236 replies to this topic

[Maximo]

I love that Indy 300, wish there was one around somewhere!

 

I believe that it was manufactured by Mr. Raceways.

[SlotStox#53]

Wow, that is one huge HO track!

[Gator Bob]

Here's another Facebook snag, unidentified, but it's gotta be a temporary track at a European event, possibly in Italy based on the Slot.it signage.

 

Two mirror-image tracks that abut along a straight. Looks like paired pickle-buckets for supports, too. How about those bridges so the marshals can get inside the tracks?

 

Can anyone tell us when and where this track was set-up?

 

Pickle-buckets  ...

 

I don't think I could win on that track  ... or even complete a lap at speed without a 25+ohm 

[Dennis David]

I like the workmanship but i don't really get the squiggles.

[NSwanberg]

LOL about the squiggles if you think they would be tough to master?? You can only see part of the chicane which is just pass the bridge and Ken used to have two chicanes in the layout.

 

This track is fun for T-Jets to G3s. The club runs five classes: T-Jets, Fray, Magnatraction, Life-Like, G3 and their variants.

[A. J. Hoyt]

I remember racing on the chicane some years ago as a guest of Nelson and the HOCWNN. Ken is quite the craftsman and had made a staggered set of 5 inch (very tight even for HO) radius right-left-right chicanes, if memory serves (I was traumatized so that might affect the memory). They were staggered because the whole of the chicane turn was 5 inch radius ALL the way through for ALL the lanes! I think this was the biggest challenge I have ever faced racing on ANY track. Talk about a "home field advantage" for Ken!

 

This track required immense concentration just to know which end of the track you were racing on because you race from one end of the track to the other twice in one lap! Just follow it in the picture (if you can!) Knowing that there is a big end turn that goes around to the chicane, then under the bridge!

 

I think he had swapped that tight chicane out some time ago because it was just too much! One of the most fun days of racing, ever!

 

Keep it in THAT slot!

 

AJ

[Cheater]

Here's a couple of sectional tracks snagged from Ryan Hirashiki's Facebook timeline. No further info provided, so I have no idea where these two tracks are located.



Unusual to see a 1/32 sectional track with this much bank. Lots of racing in what seems to be a compact footprint.

[Cheater]

Here's the two six-lane slot car tracks at iCar Indoor club in Igualada, Barcelnoa, Spain, a "social club" founded in 1976 that races both slot cars (1/24 and 1/32) and R/C cars (1/10, 1/12, 1/18 scales, and Mini Z).
 

 
This is the 1/24 track and is 64 meters (210') in length.
 

 
And this is the 1/32 track, which is 54 meters (177') long.

[Tim Neja]

Greg,

 

The tracks in post #132 are at Nomad Raceway in San Diego!! Jim Cunningham's designs and doings!! They race Womps and 1/32 plastic cars on those babies!! Fun racing program!!

[Cheater]

Tim,

 

Thanks for that info.

 

Having met Jim and having seen a bunch of his cars, I know he's simply one of the most creative builders in the slot car world.

 

Doesn't surprise me one bit that his tracks would be that cool, too.

[Intimidator]

I am not sure if Minks Memorial Raceway in Bloomington, IL still has this track but its certainly interesting.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
I wish I had some technical details about the track but these photos are all that I have.

Mink's is now Ted's raceway. Track is still there, it is 288' total lap and 90' straight. Was built in the '60s by Ray Mink.

[Paul Kovich]

 
Wing racers need to be represented here also, so I am including the Hotshot, from SRC-Pforzheim in Germany, their description (computer translation) follows, 
 
The Hot Shot is a self-made sheet of MDF. It has two tracks and 34 m length of the route. The surface is painted five-fold. The power supply comes from 12 batteries. Lap counting and timing uses light barriers in conjunction with our fully automated computer program. Monitors transmit the race progress to various places in the race center. The web is actually the result of a bet out. Because the cars in a semicircle at the ceiling, then along and then in a semicircle back down. They are exclusively held aerodynamically above. We use the Hot Shot mainly for demonstration and testing purposes (top speed).
 
Their website is HERE.

[MarkH]

I saw this on Daily Lister. Ad says it just needs to be finished.

 

 

 

[Bob Emott]

And like many of the European club tracks, a bar in the background... Maybe that is what we need in the US club tracks...

