Indy 500 On A Tabletop

Transcription

1 Digital Conversion for 1969 Trans-Am Camaro Z/28 78 November/December 2014 $6.95 Indy 500 On A Tabletop Road Racing in a Stadium Track Plan Formula 1 Racing : USA $ Red Bull Vs. Ferrari 80S Lotus Vs. Tyrrell 70S Williams 50S Talbot-Lago

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3 Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt in their Ferrari 275LM, entered by the North American Racing Team (NART), on its way to win LeMans overall in LAT Photo 78

4 78 CONTENTS 24 Formula 1 Scalextric 1972 Tyrrell 003/004 by Albin Burroughs ON THE COVER: Carrera s 1/32 scale replica of Sebastian Vettel s 2013 Formula 1 World Championship Red Bull RB9 on the full-size 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix circuit. LAT Photographic 1/32 SCALE MODEL CAR RACING: 7 Formula 1 Carrera 2013 Red Bull RB9 by Bill Wright 10 Formula 1 Scalextric 1971 Tyrrell 003 by Albin Burroughs 12 Historic Racing 70s-80s Formula 1 In 1/32 Scale 13 Digital Real Race Track Plans 4-Lane Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Track for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco, Carrera (with optional lane-changing) on a 9 x 15-foot tabletop. by Robert Schleicher 16 Race Tracks on a Tabletop 2-Lane Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Track Plan for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco or Carrera (with optional lane-changing) on a 5 x 13 1/2-foot ping-pong tabletop. by Robert Schleicher 17 Start Here Replace Magnets With Weight by Robert Schleicher 18 Digital Racing Scalextric Easyfit Digital Chip Installation by Robert Schleicher 20 Track Test DIGEST: Summary of Full Race Track Test Reports on 9 Model Racing Cars by Marc Purdham 27 Formula 1 Scalextric 1973 Lotus 72E by Albin Burroughs 32 LeMans Flyslot 1965 Ferrari 275LM by Bill Wright 36 LeMans Carrera 1965 Porsche 904GTS by Bill Wright 38 Formula 1 Flyslot 1983 Williams FE08C by Albin Burroughs 40 LeMans Scalextric 2013 Lotus Exige Cup-R by Bill Wright 42 LeMans Supertuned Racers, Part 114: Magnet-Free: Policar 1972 Ferrari 312PB by Marc Purdham 4 Model Car Racing

5 44 Formula 1 Supertuned Racers, Part 115: Magnet-Free: Cartrix 1950 Talbot-Lago T26C by Marc Purdham 47 Formula 1 TRACK TEST: Supertuned Racers, Part 116: Magnet-Free: Cartrix 1959 Lotus 16 by Marc Purdham 50 Your Track Vintage Racing Charlie Cressi s 20 x 20-foot 4-Lane Wood Glen Cove Raceway HO Model Car Racing: 36 IndyCar Racing Auto World 2013 Dallara IndyCars by Robert Schleicher 49 Track Plans 4-Lane Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Track in 5 x 13 1/2-Feet by Robert Schleicher Departments: 6 Editorial: The Risk of Model Car Racing 22 Index, issues number 73 through Pit Board 48 Club Directory 54 New Stuff On Your Tablet: Model Car Racing is now available for ipad or Kindle. Just click on the Apple itunes icon and search for Model Car Racing to order individual issues, subscriptions or a limited number of back issues. There s more information on page 55 of this issue. Where To Buy Model Car Racing Products: Dealers: A listing of the addresses, phone numbers, addresses, and websites of all the dealers that carry Model Car Racing magazine appears on our website at Manufacturers: A listing of the addresses and websites of firms that manufacture model car racing products appears on our website at 56 LeMans Flyslot 1972 Chevron B21 by Albin Burroughs MORE INFORMATION: There is an Index of all of the past issues, a Digest of the results of the first 257 cars in our Race Track Test series, Pros and Cons of plastic track by brand, the Pros and Cons of the four digital systems, Pros and Cons of 1/43 scale and an index of the 157 previously published track plans, by size, on our website at Model Car Racing 5

6 Track Tests The Risk of Model Car Racing Honestly, the only risk a model car racer takes is the danger of damaging his or her ego. There is the off chance that a car might fly off track and hit you in some vulnerable part but that is something I have only heard of as a rumor. What you risk when you race is the public display that someone else is quicker than you or can build a better car or both. There is only one way---only one---to learn to drive a model car race car near the limits of that car s performance. Practice. One of the many aspects of model car racing that is common to racing full-size cars is that need to learn how to drive each particular car on that particular track and on that particular day to produce quickest possible lap times. The concept of possible is critical, here, because there may be others that can drive that same car on that same track with lower lap times. A realistic goal, then, is to learn how to drive that car as quickly as your own reflexes, eye-hand coordination and depth perception will allow. It is true that some folks just happened to fall into a lucky gene pool to possess better physical and mental abilities. But ya gotta live with what ya got. Pure Performance Most of the cars that we buy are purchased so we can actually race them. Given that, you have to be curious about how fast a particular car might be. Hence, we try to include information in most of the articles about new model race cars that provide some idea of how fast the car can be. Full Race Car Track Tests have been a regular feature of Model Car Racing magazine since the first issue in We were curious then about how fast a car might be and we are still just as curious. You can modify the slowest out-of-the box car (with the super-strength magnets and the $100 motors ) to completely outrun the best production car. The question is, why? Most 1/32 scale racers are just not interested in having their cars zip around the track like humming birds. It s far more fun to be able to see the car slide soon enough so you can actually do something about it before the car launches itself into orbit. And racing is far more fun if all of the cars have more-or-less equal performance, regardless of what that level of performance may be. Most racers establish racing classes to group similar cars so all have more-or-less similar performance. If not, the races become events for one-make-one-model of car. How Fast? The question, however, is not just how fast? But on what track? We established a series of track tests and created a race track that the majority of you could assemble. The most interesting track we could devise that would fit on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong table (or an equivalent space on the floor) is a classic model race car track design that provides smooth and challenging action with a 36-foot lap length. We called it the Indy F1 track because its serpentine shape somewhat mimicked the infield track that Indianapolis used for a few Formula 1 races and, more recently, for Moto GP motorcycle races. The most recent plans for the Indy F1 track are in the September/October 2013 number 71 issue (also on under Sample Issues ). However, there are several brands of plastic model race car track for 1/32 scale cars that are currently available and some enthusiasts build their own track with the slots routed in ½-inch thick sheets of MDF board. Really, we should have Indy F1 race tracks assembled 6 Model Car Racing with Scalextric Classic (the older rougher-surface track with loops over the pegs to hold the sections together) or the similar-surface SCX Original track, or the much rougher-surfaced Ninco track, the smoother-surface Scalextric track (once called Sport with a different size briefly called Start ), SCX Universal (the newer grey track that is also standard with SCX Digital), Carrera and, of course, the same race track configuration routed into a MDF board surface. We would, then, run tests on all of six of these tracks. It was just not practical so we compromised by using just two tracks; one assembled from Scalextric Classic (and SCX Original) that would give results that were somewhat similar to what you expect from Ninco and a second track assembled with Carrera track whose smoother surface that was more like Scalextric Sport or SCX Universal. The smooth surface would be similar to that of a track routed from MDF board but the paint used on the wood tracks provides a significantly different coefficient of friction so, really, we can only get close to how these cars run on a painted wood track. Nearly all of 1/32 scale model race cars are fitted with downforce magnets. Some prefer race cars with magnets in place so it is important to test them out-of-thebox. The pickup strips on Scalextric and SCX track have about three times the magnetic attraction of the pickup strips on Carrera track so most cars are slightly quicker around a lap of the Scalextric Classic Indy F1 track than on the Carrera Indy F1 track. For the two race track tests, we use a pure 12-volt DC power supply from Radio Shack. The power supply is more critical than you might think; you will not achieve the same results with any of the power supplies furnished by the model car makers, because some offer more power and others offer less, which is precisely why we settled on a generic power supply. For the first 50 issues or so we also had five skid pads, full circles of outer curves (we tested on the inner lane of each) of Scalextric Sport, Scalextric Classic, Carrera, SCX, and Ninco track to test for ultimate cornering power on these brands. Few readers felt the information was really useful. For a few issues, we also recorded top speed and acceleration but again, it was judged to be not useful enough to continue, so we limited the tests to just lap times. We test each car twice (running 50 or more laps for each test); first out-of-the-box (after we have gently sanded the tires round and run it for a few dozen laps to break it in). Next we test the car with the downforce magnets removed and silicone rear tires. There are sometimes some other urethane tires that will produce quicker laps for that particular car on that particular track but, to provide a consistent data base, we use silicone tires for these tests. We add a quarter-ounce of weight at the front of the chassis to compensate for the imbalance in effective weight distribution that often results from removing the magnet. Qualifying Laps Only one person drives the cars for each test. Dan Wilson performed the tests through the first ten issues (July/August 2003), then Tom Dolan took over for issues 11 through 23 (September/October 2005) and Marc Purdham has been performing the Race rack Tests since the November/December 2005 number 24 issue. Marc runs about 50 laps on each track and records the fastest time on each track. Those 50 laps are enough to allow the driver to become accustomed to the car and the driver already knows the track intimately. There is, then, a reasonable chance that that fastest lap is about the best that car could do on that particular day. So, given the same driver, the same preparation and the same track, you can expect that the performance figures in issue number 1 in 2002 will be comparable to those in this issue. You can compare older cars to newer ones. When a significant change takes place in a model (like Policar producing the Ferrari 312PB models that were once offered by Slot.it on pages 42-43), we tested the newer car to see how it compares. Our goal is to provide the information and raw data you need to either improve the performance of lower-speed cars or to slightly reduce the performance of quicker cars. These tests will give you the raw data you need to help decide what you and your racing friends want as the Performance Standard for any given class of racing. You can then use your own Performance Standard for each racing class to either tune up or tune down the cars so all the cars that represent a given class of real-world racing are as equal as their real-world counterparts. Volume 13, Number 6 (issue number 78) November/December 2014 Publisher: Robert Schleicher Editor: Robert Schleicher Technical Editor: Chris Walker Track Test Editor: Marc Purdham Layout & Design: Agency Graphics, Ltd. Contributing Editors: Mark Gussin Dan Wilson Brad Bowman Jeremy Dunning Alan Schwartz Bernard Sampson Editors Emeritus: Rocky Russo Bill Sipple Jose Rodriguez Jim Russell Bob Braverman Ron Klein Circulation & Dealer Contact: modelcarracingmag@hotmail.com Model Car Racing Publications, Inc Gunpark Drive, Suite Boulder, CO website: Jason Boye Dan Esposito Pat Dennis Albin Adams Model Car Racing (USPS , ISSN ) is published bimonthly by Model Car Racing Publications, Inc., 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite , Boulder, CO Copyright 2014, Model Car Racing Publications, Inc. Individual issue price $6.95. No current issues or back issues are available from the publisher but a list of dealers who carry the magazine is on the website at All sales and subscriptions are not returnable. SUBSCRIPTION RATE: United States: 1 year (6 issues) $ We can only accept Canadian or foreign subscriptions for the digital version of the magazine, which is $19.95 for six issues. We cannot accept subscription orders for the paper version of the magazine from countries other than the United States. EXPEDITED SHIPPING SERVICE: Not available. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Model Car Racing Publications, Inc., 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite , Boulder, CO Periodicals Postage is paid at Boulder, Colorado and at additional mailing offices. Model Car Racing assumes that all letters, new product information, photographs of any kind, and other unsolicited materials are contributed gratis whether mailed or sent electronically. Model Car Racing assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material. Solicited articles and photographs are paid for within 45 days after publication, at which time Model Car Racing obtains full publication rights. Unsolicited materials can be returned if adequate postage is included.

