53 replies to this topic

[James Wendel]

My old thread was getting rather large... so we have a new sub-thread... still searchable for my Oregon friends, and anyone else who has a sliver of interest in my ramblings.

 

7/15/2015 Tourist Trophy class... 1950's roadsters, front engined, limited production sports cars....  These are, without exception, Resilient Resin bodies by the late-great Doug Haynes.  Doug was a founding father of Pelican Park, our George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Benito Mussolini all rolled into one.  And the TT class is uniquely his offspring, living on beyond his passing, as a permanent class in the Pelican Park racing rotation.  A moment of silence please. 

 

James drove north to join the usual suspects, minus Deke, who was in ICU... dammit Deke get your butt healthy.  It ain't the same when you aren't here.  So there were nine to race.

 

We ran the "Basil's way" preliminary heats.  The general consensus was that the blue lane was slightly down on power, and (of course),  the red lane sucks.  Statistical analysis: Red: 9%, White 34%, Blue 22%, Yellow 34%.

 

The Consi

In the red lane, Paul's Ferrari Testarossa, Mike's Aston Martin is in white, Leo also drove a Ferrari TR in the blue lane, and Basil's Ferrari Monza is in yellow.  Leo finished 1st, followed by Basil, Mike, and Paul.

 

The Main Event

Todd's Lister Corvette drew the red lane, James' Ferrari Monza is in white, Cully's Aston in blue, and Tom's Chaparral I is in the yellow lane.

 

The slot car gods smiled down on Todd and gave him good fortune, despite his lane assignment.  Of course good fortune alone is not enough to win at Pelican Park.  Good fortune might give you an edge, but it takes a fast car and good driving to bring home the win.  Todd prevailed for 1st, Cully second, Tom 3rd, James 4th.

 

Todd's winning car, the Lister Corvette

 

I must thank Todd for providing the pictures of the race, as my camera battery was flat-dead.

 

Glamour shots of the "Top Qualifier", yet 4th place finisher.  "Sometimes you eat the bar... and sometimes the bar eats you."

 

I printed that black and yellow pinstripe decal with my inkjet printer.  Love the way it sets off the car's contours.

 

The back of the car really needs tail lights to break up the plain white rear... but I hate to weaken the resin body by drilling holes in it.  It has taken a lot of hits and held up well.  With tail light holes... I don't know.

 

I spent a lot of time with internet photos and a Dremel trying to capture the arch of the Ferrari wheel wells.

 

Same chassis as used under C3 corvette and yellow Mustang Mach-1

[rvec]

Car Looks great! Tough crowd at Pelican. What's up with Deke

[Jim Lange]

Great looking cars! Where are you finding the brass crown gears?

[James Wendel]

Rich - Deke  became dehydrated during the recent hot spell and his kidneys shut down.  He collapsed in his living room, home alone, but was able to call 911.  I guess it was a near thing.  Doctor told him that the root cause is most likely his exposure to adhesive and paint solvents and metals (lead), primarily in his youth... something we all should be concerned about.

 

His kidneys recovered function once they got him rehydrated.... that's the good news.  He is on some new meds now, and optimistic.

 

 

Jim - I believe that the crown gears are by Sonic.  Bob Hanna at Sparetime Raceway carries them.  They are a "special run" item from Sonic that Bob purchases and inventories to support the hobby.  He has to order a minimum number of each gear (maybe 50 of each).  They are 64 pitch and Bob carries 39-43 tooth gears and sells them for $7 or $8 each.  I think that he would sell you some by mail if you put an order together.

 

Website (pictures and contact info)

http://oscrsite.com/sparetime.htm

 

Bob's email:

bob@bcmetalart.com

[Bill from NH]

I think those Sonic brass crown gears might have first been used in 1/32 F1 eurosports. We ran ran about 10-12 years ago in an ANE AMCA 1/32 scratchbuilt F1 class. In those days, they were a regular Sonic item, but not selling enough of them caused them to be placed in the "special order" category. They don't like a hypoid arrangement, but they're a nice gear.

[n9949y]

Thanks for shining a spotlight on PPS’s racing. Amazing to reflect we’ve been racing every week since 1989-26 years.

