Western States Championship - 1986

For years I had been reading about the large HO racing events in slot car magazines. Then in 1986 there was one event that was close enough to attend. The Western States Championship was held near Seattle Washington in 1986. We, the HORO decided to attend. The cars that were to be raced in the Modified Class were close to the specs of the cars we normally raced in our series. The Production Class cars were basically stock, so we felt we were covered there also. Club confidence was high, so we put together a plan to attend, in force! Al Blanchard had access to a motorhome complete with a generator. A few of us rode up in the motorhome, while others carpooled. We arrived Friday night in time to catch a couple hours of practice.

The track we were to race on was a Puma track. The Puma was a routed wood track with a steel type of braid for magnetic traction. We had never seen one, let alone ever raced on one. The first thing we learned was that our cars had way too much ground clearance. Our car's ride height was set tall enough to just clear plastic sectional track's steel rails, which was way too tall for this routed track! We could not hang with these guys in the Modified Class. So the thrash began. Our original plan was for us all to crash in the motorhome for some good sleep, and awake early on Saturday fresh and ready for practice. So much for plans. The motorhome turned into the shop as we cycled HORO racers through. The generator was fired up to power Dremel Tools and a Unimate Lathe, and it ran all night! All the HORO racers had to lower their cars, and we didn't have enough parts available to complete the task. We had to get creative. In an effort to get my car down low enough I resorted to turning down a pair of A/FX front wheels on the lathe. I ran the wheels without tires to get the front end down. By the time we had gotten our cars somewhat ready, it was morning. We all went and got a bite to eat, then hit the track for some practice.

It was obvious to me I had no chance in the Modified Class, so I focussed on my Production Class car. By race time we were as ready as we could be. The Production Clas was won by a local kid that frequented the track. The best our HORO club could do was a second by Dave Smith, and a thrid place finish by me. The local hot shoes did not even have entries for the Production Class. We were in trouble! The Modified Class was a disappointment for all of us HORO racers. Dave Smith managed our best finsih, but even he was not on the podium. It was a disappointing day, but the awards ceremony after the race made the trip worth it! I had never seen so many prizes given out! Pizes were layed out on the track and racers took turns based on their finish position, choosing a prize until they were all gone. There were BSRT armatures, cobalt magnets, lexan bodies galore, all kinds of parts! I have not to this day seen so many prizes for a race! Oh yeah, trophies too! One of my most prized awards to this day is the third place trophy I received in the Production Class.

On the trip home, I slept.  I learned some lessons attending that race. First off, the chances of winning a race at another club's track is pretty slim. Second, take plenty of parts along with you to make changes to your car, and I mean ANYTHING you can possibly think of. Third, practice before the race should be a priority, any and all you can possibly get! Attending the Western States Championship is one of my best experiences in slot car racing! Gary Beedle and BSRT, thank you for that!   ---------------Bill