47 replies to this topic

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

September 7

 

HOSCAR, HO Slot Car Association of Racers, kicked off the 2022-23 season at Fantasy Raceways in Rochester New York Wednesday night. Eight drivers showed up to get things started with the TFX and IROC classes.

 

The TFX class is box stock except that an axle width up to 1.3125" is legal. 16.5 or 20 ohm armatures combined with 15 or 19 tooth crown gears are allowed. 

This class has quickly become popular due to the limited amount of tinkering and money needed to produce a competitive car.

For the first time having the group together in a few months the racing was surprisingly clean and close. Rich Joslin got off to a good start on White and managed to build on that start to win the first race of the season. The next four racers finished within one lap of each other. David Vickers, George Vianco, Dave Failing and Bob Dickinson being the four and finishing in that order. The official results may change due to a questionable body choice to start the race but for now the first podium of the year was filled out with David and George in second and third place.

 

 

                    David Vickers - 2nd                           Rich Joslin - 1st                                       George Vianco - 3rd

 

Fantasy Raceways IROC set of DASH cars were prepped and in position for the next race. In this race it was Dave Failing then everyone else. Consistent and fast, Dave cruised to the win by slightly more that two laps over second place finisher Rich Joslin. David Vickers and George Vianco were locked in a close battle for the final podium position with David holding on to third place by twenty track sections.

 

 

                          Rich Joslin - 2nd                                            Dave Failing - 1st                            David Vickers - 3rd

 

Race Director Bobbi Eve had the track clean and fast for the HOSCAR group. We look forward to visiting Fantasy several more times before the end of the Season.

 

Wednesday, September 14 the drivers will test their skills driving INDY cars and SS T-Jets at Pattiland International Raceway. 

 

 

 

 

[Bill from NH]

Rich, "best lane" in your race report was green and orange, with one exception. Are those two colors middle lanes or do they seem to have some other unique feature? 

[Rich Joslin]

Yes, those are the middle lanes. Fantasy has a great six-lane track but we like to make sure we have a minimum of three marshals so sometimes, like this week, we only run the four middle lanes making white and blue the "gutters."

[Bridgehampton66]

Rich Joslin, representing with Dexter Gordon!

So beautiful to see the love for a true, musical genius.

[Bridgehampton66]

And... and would you guys post a couple of images of the track you have at Fantasy? I don't believe I've ever seen it.  

 

Thanks!

[Rich Joslin]

Rob,

This is the best picture I have at this time.
 

[Bill from NH]

That's quite an HO layout, Rich! 

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

September 14

 

Pattiland International Raceway was the venue for week 2 of the HOSCAR season. George Vianco had the track spotless and ready to entertain the six members in attendance. Marshaling the expansive track with only three was not ideal but the driving was so good it rarely became an issue.

 

INDY cars rolled to the starting line first. Most racers struggle on Red at Pattiland so it was nice of our Host to show us how it is done. George turned nineteen laps there, two better than anyone else could manage. No one cut into that two lap lead and George was on top of the podium. Consistent seventeen lap heats put Dave Failing in second place, one lap in front of third place finisher Rich Joslin.

 

 

                             Dave Failing - 2nd                           George Vianco - 1st                                    Rich Joslin - 3rd

 

SS T-Jet (E-Fray)  was the second race of the evening. This time it was Dave with the standout heat a twenty-three lap burner on the Blue lane. With no heat below twenty-two Dave stretched his gap to two laps at the finish line. While the results sheet does not reflect this, Rich finished with sixty-five laps just sections in front of George for second place.

 

 

                              Rich Joslin - 2nd                                     Dave Failing - 1st                         George Vianco - 3rd

 

                                                Joslin                                       Failing                                            Vianco

 

 

Next week the group travels to Greenbrier Raceway Park for the festivities. Who knows maybe KISS will perform during intermission.

 

 

[Bill from NH]

Close racing!

[Rich Joslin]

Pattiland International Raceway

 

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

September 28

 

Seabreeze Speedway was the challenge for HOSCAR drivers week four of the 2022-23 season. Our Host, Dave Failing had the "Man Cave" in fine shape for the seven racers in attendance. Among the seven was Tony Gianforte who the group hadn't had the pleasure of racing with in a long time. We all look forward to seeing Tony at some future HOSCAR events.

