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[rvec]

A few weeks ago, I was waxing nostalgic about a Charity Race that Bob Hanna and I organized back in the day. Almost immediately, I was peppered with questions. Where was it held? What kinds of slot-cars were run? How many participated? What charity was the beneficiary? How much money was raised? Do you have any images of the event? I answered all of their queries in detail. Someone then asked: Why dont you write an article about the race and post it so everyone can enjoy reading? Great idea, so here we are. If you are interested in images alone, cursor down.
I began thinking about organizing a charity race back in early 2005. After some noodling, I came up with a workable concept.
CONCEPT

• Stage a model car racing event
• Select a worthy charity organization
• Set ground rules for competition

           Teams would consist of 1-6 drivers
               Each team would compete with their own model car
               Event would be held in a high traffic venue
               Awards would be presented to winning teams in each racing category
Next, it was time to develop some objectives to support the concept.
OBJECTIVES

• Raise awareness of 1/24th scale slot car racing
• Recruit new members for our slot car club
• Raise money for a worthy cause
• Encourage Corporate Team building

Any complex project must include a task list and so I set about making one. I wont bore you with all of the details, but the list was extensive. Below I have highlighted the most important tasks and their resolution (If you are interested in viewing all of the details click on the attached PDF.)
TASK LIST (abbreviated)

• Select a suitable track, portable enough to set up and take down in a reasonable time

           Bob Hanna provided the track and it took only a few hours to set up the track and make it operational

• Select a worthwhile Charity

           The Boys and Girls Club of the Umpqua Valley was raising money to expand their facilities, so our event fit right in.

• Find a public location where the track could be set up

           I met with the Roseburg Valley Mall manager. He did not have an empty store front at the time but donated a generous isle way for set up.

• Find liability insurance for the event

           Fortunately, one of our slot car club members owned a local insurance agency. He was kind enough to provide the insurance at no cost to us

• Advertise

           Fliers were created and posted at local businesses. Contact was made with the local TV station that sent a camera crew out and created a clip for the evening news. Contact was made with the local newspaper that sent a photographer and reporter to the venue. They published a nice news article (attached as a PDF)

• Canvass local businesses to participate

           All auto parts stores, repair shops and car sound system businesses were targeted. The cost per team entry was set at $100. Sixty dollars was allocated to building a custom car with two bodies that the participants could keep. The other $40 was donated to the Boys and Girls Club. If the corporate entity wanted to field a car but could not come up with drivers, volunteers from the Boys and Girls club were pressed into service

• Prepare Slot Cars

           The all brass ProTrack chassis was selected. Two NASCAR bodies were painted and decaled. A custom decal was affixed to the hood with the companys logo

• Allow for practice so that newcomers could prepare for the event

           The track was set up about a month before the event to give newcomers a chance to practice with their cars. The track was open for business for about four hours, two days per week. This was also a form of advertisement because of the Mall foot traffic and point of sale posters.

• Add to base source of revenue

           Since the track was set up a month prior to the event, a hot lap competition was created as an additional source of revenue. For three dollars, anyone could rent our hot lap car and run for five minutes. Fast laps were logged and at the end of the event weekend, winners were contacted and given trophies. In addition at least one extra car was available for sale. Again, net proceeds were donated to the charity

RESULTS MATTER
The Charity Race was held in August of 2005 and was a great success. In the end, we raised about $1,000 for the Boys and Girls club. The event attracted seventeen discreet entries and 30+ drivers. Best of all, our club added two long term members. Most drivers were local, however, a few were from the Portland area and one, Bob Scott came up from Southern California to be my teammate.
Below are a few images of the track. The first as it was set up in Bobs shop. The second is an image of the Track as it was set up at the Mall.

 
 
 

Bob was in charge of the production process. Below are a couple of images of the modified ProTrack chassis. The modifications include custom side pans and a fixed axle tube. Also below are images of the cars and racing action. Note the custom hood decals that were created by Rich.
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Attached Files

•  New-ReviewArticle.pdf   146.91KB   17 downloads
•  TaskList.pdf   197.46KB   14 downloads