I do enjoy taking slot car racing out to the public, although it can be a bit of a palaver and difficult to give people a taste of what our club racing will be like - should they fancy giving it a go. To take all the club's 4-lane HO or Scalextric digital kit to another venue is not really practical, so it's finding a compromise between something that is too simple or too unwieldy.

The last couple of years, we've done a few trips with the Scalextric ARC Air system (see here) and a small-ish 3 x 8 layout. ARC Air is the analogue-only version of ARC Pro, having almost all the digital-style simulations, lap-timing and the nice wireless throttles. All the track, cars, publicity, tools, tablecloths etc fit in one of the those handy Sports Direct bags and - potentially - can be taken to a venue on the bus.

   

This weekend, we took the ARC Air track to an open day at the High Salvington Windmill, just north of Worthing. The fortnightly open days attract a good crowd, including lots of young families looking for a cheap afternoon out. Our visit was publicised widely and - thankfully - the recent rain held off as we had to set up outside. The wind was too strong for a gazebo - even a professionally erected one - so it was an unusual experience with everything exposed to the elements.

I use a cheap Amazon Fire 7 tablet for these public events, plus the original 'Legacy' version of the ARC app from the Amazon AppStore. I do enjoy playing with the various ARC app simulations and race features (see here), but usually keep it simple for public events. For this weekend, we used a Grand Prix race of 21 laps with the fuel simulation. What this meant is that a stop for fuel was necessary between laps 11 and 13 - failure to stop in time would mean a DNF. There's no time-trialing - each race is a competitive two-car battle and the winner's total race time is recorded.

   

The 20-foot track had a racing crossover curve at each end, making the lanes as equal as possible, but introducing a significant hazard. The Scalextric Mini Coopers had magnets and stock tyres, making them great fun round the little track. No digital chips are necessary - ARC Air is a purely analogue system. I did reduce the Max Power setting in the ARC app to 75%, helping new and younger racers to master the track and have maximum fun. It was still a challenge for better racers - especially mastering the strategy of the simulation - the key to the fastest overall race time was to drive perfectly, avoid any collisions, stop on lap 12 and short-pit by re-fuelling to about 75%. Easier said than done!

The gate was open at 2.30pm and we were busy immediately. With a warm-up, followed by the 21 lap race, we rattled through seven races in the first 30 minutes. The quickest time was 1:36.890 by 12-year-old Alex, just beating five-year-old Charlotte's 1:39.430. Alex was presented with a copy of Slot Car Magazine...

   

The cars and track were probably at their best in the hour between 3 and 4pm - that's when we got most of the best times. During the ten races, three winners got into the 1 minute 20s. Top of the list was 12-year-old Ollie with 1:23.630, followed by 'grown-up' James with 1:23.820 and 19-year-old Charlie with 1:24.430. Ollie got a Slot Car Magazine and was in pole position for taking home the grand prize - a Micro Scalextric Dirt Rally Racers set.

The final hour crammed in fourteen races. I do think the track was losing a bit of grip and no-one got into the 1m 20s. Fastest again was Alex with 1:31.330, ahead of ten-year-old Harry with 1:31.840. After 32 races over the two and a half hours, Ollie was delighted with his prizes - as were his sisters and parents who had also enjoyed their racing...

   

I think ARC Air ticks all the boxes for an event like this - and for a fabulous home track on a table or on the floor. It is simple to set up, reliable, has the wireless throttles and the exciting 'gameplay' that both youngsters and grown-ups get the hang of pretty quickly. Our winners included five, six and seven-year-olds and some of the racers were as young as three. Only a couple of slightly older kids (seven and eight) had more fun crashing the cars than racing them...

We will see if anyone comes along and tries out our club racing - we have a club car team race this Wednesday - but we did hand out plenty of fliers, took a few email addresses and had at least four families tell us they would come along to the club. One mum and son had a good look at our club website, pictures and videos while they enjoyed afternoon tea and cake.

I also suspect Father Christmas will be busy delivering Scalextric sets this year. The 2019 Scalextric catalogue we had on the table was well-browsed by parents. ARC Air seemed to tempt the dads, especially as it will fit into any old Scalextric 'Classic' sets that might be lying around in attics. The addition of a C8222 Sport-to-Classic converter at either end of the powerbase does the job. There's also the new C1403 ARC Air World GT set due out very soon for those starting from scratch.

Morning,

I would like some feedback on a track I’m planing to have permanently set up. 

Most likely I would be me and my kids that are using the track. Scenery is important and so is the flow. Don’t like the “lets put all the track we can fit in the area” thing. 

I have 420cm x 120cm to work with.

I think this could be a great and ongoing thread. Lets show all our detailing - on any aspect of slotcars and if you have a technique, lets show that as well....

