47 replies to this topic

[rvec]

More rides from test and tune session

Jack's GT40



Ron's GT40



Rich's Ford GT



Ron's 917



Rich's 917

[Tex]

Great lookin' cars all, Rich!

[rvec]

True Scale Triathlon at Electron Raceway 1/8/2015

Electron Raceway held its inaugural race of 2015, a True Scale shootout on Thursday morning, the eighth of January. We had planned to have at least six competitors; however, Terry had back issues and was unable to make it. We were left with five competitors four locals and Mark from Grants Pass. In order to have at least two marshals and a button man, it was decided to race on three, instead of four lanes. Competitors sat out to marshal when they would normally have run on the black lane. Also, we decided to run 2.75 minute heats (instead of the normal 2 minute heats) in order to get about the same amount of racing time. To me, the track seemed a bit tight. This coupled with the fact that it had been several months since the group had raced at Electron may have yielded more wrecks than normal. See below for images of the grids and details of the finish.

True Scale GT1

The grid consisted of three Enzos and a Porsche 962. Mark ran Bills Scholer based Enzo a much better car than his ProTrack based ride. Bobs black/yellow Enzo and Richs 962 were the cars to beat running fast laps right at five seconds (at least .1 second per lap faster than the closest competition). Both sat out to marshal during the first heat. Jack ran a consistent first heat finishing with 30 laps. Bob, Rich and Jack lined up for the second heat. Bob and Rich were on adjacent lanes (Rich white, Bob red). Testosterone levels for both competitors were quite high anticipating a win. The two cars tangled in at least two serious wrecks while running side by side. In addition, both drivers made unforced errors trying to make up time. Final lap tally for the second heat was 30 for Jack, 28 for Rich and 27 for Bob deficits that would be hard to overcome. Rich and Bob both ran 30 laps in the next heat. Entering the final heat, Jack was two laps ahead of Rich and three laps ahead of Bob. Rich ran a clean and fast last heat finishing with 32 laps for the heat and 90.1 for the race but it was just not enough. Jack ran another consistent 30 lap heat and beat Rich by nearly a lap finishing with 90.8 proving that consistency pays off. Bob finished third overall with 87.7 laps. Mark and Ron fought it out for fourth with Ron coming out ahead by about two laps.

Trans Am

The grid was a mix of TA2 (modern) and Historic Trans Am cars. Jack raced his great running silver TA2 Mustang. Mark and Ron ran their TA2 Camaros while Rich ran his 69 Penske Camaro and Bob ran his unpainted 66 Mustang notchback. In recent Trans Am contests Jack has dominated the Scholer based field winning the last four races. Bobs new small motor 66 Mustang was very fast running a 5.155 best lap time. The car is still in the shake out phase and had some handling issues. Bob indicated that some additional weight might solve the problem. Watch out guys, Bobs Mustang will be a contender. In the latest contest, Jack, Bob and Rich battled it out for the top step of the podium. Jack ran consistently finishing each heat with about 30 laps. Rich and Bob both had two good heats of 30 laps and had a chance to challenge Bob. Rich ran two clean heats but his hopes were dashed in the last heat, getting tangled up with Mark in a couple of wrecks. Bob had one particularly poor heat running 27 laps. In the end it was Jack, Rich and Bob for first through third respectively. Mark edged Ron out by about a lap to finish fourth.

Can Am

The grid consisted of Richs Scholer based Lola, Ron and Jacks Scholer based GT40s, Bobs OSCAR spec Lotus and Marks OSCAR spec Ferrari. Bobs scratch built, OSCAR spec Lotus holds the fast lap record at 4.089 and has dominated the field of Scholer based rides (unless napping). In the latest contest, Bob had his hands full with Richs Lola. The green Lola seemed to like the track conditions and turned the fast lap of the day at 4.880 while Bobs fast lap was 4.98. Rich ran a clean and consistent race besting Bob by over a lap. The GT40s battled it out for third place with Jack besting Ron by about a half a lap. Both cars had nearly identical fast lap times of 5.05 and change. I do believe that the GT40s have a disadvantage relative to the Can Am cars which are lower and likely lighter. I have been unable to get my own GT40 to break the 5.2 second per lap mark. In an upcoming race, Ron might just have to crack out his McLaren Can Am body which has run a fast lap of 4.96

[Dennis David]

Rich,

How much on average do the bodies weigh? I was thinking that if someone were running lighter bodies you might actually be taking weight off the chassis.

[rvec]

Rich,

How much on average do the bodies weigh? I was thinking that if someone were running lighter bodies you might actually be taking weight off the chassis.