 

I’m adding a couple of photos of one of my other TT slot cars- a resilient resin bodied model of a 1957 Maserati 450S owed by Temple Buell, a 1950's scion of a wealthy Denver family. The car was to have been driven by the famed Juan Fangio in the Havana, Cuba 1958 Sports Car Gran Prix. Unfortunately a band of not so merry men swept down from the local hills and kidnapped Fangio, a group led by none other than Fidel Castro who was making a crude political statement. This bit of racing history comes to mind on the reopening of the American embassy in Havana just this week, some 57 years later.

 

 

[Bill from NH]

Todd, back along, I thought I read that someone was going to resume the manufacturing of Resilient Resin bodies using the same resin that Doug had used. Was this true or am I dreaming?  

[n9949y]

Hi Bill:

 

Sweet dreams! Regret to report Resilient Resins is but another chapter in slot car history's end-of-production stories.

 

Todd

[Bill from NH]

Todd, thanks for the reply. I have a pair of Doug's fronts, but no body yet. I have a source here in the Northeast who might have one to spare. Years ago, I got to drive a Thunderbuggy with one of Doug's Lotus 40 bodies. Is there anybody else using the Thunderbuggy chassis design or do other chassis seem to work better at Pelican Park now?

[n9949y]

With the many different cars for our 13 classes there are many different versions of the basic "rattler"

chassis being run.

 

 

 

 

 

Chassis for "Monza" class car, a resilient Resin 1960 Watson Indy roadster

 

jalopy

 

The Thunderbuggy chassis works very well

 

For many of my cars, Bob Hanna's beautifully machined chassis

works splendidly.

 

[James Wendel]

7-22-2015  "Big" NASCAR  1980 to present, one of only two classes at Pelican that allows Super 16D motors.  Racers are beginning to experiment with Proslot supers as a substitute for Parmas.  I suspect that they will prove to be faster, just as are the ProSlot 16Ds are faster than DeathStars.

 

We had a full house, as Paul and Bob came down from Salem and James up from Roseburg.  With all the locals on hand, thirteen racers competed in the "Win to get in" qualifying format. 

 

When there are only nine or ten racers, it is pretty easy to make the "top eight".  With thirteen, it gets a little harder since five won't make the cut.  In fact I was a bit concerned, as it took me three heats before I won a spot in the top eight.  Eventually the qualifying rounds were completed, and we got down to the finals:

 

The Hooligan:

Because we had thirteen racers, we had to run a Hooligan qualifier to eliminate one "poor soul".... that's not the term that was actually used, but since this is a "family friendly" website, it will have to do.  Paul, whose black #3 car is in the blue lane was the odd man out.  Paul spent the pre-race period working with Greg to replace the ballast in a faulty fluorescent light, when he should have been working on his car.   THANKS PAUL, we all appreciate having good light for the race.

 

The Hooligan field: from left to right: Todd, Deke, Dave, and Greg.  Three Monte Carlos and a T-Bird.  Todd had been switching motors all evening, looking for speed, without great success.  Deke, recently out of the hospital was still feeling less than 100%.  Dave and Greg were both top level racers at Pelican years ago, but have been away for a while and are climbing back up the learning curve.  Everybody got your excuses straight?

 

Hooligan again, with a shot down the straight and pit row.   Deke took the win in the white lane, Todd was second in red. Greg 3rd, Dave 4th.

 

The Consi:

For the Consi, in the red lane: Basil's Red Baron T-Bird, in white: Mike's Coors Light Chevy, Leo's Bulls Eye car in blue, and Tom's Valvoline Chevy in the yellow lane.  All two-tone cars... a nice looking field.

 

The Consi was a battle royal between Tom and Leo in adjacent lanes: blue and yellow.  Basil in the red lane couldn't match the pace, but Mike stayed on the lead lap.  I was marshaling the 76 turn (the deadman) and could not see what happened to Leo in the closing laps, but he lost position.  I did see Tom deslot right in front of me.  As I grabbed for Tom's car, Mike's car hit it and also came off.  Mike howled in dismay, although I marshaled his car first, (as the innocent party), before Tom's car.

 

And so it ended, Mike 1st, Leo 2nd, Tom 3rd, Basil 4th.

