236 replies to this topic

[macman]

OMG!!! That is fiendishly & symmetrically marvelous; but I would hate to have to learn it

[Dennis David]

I wouldn't want to run that track on a full stomach.

[JimF]

One of the most unique custom tracks back in the '60s was this one. Don't know who built it.

 
Interesting factoid about this track...
 
Originally, the driver's panel was intended to be along the "main" straight to the right of the pic as we view it. This was right up against the outside wall. However, once laid out in the store, it didn't fit. Thus the final layout was settled with the split panels one being straight ahead as viewed in this pic and one to the left of the pic but out of the frame. Thus, the track was very close to the wall at the right of the pic but left a reasonable bypass distance between the track and the showcases/counters.

Aside from the nine turns, the track also had some additional "character" spots. One being the exit of the bank at the end of the main straight and another being the exit of the turn to Lee's left. Among others...

[macman]

This was a Hasse build from the mid-'80s which I was associated for about nine months while it was in John Ford's factory showroom as a demonstrator and raceway for the locals. With 4.5" lane spacing and expanded corner diameters as well as a bank equivalent to an American orange, this was a fun road course with good rhythm but not extremely technical.

The track also ran the opposite direction a black traditionally runs.

[stoo23]

Hey 'Zip'!!

That blue track in post #12 is fantastic... What a 'hoot' of a track!!

You could certainly live with that!!!

Retros and Scale cars would be a blast.

Thanks for posting that.

Cheers.

[ravajack]

Huge Japanese track (56 meters) in Nagoya from the mid-1960s. 12 volt track with a 14 volt section in the loop for drop-dead-safety... Also a safety net was mounted inside the loop.

 

[Tex]

Amazing!

[Cheater]

Dallas Slot Cars owner, Shontel Howard, has started a page on Facebook showing a number of interesting slot car tracks. Rather than copying the pics over to this thread, here's the link:

Slot Car Tracks of the World

[Phil Irvin]

Hehehe... Nice... Some would be a hair puller to learn... At my age... I ain't got much left... But all would be fun when you did...
 
 
            OLPHRT
            PHIL I.

[Bob Chaney]

This is eleven (11) lanes of blue formica ..the 165 foot monster located at Banning and Sons, in Lubbock, Texas in the fall of 1970.  There was a change of ownership to John Ford and it became known as The Trak (in the same time period).  Built on this spot, it became an unmanagable jigsaw puzzle when it was dismantled for relocation.  It was replaced by an American Imperial in 1972.

 

 

John can probably speak to how well it warmed the house..

 

[Bob Chaney]

This picture was taken in Rockdale, Texas during the summer of 1982 when I built the track pictured, and ran my own raceway for six months.  I was not a very good raceway owner, and my location sucked, but life goes on.
 
At 135 feet, "The Farm" was designed to fit the space available, and incorporated several design elements that I personally like in a good slot car track.  The turn at the end of the main straight (the window turn) has a dual radius, the second being shorter than the first so the turn becomes tighter.  The lower straight disappears under the upper level esse turn, into a blind left hander.  And there are split driver stations, something you don't see every day.
 

 

Does it still exist? I don't think so... I understand that after a short stay in San Antonio, it was returned to use in the Dallas area in the early 90's and disappeared shortly thereafter.

 

[Tex]

This is eleven (11) lanes of blue formica ..the 165 foot monster located at Banning and Sons, in Lubbock, Texas in the fall of 1970.  There was a change of ownership to John Ford and it became known as The Trak (in the same time period).  Built on this spot, it became an unmanagable jigsaw puzzle when it was dismantled for relocation.  It was replaced by an American Imperial in 1972.
 
BanningSons_TheTrak.jpg
 
John can probably speak to how well it warmed the house..

 
I raced on that track in August of '71, just a week or two before I started college at Sam Houston State.

[Old pink can guy]

Tex we are amazing for ever getting into this sport. Please just do not tell any one LOL.

[Cheater]

Here's a track I snagged off Facebook. It is somewhere in Spain, perhaps at one of the Evotech stores or it may have been set-up for the 24-hour race that was held on it.

 

If anyone has more info, please post it.

 

[Tom Eatherly]

Whoa! Now that right there is a flat track delight!

 

Man, look at that facility.

[Cheater]

I've located a bit more info on this track, which is actually one of two tracks (look on the left side of the picture above).

The Spanish company Scaleauto held their third annual World Endurance Series 24-hour race on June 7-9, 2013. These tracks were set up in Restaurant Scorpia in Igualada (Barcelona), Spain, for the event. Looks like the restaurant cleared out one of their large dining rooms to provide the location for the event.
 
Here's some more track pics from the WES Facebook page, where additional photos and results from the just-completed race can be found (in Spanish, of course).
 

 

 

 
Unless my aging eyes are deceiving me, these two tracks are the same design but mirror images of each other. Never seen that before!
 
It would be very interesting to know just how the enduro was run on these two terrific-looking tracks. Can any of our Spanish members give us the low-down on the race format?

[tonyp]

Thank god for blue Kings. LOL.

[Cheater]

Tony,

 

I've heard it said that you've never even raced on a flat track. True story?

[Coopdevil]

The mirror image thing is the norm in Spain and Italy when running enduros with large numbers of teams. Four such tracks is usual. I believe you rotate across all tracks. Sometimes with two tracks the layout is arranged so that the long straight runs along one edge and then the two are laid adjacent such that they form a 16-lane straight!

Coop

[Cheater]

Thanks for that info, Coop.

The more I learn about how slot racing is practiced in other countries, the more amazed I am at how much diversity there is in this hobby!

And welcome to Slotblog BTW.

[Tex]

Wow... 16 adjacent lanes! You better be payin' attention to which car is yours!

[tonyp]

Nope. When we walked into a raceway if there was a flat track we would use it to pit on.

 

No one would think of racing on one when there were Kings and Englemans galore...

[Gator Bob]

Thank god for blue Kings. LOL.

 

And chassis gods, too!

 

Pitting on the flat track... LOL... we still do it at Bill's.

 

But... Now he  has been prepping it to run on... wanna try it? Four lanes, we can fill that.. LOL

[Gator Bob]

Whoa!....

 

Man, look at that facility.

 

Super shop! SANO!

 

Even safety vests for every marshall.

[SteveDee]

And also note the raised driver stations, something I wish had caught on over here.