Good morning, everyone, and welcome back to another race day here at Adrenaline RC Racing! Today’s club race brought tight indoor battles, a fresh track, and plenty of chaos, adrenaline, and good old-fashioned RC fun. I decided to bring you along for a full behind-the-scenes vlog of my day running 1/8 E-Buggy, including qualifying, repairs, strategy adjustments, and how the main event unfolded.
If you love RC racing, want to see real race-day decision-making, or enjoy watching toy cars go very fast in very small spaces — this one’s for you.
Morning Prep: Fresh Tires, Frozen Weather & a Screeching Pinion Gear
The day started early with some water thrown on the track the night before — thankfully it didn’t freeze in the lovely winter weather we’re having. The surface had good moisture, but still needed some laps to come in.
I arrived with two sets of tires already broken in:
✔️ JConcepts Silver Dirt Web 2s
✔️ Overdose Tires
I committed to running the Dirt Web 2s all day to keep things simple.
We also ran a different qualifying format than usual:
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Two rounds of qualifying
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Top 3 consecutive laps used for your score
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Single 8-minute A-Main to finish the day
Because the indoor track is tighter, this format prevents entire runs from being ruined by traffic — something every racer can appreciate.
I did a quick shakedown in the pit, and immediately learned that my brand-new pinion gear was loud. Like… really loud. But hey — break-in laps are break-in laps.
Round 1 Qualifying: A Screech, a Crash & a Camber Link Explosion
And then came the chaos.
About halfway into Q1, I decided it would be a brilliant idea to overjump the step-on/step-off. Spoiler alert — it was not. I cased it badly and blew the front camber link clean apart.
It looked like this by the time I got back to the pits:
I sprinted inside, slapped on a new camber link end, and made it back out just in time to put together three clean laps, somehow salvaging P2 for the round.
Not the ideal way to start the day, but honestly… a classic Adrenaline race day moment.
Round 2 Qualifying: Tires Coming In & Finding Speed Again
Round 2 felt way better.
My tires finally had the wear they needed, the sauce was working perfectly, and the car felt much more planted.
A few other behind-the-scenes changes helped as well:
🔧 Motor Swap
Earlier in the week, I switched to my 1900kv motor due to some issues with my other one. It doesn’t have the same punch, but I geared up to compensate on the top end.
🔧 Center Diff Rebuild
This diff takes a beating since it's tied directly to the motor shaft. The oil was absolutely cooked, so the fresh fluid made a huge difference in stability and consistency.
Lap-time-wise, I was right on Lee’s heels — less than half a tenth behind him on fast laps. Progress is progress!
Going into the main, I felt solid:
Not perfect, still a bit off in some corners, but much more connected to the track than in Round 1.
The 8-Minute A-Main: Traffic Battles & Staying in the Fight
The main event was where things got interesting.
Start was clean. Pace was good. But like most indoor races… traffic became a major factor.
I didn’t get tangled up or taken out, but I definitely got stuck behind cars at moments where Lee had clean track ahead. That little bit of delay was enough to open a gap I couldn’t close.
Once things spaced out:
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The gap between us stayed pretty consistent
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Lap times were nearly identical
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I just couldn’t quite get into striking distance
I don’t think I would’ve passed him, but I would have loved to be closer — nothing feels better than keeping pressure on a fast driver.
Still, it was one of the cleaner mains I’ve had lately, and the consistency felt good.
Final-Lap Drama: The Driveshaft Says “I’m Done”
And then — with perfect comedic timing — my original driveshaft finally gave out… on the last lap.
This thing has been in the car since I first built it, and if I had to guess, it had:
🔥 50–60+ full packs
🔥 Multiple race weekends
🔥 Some days with 10+ runs
It was on borrowed time, and today was its final day of duty.
But thankfully, it didn’t affect my finishing position at all — just added a little extra flair to the ending.
Wrapping Up: Progress Made, Goals Ahead
So how did the day feel overall?
👍 Qualifying: Huge improvement from Round 1 to Round 2
👍 Main: Consistent, clean, but held up just enough early on to lose touch with the leader
👍 Car: Mostly solid — just normal wear-and-tear catching up
The goal now?
Get a fresh driveline installed, break it in before the final points race at the end of December, and try to line up a clean, mistake-free battle with Lee.
Every week we’re getting a little faster, a little smoother, and a little closer to being competitive with the top guys. It’s coming — just have to keep grinding.
🎟️ Sparko F8T Nitro Truck Waffle — Still Live!
Before we wrap up — if you're watching this when the vlog goes live, our Sparko F8T Nitro Truck waffle is still open!
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Only 20–30 tickets left
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Once they sell out, we spin the wheel live
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Shipping included for U.S. residents
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International winners just cover shipping differences
➡️ Grab your ticket here:
Thanks for Following Along!
Thanks for hanging out with me today. Race days like this are why we love the hobby — good friends, good racing, and always something new to learn.
See you next week for another video and another step closer to chasing that win. 💪🏁