What does he have that nobody else has found? Just so much more forward bite. Makes it look like has 100hp on whole field.
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What does he have that nobody else has found? Just so much more forward bite. Makes it look like has 100hp on whole field.
Confidence and balls.
Clements power, Longhorn chassis, great analytical driving ability.
they were 4/10 faster than anybody in qualifying yesterday, rtj is good but not that much better than the rest of these professionals
Rickey is a good wheelman and they've hit on something to his liking. I mean the way the cars are today you only need to be a few 10 tenths better. get you a good qualifying lap, start up front in the heat, win the heat, start upfront in the A-main and you're off to victory lane unless you have mechanical problems.
RTJ was hot like this begining of last year also and carried that thru most of the season. Starting up front in clear air has alot to do with it especially on these big tracks. i personally prefer the smaller bullrings where the driver can possibly make up the difference?
Theirs definitely Somthing different about that car. It's attitude is different compared to anything else its racing against. It really shines in lapped traffic he can do things that other drivers flat out can't and it's not from a driver ability standpoint. I'm not saying he doesn't have the abilities and it's all car but they've at minimum found a way to sacrifice maybe some of the arow grip for mechanical grip and maybe Ricky can make up the difference for whatever their sacrificing most of the time
The car looks very soft on the right rear, which would give it great traction. You usually lose corner entry stability with a soft RR, so they have definitely figured something out to compensate. I have a feeling a lot of drivers would not be comfortable in that car, so it speaks to RTJ's talent that he can make it work so well. It's a perfect storm of Anthony Burroughs thinking outside of the box and Ricky wheeling it.
Tell me you never watched Ricky race Mods without telling me you never watched Ricky race Mods. Same thing. RTJ is a generational dirt racing talent. He has amazing vision and timing. He also has the uncanny ability to find the fastest lines on the track. His car is really not any different. There are no secrets in this game anymore.
I've watched the guy race mods and not always look that great. I have also done a lot of studying race cars and his cars rr is not dominated by the anti squat geometry, the way most are. It works much better. That's one of the remaining flaws with the cars at large.
Thornton is a fine race car driver. He's also not 4 tenths better than the guys he's competing against, just as Davenport was not 6 tenths better a few years back
I said his car is not really any different. What he and his team do with it is a different story. But there is no trick part or a device that changes that. There car has been teched by every major sanctioning body in the sport, that was the point. There is no impropriety.
And he absolutely can be 4/10ths better when everything falls his way. Or he is pi$$ed off. See also 2023 PDC.
These cars are so close nowadays. They have found something that works for Rickey. I think the same thing with team Pierce. They have a setup let works very well. Yes ok he had a tire come back dirty but, he's been fast even after the failed tire test.
Always find it interesting when others say he's NOT faster than the rest. He consistently pulls everyone 3-4 car length from mid-corner to flagstand. I can't imagine how the driver does that unless they run different line than others (like Bloomer running really straight). His advantage is coming off, not running in, to door everyone.
I like seeing someone find that something extra. Purvis was the guy back in my day. You knew everyone was racing for 2nd if no tire or crash issues for him.
better than half of the field are Clements and Longhorn so I wouldn’t glean too much from that … I was in a vehicle dynamics group for years for one of the big three obviously that was pavement and not dirt but physics is physics … my take would be it’s the shocks and spring combination they are hanging off the chassis plus a top flight driver … I will be crucified for this but I would say that one of the smaller pieces in the puzzle is the longhorn … if it was not the house car would be on the podium instead of trying to get into the top 10 … as long as the chassis is sufficiently stiff it’s the shocks and springs that are the interaction with the track that determine the longitudinal and lateral forces involved not that the chassis needs great stiffness for that but without sufficient rigidity spring and shock change effects become unpredictable
I think it's the spoiler.