7 Race Tracks On a Tabletop: For 2-Lane ROC Track in Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium on a 5 x 13 1/2- Foot Tabletop (One and One-Half Ping- Pong Tables) for Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX or Ninco, and for Carrera with (Optional) Digital Lane-Changing The Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium plan on pages of this issue can be adapted to a smaller tabletop. We expanded the plan from the January/February 2014 number 73 issue from just one 5 x 9-feet to 5 x 13 ½-feet by adding another half of a ping-pong tabletop. There s an index, by size, of all the previously published track plans from Model Car Racing magazine and the four books by Robert Schleicher on our website www. modelcarracingmag.com. Robert Schleicher Each of the race track plans in Model Car Racing magazine is marked with pairs of the letter L to indicate where the track can be expanded in length. That is just what we did with the plans for the Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium track from the January/February 2014 number 73 issue. We added another half of a ping-pong table (they are only sold in 5 x 4 ½-foot pieces) to lengthen the tabletop from 9-feet to 13 ½-feet. We were able to insert four Standard Straight (S) track sections in each of the four straights on the smaller race track plan. If you have more room, you can lengthen these plans by adding even more pairs of straight track sections at places marked L on the plans. List of Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX or Ninco Track Required for 2-Lane ROC Track in Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium on a 5 x 13 1/2-Foot Ping-Pong Tabletop: Key Quantity Description L T X H 2 1/2 Standard Curve S 8 Standard Curve SC 2 Optional: replace two Scalextric or SCX curves with crossover tracks O 8 Outer Curve OO 20 Outer-Outer Curve F 2 Short Straight E 1 1/4-Straight D 3 1/2-Straight B 22 Full-Straight BC 2 Optional: replace two Ninco straights with crossover tracks A 2 Connector Track Track can be expanded in length by adding matched pairs of straight track sections here. Turns on the model versions of the track If you are assembling the track with Scalextric Digital, 1 1/2 straights at this point can be replaced with the C7036 double-crossover straight lane-changer plus a half straight. If you are using NINCO N-Digital, the double Lane-changers can be substituted for any standard straight. To build the plan with NINCO track you will need about 10-percent more space and you may need some additional short straights to get everything to line up properly. Since there are four straights, the total lap length has been increased by about 16-feet. Even better, the main straight on the Scalextric, SCX or Ninco version is now about 10-feet long. The straight on the Carrera version is 7-feet long but it ends in the broad Carrera outer-outer-outer (R4) curve so the cars can maintain their speed as well as on the Scalextric, SCX or Ninco version. The plan is an inverted figure 8, which does make one of the lanes much longer than the other because the cars in that lane are on the outside of any curve for about 720-degrees more than the car on the inner lane. You can make the lane lengths almost equal by replacing two of the track sections with crossover track sections: two of the Standard Curves (S on the plans) can be replaced with, for Scalextric the C8203 Racing Crossover or, for SCX, the number Changeover Curve track, at the places marked SC or, for Ninco, two of the Standard Straight track sections would be replaced with two of the number crossovers at the places marked BC on the plans. On the Carrera plan two of the Standard Straights at BC on the plan can be replaced with two of the number Lane Change Sections. The crossovers will force the outer lane on both inner and outer ovals to inner lane for half of a lap. The crossovers would not be needed, of course, if you are racing with digital because any car can take the inside lane. Digital Racing Systems There is room on the plans from Scalextric, SCX and Ninco for two of the double lane-change track sections at X on the plan. The Carrera plan indicates two locations for the Digital 132 single-lane changers but these would be better replaced with the number double lane-changers. L List of Carrera Track Required for 2-Lane ROC Track in Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium on a 5 x 13 1/2- Foot Ping-Pong Tabletop: Key Quantity Description T H /2 Inner Curve R1 S Inner Curve R1 O Middle Curve R2 OO Outer Curve R3 OOO 3 pr. (6) Outer-Outer Curve R4 E /4-Straight D /3-Straight B Full-Straight BC 2 Optional: replace two straights with Lane Change Sections A Connector Track (analog) Track can be expanded in length by adding matched pairs of straight track sections here. Turns on the model versions of the track 16 Model Car Racing