 

The Main Event:

Cully's black 85 Monte in the red lane.  Bob's blue T-Bird in white,  Paul's styrene-white 1/25th scale Monte in blue, and James' Hot Wheels Pontiac GP in yellow.  Paul build a new chassis for this race and just slapped the body together the day before.  What his car lacked in style it made up for in smooth handling and quiet operation.

 

In our top-eight semi main, Bob and I ran the entire 50 laps; our cars within a few feet of each other.  In the main we had the same lane assignments, so I anticipated a tight race with him.  But as it turned out the race was relatively uneventful.  I struggled to stay with Cully, but couldn't quite manage it... he pulled away.  I held a solid second.  Paul was running a ProSlot FX 2002 (non-super 16d) and while fast, just did not quite have the speed of the other cars.

 

Main event final: Cully 1st, James 2nd, Bob 3rd, Paul 4th.   A good night of racing! 

[James Wendel]

Bonus Feature, the Winning NASCAR - Cully's 1985 Monte Carlo

 

 

 

 

 

Hanna chassis #244

[Dennis David]

You guys have a great formula but isn't there something that can be done about the Red Lane?

[James Wendel]

The red lane is only a little harder, notice that Cully won the Main in red.  The competition is so close most nights that a little difference can make a difference in finishing order. 

 

Or when in red, you can try to drive closer to the edge.  .

 

And the difference is baked into the track design.  Red is on the outside on the bank, the "big end" of the track, and on the inside in the donut, the tight end of the track. 

[Dennis David]

Thanks for explaining it somehow I got the idea that power was down on Red.

[James Wendel]

7/29/2015  Clubman Lights class.... 1950s & '60s production based sports car models up to 2.75" wide as coupes, or 2.50" wide as roadsters.  Pelican Park's newest racing class, and one of my favorites due to the variety of interesting cars and the fact that I have a killer ride: my C3 Corvette coupe.

 

 

Interestingly, there have been a number of prototype based entries lately, but they have not yet shown any signs of dominance, so I have no complaint.  Also, participants need to be careful to observe width restrictions.  We operate on an honor system here, and while I did not measure any cars other than my own, some looked just a touch wide.  I could be wrong... just please check your width, guys.

 

Thirteen racers came to play... the same group as last week: the regular "locals" plus Paul and Bob from Salem and James from Roseburg.  The track was cleaned, sprayed, and in fine shape, although the blue lane seemed slightly down on power.  Basel may have located the cause of the problem, and with luck it should be corrected next week.

 

The last time Clubman Lights class was raced at Pelican was way back in February, almost 6 months ago.  The Lights class doesn't get a full slot in the class rotation.  It alternates with "Big" Clubman.  Consequently, it only comes around every 24 weeks.  Which is why I drove an hour and a quarter to race on a Wednesday night, when I needed to get up early the next morning... to race three classes of slot cars at Rich's Electron Raceway.  Rich will post the results of that race elsewhere on SlotBlog.

 

The preliminary heats distilled the field down to:

 

The Hooligan:

In the red lane, Tom's Porsche 356 speedster was the last qualifier in the prelims.  It is a quick little spud, but so short that it breaks loose with little warning... rather like the Morris Mini that he raced last time in this class.  Tom must like a challenge.

In the white lane, Bob's 1965 Corvair was a strong runner, but presented handling challenges.  Bob threatened to jettison it along Interstate 5 on his ride home.

 

Pauly drew the blue lane for the inaugural race of his Mercedes 300SL Gullwing... a handsome car in charcoal gray with black strips.  Its photos do not due it justice.   And Dave got his favorite yellow lane for his Porsche RSK... nearly as short as Tom's Porsche, and narrower.

 

The Hooligan race was a study in the virtue of staying in the slot, as Paul drove steadily in the blue lane while other, faster cars crashed around him.  Bob,  in white, clearly had the fastest combination and two times he chased Pauly down only to deslot when he got close enough to contemplate a pass.  Time was quickly growing short as Bob began his third charge for the front.  Then, with just three laps to go, Paul's car stopped dead.  The motor would rev, but she no go.  The motor had come loose from the chassis.  Fire the crew chief !!!