 

The two classes on the schedule for this week were TFX and SS T-Jets (E-Fray) with TFX starting off the evening of racing fun. This class has become very popular I believe in part due to the ease with which you can put a competitive car on the track. This has led to some close racing and tonight was no different. Throughout the race there were some great one on one battles that lasted for multiple laps. Watching the 55 Chevys of Dave and Tony duel was interesting as was one between George Vianco and Rich Joslin that started near the end of the race. At the finish of the four heats it was Dave Failing with a one lap margin of victory. For second place it was Rich edging in front of George by about eighteen inches at the end of the race. The top three finished less than one lap apart and five racers posted at least 110 laps, pretty close racing.

 

 

                    Rich Joslin - 2nd                                               Dave Failing - 1st                              George Vianco - 3rd

 

                              Joslin                                                    Failing                                                              Vianco

 

 

Next to the starting line was the SS T-Jet class. It was a clean, fast start and at the end of the heat it seemed thirty-three laps would be a good target, Wrong, turns out we were just warming up as the second heat included a thirty-four and thirty-five lap total. Though there was some messy traffic to navigate on occasion the racing was good right to the end with Rich Joslin taking his first SS class win by three laps. Back to back thirty-four lap heats to end the race kept Dave in second place two laps clear of Bob Dickinson in third. 

 

 

                              Dave Failing - 2nd                               Rich Joslin - 1st                                      Bob Dickinson - 3rd

 

                      Failing                                                           Joslin                                                            Dickinson

 

Pattiland International Raceway will be the site of next week's racing when the INDY and Wide-Skinny classes will be contested.

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

October 5

 

Seven racers showed up at George Vianco's Pattiland International Raceway to compete in the INDY and Wide-Skinny classes this week. 

 

INDY cars were raced first. Seventeen laps looked like a good target until our host posted the only eighteen lap heat of the evening. That extra lap was just what George needed to earn a one lap victory over second place finisher Dave Failing. Rick Kibler ran two strong closing heats to claim the third position on the podium. In spite of the grumbling this class sometimes elicits the racing is usually close and tonight was no different. 

 

 

                      Dave Failing - 2nd                                George Vianco - 1st                                       Rick Kibler - 3rd

 

                    Failing                                                       Vianco                                                  Kibler

 

The Wide-Skinny class would cap off the evening of racing. George got off to a fast start on the Red lane and kept it up to post a strong fifty-three lap total for the rest of the group to chase. Dave Failing took up the challenge though and with three straight eighteen lap heats finished one lap ahead of George, an exact reversal of the INDY results. The battle for third was a good one with Bob Dickinson, David Vickers and Rich Joslin all in the hunt. At the finish it was David one half lap clear of  Rich for the final podium spot. 

 

 

                            George Vianco - 2nd                           Dave Failing - 1st                                David Vickers - 3rd

 

                    Vianco                                               Failing                                                            Vickers

 

Thank you to our Host George Vianco for another great evening of HOSCAR racing.

Next week the group will visit Fantasy Raceways to race INDY cars and SS T-jets.

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

October 12

 

Nine HOSCAR members were in the house at Fantasy Raceways for Wednesday night racing. The attendance allowed us to run five of the six lanes for the first time in quite awhile. Everyone was excited for the extra racing time. As usual the evening was full of close racing, this week in the SS E-Fray and INDY classes. 

 

INDY was first up. In the beginning it was a close contest for the lead between David Vickers, Dave Failing, Jeff Eve, Rick Kibler and Rich Joslin. Over the last couple of heats though Dave found a groove and pulled away for a two lap win leaving the others to scrap for the final two podium positions. At the finish it was David and Jeff filling those spots separated by just a lap. 