8 Start Here: Replace Magnets With Weight Bill Deuroen Out-of-the-box model race cars have magnets to help hold the cars on the track through the turns. For many racers, that s great. In time, however, you may want to try racing your cars without downforce magnets. Running magnet-free is similar to turning-off the traction control in a modern sedan on icy roads---it s more of a challenge to control the car and, to many, much more fun. Like running through snow with traction control off, however, it takes some experience to turn terror into fun. On a full-size car, snow tires are essential for running traction control-free through snow and ice. With a model race car, it is also necessary to replace the tires (but only the rear tires) with something that has more grip than the stock tires. Some model car racers use one of the brands of silicone tires like Maxx- Trac, Indy Grips, Ortmann, Super Tires or (for the cars they fit) Slot.it P6 tires but the urethane tires from Yellow Dogs, Ortmann and others often provide somewhat better traction on plastic tracks. Cut wheel balance weights with diagonal cutters. The weights have an adhesive but it is not really secure enough once weight has been cut. Keep weight in place with either hot glue or a dab of Shoe Goo cement. The urethane or silicone tires will provide more predictable power slides through the corners without the downforce magnet but the magnet also affects the pickup braid s contact with the track and how well the guide shoe holds into the slot. Surprisingly, adding about a quarter-ounce of weight near the front of the car is enough to allow near magnet-stuck cornering speeds. Most modelers use the lead weights that automobile tire shops use to balance automobile tires but it may take some convincing to buy them from the tire shop. If you have to buy them yourself, they come in 50-pound boxes. The weights are also available to hobby dealers that carry flying model aircraft and from A-Line as number ( Cardboard-thin self-adhesive lead is available from golf shops for use in weighting golf clubs. The necessary word of warning: lead is poisonous so handle it with rubber gloves and, even then, wash your hands thoroughly after working with it. It s that danger factor that prevents model car manufacturers from including lead with their models. Stick the quarter-ounce of weight as close to the front axle as possible. Be sure the weight does not interfere with the interior of model. On some cars, the weight can be cut into two 1/8-ounce pieces and placed closer to the front axle. Use wheel balance weights (left) or self-stick lead sheet for golf clubs (right) to add a quarter-ounce or less to replace some of magnetic downforce effect on cars that you race without traction magnets. You can use self-adhesive golf club lead on the bottom of the chassis. It can be useful in determining how much weight is needed because you can add or remove it easily---once you determine the necessary weight, you can use wheel balance weights mounted inside the car. Model Car Racing 17

9 Digital Racing: Scalextric Easyfit Chips Most of the Scalextric cars now have a chassis with a trap door in the bottom that is retained with a single screw. Inside are a plug and socket. The previous 1969 Scalextric Trans-Am Camaros, however, retained the original chassis that required the installation of the Scalextric C7005 Retro-Fit chip with soldered wire connections. The newer versions of the 1969 Camaro like the car on these pages are designed for plug-in installation using the Scalextric C8515 Digital Plug (DPR). To install the Scalextric Digital Easy-Fit chip in these cars, just remove the trap door, unplug the wires, plug-in the Easy-Fit plug in place of the trap door and attach the new chip with that single screw. Test-run the car. It should run nicely on Scalextric Digital or on any brand of analog track. There s much more information on digital racing (including Pros and Cons of the basic systems) on the website under Digital Car Racing Tips. Robert Schleicher To be sure you do not break any of the wires, use a small screwdriver to gently lever the plug from the socket. All of the previous Scalextric 1969 Camaros had a one-piece chassis (top). The newest 1969 Camaros, however, have a trap door just behind pickup to allow plug-in installation of Scalextric Digital. Remove the single screw and gently pull the trap door from the chassis. The Scalextric Digital C8515 Digital Plug (DPR) chip (left) replaces the plastic trap door (right). 18 Model Car Racing

10 Plug-in the Scalextric Digital C8515 Digital Plug (DPR and tuck the wires inside the car. The earlier 1969 Camaros, most of Scalextric Classic cars (and all other brands) can be converted to Scalextric Digital with this C7005 Retro-Fit chip. On most Scalextric cars, the wires the pickup plug-in but, on all of installations, the wires to motor must be unsoldered and two new wires from the digital chip soldered to the motor in their place. Press the Scalextric Digital C8515 Digital Plug (DP) into the chassis and install the mounting screw. Previous articles on installing Scalextric Digital: (All are on under Sample Issues ). Scalextric Sport Digital in any brand (including the SCX BMW Formula 1 and LeMans cars), Issue #48 Scalextric Plug-Ready Sport Digital in SCX Formula 1 cars, Issue #51 Installed in Carrera NASCAR cars, Issue #57 Installed in Carrera Formula 1 cars, Issue #60 Installed in MRRC Cars (Cobra, Ford GT40 Mk.IV, Cheetah, Chaparral 2F and others, Issue #66 Model Car Racing 19

11 2014 Track Test Digest 18 Full Race Track Test Reports on 9 Model Racing Cars Model Car Racing Track Test Results Summary, Issues 73 Through 78 This is a digest or summary of all the track tests on 1/32 scale race cars we have performed in the 72nd though 78th issues of Model Car Racing magazine. Most of the test results over all of the past thirteen years would be them same today because the majority of the 1/32 scale model cars are using identical motors, gear ratios tires and they weigh about the same. Thus, a Scalextric sidewinder 1969 Trans-Am Mustang with a sidewinder chassis from 2002 should perform almost exactly like a Scalextric sidewinder 1969 Trans-Am Mustang with a sidewinder chassis from 2013 with many other brands and models offering similar comparative performance. There were 21 Model Car Racing Track Tests in the first six issues, 27 in the second set of six, 20 in the third set of six, 21 in the fourth set of six, 27 tests in the fifth set of six, 23 tests in the sixth set, 21 tests in the seventh, 28 tests in the eighth, 24 tests in this ninth, 17 in the tenth, 16 in the eleventh, and 12 in the twelfth and 18 in the thirteenth set of issues so the total now stands at 269. In some tests, there were errors or omissions in the numbers, which we have tried to correct for this compilation. Individual back issues are not available. The results of all 269 tests are also on Model Car Racing Track Test Results With Downforce Magnets (By Brand): Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12LMR LeMans, Issue #75 Carrera 1968 Mustang Trans-Am, Issue #74 Cartrix 1959 Lotus 16 Formula 1, Issue #77 Cartrix 1950 Talbot-Lago T26C Formula 1, Issue #66 NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 LeMans, Issue #75 Pioneer 1968 Mustang Fastback Trans-Am, Issue #74 Policar1972 Ferrari 312PB LeMans, Issue #77 Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger Trans-Am, Issue #74 Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM LeMans, Issue #75 Track Tests of Supertuned Cars Magnet-Free (No Traction Magnets) With Silicone Tires (By Brand): Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12LMR LeMans, Issue #76 Carrera 1968 Mustang Trans-Am, Issue #75 Cartrix 1950 Talbot-Lago T26C Formula 1, Issue #78 Cartrix 1959 Lotus 16 Formula 1, Issue #78 NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 LeMans, Issue #76 Pioneer 1968 Mustang Fastback Trans-Am, Issue #75 Policar1972 Ferrari 312PB LeMans, Issue #78 Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger Trans-Am, Issue #75 Slot.it 1998 Porsche 911 GT1/98 LeMans, Issue #73 20 Model Car Racing

