Topic: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

So it's official, there will be racing on odd dated Thursday evenings!

We will get the dates, times, and locations posted on the calendar ASAP!

RULES:

Heat races will be 3 minutes in length. Keeping with a standard heat length will allow racers to keep statistics of their cars performance, as well as their own driving performance (if they choose to do so).

Two car classes were decided upon. Both classes will be raced each night (subject to change - dependant upon attendance).

Class 1 - Classic Sports Car. This class is open to classic and vintage sports cars. The current rules require the tire's contact patch to be .245" or less. The tire width set is that of Revell Classic cars, specifically the King Cobra and Porsche 904 *. Tires slightly wider than .245" can be narrowed to meet the rule. Examples of cars that are legal for this class are: Revell King Cobra and Porsche 904, Ninco Classics (i.e. Porsche 356, Jaguar XK120, Corvette, Jaguar "D" Type),  old Revell 1/32 slot cars (i.e. Ferrari GTO & '65 Corvette), Carrera "D" Jag & '67 Corvette, Monogram Ferrari 275P, MRRC King Cobra & Porsche 904. This short list is not inclusive of all the possible cars, there are other brands that would fit this class with slight narrowing of the rear tires. A list of elligible cars will be developed as the racing progresses.

Class 2 - GT. With the exception of NSR & Racer cars, any enclosed cockpit (car must be of roofed - coupe or sedan design), and full fendered car is legal for this class. NSR & Racer cars are excluded to try to keep costs down and somewhat limit performance. However NSR parts may be used in cars of other manufacturers. Motors are limited to those developing no more than 21,500 RPM (this is based on the Slot.It orange endbell motors being the upper limit of performance - refer to the NASTE Motor List for Oregon Rally Championship)http://www.naste.org/files/Motor_List_O

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

posted by wb0s:
From what I have seen on Ebay and sale or clearance items from online hobby shops, some Scalextric and SCX cars, and most Carrera cars are the least expensive to buy new. Some of the less popular cars like Fly Vipers (or Vipers of any brand for that matter), Fly Starter Series cars, and most brands of F1 cars can be purchased at reduced prices. I don't care much for the Carrera cars, they seem to require too much modification to make them perform well. I'd like to use cars that would be a good durable foundation to start on, that work well out of the box, but can be refined and improved. Cars that have performance parts readily available. I have had good results with Fly cars. Slot.It parts are readily available for Fly cars, and work in most cases without major modifications. I have some Fly Starter Series cars I am working on now. I picked up the Fly Porsche Starter cars for $17 new on Ebay.

posted by Rico:
I would agree that the Carrera cars can be bought cheap and that they are amoung the worst handling, least tunable slot cars.  I"ve heard some of the newer releases may be slightly better than some of the older ones.
I think a single make series, say Porsche 911 GT-1's or Ford GT-40's might be a fun experiment.  Ninco, Fly, Scalextric, Carrera and maybe somebody else make the Porsche's and Fly, Scalextric, Slot.it, MRRC and NSR all make GT-40's.  Another potential car would be 911 GT3's which are made by AutoArt, Ninco, ProSlot, SCX,Carrera, Scalextric, NSR and porbably a few others I'm not thinking of.  Fairly lax rules, maybe standard cans with a max RPM limit, urethane tires and see who can find a better mousetrap.

One other possibility is the Fly DP cars, lots of liveries and some slight variations in body styles coupled with being fairly cheap.

posted by wb0s:
I like the idea of the class being limited to a certain make/model of car, not manufacturer of the "slot car"/chassis. I think it would be fun and interesting to leave the rules loose to see what can be done to improve the cars handling without some much emphasis on overall speed from faster motors.

I was also thinking of ways to help make the newer racers more competitive. I was thinking of a winners list versus a racing series. Race winners would be added to the winners list with the dates and details recorded. Cars would be raced in non-magnetic traction configuration however, anyone who had not won yet won a race and are not on the "winners list" would be allowed the placement of one traction magnet on their car. After their first win they would have to remove the traction magnet. This would make it easier for new racers to participate and be competitive right off the bat. Plus it would make the racing much more challenging for the more experienced racers.

