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SPECIAL LE MANS EDITION 2013
SlotCarMAG
visit: www.slotcarmag.co.uk
This edition of SlotCarMAG is given away FREE to all participating drivers
Contents
FOR RACERS, COLLECTORS AND BUILDERS Digital Le Mans Special issue • 5-6 APRIL 2014
www.slotcarmag.co.uk
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Salut et Bienvenue! Organisers Alex and Gary welcome you to the race, with some exciting news about next year
4
Test Cars DiSCA tech…with details of the cars that the organisers put together to test the specification of each category
5
Audi R8 Safety Car A quick look at a new addition in the quest for total realism ¬– the Audi that will lead the field away on Saturday
6
Thinking Outside Of The Box Box stock they certainly aren’t! Racing For Holland’s Tamar Nelwan and his scratchbuilt contenders. How will the unique Toyota fare his year?
8
Love Is Like oXigen Last year’s thrills and spills. A trip down memory lane perhaps, or, if this is your first time, this is what you can expect…
12
Audi They Do It? The bare statistics seem to show that Audi have had an easy time at Le Mans over the last few years, but SlotCarMAG’s Ric Woods begs to differ
16
Posillipo Slot Club Claudio Savarese with some insight into this long-established Italian club, and the team with lofty ambitions for this weekend. Forza Posillipo!
18
Entry List Here’s what it’s all about: the participants in the 3rd edition Slot.it Le Mans 24 hours. The very best of luck to you all!
23
Track Map We don’t want anybody getting lost, do we? A handy guide to the twists, turns and very long straight bit of the Le Mans track SlotCarMAG is an independent magazine for the Slot Car enthusiast. It is produced bi-monthly and available to purchase from either: www.pendleslotracing.co.uk (hard-copy, hi res digital) www.lulu.com/uk (hard-copy, print-to-order hi res digital with laminated cover) www.slotcarmag.co.uk (hi-res pdf download) For further information, please contact the publisher via email. Address opposite.
PUBLISHING / WEB: Wayne Tooke: info@slotcarmag.co.uk EDITORIAL: Ric Woods: ric-woods@slotcarmag.co.uk ART & DESIGN: Marc Abbott: marc-abbott@slotcarmag.co.uk SlotCarMAG is printed digitally by LDP Ltd
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Disclaimer: Whilst every effort has been made to accurately compile the information contained herein, SlotCarMAG or any of its contributors or advertisers accepts no liability for any errors and omissions or any inadvertent disclosure of any information not meant for publication. SlotCarMAG neither endorses or accepts responsibility for the reproduction of material supplied that is of sub-standard quality, such as photocopies, laser prints, pre-printed photographs, low resolution digital images etc, and reserve the right to refuse the use of such material, products or services of advertisers in this publication. Opinions expressed shall not necessarily be that of the SlotCarMAG. All information should be verified before being acted upon. It is assumed that all permissions have been obtained by contributors prior to submission to SlotCarMAG. Whilst every effort is made to comply with copyright legislation, SlotCarMAG cannot be held responsible for infringements that are beyond our control. Copyright: Contents of this magazine or our web site, cannot be reproduced in any way, shape or form without the written permission of the publishers.
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W
e are pleased to welcome you to the 3rd edition Slot.it Le Mans 24 hours! This year’s event will see our largest grid to date, and we are thankful for your
support. Over the last two years we have seen that it is possible to win the race with an entirely scratch built car, and an entirely standard car. This should mean that any car built to any specification is capable of victory. The battles have been close fought too, and once more we are anticipating a hard race where the variety of cars will add to the enjoyment of competition. This year we have made some small changes to improve the performance of the circuit. The power is now tapped in to 11 points of the track in an effort to boost electrical continuity. We have also modified the pit lane, increasing the length, expanding to two lanes and placing the entry and exit before and after the starting straight. These improvements come courtesy of Slot.it, who continue to generously support the 24 hours with a valued technical partnership. Three categories adorn the grid once more this year – a GT category with two prototype classes. The P1 cars remain of free specification with increased downforce, while the P2 cars are limited to an inline motor configuration and reduced downforce. Unfortunately we lost a P2 car in the last few weeks before the race, but we will still see a fight for the class win. In GT, support from three teams will provide a battle for the category podium! Outside of the finishing positions, everyone also has the pole position and concours d’elegance to compete for. As is tradition, the Spirit of Le Mans will also be awarded to the team with the most heart over the 24 hours. Finally, we wish to announce a new organisation that aims to make the most of digital slot car racing. “DiSCA” - The Digital Slot Car Association, has been started to govern and promote digital slot car racing in clubs and events from the year 2015 and onwards. Initial plans include a domestic touring car and GT series for the UK, with the Le Mans 24 hours becoming the flagship annual event. Might we even see a Euro Le Mans series in the future? But for now we concentrate on the present – The 5th-6th April to be exact, and we wish everyone good luck and have a fantastic race! Alex and Gary
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
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Every year, Le Mans has its own test day around the end of May, in preparation for the 24hrs. For the 1/32 scale version, the organisation needs to perform its own tests too! In order that the DiSCA has the right tools for the job, for 2014 three test cars were built to the regulations for each of the three categories. Here, you can see how they were put together.