 

 

                                    David Vickers - 2nd                                 Dave Failing - 1st                                      Jeff Eve - 3rd

 

Race Director Bobbi Eve had SS E-Fray set up quickly and we were off and running. George Vianco opened the race posting a couple of strong heats to take the early lead. As more racers entered the fray is was soon clear that Dave Failing, David Vickers and Rich Joslin were going to keep things interesting. Having competed his race George could only watch while a late race tussle between Dave and Rich helped them push each other beyond George's lap total with Dave finishing a little more than a half-lap in front of Rich for his second win of the night. 

 

 

                      Rich Joslin - 2nd                                             Dave Failing - 1st                              George Vianco - 3rd

 

                              Joslin                                                       Failing                                                       Vianco

 

Thank you to our Hosts Bobbi and Jeff Eve for a great night of racing. The track was in terrific shape and the races were very well run.

 

Next week the group will be racing at George's Pattiland International Raceway. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR Standings

October 19, 2022

 

We are six weeks into the 2022-23 HOSCAR season. Below are the current standings in our five Classes.

 

 

 

 

 

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

October 19

 

Pattiland International Raceway was the scene of the HOSCAR action for this week. Our host George Vianco had the track in excellent condition for racing our TFX and IROC Classes. 

 

TFX was first up. Dave Failing, using his 2nd or 3rd or 4th fastest car, stomped the rest of us by three laps to claim the win. His twenty-two lap total on the Blue lane was the only twenty-two of the night. The race for second was a close one though with Rich Joslin finishing just sections in front of George. David Vickers and Bob Dickinson complete the top five.

 

 

                                 Rich Joslin - 2nd                                           Dave Failing - 1st                           George Vianco - 3rd

 

                         Joslin                                                    Failing                                                       Vianco

 

IROC was next. George provided the group with a great looking set of cars for this one.

 

 

The action throughout this race was close. The top three finished less than one lap apart. At the checkered flag it was Dave just several sections ahead of George. Bob Dickinson finished less than a lap behind for third place. 

 

 

                  George Vianco - 2nd                                           Dave Failing - 1st                                  Bob Dickinson - 3rd

 

Thank you to George and Patti for having us into their home for a great evening of HO racing.

 

Next week the group is scheduled to visit Greenbrier Raceway Park for SS E-Fray and INDY car racing.

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

October 26

 

Greenbrier Raceway Park was the location for this week's HOSCAR race. Eight members showed up to compete in the INDY and SS E-Fray class races hosted by John Peckham. 

 

The INDY cars were first to run and to summarize the results it was Dave Failing and then way, way back was the rest of the field. Dave took the win by a full five laps. Second through fourth were separated by only one lap. Bob Dickinson and Rick Kibler placed second and third to complete the podium.

 

 

                    Bob Dickinson - 2nd                                           Dave Failing - 1st                                Rick Kibler - 3rd

 

                                  Dickinson                                                                 Failing                                                   Kibler

 

After a few minutes of practice the SS E-Fray class was next to compete. This one was close until the end when a bit of separation began to occur. Bob Dickinson notched a win for his second podium finish of the night. One lap back was Rich Joslin in second, less than a lap in front of third place finisher David Vickers. The race was interrupted by a power supply issue with two heats remaining. When attempts to repair the unit failed the well prepared proprietor pulled out a new unit and within a few minutes the race was able to continue. 

 

 

                          Rich Joslin - 2nd                                         Bob Dickinson - 1st                                  David Vickers - 3rd

 

                         Vickers                                                 Dickinson                                                                Joslin

 

Thank you to our host John Peckham for a fine evening of racing. The track was in good shape the the races were well run. 

 

Next week Seabreeze Speedway will challenge the guys running the IROC and Wide-Skinny Classes.

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

November 2nd

 

The turnout was a bit light but the racing was still a blast at Seabreeze Speedway on Wednesday evening. Our Host Dave Failing had everything is fine order for the six HOSCAR members in attendance.

 

IROC was the first event of the night. It was an old school race using Willys Gassers with skinny tires. Each car performed just a bit differently making it a nice test for the drivers as we rotated through the lanes. George Vianco and Dave handled the Blue Gasser better than the rest which helped them to the top of the pack with Dave holding on for the win. Rich Joslin made the last heat his best heat to sneak onto the podium in third. 

