Southwest 500

A modern NASCAR race in Munich, Germany. Only 1,5h away from my home, will take place 89.10.2021. I will be there with 2 cars.


Nico

About 2 years ago we had a new member to the club, he didn't know a great deal but he liked racing the cars and started to learn the ropes.
I tend to build/set his cars up as he isn't too confident with working on them. As time went on he got to talking about needing more practice, he had a spare room so I suggested he have a routed track at home to practice on. After some thought he decided this was the way to go and I agreed to build, route and wire a track for him, and he was to do all the scenic stuff.

As he liked my track layout, we decided to do something very similar within his size constraints.
I came up with a track plan he liked, and we measured up the space and ordered the materials.

Then the pandemic came, so it was a case of working in between lockdowns and when I was free.

So an all in one pictorial build log, that in reality stretched over a fair amount of time ...

Boards constructed and put in situ:

   

   

Chalked out the track giving as much sliding room we could, we decided on 90mm lane distance to give better than Scalextric track width, but still allow a decent amount of sliding room.

   

   

Then it was routed and I left him to paint the basics on. First coats:

   

   

Then when he had finished all the kerbs, we put on the backdrop and sorted the fencing areas out.

   

And eventually on to laying the copper tape.

   

Then wiring, we went for a 2 position driver stations with simple extensions for maximum flexibility  of driver position and sight lines.

   

And then we began putting fences back and a little testing.

   

   

   

   

The Maserati GranTurismo MC GT3 is the first model in the new Slot.it 'Modern GT' range. Up until now, the closest to a Slot.it GT3 car has been a Scalextric body with PCR or Slot.it 3DP chassis and Slot.it mechanicals. An effective combination, but expensive.

The CA43a Maserati MC GT3 No.74 'Salita Del Costo 2017' was the first model in the range - it's RRP (via UK distributor Gaugemaster) is £62.95, but retails for a lot less - it's £49.99 at Top Slots & Trains, £53.95 at Pendles, £54.99 at Jadlams. In other words, closer to the price of a Scalextric GT3 car than an NSR.

As you'd expect from Slot.it, the moulding and decoration are excellent. The big car is to scale and the 2017 hill climb livery is accurate. The white and black is a stylish - if somewhat understated - colour scheme... but that draws the eye to the details. Having said that, my car was missing a roof aerial - I couldn't find one in the bag under the plinth - there is definitely a hole and there's one in the pictures on both the Slot.it and Pendle website listings. The rear wing is accurately modelled, looks robust and is not glued in place. The red wing mirrors are a hard plastic. Replacement wing, mirrors and detailing parts are available as CS43p and clear parts CS43v. The tray interior is not glued, so can be removed and replaced with a lexan alternative - CS43lx. The cockpit is moderately detailed, but not as stunning as I'd expect from Slot.it. However, it does match the minimalist white and black scheme of the car.

The Maserati comes fitted with black plastic hubs all round - but a pair of aluminium hubs (plus an allen key) are included under the plinth. There's also a clip and screws to fit the universal (Carrera, Scalextric & oXigen) Slot.it C-type digital chip in the chassis. The two pairs of rear hubs and the chip fitting kit appear to be standard across the new GT range.

   

Another standard feature is the sidewinder MX16 (23k) S-Can motor. The motor pod is the CH65 1.0mm offset Evo6 version with side arms - hence the six motor pod screws showing on the underside of the chassis. You can also see the standard Slot.it traction magnet - which is relatively weak compared to other brands - and a choice of three pockets. The SP23 tungsten weight (not included) is a direct replacement for the magnet and adds 2.5g of ballast for non-mag racing.

Slot.it have gone for the sidewinder S-Can as they strongly believe it is a better set up than anglewinder long-can - lighter, smoother and more nimble. It's not an uncommon view in various parts of the world. It's certainly going to be an easier drive for home racers more familiar with Scalextric, Policar and Carrera - which is an important consideration for Slot.it. Of course, if you prefer the anglewinder layout - or your club rules demand it - changing the pod, motor and gearing won't be too much of a challenge, although an added expense. NSR produce their GT cars in both anglewinder and sidewinder versions - the likes of Racer Sideways and Scaleauto, only anglewinder.

   

Inside, there's the new SP45 cable and connectors - perfect for a non-solder digital conversion. The Slot.it SP43 Carrera chip has equivalent connectors and the latest version of the SP15B Scalextric chip does too. I suspect they will be added to future production runs of the Type C universal chip. The SP45 cables are available separately and can be soldered to any chip so it can be swapped from car to car.

Two more things of note inside - a CH85 Advance screw-fit racing guide and the front axle is factory fitted with grub screws, which will need adjustment for your track type.