[Cheater]

Here's a small but very interesting 1/32 rally track snagged from a Portuguese website, Garagem dos Slotcars.

 

 

To my eye, there just two places to pass on this track.

[Cheater]

This is the track at the Christchurch Slot Car Club in New Zealand:

 

 

Hey, Zippity, do you ever race here? Any more info on the track?

[Zippity]

Greg,

 

I am in the dark as to any details relating to this track.

 

Alas, I have not raced on it. 

 

I have emailed the 'locals' and have asked that someone post some updated information on Slotblog. 

[Cheater]

Here's proof that slot car tracks can be as diverse as anything else on the planet!

 

[Tony A.]

Mobile Raceways in Melbourne, Australia, has just celebrated 20 years of bringing joy to thousands of people and have celebrated the achievement by building a new track which will be called "The Anniversary track". Pictures of this track can be seen on their Facebook page.

[Pappy]

Dennis David, I just spotted your post #22 dated Feb. 5, 2013. I've run on that track, it was built by a guy named Kirk and he still has it. Kirk is really a talented guy and use to build Woody's for a living. Some of his cars were on the fronts of hot rod magazines. He also has a small oval track in his basement that is fun to race on.

[John Streisguth]

Here's a race report about that 11-lane formica track in Texas in post #35:

 

 

[SlotStox#53]

Thanks for posting, John

 

That is one huge and awesome-looking track!

[autoavia]

 

Hope no one minds me posting what I hope is a better copy of the Wonderland Raceways tracks.

 

The photo shows two tracks which I believe were built by Laurie Simmonds who ran the Model Racing and Drag Centre in Westcliff-on-Sea which had a massive track which I ran on (but never raced on) when I was about thirteen years old.

 

The photo above shows two tracks. The right hand track was known as the blue track. The banking in the foreground had a raised driving position but even then the banking came up to about chest level. The cars passed left to right of the picture when on the banking. The banking was very steep (if you had a low car it would fall to the bottom) and very fast. It was followed by a right hand hairpin. Once you had gone over the hills running towards the window and crossed th bridge there was another fairly tight 180 degree lefthander followed by a steep drop about the height of a computer desk which put you onto the straight running up to the banking. Everyone I knew jumped the drop and staying in the slot was a bit of a lottery. I believe the hills were smoothed out later.

 

The track at left was known as the yellow track. The elevated part at the far end was about five feet off the ground and very hard to marshal. Everyone I saw practising jumped the climbs but again, staying in the slot was very hit and miss.

 

I believe both tracks could be joined but others tell me it was a rare occurence.

 

Both tracks were dismantled and replaced by the King from Tottenham Model Raceways and for a while there was also a second track made up from bits of the blue and yellow tracks. I thought the Tottenham King came straight to Wonderland from Tottenham.

 

The fate of the TMR King is a mystery. I was involved in a plan to rescue it in 1988-89 when I had a model shop in the Southend. We thought the deal was done at the owner's asking price but suddenly someone had made a hgher offer and I walked away. The track was pretty poor and needed lots of work as R/C cars had torn the braid and someone had tried to walk on the track and had gone through the boarding.

 

After I walked away the track was advertised in Exchange and Mart. It was allegedly sold and disappeared a short time later never to be seen again.

[SlotStox#53]

Thanks for the details!

From what I've heard the TMR blue King went from TMR to a guy called Mike Walls place before ending up at Wonderland on South end seafront.

Had gone to Southend to see the track and found the building still open and the track still upstairs, but in as you say bad condition with the damage done by someone's foot going through it!!

Next time we went to see if it was there/repaired the building was all shut up and presume the track has already gone.

[autoavia]

Not sure exactly when the King left Wonderland. I opened my model shop about a mile or so away in June 1988 and it was shortly after I opened that I got involved in the rescue attempt. I reckon the track was gone by the end of 1988, maybe early 1989 - certainly no later.

 

Unfortunately I only ever got to run on the blue track three or four times for a few laps with borrowed cars and never did see the King running. In those days everyone was running Group 20s, usually with exotic armatures and my paper round money simply didn't stretch to buying a competitive car plus the seafront had a reputation for fights, etc., so my parents virtually banned me from going there in the evenings which was when most racing took place.