I'll weigh a few next time I'm in the shop. The lighter the body the better because the center of gravity of the machine will be lower with a lighter body
Rich

[rvec]

True Scale - Triathlon at Electron Raceway 1/15/2015

Six locals showed up to race the True Scale Triathlon at Electron Raceway on 1/15/2015. Track conditions were good but maybe a little tight. Races were run on all four lanes with 2 minute heats. Because we had only two marshals and a button man, a single marshal covered the keyhole and the 90. An additional marshal would have been a welcome addition in the 90 because that is where most offs occur.

True Scale GT1

The grid consisted of three Enzos (Bob, Jack and Terry), two Porsche 962s (Rich and Ron) and a Jaguar (James) not the usual Enzo show. This class has become very competitive, possibly because it is the oldest of the True Scale classes and the group has had time to improve performance. In fact, all of the competitors best rides are quite capable of running in the low 5 second per lap range. Terry simply needs more practice to improve his times. For this race, Ron decided to run his Porsche 962 (his #2 ride) instead of his lightning fast red Enzo. James Jaguar had languished in the middle of the pack for some time, but those times are over. Handling improved dramatically with the addition of some new side pans some months ago. Since his last race, James swapped out his tired Falcon 7 for a brand new Hawk 7. The car is now a top tier contender, turning a fast lap of 5.098 quite an improvement from his 5.441 second fast lap at the beginning of 2014. Ahh, enough of this yammering on to the race itself!

James finished with 88.9 laps and ran a very consistent race (94.42%) to claim the top step of the podium. Going into the final heat, Rich was on pace for a 90 lap finish but it was not to be. Rich suffered a rectal/cranial immersion, hooking up his controller incorrectly and causing the 962 to go airborne. The race was stopped and the car was re-slotted. Rich noticed some severe handling problems and the race was stopped again the front axle was tweaked. Again the race was restarted and again stopped. Rich had blown a brake fuse as a result of the wreck. In the end, Rich managed a second place finish talk about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory! Bob was third, about a half lap behind Rich. Jack was fourth about a lap behind Bob. Ron ran a pretty consistent race with the 962 (92.4%) and might have challenged Jack for fourth if it had not been for the dreaded red lane where Ron turned only 19 laps (Ron averaged 21.66 laps for the other three lanes).

Trans Am

The grid consisted of a mix of Mustangs and Camaros, some new, some old. James has yet to build a Scholer based Trans Am car so he ran is Oscar spec Pontiac Firebird and won the race easily. At the top of the heap of Scholer based rides was Jack winning with 87 laps. Jack is 5 for 5, winning every Trans Am race since August 2014 when the silver Mustang made its debut. Bobs 66 Mustang and Richs 69 Camaro battled it out for second place. In the end, Rich edged out Bob by about a half of a lap. Rons 67 Mustang handled well but was a bit down on power a new motor is needed and watch out!

Can/Am Sports Car

The grid consisted of three Scholer based GT40s, (Jack, Ron and Rich), an Oscar spec Lotus (Bob), an Oscar Spec Ferrari (James) and an Oscar Spec Lola. This race was the most exciting of the day with the top five finishers finishing within 1.8 laps of each other. I do believe that Bobs Oscar spec Lotus and James Oscar spec Ferrari could have finished 1-2, however, it appears that, looking at the consistency figures, both were napping.
Of the three Scholer based GT40s, Jacks car (#9) was the fastest turning a blistering 5.018. Rons GT40 (#36) was next with a fast lap of 5.156 and Richs Ford France GT40 (#130) was close behind at 5.211. This race was the maiden voyage for Richs GT40 and he was pleased with the result. Perhaps a bit stronger motor would make the car more competitive we will soon see. Yet, I digress. Going into the final heat, Ron was ahead of Jack by nearly a lap. Jack made up the lap early on as Ron had an off. After that it was a see saw battle between the two. I know because, I was marshalling in the last heat and could watch the action. At the end of the heat, Ron finished with 85.9 laps besting Jack by only a few feet. Richs GT40 was about a lap down, finishing third among the Scholer based cars.

