Most Frustrating Race Experience You've Had

[TBone77]

I had mine this past weekend. I was racing my new BK2 and was tearing up the track with it. We run 3 heats and a main. I placed 1st in the first heat and 2nd in the remaining two heats. The guy who came in 2nd in the first heat beat my TQ by 5 seconds, and in the third heat we crossed the line only moments apart.

So needless to say, I was pretty psyched going into the main. This guy and I had been battling it out all day long and given that he TQ'ed and I was #2 on the grid, I knew that we'd get a nice clean race with each other since the rest of the pack was behind us and posed no hacking threat off the line. Each of us knew that it was our race to lose. I can't speak for him, but I was very excited.

I got a great start off the line and around the first turn and I was practically riding this guy's bumper for the first half lap. After that we were neck and neck, trading places quite frequently. I get into a short lead when someone jumps the pipe from another portion of the track, effectively giving them a 15 second shortcut on their lap. This occured in front of me and the driver in the #2 position, but was not an immediate threat, UNTIL........

....the TWIT decides to continue racing rather than waiting for a marshal to place him back on the correct section of track. As the marshal is approaching his car, he GUNS it, FULL THROTTLE right as me and #2 arrive and he ends up pulling his car out right in front of me. I smashed into his car and both of us went careening off the track, meanwhile #2 takes over #1 and heads off into the sunset.

My blood immediately hit boiling temperature. On the driver's stand, I demanded to know who was driving that car. No one spoke up, which is probably a good thing since it only would have resulted in me acting extremely unsportsman-like, but I was so ticked that someone, in an effort to CHEAT, knocked me out of the lead. Somehow I managed to climb my way into the #2 position, but I was still a half lap beind #1 at the end of the race.

Amidst all the frustration, I chose to take satisfaction in the fact that I was able to claim the #2 spot despite such treachery early on, which initially put me in next-to-last place (#7).

After I calmed down and was able to reflect on the situation, what ticked me off the most wasn't the fact that someone wrecked into me, but that it was the result of someone trying to shortcut half the track. People run into each other all the time, and no one does it on purpose... not even this guy... but in his effort to cheat, he completely ruined my race. And if the guy who won is anything like me, it probably ruined his, too, since I surely wouldn't want to win like that.

[NotWalkinBlind]

That sucks, but you should be proud of taking 2nd.

How do you know that "pipe jump idiot" did it on purpose? Doesn't seem like something anybody would try to get away with... everybody knows how many eyes are watching... especially the top two positions.

Was he an extreme backmarker trying to catch up to the next-to-last car, or do you think he was actually trying to claim 1st unless somebody called him on it?

Also, are you saying you didn't observe who picked that car up after the race, or did the marshal hand it off to the guy and he went back to his table while you were concentrating on the race?

[twistedtrik]

Forgot to finish gluing a rear tire and with 1 lap to go, the tire slipped the rim. Finished the race and took 2nd but it isn't easy driving a T-3 with 3 tires.

[offroaders]

ok i know it was not a real race but i was kinda mad about a 9 year old kid from next door comes over with a monster patrol thing and he laghfs at every thing it does i was going with my savage and he keeps raming in to me and evey time he does that he gos wow and ooo and aaaaww and stuff like that so he makes me kinda mad

[offroaders]

oh and that sucks about your race tbone77

[TBone77]

How do you know that "pipe jump idiot" did it on purpose? Doesn't seem like something anybody would try to get away with... everybody knows how many eyes are watching... especially the top two positions.

You're right, I did assume, but I don't see how anyone could have unconsciously skipped half the track. Unless he didn't notice that he jumped the pipe and passed over the entire field, I don't see how it couldn't have been intentional. In fact, after jumping the pipe, he stayed put for about a second, and then he gunned it.


Was he an extreme backmarker trying to catch up to the next-to-last car, or do you think he was actually trying to claim 1st unless somebody called him on it?

It's funny that you should ask that. Every week this car creeps up on the starting grid right before the race starts. Whoever the driver is, they're not very good because they usually quality 6th, 7th, or 8th in a field of 8. The car never "respects the grid", whether it's a heat or a main. The only time I ever said anything about it was last week when I TQ'ed and he pulled up next to my car. It was my first TQ, and I'll be dipped in you-know-what if I'm going to give the #1 position to a) someone who didn't earn it, and b) someone who's quite likely to t-bone (no pun) my car in the first turn. In the past I've just kept my mouth shut since I was starting in the middle of the field to begin with, but the last few weeks I've been doing well.

Anyway, I had never paid attention to who the driver of that car was. After this last weekend's race, I went down to the track and stood by the car and waited. My buddy ran up to me, who races mod, and talked some sense into me before I made an ass of myself. After I walked away from this car, the driver came by and picked it up. You want to know who it was? It's the guy who's always screaming at the turn marshals to get his car the moment he capsizes it. Every weekend, he's doing this. Constantly yelling at the marshals. In a twist of irony, it turns out that I had been standing next to him in the first heat (the one I won). At one point he started freaking out on the stand, flailing his arms and his transmitter all over the place while he screamed at the marshals to fix his car for the 108th time. He did it a second time toward the end of that same heat and I told him, in these exact words, to "calm the hell down and get your f---in' arms outta my face".

Sorry to be graphic, but that's what happened and he was on my nerves from all the yelling and flailing about from week to week. I just never knew what car he drove ;) .