   

I plan to race the car, so plastic wheels needed replacing. They pulled off easily and the inserts were removed by poking a cocktail stick through the axle hole - an easy job. The C1 compound tyres and inserts were swapped to the aluminium hubs. Four plastic axle spacers are fitted, the two on the spur gear side are useful to space the wheels out to the 64mm the wheel arches allow, whilst keeping a good gear mesh. The rear wheels now have an attractive silver ring between tyre and inserts.

The Maserati GranTurismo was a big car in real life and the Slot.it model is a prefectly-to-scale monster. Maurizio Ferrari thinks the original car is one of the most beautiful GT3 cars ever built - but it is also beautiful for a slot car designer as it fills that ideal 64mm rear track without making any compromise on scale accuracy! These are the dimensions...

• Length: 156mm
  
• Height: 39mm
  
• Guide pivot to rear wheels: 103.5mm
  
• Rear track: 64mm
  
• Weight: 74g
  
• Body weight: 22g
  

The livery of this first Slot.it model is of one of only three GT3 cars built Swiss Team, in collaboration with Maserati. One chassis was raced by Swiss Team in 2012 and 2013, a second in 2015 and this third chassis was sold to Tridente Motors in Padova to be developed as a hill climb car - making its debut at the 2017 Salita Del Costo race...

   

The original 2012 Swiss Team livery will be released very soon as CA43b - and there's a SlotRacer preview of that model here. It's also worth saying that the Slot.it Maserati GrandTurismo MC GT4 model is a different mould - both body and chassis - and designated CA48. The GT4s were reworked from the GrandTurismo MCs built for the one-make Maserati Trofeo series. There's a SlotRacer preview of the GT4 here.

Next up, a home racer's track test and a run on my hillclimb...

Mainly 1/24 scale classes, driver classed (IROC) where you don't even need a controller as all provided. Tracks to be found in this Forum, track section. All tracks around Salzburg, Austria 

Intrested, feel free to contact me: nkarres@gmx.at 

Nico

Hi all I have just purchased an ARC Pro as I wanted wireless controllers and although I can travel left to right no lap counting takes place. Can this be changed in a menu somewhere as I am struggling to find it?

I like my wheels black.

In the past I have used some Humbrol acrylic paint brushed directly onto Slot.it aluminium hubs, but it doesn't stick well. What would be a better solution? 

Based on what I have in my Scratch Box, I could use some Halfords primer and then the Humbrol, or maybe a black sharpie...Would that make me a bad person?

   

PCS-B019 Ford Escort Mk3 RS Turbo S1 - 1/32 scale slot car kit. RRP £40. Available September 2021 from Pendle Slot Racing here.

There is a big Mk3-Escort-sized hole in the slot car world. Yes, Scalextric produced a less-than-satisfactory XR3 in the 80s, but there's nothing that would sit comfortably alongside the modern SCX Mk2 and 5th generation Cosworth, the Scalextric Mk1 and 2 or the Teamslot Mk2 RS2000, X-Pack and Zakspeed. Pendle Slot Racing have just announced a new model for their range of 1:32 scale kits - and they've gone in with the ultimate Mk3... the RS Turbo S1.

       

The RS Turbo (Series One) - to give its proper name - is the Escort we all wanted as teenagers in the mid-80s. The hefty £9250 price tag (plus £450 for the Custom Pack) was one thing, getting insurance cover was another... But we could dream. It was Ford's first turbocharged production Escort and built for Group A motorsport homologation. Between the end of 1984 and through 1985, 8,604 were produced. Although essentially a souped-up XR3i, the RS Turbo has a low compression 1.6-litre CVH engine with a Garrett T3 turbo - giving 132bhp and 0-60 in 8.3 seconds. Exceptional handling was delivered by a limited-slip diff, RS1600i-type front suspension and 15-inch seven spoke alloys.

       

Fitted with a colour-keyed body kit, the RS Turbos were painted Diamond White, except for two black examples. Most boasted the Custom Pack - sunroof, central locking, electric windows and pop-out rear quarter panels. It looks like these options are not available on the PCS kit.

       

Despite Ford's best efforts, the RS Turbo never quite made it as an effective Group A motorsport package - almost always outclassed by the mighty Rover V8 SD1. One significant weakness was the transmission. As a front-wheel-drive car, one of the biggest challenges back in the 80s was how to harness the 132bhp without it being spun away. Another issue was an awkward gear-selector, causing a significant number of gearbox and engine failures during competition. Most famously driven by Mark Lovell in the British Open Rally Championship, Ford's motorsport division worked closely with Lovell to raise the RS Turbo from an also-ran on debut in 1984 to a car that could challenge for podium places two years later. You can see Lovell's RS Turbo in action on this review of the 1985 Manx Rally...



