[mark-rc]

Andy, I never said that I thought Foams are a bad idea. I just pointed out the good and bad points regarding foams and rubber tyres. Both for the beginner through to the pro drivers. One thing you have to remember is that not many if any people have a tyre truing machine. So when a set of tyres are damaged not everyone has either the knowledge or the equipment to repair the tyre, and as I said, If I put Arron and Anna on foams, as and when they rip or chunk them 'And they will', I would then have to tell them there race night is over for that week! until I can repair the tyre 'That being that I could'. The only way around that is to have two to three sets glued up ready for them, and then that makes the running cost silly. There is nothing to stop someone putting a new set of tyres on every run, and that has been the case for as long as I have been racing! And unless there is a tyre restriction of some sort, people will put new tyres on there cars, in reflection to how deep there pockets are! And that unfortunately is Racing! In any class Toy car or Real.

My car setup for southport, Chadderton, Bury and Ribble is setup within the limits of the cars adjust ability and what the car is designed to do. If I take my 8th rally cross to a blown out bumpy as hell track, and that track is more of 'Truggy Environment' That does not make it right that I then add truggy wish bones driveshafts and wheels to make my car more suitable to the track conditions. It goes against the 'spirit' of Off Road 8th Buggy racing. And the same applies to 1/10th 'Off Road Buggys'. As I also said, It is not just as simple as putting fuel tubing or spaces in the shocks. Many of the racers that race at Ribble also race at other clubs, and do not have two sets of shocks to setup. for those that only have the shocks that are on there cars, they are going to have to keep stripping down the shocks re build them with more oil, every weekend. That is an extra cost on top of what is already an expensive hobby. Yes I tune 'setup' my Buggy to the track conditions, But my Buggy is still 'Off Road' even in an 'OnRoad Environment'. I am not changing the suspension of an 'Off Road car' to an 'On Road car'.

The majority of racers at Ribble now are Buggy racers, and if you talk to most, they all want to race on a track that is more 'Off Road' than on road, That's what the 'FUN' is in Buggy Racing. The best thing about Ribble is that they have got very good at building a track layout that both the on road and off road cars can race on, with just a movement of a barrier. At the end of the day, we are racing buggies! and that is how we should be racing them. We should not be setting them up as touring cars and calling them 'Buggy Class'. Its an off road car NOT an On Road car.

The advancement in electrics 'Boost-Turbo speedo's etc' faster servos more powerful batteries, has not ever been within just one class of racing. the power you get, and how it works is a personal thing, some like turbo some don't! and that applies across all classes, unless it is restricted eg 'Blinky'. As is the case when it comes to tyres, how much power you can get out of your car reflects on how much you are able to spend on the better equipment. Your comment of ' Using boost on speedos isn't at all common in off road because cars typically have more power than grip', well I think you will find it's more Common than you think, I have been using turbo in my buggies since it started as a feature in speedo's, and many many off road racers have. Its just another way of adding speed to your car, in the same way as going from a 3 port rtr engine to a 3 port OS Speed, you buy the amount of power you want in your car! But no matter what or how much power you have in your car, the car is still either Off Road Or On Road.

Yes you are absolutely right when it comes to the fact that the club is about having fun! But, when Arron and Anna ask me why they can't keep up 'xyz' driver all of a sudden, when every week they have good close races with them, I have to tell them, that's because they have now got foam tyres and have limited there cars suspension to be like a touring car. I now have to buy two full sets of shocks and foam tyres for there cars, because if I don't they can't keep up with the same level of drivers that they are. Then they get frustrated and stop having 'Fun'. Everyone wants to win and finish as high up as they can, even the kid that come to race for the first time! Thats why they come to 'Race!' if all they wanted to do was drive there cars around, they can do that anywhere.