A small but enthusiastic field of six competitors came to race Indy car and Trans-Am at Electron raceway on 10/3/20. Track conditions were good and everyone had a great time.
Highlights of the Indy car competition are listed below
- Rich won the race and set a new total lap record of 83.3
- Mike (Li’l Pixie) ran a fast lap of 5.372 (only .002) slower than the record fast lap time set by Bob. Mike also ran a personal best of 80.7 laps to finish second
- Bob’s car continued to have handling problems, however he managed a third place finish
Highlights of the Trans-Am Race are shown below
- Bob led from wire to wire to win the race with 91.0 laps. This was the third race in a row that Bob came out on top in Trans-Am
- Rich finished second about a lap behind Bob
- Ron’s 69 Camaro was a rocket and was one of only three cars to turn a lap under 5.0 seconds. He managed a third place finish. With a bit more consistency Ron could challenge for the top spot.
Indycars feature a modified H&R chassis with custom side pans (see images below). Power is supplied by the stock “blue motor”. These cars are a challenge to drive because of their “solid chassis”. They do not lend themselves to a punch and brake driving style. In order to get the best performance out of these vehicles, they must be driven smoothly.
The last time we ran Indycars was back in March. In that contest Rich came out on top setting a record of 82.7 laps. Mike surprised, running a fine 79.2 laps and finished second. Ron finished third. Bob usually challenges for the top spot but his car had some handling issues. He ended up fourth. In the current contest, one can expect the following
- Bob will have addressed the handling issues and battle for the top spot with Rich
- Indycars seem to be well suited to Mike’s driving style so look for Mike to be in the hunt for a third place finish, However, Ron’s Indycar is quicker and will challenge Mike for the bottom step of the podium
- Don’t count out Lowell, Joe or Scott. All have competitive rides but need to improve consistency.
Below are detailed IndyCar statistics by driver prior to the current race. Again, note that consistency is the key to success. Rich, Bob and Mike all scored 93%+ in terms of consistency. Joe, Ron and Mark could challenge the top dogs with better consistency scores.
Current Race
The first heat featured the three top seeds; Rich, Mike and Ron, along with the fifth seed, Joe. Mike’s car was a rocket and took the early lead. Rich was not far behind. Rich pressured Mike but to no avail. Mike won the first heat finishing with 21 laps. Rich was a few feet behind in second. Ron finished about a lap and a half behind the leaders, with Joe a distant fourth. Clearly, Rich and Mike would be battling for the top step of the podium; however, fourth seed, Bob had yet to turn a wheel on the track. He would enter the race in heat #3.
Heat #2 was pivotal. Rich ran clean and Mike had a few mishaps. The result was that Rich finished the second heat with a total of 41.6 laps, about a lap ahead of Mike
Mike rotated out in heat #3, Rich rotated to white and Bob came in on red. Unfortunately, Bob continued to have handling problems with his Indy car and ran only 19.7 laps in his initial heat. Meanwhile Rich continued his quest for victory turning 21 laps for a cumulative total of 62.6 laps.
Going into the final heat, the die was already cast. Rich was ahead of second place Mike by a couple of laps with Bob third a couple of laps behind Mike. In the end it was Rich for the win with a new total lap record of 83.3 laps. Mike finished second with a personal best of 80.7 laps while Bob was third with 79 laps. As a note of interest Mike turned the quickest lap of the race at 5.372 seconds and within a whisker of the record of 5.370 seconds held by Bob
None of the balance of the field challenged the podium finishers. Although Ron’s car was just as quick as Bob’s, Ron had a few too many mishaps and finished a distant fourth followed by Joe and Scott
Too view all Indy Cars, see the link http://slotblog.net/...ceway-indycars/
Mike won the handicap competition with a personal best finish. Rich was second and Ron third
As a teenager growing up in the car crazy 60s, the Trans-Am Series was definitely a favorite. The Series featured powerful, identifiable pony cars sponsored by factory supported teams racing on nearly all of the iconic road courses of the period. Driving was top notch and included names like Mark Donohue, Parnelli Jones, Dan Gurney, Jim Hall and many others. With a “win on Sunday, sell on Monday” mindset, no expense was spared. With so much at stake, competition was fierce, leading to aggressive driving and door banging activity. During the late 60s, the Penske teams (running Camaros and later Javelins) were the dominant force, but on a given weekend the top spot was up for grabs.
At Electron Raceway, we have been racing what I would call “Historic Trans-Am” cars for years. This class features 1/25 scale 66-72 pony cars of the era. H-bracket chassis such as Scholer, Scaleauto, Slotting Plus and 2NASTE are utilized. Power is supplied by ProSlot 16D or Deathstar motors. My love for this series led me to build replicas of several factory sponsored rides. Four are shown below.
Although there are a score or more choices in terms of makes/models/years, most racers have migrated to the 67-69 Camaro or the 68 Firebird. They are the lightest and lowest of the available choices.
Recent history shows that nearly almost all racers have very competitive True Scale Trans-Am rides. The table below illustrates best results from 1/1/20 – 6/6/22. Note that the fast lap times of Joe, Rich, Bob, Lowell and Ron are very close. With cars this closely matched, the key element becomes consistency. The driver that can stay out of trouble and run consistent lap times is going to win. Typically Bob and Rich battle for the top step of the podium and note that they score the highest consistency. Joe, Lowell, Ron and sometimes Mark battle for the bottom step of the podium. Note that the consistency of this group is at least 3% lower than the top dogs. If this group of drivers can improve their consistency, any of them have the potential to win or at least place second.
Current Race
Heat #1 featured the top three seeds; Bob, Rich and Ron along with fifth seed Mike. Bob won the heat with 22.8 laps with Rich about a half lap behind. Ron’s car was a rocket and only about a half lap behind Rich.
Ron rotated out for heat #2 and the battle for the top spot continued between Bob and Rich. Both ran good heats but Bob managed to open the gap to nearly a lap.
Going into the final heat it was Bob in the lead with 68.8 laps. Rich was second about a lap down while Ron was a couple of laps behind Rich. Joe was also in the mix but a couple of laps behind Ron. The group jockeyed for position in the final heat but in the end it made no difference. Bob won with 91.0 laps, Rich was second, Ron was third and Joe fourth
To view all images of Trans-Am cars, see the link http://slotblog.net/...toric-trans-am/
In the handicap competition, Ron’s good performance yielded a win with Bob second and Rich third
