The DEX210 continues its debut

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08/09/2011
By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com

Team Durango has announced that the DEX210 has continued its debut with another top three finish! Here is the official TD Race Report and pictures of team driver, Paul Robinson's, production DEX210.

TEAM DURANGO RACE REPORT:

Team Durango driver Paul Robinson had his first taste of the new DEX210 2WD buggy this weekend at the UK BRCA Mid-West regional held at Kidderminster.

Team Durango’s Paul Robinson took out the DEX210 for the first time, at Kidderminster.

Paul:
With much anticipation in being given this opportunity to run the DEX210 for the first time out in the region, me and my dad were very eager, amongst a crowd of others, to see what the new Team Durango DEX210 could do.

Practice.
A good start to the day saw a promising practice with the car right on the pace. The suspension was a little too hard for the type of track, proving to be quite a lot different to Robin Hood Raceway where the car had been used the week prior by another driver. Also initial steering was a bit twitchy, and had on-power understeer due to the slipper being too tight. That noted, there was an impressive feeling from the geared diff. It really gave me the feeling that I was driving a Team Durango buggy.

Setup.
For the first round we felt we had to calm the car down, especially with the high grip levels in the dry, warm conditions. We added an extra 1 degree of camber and altered the front axle droop to 3mm to help with the steering. We also softened the shock oil on the rear from 450CST to 400CST to help with the bumps.

Round 1.
The setup felt better and the car was easier to drive, so we at least knew we were heading in the right direction. The steering still felt a bit twitchy due to the front end setup, although the suspension felt a lot better on the rear and the DEX210 was more flowing over the bumps. Quite a solid first run other than a couple of errors gave me a third place finish. Not bad for my first race with the car.

Round 2.
The second round was unfortunately quite a poor qualifier after looking so promising in the first round. This was due to a front tyre change which made the car feel completely out-of-balance, as the front end really digging-in especially when letting off the power at high speed.

Setup.
Feeling like we made the wrong decision in the previous round, we decided to change back to the tyres we used in the first round, as the car felt more consistent on this choice. We also increased the weight of the front shock oil from 450CST to 550CST, feeling that it may be that the shocks were too soft, but leaving the same springs on all round.

Round 3.

Surprised in what a little change in setup makes, the car felt a lot better. People watching my race commented that it looked like a different car on track. Stiffening the front shocks made car more comfortable driving into corners and felt more balanced driving out with loosening the slipper clutch a little. With the car and my driving back on the right path I scored a second place in the round, putting me 2nd overall going into the final round splitting.

Round 4.
The final round proved to be a very tough and competitive round. I qualified fourth on the grid for the finals.

A Final - Leg 1.
A wheelie at the start saw me fall back into eighth after the first lap, so not the best of starts. I managed to work my way back through the field. I really could feel the DEX210s raw pace and, despite making a couple of great moves to start catching the front runners, it proved all too much too late. However I did finish fifth after a disappointing start.

A Final - Leg 2.
The start was a lot better after turning the slipper clutch down a little more, learning that we may have been running it too tight all day. I held my position in third throughout the race. A mid-race mistake by the second-placed driver allowed me to get past. I kept the car on its wheels to bring it home in second place, proving the cars’ pace and consistency.

A Final - Leg 3.
An unfortunate racing incident at the start between me and another driver left me mid-field after the first few laps. I did manage to work my way back to second place, and that is where I finished the third and final leg.

Once all of the points had been counted, I finished my first competitive race in third, which is a really good result considering I was racing against some of the best drivers in the UK.

It was a great days racing. Most of my driver errors and decisions were mainly down to lack of experience with the car and trying to understand how the DEX210 would work for me. But with no 2WD Mid-Motor experience previously, and trying to get used to a brand new car, I was really pleased with my top three finish.

With the DEX210 showing great pace and promise, I am already looking forward to next season. One word can sum-up the DEX210: AWESOME.

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