20 replies to this topic

[Cheater]

Everyone knows that back in the heyday of slots, a wooden slot car track in a commercial raceway almost always had eight lanes, as that was the standard at least in the US. Of course, that was never the situation in home or club racing and it's certainly not true today outside of the US.

 

Every now and them I stumble across a pic of a track with more than eight lanes, but it's rare. Here's one I snagged from Facebook and I may have a few more hiding in some of the track pics I've collected and/or posted.

 

 

Looks like this one is ten lanes. Have no idea where this was located. The filename for the image contains the word "pitlane" which could be a clue?

 

FWIW, I've never once seen a slot car track with more that eight lanes in person...

 

Anyone else have pics of tracks with more than eight lanes?

[jimht]

A couple of The Trak (eleven lanes) in Lubbock, Texas, 1970 HERE.

I deny knowing any of the people shown, especially the hairy ones....

[MSwiss]

Saw it before, but that pic with the two drivers crouching is about the most impressive/awe inspiring track photo I've seen.

[Cheater]

Jim,

I'm going to bring that picture of The Trak's track over here, but it really isn't two pictures, but the same picture shown twice.


photos: Bob Chaney

Is it known for sure this track was eleven lanes, because I sure can't count more than ten lanes even under enlargement.

 

Bob's Flickr album has some great pics. I like this one, said to be of "Ron Gawronski". LOL!

 

[Bud Greene]

I never knew there was such a thing... cool.

[Bill from NH]

Paul's twin brother, Ron.
 
Nice photos, Jim. I recognized a few of those old names: Bob Morton, John Myers, Robin Adair, yourself, and others.

Nice album by Bob Chaney.

[jimht]

A quote from Steve Duke posted on the Texas board HERE.
 
"I'm new to the forum but I'll chip in with the bit I remember. Of course this will be more of a history of Lubbock slot racing history as well as Texas Series history since that's what I know best.

 

When I first started racing back in the early '60s or so in Lubbock, we had a big four track business. This was the heyday of slot racing. All of the tracks were custom built and had Formica as the surface. They were basically copies of the American tracks of the day except for the "Yellow Monster" track. It was a 180 foot, 11 lane behemoth that was a King track laid out in reverse. It had bright yellow sides and a blue/green/grey surface. All flat corners except the bank at the end of the main straight. The track ran clockwise and had a big bank like an Engelman. In fact the bank was so steep that if your car stopped there between heats it would fall off the track all the way to the bottom and sometimes to the floor. Marshaling was almost impossible for us kids because the track was so wide we couldn't reach all the way across to the inside lanes. I used to have some pictures of that track somewhere. It was a sight to behold."
 
BTW, that's Bob Morton in the pic along with Steve and I still disavow any knowledge of or association with pictures of anyone that looks sort of like me but with hair.

[Tex]

If you see a Dan Hicks lookalike wannabe.... that's Jim.

[Cheater]

Thanks, Dan.

I just had to ask the question...

[macman]

John Ford, who once owned that track says it was eleven lanes, built by a local carpenter... racing was only on eight lanes according to John.

[James Wendel]

Can you imagine the chaos with eleven lanes full of renta-racers?!?

[Tony A.]

I know of there being two ten-lane Engleman tracks in Melbourne, Australia. Both were flat and around 220 feet in length. One was located at the centre that i was helping to run.

 

Unfortunately both tracks are no longer around as both ended up going to landfill.

[Joe Mig]

I remember a track that was set up in the NY coliseum for the car shows in the early 70's that was quite wide a lot more then 8 lanes.
When talking to Buzzy about it he confirmed it was indeed,as a matter as a fact he says it was 16 lanes and always packed with rentals just for the car shows.

[Mayberryman]

There is a current track located in Boykins Virginia at John's Raceway that has nine lanes.  It is sort of an lazy eight style track that was originally owned by Marlon Reid of Tidewater Slot Racing fame.  I do not know who built the track but it is about 90' in length.  I spoke to Marlon (who passed several years ago) and he originally had the idea of the ninth lane to be used for a pace type vehicle to have rolling starts.  I raced on this track several times when it was located in the back of a his electronics repair shop near Norfolk State University, it was great fun especially for the slower scale type flexi class cars.

