Histori Minardi Day 2023 F1 Race Report

Maurizio Basile has attended a very special race event with his Tamiya TRF102. Here is his race report. 

Every 2 years, important model car races are organized at the Imola Formula 1 facility: one on Saturday running clockwise and one on Sunday anti-clockwise.

The track is set up on Friday evening so that all the drivers find themselves on a new track that no one has ever driven.

This year I decided to participate with my trusty Tamiya TRF102. 

As soon as we arrive at the track we immediately start driving in order to become familiar with the track.

After a driving a few packs in practice I realised that my TRF 102 is still quite competitive.

The track is very narrow and very twisty so I start working on the model in order to obtain an optimal set-up for this track.

The TRF102 lacked initial steering, so the first thing I did is to shorten the wheelbase of the model by changing the axles position in the front hubs. I then lengthened the shock absorber stroke.

Saturday:
After the first qualifying round I realised that the changes I made worked well. After qualifying I achieved 8th place overall. It was good to get into the A Final, but I had a lot to do. 

Starting at the back end of the grid on a narrow track I knew it would not be easy to reach the leaders, so I just wanted to ensure I didn't lose out to the chasing drivers on my tail. Once the finals were over, my overall position was 8th place. I was happy with this as I was as racing against 27 drivers, many with the latest and greatest F1 chassis on the market. 

Sunday: 

We changed the circuit by going counter-clockwise. I found the track much more to my liking in this configuration. 

In the morning I began the first qualifying session using the well worn Saturday tires, along with this I changed the Camber from 1.00 to 1.50. After the first round I found myself in the top ten, and more importantly I felt a great improvement to the car.

The second Qualifying I put on new tires that I would have to run for the rest of qualifying and through the finals.

The TRF102 was fantastic! The small tweak to the set-up and the track suiting me ensured that I achieved the fastest lap time of the day. At the end of qualifying I had ended up third on the grid for the finals. 

The first final went really well. I got a great start and placed myself immediately behind the leader. It was difficult for me to catch up to a great driver like Lee Luke, but the rest of the drivers were not threatening me so I finished this race in 2nd position.

At the start of the second Final I collided with some drivers, when I recovered I was last on the grid, I pushed on end ended up 4th.

In the third Final I tried to defend my starting position from the chasing pack, but once I settled into the groove I actually moved up and finished 2nd in the race and Overall for the day.

It was a fantastic weekend of racing. I was happy with my result with my TRF102 which proves to be competitive years after its birth.