Here are a last few scattered thoughts and observations on the Nationals…

1/12^th:  Well documented that grip was nearly completely absent for these cars. I think it was a little unexpected, and certainly unfortunately.  I agree with Heavy that running a Nats for this class is best allocated to specific tracks that really suit the cars/class.   Despite the problems however, Big Mac was outstanding – working hard to make his car driveable and consistent, and nearly pulling off the win.  Well done mate!
Tyres:  The control tyre package was ok – with the obvious exception of the chosen wheel not having a zero offset – and consequently sending lots of cars over the legal width limit.  I loved the “no additive” rules for this event.  Running no additives took the black art of chemical tuning away from the event and I certainly appreciated that.  It was also nice not to have a head full of fumes all day, and to be eating my burger with Paragon coated fingers while wondering which cancer I will get first!
Brushless: Modified was completely dominated by brushless motors. I think there was one or two running brushed motors in the 32 car field.  Some people struggled with heat and thermal shutdowns were reasonably common, while others exploded speedies or motors.  Some went through quite a few of either and were intensely frustrated.  One friend upgraded from brushed to brushless – only to have his new brushless speedo “release the smoke” and expire in his last run of the day.  Competitive power was being made by both Novak (3.5 or 4.5 motors, GTB speedies) and GM (I think both the 80 and 95 series speedos and mostly 4.5 motors as far as I know).  Personally I used a Novak GTB/3.5 combo. My GTB dates back to March, and the 3.5 has about 50 runs on it. Both ran faultlessly throughout practice and the weekend of racing.  One of the amazing things about modified TC now (compared to only a couple of years ago) is that nearly everybody has huge horsepower, and there are practically no run-time issues.  It’s not about run-time now, but about how we manage heat, and who can set the motors/speedos up to run through the 5 minutes without overheating. It’s a different skill – but still an important part of the setup and racing process.
Cooling:  There was a phenomenal range of cooling strategies on display in the modified class. Cooling was perhaps the most important part of the car setup with thermal shutdowns stopping many promising runs (including SA’s Darryl Khemlani who was just one lap away from an A final spot when his system said “enough”!  Fan choice and placement, air scoops and vents, creative speed control mounting arrangements all had pride of place in many cars.  The start grid of the mod A final sounded like an air conditioner on High – and that was before the start signal!
Offroad:  It was great to have offroad legends like Darren Perry, Brett Ryan and Peter Scott running touring cars. I think for the most part, all three enjoyed the experience (though Brett may not be such a fan after a bit of electrical damage) and will hopefully be back regularly on the local TC scene. These three guys are very, very good drivers and will add a lot of competitive depth to the modified scene. Look for them to be particularly competitive at Hobbystation in December.  Hopefully we might welcome back Peter Dooley soon as well!
Young Guns: As nice as it is to race with some of these legends, it was also great to see the continued development of some of the younger and improving drivers. Drew Crawley was the victim of several thermal shutdowns while on very fast runs and was definitely unlucky not to finish higher.  One of the highlights of the meet for me was the performance of Chris Shevelling (Bundaberg/Coral Coast) to make the A final in stock.  That was truly delightful to see, and though Chris suffered a bit through nerves in the final, he will be much the better for the experience. Well done Chris and Drew!
World Class:  Watching truly world class talent like Peter Jovanovic, Jake Zarb and Simon Nicholson go around was inspiring wasn’t it?  Those three in particular had a break on the field in terms of driving and pure pace and gave us some insight into just how tough it must be to race internationally.  Consider that Simon finished mid-field at the 2006 World Championships…
Scrutineering:  There seemed to be some strange goings on at the scrutineering shed over the weekend. Personally, I took my car up early on Saturday and asked for it to be thoroughly checked – including wing chord etc – and had no problems whatsoever.  Others however seemed to be fine for 3 or 4 rounds, then fail or to be pinged over seemingly insignificant issues.  On the whole, I don’t envy the role of scrutineer, and understand that at a National Title rules are going to be strictly enforced.  It did seem to upset quite a few people though…
Cars: As usual I was impressed by the variety of competitive chassis going around. I’m not sure what the lineup was like in stock, but in the modified A final there were X-Ray T2-007 (Zarb and Campbell), Losi JRXS-R (Jovanovic *2), Associated FT-TC4 (Abbot), Kyosho Stallion (Atack), Corally RDX (Pain and Cooke), HB Cyclone (Nicholson) and of course the mighty Schumacher Mi2-EC.  Seven different chassis in the top 10!
