QSAC
Quarter Scale Auto Club
A Bit O' History....
In late 1984, after a year or so of R&D, a gentleman from the little town of Buffalo, Texas took several examples of a Quarter Scale, Radio/Controlled replica of a World of Outlaws-type Sprint Car to the annual Hobby show in Pasadena, CA. There, he found his display inundated by folks fascinated with the concept of such a large R/C car. Further, they were even more interested when he "fired-one-up" and they were treated to the sound of the big (relatively) two-stroke single that powered the car. A quick, on-the-floor demo of the car's response to inputs from the radio in his hand convinced many in the audience that "these should sell like hot-cakes"-- and Carroll Cheek, now known as the "father" of Quarter Scale, returned to Texas with orders in hand, and the new, largest scale of R/C race cars was born!
The new company, known as Winner's Circle Manufacturing or WCM, grew and prospered, and was soon joined by a new California entrepreneur, Jon Rahe, and his RACO Modelcraft. Quarter Scale was off and running! Growth of the sport continued from that time with new manufacturers popping-up on the scene, but there was a problem....... Buyers were scattered all over, sometimes only one or two in a particular area, and didn't know where other potential racers were located. The manufacturers, particularly WCM and RACO, could see that they needed to find a way to organize the racers into a group who knew and communicated with each other. An attempt was made to get ROAR, the major R/C car racing organization in the US, to sanction Quarter Scale racing under their auspices, but Roar was primarily an "electric-car" group, concentrating on 1/12th and 1/10th scales, and wasn't really interested in bothering with what was, at that time, a small group of racers who were scattered all over the map! With no apparent help forthcoming from that direction, the manufacturers decided to take the "bull-by-the-horns" and form a National Organization which would also be an entity that would organize and sanction Quarter Scale racing events, establish a cogent Rules package controlling the specifications for cars in different classes, set up race formats for the various classes, establish safety-standards, and last, but not least, provide a liability insurance program to protect both the racer and the viewing public. After much research and headaches, the organization was chartered and the Quarter Scale Auto Club began!
The QSAC of the Present....
In late 1992, management of the Quarter Scale Auto Club was turned over to the membership, and, following a complete reorganization, during which the Club was incorporated as a not-for-profit Corporation, officers elected, committees formed for the purpose of setting the standards for Rules, Competition, Special Projects, and Long-Range Planning. In addition, there is a field organization in place at the District, Region, and Area levels, staffed with directors who are local focal-points for members and racing facilities all over the country. The organization belongs to and is run by (on a no-pay, volunteer basis) the membership.
Benefits of Membership.....
A cogent, stable Rules set
Liability Insurance
Monthly Newsletter
Local, Regional, and District Series Support
A District and National Race Series
A friendly, supportive, family-oriented environment in which to race!
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QSAC Primer
Defining "Quarter Scale"
Quarter Scale is, as it is named, basically, one 1/4th of full-scale in most respects, (except for weight and horsepower --- it would be interesting to have a 200hp, 850lb, four foot long R/C car, but verrry impractical!), a scaled-down version of many of the cars you see in a typical racing event shown on television, and featured in many magazines. They include Winston Cup-type Stock-Cars, Busch Grand National-type Stock- Cars, Craftsman Truck Series-type Super-Trucks, World of Outlaw-type Sprint Cars, Outlaw Late-Models, etc., all oriented toward pavement-oval racing. European Quarter Scale is oriented toward road-racing, which, for some reason, is slow to catch-on in the US.
Quarter Scale is the largest of all the Radio-Control Race-cars, and more closely resemble their full-scale counterparts than do any of the smaller scales.
Quarter Scale is less expensive and very much safer than their full-scale counterparts, (we've never had any drivers hurt when they crashed during a Quarter-Scale event) but still very real. Any seasoned Quarter Scale driver will tell you he can "feel" what his car is doing. In addition, almost any set-up parameter available on a full-scale race car is duplicated on the Quarter Scale equivalent. Winning requires a combination of skills; set-up, as well as driving! (Jump to Quarter-Scale Gallery for pix of typical chassis/suspension.)
Quarter Scale Cars are not toys; you won't find them on the shelf at Toys 'R Us, or the local hobby shop. The NASCAR-type Stock- Cars are four feet long, weigh 30lbs, and, depending on the track, can exceed true-speeds (not scale) of 80MPH!
Organized Quarter Scale Racing events take place at the local, Regional, National, and International Levels.
