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Author Topic: Brodak Clown Racing 2011  (Read 1667 times)

Offline Al Ferraro

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Brodak Clown Racing 2011
« on: April 01, 2011, 09:18:41 PM »
   This year the Brodak .15 CL is allowed in the contest, so I bought one to check it out. I measured the venturi & got .262 diameter and the spray bar is .156.
   The LA .15 CL was the only engine allowed for the last few years. It's venturi measured .236 and the spray bar for the Cl version is .125, and that is what most people use in the contest.
  The rules state a .236 venturi and a .146 spray bar.  On my LA entry I made a .146 spray bar from a .156 by turning it down to be legal.
I would like to know if there is  going to be a new venturi rule update with the new engine? S?P
Al
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Offline Paul Smith

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Re: Brodak Clown Racing 2011
« Reply #1 on: April 01, 2011, 10:01:38 PM »
I've always felt that the one ounce tank and most laps in a given time was supposed to make venturi measuring a moot point.  You could open up the venturi and make more pit stops if that's the strategy you want.

This bidness of changing from a one-engine to a two-engine rule will be an education.  Either the Brodak will beat the OS into the ground or it won't.

The wheel weaves
As the wheels wills
And none can see the pattern
Until it is done.

Have you ever seen a venturi, spray bar, or fuel tank measured at The Brodak?

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On the same theme, in Brodak Foxberg, they allow a Fox 35 Stunt, which has a die cast venturi throat and 35 cubic inches to run against Brodak 25's with a certain selection of CL venturis and an LA25 which generally comes as an RC engine and leaves the CL venturi/NVA to the imagination of the user.  So how could one make a rule that fairly equalizes these three engines?

The de factor rule seems to be: "Air is free, and a suction engine can only suck in a limted amount, so just race and ignore trying to measure venturis".   A Buster of a Flite Streak with a 25 or Fox Stunt isn't going to go all that fast anyway.
« Last Edit: April 02, 2011, 08:27:21 AM by Paul Smith »
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Offline john e. holliday

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Re: Brodak Clown Racing 2011
« Reply #2 on: April 02, 2011, 09:34:50 AM »
Why regulations on venturi and spray bar sizes.   Not every one has the equipment or means to set up their engines.   Iusually run my engines box stock except for the LA's.  So they get what ever Tower Hobbies has in stock.  I too would like to try one of the Brodak .15's.    In our area where Class II Goodyear originated, we started out requiring box stock plain bearing Fox .15 Schnuerle engines.  Then they got hard to get and only the ball bearing engine was available locally.   So the rules allowed them and we found out you take care of the box stock plain bearing engine as it was faster on the watch.   Now we have guys hand fitting the BB Fox's with different heads.   Clown Racing is not what it started out to be.   
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John E. "DOC" Holliday
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AMA 23530  Have fun as I have and I am still breaking a record.

Offline Terrence Durrill

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Re: Brodak Clown Racing 2011
« Reply #3 on: April 02, 2011, 10:44:55 AM »
Quote from: john e. holliday on April 02, 2011, 09:34:50 AM
Why regulations on venturi and spray bar sizes.   Not every one has the equipment or means to set up their engines.   Iusually run my engines box stock except for the LA's.  So they get what ever Tower Hobbies has in stock.  I too would like to try one of the Brodak .15's.    In our area where Class II Goodyear originated, we started out requiring box stock plain bearing Fox .15 Schnuerle engines.  Then they got hard to get and only the ball bearing engine was available locally.   [u]So the rules allowed them and we found out you take care of the box stock plain bearing engine as it was faster on the watch.   Now we have guys hand fitting the BB Fox's with different heads.   Clown Racing is not what it started out to be.  


Doc, not too many guys are content just to come to an event and fly in the races.  They want to win and they do that by constantly tuning their equipment and flying skills.  It is very much like OTS at Tucson.  When one is flying in competition, the human drive is to be the winner, whatever it takes to get there.  It's the human thing to do.........TDurrill
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Offline Al Ferraro

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Re: Brodak Clown Racing 2011
« Reply #4 on: April 02, 2011, 12:56:45 PM »
(Have you ever seen a venturi, spray bar, or fuel tank measured at The Brodak?)

Yes, the tank on my Clown was checked by one of the CDs and I was also asked to change my fuel before a qualifier. I saw your LA .25 venturi checked with a caliper on your Brodakberg .
  All the stock Cl engines used in Brodak came with only one size venturi that I know of. If you could use different size venturis in the .25 engines then it should be legal to open up the Fox .35 to keep up. 
   I never have a problem with someone checking my equipment or fuel at any contest I attend.
Al
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Offline Paul Smith

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Re: Brodak Clown Racing 2011
« Reply #5 on: April 03, 2011, 06:29:44 AM »
Really?  Somebody must have miked it when I wasn't looking.  I guess I was legal.  All my venturis are off-the-shelf standard OS parts from Tower.

I repeat, I believe it's a moot point in BOTH events.

In Foxberg, with the stock legal parts, the engine almost sags off during acceleration.  If it was any bigger it wouldn't make the first lap.

In Clown, the original object of the rules was to let FUEL CAPACITY be the great equalizer.  You had the choice of going fast and making maybe 35 laps or going economical and making 65 laps.  The problem (at least at Brodak's) was that the fast planes went 95 MPH and the slow ones went 60 MPH, so there a lot of "action" in the races.  The fix was to use OS LA15's, but the difference in building skills still leaves about 15 MPH of speed differential (better than the old 35 MPH).

These events are just about the most "equalized" events I've ever seen.  Airplane design, engine, fuel tank (size in Clown and brand in Foxberg), standard contest fuel, and a long list of other restrictions.

The only factors left open are workmanship, prop, balance point, and selecting the best of several engines. 

This setup is OK with me, I've entered the events five times.  The only event that's more equalized is bowling.  And like bowling, the end result still hinges on a lot of skill and a bit of luck.

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Paul Smith

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