Racing:  We have known for a long time that racing in modified can be pretty “take no prisoners” at the highest levels. Cars are close in performance, drivers rarely make mistakes, and making a pass in the finals can sometimes be a case of being forceful, or even rough.  Personally I wasn’t involved in anything untoward, but I benefited a lot during the finals from others tangling. Often I would follow two or three cars just waiting and knowing that sooner or later someone would try a pass that wasn’t really on – and as a that I would pick up one or two spots from the resultant carnage.  I think Anthony suffered more (as the victim) in this regard than just about anybody else. He probably has the Kyosho in at the panel beaters being repaired even as we speak.  We jokingly said on Sunday evening that perhaps in Queensland we need some niggle or agro in the modified class. Everybody is just too polite and nice – so when we get to these national races it catches us out a little. 
Hard Luck:  Any big race has its share of hard luck stories. This one was no exception.  Jeff Hamon barely finished a race all weekend despite having plenty of speed. Leonard Lai suffered from a variety of chassis woes that hadn’t previously occurred.  John Perkins thermalled regularly but still managed to qualify third highest of the Queenslanders.  Andrew Shapland had a big lead in Stock A1 only to get a radio glitch on the back straight and end up beached on the grass, then get caught in lapped traffic in A2. I’ve already mentioned Drew Crawley and Darryl Khemlani.
State Jury:  I don’t think we could possibly have picked a better state delegate than Bob Vardy. Not only does Bob love a good fight, but he also contributed positively in the delegate meetings (well, that’s my understanding anyway).  Good on you Bob!
Volunteers:  Running a national title is a big deal – much bigger than a State event.  Guys like John Hamon, Trevor Kerr and John Hansen are the heart and soul of the Brendale club and did a wonderful job on the weekend. When I left on Saturday night after dinner to go home and work on my race car, they were still there clearing up the rubbish left by thoughtless dinner-eaters. When I left Sunday night to head home to see my family, there they were – still working hard to clean up from the event.  In the roles that were visible, and in the hidden, but no less critical jobs, the team from QRCCRA worked tirelessly.  We couldn’t have the race without them.  If anybody thinks it could have been done better, then I’d say “have a go yourself”.  It’s a tough job, and I think we owe John Hansen and his team a big “thanks” for their hard work, for putting up with agro and rotten attitudes, and for delivering the best they could.  Thanks gents.
My Race:  I thoroughly enjoyed the whole Nats experience. My last serious National race was Canberra in 1997, and my last A final was at Jimboomba in 1995.  To be back at that level of racing, and to be running around with guys like Abbot, and Anthony, the Jovanovics and Nicholson etc was fantastic.  I had a weekend-long battle with Josh Pain that was both intense and good natured.  I was really delighted to make the final and run competitively in the races.  Qualifying didn’t go all that smoothly with often one big problem in each race (sometimes self-inflicted, sometimes not) putting me in harms way and qualifying 10^th. Being “on the bubble” throughout the last round of qualifying is not something I would like to repeat!  Finals were tough, but really enjoyable.  A personal highlight was running side by side with Anthony for about half a lap in the second final and not touching once. He made the pass stick, but I enjoyed the battle!  I didn’t win the event, or even come close really, but couldn’t have dreamt about doing any better than we managed.
Support:  One of the things I really enjoy about racing is the social aspect of it.  This weekend what I appreciated particularly was the level of mutual support that exists within the Brisbane racing community.  Almost everyone was genuinely pleased when someone did well, and genuinely concerned to help out when things weren’t so ideal. Equipment was freely lent, assistance or advice given, and encouragement genuine.  The pit area was a happy and enjoyable place to be.  I really like that!
Thanks:  Just because I can, I’m going to take this opportunity to publicly thank a couple of people. Firstly, Big Mac for continuing to be a great mate and a great bloke to go racing with. Grant never ceases to be generous in sharing the resources he has – both with me, and with others. Thanks mate.  Secondly, and most importantly, I have to say “thanks” to Dad. Without his support (both material and psychological) I wouldn’t be racing at all – let alone competing at the level we managed to on the weekend.  Dad, through Action R/C makes racing possible for me – and I can’t express how much I appreciate it. Thanks Dad.