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The NASTE Forum → Posts by wb0s
by beaufrazier » Wed Feb 12, 2014 8:25 pm
Thanks for the kind words. We're always looking at ways to increase the involvement in our racing programs. It was a fun evening of racing with you guys. Bad Bob was amazing with his new track record for Can Am, 3.97. The first sub 4.0 of any class at Rapid Raceway. Congrat's BB.....
by pauls slots » Sun Feb 02, 2014 10:02 am
I just wanted to say that we all had a great time at Howies last night, nice folks and very nice competion and great
cars, also I'm new to this track and race program, and I want to thank Beau for looking at the possibility of a new body that I want to incorperate into his CanAm class.....this shows me he wants involvement, very nice man!....anyway thanks to all, and Great job hosting! Lets do it again!
The previous posts to this topic were copied over from the Northwest True Scale Racers site with Howie's permission. The NTSR site is scheduled to close down at the end of this year. I will be copying over as much of the great information posted there as possible in the next few months. =====Bill
by wb0s » Sun Feb 16, 2014 2:56 pm
This is TooBad Motorplex located in Fairview, Oregon. TooBad got it's name as a direct result of a race held on February 16, 2008. This was the initial race on a six lane 1/24 track that was moved to Fairview from Roseburg. The six lane track was named The Bullring due to it's tight but fast layout design. During that first action packed, problematic race on the Bullring, a common phrase was heard throughout the evening. The phrase was too bad, as in too bad for you! After that first race the phrase became the name that stuck. The track didn't stick, and was sold and returned to Roseburg, Oregon.
TooBad Motorplex is actually home to two tracks. One track being a three lane routed HO track, which has been temporarily sidelined from competition, and the three lane routed 1/32 track pictured here. This 1/32 track has a lap length of 84 feet 5 inches, and varies less than 3 inches from the inside lane to the outside lane. The track surface is grey latex paint over a base coat of Rustoleum Magnetic Primer. The Magnetic Primer base coat gives the track a metallic base heavy enough to provide magnetic traction to cars equipped with downforce traction magnets. Electrical contact to the cars is provided by copper tape. The track is powered by a Tenma variable voltage 25 amp power supply. Lap counting and timing is controlled by a Trackmate system for Windows.
Construction on TooBad's 1/32 track started on May 1, 2010. It took a long two years to get the track to a race ready point. The first race held on the 1/32 track was the SCX Proxy on May 27, 2012. Since that first race the track has kept a busy schedule, hosting NASTE Point Series Championship races, as well as evening races on odd dated Thursdays. As a newly developing class for Odd Thursday Racing, 1/24 BRM Porsche 962s have made appearances, demonstarting the versatility of the TooBad 1/32 track.
The previous posts to this topic were copied over from the Northwest True Scale Racers site with Howie's permission. The NTSR site is scheduled to close down at the end of this year. I will be copying over as much of the great information posted there as possible in the next few months. =====Bill
by racerbob9 » Sun Feb 16, 2014 9:38 pm
The Start!
by racerbob9 » Sun Feb 16, 2014 9:36 pm
This is the Gorge Raceway located in Troudale,OR. It is a plastic scalextric 1/32 road course controlled by the Slottrac timing system. The premiere event I will be hosting is a vintage Trans Am race using scalextric vintage Trans Am cars from 1967 to 1972. The car list, rules and date will be posted soon. If you are interested, send an e-mail to me at rnak94@aol.com and I will put you on a distribution list. I look forward to the opportunity to host this race and look to add races in the future.
Bob Nakamura
The Mess!!!
The pits
The Track
The previous posts to this topic were copied over from the Northwest True Scale Racers site with Howie's permission. The NTSR site is scheduled to close down at the end of this year. I will be copying over as much of the great information posted there as possible in the next few months. =====Bill
by ftest821 » Mon Feb 17, 2014 10:48 am
We have a group site https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Ele ... ceway/info that allows for posting of messages, photos, files and much more. The site includes activities at Electron Raceway and Spare Time Raceway. Non-members can view the messages but nothing else. To become a member simply sign up for a Yahoo email address and then join the group.
Electron Raceway is located in a finished/heated shop area of about 1,000 square feet within a 2,400 square foot metal sided “pole barn”. The finished shop has been painted and dry walled. The floor is covered with black and white checkerboard linoleum. The finished shop is equipped with a large floor model propane heater and includes a small half bath.
Track construction began in the spring of 2006. I completed all of the work myself using only some simple hand tools and power tools. There was no need to rush the project. My slot racing needs were being met by another local track, Spare Time Raceway where I could race on a weekly basis. After about seven months of part time work, the track was completed in August of 2006.
My experience with designing and building tracks spans several decades and at least a half dozen tracks. Techniques improved over time with Electron Raceway being my best effort. Prior to any fabrication, a great deal of time was spent designing the layout. My ideal criteria were as follows.