P1 – Audi R18 Ultra
P2 – Courage C65
GT – Ferrari 458 Italia
The Audi R18 began life as an oXigen car in the 2013 Pendle 6hrs. The race was for Group C cars - but the testing was open! So that we could test the track, built in Ninco on top of the Pendle wooden track, the Audi was fitted with a type B oXigen chip. The Audi is completely box standard, conforming only with tyre regulations and having a light kit.
The Courage is a strange slot car from Spirit. After the well-received models of the Reynard 2KQ and Dallara LMP, this release was a little eccentric with a strange adjustable chassis, and a step down from the quality of original equipment. For testing purposes, this would not be too much of a concern. The Flat-6 motor was chosen to sit in the original cradle, and all the running gear was replaced with Slot.it parts. The type A oXigen chip is a near perfect fit around the front body post, and after drilling a hole for the LED there were no problems at all with the installation. The only necessary modification was to the cockpit, where the passenger side floor was removed to make room for the capacitor, and the driver’s right arm removed so that the antenna could protrude directly through the cockpit. As the regulations only require a seat back, driver’s head and shoulders, this modification is fully compliant with the regulations.
With the Carrera architecture, in particular the guide blade, using the original chassis for our Ferrari 458 was out of the question! Italian company PRS manufacture a lovely bespoke aluminum chassis for this car, but the regulations prohibit the use of metal. Original plans were to use an NSR or Ninco chassis, but time constraints meant that we selected the Slot.it HRS in inline form as the quickest and easiest solution. The 21.5k S-can motor is fitted on a standard pod, although an offset pod would certainly improve the appearance and roadholding. The type B chip is fitted in front of the motor pod, with the rest of the open area of the HRS blanked off, but for a hole for the LED. The sides are also covered with simple L sections - proving a convenient location for the Hall effect sensor. The interior is an MB slot, all running gear is Slot.it.
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Audi R8 Safety Car When we started planning the first 24-hour oXigen event there were many discussions about what should be included to make the race feel authentic. We drew up a list and it soon became apparent that there was simply no way we could have fitted all in. Because of this, we decided that we would gradually introduce new features over time; The R8 safety car was one of these. As we ran a retro class in our second year, we concluded that it would be omitted once again since it did not fit the time period. Following feedback and observations from the previous races, it was decided that as we were returning to the modern era we would introduce the Le Mans safety car. We hope that starting the race behind the safety car will ensure a smoother beginning with fewer collisions and add more depth to the overall event.
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
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Toyota TS-030
Thinking outside of the box
By Tamar Nelwan
F
or me one of the most appealing and unique features of the Slot.it oXigen Le Mans 24hrs is the many options it offers to build and create your own car. Whereas most international 1/32nd events tend to have ‘box stock’ or ‘spec class’ tech rules, this event kept its rules true to the Le Mans spirit, challenging the teams to think ‘outside of the box’. Sure, you can take the tried and tested route, buy the latest box standard car, make it fast…and win. But you can also take the challenge to use whatever is in the rules to build something special and unique…. and then try to make it fast…and win. Maybe it’s because I’m not a slot racer, I love race cars, the ones I create and race are just a little bit smaller. Every time I would go to Le Mans there would be one car of which I would say: “That’s what I want to race.” I would come home, build it, the slot was just the place where I would race it. So when I got word of the first edition of the Slot.it oXigen LM 24hrs and read the rules..I knew immediately that I had to take part, and also which car I would build: the Racing for Holland Dome S101. In its box stock form the SCX Dome wouldn’t be on top of a slot racer’s ‘most competitive cars’ list, but under these rules all its so-called ‘deficiencies’ could be overcome. It took some time and effort to lighten and widen the body and to make room for an anglewinder, but its not rocket science, just basic hobby skills. So when we placed the Dome on the grid in Henley I was surprised to see that there was only one other ‘hybrid’ car…the Sports Carazing Peugeot 908HDI !!! The race was a blast with a three-way battle between our scratchbuilt Dome and a Lola and Radical in near stock form, thus proving the balance of performance within the rules. The time period chosen for the 2nd edition ruled out a return of the Dome, so sticking to the ‘Racing for Holland’ theme meant racing the Lola BK98. For this car I made a master based on the Fly Lola, from which we drew a silicone form to laminate a GRP body. The same process was also used to create bucks to draw lightweight lexan parts like the cockpit and headlight lenses. Back in Henley the only other team that had entered a non stock car was again Sports Carazing with their Audi R8R. Thinking outside of the box was apparently not as popular as I had imagined. For this year I have taken on an even bigger challenge; of the 2014 list of eligible cars there was only one that I would want to race – one of the few prototypes that
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Dome SCX base bodyshell with raised rear deck to make room for Flat-6 anglewinder. Louvres added conform to 2005 version, as can be seen in ref pic above. Below; the same but from a different angle
The Dome also had a scratchbuilt chassis made from 0.5 mm thick GRP with a modified Slot.it 1mm offset motor mount.
