385 replies to this topic

[Jay Guard]

Clyde:

Pablo nailed it exactly.  I find when virtually any of the approved Stockcar bodies are mounted as he (and the rules dictate) you will find that most times the guide will just barely miss the inner front of the body.

[Eddie Fleming]

IRRA stock car guide lead is mandated by the rules at or less than .750" from center of front axle, and wheelbase is mandated at 4.5". Rule "E", "2d" mandates "The wheels shall be located in relation to the wheel arches in the body".

 

Since the body has to be on the approved body list, there really isn't much room for creativity here. Center the wheels in the wheel wells, make sure the flag, clips, braid etc. don't touch the body when rotated during cornering, and that's basically it.

Well yes and no.

 

I agree it should be rather simple but it depends on how the rules are applied. I have raced against stock cars with 1/4 or more of the front wheel diameter behind the wheel well and some with creative cuttings of the wheel wells that make it impossible to get body rub on the tires. Why do the rules not say centered in the wheel wells rather than in relation to the wheel wells? At least for the front wheels allowing the rears to drift with different bodies that may not be exact 4.5".

 

As for guide flag relation to The body. I have raced and raced other cars that have less than 3/4" guide lead and that changes spacing assuming the wheels are in the same place with relation to the body.

[Clyde Romero]

On this Memorial Day 

let us remember the fallen soldiers, sailors, and airman

who gave all in the many conflicts over the years 

I Know that I am not the only veteran on this forum

so, take a moment to reflect on those who gave the 

ultimate sacrifice for us here today.  

All gave some

Some gave all!

 

For my Vietnam and Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom Vets

Salute

 

 

 

 

 

[Clyde Romero]

I recently did an interview for the Smithsonian channel on my flying in Vietnam 

here is a link to the story 

https://www.smithson...-season-10-ep-5

[Howie Ursaner]

Just watched the Smithsonian video! Incredible story with you  and the Little Bird.You have been very blessed to get through that. Just amazing  what you did there. It is great that the history is there and you can be honored !! Thank you for what you did.!

[Clyde Romero]

Just watched the Smithsonian video! Incredible story with you  and the Little Bird.You have been very blessed to get through that. Just amazing  what you did there. It is great that the history is there and you can be honored !! Thank you for what you did.!

Thanks Howie for the accolades. 
hope you’re doing well

see you at the SANOS hopefully 

 

clyde 

[Clyde Romero]

Well summer is in full swing now along with astronomical gas prices!

slot car racing usually slows down this time of year

down my way we have already seen one track go under.

I am hoping that this is not a trend, especially with inflation causing everything to go up.

Bottom line we are a very narrow spectrum hobby, always have been.

Are resources being small as well, heck the cars are small too!

Hence, we have to concentrate our collective efforts to support the places we all love to race at.

Looks as if the Retropalloza is having a decent turn out.

I missed it this year, I will not miss it next year, promise.

Looking forward to the SANOS as well and Fast Eddies Race in late September

And even though I am a Veteran I always plan on the Fall Brawl in November, its held over Veterans day but there is nothing like the Brawl!

Stay safe guys, the Virus is still out there.

So that's it for now, I will have a new topic on slot cars shortly.

Until then.

 

Clyde 

 

 

[Clyde Romero]

Ever wish you were somewhere else?

Well right now I wish I was racing at the Retropoloza 

It's Africa Hot here in Atlanta 90 plus degrees!  It's got to be cooler on long island!!!! And I miss eating at the Chinese takeout place right next door, this place is right out Beijing, really good food!

When you're in the Z main you can eat at normal hours!

I get asked by my racers down here why would I drive a day and a half; drive 900 miles plus one way and spend $150/night on rooms along with tolls and gas and food knowing you're not going to win that race.

I say this, if that were the case that you only went to win a race, most would not show up

its about the comradery of this unique hobby we call slot car racing.

knowing you can walk into a track hundreds of miles away, and seeing fellow racers call out your name and welcome you to the track.

So that's why I go these races, and its fun.

