Yep, the initial setup is done. Of course, all adjustable at any time but this is what we’ll open SR3 with. Pictures don’t really do it justice. You can see it in person at Round 3 of the 2022 Formula “e” Series, January 29.
No idea how this setup will work with the various cars we run, we’ll sort it out.
Plenty of work left to do, including completely securing each track piece to the table. This becomes more important in the summer season when the heat tends to expand the Sintra roadway material. I’ll likely end up securing each piece every 8″ or so.
Once I get all the pieces secured, it’s time to get going on the wiring, which is always a challenge when you use multiple RMS (timing system) setups. While I was leaning towards abandoning SlotTrak due to their recent crazy mandatory hardware upgrade, I decided to invest in that hardware upgrade for SR3 to try it out.
SR3 also has some new features that require a completely different track wiring design. I won’t go into the details here but the plan is to be able to change the voltage for each lane at the driver’s station (and computer). This supports drivers to test different cars at whatever voltage they like while also permitting the Race Director to reset the lane voltages at race time. It’s complicated but the hope is that it benefits driver/team track time by allowing practice sessions of virtually any type of car on the track at the same time. Yea, a bit sketchy but much more productive track/testing days.
Don’t forget! Round 3 of the Formula “e” Series is Saturday, January 29, 2022. Get registered now!
Okay, shut up and drive!
on the system the only modifications I’ll add are extra horizontal and vertical bracing to the garage joists and some sort of safety straps to prevent a pulley mount from failing. Yea, I didn’t do that with SR2 but this beast makes me nervous to get under for any length of time.
The wet weather continues but progress is still being made. We’re almost ready to start laying down track after finishing the table over the weekend.
After that, it’s all about laying out the track and getting it placed perfectly on the table. The SR3 table is much larger than SR2 at 16×6 vs. 14×5, which suggested the table sides should be a bit higher due to the increased speeds and velocity in the corners.
Excavation and geology work has been difficult with all the much needed rain. But construction is progressing and we’re on schedule!
The base table is almost complete now as you can see. I just need to finish fastening the table top sheets to the frame, cut and route the side and end panels, then paint and assemble. After that, it’s all about laying out the track, oval first, and securing anchor points to keep it in position as the wiring and electronics are installed.
Lots of decisions to be made so I’m anxious to get some veteran racers over to comment on things. A couple key decision needed are what side of the garage the main start/finish straight will be on, what pit spacing to try first, and what layout to employ for the grand opening race day.
All construction materials arrived today, December 20, 2021. But not without drama, of course. I won’t bore you with the details but I did have some issues with the lumber supplier.
In any case, all the lumber products
I’m also considering flush-mount driver’s stations instead of the horizontal platforms that SR2 has. I really like the platform-style stations but SR3 is over a foot wider as it is. Adding the platforms would make it almost 8-feet wide! So, bring your Fray pit-box hanger and deal with it! Sides will be 3/4 MDF. More construction reports to come as construction proceeds. Oh, and I’ll have Bowman or Viper controller holsters, haven’t decided on that yet.