12 Track Tests of Cars with Traction Magnets (Stock Tires): Race Car: Lap Time, 36-foot Scalextric Indy F1 Course: Lap Time, 36-foot Carrera Indy F1 Course: ISSUE #74 Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger Trans-Am PERFORMANCE: 4.02 sec sec. ISSUE #74 Pioneer 1968 Mustang Fastback Trans-Am PERFORMANCE: 3.53 sec sec. ISSUE #74 Carrera 1968 Mustang Trans-Am PERFORMANCE: 3.80 sec sec. ISSUE #75 Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM LeMans PERFORMANCE: 4.42 sec sec. ISSUE #75 NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 LeMans PERFORMANCE: 4.04 sec sec. ISSUE #75 Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12LMR LeMans PERFORMANCE: 4.15 sec sec. ISSUE #77 Policar1972 Ferrari 312PB LeMans PERFORMANCE: 3.99 sec sec. ISSUE #77 Cartrix 1959 Lotus 16 Formula 1 PERFORMANCE: 4.84 sec sec. ISSUE #77 Cartrix 1950 Talbot-Lago T26C Formula 1 PERFORMANCE: 4.74 sec sec. TRACK TESTS OF SUPERTUNED CARS MAGNET-FREE (NO TRACTION MAGNETS) with silicone tires: Race Car: Lap Time, 36-foot Scalextric Indy F1 Course: Lap Time, 36-foot Carrera Indy F1 Course: Issue #73 Slot.it 1998 Porsche 911 GT1/98 LeMans PERFORMANCE: 4.52 sec sec. ISSUE #75 Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger Trans-Am PERFORMANCE: 4.48 sec sec. ISSUE #75 Pioneer 1968 Mustang Fastback Trans-Am PERFORMANCE: 4.87 sec sec. ISSUE #75 Carrera 1968 Mustang Trans-Am PERFORMANCE: 5.57 sec sec. ISSUE #76 Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM LeMans PERFORMANCE: 4.89 sec sec. ISSUE #76 NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 LeMans PERFORMANCE: 4.78 sec sec. ISSUE #76 Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12LMR LeMans PERFORMANCE: 4.84 sec sec. ISSUE #78 Policar1972 Ferrari 312PB LeMans PERFORMANCE: 4.40 sec sec. ISSUE #78 Cartrix 1959 Lotus 16 Formula 1 PERFORMANCE: 5.68 sec sec. ISSUE #78 Cartrix 1950 Talbot-Lago T26C Formula 1 PERFORMANCE: 5.55 sec sec ISSUES: #73 January/February 2014 #76 July/August 2014 #74 March/April 2014 #77 September/October 2014 #75 May/June 2014 #78 November/December 2014 Model Car Racing 21

13 Model Car Racing Magazine 2014 Volume 13 - Issues 73 through 78 Index 1/32 Scale Model Car Racing: Body Shop: (also see Paint Shop) Dave Jones 1964 BM P261 Formula 1, Issue #74 Can-Am: Slot.it 1970 McLaren M8D, Issue #73 Club Racing: IROC Spec Classes Part 2, Issue #73 Proxy Racing Part 1, Issue #74 Trofeo Racing, Issue #75 Builder s Class, Part 2, Proxy Racing, Issue #76 Rules For Growth, Issue #77 The Constructor (see Race Car Shop): Digital Racing: (Note: every issue also has track plans that include locations for lane-changers for Scalextric Sport Digital and Carrera Pro-X track---see Race Tracks on a Tabletop and Real Race Track Plans ) Live-Action Pit Stops with Pit Walls for Carrera Digital 132, Issue #73 Ankidrive Slotless Racing System for ipads, Issue #73 Live-Action Pit Stops with Pit Walls for SCX & Ninco N-Digital, Issue #74 Slot.it oxigen Digital Chips for Formula 1 cars, Issue #75 Carrera Digital 132 single curved lane changers, Issue #76 2-Lane Thompson Speedway for Digital Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco, Carrera on a 12 x 20-foot tabletop, Issue #77 Action Pit Lanes for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco or Carrera Digital Systems, Issue #77 Scalextric Easyfit Digital Chip Installation, Issue #78 Editorials: The Unfair Advantage, Issue #73 Vintage Racing, Issue #74 No Coincidences, Issue #75 Bring A Friend, Issue #76 The Whole Picture, Issue #77 The Risk of Model Car Racing (Track Tests), Issue #78 Formula 1: Scalextric 1968 Lotus 49B, Issue #73 Dave Jones 1964 BM P261, Race Car Shop, Issue #74 Dave Jones 1950 Alfa Romeo 158 with Penelope Pitlane Chassis, Issue #75 Cartrix 1962 Porsche 804, Issue #77 Cartrix 1959 Lotus 16, Track Test, Issue #77 Cartrix 1950 Talbot-Lago T26C, Track Test, Issue #77 Carrera 2013 Red Bull RB9, Issue #78 Scalextric 1971 Tyrrell 003, Issue #78 70s-80s Formula 1 In 1/32 Scale, Historic Racing Classes, Issue #78 Scalextric 1972 Tyrrell 003/004, Issue #78 Scalextric 1973 Lotus 72E, Issue #78 Cartrix 1959 Lotus 16, Magnet-Free, Issue #78 Cartrix 1950 Talbot-Lago T26C, Magnet-Free, Issue #78 GT Cars (also see Sports-Racers and Supercars): Scalextric 2012 Maserati GranTurismo MC Trofeo, Issue #75 Historic Racing Classes: Vintage Trans-Am in 1/32 Scale, Issue #74 70s-80s Formula 1 In 1/32 Scale, Issue #78 Home Racing: Trackside Scenery: Pit Timing Stands, Issue #73 Trackside Scenery: Safety Fences, Issue #74 Onboard Race car sound from Flyslot, Part 1, Issue #75 Onboard Race car sound from Flyslot, Part 2, Issue #76 Laguna Seca Raceway On a 5 x 9-foot Ping-Pong Tabletop Plus 3 x 3- and 3 x 6-foot Portable Tables With Carrera, Scalextric, Ninco or SCX Track And Digital Options, Issue #76 Photomural Backdrops For Laguna Seca Raceway, Issue #77 Le Mans Racers: Carrera 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, Issue #73 Slot.it 1998 Porsche 911 GT1/98, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 105: Magnet-Free, Issue #73 Racer Sideways 1977 Schnitzer BMW M1 Turbo Group 5, Issue #73 Scalextric 1958 Cunningham D-Type Jaguar. Issue #73 Slot.it 1987 Porsche 962C LH (with Sidewinder Motor Pod), The 6-Screw Hop-Up, Part 5, Issue #73 Flyslot Porsche 997 GT3 RSR, Issue #75 Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Track Test, Issue #75 NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, Track Test, Issue #75 Scaleauto 1975 De Tomaso Pantera Group 5, Issue #75 Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12 LMR, Track Test Issue #75 Slot.it 1968 Ford GT40, Issue #75 TDR Innovations 3D Printed 1949 Ferrari 166MM with Slot Classics or PCS-1 Chassis Race Car Shop, Issue #76 Slot.it 1986 Porsche 962C KH, Issue #76 Slot.it 1974 Matra MS670B, Issue #76 Racer Sideways 1982 Sauber BMW M1 Turbo, Issue #76 Racer Sideways 1980 Ferrari 512BB/LM, Issue #76 NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, Track Test, Magnet-Free, Issue #76 Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Track Test, Magnet-Free, Issue #76 Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12 LMR, Track Test, Magnet-Free, Issue #76 Policar1972 Ferrari 312PB, Track Test, Issue #77 Scalextric GT Lightning, Issue #77 Flyslot 1965 Ferrari 275LM, Issue #78 Carrera 1965 Porsche 904GTS, Issue #78 Policar1972 Ferrari 312PB, Track Test, Magnet-Free: Issue #78 Flyslot 1972 Chevron B21, Issue #78 NASCAR: Scalextric 1970 Dodge Charger Daytona, Issue #75 Production Sports Cars: Pendle 1998 Miata, Series 1, step-by-step, Issue #77 Race Car Shop: Dave Jones 1964 BM P261, Issue #74 Dave Jones 1950 Alfa Romeo 158 with Penelope Pitlane Chassis, Issue #75 TDR Innovations 3D Printed 1949 Ferrari 166MM with Slot Classics or PCS-1 Chassis, Issue #76 Small Cars, Issue #77 Pendle 1998 Miata, Series 1, step-by-step, Issue #77 Race Tracks on a Tabletop Plans: For Carrera, Sport, Scalextric, SCX or NINCO Track (with optional lane-changing): 2-Lane Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Race Of Champions (ROC) on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop, Issue #73 2-Lane Suzuka F1 Grand Prix Track on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop, Issue #74 2-Lane Unicorn Raceway (Vintage) on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop, Issue #75 2-Lane Twisted Pines Raceway on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop, Issue #76 2-Lane Thompson Oval Speedway for Digital on a 5 x 9-foot pingpong tabletop, Issue #77 4-Lane Thompson Oval Speedway on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop. Issue #77 2-Lane Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Track on a 5 x 13 1/2-foot ping-pong tabletop, Issue #78 22 Model Car Racing

