Eleven Slot-heads showed up on a rainy Monday evening for a test and tune session as well as a Dirt Devil race. The event was held at STR on 4/18/22. The track had been cleaned and sprayed. Conditions were excellent for the slammed Dirt Devil class.
Prior to the race, a couple of hours were dedicated to testing rides of all sizes and shapes. Experienced racers were called upon by others to help sort out rides. Near the end of the session Bob gave the group a few tips on tuning. All in all, the session went well and may be repeated on a semi-annual basis or as needed.
A summary of the Dirt Devil race is presented in bullet point form below.
- Rich won the race, setting a new personal best of 92.3 laps
- Bob was second about a half of a lap behind
- Dustin finished a distant third with 87.8 laps
Observations
The Dirt Devil class of cars is meant to reflect wheel to wheel competition on the dirt tracks of yesteryear. Several different OSCAR based chassis may be used. These chassis are all scratch-built brass and wire jobs. Rules allow the rear wheels to extend beyond the bodywork but the rear track cannot exceed 3.25 inches. Bodies may be radically slammed. The result is a very low center of gravity and wide stance which leads to excellent cornering characteristics and a very wide variety of competitive makes/models.
The AMT series of Short Track Late Model Sportsman cars is a popular choice because these vehicles are both low and wide. These bodies are mounted on our OSCAR based Sports Car chassis which are among the widest allowed in OSCAR competition. A few of these model kit boxes and Rons Short Track car are shown below.
In addition to these Short Track cars, some pursued entirely different approaches. Some used slammed versions of what would otherwise have been Super Stock or Trans-Am class cars mounted on OSCAR Narrow NASCAR chassis. Still others used slammed, full size American iron mounted on OSCAR Wide NASCAR chassis. Nick showed up with a great looking slammed station wagon (shown below).
Race Narrative
It became quite clear early on, that the battle for the top step of the podium would be between Rich and Bob. Both ran just over 5 second best laps (nearly .2 seconds per lap better than the nearest competitor). Both turned right at 23 laps in the initial heat with Bob in the lead by several feet. The fight continued through the third heat with both competitors very closely matched. Rich rotated out for heat number four while Bob continued to the white lane for his final heat, finishing the race with a very credible 91.7 laps. Rich sat out for what seemed like an eternity finally rotating in for the final heat of the race. In that heat, Rich turned 23+ laps to finish first with 92.3 laps (a personal best).
Meanwhile, the fight for the bottom step of the podium was between Dustin, Mark and Ron. Dustins Dodge was about .1 seconds/lap quicker than the other two, and that, coupled with a slightly higher consistency made the difference. In the end it was Dustin, Mark and Ron for third through fifth respectively.
Results and images of the top three finishers are shown below. For images of all of the Dirt Devil cars, see the link below.
http://slotblog.net/...rt-devil-class/
Handicap Competition
Lowell won the handicap competition with Dustin and Mark Henderson second and third respectively.