• The track could have a maximum footprint of about 24 x 18 feet
• The design should require a minimum of marshals
• The track should have a “bridge” so that lanes are nearly identical in length
• Lane spacing should allow for even the widest 1/24th scale cars
• The layout should be what I would call a driver’s course.
o Challenging but not too tight
o Modest straightaway length
o Varying radius turns
o One banked turn
I utilized a computerized tool call Tracker 2000 to assist in the design work rather than drawing the designs by hand. This allowed for quick and easy development. Scores of designs were developed over a period of months before I was satisfied with the result.
The final design was a hybrid table top/free standing unit. The extra space provided in the table top areas was designed for “pits” and scenery in an attempt to add realism to the layout. The free standing areas resemble commercial tracks with crash walls. Driver stations are located around the track.
Prior to construction, jigs were fabricated in order to facilitate the build. The track bed was constructed using MDF. Slots and braid recesses were routed using one or more jigs. The supports are either 2x4s or plywood. Track sections were bolted together. Crash walls are hardboard and the paint is epoxy. Lane length is approximately 90 feet with 4.5 inch lane spacing. Track power comes from two 12 volt deep cycle batteries. Timing and scoring is provided by a TrackMate system with dead strips.
Shortly after completion, local racers were invited to informal races held on an almost weekly basis. In October, 2006, Electron Raceway hosted its first OSCAR (Oregon Slot Car Area Racers) event. The race was for “Econo” cars and attracted eighteen participants from all over Oregon. My love for the Trans Am Series, led me to develop a Trans Am class based upon Pelican Park rules. In January of 2007, Electron hosted its second OSCAR event for “Early Trans Am” cars. The event attracted even greater interest with 20 participants. In conjunction with the Trans Am race, a “bonus” race was held on Friday evening preceding the Saturday race. The bonus race was for 60s and early 70s prototype sports/endurance cars. By then the track was equipped with “street” lights. Participants were encouraged to add head and taillights to their vehicles. Half of the heats were run using street lights. The other half were run with full overhead lighting. Night racing was a blast and after a while, lap times were pretty close to those achieved with full overhead lighting.
Over the first few years, Electron hosted other OSCAR events and I travelled to OSCAR events throughout Oregon and raced at the Pelican Park in Eugene, Oregon. My slot car activity tapered off over time due to home projects and other interests.
A few years ago, I became enthusiastic about running slot cars with scale wheels. After experimenting with variations of TSRF, ProTrack, modified 4.5 inch stamped steel chassis, I tried a formula that seemed to be working in the Portland, Oregon area. A cadre of racers had developed a class of cars using the Scholer production chassis, scale wheels, a Falcon 7 motor and Group C bodies. Others in Roseburg got the “bug” and several cars were built. In addition to an awesome scale appearance, we found these cars handled quite well. This class, dubbed True Scale GT1, has become a mainstay at Electron Raceway. Some time ago, the boys from up north added a Scholer based class dubbed Late Model Trans Am (LMTA) sporting scale wheels with S16 power. Again, we followed their lead, but we decided to use Deathstar rather than S16 power. These cars look and run great and have been added to our rotation at Electron Raceway. Finally, a couple of us have been experimenting with Can Am/Gran Sport cars utilizing the same successful formula of LMTA cars. The Scholer based Can Am cars a just a “smidge” slower than the resin body, scratch chassis counterparts run at Pelican Park and Spare Time Raceway. Again, their advantage is the awesome scale appearance. Over time, we hope to incorporate this new breed of car into the mix at Electron.
With this new found enthusiasm shared by me and others, Electron Raceway is alive and well. We will continue to race on a semi-regular basis on Thursday mornings and I plan to have one “big” Saturday race per year.
The previous posts to this topic were copied over from the Northwest True Scale Racers site with Howie's permission. The NTSR site is scheduled to close down at the end of this year. I will be copying over as much of the great information posted there as possible in the next few months. =====Bill
by wb0s » Sat Mar 29, 2014 10:59 am
It really is amazing how well those cars work on my track. I think are two key factors that make the cars suitable for my track; 1. The lower speeds of the cars due to the low 10 volt power. 2. The fact the course is pretty tight so they can't build up a lot of speed. I'll be the first to admit, when Chris Kouba first suggested we race the 1/24 BRMs on my track I did not think they were going to work out. But he made me a believer! Goose Gossett and I made a trip out to Chris' house in Oregon City to run give his 3 lane track a run with the BRMs. Chris' track in his basement was even shorter and tighter than mine, but even on his little track the BRMs were a gas! Speaking of tracks at Chris' house, he is in the process of building a new track as part of his basement remodel! I can't wait!