14 Race-Tune Your Race Car (See Super-Tuned Racers) Rally Cars: Scalextric 1985 Audi Sport Quattro E2, Issue #75 Real Race Track Plans: All plans are designed for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, NINCO or Carrera track (with optional lane-changing). 4-Lane Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Race Of Champions (ROC) on two 5 x 9-foot Ping-Pong tables placed side-by-side to form a 9 x 10-foot tabletop, Issue #73 4-Lane Suzuka F1 Grand Prix Track on a 12 x 21-foot tabletop, Issue #74 2-Lane Unicorn Raceway (Vintage) on a 9 x 17-foot tabletop, Issue #75 2-Lane Buddh International India Formula 1 Circuit on a 9 x 17-foot tabletop, Issue #76 2-Lane Thompson Speedway for Digital (with optional lane-changing) on a 12 x 20-foot tabletop, Issue #77 4-Lane Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Track on a 9 x 15- foot tabletop, Issue #78 Sedan Racing: Carrera 2012 DTM BMW M3, Audi RS5 & Mercedes C Coupe, Issue #73 Shoot-Outs (see Track Tests): Sports-Racers (see also Production Sports Cars ): Start Here: Chassis Setup, Part 1: Alignment, Issue #75 Maximizing Pickup Braid Depth Ride Height, Issue #77 Replace Magnets With Weight, Issue #78 Supercars: Scalextric Lamborghini Aventador, Issue #75 The Supertuned Racers (most are magnet-free): Slot.it 1998 Porsche 911 GT1/98, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 105, Issue #73 The 6-Screw Hop-Up, Part 5: Slot. it 1987 Porsche 962C LH (with Sidewinder Motor Pod)Supertuned Racers, Part 106, Issue #73 Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 107, Issue #75 Pioneer 1968 Mustang Fastback, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 108, #75 Carrera 1968 Mustang Fastback, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 109, Issue #75 All-Time Shoot-Out, Scalextric vs. Carrera vs. Pioneer vs. SCX, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 110, Issue #75 NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, Track Test, Magnet- Free, Supertuned Racers, Part 108B/111, Issue #76 Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Track Test, Magnet-Free, Supertuned Racers, Part 109B/112, Issue #76 Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12 LMR, Track Test, Magnet-Free, Supertuned Racers, Part 110B/113, Issue #76 Policar1972 Ferrari 312PB, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 114, Magnet-Free: Issue #78 Cartrix 1950 Talbot-Lago T26C, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 115, Magnet-Free: Issue #78 Cartrix 1959 Lotus 16, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 116, Magnet-Free: Issue #78 Track Tests: (There s an index and the test result times for all previous Track Tests from the paper and paid Internet issues under the top bar More Information then click on Race Car Tests ): Slot.it 1998 Porsche 911 GT1/98, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 105: Magnet-Free, Issue #73 Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger, Issue #74 Scalextric vs. Carrera vs. Pioneer vs. SCX, Issue #74 Pioneer 1968 Mustang Fastback, Issue #74 Carrera 1968 Mustang Fastback, Issue #74 Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger, Supertuned Racers, Part 107, Magnet-Free: Issue #75 Pioneer 1968 Mustang Fastback, Supertuned Racers, Part 108, Magnet-Free: Issue #75 Carrera 1968 Mustang Fastback, Supertuned Racers, Part 109, Magnet-Free: Issue #75 All-Time Shoot-Out, Scalextric vs. Carrera vs. Pioneer vs. SCX, Supertuned Racers, Part 110, Issue #75 Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #75 NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, Issue #75 Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12 LMR, Issue #75 NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3, Magnet-Free, Issue #76 Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Magnet-Free, Issue #76 Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12 LMR, Magnet-Free, Issue #76 Policar1972 Ferrari 312PB, Issue #77 Cartrix 1959 Lotus 16, Issue #77 Cartrix 1950 Talbot-Lago T26C, Issue #77 Cartrix 1959 Lotus 16, Free-Free, Issue #78 Cartrix 1950 Talbot-Lago T26C, Magnet-Free, Issue #78 Policar1972 Ferrari 312PB, Magnet-Free: Issue #78 Summary of Full Race Track Test Reports on 9 Model Racing Cars Tested in 2014, Issue #78 The Risk of Model Car Racing (How & Why of Track Tests), Issue #78 Trackside Scenery: Pit Timing Stands, Issue #73 Safety Fences, Issue #74 Photomural Backdrops For Laguna Seca Raceway, Issue #77 Trans-Am: Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger, Track Test, Issue #74 Scalextric vs. Carrera vs. Pioneer vs. SCX, Track Test, Issue #74 Vintage Trans-Am in 1/32 Scale, Issue #74 Scalextric 1968 Mercury Cougar, Issue #74 Pioneer 1968 Mustang Fastback, Track Test, Issue #74 Carrera 1968 Mustang Fastback, Track Test, Issue #74 Scalextric 1970 Dodge Challenger, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 107, Magnet-Free: Issue #75 Pioneer 1968 Mustang Fastback, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 108, Magnet-Free: Issue #75 Carrera 1968 Mustang Fastback, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 109, Magnet-Free: Issue #75 All-Time Shoot-Out, Scalextric vs. Carrera vs. Pioneer vs. SCX, Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 110, Issue #75 Vintage Racing: Heinz Rengel s 1/24 scale Lindberg Cobra Daytona on a Monogram Chassis, Issue #74 Editorial, Vintage Racing, Issue #74 2-Lane Unicorn Raceway Track Plan for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco, Carrera (with optional lane-changing) on a 9 x 17-foot tabletop, Issue #75 2-Lane Unicorn Raceway rack Plan for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco or Carrera (with optional lane-changing) on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop, Issue #75 Robert Schleicher s Three-Lane Wood 16 x 18-foot Unicorn Raceway, Issue #75 Rick Thigpen s Strombecker 1960 Porsche RS60, Issue #76 Charlie Cressi s 20 x 20-foot 4-Lane Wood Glen Cove Raceway, Issue #78 Your Tracks: Loors Svensson Three-Lane Wood 7 x 21-foot ACME Raceway Dave Wisdom s Three-Lane Wood 12 x 18-foot Forest Hall Circuit, Issue #74 Robert Schleicher s Vintage Three-Lane Wood 16 x 18-foot Unicorn Raceway, Issue #75 Pete Shepherd s Cuckoo Pines 4 ½ x 13-foot two-lane Carrera, Issue #76 Jon Sanders 16 x 40-foot 4-Lane Carrera Razor Raceway, Issue #77 Charlie Cressi s Vintage 20 x 20-foot 4-Lane Wood Glen Cove Raceway, Issue #78 HO Scale Model Car Racing: Drag Racing: Auto World NHRA Funny cars, Issue #73 Auto World Start Line Christmas Tree, Issue #74 Home Racing: AFX Lap Counters, Issue #73 IndyCar Racing: Auto World 2013 Dallara IndyCars, Issue #78 NASCAR: AFX 2013 Chevrolet SS and Ford Fusion, Issue #73 Track Plans: 4-Lane Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Race Of Champions (ROC) on a 5 x 9-foot Ping- Pong Tabletop, Issue #73 4-Lane Suzuka F1 Grand Prix Track on a 5 x 9-foot Ping- Pong Tabletop, Issue #74 4-Lane Paramount Ranch Track on a 5 x 9-foot Ping-Pong Tabletop with a 4 x 4-foot table to create a 5 x 13-foot tabletop, Issue #75 4-Lane Buddh International India Formula 1 Circuit in 4 x 8-Feet, Issue #76 4-Lane Thompson Speedway in 4 x 8-Feet, Issue #77 4-Lane Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Track in 5 x 13 1/2-Feet, Issue #78 Trans-Am: AFX 1969 Camaro Z28 and Mustang Boss 427, Issue #73 Your Cars: Randy Pepprock s AFX LeMans Racers, Issue #74 1/43 Scale Model Car Racing: Track Plans: Carrera Go!!! vs. SCX Compact, Issue #74 1/24 Scale Model Car Racing: Race Car Shop: Adjusting Inline Motor Gear Mesh On AMT 1/25 Scale Muscle Cars, Issue #73 Vintage Racing, Your Cars: Heinz Rengel s Lindberg Cobra Daytona on a Monogram Chassis, Issue #74 Model Car Racing 23