The car certainly began to show some potential in 1986, but that was washed away with the promotion of Group A to the WRC premier category in 1987. The RS Turbo (Series One) does remain the ultimate Mk3 Escort and is much sought after by fast Ford fans  today...




The PCS Escort RS Turbo S1 body kit includes...

• Unpainted 1/32 lightweight precision resin body
  
• Front and rear bumper resin
  
• Rear spoiler resin
  
• Mirrors resin
  
• Front grille resin
  
• Headlamp unit resin
  
• PCS spotlamp lenses
  
• Lexan windscreen
  
• Lexan interior
  
• Driver resin figure
  
• Chassis mounting bracket rear
  
• Decal sheet
  

       

An additional £30 gives you all the components to build a working slot car...

• PCS 32 chassis
  
• PCS 15" Alloy Wheels (PCS-3215138)
  
• Wheel inserts and spacers
  
• Tyres
  
• Gear and Pinion
  
• PSR Mabuchi Motor 20,000rpm (PSR-AC4)
  
• Bearings
  
• Axles
  
• Guide
  
• Motor wire
  
• Screws
  

If you're looking at a potential slot rally car, these dimensions might help...

• Bodyshell weight:18g
  
• Body wheelbase: 75mm
  
• Body length: 125mm
  
• Body width: 52mm
  

The kit is available for pre-order now on the Pendle Slot Racing website: https://www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/pcs-f...1-kit.html

You can read Sean's blog post about the PCS Escort RS Turbo project here: https://www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/blog/...rbo-s1-kit

   

Slot.it CA43b Maserati MC GT3 #38 - 1st Vallelunga 2012 - Gabriele Gardel & Alessandro Pier Guidi. RRP £62.95. Release date: 30 August 2021

This is the MC GT3 livery Slot.it should have produced first. Much as I like the CA43a Salita Del Costo hillclimb car... these red, white and black Swiss Team colours are where it all started for the GT3 version of the Maserati GranTurismo MC. And it is an absolutely cracking livery. Slot.it have produced both a GT4 and GT3 moulding - and they are completely different cars both in the real world and in 1:32 scale. The GT4 cars (see here) were simply converted from the one-make MC Trofeo fleet. The GT3 was an entirely separate evolution - giving a wider, more muscular, but lighter car.

       

Swiss Team, led by Guido Bonfiglio, began to develop the GranTurismo MC GT3 at the end of 2011. With Maserati supplying parts and some support, it was left to the team's new technical director Giuseppe Angiulli to steer the project. Angiulli had an impressive CV, including F1 experience with Osella, time in DTM with Alfa, plus a decade preparing GT cars for Maserati, Ferrari and their customer teams. His first task at Swiss Team was preparation of the new Maserati Quattroporte Evo, which won the International Superstars Series in 2011, with works driver Andrea Bertolini at the wheel.

       

The GT3 project drew on the experience of building and racing the Quattroporte Evo - especially in terms of tuning the 530bhp V8 engine. Exploiting the GT3 rules, extensive use of carbon fibre shed nearly 200kg from the overall weight and the track was widened to the permitted maximum. The GranTurismo also had every aerodynamic tweak allowed by the FIA regulations, including a flat bottom and rear diffuser. Here's some video from an early test...



Guido Bonfiglio was suitably optimistic about the Swiss Team MC GT3 project...

Quote:We wanted to develop the Maserati GranTurismo MC GT3 version because we believe it is a winning project, stimulating for all involved. We are perfectly aware of the difficulties we’ll face in tackling such an ambitious project, but challenges are the heart of a team’s dynamics, whether on the track or the design table. Our direct competitors are manufacturers who, disguised to a greater or lesser degree, participate directly in the development of the vehicles and actual racing; we are a small outfit but we have great hopes of being a thorn in the side of these giants of motor sport.

It started well... Not yet ready to be presented for GT3 homologation, the first phase of race development saw the car travel to the Spanish GT weekend at Jarama in May 2012 for a non-competitive shakedown. In September, the MC GT3 took part in its first race at the Hungaroring. Driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi and Gabriele Gardel, the car qualified in the middle of the GT Open Series field, finished fifth in race one, but was withdrawn from race two. Its next test was at Vallelunga, outside Rome, for a GTSprint Series event. The car won the first race and finished thirteenth in race two. This is the livery modelled by Slot.it.

