wb0s wrote:

...In addition I think there needs to be a maximum body width spec for Division I. I like the idea of Corvettes being eligible in Div.I but I think the extra width of the Grand Sport Corvettes might give them an advantage over the narrower cars....

How about a max track width instead?  Technically, track is centerline of tread to centerline of tread, but in the slot car realm, it usually gets translated into outer sidewall to outer sidewall.  That should equilibrate any width advantage and allow the era cars to run together appropriately.

I don't have a car in front of me but someone who did could probably make a suggestion for us to try.

So ideally, once the FGT gets outlawed and the next, easy-to-tune-and-go-fast car rises to dominance, will that one get outlawed too?

We picked the 18k motor because it was readily available and cheap.  If they go too fast, let's pick a different motor.  Maybe make both Classics categories use the 14k?

I can see Fly and Scaley running well enough in Classics I (through '67), but completely irrelevant in Classics II ('68 through '75) if pods are continued to be allowed.

I don't remember specifically why we allowed pods but there was presumably a majority interest.

203

(6 replies, posted in NASTE)

HEADS UP - TEST DAY, June 13th.

Hey all,

The Scuderia is heading to the hills on Thurs, June 13th.  Yes, this is an Odd Thursday, but we have a tight schedule this year and it's our first opportunity.  A few of you who have helped us before already have an invite in you inbox.  If you don't but would like to help out, feel free to join us.

We will meet for breakfast at the Stagecoach around 8 and plan to head up to the first test site around 9.  The plan is to spend some time there making shakedown passes and potentially head to our other site above The Dalles if all goes well.  You'd be welcome to attend any or all of it, or as much as you can stand.

Things are going pretty well so far with the builds.  Fantastic progress has been made with the Mk II recently and it's now more put together than it is apart.  It has a new front end almost completely installed, just needs two tie rods and steering arms fabbed up:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6GmCjuor1pjcu7EL_1PYlfxnx2F-tl0IXpqb2-105C54wOrKWaRzQ5D4E2kYcPoongl3lw2KpPaqAA5pvxkTy4SWY8P9QeM0H6c2s67VJds0l1HJ4TYoEWPCygCBezC86ZbmkTzBfu_32A76st-mtZ6LQZIxrEWfSGlLZGNpGbvNRyR7TI9rPrbWVlGKpVjR45PXy5O6wNixmGL1rBG2TFUf7fQeSdGVL5pSAih0_fVYOA8NoB3hK48rLc6_ylopAXr3ABmzALZEJ8yzjnu4CvMmibIt0NNrompdCZD75w1ShQLmSobWZxQwCFoxIcMiQI-Gt7FZeJtSYI4H1h4z2ZK4VPq7RMXa6J1ECdMb9KHrhG0i4HvPjiXnWddyDsc-GSH-qNo4sZlbqpoCIMyO4yfwFnVQ95BkPfWdi5Nwf-NJElLBqPZgrsgm6iljS01l5ij1al4OsQ40LkzQXgKZxAl1Pac2J2t6ETHI57JDq0guF_BPVg5xjU0Xp6cFAUCmTMVdureuiMeDJjBDgqARZwzDGC4EhalhhCspXAKsQGZ0bHYCl_35HhzMrCFek4UsCWETuRygvZU2SvxIRj6jvWCX2lHM5LZY19qAMV2GfiwmKn_awz2da-rHGDBQvQxsXlVWkgs-NY4KfF1uE5iY4i9J1k7rd9bzVFHvDFmZPh8X9dxrSmEJ-HNT75fFpIojcducSnBU2vPK1vl3yyz6jMdl5A=w1346-h757-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/YHjzRUzpxsvqbQxrKOpTP_QAxmc5Fj6Tygoy_n3DYbwucdnM60XRKh84mJd-3Psld1jxtBgI8QLPIfYFfVh_YICaZ3eZ5-722TtGL7TYPNk0xFdg2pF8GdEkp-l1CLY7ZX4_2YpGS_zwQqeTAPnuGxHvio31RIHnG59oKtwG7ePCUs3VkkNPeLNpwhnDdkprsXzeWYcwCECSWaYY91sdqMBtcwp0JThYUnqK7w2VHnSmyoB6nLPu9bP-D9i_Ms2u4SUw9ogwyZwvW5i7UNiocMvCv70vIUsyHU7uKdvyXJSbEhyMpKauoltuAxWLfJHjtKX-TGTMOTmCRIa-pelPap64Vg6SIebtSBuuDM5QpvCjKFV5Ly8fS6U9O79DOeLgwF2zHzBotfINdNhKYyjzQxrYni9tEH89lzt3ClcxcYBr9wn6DqfY0eU9sUd2ccDBP_6L1s7CbCv19JZcU_bblkya4o4FYTN9pyHGc_uP8d_KKwOd9rF8Ym3_5KjDk_uQmRVrES1sOoOuCJTEt4zBeq2wOjgX0reijeSDuuSCUPlgpdSamBSuUHTmJMbfGUuTu1JxKFLH2WphA840atGyZ651G7TZlIU1x8OnqMV-sE1NyhuWcxt2blkIk4DoYwLlDK79T39I-DDvkFng_JkoYuUU-JY7sJVrUpx48GRXtltZ6WtR-HgzZTirXdZfFosxTfgf7cQLrVCksn3oDWZxhDy5TA=w1346-h757-no