Right now 2 of my closest racing friends are up there in battle on the king.

as for me November can't get here fast enough, the days get shorter and the drive in the winter can be a challenge, but it is worth it.

I encourage you venture out of your comfort zone and take a road trip to another track and race.

You will not regret it.

Wishing all who went good luck and safe travels.

Until then

 

Clyde 

[Dominator]

Well said Clyde

[Clyde Romero]

Happy Fathers Day to all my racers out there!

[Clyde Romero]

Racers below is a post from one of the Directors of IRRA, and he is spot on with this.

If you attended one of my events, you get a participation box plaque.

yep, this cost money.  It really helps if you sign up to race early so the directors know what to expect.

 

This is a post from Jay Guard a IRRA director 

There is a fair amount of behind the scenes time, effort, and money expended by the GRRR directors and the Raceway owners to put on a GRRR event, and for several reasons it is becoming more and more important to know how many racers we can expect at an event.  Please take the time to sign on to Slotblog and let us know your intention one way or the other by posting in this thread.  It is a pretty small "price" to pay to help GRRR and the Raceway owners to continue to put on our races.  One of the only other alternatives is to actually pre-register, possibly even with payment, but we really DO NOT want it to have to come to this. 

 

Thank You Jay for putting this out there 

[Clyde Romero]

To all the slot car racers out there

have a safe

4th of July 

[Richie]

You too, Clyde!

[Clyde Romero]

Well, the Dog Days of summer are upon us!

its 90 degrees plus everywhere in this great country of ours

anyway, I have decided to jump in my car in 2 weeks and drive up to ERI Pa to race at 

North East Slot Car Raceway to race with Dennis and Dan and meet some new racers and race Retro.

Looking forward to this and I have no expectations of doing well 

for me it's just a meet and greet type of race and I get a chance to reconnect with Dan and Dennis (and the guys from Bldg 11 at the GE Plant) 

Lester who owns the track is a Vietnam Veteran like myself, and a proud patriot.

in talking to him, when he first joined the US Army during the Vietnam War he was stationed much to his displeasure in Germany

Most of you don't realize that the Cold War was still going on during the Vietnam War and we had thousands of troops in Europe.

Lester bitched so much while in Germany they sent him to Vietnam, he wanted to be where the action was.

I believe he was with the 4th Infantry Division, stationed in 4 Corps. 

anyway, it's always good to be around a fellow Vietnam Vet and a slot car racer and track owner.

 

Like I have said in the past, get out and go to different tracks, leave you so called comfort zone, you will learn a lot about yourself!

You will meet like minded racers and learn something as well.

I am just hoping for good weather on the road.

So look for a report and pictures from the race on 30 July.

 

Stay safe out there, we all here reports of the virus reemerging it seems to be very invasive a spreading fast.

let's hope it will not adversely the fall winter racing season.

 

until then racers be safe and smart out there 

 

Clyde  

 

 

 

 

[Clyde Romero]

I get asked from time to time why at my age (72 in August) do I still like slot cars as a hobby

this is the best explanation I have seen to date of why having a hobby is good for you 

​it was from an article I read. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

 

We value excellence and success and productivity in our pursuits. But there’s incredible merit in chasing hobbies you’re not very good at.

Why it matters: Doing hard things sharpens our minds and bodies — and keeps us grounded.

Americans' fixation with perfectionism is chipping away at our mental health, Vox reports. Many of us don't pick up hobbies because we're afraid of being bad at them. 

• We think that once we start something, we have to achieve great things in that field, author Tim Wu writes for the New York Times.
• It's not only OK — it's also good for us to do things purely for ourselves.

Case in point: At the beginning of this year, I set a goal to run at least 10 miles a week, Erica writes.

• For anyone who runs with any regularity, it’s an unimpressive goal. For me — someone who couldn’t run a mile without stopping before the pandemic — it’s a big one.
• I'm not a naturally gifted athlete. The miles I run are slow and steady, and I'm never going to be a champion runner. But sticking to my goal has vastly improved my mental and physical health.
• Most importantly, I'm much braver when it comes to challenging myself and trying even more new things. And I've found that runners who are a lot fitter and faster than I'll ever be respect me a great deal for even trying.

