendous advantage over the others...even with the 2.2 tire.

After having run the class for a full season, here's what we, as a club have noted:

- keep 1.9 and 2.2 running together. It makes for an interesting strategy choice as there are advantages and limitations to each as long as the courses aren't designed specifically for one size.

- 4ws and dig should be banned. I thought they'd help grow the class, but they have done the opposite. As a club we decided to not allow them midway through. It's something the new guy coming out sees and thinks he has to have to compete. Then they look and see that now, not only do they have to buy a servo, C-hubs, knuckles, shafts, etc, but their cheap 2-channel radio won't work. I personally ran only front steering to show them it wasn't necessary, but it scares off the new guy.

- the success and failure and level of fun revolves entirely around course design. It should be the goal of the course designer to set up courses that are fun and challenging and even the new guy will finish.

One of our club members recently hit the nail on the head about what this class is, and where the focus should lie with it.
This is a class that is welcoming to newcomers to the hobby, in which they can be introduced to Competition Rock Crawling with vehicles that are readily available at many local hobby shops. It is also a class where veteran drivers can let off some steam, without the pressure to have the latest and greatest custom parts and chassis, all of which can be intimidating to the newcomer. With this it makes a good arena for the veteran drivers to also assist the new comer with advice on simple setup and tuning as well as driving tips. In doing so, the newcomer may just stick with the Teail Class and only run it, but several, after watching the other classes, have also expressed an interest, and 2.2S becomes a next logical step into competition crawling. (This is another reason we should really consider leaving out 4WS & Dig. Without them, it's a more natural progression into 2.2S, with 2.2Pro and then Super being the big steps up that require 3rd and 4th channels on the radio, etc.)

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

I agree with the points you bring up. We have two main issues to consider IMO . First, the people who are hosting as a usrcca club are typically the most experienced and tend to build courses suited for their rigs. Second, the more experienced drivers can fit wide vehicles through small gates and will gravitate towards wheelbase and tire size that maximize capability.

One large reason I am requiring Usrcca series events to go through RCorva.com is so we can begin tracking vehicles and features used in trail class, and thus see the trend of what is winning. There are still a few more database tweaks before we can fully get there, but we just refinished the Paypal API that was our biggest hurdle. PayPal had changed some requirements yet didn't inform us! Clubs seem to be split 50/50 on the 4ws and dig, and while I agree that it can be discouraging for beginners we also have many folks who long for those features in a shafty class.

What I would like to do is encourage hosts to build trail courses that can be run flawless with 2 channels unless everybody is using 3+, this will be added to the trail class doc. I also know that we really need a shafty class with 3 or 4 channels based off 2.2 rigs. But since we are rebuilding attendance in the true comp style, as you pointed out it is very tough to split out another class right now.


2014 worlds will have a 2 page spread in January RC driver (that i paid for) and they did a good write up on Trail class. As promised, I'm doing everything possible to get more media coverage of events and involve hobby shops with get togethers and gatherings. It's just a steep hill to rebuild awareness when both media and manufacturers were ignored for so many years. We are fortunate to still have clubs and small vendors involved!

 

[ROWDY RACING]

Take 3rd channel from trail, give to 2.2s. :twisted:

 

[Solitaire]

Take 3rd channel from trail, give to 2.2s. :twisted:

Whoa, now. Let's not bugger up the only comp class that's gained popularity in the last few years.

 

[Koldham]

Super excited i got to see me and my truck in the main pics of this thread i was looking at the rules and you have a wheelbase restriction? So if we modify our wheelbase over half an inch to fit a specific body we can bump ourselves out of trail class?

 

[scrounge]

Take 3rd channel from trail, give to 2.2s. :twisted:

I agree Chris. "thumbsup" This makes better sense and less confusing for everyone. ;-)

 

[Solitaire]

Wrong.
Shafty class is just fine the way it is. If you want dig, build a 2.2Pro. If you want 4WS, build a Super.

 

[Bcarson138]

How do I go about getting into these crawling competitions? I'm new to the crawling scene and have a wraith and scx10 I would love to compete with, I just don't know how to get involved in the crawling scene.

 

[Solitaire]

I'm sure someone will chime in from California. In the meahttp://www.rccrawler.com/forum/california/ntime check some of these posts...http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/california/

 

[Hittman]

Need some help here.. and sorry if it has been addressed already.

I need help clarifying something regarding to added weights and knuckle weights. In the rules doc it states this about knuckle weights: "A knuckle that is shaped to give more weight than stock components is acceptable."

Does that mean that a dlux v2 knuckle made out of brass is acceptable? I see it being ok because the knuckle is constructed out of a heavier material, it isn't a normal knuckle with weight added. But I can see both sides to the argument.

Lmk your take on it. Between my vp and I, we cannot decide what is best to state to our club.
Thanks,
Christian

 

[JohnRobHolmes]

In stock trail class, brass knuckles are acceptable but slugged weight systems are not. In Mod trail class that is not currently listed in this thread, weight systems are OK when painted or constructed to be less visually noticeable.

 

[Hittman]

Thank you for the clarification"thumbsup"