 

Hooligan final: Bob 1st, Dave 2nd, Tom 3rd, Paul 4th

 

The Consi:

In the red lane is Todd's C1 Corvette.  Todd worked on his car all evening, trying to get it sorted, and only made the top-eight in the last chance heat.... Then he had the misfortune to draw the red lane against tough competition.

In the white lane, Basil's Ford GT40 (1/25th scale) was a new addition to the class.  I believe it has great potential, but it is not yet quite there.

 

In the blue lane, Paul Painter's yellow Ferrari 250 LM was built new since last week's race... not just the body, the chassis as well.  (How does he even do that?)  It was fast and might have made the Main, had he not drawn red in the Semi-Main, where he finished third to Cully and Mike.

In the yellow lane, Greg was driving Deke's Porsche 904 GTS in his first Consi race since rejoining the ranks of the regulars at Pelican.  Good job, Greg !!!

 

Paul drove a clean race, others not so much.  Basil's car had inconsistent handling.  I remember several crashes involving his car.  Consi final: Paul 1st, Todd 2nd, Greg 3rd, Basil 4th.

 

The Main Event:

The last time we raced Clubman Lights, the Main Event was the same four cars... but all in different lanes. 

In the red lane is James' C3 Corvette coupe.  I won my Semi-Main in red, but I was not optimistic about the Main.  Mike's Ferrari 250 GTO is in the white lane.  Mike won his Semi and was fast, despite running a Deathstar against a field of ProSlots.

 

Leo's Ferrari 250 GT Lusso is in the blue lane... the lane generally regarded as power deficient, although Paul won the Consi in blue, so.... it's not terrible bad. 

And in the yellow lane is Cully's C2 Corvette, the Main Event winner in the previous Lights race.  Cully is always a threat.

 

The race started clean and to my amazement, I was able to stay with Cully as we pulled away from the others in the middle lanes.  The lead seesawed between us as we lapped the track for the first half of the race, but then I noticed that Mike's car was not that far behind.  Was he gaining on us?  I was sweating bullets.  I really don't feel comfortable in the red lane.  The donut is tight and on the far end of the track from the red driver's station.  I really can't see what my car is doing there... just feel my way through the corner.

 

But then Cully crashed out.  Was there another car involved?  I don't know.  He must have wrecked a second time because then he was behind me and someone said "you don't have to worry about Cully, he's a lap down".   I replied, "It's Mike I am worried about, he's still close".  Well, not that close, as it turned out.  He wasn't close enough to challenge for the lead.  I finished the 50 laps for the win.  

 

Main Event final:  James 1st, Mike 2nd, Cully 3rd, Leo 4th

 note to self: red lane: full brakes, throttle 2

 

The previous Clubman Lights report can be seen here: http://slotblog.net/...y-racing/page-3

 (post 64)

 

The winning car:

C3 Vettes are a little goofy looking, but make great slot cars

 

[rvec]

Great report and fine finish. Local competition is very tough to beat at Pelican - especially from the red lane

[Mbloes]

Great report and fine finish. Local competition is very tough to beat at Pelican - especially from the red lane

 

But don't you run four heats where everybody runs on all lanes?

 

What am I missing?

[James Wendel]

Pelican Park racing format is unique to my experience, and in my opinion, is The Best Club Racing Format in the World ™

Someday, I really should write a separate, detailed thread about the Pelican way.

 

Simply put, you do not rotate through the lanes and add up your laps.  There are a series of preliminary heat races.  Each is a complete and separate race with winners and losers.  Prior to each race, lanes are assigned by blind drawing.  The results of the preliminaries determine the entries to the Semi-Mains, where racers vie for a spot in the Main Event.  My understanding is that the method was based on actual 1:1 circle track racing.

 

The Main Event at Pelican is one 50 lap heat. The lane you draw is the lane you race; good or bad. Some lanes are naturally better than others.  That is one of the vagaries of racing.  The man "driving the podium" ™ provides running commentary on the progress of the race. You know at all times: who is leading, who is challenging for position, and who is bringing up the rear. It is "head to head" racing at its very best.

 

At the end of a race the room typically erupts in spontaneous cheers and applause.....

It is EXCITING, for the spectators as well as the racers.

 

No standing around a computer monitor after the race to see the finishing order.