15 Emerson Fittipaldi (Lotus 72E Ford) leading the 1973 Spanish Grand Prix at Monjuich Park, Barcelona, Spain. Note the John Player Special markings on the front wing, the sides and the rear wing and the JPS logos. LAT Photographic 30 Model Car Racing

16 Model Car Racing 31

17 Pit Board #78 Four Lanes There are few articles in Model Car Racing about four-lane tracks but most of the clubs in our area have four-lanes. I understand that it is a lot harder to fit four-lanes in any given space than two but that is why I would like see more plans for four-lane tracks. Thank you, Josh Gilbert Yes, it is more difficult to squeeze four-lanes into any given space but it can be done. There s a four-lane track on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong table in the September/October 2014 number 77 issue. There are also four-lane race track plans for a 12 x 21-foot version of Suzuka in the March/April 2014 issue and 9 x 10-foot Bangkok Stadium track in the January/February 2014 number 73 issue. However, unless the track has a lap length longer than about 90-feet a four-lane track does not offer equal racing in all of the lanes. Because the outer lanes have all the tight curves (where the cars go slower) and all largest curves (which are longer around) the two outer lanes will usually produce significantly longer lap times, regardless of the car or the driver. Conversely, the two inner lanes of a four-lane track provide excellent racing and are often nearly equal in lap times. The extra width of four-lanes consumes table space so a two-lane track can often have as much as four-feet or more of extra lap length. Finally, four-lanes in a small space looks more like a parking lot slalom than a race track because the track and the skid aprons cover nearly all the tabletop with only small islands of open space for scenery. There is an upside to four lanes if you are running classes for cars with magnets and other classes for cars without magnets. The magnet-stuck cars do not need skid aprons so you can leave them off of the four-lane track and race in all four lanes. When you are running cars that have no downforce magnets limit the races to the two inner lanes and use the outer lanes as the skid apron areas. The ideal model car racing track for many of us would have three lanes, which only requires a bit more space than two and minimizes the lap time differences between the inner and outer lanes. Strombecker produced three-lane plastic track in the sixties but only with one curve size. If you are considering building a wood track with the slots routed into the surface of MDF panels, three-lanes might be the best choice. Testing For Digital How can you test a digital car to see if it works without a digital track? Thanks, Frank York There is no two-wire method of determining if a digital car will operate on digital because the digital systems rely on electronic signals not just power to the rails. If you are checking to see if it operates properly on digital, you will need at least the controller/connector track, power supply and controllers for that brand. If you simply want to know if a digital car will run on analog you can test it with just two wires and 12 volts of DC current with the wires touching the pickup braid. Only Scalextric Digital and Carrera Digital 132 (and the older Carrera Pro-X) digital cars will run on analog. The Carrera cars require moving a small switch on the bottom of the car (and, with some, blipping the throttle on and off (touching and retouching the wires). None of the SCX Digital or Ninco N-Digital cars will run on analog without removing the digital chip. Super Size Me Model Car Racing magazine seems have a fetish about scale. Every issue has articles that give all the dimensions of the real car and the model. I understand that 1/43 scale SCX Compact and Carrera Go!!! cars look like toys place beside the 1/32 scale models. If the model looks right, what difference does it make if it s a half-inch too short or wide? Regards, Frank Carstens One of the joys of a hobby is that it is very personal endeavor; you can do whatever you like as you participate in that hobby with only yourself to please. There are many ways of enjoying a model of any full-size car including just appreciating the shape. In addition to that, you can appreciate model s proportions with a length and width that seems to recreate the full-size car. Those proportions, however, are also significant when two models of different cars are sitting side by side. A Carrera Go!!! NAS- CAR car, for example, is about the size of a 1/32 scale Scalextric MGB but the two models placed side by side look very strange. For larger models, 1/32 scale has become the standard size. It was not always so; in the early sixties the Scalextric and Strombecker cars were about 1/29 scale. By the end of the sixties, however, all of the new Scalextric and Strombecker cars were 1/32 scale. Today, Racer produces some incredibly realistic model race cars with etched window frames and near-perfect shapes and proportions but, for whatever reason, they are 1/30 scale. Some model car racers have no qualms about mixing those Racer cars (or original Strombecker or Scalextric cars) with today s models. There is, though, a performance issue in that a wider 1/32 scale car is likely to corner quicker than a narrower one. So some models, like most of the Ninco Classics, have been produced deliberately wider than 1/32 scale in an effort to make what should be narrower cars handle as well as wider ones. Again, most model car racer don t care but, with Ninco s Classic cars, the proportions are just not quite right---given that, if you had not been told they these cars were proportionally wider than they are long would you have noticed? Our Spec Sheets show the dimensions of the full-size car and the size the model should be in 1/32 scale, then the size of the actual model. It s your choice whether the model s actual size (as well as its shape and proportions) are close enough to the full-size car to please you. This is your hobby. Enjoy it. New To The Hobby? There s more information on page 17 of this issue. There are some basic tune-up tips that are needed for every model race car on under the New to the hobby? link. There are 13 tips including: How To Get Started in Model Car Racing, Two Driving Techniques, Perfect Pickup Braid, Tire Mounting, Cleaning Track Rails, Cleaning Track, Avoiding Disaster: Oil & Grease, Controllers, Race Program Set Up: Color Coding & Racing classes, Reliable Wires, Chassis Set Up, Carrera Guide Shoe Mods. There s lots more you can do, including changing to silicone rear tires with better grip, loosening the body-tochassis screws and more. 46 Model Car Racing