In other news, the as of yet to run down the hill Mk III (originally built with Dave Smith) has been brought back into the Scuderia's care and will head down the hill with bodywork by Jess Burns' 3rd grade class and driven by the Buckman School auction winner.  It's liveried up as a tribute to Vanport and its flood.:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/efdIR4N5USOqIhjJJPt1W-hGMYJzEl4j7M2vw_oamy19cuBFgCrtHHZsFfTKSY5cso7L4CVzIe9x1cb38EO7OvYMS8m0Lj126ISC4qv1_dTSkJE7wxsFw_kbiB7jqKAmjEcU0h8LPb8iB75UhEFyviLVVM5TFS41idSFjNZH54YavyixSyieHTVGhG62rg0k2aOaPE59NuKwdijgnSgnqvuVvj8sD_Sb6GcQoMt5b4Pd23kfBvz54zjbv-QLe2kWrQhrudLiltA8pH8dFHJ4tHnewVRP3ijMvTP_PfvlesUyD3WRnTww_zsHLmiv4tZPOjjTN-EX8kgFNmbjH1P-7CsqrCX5Uq8SC2Rf_55xQvhBLBqke9z_UD70to5cEXlkuDjZ6kXLXPPDL491y-wRQbrPK0mC6X38J4A57o_au2IkkE4DmZOZl5y9Kl2QhbpnrXFIrQZ4Wg9tyWnomMqnc0rJoyEWH-Yf0ahCfnpbTxumHZQ4xfyPwEid6RcLsc_rajNJeP8IFnad_ZkK78wYZV-YfjMHbrUsUSoOh4Y_tKLRYGjjDrLOr80rxEQbcZ_ZoCVfYRAwoPbKAAJXBUX5K4EFTRsd0Znfd5-iLpaWogmwvDUZ7Y-sHL6apJnQ4as9H3ZIGbxYZYUagV8uNAx7x3WNuDx2wV2ROKZCtlSOpePF--TfqhfuowMrUJtZWbz8qzKX_RUuYsbrMI5d2XVmR3qU=w1010-h757-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/fgYM3dqfkc1K1rX45i51nM3rnhruhSxEefO1vcjQKZzW9CBwDpBIgB1_0iQWvHDRv0Aa2ho2aOnupEpq9OAssI9BEtjZTR5tYC5RdUaQvQ7UzNn-FEB1WxKgbLI3CsUHuqC4BW8nFaqHikOTh1bvi3zAhpipPwUagHl23v0qEcBham59eLNcCtws9agadL84yhKxySZ6seanZiIYXrue3AeTLxbvfxI46We2p4CaSTKWorcxENlHYnuZ7pPGspmookgkqNgDMjS-g-2hdfy9kkW3wYrs7zRNDpzB8qBDS4VxuIhkqCUd-g5SwPz9B2T457Fopmdl4FB61RMwZ0VLv8_hkowx57ssCHFMPf7t7Gw-yxcitwjUJeHK2oGCON_5j50uf4HGfju8Z6vrMRKy-mWQGM_XD5AOVcKRfQl124giS9ruh3kOVmu2XL_r14sFSluxkoXkLZDLAR_4vBW-8d9GuxAKiguUvU3oN5_RD8zuMLTv5UormPS8qgniY6uVrtNzNdDx1HkAdKSp7oYgR6BPMY69s5xgHGbBAOBppRj0NWW7TXDTfO4nV6wPOfKHtSpns5zt-1SZdky1Phd00cFVeRhmSRpPcvHc7uHmMm2UZ4divaNwmvukGE3B7NaI4rA3OMhsljMHJGLP2rtyhyaLxoRkMQJrrndf8-XEWRyrFiZIl64wBcQsjfRMSTE2upBSwq7ieakcw3qSwAfHh5Lm=w1010-h757-no

The 2018 winning Mk V should be ready for the hill with just a bit of maintenance and safety checks.  It sits in the shop as it came off the hill from the derby last summer, so hopefully it's pretty well sorted.