[rvec]

I have raced at Pelican Park and used the Pelican way of running big races here at Electron Raceway. I love the head to head competition that the Pelican way provides. James is correct. After the heat is over you know if you move up, down or out! I think of the method as rising to the level of your incompetence. One advantage of the system is that new and inexperienced racers get more race time. A disadvantage is that the total number of heats and the heat set ups differ with the total number of participants. It is, in fact a bit complex and I think that is why it is not used at commercial tracks.

[n9949y]

Often our heat races become 2  racer door handle-to door handle 50 lap adrenalin pumping,  heart pounding (my pacemaker can’t keep up!) contest. In this photo Bob Hanna, green shirt, visiting from Roseburg last February,  dukes it out in the blue lane with Basil Snyder in the yellow, lap after lap.

[rvec]

Here is a sample worksheet and narrative for a 12 man field at Pelican Park

Pelican Park 12 Man Format

Overview - Each heat is a separate head to head race. In order to make the lucky eight who will ultimately vie for a slot in the Main Event a racer must win one of the first eight heats. The remaining four race in what is dubbed the Hooligan Race. The Lucky 8 are divided into two groups of 4 proceeding to one of two Semi-Mains. The top two finishers in the Semi-Mains proceed to the Main Event. The bottom two finishers in the Semi-Mains proceed to the Consolation Race

Step 1 Qualifying - Twelve racers draw numbers from 1-12 out of a hat. This determines the heat (1,2 or 3) and the lane (Yellow, Blue, White, Red) for each of the 12 racers. The winners of heat 1, heat 2 and heat 3 become the first of the lucky 8 and their names are transcribed into the appropriate line of the lucky 8 section of the worksheet. Each of the lucky 8 will participate in the Semi-Main (and depending on order of finish in the Semi-Mains, each of the 8 will move either to the Main Event or the Consolation Race more on this later).

Step 2 Qualifying - The winners of Heats 4-8 will also fill out the lucky 8. Seeding for heats 4-8 is predetermined and shown on the worksheet. For example the second finisher in heat one (labeled 2H1) proceeds to heat 4 while the fourth finisher in heat 2 (labeled 4H2) proceeds to heat 5. Lane assignment in heats 4-8 is determined by random drawing. Again, the winners of heats 4-8 fill out the balance of the slots in the lucky 8.

Step 3 Hooligan Race If a racer does not make the lucky 8, he is relegated to race in what is dubbed the Hooligan race.

Step 4 Semi-Main The eight racers (lucky 8) draw numbers from 1-8 out of a hat. This determines which heat of the Semi-Main (either 1 or 2) and which lane (Yellow, Blue, White, or Red) each of the 8 is assigned. Names are then transcribed into the appropriate slot in the Semi-Main section of the worksheet. The top two finishers in each of the semi-main heats proceed to the Main Event. The bottom two finishers in each of the semi-main heats proceed to the Consolation Race

Step 5 Consolation Race Lane assignments are determined by random drawing. Again, the participants in the consolation race were the bottom two finishers in each of the two Semi-Mains

Step 6 Main Event - Lane assignments are determined by random drawing. Again, the participants in the consolation race were the top two finishers in each of the two Semi-Mains

[n9949y]

Thanks Rich. Your post about  our 12 man race set up which we've labeled as the Win-To-Get-In format is very informative, accurate.

 

When 10 or less racers show up on a Wednesday night we then do our Basil's Way Rotation format. Each racer rotates from lane to lane, starting in Red and switching to the adjacent lane to his left, White, Blue then Yellow. 

 

However our rotation format is different than elsewhere. Each rotation run is scored as an individual 50 lap heat qualifying race. The  qualifying heat winner scores 3 points; second place gets 2 points; third, 1. Fourth gets a goose egg-none. With 9 racers each rotating through the 4 lanes, 9 heat races are staged. When the qualifying heat races are completed  each racer’s heat points are added up to determine who are the top 8.