Driving a Quarter Scale
Because they are driven from a distance by means of a radio transmitter with a small steering-wheel, and trigger-actuated throttle and brakes, it is sometimes difficult for the beginner or novice to achieve that "feel" mentioned above. But, with time and practice comes experience and skill. A person "moving-up" from a lesser scale will have no problem driving a Quarter Scale, as they are, when properly set-up, easier to drive than any of the lesser scales.
Quarter-Scale Differences
Primarily in the areas of size, true-scale appearance, set-up adjustability, and realism. Quarter Scale emphasizes optimizing the competitor's set-up, as well as driving skills; and particularly enjoyment. Sharing with, and helping other competitors is the rule, rather than the exception in Quarter Scale. QSAC uses the term "Knowledge-Transfer" frequently in many of its Newsletter features, and strongly encourages competitors to help each other "get the cars stuck". This attitude is not altogether altruistic, since it is much better to have ten good-handling cars in a race than six that handle well, and four others that are, in essence, "30lb-barely-guided- missiles". It makes for more competitive, fun racing, and a better "show" for the spectators. This attitude is the exception, rather than the rule, in the smaller scales.
Another, very important difference, is the engine specs. QSAC mandates that only one specific brand of 23cc two-stroke engine is allowed, and, with the exception of the Outlaw Late-Model class, it must be bone stock. At major events QSAC utilizes a pre- and post-race Technical Inspection procedure, impounding the top four cars in each class, and performing a comprehensive external and internal inspection of the car including weight, width, height, tire-size, and spoiler, as well as engine tear-down inspection.
Racing in Quarter Scale
Race formats in Quarter Scale closely follow their full-scale counterparts, with one major exception: the races are computer-scored utilizing car-mounted transponders that, when passing over a sensor-loop imbedded in the track-surface, keep track of lap-time, track position and number of laps automatically (our full-scale brethren are just now catching on to this). The number of active transponders available with these systems is ten, therefore each race is limited to ten cars. The lesser scales have a similar limitation. However, there the similarity ends. While the lesser scales limit the race lengths by time or fuel-tank size, Quarter Scale races are oriented to numbers of laps, like their full-size counterparts.
Class specifications and race formats are established by the QSAC Official Rules. Stock-Car classes may run as many as 500 laps, and require "on the fly" pit-stops for fuel, since the fuel-tank sizes for each class are specified in the Rules. Classes such as the Super-Trucks mimic the full-scale events, and are formatted to run two 100 lap segments, separated by a 5 minute "break" during which any sort of maintenance (refueling, tires, spring/shock changes, etc) may be performed.
Local tracks have the option of using single-car time-trials, or a pill-draw, to establish starting positions in the Qualifying heats (of which there are two rounds, varying in length from 20 to 50 laps) to earn positions in the "mains". Heat races are usually limited to six competitors. The number of "mains" is dependent on the number of cars entered in a particular class. Each main is populated with cars in whatever positions earned from the heats. Every competitor will run at least one "main".
Example: Say the Winston Cup-type class has 30 entries--- there would be two rounds of five heats of six cars--- they would populate an A, B, C, and D-main of six cars and an E-main of six, from which the top four cars would "bump-up" to the D, making it a ten car race, the D's top-four bump to the C, which would "bump" the top four, and so on, up to the "A". Laps raced in the mains range from 50 for the E and D, 75 for the C, 100 for the B, on up to as many as 3-500 for the A. So, as you can see, a racer who had misfortune in his/her pair of heat-races could, if they got the car adjusted right, raced all the way through from the E to the A, for as many as 775 laps total! It has happened!
Quarter Scale is, as it is named, basically, one 1/4th of full-scale in most respects, (except for weight and horsepower --- it would be interesting to have a 200hp, 850lb, four foot long R/C car, but verrry impractical!), a scaled-down version of many of the cars you see in a typical racing event shown on television, and featured in many magazines. They include Winston Cup-type Stock-Cars, Busch Grand National-type Stock- Cars, Craftsman Truck Series-type Super-Trucks, World of Outlaw-type Sprint Cars, Outlaw Late-Models, etc., all oriented toward pavement-oval racing. European Quarter Scale is oriented toward road-racing, which, for some reason, is slow to catch-on in the US.
Quarter Scale is the largest of all the Radio-Control Race-cars, and more closely resemble their full-scale counterparts than do any of the smaller scales.