18 Club Directory Most model car racers prefer to race at home on their own tracks with a few friends. There are hundreds of model car racing clubs in the world but some of them are groups who race very highly modified cars on tracks routed from wood or PVC. The model racing cars you see on the pages of this magazine are all designed to be raced on plastic tracks (although they can be raced on most wood or PVC tracks) from Scalextric, Sport, Carrera, NINCO, SCX, Riggen or Artin or the older Strombecker, Revell or Monogram tracks 1/32 scale tracks or Tomy AFX or Mattel/Tyco HO tracks. The clubs that are listed here are groups whose main interest is to race out-of-the box cars and mostly on plastic tracks (although the club may also race on one or two hand-routed wood or PVC tracks). The group may have a modified class where extra magnets are allowed or different bodies. We try to NOT list the clubs that primarily race cars with hand-made metal chassis and clear plastic bodies---those clubs are listed on various internet sites or you can find most of them through the Old Weird Harold site at There are hundreds of dealers in the country that have operating tracks in the store. We cannot list them all, but you can contact the ones in your area from the list of dealers that carry Model Car Racing magazine If your group races out-of-the-box 1/32 scale or HO scale cars, with only occasionally events for modified cars) send us the information at and we ll try to include your club in the next issue. California, Los Angeles (Glendale): OTHG Farrout Slot Car Club. Contact Stephen Farr-Jones (818) , California, Fresno area: Insane SCRC, Joe Cabral Joe_Cabral@comcast.net California, North San Diego County: Nomad Slot Racing Club, Jim Cunningham (760) jim@nomadraceways.com www. NomadSlotRacing.com California, North San Diego County, Escondido - The Slot Outlaws or rick_houston@hotmail.com California, San Jose area: Devin Mauldin web@flyinghump.com California, South Bay (Los Angeles): Stan Smith (310) stan.dsmith@tw.com California, South Bay (Los Angeles): ITG - In The Groove Slot Car racing, 324 W. Florence Ave., Inglewood, CA Contact: Marc Natividad (310) ftnzguru@aol.com Colorado, Denver area: Rocky Mountain Slot Car Club (RMSSC) Colorado, Denver Area, Colorado Slot car Club, contact: Colorado, Denver area: Front Range Vintage Slotcar and Historical Racing Club, D.C., Washington area: The Capital Racing League, contact: Warsteiner42@aol.com D.C., Washington area (Alexandria): Classic Slot Car Association (CSSA), John Roberts, (703) , jonrob-1@msn.com D.C., Washington Metro area: Old Dominion Slot Car Club, 5322 Graystone Rd., Warrenton, VA 20187, contact: Chris Bowles (540) or, info@nascarslots.com, or Illinois, Central area: Hotslots 1/32 Slot Car Shop, 1809 A. Philo Road, Urbana, IL (217) , info@hotslots132.com Illinois, Chicago area: Bolingbrook Speedway, Karl Staehlin, karlstaehlin@gmail.com Illinois, Chicago area: Great Lakes Slot Car Club, contact: Illinois, Chicago Area: JYD Racing, contact Illinois, Peoria/ Metamora area: Peoria Model Car Raceway, (309) , historybuff.stange@gmail.com, (309) butterbean722004@yahoo.com Indiana, Indianapolis area: (Jeremy Dunning) jeremydunning@hotmail.com Indiana, Terre Haute area: Otter Creek Slot Racing Association, Bob Redman rredman427@aol.com Iowa, Cedar Rapids area: Iowa Model Area Racers, Indiana, Fort Wayne area: Wallace Dale Monroe, wallmonroe@aol.com Iowa, Cedar Rapids area: ERASR (Ecurie Road America Scale Racers) Art (319) Iowa, Swisher area: IMAR (Iowa Model Auto Racing), Jerry Hightshoe lowboot2@hotmail.com Kentucky, Louisville area: Derby City Slot Car Club, Mark@derbycityspeedway.com Louisiana, Lake Charles area: Lake Area Slot Car Auto Racing, Julian Guillory, Maryland, Baltimore area: (Allan Schwartz) compass@bellatlantic.net Michigan, Grand Rapids area: Rivershore International Raceway, Alto, Michigan, Stephen Thomas, (616) sbbthomas@aol.com Michigan, Kalamazoo area: West Michigan Slot Car Group, John Lacko (269) , jalacko@aol.com groups/ / Missouri, St. Louis area: (Carl Shorle) gsra@swbell.net Missouri, St. Louis area: Monaco Grand Prix Miniature Racing Club, mgpmrc@mgpmrc.org New York, Watkins Glen area: The Slot Car Club Of The Twin Tiers, Contact: Frank Spena, Jr., sccottt1@yahoo.com North Carolina, Winston-Salem area: Road America Racers, King City, North Carolina, Tom Brooks, (336) or mrnova@alltel.net Ohio, Columbus area: 1/32 Slot Car Racers of Central Ohio, Randy Horton, Oregon, Portland area: Beaverton Area Slot Car Club (B.A.S.C.C.),15430 SW Gull Ct., Beaverton, Oregon 97007, Pennsylvania, Allentown-Reading area: Allen & Allen Motor Speedway Racing, (610) , Jallenenterprises@verizon.net Pennsylvania, Chambersburg area. Sherman Collings modelersc@comcast.net (717) Pennsylvania, Harrisburg area: Homestead Speedway, Landisville, Pennsylvania. Ken Falco at KFalco@Studio5architects.com Pennsylvania, Manheim area: D & B Raceways, Don Noll don_nll@yahoo.com Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area: Mt. Airy Racing Association, Herbert Bigelow (215) , herb310@juno.com Pennsylvania, Wilkes Barre Area: NEPA Slot Car Club, , nepaslotcars.com Pennsylvania, Wyoming Valley Area: Wyoming Valley Slot Car Association, Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, wvsca.blogspot.com Texas, Eastern area: East Texas Slot Car Association, Tyler, TX 75771, (903) ETXSCA@hotmail.com Texas, Houston (Northwest Harris County): Houston Scale Auto Racing Club (HSARC), (281) Northern Virginia-Metro DC area: Northern Virginia Digital Slot Racers, contact: Hayes Lewis, hayeslewis@yahoo.com Vermont, Burlington area: Burlington Slot Dorks, Daniel, aircooled@pbfoot.com Williamsburg Virginia area: The Barn Burners Contact: Joseph Brimer vagators@yahoo.com Washington, Auburn area: Rainier Raceways, Greg Gaub ggaub@ggaub.com Washington, Seattle/Tacoma area: PSSRA (Puget Sound Slot Car Racing Association) or Tony Kuljis, kuljis2@msn.com Washington, Seattle/Tacoma area: NMRL (Northwest Model Racing League). John MacKenzie (206) , jicemanmac@msn.com Toronto, Canada area: Scale Sloters 1/32, chris.w@rogers.com Vancouver, Canada area: (Luf Linkert) luf@telus.net 1/24 scale racing clubs: Oregon, Eugene area: Pelican Park Speedway (541) htm210@comcast. Digital Racing Clubs: Ohio, Mansfield area: Mid-Ohio 1/32 Scale Racing Club, chorp@ohio. net, John Chorpening (419) Northern Virginia-Metro DC area: Northern Virginia Digital Slot Racers, contact: Hayes Lewis, hayeslewis@yahoo.com HO Clubs: The majority of HO racing on a club level in the US is home sectional tracks, using hard bodies and largely stock equipment. The majority are Thunderjet focused, although many do run the Life-Like, Auto World, Playing Mantis, G-Plus and Mattel/Tyco cars, these mass produced magnet cars tend to be utilized by small round robin groups by invitation or as groups of friends. There are some excellent clubs across the US racing basically stock hardshell T-Jet cars for the most part on sectional home tracks. This is only a partial listing. If you have an active group racing hard-bodied T-Jet-style cars, let us know. Arizona, Phoenix area: California, Bay area: San Francisco HO Racing Association, www. sfhora.org/home.html California, Bay area: M.S.C.R.C. - Model Slot Car Racing Club www. mscrc.org info@mscrc.org California, Bay area: Shaunadega Racing California, South Bay (Los Angeles): ITG - In The Groove Slot Car racing, 324 W. Florence Ave. Inglewood, CA Contact: Marc Natividad (310) ftnzguru@aol.com Colorado, Denver area: Front Range HO (FRHO) club. scaleracers.com/frontrangeho/default.asp Illinois, Chicago area: http: nitro-racing.4t.com/ Indiana, Fort Wayne area: Wallace Monroe, wallmonroe@aol.com Kentucky / Virginia area: Michigan, Lansing area: NASAR, Richard Leeper (517) or lansingnasar@myway.com Missouri, Kansas City area: Missouri, St. Louis area: gsra@swbell.net Ohio, Columbus area: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area: Mt. Airy Racing Association, Herbert Bigelow (215) , herb310@juno.com Pennsylvania, Wilkes Barre Area: NEPA Slot Car Club, , nepaslotcars.com Winston-Salem/Greenville, South Carolina area: Upstate HO Slot Car Club, 403 Hill Lane, Mauldin, SC (864) Richard Tabb at mrnova@alltel.net or Steve Lorch at youneedjesus@juno.com United Kingdom, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire Burning Rubber, 48 Model Car Racing

19 Race Tracks For Your Home: HO 4-Lane 2012 ROC Track In Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium on a 5 x13 1/2-Foot Tabletop (One and One-Half Ping-Pong Tables) The plan for the HO Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Track to fit a 5 x 13 1/2-foot area. The plans in Model Car Racing magazine for HO scale race tracks are usually designed to fill a 4 x 8-foot board. However, every plan includes the option of expanding it, with the letter L indicating where to add track sections to make the plan longer and the letter W indicating where to add track sections to make it wide. Any of these 4 x 8-foot plans could be expanded to 5 x 9-feet by merely adding two pairs of 6-inch straights at all of the points marked L on any plan in the last 77 issues. For this race track plan we expanded the plan from the January/February 2014 number 73 issue from just one 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop to 5 x 13 ½-feet by adding another half of a ping-pong tabletop. Similarly, most plans can be expanded in width by adding pairs of straight track sections at points marked W on the plans. There are four parallel four-lane straights on the expanded plan which means that the length of each lane has been expanded by about 16- feet. We could have extended all four straights another 6-inches but left 3-inches of bare tabletop on each end to allow space for the controllers and pits. The long straight at the bottom is now a wonderful 10-feet long with ultra-quick 18-inch curves at the entrance and exit to allow early acceleration and late braking. There s more on the 2012 Race of Champions track in Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Track on pages of this issue. The inverted figure 8 allows the inner lane to have the shortest way around the track. You could install pairs of the 9-inch Straight Squeeze Track (lanechange/crossover) but it would be simpler to just run each race as a series of four heats so everyone gets an equal amount of time in each lane. All of the straights are 15-inch unless marked. Previous Stadium Race Track Plans for HO (all are 4-lane and for 4 x 8-foot tabletops unless indicated) World Rally Cup s Super Special Test in the 2005 Acropolis Rally in Athens Olympic Stadium for 9 ½ x 12 ½-feet in the July/August 2006 number 28 issue. AFX TRACK SECTIONS REQUIRED FOR 4-LANES: Quantity: Description: 4 3-inch Straight 2 6-inch Straight 4 9-inch Straight inch Straight 0 6-inch 45-degree Curve 6 9-inch 45-degree Curve 9 9-inch 90-degree Curve inch 45-degree Curve 8 15-inch 45-degree Curve 8 18-inch 45-degree Curve 2005 Stade de France Race of Champions plan for a 7 x 11-foot tabletop in the May/June 2007 number 33 issue. Race of Champions track for the 2006 event at Stade de France on an 8 x 15-foot tabletop win the September/October 2007 number 35 issue and 2008 Race of Champions track at Wembley Stadium in England for a 9 x 15-foot tabletop in the September/ October 2008 number 41 issue Race of Champions track in Beijing Stadium on an 8 x 12-foot tabletop in the May/June 2010 number 51 issue Race of Champions for 2010 in Germany at Düsseldorf s ESPRIT on an 8 x 16-foot tabletop in the July/August 2011 number 58 issue. Two-lane 2011 DTM Series Race at Munich s Olympic Stadium on an 8 x 12-foot tabletop in the November/December 2011 number 60 issue. Race of Champions Bangkok s Rajamangala Stadium Track on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop in the January/February 2014 number 73 issue. Model Car Racing 49