 

As with the Win-To-Get-In format the top 8 then race in the 2 semi mains.  In each of the semi mains the top two go to the Main;  3^rd and 4^th place racers then compete in the Consi.  The 9^th place racer goes to the Hooligan race where he races  the guys who finished  2^nd, 3^rd, and 4th in the Consi. The driver who gets the fewest points in the early evening’s qualifying heats can win the Hooligan and not finish the evening last after all.  Here's the score sheet for the Feb 15, 2015 Monza (open wheel, pre-1960 front engine Indy, F-1) class.

As James has pointed out red lane is tough; Often the Red lane racer comes up short. Sometimes a racer on the Red lane does win the Main- defying the Slot Car Gods! Todd's '60 Watson Indy, Basil's '55 MBZ W-196, Leo's '58 Vanwall, Deke's '56 Lancia-Ferrari.

 

Does Pelican Park club use the standard rotation race format? Yes! Since 1994 Pelican park Speedway stages on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving the Turkey Night Jalopy Enduro! Consisting of 4 driver teams racing members’ 4 fastest jalopies determined from the previous week’s Jalopy qualifying races, each car/team will rotate through the track’s 4 lanes, three times, in 12 minutes heats, with 3 minute pit stops between heats. The race starts at 7:00 PM, finishing about midnight with a totaled average distance for the race adding up to about 2000 laps per team. Because most team drivers are experienced club members over the years many races finish with only 2-10 laps separating the teams making for very close racing. Posted  below are the results of the 2011 race with a short video of the start.

 

 

Start line up, left to right: Paul's '39 Chevy on red lane; Todd, white; Deke, Blue, Cully's '40 Plymouth

[James Wendel]

August 5, 2015 - Jalopy class; 1936-1948 American sedans.  I have to wonder why earlier cars are not allowed.  The OSCAR spec allows cars back to 1932.  The earlier cars are smaller and would be at a disadvantage, but they look cool.

 

Only ten racers tonight; we were missing the "Keizer Boys", Bob and Paul, as well as perennial class favorite, Cully, who is off on a cross-country motorcycle adventure.  So with ten racers, the preliminary heats were run "Basil's Way" which takes a little longer (two extra heats), but insures that everyone gets four preliminary heat races.... Which is a good thing for the fast guys.

 

Jalopies are the tallest and tippiest of the classes run at Pelican, so it is not surprising that the racing is the most "eventful"  Highlights of the preliminary heats included Greg's Ford colliding with a deslotted car on the bridge and somersaulting over the other car to land in his own lane and driving away. 

 

Another amusement came in the Semi-Main when Deke's car deslotted in the lead-on to the pit-row straight.  He was unable to get the attention of the turn-marshal in the "hot-seat".  (Charlie was distracted by a wreck elsewhere on the track).  So Deke was forced to marshal his own car by reaching over the main straight, which is quite a stretch.  He was unable to reach his lane, (red), where he came off, so he re-slotted it in front of his driver's station, at the end of the main straight.  But in his haste and frustration, he placed it in the white lane... Leo's lane.  Deke's car took off.

 

Yeah, Deke's car took off and hit the 76 corner at full throttle... well not so much hit the corner, as it hit the car in the corner.  The car in the blue lane,.  The race leader's car.  It was my freaking car.  Ah well, no real damage done.  The car appears unhurt.  I still won the heat.  It's all just racing.   And so we get to...

 

The Consi

In the red lane, we find Todd's Al Dykes Service Station special 1939 Chevy.  The last time I raced Jalopies at Pelican, I finished 2nd to Todd and this car.  But this evening, Todd was not feeling well and that was reflected in his performance.  Despite that, he still managed to finish the preliminaries tied for 2nd with Mike.

In the white lane is Deke's 1948 Ford.  This was the second race for this car.  I missed its inaugural run.  It should be a fast car, as it is running a Hanna-clone, hinged-pan chassis, but I have not yet seen it live up to its potential.

 

In the blue lane is Leo's '39 Chevy.  This is a Deke-built / Leo-modified car that has been fast in previous races, but Leo seemed to be having issues with it this evening.

And in yellow is Paul's Turkey-Run '39 Chevy.  Paul was running a new motor this evening and seemed to have pretty good power, but was still having handling problems.

 

The early part of the Consi race was marked with a series of (mostly unforced) crashes and lead changes.  Eventually things settled down, and Deke held the lead for the greatest portion of the race.  However, there were more crashes and turnovers and when the dust settled it was Leo in 1st, followed by Todd, Deke, and Paul.  Leo wins a chocolate donut, Todd retires for the evening and Deke and Paul drop down to fill out the field for....