So what cars should we start with? What cars do most of us have already? What would be CHEAP to get?

posted by wb0s:
Up for consideration: a GT Class, which would include GT cars from ANY manufacturer, with the exclusion of Slot.It and NSR to help keep costs down. The rules are simple, a. cars must retain their original manufacturer's chassis, b. bodies must retain their overall stock appearance (no major cutting or trimming), c. chassis are limited to one guide flag or pin only.

A list of weekly winners will be recorded and kept. Any racer who has not scored a win will be allowed to run one traction magnet in their car. Once a racer has scored a win they must race non-magnetic traction cars only.

I heard a suggestion that we should look at keeping the class closer to an RTR type class, with limited modifications allowed to axles, gears, and easily swapped parts. Any comments?

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

So what cars are you bringing to Rico's on Tuesday for the first event?

Anybody want to meet for a bite to eat somewhere before racin"?

---------------Bill

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

I'll be bringing a stack of GT cars and anything else that strikes my fancy but will probably only have time to go straight there.

"Big Smooth"

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

I just found out I have to work until 5:00 Tuesday so don't break your neck's trying to get there by 6:30.  I will do my best to be ready but may be running a little late.

Race cars are neither beautiful nor ugly. They become beautiful when they win.

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

That's OK Rico. We'll attack when we see the door go up!

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

Hey Rico,

Thanks for hosting the first Tuesday night racing!

----------Bill

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

Well, we didn't get a lot of racing in but I think we have a better plan for next time.

Race cars are neither beautiful nor ugly. They become beautiful when they win.

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

Definately some good bench racin' !

And the Kahlua & coffe was most excellent !!!!!

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

We did a lot more bench racing than actual car racing at the first NASTE Tuesday Night Race. However we did establish starting points for the next race.

Next race on next Tuesday July 31st: TooBad Motorplex in Fairview.
I will open the doors at 4:00 PM.

See you there!   ---------------------------Bill

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

I'll bring a bunch of cars for both classes if anyone wants to show up that doesn't have a car(s).

However, most any GT car will work for the GT class and if you have a Ninco Classic, it will be perfect for the Classics class.

We'll see you there.

"Big Smooth"

12 (edited by Dorothy the Hammer July 27, 2012 2:37 pm)

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

Well, this sounds fun. Don't know how many races we'll get to since Terry works LATE most Tuesdays, but it would be great to do some more racing. Guess I've gotten hooked. ;>}

Oh and as for cars, well... You know me and cars. I don't know them at all. lol

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

I did a little testing today in preparation for the upcoming NASTE Tuesday Night Race here at TooBad Motorplex. I think the Classic Sports Car Class is going to be a lot of fun! I tested 3 cars; a Ninco Corvette, Ninco AC Cobra, and a Carrera '67 Corvette Coupe. All testing was done at 8.6 volts, which seemed more than adequate.

First up the Carrera Corvette. This car was stock, except for the removal of the traction magnet. This car was the worst handling of the three. It definitely needs work to be competitive with the Ninco cars. Round rear wheels and tires, as well as some weight reduction would be the first step.

The Ninco AC Cobra also had no traction magnet. I replaced the rear wheels and tires with stock Ninco wheels and tires of the same narrow width as the AC Cobra fronts (per the Classic Sports Car rules). Even without weight this car ran great! I could use a little tuning to smooth it out some, but it still handled very well.

The Ninco Corvette proved to be the star! This car handled very well right out of the box! It out ran the other two without any modifications or tuning. Very smooth and stable.

----------------------more to come!

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

I snapped a few pictures at Rico's during the first NASTE Tuesday Night Race. Use the "Slot-Tech" tab on the main page to get to the NASTE Tuesday Night photos.

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

The Ninco Jaguar XK120 is a good car too as we saw in the proxies.

"Big Smooth"

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

I think there are going to be MANY cars that run well in the Classic Sports Car Class. I ran a few laps with a Scalextric MGB today and it worked very well without a traction magnet!

We will be racing at 8.6 volts Tuesday night. That seems to generate plenty of power considering how green and grip-less my track is!

As for the GT class, I'll be racin' a box stock Slot.It Ford GT40. Mostly because I'm lazy!.......................

