39 replies to this topic

[Cheater]

Rapid Raceway
739 NE 160th
Portland, OR 97230
(503) 252-7692
howieandsandy@hotmail.com

 

Owner Gary “Howie” Howard's club raceway features a '87' four-lane routed track for 1/24 scale cars. Home track of the Northwest True Scale Racers group.

 

 

[Howie Ursaner]

I want to thank Greg for adding Rapid Raceway to this site.

I don't have too much to say at the moment. Our web site is: Northwest True Scale Racers . Check it out. Feel free to post questions and comments here and I will try to answer them, even if I have to make it up!!

We are a small group of racers who thought it would be neat to go more with a true scale look. We are having a lot of fun with these cars, like a new challenge to get them to perform well.

See ya.

Howie

[Howie Ursaner]

For two days the site was down and I posted it today. However it is back up now so if you want to check out www.northwesttruescaleracers.com try again.

See ya.

Howie.

[Jaak]

Fantastic track. 

[Howie Ursaner]

Thank you for the thumbs up Jaak. We do have a lot of fun here. Fly in sometime and try out the track! You would get the long distance award for sure!

[Jaak]

I would love to take you up on that Howie.

Who knows what time will bring.

[Ken Bryan]

Bowie
Were any of your club members part of PACER (aka PASER). We raced 1:32 cars @ Dundas, McFarlane and my tracks 30 years ago.

Ken Bryan

[Howie Ursaner]

Yes, I got my start with PASER at Lee's private track after Slot Car Central ( a commercial track ) closed down in the '90's. Several of the guys that race here also raced at Lee's. Bob McFarland has the Checkered Flag raceway just south of Wilsonville. Bill Bostic has Too Bad Motorplex in Troutdale. Here are more names you may remember: Glenn Heath, Steve Smith, Dave Smith, Monte Saager, Larry Cockerham, Greg Verges, Hugh Ellsworth, Jerry Palfianer (otherwise known as Gearloose), Kirk Smith, all still racing. Sadly, Lee passed away a couple yrs. ago.

[Howie Ursaner]

As of Jan. 1st. 2017 the web site for northwesttruescaleracers will go away.

The True Scale racing will continue. This is the seventh year of the True Scale format here at Rapid Raceway.

I will do more reporting on this site in the future.

[rvec]

Guys,
I have always been a fan of True Scale hardbody racing, however when I moved to Oregon, the only 1/24 hardbody club tracks ran with .79 rear and .75 O-ring fronts. I never liked to look of these but when in Rome.... I raced at Rapid and other club tracks in Oregon that were part of the OSCAR circuit. Several years ago, I started experimenting with True Scale cars looking at TSRF, modified ProTracks etc. Then we heard that Howie started a few classes using the Scholer chassis with scale wheels. We tried this concept and it works great. The chassis are not that expensive and handle great. As a bonus the cars look like real replicas. Thanks Howie and others in the Portland area for turning us on to True Scale racing. We race these cars a couple of times per month at Electron Raceway in Roseburg. Typically we run three classes each time we meet. GT1/Group C, Historic Trans-Am and Sports Car (sometimes Can-Am). These cars are fast and fun. Check out our Forums on Slotblog http://slotblog.net/...ectron-raceway/

[beau]

I've been a devoted racer at Rapid Raceway since the beginning. There has been much success with the True Scale approach to slot car racing. For me and many others the popularity of this scale has grown. We are by no means ending the racing program. Only the North West True Scale Racers web site. Posts threw SLOTBLOG and the NASTE site, also in Oregon, will feature current builds, trends and general info on this segment of the hobby. We are still alive and well but the maintenance of the website was becoming problematic . We are excited about the future and growing our participation. Please check back regularly to see what we're doing.   

[Gary Howard]

It has been awhile since I have said anything on this site. I originally signed in as Howie back in 2014 or so. My account got mixed up with another Howie. So I re-registered under my name: Gary Howard a few days ago.

 

I own Rapid Raceway here in Portland, Oregon. The track is still going strong, well except for the Corona virus that pretty much shut us down. The track has been in action since Nov. of 2002.

 

I will be more active on this site as time and race events go.

[Gary Howard]

Well the virus is still with us. I have a race on the 2nd. of May. We will see if a race is feasible or not. A lot of racers are wanting to exercise their trigger finger!

[Gary Howard]

It has been awhile since we have had a race due to the pandemic. Things here in Portland are starting to open up slightly. I have scheduled a race for March 6. I have 11 guys ready to exorcise their trigger finger.

[Jim Difalco]

Their trigger fingers have been taken over by demons?

[Gary Howard]

Good call Jim, it looks like I screwed up the spelling, but I am laughing at it as I type this! Have a good day!

[don.siegel]

Good to see you here Gary (again); that is a great looking track and we all hope to be racing soon, or one of these days.... We squeezed in a vintage race here in France last September before things shut down again, so still have our fingers crossed for the next one... 

[Gary Howard]

Hi Don.

 

Things are slowly starting to open back up but not much. Dining in is opening back up in certain counties but the capacity can only be like 25% or so.

 

The race on March 6th. should have a decent turnout. I am looking forward to it. We have three tracks close by now that run the 1/24th. cars. Me and the other two track owners make a schedule for the season, but the virus shut us down. I hope to learn how to post pictures on this site when the racing gets going again.

[Gary Howard]

Yes! My first picture! This is a picture of our TA2 class ready for the green flag taken on Jan. 24, 2015.

[Gary Howard]

Two other tracks are involved with Northwest True Scale Racers. This one is Springwater Raceway located in Portland. It is owned by Bob Nakamura. It used to be a commercial track on the coast. It is an Ogilvie built track. It is 8 lanes and 130' long. It is now Bob's private track.This picture was taken during the set up of the track and finishing of the room.

[Gary Howard]

This is Inslot's Checkered Flag Raceway owned by Bill Bostic. It is about 84' long. It is located in Vancouver, Washington.

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[don.siegel]

I'm drooling... 

 

I especially like the Checkered Flag Raceway, very nice. 

 

I get confused on Hillclimbs - too many directions (well, one traumatic experience when I came back to slots after 20 years and realized I had forgotten how to drive, all on a smaller 4-lane hillclimb type track). 

 

Anyway, you guys in the Great Pacific Northwest are lucky! 

 

Don 

[Jim Difalco]

Gary, a laugh was all I was trying to get. Take care. Jim

[Gary Howard]

This is the backup class for the March 6th. race. They are called Early Modified.The TA2 is the class for points, pictured in a previous post.

[Bill from NH]

Gary , can you post some more up-close photos of these Early Modified cars? They look like an interesting slot car class & they remind me of the 1:1 cars I saw on a 1/3 mi clay oval near Portland, ME when I was a kid. Are the rules & specs for this class online anywhere?