Looking forward to this,

This first one is an easy one really. That is thanks to George Turner producing an unbelieveable kit. SO pick out painting does the trick:

Maserati 300S

   

   


Then another masterful kit - the Ferrari 612 Can Am by maxi models. Not a kit to race but awesome to build and potter around the track with....

I added the plug wires by using 25G wire I have and then painting it flat red.

   


   


Back in 2002 I bought some cars from Derek Cooper - upcycled Airfix F1's - and have wanted to do some myself ever since.

In this car, I used the rear suspension from the scaley cooper to increase the rear detail, as well as the exhaust.

   

A little reminder to all - this site is much more than a simple forum. There is a wealth of extra information accessible from the home page and new bits are constantly being added. Have a browse every now and then.

This is the RULES thread for the 2020 1/43 Little Monte Carlo Rally Proxy.
 
The event will take place on the Little Monte slot rally track in Norfolk UK starting on Sunday 17th May 2020.
 
 
The track is a scenic single lane routed MDF rally stage with a track length of approximately 85 feet. The layout is 14' x 3' and the height difference between the lowest and highest  points on the track is 5'.
 
The track has copper tape, so traction magnets will have no aeffect.
 
This is a mountain rally stage built for 1/43 scale slot cars and is very loosely based on the Col de Turini in the French Alps. The track is challenging to drive and the fastest lap time so far has been around 25 seconds.
 
 
*NOTE*: This is a rally proxy and, as such, your cars will driven as quickly as is reasonably possible around a very twisty and sometimes rough stage that is 6' from the floor at it's highest point. The speeds are slower than that of a racetrack, and most 'offs' usually just result in a spin rather than a fall. I have never had any cars damaged whilst driving on this track but the possibility is always there, so please bear this in mind before entering!
 
 
 Entree fee:  10 British Pounds (up to 3 cars max.). To cover return postage.
 
The Classes: ( to be run separately)
 
Ready to run.
 
Scratchbuilt scale models.
 
 
 
Ready to run class, eg. Carrera GO, SCX Compact, WRC, Jouef, Artin, etc. Must be a rally car.
 
Standard/stock except for:
 
Urethane rear tyres, Essential!
 
Coat front tyres with varnish or CA glue.
 
Add weight to chassis. (more on this later when I have tested more.)
 
Fit swivel guide, preferably one of Pfuetze's guides from Shapeway as they are short and deep, which helps the car through tight turns.
 
Note! Whatever guide used, the front wheels must touch the track and the guide must  be able to turn to at least 70 degrees each way.
 
 
 
 
Scratchbuilt class.
 
Important note: Cars MUST be a scale model of an actual car that competed on the Monte Carlo Rally between 1950 and 1986. No oversized diameter wheels/tyres and no body mods unless photographic evidence show the 1/1 car with the same nodifications. (Experience has shown that low, wide cars can be a disadvantage on this track where speeds are fairly low)
 
Body, hard plastic or resin, no vacforms, and have clear windows.
 
Interior, must have interior and 2 crew.
 
Chassis, free, with added weight as needed. Note, the winning car last time weighed 58 grammes, as does my main test car, but one of my other test cars weighs 37 grammes and gets round the track ok.
 
Wheels, free, but of scale diameter for the car.
 
Tyres, rubber or urethane.
 
All of the Scratchbuilt class cars will be entered in the Concourse event.
 
 
 
In both classes, any loose body mount screws must be taped over.
 
 
All cars will be driven for as many test laps as needed to establish their best voltage settings, and at least 5 timed laps, the best laptime counting in the final result.
 
 
Any questions, feel free to PM me or ask on this thread.
 
Have fun!
 
Regards, Lloyd.

I have recently been reading 'Full Throttle' by Tim Birkin, published in 1932. Long out of print and hard to find at a reasonable price but a fascinating account of the career of one of the 'Bentley Boys' and a real insight into the nature of road racing at that time.

If you think that modern rules, particularly F1, are needlessly complicated and petty then feast your eyes on this little gem from the book:
1928 International Tourist Trophy Belfast
"The Mercedes team withdrew, owing to a regulation about the number of spare wheels which might be carried. I kept my own Bentley in, and Scrap Thistlethwayte his own Mercedes, though at the 11th hour I was forced to spend about £100 in deference to the following strange rule. It was decreed that the front cushion of the back seat should be one foot and seven inches distant from the back of the front seat. This is almost unobtainable in a sports car; in the old 3 litre Bentleys the distance was one foot two inches and they had long been in popular use and regarded as standard models."