[Paul Jurczyszyn]

I would like to see a photo of the whole track if you can post it.
Love the cars.
Paul J

[rvec]

I would like to see a photo of the whole track if you can post it.
Love the cars.
Paul J

Paul and others - if you are interested in what goes on at Electron Raceway and our sister track STR, consider joining our Yahoo Group. Easy to join - all you need is a Yahoo email address (I don't even use mine) The link is https://groups.yahoo...ronRaceway/infoThe site not only has a message board but has several "sections". The Photos Section has hundreds of slot car and racing images. The Files Section is an achive of "important documents" including narratives and results for "Big Races", retrospectives, technical articles, rules, narratives of visits and races at other tracks around the country and interesting news articles such as a Trans Am piece written by Sam Posey

Over the years I have built five tracks. My first build was a four lane for 1/32 cars in the basement of our home in Cincinnati - that was around 1974. Electron Raceway my latest build completed in 2006. The track has a footprint of about 24x18. Each lane is about 90 running feet. Lane spacing is 4.5 inches. Power supply is Rivergate 70 amps. Timing and Scoring is by TrackMate

[rvec]

True Scale Triathlon Results - Electron Raceway 1/29/2015

The race was well attended with all six locals and Mark from Grants Pass participating. Track conditions were tight and became tighter as the event proceeded (time to clean and spray). It was great to have three marshals as well as a button man. The additional marshal was planted in the 90 where most of the offs occur. As a result, cars were re-slotted more quickly and accurately. Even so, results might have been different with a full complement of marshals. Images of the grid and details of the finishing order are shown below.

Headlines
Three motors were toasted
Red lane continues to dog Ron
Rich wins GT1 but not really.
Jack continues his winning streak in TA2 with a great running Mustang
The little red button kills Jacks chances of a win in Can Am
Rich squeaks out a win in Can Am among Scholer based GT40s while Bob and James sleep


GT1

The GT1 grid consisted of three Enzos (Bob - Black/Yellow, Mark- Red, and Terry- Red), two Porsche 962s (Rich, blue/yellow, Ron, Yellow) and a partridge in a pear tree. No, wait, lastly James Jaguar. Each and every one of the GT1s is competitive. Fast lap times for the top five finishers ranged from 5.044 (Bob) to 5.208 (Ron). From the beginning, it seemed like the cars to beat were Bobs Black/yellow Enzo and Richs Porsche 962. Both ran in the first heat. Bob had some issues and ran only 20 laps to Richs nearly 23. With a nearly three lap lead, Rich settled down and drove the next two heats a bit conservatively and again was headed to a 90 lap finish. Early in the last heat, Richs older Falcon 7 motor died. Rather than waste time with a motor swap, Rich jumped into his number 2 ride (an Enzo) and finished with 89.3 laps to win. Bob finished second only a single section behind. Third was a hotly contested duel between James and Jack. In the end, James finished with 87.4 laps edging out Jack by only three sections. Rons 962 was quite competitive. Straightaway speeds rivaled the fastest of the bunch. I recall dueling it out with Ron in a heat or two. Again, Rons nemesis was the dreaded red lane where he turned only 20 laps while his average lap count for the other three lanes was 22. A good lap count on red could have put Ron in the money.

Trans Am

Jack continued his winning streak with his TA2 Silver Mustang. The car is both fast and consistent and as Jack says a dream to drive. Early on, it seemed like Richs, Smokey Yunick Camaro or Bobs early Mustang might have given Jack a run for his money. Bobs small motor early Mustang kept the pressure on Jack. In the end, Jack finished with 85.1 laps, just four sections ahead of Bob. Richs small motor (Pro Slot PS 4000 series) started running hot in the third heat and finally burned up in heat four. James has yet to build a Scholer based Trans Am, so he ran his scratch built, OSCAR spec Firebird which was clearly faster than its Scholer based counterparts. The car could have won easily, but James took several naps and paced a few of us during the race. The Firebird was third. Rich, Mark and Ron battled it out for fourth. Again, the red lane prevented Ron from a better finish and Mark had a very bad heat on white. Either could have finished fourth or better.

Can Am

The grid consisted of three, Scholer based GT40s (Rich, Jack and Ron) and four scratch built, small wheeled, OSCAR spec cars. The OSCAR cars were advantaged in a couple of important ways. First, these cars were bodied with very low CG resin Can Am bodies. Second, the .790 rear and O-ring front tires yielded cars that were much more forgiving than their Scholer counterparts. Bob or James could have won easily with their OSCAR based rides but chose to take it easy on the rest of us.

After a poor showing in the last outing with his Ford France GT40, Rich spent some time testing and tuning his ride. Weight was added to the front and side pans and the tired Deathstar was replaced with a brand new ProSlot 16D motor. The modifications improved lap times by about two tenths of a second.

Jack is always a formidable opponent and friend fielding top tier cars in every class. His small motor GT40 turned the fastest lap time of 5.025 in the GT40 parade. Richs GT40 managed a fast lap time of 5.076 while Rons GT40 was able to turn a competitive 5.16 fast lap. Rich ran a very consistent race (94.1%) running 22 laps on each of the four lanes to finish first among the GT40s. Jack finished a lap behind Rich while Ron was only a few sections behind Jack. However, this is not the whole story. Jack had a bad time on the red lane. As button man, he lost precious time and laps stopping and restarting the race from the red drivers station in a heat that was punctuated by several crashes. The results could have been much different with a full complement of marshals.