The Mk VI was run down our OC test hill last week and fared remarkably well- running speeds as fast as the Mk I and II in their comparable stages of development.  It's future and potential look fantastic!  Pics below and a little video link too:

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ru_j8CRodXde40to9fvY93ckLGN8ZjPMgfu5ptmK4p2deot0VwiLrbUQJ8XPu_ia6aZWUh3dYkyB_2eMOemrhoiQ2qtPW5-jZCnFpXKeoy-6lkKwbTFibS7u65kBXYVg3Vk0DCh1ZIuqgsbAlGHOQl0L5vigNz3mnoPc-7PcVCkaEPwADVw2kE1IYqa6nl3-kMMmRAPZKBteDGtIT5kWRcyz1I7009Nv9QdA7GZ-pm3H8nqry1SuHIPO6De6GodN6dBW7CNkSvHEac2jBL66n_JaszH0-sXZ3gCWB1lAxcVobLyfo-oOxMrwfKg2EaqBNXB3CRblnehv7id3EHfVBzd60AKsU9-3eXmnboZQ7FUU6_KY770nPltZMnBQWPEjJ9zKwnv2aUshBNsiYvBHsgbvj2Tr5wUpO9QQm811f7vF0i_X4U6OBmUonErJ8Iq6gG1PvFB1Mvi5BVMAPboiJFBGLMUil-QGKDT8etrVwOzKoZt3gfBrDQmpCR2lXZh28_wvqQS_f0e2pFdyfjRosrG6xLHJq4G44b6tBMICgxsYcx5K8BRFWOFHWwsNvSdgVJtgNJTbgIqqBZQ5f0aseil7L6N4oScOdLSlDxv6N4En54UqYf5lf0jbZKn5PPmPPuhT95leD3OrqPXkGzfr4QbtwUahjwSm10Kz8G1f4i9NGq8MVlY7KDfUJ7xjtB4FjLjw1h_VW4hPAvD0JR_kSzcvbQ=w1077-h606-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/KHS22QPOtTunG5HkUihcvo3L3r7fbPOIG8aMFdrZYvfzID5EjF6SDZctOPwoGPIdQOub1zFyewJlMOkMWHaf9D63E-1fNYOg9LpN3fqthpbA8ZhxQeHxAfEoXpVhNdqcDa9ME3kbjTgc5u3kPIuvBO_loJvPDi7l1kbxfiiYoETmW3QQwYRT4Qo8jQv9udhxVjzWs4DsVgjTT4AQ6YW5pVP9y0aW8JZPk6P0VbKapiUNHbJUeQilZcT2uZiMlpvZaMi5u7CqXlwhPKZUyddeQxFqzCZrWDWxfyq3IZvf1WX8p9tJSVfGB9ZpA_4gUaE2HyMkJzJI2HRPdgO8abKPBQv0ks0HnmpGdWsd5vH1ku_WbHzmRV7F4XfEwHZYGa-5nEjxdru29xLFlQLPgrZM2wH44I1KFNtgbk-H5S8CpOHOEEiyj7vuyQKBZlttJ8dzt9inl8UyHqkcgJYJQZNyXqQCgrZgzdHYZ6DRMdUDJm8Z4niNHxCLsuceVqQ0hVKM-Y4wUNWlm-ec_NGujmzv3B-eQPDL2zqG02GT0l1EylfqdVeptqqR52dWqrk8CFZurrhjX652xPAbzVrMDYRY5Mz7Y4NG7IuG4T6I00ETIcG1s1-4Q2l0bbQDknupKBHcCmcmGP7Lw3SvtEmWeQx8PCHl5jSQsutFomj2d4CQTxD9oC9ZsiklWQ9uYNnVHBx2vDblAGU3QgEpK_DRKqGPL59d2Q=w1010-h757-no

Video clip:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/paRBEC1y5HEsCwv87

And lastly, work continues on the Mk VII.  We are taking what we learned from the Mk V and tweaking a few things to see if we can possibly go even faster.  It will be interesting to see how it shakes out!

If you can make the test day (and are interested), please come join us.  The event is on August 17th this year (3rd Sat in August) and it's a pretty crazy spectacle.  Come on down and check it out!

