Quantum Mechanics – TOP Racing Photon
Track test
The track test took place at a practice day at the purpose build indoor carpet track of the MAC Geesthacht e.V. near Hamburg. The track features a tight layout and medium grip carpet which should prove ideal for TOP Racing’s Photon.
For the initial run we kept the recommended kit set-up but used harder front tyres, Jaco Purple, as we had the feeling the softer Mangenta’s recommended in the set-up sheet would give too much steering. As this was an indoor track we where only allowed to use odourless tyre treatments and therefore opted for Corally’s tried and tested ‘Jack the gripper’.
The first run with the Photon was very promising. Even with the ‘mild’ 6.5T motor speed was not an issue. The 30 tooth pinion was a tad too much so we went for a smaller 28 tooth one for the next couple of runs. The traction provided by the foam tyres was excellent but we spotted a noticeable push mid-corner that kept us from applying the throttle soon enough to make use of the full potential of the car. First thing now was to flip the eccentric roll-centre inserts on the front to lower the M signed suspension mounts (do not forget to re-adjust the droop to the recommended 5.0mm!). The next run the Photon felt transformed. It still had loads of steering entering the corner but kept it all the way through the turn making it possible to hit the throttle much earlier. During the second run all of a sudden we heard a very strange sound under braking. Close investigation showed a knackered spur gear. Why was that? Obviously we forgot to use threadlock on the two screws that fasten the middle layshaft. Both came loose during the run allowing the adjustable shaft to swing up and down. Lesson learned: always use a good quality thread-lock on ALL screws that go into metal parts and double check before the first run. Thankfully we had a spare 100 tooth 64dp spur gear at hand. While changing the spur gear we also tried to further improve the chassis set-up and shortened the front upper links by using the middle position on the carbon plates. This now gave us too much steering all the way through the corner and seems more appropriate for very low grip conditions. Instead we lay the front shocks one hole in on the shock tower giving us a slightly softer front end that slowed down the steering response a bit without sacrificing overall steering.
With the last couple of runs the Photon developed a slight amount of oversteer coming out of the very tight turns which was caused by back end tyre wear. This showed us how important it is to always stay with one diameter once you found the right suspension set-up. With a new set of rear Mangenta’s the TOP Racing Photon was back in business.
Conclusion
TOP Racing’s new Photon is a real beauty. Quality parts mix with excellent on-track performance. Although we only can judge the Carpet Foam Edition we think the Rubber Spec car will for sure be a winner on the track too.
Specifications
Scale: 1/10
Chassis: 3.0 mm carbon fibre
Upper deck: 2.5 mm carbon fibre
Drivetrain: Fulltime 4WD
Differentials: Ball differential/ball differential
Suspension: Independent double wishbone
Shocks: Alloy/oil filled/coil over spring
Dimensions
Length: 380 mm
Width: 189 mm
Wheelbase: 254.5 – 261 mm
Track – front: 160 mm
Track – rear: 160 mm
Weight: 1280 grams
*Stock set-up with wheels as tested
Equipment
Car: TOP Racing Photon Foam Carpet Edition [top-racing.jp]
Motor: Team Orion Vortex Race 6.5T [teamorion.com]
Speedo: Team Orion Vortex Race Spec [teamorion.com]
Battery: Team Orion Carbon Molecular 45C 4600mAh [teamorion.com]
Charger: Team Orion Advantage Race Spec [teamorion.com]
Servo: Team Orion Vortex Digital VDS-1009 [teamorion.com]
Body: Parma/PSE 190mm Alfa TC [parmapse.com]
