4 replies to this topic

[Cheater]

[Bill from NH]

I never could get very interested in HO racing even though I had a couple friends who jumped from open class wing cars to HO. In the mid-'70s I bought a TycoPro Dodge Charger with a Lexan body and a brass pan. I took it to Maine when I returned home and totally wiped out all my brother's Aurora cars. I gave the car to him when I left. A couple years ago I was gifted with a MictoscaleXtric two-car set, but I haven't taken them out of the box. I've attended organized HO races in the past, but they were comparable to an active beehive. I don't think organized HO racing is as popular today as it once was 15-20 years ago. There isn't much for other classes now either.

 

Lucky Bob's (in the video) did have a mail-order service too, but I don't know if it still exists. They do occasionally sell items on eBay,

[MSwiss]

Along with Lucky Bob's still being a premier HO mail order outlet, it's part of the HOPRA Nats rotation, hosting every three years or so. Peter Lentros's LenJet Raceway at Modelville is another of the rotating hosts.

 

HO is going strong as the below will indicate.

 

Note the Concours winner, my good friend, Mark Rosenwinkel. Mark, who I met through HO racing 50 years ago, posts CR race results here on Slotblog as Muskieman in the non-summer months.

 

I saw Mark's winning car last Wednesday. It's stunning. He had to put a note with it this year, to attest to the miniscule sponsor decals being hand-painted, as the year before at Modelville people assumed they were decals.

 

BTW, HO racing is in another stratosphere recognizing their history, vs. 1/24 racing in the USA.

 

https://www.hopra.net/

 

[akahollywood]

As a former National Director for HOPRA, I would say that so-called 'organized HO racing' is just as, if not, more popular than it was 15-20 years ago. Of course, the entire slot car hobby is nowhere near as popular as it was in the '60s-'70s, but as Mike said, HO it's still going strong.

 

And, to Mike's credit, he's doing everything to keep 1/32 and 1/24 going, so kudos to him!

 

By the way, in June 2025, HOPRA will host its 50th National Championship, which is a huge milestone for any organized racing organization. 

[MSwiss]

Mark/Muskieman sent me a pic of the concours-winning body I mentioned.