[Tex]

some serious fender flarin' goin' on in that Trans-Am race... is that an early Mustang?

[rvec]

some serious fender flarin' goin' on in that Trans-Am race... is that an early Mustang?

Tex,.
The Mustang is an AMT 1966 1/25 scale car. There are always trade offs between scale and performance. The chassis for these cars is Scholer and the original class was for TA2 (modern Trans Am cars). Even these had to have fender flairs to improve handling but not very much. Both classes limit rear track to 3.25 and front track to 3.15. In order to use the same chassis in both "historic" and TA2 we allow the large flairs. Below is an image of a TA2 car

[rvec]

True Scale GT1 and Can Am at STR on 2/2/2015

Seven locals and Mark from Grants Pass showed up to race True Scale GT1 and Can Am at STR on 2/2/2015. Track conditions were excellent as evidenced by lap counts and fast lap times. I did not expect the Cottage Grove boys to show because they dont typically run either of these classes. Images of the grids and details of the finishing order are shown below.

True Scale GT1

This race was for the birds. In practice my Enzos very quick and well-worn Falcon 7 motor finally died. With little time to test, another Falcon was conjured with the proper pinion and lead wire from Richs stock of birds. Unfortunately, this bird was uncompetitive. In the race, the wing on James Jaguar was torn off in a self-inflicted wound. A little plastic welder will put humpty dumpty back together again.

STR is a very tight track with eight inch radius inner turns, a hump and one relatively long straight. Electron Raceway was designed as a more sweeping track with twelve inch radius inner turns but two shorter straights. Both tracks have a 90 banked turn. Ride selection, at least in GT1 makes a huge difference. At STR, the car to beat is the Enzo, while at Electron Raceway, the Porsche 962, with its long tail seems to work better, all other things being equal. My experience is that the 962 is about .1 per lap faster at Electron, while the Enzo is about .1 seconds per lap faster at STR. Ok, enough of this bloviating.


The grid consisted of a Jaguar (James), a Nissan (Jack) and six Enzos (Bob black/yellow, Mark red #2, Terry red #81, Nick Silver, Rich Black/orange, Ron red #36). Bob ran a very consistent race (95.32%) with his Enzo (4.941 fast lap) to dominate the field with a record breaking 92.6 laps. James was a distant second with 87.5 laps and Mark was third with 85.3 laps. Richs under-powered Enzo edge out Jack for fourth. Jacks Nissan was fast (5.045 fast lap) and could have challenged for a podium finish, however, a few non-forced errors and some bad luck relegated him to fifth place

Can Am

I do not usually post results for non-scale hard body races, but I am including our Can Am class in this write-up. The Can Am cars feature scratch built chassis, .790 rear and O-ring front tires. Because the Can Am cars are so small, he smaller wheels do not look terribly out of place.
The resilient resins Lotus seems to work best at both STR and Electron Raceway. The grid consisted of four Lotus (or is it Loti - Bob Black, Rich orange with black stripe, Ron orange, Jack silver), Two, open cockpit Ferraris (James and Mark), a Ferrari 512 (Nick) and a Lola T70 (Terry). Jack came to play this evening selecting his #1 ride the silver Lotus. As I participated and watched practice, I saw that it would be three way battle between Jack, Bob and Rich. All three cars had good power and were within a whisker of each other in terms of lap times.

Jack drove the wheels off of his silver Lotus (consistency of 95.78%) finishing with a near record 91.2 laps. Bobs black Lotus is always a threat and tonight was no exception (fast lap of 4.984). Going into the final heat, Bob was about a lap down from Jack and just could not close the gap a single inch. Richs orange Lotus turned fast lap of the evening with a 4.957 but a bad showing in the first heat relegated him to the bottom step of the podium finishing about a lap behind Bob. James had controller problems and was forced to use a second unit which had a much different feel. This coupled with a few offs put him out of contention for a podium finish.

[Tim Neja]

Very nice track!! I love the hard body cars--you guys are having a lot of fun!!

[rvec]

Three New True Scale Hardbodies - Big Scale of Course!

Ron's new AMT 69 Corvair





Jack's Fujimi 917





Jack's 99 ProFinish C5R

[rvec]

Results - True Scale Triathlon at Electron Raceway 2/12/2015

For those who are not interested in a long-winded dissertation, images of the grid and details of the finishing order are shown below. Headlines are listed below.