 

 

 

                     George Vianco - 2nd                                            Dave Failing - 1st                               Rich Joslin - 3rd

 

Wide-Skinny cars were up next and this one was a doozy. Bob Dickinson and George posted twenty-seven lap heats to overcome slight hiccups on Blue for Bob and Red for George keeping them on pace with the consistent driving of Dave. At the finish it was all three of these guys on the same lap. The order of finish being George, Bob and Dave with just track sections between them. It was an exciting ending to another fun night of HOSCAR racing.

 

 

                   Bob Dickinson - 2nd                                         George Vianco - 1st                                      Dave Failing - 3rd

 

                              Dickinson                                           Vianco                                              Failing

 

Thank you to Dave and Tracy Failing for allowing such a motley crew into their home to race HO slot cars. 

 

Next week will be the groups first visit of the season to Small Scale Replicas to contest the TFX and SS E-Fray classes.

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

November 9, 2022

 

Eight drivers showed up to race the HOSCAR TFX and SS E-Fray Classes at Small Scale Replicas Raceway. Owner of SSR, Steve Dickinson had the track in fine shape for the evening.

 

TFX, a class that seems to get more competitive each time we race it, led off the night. You might think that of all people the track owner would get his lane assignment/sticker combination correct. Yes you might think that but it was an issue for Steve, effectively taking a self imposed two or three lap penalty to start the race while he corrected his mistake under green . Of course Steve didn't let that miscue get in the way of beating us anyway. Tony Gianforte made a strong push to catch Steve over the last couple of heats coming up just sections short for second place and his first podium of the season. The fight for third was also close with Dave Failing staying just sections in front of Rich Joslin to complete the podium.

 

 

                      Tony Gianforte - 2nd                                           Steve Dickinson - 1st                                 Dave Failing - 3rd

 

                               Gianforte                                                 Dickinson                                               Failing

 

SS E-Fray was up next and this time it was Dave and Steve staying close throughout the race. Steve gradually stretched his lead to almost a full lap over Dave making it a clean sweep for the night. Rich Joslin finished a distant third, five laps off the pace. 

 

 

                       Dave Failing - 2nd                             Steve Dickinson - 1st                                               Rich Joslin - 3rd

 

                           Failing                                                  Dickinson                                                       Joslin

 

Thank you to Jamie and Steve Dickinson for hosting the racing this week.

 

November 16th the HOSCAR group will visit Fantasy Raceways for another competitive evening of HO racing.

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

November 16, 2022

 

Fantasy Raceways was the scene for HOSCAR's best turnout of the season so far as ten racers showed up to compete with their INDY and Wide-Skinny cars. For the first time in quite awhile we had enough people to run all six lanes of the fast Fantasy layout. The group was pleased to welcome Ralph Thieleman to the action. We hope to see Ralph in attendance at future HOSCAR races.

 

The INDY Class was raced first. With a clean sweep of the individual heat lap totals it was Dave Failing posting a comfortable three lap victory. Dave was the only driver in this one to never dip below fourteen laps for a heat. He was also the only one to break fifteen laps in a heat running 15.12 on White. David Vickers finished in second place. Rick Kibler, continuing his strong showing in the INDY Class, finished in 3rd.

 

 

                     David Vickers - 2nd                                   Dave Failing - 1st                                             Rick Kibler - 3rd

 

Wide-Skinny was the final race of the evening. This time it was David Vickers being the only driver to crack fifteen laps in a heat with a 15.03 on Green. That strong heat helped David hold off second place finisher Jeff "The Proprietor" Eve. Sections behind Jeff in third place was Dave Failing. Congratulations to David and Dave for making it a double podium night.

 

 

                    Jeff Eve - 2nd                                           David Vickers - 1st                              Dave Failing - 3rd

 

Thank you to our hosts Bobbi and Jeff Eve. Race Director Bobbi did her usual wonderful job of keeping the racing running smoothly.

 

Next week the group travels to Pattiland International Raceway for competition with the Wide-Skinny and TFX Classes.

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

November 23, 2022

 

Eight members made it to the pre-Thanksgiving race at Pattiland International Raceway. Wide-Skinny and TFX were on the schedule.