[MSwiss]

Marlon is alive and living in Chicago.

His eyesight is failing but he plans to have a four-lane track built and placed in a Boy's Club to give some inner-city kids a venue for some slot car fun.

[Gary Bluestone]

I remember a track that was set up in the NY coliseum for the car shows in the early '70s that was quite wide a lot more then eight lanes.

When talking to Buzzy about it he confirmed it was indeed,
as a matter as a fact he says it was 16 lanes and always packed with rentals just for the car shows.

When we had our track set up above a paint store in downtown Toronto, a guy showed up with a duffel bag of stuff to sell. He looked at the track and said, I haven't seen a track like this in many years, but I have a track, only it's 16 lanes. We thought he was nuts. Then he says, I got two tracks, only they're 16 lanes. Now we were sure he was insane.

Then he dumped the bags contents on the track, AMF Corvette bodies and one rental chassis all numbered 1 to 16, and Parma Whisperjet belt drive rental cars, with 36D cans soldered sidewinder, and bodies numbered 1 to 16.

Turns out the guy was a "Carney" who ran the concession booth on the midway at the Canadian National Exhibition and I remember racing on the huge multi-lane oval as a kid. I waited in line until three laps were up and one guy would stay and fifteen new drivers took their places behind steering wheels with gas pedals (American Model Raceway equipment I guess).

I thought I'd be good at it but NO. Got to the first left and had to turn the wheel to keep the car going. Not slot racing but good for a carnival game. Still have some of the Parmas but used some for parts and salvaged #13 Corvette with the only complete AMF chassis fitted with 3/16" axles and Pittman motor.

[Bob Chaney]

A quote from Steve Duke posted on the Texas board HERE.
 
"I'm new to the forum but I'll chip in with the bit I remember. Of course this will be more of a history of Lubbock slot racing history as well as Texas Series history since that's what I know best.
 
When I first started racing back in the early '60s or so in Lubbock, we had a big four track business. This was the heyday of slot racing. All of the tracks were custom built and had Formica as the surface. They were basically copies of the American tracks of the day except for the "Yellow Monster" track. It was a 180 foot, 11 lane behemoth that was a King track laid out in reverse. It had bright yellow sides and a blue/green/grey surface. All flat corners except the bank at the end of the main straight. The track ran clockwise and had a big bank like an Engelman. In fact the bank was so steep that if your car stopped there between heats it would fall off the track all the way to the bottom and sometimes to the floor. Marshaling was almost impossible for us kids because the track was so wide we couldn't reach all the way across to the inside lanes. I used to have some pictures of that track somewhere. It was a sight to behold."
 
BTW, that's Bob Morton in the pic along with Steve and I still disavow any knowledge of or association with pictures of anyone that looks sort of like me but with hair.

 
As the feller who took the pic, that is Bob Morton, but the other kid is not Steve Duke.  When the photo was taken the track was owned by a man named Banning (thus it was Banning and Sons Raceway), and this is one of his sons... whose name has long escaped me (once the TRAK was sold to Ford, the Banning boys never returned, as far as I know).

[John Streisguth]

I posted a race report involving that 11 lane track on the thread for unique track layouts.

[Ramcatlarry]

A LOT of track calls when you cannot reach the car to marshall it....

[Mayberryman]

Mike, thank you very much for the correction.  I forgot who told me that Marlon Passed but about a month ago I read about the track he was having built in the Chicago area and did not remember my statement on this thread.  Marlon is a life long supporter of slot car racing and has devoted much time, energy and money into this hobby.  I raced at about four of his Wee Race Raceways over the years.  Much love and hope for a long life for Marlon.

[Danny Zona]

I know the thread is about tracks with more then 8 lanes. But when I was a teenager we used to race on a track with 7 lanes. It was at a bar. I found it very interesting. I didn't get to race there much. A bunch of us were banned. We won a few races. So it was assumed we were cheating. Of course it had nothing to do with driving. Lol