Chapter 1 - The beginning.
This story begins at the beginning of last summer, when I received a call from a very good friend, Pol, telling me that an important slot brand, SRC, was looking to boost sales of its new speed product through a team with which it could not only win races, but also evolve and improve itself.
After many, many (and very productive) hours on the phone with his top manager, Marco, the “plan” was clear. To make the new Toyota TS050 HYBRID from SRC a winning LMP, with an ambitious goal for one year: to fight for victory in the MASTERSLOT in Madrid, the most prestigious 1/32 endurance race at the moment.
Between conversations, I also consulted with my usual team, with my friends, Besay, Guillem, Ignasi, Oriol, who in the end are the ones who make me win races... Do we see ourselves capable of winning with something different?
It didn't take me much to convince them (they also like to go for it...) although we had one premise clear: we would only continue ahead if the product in the medium term was really going to allow us to be at the top, taking the first races a bit to test.
A challenge for us, but also for SRC.
I haven't told you that shortly before all this, I had just discovered the brand's new model in stores and as a true lover of LMP, one of the slot categories that I like the most, I quickly bought it. The first impression, and I suppose like everyone else's, was a... Uoohh!
What a nice presentation of the kit… and the hood; does it move? Will it work? Is it a new invention for something or just an original solution?
The sensations with the first assembly of parts were very good, everything fit together perfectly, no burrs, hollow axles and perfect bearings, quality screws, not to mention how the parts were joined together (the headlights, for example); a product quality far above the average to which we are accustomed.
Things got a bit complicated when we got to the bench… AW T1? “Bolt System”, what…? My goodness! Nothing to do with what I used until now, well I lie, some brands had already proposed similar solutions years ago; but this was different… Anyway, once the moment was over, I managed to have my first SRC Toyota assembled, finally replacing its original engine with the well-known “Flat” one that is used in most championships… I didn’t even have time to paint, I wanted to try it out.
The first feeling on the track was not what I expected. Honestly, it was too noisy and the nose rubbed too much on the track… I was left thinking!
I told myself, this car will take time to get it working… (I think I told all this to my team… or maybe not? Hahahahahahaha…
And we return to the beginning of my story….
I had to forget about all my LMPs, some of them very competitive, built with the configurations that most slot racing fans know and make the Toyota a winning LMP, or at least with options.
I picked it up again lovingly, and looked at him as if to say... You and I are going to understand each other, right?
I started by analyzing the pros and cons compared to my best LMPs… The weight of the body and its flexibility were a plus, and the Toyota should not be disadvantaged in that regard.
The chassis was another story... Although it looked very well worked and with innovative solutions, it was clear that it had a "handicap"; the weight, at least compared to the competition, we intended to make it a serious and winning rival.
The suspension elements also offered practical solutions, although in essence it was a classic spring suspension, which is the most commonly used in most models, both GT and LMP. The original proposal for the turrets and the rear axle did not prevent the combination of suspension elements from other brands. A plus point…
The rest of the components had few complaints... The perfect guide for competition use, a little narrow according to the trend; classic, with a long blade, rigid, but not excessively so, and with a stem that fits perfectly in its location... The flexible cables, (although for me they were too thin). The front axle, different from the rest, thinner, and with specific rims (what a wonder, although "delicate" ...)
The bench, was already a separate chapter... Like the chassis, advantages and disadvantages:
On the one hand, it is light and somewhat flexible; too much? I had to try it…
The location and fit of the bearings is perfect...
It was clear that it was a very young project where the chassis and bed frame assembly were presented with heights that were very well executed, but with a very obvious handicap: no offset.
Having solved the problems of my first experience with the KIT 50001 of the new TOYOTA LMP1 SRC, with some simple guide washers I prevented the nose from rubbing, retouching the suspensions and improving the fit of the body with the chassis, I began a new “test” session on the track.
The sensations were already different, more like those of a good LMP, with a very noble behavior, and something that quickly caught my attention: how well it entered from the nose!
The times were still far from my best cars, but things were already looking up…
As a good tester, I passed on all this information to Marco Camino so that SRC could be clear about what the priorities should be in future developments to achieve the objectives we had set ourselves. Many of these assessments were already underway, which surprised me about their project and way of working in view of the competition.
The idea was not to make the car good, but to make it the best. The first was clear: a lighter and more flexible chassis. It's not that the T1 chassis was a bad chassis, quite the contrary, but in terms of weight it was far from the standards of use as a reference in the category.
The next step had to be an “offset” bench, as the competition models have had for years, which offers many advantages and which you all know…
Other less important elements could also be subject to review and evolution, seeking product excellence, but these were less urgent issues.
Now, at the presentation of the first SRC model in high competition, we were going to debut with the material we had available. The races that were planned, once the pandemic was over, were going to be faced like this, so it was a matter of continuing to carry out “tests” and understanding how the whole set worked.
At the end of September 2021 we had our first big test, just two and a half months after starting my story with SRC. This test would be the 12h “Ciutat de Igualada” at the SUPERDOME facilities….
Continuará….
Joseph M.ª Molins “NEO”
