15 replies to this topic

[Cheater]

Pelican Park Speedway, Eugene, OR, is a slot racing club still going strong after 25 years racing 1/24 scale cars every week without interruption, and is probably one of the longest existing clubs of its kind in the US. It doesn't present a public or commercial "face". PPS is an adults-only key club.





Members have built a custom, fully-landscaped race track 68 feet length that, like many 1:1 race courses, has turns and curves equalling or exceeding the lengths of straights. Thus winning cars possess high torque motors for acceleration and braking and competitive racers/builders emphasize handling over utmost speed.

PPS rules start from the philosophical proposition that the twelve varied classes are designed to encourage performance through inline chassis scratchbuilding innovations and building. Therefore, "what matters" on the track, i.e. what members are competing to determine... is who can build the fastest chassis. Motor performance is not a factor. By requiring stock bottom-line sealed 16Ds with no modifications allowed. members have taken motors... and their costs... out of the equation. Theoretically, everyone races with relatively equal cheap horsepower.

The club's racing schedule rotates through a twelve class schedule, racing 1/24 scale, well-modeled, "hardbodied" slot cars. The classes represent various eras in motorsports from the 1930s to the present.

The club is supported - building rent, utilities, and the cost of maintaining our systems - through monthly dues paid by "the faithful", a dozen full-time members plus occasional guests.

Over half the members have raced in the real world, so the scale replication of real world racing is one of the club's highest goals.

Anyone desiring to join in a truly terrific racing program is welcome to contact Todd at htm210@comcast.net.

[Tex]

I aspire to be part of such an enterprise! If I win the lottery...

[Bill from NH]

I believe Todd Messinger is a Slotblog member. He used to post a lot on here and show us his latest scratchbuilt cars but I haven't seen him here recently.

[Cheater]

Bill,

I am laughing at you. It is crystal clear that you don't go into Freeblog, as if you did you would know Todd is very active in that forum. I jokingly accused him of being addicted to Freeblog in our PM conversation where he requested the listing for Pelican Park.

Todd's Slotblog display name is n9949y and I assume that anyone wishing to join the fun at PPS can PM Todd via his Slotblog account to ask if that is possible. [edit: Todd's email address for contact has been added to the first post.]

[James Wendel]

While I am not a "member" of the Pelican Park club, I am a frequent guest. For me, it's about a 1-1/2 hour drive (one way) and $30 in gas, but I manage to make it up to visit the guys and race every 6 weeks or so... and I always have a great time. Really a great bunch of guys with a terrific racing program.

The racing is always competitive and the companionship is congenial (well, mostly). It's like the theme song to that great old TV show "Cheers":
"Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name,
"and they're always glad you came."

Because I'm not a member, I don't pay dues but I drop a twenty on the treasurer every now and then... just to help keep the lights on. Sometimes I bring cookies. It's all good... club racing at it's finest.

And the racing... oh man !!! It took me a couple of years of occasional racing to make the "A-Main". These guys race here exclusively, every week, and they are dialed in!!!

And the program they use, which is more than i can describe here, is head-to-head racing. Each heat is it's own race... you always know who is in the lead, who's on the lead lap, who is challenging for second. Pulse-pounding down-to-the-wire racing in every heat. You are not counting laps against someone who is not even on the track at the same time. You are racing Mano-a-mano.

Woo-Hoo !!! and if you win... you get a donut (seriously).

[James Wendel]

Oops, I neglected to mention that Todd's cars are, without exception, works of great creativity and fast.

[n9949y]

James brings a spirited keen level of competition and bonhomie when he visits. And his modeling of his cars is impressive, too. We are made better by his participation. He, too, does win an occasional Zanardi (Alex) donut!

[n9949y]

One of our twelve classes is the Monza class for open wheel, front engine '30s-40s Gran Prix, pre-1960s F-1, and Indy cars. When I built a 1/24 1939 Mercedes W154/9, 2004, using a 1961 Hawk kit body, never did I think I'd see a 1:1 real car. This year the Goodwood Revival featured some vintage Auto Unions and Mercedes both factories sent over. With pit passes my son arranged through the RAC, was fortunate to snap this photo:





By the way this is a model of the one, #10, driven by Manfred von Brauchitsch to second place at the Swiss Gran Prix at Berne on August 10, 1939, the last pre-WW II race. It wound up during the war in a Czechoslovakian barn. in 1946 Tommy Lee, who owned a string of California radio stations and Cadillac dealerships, bought the car which was shipped over on the Cunard liner Queen Elizabeth. It became the Don Lee Special raced at Indy in 1946 and '47.

[Bill from NH]

I am laughing at you. It is crystal clear that you don't go into Freeblog, as if you did you would know Todd is very active in that forum.

You're correct, it's not an area I care to visit. It's good to see some of Todd's cars in the above posts of this thread.

[n9949y]

New Fujimi McClaren MP4-12C GT3. Pattos waterslide decals

[Cheater]

Look at the pit babes in the upper RH corner of the last pic in the abive post...

Todd, you guys do scenery right at Pelican Park! LOL.

[RichKraft]

I'm partial to the redhead. She reminds me of my avatar! Hottie for sure.

The brunette looks like Posh Spice, the soccer player's wife. I don't look at other men's wives. Well, I try not to.

A couple of pictures back it looks like the little kitty is rear sniffing the dog getting ready for some raceway action.

[n9949y]

Fujimi BMW Z4 GT3, Patto's water slide decals. Note, left side photo, Said Head Groupie girl with the 36D, not the motor, size.

[n9949y]

With 2014, Pelican park Speedway members start their 27^th year of weekly racing 1/24^th hard body cars on a fully landscaped track.  “Advancing the  Art and Technology of Model Motor Sports.”

 

New members and frequent guest racers hail from Albany, Salem and Roseburg along with newbies from the local Eugene/Springfield area making up grids of 10-14 racers every Wednesday. 12 Classes raced: Dirt Devil, Can- Am, Vintage Trans Am, Vintage ‘50’s Stock cars, ‘60’s Super Stock cars, Modern NASCAR’s, Monza, pre 1960 F-1 & Indy, Tourist Trophy: 50’s prototype sports racers,  ‘60’s Gran Sports,  ‘50’s-‘60’s clubmans, Contemporary Sports-GT’s and Jalopy.

 

Visitors are welcome, and we always have extra hand controls and cars for guests who would like to join our unique evening's program- heat racing- which is patterned after West Coast 1:1 oval track elimination heat races.

[Cheater]

[Howie Ursaner]

N9949/Todd: you do make very nice looking cars.