20 Your Track: Vintage Racing Charlie Cressi s 20 x 20-Foot 4-Lane Glen Cove Raceway Charlie Cressi was one of pioneers in 1/32 scale model car racing in America. His club created this massive four-lane track, with the slots routed into 1/8-inch thick sheets of tempered Masonite hardboard. The club was actively racing on this track in A diagonal overpass was used to help equalize lane lengths. There s a series of ess bends in the far upper left. Charlie Cressi My first homemade track was built in I learned a lot about what not to do. It was laid out by first looking at where the best driver position would be so all the track was visible and as close to the driver as possible. Then I sort of said Let s go this way, then this way, then let s make it a little longer, and so on. I laid down the outside perimeter of the track by pinning strips of wood to the floor with a Ramset gun. I can still see the holes in the concrete in my basement floor. The track was T-shaped about 20-feet across the top and 20-feet down the vertical leg of the T. Then the rest of the track was a hodgepodge of this works and this does not work. The actual base of the track was half inch all-weather plywood. Then on top of that was the actual track running surface which was 1/4- inch thick tempered Masonite. That had a very hard and smooth surface. 50 Model Car Racing

21 Two of straights an side-by side down the vertical leg of the T-shaped track so that portion of the raceway looked like it was 8 lanes. Then I penciled-in out the locations of curves and straights. Once the track was laid out with a pencil, a framework of 1x4s was constructed to support the plywood and Masonite sandwich. The framework was elevated about 30-inches above the floor with 2 x 4 legs. I made arms to use as trammels to guide my router around the curves. A 16-foot piece of straight 1 x 4 guided the router for the straights. Now came the problem; I started to route with a 1/8 single fluted carbide bit. It lasted about 10 feet. A few more bits and I soon realized that this was not going to work. I did not want to change the tempered Masonite as it made a very good racing surface. The racing surface on most tracks was not very good and produced problems. In my line of work we used a lot of carbide bits and diamond bits. Some big some small. They were all custom made for us by a man who had a shop near my office. I went to him and told him of my problem. I showed him the bits that I tried to use and he explained what was going wrong. He made me some 1/8 inch double fluted carbide bits and he showed me why my bits were burning up. His bits had the cutting edge as the only part of the bit that was touching the Masonite. The back half of the bits were cut so that they did not touch the Masonite and therefore did not heat up in fact that allowed the cutting edges to stay cool. He also made bits that allowed me to recess the copper braid. The copper braid was ¼-inch wide flattened nickel silver-coated braid. This allowed the braid to lay perfectly flat in the recess that was routed beside the slot to fit it. That flat braid allowed the 3M contact glue to work, as it should. The cars did not hop or jerk around when they crossed the braid if they were sliding too much in the corners. I called 3M and told them what I wanted and I was told that the king of contact cement that I should use was only sold to commercial users and only by the 55-gallon drum. He must have heard my breathing stop so he asked for my address and that he would have the factory send me 2 gallons. All I had to do was to send his a letter telling him or 3M how the glue worked. I did not use even half of a gallon and it worked just great. On both of my tracks the braid never lifted or came loose. We did not have a lap counter for this first home built track but we did have a master ON and OFF switch. We also used four one-second time clocks, four manually operated lap counters and a circuit breaker for each lane. The corner marshals doubled as visual lap counters lap counters with hand-held clicker counters but they were more trouble than they were worth. The system caused more arguments and fights and all sorts of trouble. The big trouble with visual lap counting was that you had to have three people and no less than two to work them and even then there were missed counts as the guys used to talk to one another and missed a count now and then but all this was resolved by the drivers themselves as who passed who and whatnot. Some of hobby s earliest celebrities were members of the club including Jose Rodriguez (co-publisher of Car Model magazine, author and the designer of Atlas 1/32 and 1/24 scale cars), Howie Ursaner (one of the most successful commercial slot car racers) and others. We raced on this track for two years and it was a nice course but hard to learn for visiting clubs. I decided to make a new track and solve the problems that this track had. The members helped take the track down at the end of the season, Got rid of all the scrap. I already had in mind what I wanted to build. Especially an easy track to learn and to make a lap counter that worked every time a car passed the start finish line. (ED. We ll haves an article on that second track with a scale-mile long lap length in a future issue.) Model Car Racing 51

22 52 Model Car Racing Two of the largest-radius sets of curves on the track were at the entrance and exit to the diagonal straight.

23 The two parallel straight ended in this tight hairpin turn on the inside of the bottom of the vertical leg of the T. The ess bend curves were all similar radii so the drivers could traverse that section with some rhythm. The drivers station was at the base of the vertical leg of the T. The bald-headed gent is Charlie Cressi The number 12 in the foreground is a Scalextric Lotus 16, the yellow Maserati is a hand-carved wood body, the red and white Indy car is a Strombecker model and the green number 4 BRM a fiberglass body. All are mounted on brass chassis with open-frame motors like Pittman DC196s. Model Car Racing 53

24 New Stuff Penelope Pitlane Penelope Pitlane ( is now shipping a cast-resin kit to assemble this 1/32 scale Go-Kart. The model is 1/32 scale, not the 1/18 scale we indicated in the previous issue. The model is a simple two-piece cast-resin molding with the driver the top half and the cast-resin chassis the bottom half. The kit includes the motor, gears, wheels and tires to complete the model. Slot.it Slot.it is producing a chassis to adapt the Slot.it motor pods, motors, wheels and gears to Carrera DTM bodies. The chassis are available to fit the Carrera DTM Audi A5, BMW M3 or Mercedes AMG C-Coupé. The chassis are laser printed ( com/shops/slotit) to keep the costs under $27 (plus postage) for the bare chassis. The chassis faithfully recreate the lower body panel shapes that are unique to each of the three DTM cars. The chassis will accept any of Slot.it motor pods but the cars will usually be quickest with anglewinder pods and Flat-6 motors from Slot.it. We ll have a step-by-step article on the upgraded cars in next issue. TDR Innovations TDR Innovations (tdrmodels.com) has shipped their 1/32 scale body to recreate the 1959 Aston Martin DBR1 that won LeMans in 1959 driven by Carrol Shelby and Roy Salvadori. TDR producing these bodies by printing them using the 3D printing process. The bodies are as light as injection-molded bodies but far more flexible. A step-by-step article on how to build a replica of the 1949 LeMans-winning Ferrari 166MM is in the July/August 2014 number 76 issue. We ll show you how build your own Aston Martin using the TDR body in next issue. Carrera Carrera has shipped replicas of Fernando Alnoso s 2103 Ferrari F138 in both analog and Digital Model Car Racing