---------------Bill

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

Thanks for hosting a really fun race tonight Bill.  I never even heard "the Evil One".

Rico

Race cars are neither beautiful nor ugly. They become beautiful when they win.

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

Thanks Rico, you're very welcome!

I think Diane must have had The Evil One sedated?

I was very pleased at how close the competition was! There were a bunch of different brands of cars as well as some scratchbuilt between the two classes, but they were all pretty close in performance. It was interesting!

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

Yes, that was a fun way to approach a class.  I'll see if I can't pry that magnet out prior to the next race.  ;-)

"Big Smooth"

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

Thanks to all the racers that made it out to race last night! Congrats to Monte and Drew for making the NASTE Tuesday Night Racing Winner's List!

We raced both classes in all three lanes for 3 minute heats with the voltage set at 8.6 volts. The race results are listed below -

Classic Sports Car Class:
Monte Saager - 49 laps - Revell King Cobra with traction magnet
Rico Locati - 48 laps - D Jaguar scratchbuilt by R. Locati w/Stromebecker body
Beau Frazier - 46 laps - Ninco Corvette
Bill Bostic - 45 laps - Ferrari 166 scratchbuilt by Greenman w/Ninco body
Bryan Dickerson - 44 laps - Ninco Corvette
Greg Petrolati - 42 laps - Datsun 2000 scratchbuilt by Greenman
Terry Abbott - 41 laps - Scalextric Mercedes & Ninco Cobra
Tracy Flood - 40 laps - Ninco Cobra
Drew Kinney - 40 laps - Cunningham - scratchbuilt by Greenman w/cast body
Dorothy Abbott - 39 laps - Ninco Cobra & Ninco Corvette

GT Class:
Beau Frazier - 53 laps - NSR Corvette with traction magnet (NSR cars are not legal for the GT class)
Drew Kinney - 51 laps - Avant Alpine
Bill Bostic - 50 laps - Ninco Porsche 997
Rico Locati - 50 laps - Slot.It Ferrari F40
Greg Petrolati - 47 laps - Ford Falcon Sprint scratchbuilt by Greenman w/cast body
Terry Abbott - 46 laps - Slot.It Ford GT40 & Ninco Mosler
Bryan Dickerson - 45 laps - Slot.It Ford GT40
Monte Saager - 44 laps - SCX Honda Accord
Dorothy Abbott - 42 laps - Ninco Mosler
Tracy Flood - 42 laps - Grand Sport Corvette scratchbuilt by Greenman & Slot.It Ford GT40

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

Next NASTE Tuesday Night Race is at Monte's Penguin Point on August 7th.......

Anyone interested in carpooling from the east side???

-----------------Bill

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

I posted some more photos in the NASTE Tuesday Night Racing album in the Slot-Tech section. Sorry I didn't get photos of everyone that attended the race.   --------------Bill

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

Great race last night Monte!

It was a little strange to have the Cops watching though!!!!

Thanks!!!   --------------------Bill

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

There was one rule modification made at last night's NASTE Tuesday Night Race. The tire width rule for the Classic Sports Car Class was modified to allow the stock tire width of the Revell/Monogram classic cars, specifically the King Cobra & Porsche 904. I have made the modification to the rules as listed above.

-----------------Bill

Re: Odd Thursday Night Racing (old thread)

Thanks for coming by all, it was a good time.  I think my cars even outlived the attack of the neighborhood kids.  And thanks for being good sports about that.

How about some results:

In the Classics Class:

1.  Bill Bostic - 53 laps - Ninco Corvette
2.  Rico Locati - 51 laps *
3.  Monte Saager - 49 laps
4.  Dennis Hart - 45 laps
4.  Greg Petrolati - 45 laps
6.  Will - 44 laps
7.  Larry Owens - 36 laps
7.  Hayden - 36 laps

GT Class:

1.  Greg Petrolati - 63 laps - Ferrari w/ traction magnet
2.  Dennis Hart - 57 laps
2.  Monte Saager - 57 laps
4.  Rico Locati - 52 laps
5.  Bill Bostic - 50 laps
6.  Victoria Saager - 46 laps
7.  Larry Owens - 39 laps


* updated due to math error, sorry.

"Big Smooth"