Chris

kidvolt wrote:

It might be easier if we replaced two of our current classes... What do others think?


I am thinking, "What are Al and Zack's two slowest cars?" 

Let's pick those classes!

Tip of the hat to Bill, Beau, and Al for sacrificing their morning for the sake of the team!  Thanks gentlemen and well done!

Work has started on this year's new entry, the Mk VII, and we have some work to do on the Mk II to prep it for Bill.  We are in good shape though- knowing the Mk II can lay down good passes, with the Mk V returning to the hill, and the new Mk VII appearing to have comparable initial performance, we should be well-positioned through qualifying.

Thanks again for the team effort on registration!

Chris

80-some laps. Another milestone knocked over!

Well done Zack!

Or should I ask, has this been done already and I've just been away too long?

Yeah, fun night- despite the classes being F1 and GT3.  I really need to buff out an F1 and replace my heap of a GT3.

Tip of the hat to Zack though.  He has built a crazy smooth fleet of cars, and while it may sound challenging, after a few minutes I was able to crack into the 5's pretty much at will.  They are CRAZY fast and super smooth.  He has certainly figured out the tuning game.  What a fun fleet to flog around the track!  Thanks for the loan!

208

(11 replies, posted in Modifications)

reek455 wrote:

I’m with Monte on this Bill.  What you said was pretty laughable.

RICO


Come on guys, most of what Bill says is laughable.

That is excellent!  Will definitely borrow when(ever) the new track happens.

wb0s wrote:

Along with the track I got the cool little striping tool that either Kirk or Bob had modified for track lane striping. They had built a base that the striping tool attaches to, and on the base is a guide flag. It works pretty slick.


Got any pics of that?  Sound like when there's a Barclay Hills V2, I will need to borrow.

211

(12 replies, posted in NASTE)

I'm in too.  The big cars are fun to run there too- BRM Gp C, Trans Am, GT, or Classics... or Scaleauto too.

Div 2 cars would be interesting up there, as would a Sportcar Era class I think.  Fly Classics too.  Actually just about any of our classes might be a fun entry up there.

Yay, Rico's back! Looks like they've kicked him out of the asylum!!

213

(3 replies, posted in NASTE)

It's been a pleasure having you along Zack even though I don't get around much these days.

It is a great bunch of people and you seem like you'll fit right in.  Based on what we've seen so far you'll probably be a force to reckon with on the track as well.  Glad to see we've got you hooked.  It's a great time.

Chris

Mitch58 wrote:

These are ready for the PGE era GT Class.

http://naste.org/forum/misc.php?action=pun_attachment&item=86&download=0


Looking good Mitch!  Will be interesting to see how the Racer 250LM does but I know that NSR P68 will be quick- or is that a Racer too?

That's correct.  Can Am cars are eligible for this category.

Wanabgts wrote:

I was looking at a Fly Ferrari 250 GTO. Is this a reasonable choice for the class?

Thanks for the input Monte!

Zack


Fly 250 is front motored and, uh... "interesting" to tune.  It's a good lesson and there is documentation out there on what/how to do it, but it may be more than you want to start with.  Granted, they are GORGEOUS and I understand why you'd want to, but as an indicator, I have 3 or 4 of them and don't run them in that class (or at all actually).  The front motored cars are just a challenge to set up.

The Scaley 250GTO might be a better place to start if your heart is set on a GTO.  I think Rico or Jeff (Fields) has one of these set up.  They are just about as good looking (the Scaley vs. Fly, not Jeff vs. Rico) and should be reasonably quick as well. 

The Fly 250LM is a different beast though.  Doc has a fabulously running one of these in his stable, although I am pretty sure he's worked on it a bit.

The Fly 906 and Ninco Vette are two very strong platforms which I would recommend.  I may have a Vette around and will bring if I get my hands on it for Thurs night.

Chris

Yep...  I'd expect Gp C cars to be fairly dominant in this category.  Slot.Its are imminently tunable and extremely affordable and would be a great entry in this class.

Hey NASTE gang,

We are once again putting on a full court press at the derby and need volunteers on the hill for the day.  We would like to put together a list of people who would be willing to work the event as volunteers for the team, and given the number of potential entries, that list should have at least 4 names on it.

In the past, we've had Al, Bill, Jeff, Rico, and a handful of Jeff's neighbors fulfill the role.  If you're up for a reprise, AWESOME!  If you're interested in finding out what it's like, drop them a line.

The date this year is August 17 and the time commit as a volunteer is long- I believe you're committed to it for the day, although I think there's an early shift and late shift opportunity.