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
looked good and still sounds good. The only problem was that there was no 1/32nd base model to begin with. To create a Toyota TS030 I would really have to start from scratch...or would I? I contacted the renowned slot car builder Milan Tomasek, the result of his art and craftsmanship, a hand-carved buck of Toyota TS 030. The early master was far from finished...but it was a starting point for me to modify and refine. At the same time a plan B had arisen which was truly the result of some ‘out of the box’ thinking. Fola Osu, a friend and 1/24th slot racer/ model maker, had experimented with adding turpentine to
The finished car on the grid at Henley; it took concours as well!
his silicone moulds to make parts that were a few per cent smaller. So what if I would take a 1/24th mould, could I make that shrink to 1/32nd?? In the end I just tried it and, as you can see, the process works. Work is still in progress at the time of writing the article, I’m half way, I still need to I shrink the master by another 12%. I will probably be working on it until 14:59:59 on Saturday, just before the flag drops to start the race! But I will be racing the one and only 1/32nd Toyota TS 030, one that has never seen the inside of a slot box!
...My Lotus GT1 of the second Racing for Holland team
2013, Cutting the Fly Lola body
1/24th scale model by Studio 27 of the Toyota TS030 prior to silicone Master prepared for the silicone mould
Finished car on the grid at Henley, took 2nd place in concours as first place went to…..
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
Halfway point, after 4 days the silicone mould had shrunk to 87.5 % and a cast was made. I will have to repeat the process at least once more to get down to 1/32nd (the size of Milan’s master on the right). A lot of work, but the amount of detail and accuracy will be much better than that of Milan’s hand-carved buck.
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Le Mans 24 hours:
Love is like 23rd-24th March 2013, Henley-In-Arden, UK
Does this track somehow look familiar? Did you fall asleep at seven o’clock one Sunday morning and not wake up until Monday? This is what you missed, and if you’re new to the race, here’s how some of your rivals performed last year… 8 SlotCarMAG
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
oXigen here were many parallels
T
control checked the time sheets
between the 2013 Slot.it
following Q2 and promptly
dipped in and out of the top three
oXigen Le Mans 24hrs and the
announced that the Racing for
for the entire race, eventually
actual events at Le Mans during the
Holland Lotus Elise would sit on the
coming home in fourth to win the
era chosen, 1997-1999. A Porsche won
pole. To a stunned paddock, perhaps
LMP class from the Audi R8R of
a race that quite frankly anybody
nobody more stunned than RfH’s
Sports Carazing, who themselves
could have won, including the other
Tamar Nelwan, this was an
fought tooth and nail with the
Porsche. A Lotus broke down a lot. A
interesting development. A request
Austrian-entered Nissan R390 for the
McLaren caught fire. Nissan and
was even made for some of the
whole 24 hours. Eventually the
Toyota were fast, but sadly had
‘quick’ drivers in the Lola to transfer
British squad opened a gap to the
nothing to show for it after 24hrs.
across – a request denied under the
Slot Devils on Sunday morning,
The Audi R8R was not fast, but it did
rulebook. In the end maybe it was
which they would hold to the
not break down once, and it finished
better off that way, from starting
chequered flag.
several places ahead of where it
first it would finish dead last after
started simply by driving across the
endless maladies during the 24
separated into the leading bunch
timing line every 18 seconds.
hours. However, a further victory in
with the two Porsche 911 GT1-98s
the concours d’elegance for the
fighting with the Italian Nissan of
of the weekend was qualifying -
pretty Lotus would justify the effort
Posillipo Promotion, and the McLaren
after turning barely a wheel in
put into this two-car entry from the
contingent taking the fight to the
practice due to technical issues, race
Dutch outfit.