 

Wide-Skinny started us off. This was a nice battle for first/second and third/fourth. The results page was manipulated a bit to make the order appear properly but Dave Failing and George Vianco both finished with fifty-six laps. only sections separated the two with Dave coming out on top. Meanwhile, Rich Joslin and David Vickers were vying for the final podium spot. The nineteen laps on Blue were exactly what David needed to take third place by a lap over Rich.

 

 

                         George Vianco - 2nd                             Dave Failing - 1st                                       David Vickers - 3rd

 

                                      Vianco                                              Failing                                           Vickers

 

TFX turned out to be a driving exhibition put on by Dave Failing. A clean run by Dave put him three full laps in front of the field for his second win of the night. The race for second was a close one though. David stayed just sections ahead of George to take second place in this one.

 

 

                            David Vickers - 2nd                                    Dave Failing - 1st                          George Vianco - 3rd

 

                                Vickers                                           Failing                                                  Vianco

 

Thank you to our Hosts, Patti and George Vianco for having the group into their home the night before Thanksgiving. 

 

Next week Greenbrier Raceway Park will host the HOSCAR members for IROC and TFX racing.

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

November 30

 

Ten racers again? Yes, another nice turnout of HOSCAR members showed up at John Peckham's Greenbrier Raceway Park for IROC and TFX racing.

 

It was a cold, windy evening in Rochester so it was fitting that John would provide the group with snowmobiles to run for IROC.

 

 

The sledding was a bit treacherous at times but the group enjoyed some good laughs as we did our best to navigate our way around the circuit. The competition for the podium was very close. The top three finished within a lap of each other. With only one heat of less than thirteen laps Dave Failing took the win. Steve Dickinson edged out our host, John, by less than half of a lap for second place.

 

 

                     Steve Dickinson - 2nd                                Dave Failing - 1st                                      John Peckham - 3rd

 

Next up was the TFX class. Five drivers finishing within two laps of each other made for a very interesting race. Bob Dickinson, Rick Kibler, Steve Dickinson, Dave Failing and Rich Joslin were all in contention for a podium position as the race neared the end. At the finish it was Steve in front of Dave by only sixteen sections for the win. Rich grabbed the final podium spot, about one lap out of second.

 

 

                            Dave Failing - 2nd                        Steve Dickinson - 1st                                     Rich Joslin - 3rd

 

                    Failing                                                         Dickinson                                                  Joslin

 

Thank you to our host John Peckham for a good night of racing and for keeping the mood light with the IROC snowmobiles. We can always count on John for something completely different!

 

Next week HOSCAR visits Seabreeze Speedway to race INDY and SS E-Fray cars. 

 

 

 

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

December 7, 2022

 

Seabreeze Speedway was the site of this week's HOSCAR racing action. The eight racers who showed up would be competing in the INDY and SS E-Fray Classes. 

 

INDY started us off and the racing was very close among the top five finishers. Steve Dickinson and our host, Dave Failing had a tight battle for the win. Dave had a race best twenty-eight laps on the Yellow lane but that was not quite enough to overtake Steve who ran an impressive twenty-seven laps on Yellow himself helping to secure a first place finish by less than one full lap. The competition for the third and final podium spot was even closer. Tony Gianforte, Bob Dickinson and Rick Kibler all finished with one hundred laps. When the sections were tallied it was Bob in third by sixteen sections while Rick was just ten sections ahead of Tony. The results screen below has been manipulated to put the names in the proper order.

 

 

                      Bob Dickinson - 3rd                                  Steve Dickinson - 1st                                     Dave Failing - 2nd

 

                              Failing                                            S. Dickinson                                      B. Dickinson

 

Next on the track were the E-Fray cars. Relative to driving the INDY cars these felt like they had traction magnets. In a repeat of the first race Steve and Dave separated themselves from the pack and stayed locked in their own dual throughout the race. Also like the first race it was Steve coming out on top by the same less than a full lap margin of victory. The battle for third was a doozy. Rich Joslin, finishing on White, and Bob Dickinson, ending his race on Yellow, were tied at the beginning of the Heat. With Bob right on his heels Rich managed to stay just a bit in front to make the podium in third place.

