19 replies to this topic

[Alchemist]

For me, this is the longest homebuilt track I've ever seen!

 

I can't begin to attempt a guess at track length!

 

I wonder how many power taps were employed?!

 

 

Ernie

[MSwiss]

Maybe only one.

I didn't spot any wire runs on the floor, to the far ends of the track.

On a twisty track, using low speed motors, it's not that critical.

[Bill from NH]

Ernie, in the 60's there was a home-built track in the NYC area that was 400' +. This track was pictured in the vintage slot car mags & has even been mentioned on here & OWH. How long is the track in the video above? Any idea? Does it still exist? 

[elvis44102]

just my opinion but if my eyesite isnt good enough to see and judge where the car is....i cannot drive it well

[Alchemist]

Hi Bill,

 

I came across this article regarding Slot Mods founder, David Beattie, whose home track started out as a 27' track that kept growing until it was a 400 square foot track!

 

It's also a great story about how he started Slot Mods.

 

 

https://www.roadandt...l-works-of-art/

 

Thank you.

 

Ernie

[SpeedyNH]

Model Car Racing mag occasionally features one. they're amazing. 

[Bill from NH]

Ernie, that was a good article you provided. They certainly have a niche market. If I had one of these tracks, I probably would never run on it. It would become a "shelf queen", just like my slot cars. But I don't have to worry, I'll never be able to afford the track. 

[SpeedyNH]

you wouldn't run on it!? 

[MattD]

Nice experiment with how to get a long track in your basement, but two guys racing????   I doubt if they could make one lap without coming off.   Then they have to spend 5 minutes putting their car back on.  Lesson to be learned , for real racing have a drivable track that is easy to get around.

[Bill from NH]

you wouldn't run on it!? 

 

It's art. Since I like spray glue, I'd have a second track to run on. I do own a couple mugs I don't use.

[MSwiss]

Nice experiment with how to get a long track in your basement, but two guys racing????
 I doubt if they could make one lap without coming off. 

It's 3 lanes.

And whoever is driving in the video made one lap. Lol

[don.siegel]

I thought at one point he came off, and another car continued the lap... 

 

Matt makes a good point: for good racing, you want cars in touch with each other, and that's impossible on this track. For each track, there's probably an ideal ratio between number of lanes and total length. 

 

Bill, that 475' foot you mention may have been home-built, but it was still more or less a public raceway - assuming you mean the one on Long Island. It was 6 lanes too, which means the cars must have spent a lot of time running alone - but I would have loved to run that at least once! 

 

Don 

[Bill from NH]

Don, that's the one I was thinking of. Both it & the one above could use 20+ turn marshals. If you straightened this one out, you could run speed records on it. Whoever owns it, had a nice big room to put it in.

[MSwiss]

I thought at one point he came off, and another car continued the lap... 

 

Matt makes a good point: for good racing, you want cars in touch with each other, and that's impossible on this track. For each track, there's probably an ideal ratio between number of lanes and total length. 

 

Bill, that 475' foot you mention may have been home-built, but it was still more or less a public raceway - assuming you mean the one on Long Island. It was 6 lanes too, which means the cars must have spent a lot of time running alone - but I would have loved to run that at least once! 

 

Don 

I don't see a car coming off.

 

I did notice that the car did change lanes, from an outer, to an inner lane, so the track has a couple crossovers.

 

I agree that racing on a longer track gives a different vibe.

 

When I raced on Georgia Hobby's Purple Mile, it was way different than racing on a King.

 

With the cars more spread out, I remember having prolonged conversations with the race director, Ray Gardner.
 

[Bill from NH]

When you ran the Georgia Hobby  Sovereign was it unlimited glue or spray glue?

[Rotorranch]

There was way too much glue...

 

Rotor

[MattD]

Mike that video just shows a car making parade laps.   Put another car on there racing to the finish line and see if either car can complete a lap.

[MSwiss]

That's not bad for a BRM car.

 

Especially considering the track is green.

 

It's not even finished.

 

You can see he did just enough to get one lane running, probably because he was excited to see the fruits of his labor.

 

The guy looks like he can drive.

 

He'll do fine.

 

You've been around long enough, I've assumed you've been exposed to great drivers.

 

There's a ton of them, in slot racing.

 

But after fairly recent comments from you, on Pappy's track, and a Steve O build, for Ernie Mossetti(?), how you couldn't make a lap, maybe you haven't seen real good, or great drivers, compete.

[MattD]

I admit I'm not much good!     I like simple tracks any idiot can drive, like me.

[elvis44102]

That's not bad for a BRM car.

 

Especially considering the track is green.

 

It's not even finished.

 

You can see he did just enough to get one lane running, probably because he was excited to see the fruits of his labor.

 

The guy looks like he can drive.

 

He'll do fine.

 

You've been around long enough, I've assumed you've been exposed to great drivers.

 

There's a ton of them, in slot racing.

 

But after fairly recent comments from you, on Pappy's track, and a Steve O build, for Ernie Mossetti(?), how you couldn't make a lap, maybe you haven't seen real good, or great drivers, compete.

 
after 50 years i can still remember mike stuebe just walking into the parna racway cold on a friday nite and the track is just loaded with people practsing for the race...great drivers can judge their own cars distance and speed as well as those around them he could sense a car a foot or two behind going to fast for the corner and let up enough to let the the just crash in front of him....lap after lap of ducking and dodging bad drivers a performance i can still picture in my head