There's a scientific case for this: As we've reported, pushing ourselves to learn new skills — whether mental or physical — has been linked to reduced risk of dementia as we age.

• Struggling, or even failing, is one of the most effective ways to overcome fear and boost creativity. And doing things that we're bad at teaches us to stay humble — and laugh at ourselves. (I do this a lot!)
• On top of that, being OK with being bad at some things is great for peace of mind. "When you refuse to do anything you're not great at, what you're telling yourself is that you're only okay if you're perfect," therapist Aimee Daramus tells Well+Good. "That's going to lead to a lot of pain in life."

The bottom line: If you love to do something, keep at it — even if it's hard and even if you're bad at it.

______________________________________________________________________________________________

 

I could not have said it better

 

tomorrow I leave for ERI Pa to race with the Penn/Ohio crowd up at Lester's track 

Looking forward to catching up with Dennis and Dan.

Until then

be safe 

 

Clyde 

 

 

[Clyde Romero]

All loaded up ready to go retro racing ! 

 

[Dan Ebert]

Clyde made the long trip and raced with us tonight.   Thank you for joining us on a steamy hot night on America's North Coast.  We will have a long day of tuning tomorrow and get the Georgia Peach up to speed on North East Raceway's Reverse Euro Orange. 

[Clyde Romero]

Made it yesterday evening to the track
The raceway has a lot a character
Well worth the trip
Raced RCR last night on the oval using one of Dans cars, thanks Dan
Here are some pictures of the track and Dan



Today Friday we test and tune for the race this Saturday
Looking forward to racing and making new friends
If your ever up this way get a hold of Dan and come visit this track
You will not be disappointed
Until then

Clyde

PS on the way home I will stop off at the USAF museum to see some of the aircraft I flew
2 of them I personally flew I know are in there
Does that make me old?

[Bill from NH]

Not old, but maybe a bit retro! 

[Clyde Romero]

Well I just got back from racing up at North East Slot car Raceway with Dennis and Dan and some great locals 

Dennis is a foreigner (from Canada!)  i.e. the Canadian maple Leaf Flags on his box! 

                                             

It was great to see Lester who is a Vietnam Veteran and served with 9th Infantry Division during the Tet Offensive

___________________________________________________________________________________

on the way up there to the raceway I stopped off at the USAF Museum in Dayton Ohio

I actually flew this aircraft that's behind me RF-101C Voodoo Tail # 166

this aircraft landed at 175 knots plus! 

we called it the Widow Maker!

and this one as well the RF-4C Phantom 

 

Well, that's it for now racers

had a great time up there with Dennis and Dan 

looking forward to the fall racing season

until then 

Clyde 

 

 

 

[Bill from NH]

Nice photos Clyde. The last I saw Phantoms fly was about 40 years ago at a Blue Angels demo at the then Brunswick, ME NAS.

[Clyde Romero]

Nice photos Clyde. The last I saw Phantoms fly was about 40 years ago at a Blue Angels demo at the then Brunswick, ME NAS.

The Blues flew the F-4 the best way better than the Thunderbirds !

[Clyde Romero]

Well, if you have been following some of the topics on what's going on with racing, you can see you have to race what the guys want to race.

and these racers want to race TRUCKS!

Nothing brings this to the forefront like racing at the Viper Pit in Thomasville Ga.

I just came back from racing there on Monday night, we had a blast.

16 racers for the TRUCK SERIES 

9 for the HARD BODY

we raced both classes on the Engleman 

A full house of Racers on a MONDAY NIGHT!

(a school night no less see the kid up front, he raced!)

incredible and lots of fun

they race spec series cars with spec gearing for the classes

the rules are on the website

it's the place to be on Monday nights!

 

Going back as soon as I get back from Europe

going to Belgium for the 

SPA GP !

 

 

 

 

 

[Eddie Fleming]

That's a shame about you having to go to Spa, but I guess somebody had to do it. 

 

Someone (Clyde) told me take a raincoat if you go 

[Richie]

Great turnout! This mean we are racing trucks now? Lol!