Toyota GT-One of Eastcote Exiles.
Perhaps the most interesting result
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
The sister car, a Lola B2k/40,
Elsewhere in GT-1, the battles
SlotCarMAG 9
Later in the race a timing bug in the
particular after sitting P2 after Q1
positions for most of the race, with
RMS made things interesting by
and started fifth on the grid.
just over one hour remaining the
masking the true scores of the
However, various issues for both
positions seemed to settle and we
Wolves McLaren and Eastcote Toyota,
teams, including a chassis swap for
would see Modena triumph by 42
in the end a gap of only 11 laps saw
the Vikings following a monster
laps over rival Italians Posillipo, with
the Midlanders edge them out for
accident on les Hunaudières, saw
California Slot in third place a further
5th place overall – not a bad effort
these British entries slip towards the
38 laps behind. All three cars enjoyed
considering the car was billowing
close.
the lead at various stages.
smoke and flames at the Ford chicane some hours earlier!
At the sharp end Modena Slot Club,
A mention for the sole GT-2 car
Posillipo and the Catalans California
entered by Absolute Slot Racing, the
Slot were trading the lead every
Callaway coming home in 12th place
entered McLarens which would
hour. With only a handful of laps and
overall to put some manners on
feature early on, North Staffs in
frequent re-shuffling of the top three
Racing for Holland’s ailing Lotus.
The Vikings and North Staffs both
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SlotCarMAG 11
AUDI THE LE MANS –
I
f you look at the list of overall
Peugeot, with their snappily-
in the game as night fell, albeit still off
winners of Le Mans for the period
monikered 908 HDi FAP. The first
the pace and falling slowly back…until
we have covered in this year’s
reality check for Audi was in
3.30 a.m., when it began to rain. The
event, apart from the one time when
qualifying, where the three Peugeots
Peugeots weren’t nearly as happy in
it plainly didn’t all go to plan – 2009 –
took the first three places on the grid,
the wet, and a brilliant and brave stint
you could be forgiven for thinking
and the fastest two Audis were some
by McNish saw the Audi taking the
that the mighty Audi team just turn up
five seconds off pole. Le Mans has a
overall lead at 5 a.m., and this was
and, probably out of sheer good
long lap, but you don’t want to be
gradually opened up to a full lap. Then
manners and respect for the
giving away five seconds every time
the rain stopped. The
established protocol, politely wait
around. Of course, there were the
Minassian/Gené/Villeneuve Peugeot
until the end of the race before taking
usual ‘concentrating on race set-up’
was catching fast and was on course to
the big trophy back to Ingolstadt. The
excuses, which were borne out once
retake the lead when, with just two
truth is actually rather different from
the race commenced. Indeed, Allan
hours to go, it started to rain again.
that, and there have been many
McNish was a mere three seconds off
Minassian in the Peugeot opted to stay
occasions on which Audi’s Dr
the pace, but the other two were still
on slicks in the hope that the rain
Wolfgang Ullrich has stared defeat
five seconds adrift, however.
would soon stop, while the Audi pitted
and even tragedy squarely in the face. Back in 2008, the main challenger to Audi dominance was of course
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As things turned out, minor
for wets, letting the Peugeot close
problems with the Peugeots had
right up. Then Minassian spun, giving
meant that the leading Audi was still
the Audi the win. They still finished on
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
EY DO IT?
by Ric Woods
the same lap, and Audi had the
hand on the trophy as the cars moved
weather and the sheer brilliance of
away from the grid on the pace lap.
Peugeots had lost time with problems,
their drivers in the wet conditions to
On a scale of one to ten, things went
leaving the Audi of Bernhard, Dumas
thank for the victory.
wrong by at least eleven for the French
and Rockenfeller second, but two laps
In 2009, the Audi R15 was some way
Two of the remaining three
team. The Audis had managed to stay
adrift of the leading Peugeot as dawn
from being the better car, and was too
in contention early on, due in part to a
broke. Indeed dawn broke, and at 7
far off the Peugeot race pace to be
lengthy safety car period following
a.m. so did the leading Peugeot. A
able to force any significant mistakes.