Richs Hawk powered Enzo bested the field of very competitive GT1 cars. The podium was an all Enzo show with Bob and Mark second and third respectively
Bobs small motor powered Mustang notchback won its first Trans Am race. Richs 69 Camaro and Jacks TA2 Camaro finished second and third respectively.
Jacks GT40 was the first of the Scholer based cars to finish the Can Am race. The Scholer based podium was an all GT40 show with Rich and Ron finishing second and third respectively.
In the battle of OSCAR based Can Am/Sports cars, Bobs Lotus was a clear winner over Marks Ferrari Modena.
Doors opened at Electron Raceway promptly at 9:30 a.m. Drivers began arriving a few minutes later. The track had been cleaned and sprayed since the last race and conditions were quite good. However, as the day proceeded, the track became a bit tight. With a field of five participants, it was decided to run three lanes instead of the usual 4 and skip the black lane. This left two marshals and a Button Man (driver on the red lane responsible for cutting the power for track calls). In GT1 we ran 2 minute heats while in the other two classes we ran 2.5 minute heats in order to get close to the typical 8 minute race time.

Two notable mechanical problems occurred. The guide flag on Rons brand new 2015 Mustang had the audacity to interfere with the bodywork. Rather than stop the race for a protracted repair, Ron switched to his Mustang notchback. For Rich it was the end of an era. Only a few laps into the race, his small motor powered TA2 Camaro overheated and seized (just like it did in the last Trans Am contest). That motor is now going into the garbage can. Rich then switched to his 69 Penske Camaro powered by a tried and true Deathstar.

GT1

The grid was an all Enzo show with the exception of Jacks Nissan. Richs ride, powered by a new Hawk motor was very quick, setting the stage for a battle with Bobs always competitive yellow and black Enzo for top spot on the podium. In the past few races, Rich snatched defeat from the jaws of victory by making unforced errors or simply succumbing to some bad luck. This time, Rich not only turned fast lap on every lane but drove a very consistent race (95.96%) winning with 67.8 laps. Bob also ran a very consistent race (95.22%) and challenged Rich for fast lap on white and yellow lane but finished about two laps behind. Marks Enzo, sporting an improved front pan and Hawk motor was nearly as fast as Bobs Enzo finishing third just over a lap behind Bob. Marks third place finish was his best ever at Electron Raceway in GT1, however we should not be surprised. The upgraded Enzo finished third at STR just 10 days earlier.

Trans Am

Conspicuously absent from the grid was Jacks awesome silver Mustang which has dominated Trans Am races at Electron Raceway since the beginning of time. Instead, Jack decided to give us a break and run his TA2 Camaro (a competitive but not dominant ride). The grid consisted of two Mustang notchbacks (Bob and Ron), two TA2 Camaros (Mark and Jack) and a 69 Camaro (Rich). Rons notchback would have gotten my vote for Concourse.
All five rides were evenly matched. Four of the five entrants turned fast laps within .02 seconds of each other. Even the slowest of the group was less than .1 seconds per lap behind. Bobs notched his first Trans Am win the notchback Mustang finishing with 78.1 laps. Richs 69 Penske Camaro challenged Bob but fell short, finishing about a half lap behind. Jack rounded out the podium with 75.8 laps

Can Am

The grid consisted of three Scholer based GT40s (Jack, Ron and Rich) an OSCAR spec Lotus (Bob) and an OSCAR spec Modena sports car (Mark). The combination of a short wheelbase and relatively scale wheels makes the Scholer based GT40 a handful. This coupled with a relatively tight track made things even more difficult. In the battle of the GT40s, Jack was clearly fastest. In fact, Jacks small motor GT40 was the only one to break the 5 second barrier with a fast lap of 4.951 The best Rich could do with his ProSlot powered machine was a fast lap of 5.061. Rons Deathstar powered GT40 turned a fast lap of 5.148. With a tight track and slower ride, I decided to drive hard but not push the limit. It would have been madness to chase Jack. The race was Jacks to lose through unforced errors of bad luck. But that did not happen. Jack finished first with a total of 83.5 laps. Rich was second, two laps behind Jack. Ron finished two laps behind Rich. Consistency for all three drivers ranged from 90.95% to 91.87% (a pretty tight range and about right for a tight track with these cars).
In the OSCAR competition, Bob finished with 83.5 laps but was clearly napping with a superior Lotus. Marks Ferrari finished nearly three laps behind Bob. The Scholer based GT40s with scale wheels and relatively high centers of gravity are disadvantaged to scratch-built, small wheeled Can Am cars, but not by much. Beware OSCAR, there are three lightning fast 917s waiting in the wings to kick butt!

