Up & Running

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.

I'm planning to have another open track day soon. We can see what types of cars people already have, and try out some different cars to see what looks good. I'll try to have a few different types of cars available to test. I'm looking forward to getting something going for the eastside.

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

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?

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

So here's what's up for consideration:

1. Racing EVERY Tuesday night at one of many tracks in the greater Portland area. Currently BSCC races on Tuesday nights, races at other tracks would be scheduled for the Tuesday nights BSCC does not have races scheduled.

2. The various tracks will decide what car classes they want to race.  For TooBad Motorplex I am considering 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.

3. At TooBad Motorplex 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.

What do ya'll think?     -------------------------Bill

Here's is preliminary list of eligible cars for the proposed GT class. The list is open to discussion for additions or deletions. I tried to exclude cars that have a lower/wider profile similar to LMP cars.   ---------Bill

Carrera-
Porsche 935
Capri
Mercedes-Benz SLR
Ferrari 512 BB
BMW 2002
Opel GT
Opel Manta
Audi R8 GT

Fly-
Corvette C5R
Porsche 911 GT1
Marcos LM600
Porsche 911T
BMW 320
Porsche 934
BMW M3
Ford GT40
Ferrari F40
Porsche 911SC
Porsche 911S
Porsche 935
Lister Storm
BMW M1
Alfa Romeo Giulia
Ferrari 250 GTO

MB Slot-
Ferrari 430
Zonda

MRRC-
Porsche 911
Kellison
Ford GT MKIV

Ninco-
Porsche 934
Jaguar E-Type
McLaren F1 GTR
Lamborghini Murcielago
Lamborghini Diablo
Camaro
Lamborghini Gallardo
Porsche 911
Audi R8 GT3
Corvette GT3
Ford Mustang GT
Renault Megane
Ford GT
Lotus Exige

Revell-
NSU TT
BMW 320i
Cobra Daytona Coupe
Jaguar E-Type
Ferrari 250 GTO/LM

Scalextric-
Ford Mustang FR
Ford GT-R
Aston Martin DBR9
McLaren MP4-12C
Audi R8 LMS GT
Nissan GT-R
Ford GT40
Jaguar XKR GT3
Mercedes 300 SLR
Mercedes SLR
Porsche 997
Aston Martin DBS
BMW 320si
Porsche 911 GT3
Dodge Viper Coupe GS
Lamborghini Gallardo
Corvette C6R
Bugatti Veyron
Mercedes SLR McLaren
Camaro GT-R

SCX-
Aston Martin DBR9
Seat Toledo GT
Corvette C6R
BMW 320
Renault Megane
Ferrari 599 GTB
Porsche 911 GT3

I think this class would offer some variety. As with most slot car racing classes, in stock configuration one or two types of cars will usually stand out as the best performing. But with the very basic rules, racers should be able to make just about any brand competitive, if they choose to.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year Bill,
Well living down here in Salem has been ok for work - but it sucks for slot cars!!! - serious withdrawl
Anyway I just logged on and saw your new track - it looks great!!!!!
Hope you, your family and the whole gang are doing well - Miss you guys!
All the best,
Jack
jag007@clear.net - in case you forgot - lol