2 replies to this topic

[Bags]

Found this deal and it looks sweet! 
 

Aurora HO Scale Slot Car Tub Track

 

 

 

[Vay Jonynas]

Wow, cool! What kind of track times are registered by box stock AFX and/or Aurora T-Jet slot cars?

 

[muskie^man19]

I owned an original Aurora "Tubman" track in this same iconic orange color in the 1970s.  I had it set up in the local YMCA in my hometown of Oak Park, IL.

 

Later, Dan Thorne had one set up at his legendary raceway in Momence IL.  The Tubman was in the yellow color.  In 1981-82 Illinois HOPRA was at it's zenith.  The schedule spanned three states over the season and past and future national champions competed and hosted races (Norm Gardner, Joel Pennington, Rick DeRosa, Steve Medanic, all).  The top pros of the day outside of Illinois day travelled into most of the races from Michigan (Thom Hitchcox, Scott Terry, Rick Davis, Bob Dame), Indiana (Al Thurman, Kent White, Terry Hreno), Ohio (John Schmidt & crew), Wisconsin, Missouri and beyond.

 

On April 4, 1982, on that original Aurora Tubman track, in Momence, IL, I won the pro main on the sixth round of the Illinois HOPRA season.  I was actively racing USRA that season under the tutelage of Csaba Szekelyhidi.  "Chuba" was the defending Group 27 champion after winning the Nats the prior year at Hank's in Milwaukee (my first USRA Nats) and of course would go on to win it all as a pro at the 1984 USRA Nats in Clovis, CA.   Back to the HO race - I set Chuba up that day with an amateur car (two driver and two car classes in those days in HOPRA), and he won the amateur race in convincing fashion.  The format of the times placed the Amateur main at the back of the pro field.  Chuba tore through the pro field with my amateur car, made the pro main and finished behind me in third place.  All on that old "Tubman" Aurora track(!)  Dan Thorne had just finished installing one of the early (#3?) Hasse kings in the country in the raceway at that time, as a side note.

 

Chubba and I drove to the 1982 Nats in Inman, SC later that same year.  He placed fourth in G7 and I was fortunate enough to TQ and place 2nd in G15.  Four drivers' classes in that era: G7 for Pro and Semi-Pro, G27 for Amateur and G15 for Novice.  All soon to change fast...  In fact, Csaba's 84 Nats G7 win was the LAST time a chassis with side pans (minimal as they were by then) won a Nats.  It was all perimeter chassis after that until this day.

 

Fast forward to this modern replica of the Aurora Tubman track in 2023.  Very cool and all the current state bells and whistles of contemporary HO tracks.  I like that they did retain the vintage Aurora old style 1960s lap counters.

 

However, probably a poor fit for today serious HOPRA machines of any class, IMO.  Short lap length and also six lanes.  I don't see mention of how many jumpers are on the track - would be a question any serious racers would want to know out of the gate.  At today's speeds, with a very short lap length and being six lanes (vs. the more standard four in HOPRA), the race would most likely turn into a crash-fest.

 

Very cool.  More of a club replica type of nostalgia trip!  Old, over the counter, stock type cars would probably be better suited...

 

Thanks for posting.