[rvec]

Triathlon at Electron Raceway 3/19/2015

Five locals showed up to run a True Scale Triathlon at Electron Raceway on 3/19/2015. Track conditions were quite good. Since we had only five participants, we decided to run three lanes; Red, Yellow and White in order to free up two participants as marshals. As always, the driver on the red lane was the designated button man responsible for cutting the track power in the event of multi-car pileups and/or for wrecks that the two marshals could not retrieve in a timely fashion. Since only three lanes were run, heat times were set to 2.5 instead of the usual 2 minutes. In my opinion, the races were characterized by very few offs and therefore the lack of a full complement of marshals would not have impacted the outcome of any of the three contests. For details of the finishing order and images of the grids see the images below.

Headlines
The Porsche Carrera 6s made their debut in the Can Am/Gran Sport class and did quite well I might add. Richs Carrera 6 broke the magic five second barrier while Rons turned a very fast 5.036
Missing from the TA2 grid was Jacks awesome silver Mustang, a fiercely competitive ride, leaving the door open for others to vie for the top spot
The home track advantage coupled with three good cars facilitated a sweep of all three classes by Rich
In GT1 Rich, Jack and Bob battled it out for the top spot, all three driving the ever popular Enzo. The race was very close but, in the end, Rich came out on top followed by Jack and Bob.
In TA2, Richs Penske 69 Camaro sporting a brand new ProSlot 16D motor outdistanced the field by over three laps. Bob and Jack battled it out for second place. In the final analysis Bobs Mustang notchback edged out Jacks Camaro by about a half lap.
In the Can Am/Gran Sport class, Richs brand new black Carrera 6 outdistanced the field by more than three laps. Bobs OSCAR spec. Lotus battled Jacks Scholer based GT40 for second place. In the end, Bob edged out Jack by almost a lap.

GT1

Rons beautiful silver La Ferrari made its debut in GT1. Paint and detail were awesome as usual and the car would have been my choice for concourse. Ron indicated that the La Ferrari might not have been the best choice for GT1 because the body was a jigsaw puzzle of pieces and the final product was quite heavy. Although Ron had a much quicker Enzo, he selected the La Ferrari for contest. So, the grid included the La Ferrari and four battle tested Enzos.

Bob and Rich shared top honors for fast lap times. Rich turned fast lap on his favored red lane (5.026) while Bob turned fast laps on yellow (5.057) and white (5.108). Jacks purple Enzo was very competitive turning a fast lap of 5.111 on yellow. As one can see, these three cars were very evenly matched. Rons La Tank, I mean La Ferrari was about .3 seconds per lap back.

Jack ran the most consistent race of the three (95.41%) but it was simply not enough. Rich ran consistently as well (94.71%) and with a bit faster car, edged out Jack for the top spot. Rich finished with 84.8 laps while Jack completed 84.0 laps. Bobs Enzo dogged Jack for the entire race but in the end, Bob had a few too many offs and finished a mere 4 sections behind Jack.

TA2

Since making its debut in August of 2014, Jacks silver, Deathstar powered Mustang has been the dominant force in TA2. The car has finished first among the Scholer/Plafit based rides in each of its six outings. Instead of the Mustang, Jack selected a blue TA2 Camaro powered by a ProSlot small motor, a good ride but certainly not as good as his Mustang. Since the last contest, Richs 69 Camaro was fitted with a brand new ProSlot 16D motor replacing the old Deathstar. The result was a dramatic improvement in lap times. In fact, the 69 Camaro now holds the fast lap record at 5.085. In fairness, historic Tran Am cars such as the 69 Camaro have the inherent advantage of a lower center of gravity compared to their modern counterparts. A simple body swap might swing the advantage back to Jack yet again.

The grid was a mix of Historic Trans Am cars including Richs 69 Camaro and Bobs notchback Mustang. The balance of grid included TA2 rides; two Camaros (Jack and Terry) and Rons Mustang. My vote for concourse would have been Rons 2015 Mustang making its debut in the latest contest.

The car to beat was Richs 69 Camaro turning fast laps on all three lanes. Jacks Camaro and Bobs Mustang were next and quite evenly matched I might add. Rich ran the most consistent race of the three (95.26%) and with a faster car outdistanced the field by more than three laps. Bob and Jack battled it out for the second step of the podium. The finish was very close. Both ran consistent races, but in the end Bob edged out Jack by about a half lap.

Can Am/Gran Sport

The grid consisted of three Scholer based cars; two Carrera 6s (Rich and Ron) and a GT40 (Jack). Bob ran his OSCAR spec Lotus while Terry ran his OSCAR based Cooper. The class has developed to a point where the Scholer based rides seem to be just a good or better than their scratch-built OSCAR counterparts. Excluding Terry, who is relatively new to model car racing, all other cars were evenly matched. Each of the competitive rides was able to turn laps around the 5.0 range.