The final race in the W Series was on Sunday. I just managed to catch up with it - YouTube link below.   The championship was still open to two of the drivers so their were two battles, Race and Championship.
There was a fair bit of controversy when the series was announced but I think the consensus is that its good in that it gives the drivers some exposure and their names are out there for people to talk about. 
The TV presentation is strangely "stiff" but no doubt will improve for the next run.

Leo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MfWKAL1djM&t=1345s

Hello gents, this thread contains a series of articles I've posted on several other fora, This was the first post on me and my team's "Road to Le Mans" , well at least to the 1/32nd version of it, the DiSCA 24hrs Le Mans race at Henley in Arden, April 2019. To support Slotracer online I though it might be good to repost it here as well. 

With kind regards
Tamar



The Ford GT LM (3rd Gen) 1/1
Ford returned to Le Mans in 2016 as a factory team  in a blaze of glory, its modern GT winning the GTE LM class exactly 50 years after the original GT40's 1-2-3 in 1966.
Although it was always intended to take its place among the world’s most desirable ultra-high performance sports cars,
make no mistake, the third generation Ford GT was conceived, designed and built with one priority in mind:
Win the 24 Hours of Le Mans on the 50th anniversary of Ford’s fabled victory at le Sarthe in 1966. So for that one..mission accomplished.



Some may say that the Ford GT LM is a masterpiece in design, echoing the iconic shape of the Ford GT40 that Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon piloted to victory in the “ronde infernal”,while taking every possible advantage of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile’s regulations to create another Le Mans winner.
With a miniscule frontal area and dramatic “flying buttresses” the Ford GT cuts through the air on the Mulsanne Straightaway like the proverbial knife through butter
with plenty of of help from a 3.6 liter, twin turbo Ecoboost V6 engine producing 530 horsepower and 494 ft-lb torque.

Some may say that by doing so Ford has moved the goal post in GT "beyond" what was intended by the "spirit of the rules". That it is a prototype clad in GT bodywork.
In any case the combination delivered a dramatic Le Mans win in the car’s inaugural campaign, along with several other victories in World Endurance Cup and IMSA competition, indelibly stamping the Ford GT as worthy successor to its legendary namesake...and that of other goal post movers like the (mid engined) Porsche 911 evo and Toyota TS020 GT-One of two decades ago.

The Ford GT LM (3rd Gen) 1/32
With such a new Icon on the racetracks it didn't take long before both the major players in the slot, Carrera and Scalextric announced that they would do the GT LM.
As did the small volume 3DP manufacturers The Area 71 and Arrow slot. With both of them acquiring and entry for the 2017 Oxygen LM 24hrs it was the latter that was to give the Ford GT its debut in DiSCA competition (TA71 withdrew its entry two months for the race). Alas no copy of a debut victory like its big brother. 
The Arrow slot Ford faired well, the 3D printed body and chassis finishing second in class and 5th overall, but major succes came a year later when Spanish team Ditslot i3D entered a development 3DP chassis with simple slot.it pod and a similar 3DP body. They not only took first in class but also 1st place overall.

Does this make the Ford GT LM an absolute winner in the slots as well? Well it definitely has potential, its low, wide and has a long wheelbase. With slotcars in general running with the same engines and weights that's definitely an advantage. But Ditslot i3D did not claim its victory by having a much fast(er) car.
By times our Corvette C7R was faster and by a large margin Rockingham's Toyota LMP1 had the legs on the Ford GT.. at least over a single lap. 
The true merit of the Iberian team was its incredible consistency, punching out fast times lap after lap (with a slight punch left right and center), staying on track all the time and only pitting half a dozen times to change tires. It was an impressive Team result, not specifically down to the fast pace of the Ford itself.
 



The Road to Le Mans, [b]1/32[/b]
As I post this its just 9 weeks till the 8th edition of the DiSCA Le Mans 24hrs, some of you that have read my other post will know that for the past six months "my road" to Le Mans was heading in a totally different direction, or should I say a totally different car. Although good progress has been made on the BMW M8 GTE  project, the M6 GT LM test car winning its class and 3rd overall @ the Suzuka 6hrs, we've got some the delays on the M8 that will curtail the R&D program to such an extent that we decided to switch to plan B. And Plan B is to stick the #18 on the #68 Ford GT-LM and run that car @ the Le Mans 24hrs.

Here's an "artist impression" on what's going to be the #18 Ford Monkeytown Team NL Ford GT-LM.