Anyway, he's a squirrely little fella that looks like he's lived his 50 years in the sun with little relief. Think Milton from Office Space, but only about 130lbs. He never talks to anyone and he's always got a chip on his shoulder when racing.

I won't say anything to him about what happened... that would be immature. Besides, at the end of the race the director saw it on the sheet and called him out on it. But, you can be sure that the next time he's throwing a fit up on the driver's stand, I'll give him another earful. There's no room for that crap in this sport, just like there's no room for me waiting by his car to chew him out.

[elcid4300]

TBone,

There's always "that guy" at every track. It's good to hear you didn't stoop to his level and let your emotions get the best of you, let the race director/owner know your displeasure. If he really is that bad, you might even get a few others together and, as a group, speak to the owner. Yelling and fighting just isn't fair to anyone at the track, even though it sounds like this guy could use a good, ahem, "talking too"!! Props to you for keeping your cool and not escalating the situation. We used to have "that guy" at a track I used to run at and after a few of us got together with the owner, he was asked to shape up...he didn't and was booted ;)

[Grant Tokumi]

I witnessed a "frustrating experience" this past weekend. Turn marshalls were sparse for this heat. This guy who I never seen before, I think it might have been his first race, truggy class. In the main, he ends up upsidedown on the track and no turn marshalls near by. I'm watching him. He's calm and revs the engine to get attention. He was there for a looong time, a good 10 seconds. Turn marshall finally sees it and get to him and turns him over. I can tell he's frustrated. Before he even gets a chance to accelerate away, someone from behind knocks him upsidedown again and they tangle. The turn marshall is already gone. The wait this time is not as long, but still..... Driver takes a step back looks down and shakes his head. Turn marshall separates the 2 and just when he's ready to go again, he flames out. I looked at him immediately and proud to say he took it very well, put things into perspective and just went to get his truck. Now THATS how racing should be.

I'd like to think its the veteran racers at our track that set this person's tone. I can tell he could have freaked out and had a fit, but that would have been out of place at our track, since the expert drivers are much more relaxed, good attitudes, etc. I always thought and still believe it just takes 1 or 2 good drivers with bad attitudes to create a contagious negative vibe that eventually drives the racers away. Don't get me wrong, we have those bad attitude drivers too, but as long as they are not good drivers, their attitudes seem to not be as contagious and things remain positive.

[Fluke]

i remember one funny experience.it was a tc race in a parking lot.had 4 tcs lined up for a drag-style race.engines revving,crowd excited,cars on the starting line then,on the count of 3,just as the flag went down ALL 4 TC FLAMED OUT!!

Grant tokumi if i was that guy,i wouldn't loose my calm either but i swear i would have to break something,wether a chair or a limb

[highroller]

The ones who think they own the track and continue to race you hard even though they are 2-3 laps down. The second is those who makes the same mistakes week after week but yet it's your fault you ran into them.

I race oval mostly been stuck on 47laps finally things have started to happen - once when the faster guys came up on me I'd inform them to go inside or go wide to allow them to past inside.
Finally I hit the mark I needed - qualified 1st in all three qualifiers turn 51, 49, 51 laps. In the main tangled with a back marker (racing incident) but stayed on the lead lap. Turning laps faster than 2nd and first but in stock distance is hard to make up unless they made a mistake. I finished third and was happy and told the guy I tangled with to forget it, as it was just a racing thing.

[NotWalkinBlind]

It's the guy who's always screaming at the turn marshals to get his car the moment he capsizes it. Every weekend, he's doing this. Constantly yelling at the marshals. In a twist of irony, it turns out that I had been standing next to him in the first heat (the one I won). At one point he started freaking out on the stand, flailing his arms and his transmitter all over the place while he screamed at the marshals to fix his car for the 108th time.There used to be a guy like that in our local club (1/12th onroad electric). He broke more stuff on his own car from slamming the boards than you'd ever wanna believe was possible. Thankfully, he rarely ever took out anyone else's equipment. He wouldn't replace a C-clip (used to hold front wheels on 1/12th cars of that era... pack of 30 cost a dollar, I think) until it wore out and allowed a wheel to fall off. When he got tired of repairing his car, he'd buy a new one and start slamming the boards with it. Funny guy.
:cool:

[Fluke]

^^sounds like my cousin.his steering knucle on his 1/8 buggy is holding with the help of a cable-tie since last year

[fz1]

Trying to race all spring with a ORION wasp .28. Even after a rebuild from them same problems. Made my spring time and early summer real bad. I have a rb728 now and having fun.

[WheelNut]

Spending $1000 on my Savage and never being able to finish even one heat, ever! So I sold it, got some of my money back, and lost a big headache! :D

[Karadjas]

I used to race 1/8 buggy with a Lightning RR. Then I took a year-long break are re-entered the scene with both the Lightning and a Hyper 7 Pro-R.

I qualified 2nd and was doing great against the TQ, an MBX-5 w/ a Lamberto Collari engine. I got the inside line on a WOT right, got the lead for just a second or two when the wheel flew off! I ploughed straight on and took the MBX-5 with me, but there was no damage on either buggy. He also didn't lose 1st place, I'd have a lot of explaining to do if he did. After all, he was struggling for the championship and I was just struggling :D

I never found the nut and nobody had spares. I picked up the Lightning to see if I could race in the B-Main (the 3 last from the A-Main race in the B-Main), but as it wasn't the buggy I used to qualify I wasn't allowed to.

The worst came when I went to the LHS to get some nuts and he didn't have purple ones!! So now I'm stuck with purple axles and silver nuts. Looks horrible :/