ok so context ? ive been flying for about 14 months, mostly freestyle and some practice laps in the backyard with home made PVC gates. a buddy convinced me to sign up for a regional MultiGP qualifier next month and im kind of freaking out a little. not about the flying itself im fairly confident in my stick skills at this point but more about all the other stuff. like tech inspection, frequency coordination, marshaling duties, all that. i dont even know what to expect in terms of what they check at tech inspection ? is it just vtx power and arm/disarm or do they actually go through betaflight?

also should i be flying my best quad or bring a backup? i have a 5in on 45a esc running F7 and my backup is kind of a frankenbuild thats probably not race legal on vtx power. any advice from people who have actually done a multiGP event would be really helpful, first time doing anything organized

tech inspection is usually pretty chill at local qualifiers, in my experience they check vtx power output (has to be 25mw for multiGP standard class unless the venue specifies otherwise), make sure your failsafe is set correctly, and sometimes they check the arm switch just to see it works. ive never had anyone dig into betaflight settings but bring a laptop anyway because if something goes wrong with your tune mid-event you'll want to be able to adjust.

bring both quads if you can, seriously. the frankenbuild vtx situation needs to get sorted before the event obviously but having ANY backup is better than none. i crashed my main at a race last year and had to borrow someones spare ? embarrassing and the tune was completely foreign. marshaling duties are usually just standing at a gate and waving downed quads off the course, not complicated but pay attention to the briefing

the nerves are real at the first one but honestly the racing community is pretty welcoming at the local level, at least every event ive been to. worst part for me at my first race was just the waiting around between rounds, bring snacks and keep your batteries warm if its cold. oh and label everything with your name, i lost a battery at my second event because i didnt and never saw it again