I'd like to thank Chris for not only introducing us to the 1/24 BRM cars, but for also providing us with cars to run an IROC format at TooBad Motorplex on Odd Thursdays!
by howie » Fri Mar 28, 2014 9:21 pm
I always enjoy it at Too Bad Motorplex. I need to get a handle on those 1/32nd. cars. I was amazed at how those 1/24th. 962's handled your track, a lot of paint was exchanged, but the cars pretty much held the course without de-slotting even though they were "leaning" on each other a lot. It was fun. I looked into the 962's today. I really appreciate the fact that you loaned me one, I thought it handled very good, way better than either of my 1/32nd. cars!
by wb0s » Fri Mar 28, 2014 1:11 pm
Looks like plenty of room between those cars, must be at least a quarter of an inch!!!
Thanks for makin' it out last night Howie. Hope you enjoyed the racing! ---------------Bill
by howie » Fri Mar 28, 2014 10:17 am
1/24th. BRM's on the track built mainly for 1/32nd. cars. I had to be convinced that this was possible even though I was told by Bill that this actually worked and was a lot of fun. Well it does work and it is a lot of fun!
The previous posts to this topic were copied over from the Northwest True Scale Racers site with Howie's permission. The NTSR site is scheduled to close down at the end of this year. I will be copying over as much of the great information posted there as possible in the next few months. =====Bill
by howie » Tue Apr 08, 2014 9:02 pm
Advantages of the Scholer chassis for the North West True Scale racer: 1. The Scholer cassis can be used in 6 out of the 8 classes: NASCAR, GT1, Can-Am, TA-2, 962, Indy. 2. The Scholer can be adjusted for height as tires wear out. 3. The same chassis can be transferred to different classes with adjustments. 4. They are not very expensive compared with other like chassis.
Scholer chassis break down: The Intruder, # 155-1360 long wheel base. It has suspension up front. $59.95. The Pantera, # 1102001 $44.95, this is the number one chassis we use. The Tiger, short, good for some Can-Am bodies. $44.95. All these are available at Professor Motor. The Striker # 5513DGT. This is a chassis designed for the NASCAR body. It has suspension up front. $79.95. It is available from Grid 1.
The first picture is Bill's #1102001 Scholer chassis with his home made side pans and cooling holes. The next two pictures are of the Striker chassis.
The previous posts to this topic were copied over from the Northwest True Scale Racers site with Howie's permission. The NTSR site is scheduled to close down at the end of this year. I will be copying over as much of the great information posted there as possible in the next few months. =====Bill
by wb0s » Thu Apr 24, 2014 9:25 am
Mystery solved.
John Gill made the flyer for Howie back in 2002 to advertise the very first race held at Rapid Raceway!
by wb0s » Tue Apr 22, 2014 5:43 pm
Does anyone know where this flyer came from?
What year?
Who made the flyer?
The previous posts to this topic were copied over from the Northwest True Scale Racers site with Howie's permission. The NTSR site is scheduled to close down at the end of this year. I will be copying over as much of the great information posted there as possible in the next few months. =====Bill
by wb0s » Sun May 04, 2014 7:00 pm
Thanks for hosting our race Howie! We always have a great time at Rapid Raceway! ---------------Bil
by howie » Sun May 04, 2014 8:05 am
Final race at Rapid for the 2014 season and what a night it was. 20 racers showed up to do battle and eat some fine food! I don't have the final results, but Dave Smith led the way around the track in the expert division and Dorothy the "Hammer" led the way in the amateur division. It was a lot of fun as usual when the NASTE comes to race here!
The '55 Chevy's made another appearance and new this yr. was Chris's BRM 962's, very nicely done cars.
For a more detailed race results go to the NASTE site listed in our links.
Thanks to Bill for helping clean the track and finding some braid that had come up, in fact quite a bit of it!!
Have a great summer!!
Under the bridge!
In the bank looking through the guard rail.
BRM 962's ready for take off!!
The always entertaining Chevy's!
The previous posts to this topic were copied over from the Northwest True Scale Racers site with Howie's permission. The NTSR site is scheduled to close down at the end of this year. I will be copying over as much of the great information posted there as possible in the next few months. =====Bill
y howie » Sun Sep 07, 2014 8:04 pm
Bob; set one up in a car, let's see how it runs. If it is equal to a Deathstar, it will be a hard sell, few racers in our area like them. Frankly, I like the path we have been taking, one motor to choose from and cheap at that!. I have several seasons on most of my Parma motors.
by racerbob9 » Fri Sep 05, 2014 9:49 pm
I want to throw this out there for consideration. At the Doubleheader at Spare Time Raceway, We were given the option of running a Kelly or Proslot sealed 16D motor. The performance was about the same as a Deathstar, but they had Gold dust brushes, Better springs and the end play was consistent. The arms are balanced Chinese arms. These motors cost almost the same as a Deathstar. These motors are also available as sealed Super 16Ds. and retail for about 15 dollars at PCH parts express. I am sure we can get them cheaper through the club. This could be a cost cutting measure if they run even longer than the Parma Supers. Just looking for some feedback on this idea.
Racerbob
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