The home track advantage coupled with a very good ride made the difference. Rich outdistanced the field by more than three laps finishing with a total of 87.4. The race for second place was a tight contest between Bobs Lotus and Jacks GT40. There was some drama in the last heat as Bob slowed to let Jack catch up a bit. In the end it was just a tease. Bob edged out Jack by almost a lap. Rons Carrera 6 showed a great deal of promise, running a fine 5.036 lap on the yellow lane and 5.065 on the white lane. Unfortunately, the red lane continues to be problematic for Ron where his best lap time was 5.2 and lap total was a poor 25. Had Ron run as well on red as on the other two lanes, he would have challenged for a podium finish.

Ramblings

The newest of our True Scale classes, True Scale Can Am/Gran Sport has developed by leaps and bounds over time. Rich, Ron and Jack have experimented with several body/motor combinations building a diverse field of rides. I my opinion, the Porsche 917 is inherently the most competitive car in the class. It has a low center of gravity and the widest front and rear track. In testing, it is, by far, my quickest and best handling ride. All three of us have 917s ready for competition. GT40s are also a popular selection and have been run in several recent races. Richs Ford France entry is powered by a ProSlot 16D motor while Jacks and Rons GT40s run the ProSlot small motor. Jack seems to have the edge of the three but only by a few hundredths of a second. The newest addition to the competition is the Porsche Carrera 6 run by both Ron and Rich in the latest contest. The Carrera 6 has an extremely low center of gravity, has a fairly wide front and rear track and is very light. In my opinion it is a better selection than the GT40 but not quite as good as the 917. Other rides in the class include Richs Lola T70 and Rons early McLaren. Waiting in the wings are a Lotus and another Lola T70 built by Ron as well as a great looking resin GT40 Spyder.

[Tex]

Gotta love that hardbody racin'! Great race report, Rich!

[rvec]

True Scale GT1 and Can Am at STR on 3/23/2015
STR is another local track where we race on a regular basis. A total of 14 classes are run at STR and most are based upon OSCAR rules which allow .790 rear wheels and O ring front wheels. The only Scholer based True Scale Class run at STR and Electron Raceway is GT1. I don’t usually report on non-scale classes but OSCAR Can Am cars are run the same evening as True Scale GT1 so I will include both classes in my report.
Seven locals showed up to race GT1 and Can Am at STR on 3/23/2015. The Cottage Grove guys missed the fun because they do not have cars for these classes. Also absent was our friend Mark from Grants Pass who is attending to some home projects. Track conditions were very good. Images of the grids and details of the finishing order are shown in the attachments.
Headlines
• Bob and Jack battle for top honors in GT1. Bob edges out Jack for the win.
• Rich and James slug it out for the bottom step of the podium in GT1. Rich edges out James by a single section
• Ron’s La Ferrari would have gotten my vote for Concourse.
• Bob and Jack battle for the top spot in Can Am. Bob bests Jack for the win. James finishes third
GT1
GT1 has become a hotly contested class for those dedicated to True Scale racing. The most popular ride is the Ferrari Enzo. However, this evening’s grid was the picture of diversity consisting of only two Enzos (Bob and Terry), two different Nissan models (Jack and Nick), a Jaguar (James), a La Ferrari (Ron) and a Porsche 962 (Rich)
Bob’s Enzo is always a threat and I anticipated that his Enzo would be in the running for the top spot. Rich arrived a bit early for some practice. Rich’s Enzo, coming off a win at Electron Raceway last Saturday had been fitted with a brand new set of tires. Although the car was very fast, turning well under five seconds per lap in practice, it was difficult to handle in the “hump”. Instead of the Enzo, Rich selected a slower but more pliant 962 for the race. In practice, Rich ran head to head with Jack and James. The only way Rich could keep up with Jack was to over-drive the 962. James’ Jag and Rich’s 962 seemed to be quite evenly matched. It looked like a battle royal was shaping up for the podium.
As the machines were placed on the grid, the standout was Ron’s silver La Ferrari. The paint was flawless and the detail beautiful. It would have received my vote for concourse.
Bob is always tough to beat on his home track. His Enzo was the only machine to break the five second barrier during the race (4.998) and finished with 90.7 laps. Jack drove the wheels off of his Nissan, running an excellent race with a consistency of 96.04%. Jack challenged Bob for the top step of the podium but in the end, Bob edged out Jack by only a few sections.
Going into the final heat, Rich and James were tied in lap count with Rich only a few sections ahead. The cars were closely matched although Rich’s 962 was a whisker faster. The battle for third raged throughout the last heat. Rich held the lead throughout the heat. James would close and then fall back a few sections. A single “off” would have put either competitor out of contention. However, no “off” was forthcoming and Rich held on to beat James by a single section.
Can Am
Prior to the race, I looked at some Can Am race history at STR utilizing the slot car database. Observations were as follows.
• Bob’s black Lotus holds both ends of the record at STR turning a fast lap of 4.900 seconds and a high lap total of 92.5
• Rich’s orange Lotus was the only other car to break the 5 second barrier turning a fast lap of 4.957 seconds
• Jack’s silver Lotus rounded out the top three turning a fast lap of 5.041. Jack also has two other competitive rides in Can Am. His gold Ferrari Can Am has turned a fast lap of 5.053. His orange McLaren has turned a 5.108
• Don’t count James out either. His McLaren has turned a nearly identical fast lap time as Jack’s Lotus. The McLaren has turned a 5.054
So, in summary, the race seemed to be up for grabs by any of the aforementioned drivers/machines. As it turned out there were some not so surprising surprises. For the past few months I have become convinced that the ProSlot 16D motor is far superior to our Deathstars. Many racers have already transitioned to the ProSlot with good results. The motors seem to improve performance by .1 to .2 seconds per lap. For the Can Am race, both James and Jack were sporting brand new ProSlot 16Ds in their Can Am rides. In practice these two cars performed quite well running better and more consistent laps than Rich’s Lotus (still running a Deathstar – a very good Deathstar).
Again, Bob is very tough to beat on his home track. His black Lotus, still powered by a Deathstar turned the best lap time in the race (4.940) and he finished with a lap total of 91.6. Again, Jack drove the wheels off of this Can Am Ferrari (consistency of 95.92%) and dogged Bob throughout the race. In the end it was not quite enough as Jack came up short by only a few sections.
James’ McLaren, powered by a new ProSlot motor was a screamer turning a fast lap of 4.988 and challenged for one of the two top spots. James ended up about a half lap behind the leaders. Rich’s car was fast but he made several unforced errors putting him out of the running for a podium finish.

