Following on from our recent articles that have focused on our resident European Champion and off-road super star Chris Doughty, we are very excited to bring you some more racing words of wisdom from the the man himself. Chris continues to provide us all with a great point of inspiration both on the track and within his daily role here at TDHQ.

Chris has recently found great success by running one of the new generation of ‘shorty’ battery packs in his DEX210. Chris was keen to share his thoughts on this new battery configuration with you all.

“I have recently been experimenting with shifting the weight distribution in my DEX210 by using a shorty battery pack. I have found that I can tune the weight bias by shifting the cells further back for increased rear end grip and better forward traction on lower grip surfaces. I also tried the cells pushed all the way forwards and both configurations spaced out with battery spacing foams. Moving the cells forwards gave me a smoother initial turn into corners. The other advantage is that you can minimise cells you have to carry as the 2S is housed in one pack” Chris Doughty – Team Durango

Foam spacers in front of the shorty pack - Weight bias to the rear of the DEX210

Chris was kind enough to share another collection of tips and tricks that we hope you will all find helpful. Who better to give us guidance on the world-class DEX210 platform than a man who was instrumental in its development?

• Increasing your rear toe-in will give your DEX210 more rear end grip during cornering and also assist with the car straightening up quicker out of a corner. The DEX210 benefits from a wide range of tuning options for the rear toe settings straight from the box. Take time to experiment with these options for different surfaces. I have found great success by using these fast and easy adjustments as the grip levels change on any given surface.
• The DEX210 is very responsive to set-up changes and your cars ride height will have a direct influence on its handling characteristics. The Team Durango shock adjustment nuts are precision manufactured to give fast and easy adjustments. Try not to become lazy about set-up items such as ride height. If you choose to try the shorty battery suggestion, remember that the shorty is lighter and will require an adjustment in ride height to give you the same settings as when you previously ran a stick or saddle configuration.
• When gluing your tyres to the super tough Team Durango wheel rims, always wipe down your wheels with an alcohol cleaning wipe. This removes any dust or nylon particles that will cause problems with your tyre beads bonding to the wheels. There is nothing worse than losing a tyre during a good run due to the glue coming away from the contact point.
• I carry a large sized set-up board in my pit hauler to every race meeting. This allows me to gain a solid flat surface when working on caster, camber and ride height changes. My DEX210 always benefits from a quick drop onto the pit board from about 8 inches. Do this with the car fully loaded with all your running gear and battery cells. Set the ride height from the resting point of the car and everything should be settled with your shocks for a true representation of how the buggy will ride when racing.
• I am a real fan of the Team Durango stock DEX210 body shell. It provides the perfect fit around the chassis lines of the car and has a super stealthy look on the track. With its dedicated side pod air vents it is easy to take a scalpel and open up these small vent holes to increase cool airflow into your car. This always aids with keeping your electrical components at a safe operating temperature during intense racing action.

Chris is currently enjoying the close of his winter indoor campaign and recently placed fourth overall in the closely contested Worksop Masters race series in the UK. His years of professional experience will always provide us with a rich source of practical experience and race-related skills.

Chris Doughty is ‘Serious About Racing.

To explore how you can enjoy the race winning qualities of the DEX210, as used by Chris Doughty, click here: http://www.team-durango.com/race-cars/dex210/