85 replies to this topic

[NSwanberg]

       Yep!  I agree.  Over the course of one's career in slot racing it will most certainly even out.  And it doesn't mean a hill of beans to the amount of fun we can have racing them...

 

   But in the moment of the last seconds of the heat, right now as you've been reeling in that guy on blue for the last 12 laps and you take him by stuffing your car dangerously deep into the deadman and stay in,,,  you hear the relays drop out and see your cars roll to a stop with him half a car ahead...

 

  At that moment you don't want to remember how little track position means to your life's goals, your mortgage company, your friends respect and your children's future.   Because right now you're a RACER and you're RACING!!

 

(before someone misses it, that's the generic "you" not a personal one)

 

  That's the "inner competitor" that spurs me to build slot cars. And that's the aspect of all you other racers I think of as I design, build and finish tracks.  We can be an incredibly picky, judgemental bunch weather we get attached to our thoughts or not.

 

Enjoy!

Chris

Chris, Carl Seaberg used to say that slotcar racing was becoming an exercise in track design and build for civil engineers. I think you must be that civil engineer!

[Bob Chaney]

..long ago ..in a Texas far away ..Obi-Wan Myers said to me, "Just because the power goes off, doesn't mean you have to let off the trigger."  ..this applies to every end of heat, and every track call.  The corollary involves being ready to go when the power comes on; pay attention and make the adjacent lane find a way by you again!

 

A pass ..is a pass

[Bob Emott]

Our main events are run by time, not distance? For example, we race for 40 minutes, or 8 5 minute heats, not for 400 laps. The race winner is the driver that crosses the lap counter first at the end of 40 minutes, not the driver that went the farthest distance in 40 minutes. By checking the time of the last lap on the lap oounter, you can see who crossed first if there is any question. The proper use of lane cards is essential in timed races. Each driver should have a lane card with his name on it to use between heats or whenever his car is off the track. It is a good race procedure to require that cars are pitted at the side of the track, and not taken back to the pits. When the power is shut off at the end of a heat, the driver should put his lane card in the slot right at the back of where his car stopped after the power shut off. And after pitting his car. he then puts his car back on the track in his next lane even with where his lane card shows he stopped when the power went off in the previous heat. If he puts his car on the track ahead of where he stopped he is subject to disqualification. It is up to the race director to watch and see that cars are placed where they stopped of the end of each heat. The distance a car rolls when the power is shut off. has no bearing on the eventual outcome of the race.<br />Please excuse the long winded answer, but again remember, we race for time, not for distance...

[Tex]

...he then puts his car back on the track in his next lane even with where his lane card shows he stopped when the power went off in the previous heat....

 

As you say, you put the lane card even with where the car stopped, NOT where it was when the power went off. Back in the day, was the first thing 8 of you pros all did at the end of a heat was to move your cars back to where they were when the power was cut off? Or did you put your lane cards even with where your cars stopped?

[slotcarone]

Bob while it is true we do race for a certain amount of time the winner is whoever covers the most distance in the alotted time. Therefore every foot that the car covers counts even after the power shuts off.  I have seen many races decided on the roll after the race ends.

[MrWeiler]

Not all us losers rip our controllers from the panel. People that rip their controllers from the panel 'cause they didn't win aren't there to have "fun", they are there to win and win ONLY. Personally, I think such people are missing out on a lot of fun. After all, no one is going to win ALL the races; so, do they just go home and mope and steam and pout the other 90% of the time? THOSE people really ARE losers. What a waste of time and energy. I've enjoyed some good battles where not only did I not win, but finished 6th... just 2 feet behind 5th. And when it's my competitor's coast that nips me at the end, it's cause for great trash-talking and laughter. To me, it didn't matter whether I was racing for the win(I think I've won 4 or 5 times in the 7 years since returning to slots) or for 7th... it was a GOOD BATTLE. Some days chicken, other days feathers. And when I don't win or even finish close to anyone, I try to figure out why. More often than not, my lack of control over my trigger finger is the culprit. After that, some race prep failure is my downfall(again, I'M the culprit). It's a small percentage that truly bad luck does me in. Rip my controller from the panel? Not me; I'm no loser.

I'm out for fun but I want to do my best too....Also remember "Mr way too serious Rip the control off the posts" is stressing the solder joints between the wires and the clips. More than once I've won a race 'cause mr too serious damaged his control or broke a clip when he "removed" his control at the end of a bad heat...

That's not to say I don't get angry. I once did the "ninja star" trick and stuck what was left of my G7 chassis into the drywall at Crash n Burn from across the room...

Perfectly normal behavior for a Crash n Burn local but it kinda shocked the out-of-towners and the furrin devils....

[Samiam]

Every race I have  ever  entered scored the cars where they stopped.

 

IMO:When racing a RR format,when a racer is done they should put their name on the white sticker and put it on the wall where their car stopped.

[Chris Dadds]

Our main events are run by time, not distance? For example, we race for 40 minutes, or 8 5 minute heats, not for 400 laps. The race winner is the driver that crosses the lap counter first at the end of 40 minutes, not the driver that went the farthest distance in 40 minutes. By checking the time of the last lap on the lap oounter, you can see who crossed first if there is any question. The proper use of lane cards is essential in timed races. Each driver should have a lane card with his name on it to use between heats or whenever his car is off the track. It is a good race procedure to require that cars are pitted at the side of the track, and not taken back to the pits. When the power is shut off at the end of a heat, the driver should put his lane card in the slot right at the back of where his car stopped after the power shut off. And after pitting his car. he then puts his car back on the track in his next lane even with where his lane card shows he stopped when the power went off in the previous heat. If he puts his car on the track ahead of where he stopped he is subject to disqualification. It is up to the race director to watch and see that cars are placed where they stopped of the end of each heat. The distance a car rolls when the power is shut off. has no bearing on the eventual outcome of the race.<br />Please excuse the long winded answer, but again remember, we race for time, not for distance...

So are you saying that the guy who finished the race with twenty fewer laps than anyone else can win by being closest to the lap counter when the time runs out?  That's what I hear when you say "Our main events are run by time, not distance. For example, we race for 40 minutes, or 8 5 minute heats, not for 400 laps. The race winner is the driver that crosses the lap counter first at the end of 40 minutes, not the driver that went the farthest distance in 40 minutes".

 

?".

[raisin27]

I was never expecting such a response, thanks everyone.

 

Before I started this I was leaning toward "whoever is ahead when time runs out and not who coasts ahead after the power shuts off should be the winner". After reading all the opinions I have changed my mind though. The main reason I changed was the argument that we count the coast after each lane change and therefore should remain consistant. I used to think of the end of the segment timer as a "finish line", but now I realize we race timed segments and not a stated distance. So like at Lemans where they finish the lap the leader is on when time expires or like at a basketball game where a shot that is made before the buzzer but lands after the buzzer counts I now think the coast should count. 

 

Thanks everyone for the opinions

 

Raisin

[Zippity]

........................The race winner is the driver that crosses the lap counter first at the end of 40 minutes, not the driver that went the farthest distance in 40 minutes....

 

 

Then why race?

 

The smart winner will be the guy who sits in front of the finish line for 39 minutes 59 seconds and then crosses the line as the clock ticks over???

 

Me thinks you have explained it wrong

 

The winner must be the person who covered the greatest distance - no?

[Tex]

I'm sure Bob(phil enot) meant to include the greatest number of laps as a factor but focused narrowly on what happens when the power is shut off as that has been the point being discussed.