Rudebits DB1 - First time on the track

Those of you who follow my articles each week will already be aware that I have recently been building my very own off-road rocket in the shape of the new Rudebits DB1 2wd buggy. After many hours of building, tweaking, soldering, and chin scratching...the beast was ready for action.

My first outing with the already hugely successful DB1 was to be with some old friends down at the Silverstone Model Car Club Winter Astro Series..Round 1 to be specific. I have always loved the Moulton College venue since my first visit and I was really excited to be returning to this really well run club to see how my rather shiny investment would fair.

2 days before I got to Silverstone Model Car Club!

Now first things first, let me just put some points in very clear focus for you all. I am not, and for that matter never will be, a 'top quality' driver. I often realise that considering the high profile races I find myself at, I am at best very average when it comes to putting the buggy around the track. I experience a syndrome that many of my readers will relate to when I explain it. For 2 or 3 minutes of any given race I am really happy with how I drive. I hit the apex, I jump really straight, I enter my corner lines nicely and exit as I intended to. Now for the other remaining 2 or 3 minutes I am...well...what is the best way to translate this?....CRAP! ;). My laps are scrappy, my cornering lacks consistent lines, my track positioning is worse than if I was racing with my eyes closed and when I fire the car down the back straight it would be wise for spectators and marshals to duck for cover. In other words my driving skills are extremely inconsistent. O.K, now we have cleared up those public admittances of my skill level, which if I am honest, takes a strong constitution to type out loud lol, we can carry on with the story. To wit....

I arrived at Moulton with my racing partner and fellow off-road nutcase the venerable Mr David Williams at 7:00am. Practice was scheduled to start at 7:20am so we were already close to 'go time' as they say. We settled into the pits and began to get the cars ready for their first few laps. Just so you all are aware, David is also running the DB1 this winter and he had even less time than me to get the buggy built with his work and family commitments only giving him 5 hours to get the car ready from complete scratch! The pit area was buzzing with lots of familiar faces and some new ones to add to the cool dynamic of the event. As far as a 'Baptism of Fire' goes...this race meeting would see us running the DB1 in front of not only National podium regular Kevin Lee but also DB1 designer and top honcho David Burton!!...no pressure then folks?

David 'DB1' Burton works on his Rudebits DB1 buggy at Silverstone

As I put my car down on the edge of the beautiful Silverstone astro track I was hard pushed to imagine exactly what to expect. My buggy had still been in bits less than 8 hours prior to this moment, and although we all know the car is fast as hell in the hands of the likes of Elliot Boots and Kev Lee, it was really hard to predict what would happen with 'old shaky thumbs' here. Well....as I slowly settled into my first few practice laps I began to fully understand exactly what all the hype was about. This was not just another 2wd mid motor buggy! not by a long shot.

I had spent some time getting my wires neat...well for my usual standards anyway :)

After I exited turn 6 of my second lap I was consumed by the feeling that no matter what my poor driving skills or the track itself threw at this car, it would laugh it off and just stay controlled and planted through the duration of any action. The buggy was so smooth during corners that I found myself able to hold the throttle further forwards and consequently was exiting corners straighter and faster than I had ever done so before. The DB1 soaked up the 'rumble' sections of the track and made very easy work of any elevation changes including the rather steep 'Wall of Death' that the club had erected to challenge the racers lap times. I came down from the rostrum with a rather large grin spread across my face and found myself still grinning after I left my marshal point some 5 minutes later.

The DB1 continued for the next 5 hours of racing to provide me with what was the safest and most satisfying racing I have ever experienced. My laps became more consistent. I pushed the car harder than I have ever felt confident doing before, and I was even stringing together several clean laps where I could relax and focus more on my racing line rather than wrestling the buggy in and out of every corner I met. I ran the 'stock' set-up that was perfected by Kev Lee with one exception, both my car and Dave's had been built using big bore Kyosho shocks and not the preferred slim bores that the rest of the team use. Most team drivers I has spoken with prior to the event had commented that the big bore shocks gave the DB1 "much safer handling characteristics" and that sounded good as this would be the first time I was running the new buggy.

The 'bench mark' for us all...David Burton's buggy sits in the pits

In summary our day concluded with us both feeling overwhelmed by the DB1. Not just because it drove so well, but also because we fully realised that there are not many manufacturers out there today who will have the head designer sat next to you in the pits giving you the benefit of his wealth of knowledge. David Burton and Kev Lee both assisted all the DB1 drivers on Saturday with tips and sound advice making the whole experience so much more enjoyable. Tony Evdoka from Rudebits was not at the Silverstone meeting, but his tireless efforts and wonderful enthusiasm prior to the event gave me so much confidence with regards the build of my DB1.

I am so excited to be running this buggy for the winter season. It was such a wonderful feeling to lift the buggy off the track and feel like it was a product that really does live up to the media hype, even in the hands of a lesser driver such as myself. I am confident that the buggy will not only improve my racing skills but also provide me with many hours of pleasure as I work on maintaining the car. Kyosho parts, Rudebits carbon, perfect combination in my eyes...roll on Wednesday night as my DB1 takes to the carpet at my local club for the second race meeting since it was built...I can not wait! :)

 Stay tuned for more DB1 news and reviews over the coming months folks.

To learn more about the Rudebits DB1 buggy conversion kit visit www.rudebits.co.uk
To see what Kevin Lee and Inside Line Racing have new in stock visit www.insidelineracing.co.uk