 
 
#18 Ford MonkeyTown Team NL, Ford GT LM GTE
Part of the reasoning behind this late switch to another car is that we're not totally starting from scratch. The Ford GT has been on the workbench next to the BMW M6 for some weeks now a


Via this topic I hope to keep you updated on what work will be done to get our Ford which will be based on the Scalex RTR car..with a Prospeed chassis in the following 9 weeks on our road to Le Mans 1/32



To be continued
with kind regards
Tamar

Hello Guys
I was working on a post, we'll actually copying a post from an other source. 
That went perfect, simply copy paste and it was all there perfect with pictures etc etc, so a big   for the forum scripts.
But then I selected the function "save as draft" and closed the window...so stupid me is now wondering how to re acces my draft

where can I find it?


with kind regards
Tamar

Another one from the 'failed race cars turned into a slot car' department - the Scalextric vintage 4.5L supercharged Bentley of 1930 reg# YU3250.

"Surely some mistake" I hear you cry. Isn't this one of the most famous British race cars of all time? Is it not the original Le Mans winning car raced by Sir Henry Ralph Stanley "Tim" Birkin?
                                                                             
Actually, no. It may well  be famous but it falls into that exceedingly large category of “Great British heroic failures”. True, Bentley works cars won Le Mans five times including four in succession from 1927–1930 but none of them fell to a supercharged car. In fact the supercharged 4.5 never won a race of any significance; it suffered a series of mechanical failures and brought the firm into disrepute. Its fame rests on one magic moment during the 1930 race - lap 4 – halfway down the Mulsanne straight –  Birkin and his Blower diced for the lead with Mercedes ace, Rudi Carracciola, passing him flat out with his nearside wheels on the grass. Birkin also set the fastest lap of the race shortly after but neither his Blower nor the Mercedes finished and the race was won by Barnato and Kidston in their Bentley Speed Six. The supercharged car only raced once at Le Mans and none of the 3 cars finished.
                                                                             

The Blower was, in effect, a private enterprise funded  by Birkin and Dorothy Paget. W.O. Bentley was totally against it but  had lost overall control of the company to Woolf Barnato who allowed it to proceed. It was built in Birkin's  Welwyn Garden City workshops and not the Bentley factory. 55 cars were built, 50 road legal models to comply with Le Mans homologation rules, 4 Le Mans bodied race cars and a single seater prototype. The latter is the only one that achieved anything of note as it held the Brooklands lap record for two years at 138mph. True to form it broke down soon after setting the time.

Never mind, everybody loves a Blower Bentley, it is an awesome beast and the world and his mother made a model of it. The Airfix and Matchbox versions are probably the best known but Revell, Heller and several others also made them. Which brings us at last to the Scalextric version and the question - why did they choose the least important one with registration number YU 3250? The usual choice was UU5872, Birkin's actual race car which currently belongs to Bentley Motors and will never be sold or UR6571, Benjafield's car which was last heard of in Ralph Lauren's private collection. These were the only two blowers that actually started the race.

                                                                               

YU3250 never had much of a racing pedigree, it entered very few races, usually broke down and its best result was 11th in the 1930 Tourist trophy. Jack Dunfee was supposed to drive it at Le Mans but it never made the start. This probably explains why it survives to this day as it never lasted long enough to crash and is living out its twilight years in a private collection in California.
Apparently when Scalextric were planning to make the first two vintage models the directors paid a visit to the Beaulieau Motor Museum which was located near the Havant factory. It was here that they found the 4.5 litre Bentley registration number YU3250 which was there on loan. This visit also explains why the sister C65 Alfa Romeo 8C was produced in its strange blue colour as opposed to the correct Italian racing red. The Alfa was also on loan to the museum and the owner had resprayed it blue. Motorsport knowledge was never a strong point of the Scalextric design department during the sixties so they merely copied the car without checking the livery.

Anyway, the Scalextric model was highly successful, stayed in the catalogue for 7 years and many thousands were produced. There was also a rarer black version included in a set but who would want anything other than British Racing Green? It also had a later resurrection in the 'Power and Glory' series of 1993 fitted with the then current motor and guide. The Blower is considered a must for any Scalextric collection and pristine, boxed examples can fetch serious money. It is by no means rare though and good examples can be picked up for under £50 if you are patient. Spares, both original and reproduction  are also relatively easy to find so a cheap one with bits missing can be restored quite successfully.

And Finally........... if you are ever driving round the North Norfolk coast road why not stop off at Blakeney church and visit the grave of  'A racing motorist of international fame', Tim Birkin. The church also has a lot of stuff inside about this fascinating man.
                                                                                

Half a mile down the road is the Wiveton Bell. It is now a gastro pub but some years ago it was owned by a motor racing fan and was the only pub in the world to have a fully functional Jaguar E Type engine in the fireplace. It would be fired up on request with a donation to a local charity.
                                                                                
We often used to go there for lunch and a read of the motorsport magazines that were provided as well. The landlord was later lost at sea in a boating accident and his body was never found but the locals always maintained that he had a lot of debts and did a Reggie Perrin! The engine is long gone but the food is still very good.