Long story short, we can't do it without help.  If you're interested, please contact Jeff, Bill, or me.

Thanks in advance!
Chris

All,

I checked the calendar last night to see what we're running this week and noticed that it was still listed as GT for one of the classes.  Part of our rules revision exercise last year was a request to group the eligible cars into chronologically similar buckets, and a proposal was made which was then ratified.  I asked Bill if he could start swapping in the new classes sometime soon, so he did...

...so we're starting this week.

As a brief refresher, there are three categories.  Here is a summary of what they are and how they are defined:

Pre-Ground Effect (PGE) - Full fendered vehicles, with or without a roof, from 1968 through 1980.  This picks up where Classics shuts down.

Ground Effects (GFX) - Full fendered vehicles, with or without a roof, from 1981 through 1993.

LMP (LMP) - Full fendered vehicles, with or without a roof, from 1994 through present. 


I assume we'll be pretty flexible with cars fitting categories initially, but everyone who might not have a dedicated entry but who has a Can Am car now has an entry for this round (open top cars are now in the bucket).

If this is all too soon and we want another go around prior to implementing, that's fine too.  I want to get a line in the sand though and move toward the classes that we decided to put effort into reconstructing.

Chris

wb0s wrote:

This is Zack's Classic Sports Car Div.II winning Slot.it Ford GT40. This car is totally awesome!...Oh yeah, paint by Chris Kouba!
http://www.naste.org/members/bill/IMG_7587.jpg


Hey, I got mad painting skills...  I did a whole fleet of them!  There was Zack's plus these:

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/IMG_1763.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/IMG_1766.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/IMG_1768.jpg


And yes, there were a couple of white and red combinations:

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/IMG_1764.jpg

http://www.naste.org/members/bill/IMG_1771.jpg

Looking great Bill.  It feels like it won't be long before there's a car or four going around that track!

222

(19 replies, posted in Track)

I have Luf's kit: a tape laying tool and a lexan strip with the nail holes drilled in it. It should make constructing a track super easy.

My track was quick and dirty- it was the first one I ever made and I built it in less than a week to fit a specific (small) space in the house using, um..., "experimental" materials for a router guide.  It worked OK but needed a bit of massaging to be presentable.  At this point I have tweaked it enough to host a race night or three and it has played to fairly positive reviews by the participants.

All the suggestions above are spot on- figure out your intentions (race hosting vs. tuning and development), think about your space available and the sight lines/marshalling requirements, commit to a layout, buy some lumber, borrow a router and track kit, and get to it.  Depending on its size and how much time you can throw at it, it's possible to knock them out in a reasonable timeframe.  They are actually pretty easy to build and they are super fun to run on.

As as Bill alluded to above, I am planning a new track build now that I have "finished" my basement and would be looking to pass along my current track to anyone who might be interested (keeping my power supply, driver stations, etc... though).  Odds are it will just get tossed, but if you're interested it would possibly re-shuffle my other domestic projects.

Chris

Same on my end- definitely interested, just need to have dates work out.

docdoom wrote:

So I was reading on the other forum and one of our new drivers brought up a good point on the number of classes we run. maybe we need to rethink how we are running our race program. for new guy coming to the club it a little of a surprise and sticker shock to see all the different classes we run. I for one though the same when I 1st started racing with you all. .


So, just now catching up on this thread so pardon me if I'm late to the party.

Yes, we have a lot of classes, but there is a reason.  We now have three different flavors of the class formerly known as GT because people (not random people on the internet, but US racers who are actually showing up and racing) wanted to have era-compatible cars running on the track at the same time.  We have the unlimited or open class because T-slots can outrun just about anything out of the box and we like T-70's and bought a couple.  We have the Le Mans class because we all have a bunch of slow and crappy Fly and Scaley cars which we could never teach to compete with Slot.It's or T-slots but wanted a class in which to run them...  There is a specific reason for just about each and every one of the classes we have, and I think that the group consensus which concocted them should probably be respected.

Instead of cutting back the number of classes or worrying about making sure a new participant has a car for each class, I think it'd make more sense to offer them some guidance as to which classes are truly in the regular rotation and which cars they should be serious about acquiring.  Then we help get them set up for success, and meanwhile, let them run whatever it is that they do bring if they've already bought something. 

And when we run a class where they don't have a car for at all, someone else reaches in their box and pulls out one to loan them. 

Like this group always has...

HOLY CRAP!!!!  Almost 80 laps??!?!  Way to go Bill!