       

Unfortunately, Swiss Team and Maserati had to wait until November 2013 for the FIA to homologate the GranTurismo MC GT3. The plan for 2013 had been to compete in the prestigious Blancpain Endurance Series, but the delay in being granted FIA GT3 status meant that never happened. The team had to make do with three outings in the lower-tier GTSprint Series. Having eventually gained homologation, the MC GT3 did not reappear until April 2015 - a revised car making a single outing at the GT Open event at Paul Ricard. The car failed to finish.

       

Although there are plenty of livery options for the GT4 cars, only a tiny handful appeared on the single GT3 - mostly the red, white and black of Swiss Team, plus the yellow and black colours from Paul Ricard in 2015 - and then the white of the car's later hillclimbing career.

Despite the lack of potential liveries, I think I understand why Slot.it have produced this GT3 Maserati. First, I agree with Maurizio that it's one of the most beautiful GT cars ever produced - and I also really like historical oddities and rarities made as slot cars. However, I reckon the main reason is for slot racing purposes. There are clubs and series around the world who demand a GT3 car for their GT3 classes - that's a slot car homologation issue. There's also the fact that the Slot.it MC GT3 has a nice fat 64mm rear track - 2mm wider than the GT4. That's Maurizio's demand for scale accuracy and premium track performance. In Slot.it's new 'Modern GT' range the MC GT4s with their varied and colourful liveries will be perfect for collectors and home racers - the more muscular GT3 favoured by club racers. That's my hunch, anyway.

       

As you can see, the car comes with a sidewinder 23k S-Can - challenging the UK GT club racing norms. A switch to anglewinder won't be a problem for racers - and they'll probably want to change what looks like plastic rear wheels on these GT cars. Of course, we'll have to see how the Slot.it GT range develops - the Maserati and the Nissan are a little left-field, but I really like them. They are certainly the most accurately modelled GT cars produced by a 'performance racing' brand.

The race-winning Swiss Team Maserati GranTurismo MC GT3 will be with retailers next week. It's available for pre-order now at all your usual Slot.it stockists.

Many thanks to Jo and the team at Galileo Engineering for sending us these superb photographs of the production model.

   

My track was transplanted from the garage at our old place to a spare bedroom, so was shortened about 3m, resulting in a tight, twisty yet flowing 3 laner. Made from 12mm MDF, 9mm slot, copper braid. Timing is RC, which I'm trying to get set up again (see separate post). Will tidy edges, bench etc. when that is done.

Total length 11m in 5 sections. Layout allows for access to storage in the room (for my 150+ cars) and can be run with 3 drivers with/without a marshall.

Images should be visible as attachments.

Difinity                                

My goal with these two was to retain as much as possible of the original cars, but, as is my way, they resemble Triggers Broom in originality now !
I wanted to get them to sit lower, and be a reasonable handling pair to race one another.

First I tried some slightly lower profile tyres on the stock wheels, that would net me a small reduction in height, so we were on the way.
Then some 1mm offset bearings to raise the axles up, this meant removing the wheels from the stock knurled axles.
I have done this a few times on Scalextric cars with good results, but it didn't work this time, the axles are a little smaller so they didn't go straight onto a 3/32 axle as a nice interference fit .. in fact it split my hub.
so the next one I tried opening the hole out with a 3/32 drill bit, but it resulted in it being off centre.
Damn, so it looked like I was going to have to get some aloy wheels, but with tight clearances I had to look away from my usual fare.
Luckily I found Mitoos do some nice wire wheels that are pretty narrow and will take The Wasp tyres I had in mind.
A quick google found that although the E types usually raced with steel wheels, occasionally some used the spoked wheels, so that was good enough for me 

Chassis was trimmed, screw holes enlarged, and SRP 16k motor installed along with 8/26 Slot.it gearing. The stock guide was OK at around 7.5mm deep so was retained and braided with NSR ultra thin.
In order to balance the front motor, I managed to squeeze 5g of lead in the magnet pocket, and another 4.3 g under the propshaft.
The motor did move in place, so hotglue was deployed to fix it solid.
All bearings were fixed in place with a dab of UV Resin.

   

I had to grind away some of the chassis crown gear "bubble" as this was dragging on the track with the offset bearings and smaller tyres.

   

The body post sat in little cups in the chassis, so was interfering with float, so I ground the posts flush with the bumper fixings.

   

   

This was as much as I could lower everything without attacking the interior which I didn't want to do as its a nice detailed interior.
Not as low as I wanted, but a subtle improvement IMO. The blue car is stock, the red modified. The exhaust pipes show the difference in height best.

   

They will still tip if you overdrive the tight corners, but with a narrow car and a not especially light bodyshell, this is to be expected.
I don't really want to add more weight so I think these are done.
Another racing pair is added to my fleet