Quarter Scale is less expensive and very much safer than their full-scale counterparts, (we've never had any drivers hurt when they crashed during a Quarter-Scale event) but still very real. Any seasoned Quarter Scale driver will tell you he can "feel" what his car is doing. In addition, almost any set-up parameter available on a full-scale race car is duplicated on the Quarter Scale equivalent. Winning requires a combination of skills; set-up, as well as driving! (Jump to Quarter-Scale Gallery for pix of typical chassis/suspension.)
Quarter Scale Cars are not toys; you won't find them on the shelf at Toys 'R Us, or the local hobby shop. The NASCAR-type Stock- Cars are four feet long, weigh 30lbs, and, depending on the track, can exceed true-speeds (not scale) of 80MPH!
Organized Quarter Scale Racing events take place at the local, Regional, National, and International Levels.
Driving a Quarter Scale
Because they are driven from a distance by means of a radio transmitter with a small steering-wheel, and trigger-actuated throttle and brakes, it is sometimes difficult for the beginner or novice to achieve that "feel" mentioned above. But, with time and practice comes experience and skill. A person "moving-up" from a lesser scale will have no problem driving a Quarter Scale, as they are, when properly set-up, easier to drive than any of the lesser scales.
Quarter-Scale Differences
Primarily in the areas of size, true-scale appearance, set-up adjustability, and realism. Quarter Scale emphasizes optimizing the competitor's set-up, as well as driving skills; and particularly enjoyment. Sharing with, and helping other competitors is the rule, rather than the exception in Quarter Scale. QSAC uses the term "Knowledge-Transfer" frequently in many of its Newsletter features, and strongly encourages competitors to help each other "get the cars stuck". This attitude is not altogether altruistic, since it is much better to have ten good-handling cars in a race than six that handle well, and four others that are, in essence, "30lb-barely-guided- missiles". It makes for more competitive, fun racing, and a better "show" for the spectators. This attitude is the exception, rather than the rule, in the smaller scales.
Another, very important difference, is the engine specs. QSAC mandates that only one specific brand of 23cc two-stroke engine is allowed, and, with the exception of the Outlaw Late-Model class, it must be bone stock. At major events QSAC utilizes a pre- and post-race Technical Inspection procedure, impounding the top four cars in each class, and performing a comprehensive external and internal inspection of the car including weight, width, height, tire-size, and spoiler, as well as engine tear-down inspection.
Racing in Quarter Scale
Race formats in Quarter Scale closely follow their full-scale counterparts, with one major exception: the races are computer-scored utilizing car-mounted transponders that, when passing over a sensor-loop imbedded in the track-surface, keep track of lap-time, track position and number of laps automatically (our full-scale brethren are just now catching on to this). The number of active transponders available with these systems is ten, therefore each race is limited to ten cars. The lesser scales have a similar limitation. However, there the similarity ends. While the lesser scales limit the race lengths by time or fuel-tank size, Quarter Scale races are oriented to numbers of laps, like their full-size counterparts.
Class specifications and race formats are established by the QSAC Official Rules. Stock-Car classes may run as many as 500 laps, and require "on the fly" pit-stops for fuel, since the fuel-tank sizes for each class are specified in the Rules. Classes such as the Super-Trucks mimic the full-scale events, and are formatted to run two 100 lap segments, separated by a 5 minute "break" during which any sort of maintenance (refueling, tires, spring/shock changes, etc) may be performed.
Local tracks have the option of using single-car time-trials, or a pill-draw, to establish starting positions in the Qualifying heats (of which there are two rounds, varying in length from 20 to 50 laps) to earn positions in the "mains". Heat races are usually limited to six competitors. The number of "mains" is dependent on the number of cars entered in a particular class. Each main is populated with cars in whatever positions earned from the heats. Every competitor will run at least one "main".
Example: Say the Winston Cup-type class has 30 entries--- there would be two rounds of five heats of six cars--- they would populate an A, B, C, and D-main of six cars and an E-main of six, from which the top four cars would "bump-up" to the D, making it a ten car race, the D's top-four bump to the C, which would "bump" the top four, and so on, up to the "A". Laps raced in the mains range from 50 for the E and D, 75 for the C, 100 for the B, on up to as many as 3-500 for the A. So, as you can see, a racer who had misfortune in his/her pair of heat-races could, if they got the car adjusted right, raced all the way through from the E to the A, for as many as 775 laps total! It has happened!