[rvec]

My new Toyota GT1

Attached Files

•  Building the Ultimate GT1.htm   162.87KB   214 downloads

[Tex]

Nice lookin' car, Rich!

[rvec]

Triathlon at Electron Raceway on 5/14/2015

Six locals showed up to race three distinct classes at Electron Raceway on 5/14/2015. This marks the first evening race at Electron Raceway in some time. It seems more folks are available for the evening rather than a morning race. We will continue to run evenings on a trial basis before making a final switch. Mark would have participated if it were not for the fact that he was off to Tommy’s in Bend Oregon to run the big NASCAR OSCAR race. Electron Raceway had been cleaned and sprayed since the last race and was in very good condition. Six racers facilitated two marshals and the “button man” to handle wrecks and stop the race if necessary. I don’t think that actions by any “button man” influenced the outcome of the races.

It is very unusual for Jack to have a bad night. I suspect that a recent episode of the “crud” had a lot to do with this. Watch out folks. Jack will be back! Images of the grids are shown below.

Headlines
• In the GT1 race, Rich beat a very consistent Bob (95.03%) to finish first while James’ Jaguar finished third.
• Rich’s Toyota GT-One made its debut in GT1 achieving a record high lap total of 91.3 and record fast lap of 4.891 seconds.
• Rich’s Penske Camaro won the TA2/Historic Trans-Am race with a very consistent performance (96.56%) while James slept, running his OSCAR spec, Firebird Trans-Am. Still James managed to finish second. Jack’s silver Mustang finished third.
• In True Scale Can-Am/Gran Sport, Rich ran a very consistent race (94.28%) outdistancing the field by nearly six laps. Jack’s GT-40 finished second edging out James’ Ferrari by about a half lap.

[rvec]

Greg has been kind enough to give True Scale Hard body racing at Electron Race its own sub forum on Slotblog. All race results will be posted within the Electron Sub forum. In addition there are sub forums describing the raceway, classes and cars in pictorial fashion, details of recent builds and much more. Check it out http://slotblog.net/...ectron-raceway/I have also created an interactive table of contents that will facilitate easy navigation see the link and cursor down to the table http://slotblog.net/...aceway-welcome/ Also, the What's new thread chronicles updates to the site as they occur. See the link http://slotblog.net/...eway-whats-new/

[Joexemm]

I have fallen in love with your track and your cars! i might have to take a trip!...... when i become rich cause your far away!