 

The Hooligan

Here we find Tom in the red lane with a strangely iridescent-blue '39 Chevy that has been creatively adapted to a Hanna hinged chassis.  The body, perched on top of the 3/32" pans and held on only with gaffers tape, seemed precarious at best, yet survived the race without going askew.  He seemed fast in practice, yet finished the prelims tied for last, with just a single point.  Thus he drives the Hooligan... in the red lane... bummer.

 

This time Paul drew the white lane and Deke got the blue lane... which is no longer down on power!!! (thanks, Basil)

And in the yellow lane is Greg's 1936ish Ford Coupe.  This is a cool looking little car sporting Jolly Roger colors, which is about all I know about it.  In the Prelims, Greg tied with Tom for prime Hooligan honors.

 

The race was a true hooligan event with plenty of out-of-slot action, however Deke kept it together for the win.  Greg was second followed by Tom and Paul.

 

The Main Event

Basil's snazzy-looking 1941 Plymouth drew the red lane.  Basil's car was quick, but I believe it suffered from tires worn way beyond their prime.  The red lane has the longest path around the bank, so you need serious top-end to keep up.  Small rears give away both top-end and traction.

James' white/yellow '39 Chevy is in the white lane.  This car was untouchable in the prelims.  I realized that I had been running this car lighter than several of my lower-bodied cars, so the day before the race, I added over half an ounce of lead, which really kept it planted and hooked up.  Without Cully's El Tigre Chevy here to challenge it, it should be a runaway favorite.

 

In the blue lane is my Ex-Plymouth, now owned and driven by Dave.  This car is a former Turkey Night winner, and Dave, as my team member that year, won the Big Dog award with it.  Dave won his Semi-Main this evening and told me afterward how much fun he was having, driving it again, which I appreciated.

And in yellow is Mike's '47 Chevy.  This car is also a Turkey night veteran and a regular Main Event competitor.  I remember a jalopy race where Mike went mano-a-mano with Bob Hanna for 35 laps with this car and came out victorious.

 

From my perspective, the race was uneventful.  My white/yellow Chevy pulled away from the field, so I didn't see who was fighting for position in the ranks.  Final result James, Mike, Dave, Basil.  Everybody wins a donut.

 

Bonus Feature: Deke's 1948 Ford "Coupe"

The "Coupe" is actually a converible model that has been "coupified"  The 1948 Ford, like the '48 Chevy, has no true running boards, so it can run a conventional full-width chassis.  The Ford is taller and wider than the Chevy and it has significantly more roof area.  I believe that Ron holds the current Jalopy fast-lap record at STR with a similar '48 Ford.

 

The convertible top was molded on, corners softened...

 

The B-piller was added and door lines hand-etched.

 

The rear and side 3/4 windows were enlarged, and other Dekster-details were added, like the side-exit exhaust.

 

The chassis is a Hanna-clone built by Jack in Roseburg, (I think).

[James Wendel]

The Winning Car - up close and personal

I did a little detail line and shading since the previous race.

 

And touched up the silver with a paint pen.

 

Touched up the bumper and highlighted the trunk seam

 

Two screws hold on the body.  The side-play in the rear was intentionally made greater than in the front.

 

and with the body off...

 

The chassis design was inspired by the Champion Turbo-flex.  The Nylock nut holds the sidepans to the center section.

 

It only takes a few seconds to disassemble

 

The center section was made with a 1/32" brass bottom and 1/16" cross pieces for a total 3/32" thickness.  The flat head brass center retaining screw is soldered in the center cross piece.

 

The center retaining screw doesn't penetrate the bottom plate... just for show.

 

The sidepans are unnecessarily complicated because they were adapted from a different chassis.... Basically brass sidepans solidly connected with cross pieces.  A hole on the center for the retaining screw and downstops on the back corners.  The three pieces of lead that I recently added are clearly visible... they are substantial: 1/16" thick (Lucky Bob's, I believe)

 

Rolling chassis weight, in ounces

 

with motor and mounting screws, braid

 

all up, ready to race