 

 

                           Dave Failing - 2nd                              Steve Dickinson - 1st                                           Rich Joslin - 3rd

 

                                Failing                                                   Dickinson                                        Joslin

 

Thank you to Tracy and Dave for letting us into their home to enjoy another great evening of HOSCAR racing.

 

Next Wednesday the group will try to tame Small Scale Replicas Raceway. Stay tuned for the results here.

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

December 21, 2022

 

Who would want to race HO slot cars just a few days before Christmas? To my pleasant surprise, lots of guys! Eleven racers trekked to Fantasy Raceways to compete with their best TFX and SS E-Fray cars. No need to limit ourselves to running only four lanes. We ran all six lanes and still had Marshals to spare.

 

TFX was up first. The racing was a bit more spread out than usual for this Class. With a blistering 9.386 fast lap on White, Steve Dickinson showed us it was going to be tough to keep him from the top of the podium. We tried but no matter how many times we put him back on, on the wrong lane, he just refused to relinquish his lead. Dave Failing, the only other driver to break ten seconds for a lap, finished in second place a comfortable three laps in front of Rich Joslin in third. The bulk of the field was bunched up closer with five racers separated by only a couple of laps. Jeff Eve, David Vickers, Bob Dickinson, George Vianco and Tony Gianforte jockeyed for position throughout making for some interesting battles.

 

 

                       Dave Failing - 2nd                        Steve Dickinson - 1st                                       Rich Joslin - 3rd

 

                            Failing                                                                Dickinson                                                             Joslin 

 

The very competitive SS E-Fray Class was next. Big John Voellinger joined us for this one so we had twelve cars to cycle through the six lane track. We hoped maybe Steve's SS car would be a little slower than his TFX ride, relatively speaking. Our hopes were quickly dashed as Steve proceeded to set the fast lap for all the lanes with a stellar 8.643 on White being his best. To put this in perspective, of the seventy-two heats run there were eight fast laps under nine seconds. Six of those eight were Steve's. To no one's surprise it was another double win evening for the young-ish Mr. Dickinson. Four laps back was Dave Failing in second. Chasing Dave for the last couple of heats helped keep Rich just a bit in front of David Vickers for third and a repeat of the TFX podium. At least we didn't have to take another podium picture. Ten of the twelve drivers hit the one hundred lap mark which is a testament to the good racing we had.

 

 

Please see previous podium picture, if you dare. It's pretty scary.

 

                              Failing                                                              Dickinson                                                        Joslin

 

Thank you to Bobbi and Jeff Eve for hosting the group. With such a strong turnout the festivities ran late. We appreciate their patience.

 

HOSCAR wishes everyone a safe and happy holiday season. See you in the new year.

 

 

 

 

[Rich Joslin]

HOSCAR

January 11, 2023

 

Pattiland International Raceway was the venue for HOSCAR IROC and INDY car racing this week. Our Host, George Vianco, had everything in top shape for the eight attendees. 

 

 

INDY Class ran first. The duel for first place was a good one. George and Steve Dickinson were close throughout with Dave Failing within striking distance of the leaders. At the finish it was George's slight advantage on Red that made the difference. Dave finished third just a couple of laps off of the pace. 

 

 

                     Steve Dickinson - 2nd                            George Vianco - 1st                                     Dave Failing - 3rd

 

George provided a nice set of McLarens for the IROC race. The plot to this race was very familiar, with just a slight changing of roles among the drivers. No surprise that once again it was Steve in the hunt for a win along with Dave Failing this time. Blue was the difference making lane with Steve besting Dave by a lap there for the win. George stayed close to the leaders throughout the race to ensure his second podium finish of the night. 

 

 

                            Dave Failing - 2nd                        Steve Dickinson - 1st                                George Vianco - 2nd

 

Thank you to our Hosts, Patti and George. It was another great evening of racing.

 

Next week, Greenbrier Raceway Park.

 

[NSwanberg]

Interesting layout. Looks like you could marshal it with just t\wo people. I like the angled driver station!