Interview with John "johnnyboy" Summach

The Kyosho driver John "johnnyboy" Summach. You can follow his racing at "Almost Live" Race Coverage blog!

"Over there” they have been racing with LiPo for some time now. Because I’m curious about this technique and probably will start racing with it soon, I sent a e-mail to the great driver John “johnnyboy” Summach and asked him to explain the advantages with LiPo. He gave me some really good answers and now I wonder why we haven’t changed to LiPo earlier. Please comment the interview and write what you think of LiPo.

Kris (my new international name): For how long have you been racing with LiPo?

John "johnnyboy" Summach: Since the end of 2005 (switched to LiPo and Brushless).

K: Which motors and LiPo do you use for your RB5 and your Lazer ZX-5SP? Which pinions and spurs?

J: Typically I will run the 2008 Orion Vortex Race 6.5 in my RB5 (21/78) and a 5.5 in the Lazer SP (19/78)

John´s Lazer ZX5-SP.

K: Have you done any modifications on your RB5 and Lazer ZX-5SP to adapt the LiPo better to the cars? Will you do any modifications one the new Lazer ZX-5FS?

J: I had some special stainless steel plates made up that fit under the battery in the RB5. They add 4.5oz (128 gram) of weight back into the car and keeps the center of gravity nice and low. I only added about 3oz (85 gram) of lead weight back into the Lazer (along side the battery). It seems ok with that. You are looking at about a 6 oz (170 gram) weight difference between a 4200 NiMH pack and an Orion 3600 LiPo! I have been holding off on the Lazer FS as Orion do not have a LiPo saddle pack (yet...), but I will probably add about 4 to 5 oz (113 till 142 gram) back into the car with lead (or tungsten) weight when I get the FS as I think the saddle pack layout will perform better with more weight in it than the stick pack SP car.

K: How many LiPo do you bring with you on a weekend of racing?

J: I only use two Orion 3600 LiPo's per car on race day and just keep re-peaking them. Mainly just so I can keep practicing (run one while charging the other). When it comes to qualifying and the mains, you can get by on just the one pack per car!

K: How and when do you charge your LiPo when you are competing?

J: I charge the batteries up the night before the race (I charge at 1C) and then just re-peak them in between rounds. At a bigger race you never have to take the battery out as a 5 minute qualifier doesn't draw too much and it will re-peak pretty quick. We upped the A Mains locally here to 10 minutes as a result of all the new motor and battery technology. I can probably run for 15 minutes off a 3600 LiPo!

John´s pit area. Nice and clean.

K: How do you store your LiPo between the races and practises?

J: I usually store my LiPo's fully charged in between racing. You can just leave them after your run if you run weekly as they don't drop that much voltage in storage.

K: Which advantages are there in competing with LiPo in off-road buggy instead of NiMh?

J: Convenience! No more long nights spent discharging, equalizing and then re- charging 4 NiMH packs (per car) and less equipment to haull to the track (I take 2 chargers and 4 LiPo batteries only, instead of 2 chargers, 2 equalizer trays, 8 NiMH batteries). You don't have to "time" when you peak the battery for your race as well and no crazy battery charging voodoo. Just charge and go. They also provide great punch out on the track and don't fade as fast. I am fast asleep in the hotel room while my friends are getting all their NiMH packs sorted out for the next day. I will never go back to NiMH!

K: Is there anything I should think of when I buy, charge and race with LiPo?

J: You generally get what you pay for. I prefer to stick with reliable, quality brands. Make sure your charger settings are correct for the battery as you don't want any fires and make sure your car/esc has a voltage cutoff so you don't drop the voltage too low on the battery, possibly damaging them. I prefer hardcase LiPo's for the durability.

John´s RB5.

K: For how long have you been racing off-road buggy?

J: I started racing R/C in 1985. I stopped in '92 to become a Pro Downhill Mountain Bike Racer. I came back to the hobby in 2005 after a friend got me re-hooked.

K: Which club do you race for?

J: Well my two home tracks would be: www.sidsraceway.com and www.fastcats.ca. I am not in a specific "club".

K: Who are your sponsors?

J: Kyosho America, Team Orion, AKA, Pro-Line, The Bawdy Shop, Oakley & www.johnnyboy.ca

K: Thanks John!

J: No problem! Thanks for checking out my "Almost Live" Race Coverage blog! You guys will LOVE LiPo's!

The pictures are borrowed from johnnyboydotca.blogspot.com. Thanks!