So things are underway properly at Hobby Action RC Raceway, with Day 1 of on track action in the books. I can't help but think out loud about today and what we saw and learned. BUT, I'm writing from the couch on the other side of the world...so what would I know! I do want to know what you saw = whether you were there in the building, or like me watching on from afar. What's your verdict on Day 1?

TRACK: I was struck when I saw the first shots of the track just what a reasonable layout it is. It's definitely Hobby Action and US style - but no real extreme features, no jumps through corners or those sorts of things. It seems like it's a pretty fair battleground for the World's best. I'm a fan of what we can see from video and photos.

THE TYRES: It seems like 'tyre-gate' was a big deal - but I have two thoughts on that. First, in a week, a month, a year - nobody will remember it really. Second...reminds me that I personally like control tyre races where there are limited number of sets available. Makes sense to me as a thing. Kudos to the team for getting it sorted as quickly and fairly as possible so the race can continue.

THE INTERNATIONALS: And maybe that's one reason we've seen some of the international guys be fast right from the get-go. Don't get me wrong, I still think Rivkin and Phend are the ones to beat, but we've been reminded today that this is a World Championship, bringing the best from across the globe to do battle. Just as we saw an American driver triumph on astro-turf in Japan, maybe today we saw there is is hope for the reverse to be true as well. For Davide Ongaro to be so fast, so soon is a little ominous. Jorn Neumann showed his recent Euros speed was no fluke - and also proved my musings on SWorkz maybe missing a top US driver completely unfounded. The internationals have been quick early - and that bodes for a great week.

THE US CREW: Phend sits atop the rankings tonight - and for good reason based on that SP1 pace. He was fast through practice and laid it down when it mattered. Champlin has perhaps been the most consistent throughout, and has to be feeling good about tomorrow. Dustin Evans has been impressive, and Maifield too showing he's right in the mix. Rivkin if anything a relaxed start, but that brings us to...

3 LAPS: 3 hero laps is a fun way to figure out seeding, while giving people room to play a little without the pressure to have to lay down a full 5-minute run...but once quali starts the game changes - and 3 hero laps gives way to the need for 16, maybe 17 flawless laps in a row. That, I think, will shake things up a little once quali gets underway. The other feature of that 3-lap method....

ITS CLOSE! It was barely 0.3 secs between the top half-dozen in SP2 . That's tight! While the margins might open up a bit in quali, I reckon a feature of this track is that qualifying is going to be extremely close - so making a top 10 run or missing it could literally come down to tenths of a second.

ITS ON! At last, the Worlds is on, and we're 24 hours away from having a pretty clear qualifying picture, and 48 from crowning the first World Champ of the week. After four years of waiting, the week is already rushing by.

So...what did you notice, who did you like? What's your prediction for quali tomorrow? Photo from the excellent team and coverage at MOD LIVE MEDIA