Nigel Mansell’s crash, while they
long flash of flame from the right-
The best Audi was 3rd, some six laps
repaired the barriers and looked for his
hand exhaust signified a catastrophic
down.
missing moustache, not realising he
engine failure, of the kind we rarely
had shaved it off some years earlier.
see these days. Audi in the lead, but
2010 gave us one of those unforgettable races that Le Mans
Pedro Lamy in the pole-sitting car
being caught by the Peugeot of
throws at us every so often. The
was the first to fail, when a suspension
Gené/Davidson and Wurz, which had
updated Audi R15 was better, but still
wishbone pulled out of the tub after
been delayed by an alternator failure.
only 5th, 6th and 7th on the grid,
only two hours. There was a theory
At 11 a.m. it was a lap down, and with
behind four Peugeots. Despite all the
(which emanated mostly from the Audi
three hours to go it was on the same
statements of “it’s a very long race”
camp, it must be said) that he had been
lap… then smoke appeared from the
and “anything can happen”, Peugeot
pounding over the kerbs in an effort to
right side of the engine – an identical
must have felt they had at least one
open up the gap to the Audis…
failure. Peugeot’s chance of a face-
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
SlotCarMAG 13
saving podium with the Oreca entry
wondering where the Audi had
went the same way in the 22nd hour.
gone… McNish was mercifully only
Even with the help of a couple of
In this era of super-reliable “it’s a
somewhat rattled about, but with
Ferrari 458s, Peugeot couldn’t get that
twenty-four hour sprint” events,
twenty-three hours to go the Audi
follow-up to their 2009 win.
Peugeot had somehow managed
challenge was already blunted. The
Accountancy and motor sport rarely
three blow-ups and a chassis
Scot’s efforts at scaring the team were
mix, and in the midst of a sales
breakage...
to be surpassed by Mike Rockenfeller
downturn and the mess inflicted on us
in the eighth hour, when his R18
all by a bunch of bankers, the plug
year was 2011, and Audi were in much
touched another Ferrari 458 (!) on one
was pulled on the Pugs. Fortunately,
better shape (literally) with the snazzy
of the fastest sections of the rack,
Toyota had intended to use 2012 as a
new R18 coupé. They took pole, but
between the Mulsanne and
‘toe in the water’ year for their TS030,
the new car was somewhat less
Indianapolis corners. The Audi was
a hybrid design which used KERS to
efficient than the Peugeot, requiring
totally destroyed as it slammed into
supply a supercapacitor, and the
two more pit stops and therefore it
the barriers, but Mike walked away
company won many friends by saying
needed to make this time up on the
from this one too, a testament to the
they would step up their effort in 2012
track. The pressure was on from the
amazingly strong ‘survival cell’. So, just
to replace Peugeot. As it turned out,
start, and this may have been a
the one Audi against four Peugeots,
their prototype was wrecked in a
contributory factor when, within the
then. Tréluyer, Fässler and Lotterer in
testing crash, so they were only able to
first hour, Allan McNish had the
the surviving car looked like they were
make their debut at Le Mans anyway.
mother-and-father of all accidents
going to make it, gaining time by
Despite being brand new, the faster of
whilst lapping the Ferrari 458 of
quadruple-stinting their tyres when
the two TS030s qualified in second
Anthony Beltoise. The flying R18 paid
the Peugeots could only triple-stint
place, only just over a second off pole.
scant regard to the gravel trap before
them…but then they developed a slow
slamming down on top of the barrier,
puncture, so the final fuel stop had to
what had happened the previous year,
while bits of new Audi cleared the
be for tyres as well, the Audi leaving
applied as much pressure as they could
debris fencing, including a wheel
the pit lane literally a few seconds
to the Audi team, which was running
assembly which landed right behind a
ahead of the Peugeot of Simon
two different versions of the R18: the
photographer who was still looking in
Pagenaud. The new tyres did their job,
e-tron Quattro four-wheel-drive hybrid,
the wrong direction – doubtless
however, and enabled the R18 to pull
and the more conventional and less
Nobody was surprised that the next
14 SlotCarMAG
out a lead of 13.8 seconds by the end.
The two Toyotas, perhaps mindful of
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
risky R18 Ultra. However, at the end of
To 2013, then, and a race which will
took the rest of the race to get back to
five hours, Anthony Davidson had a
long be remembered for the tragic
5th. McNish, Kristensen and new boy
short flight followed by a massive crash
accident that befell Allan Simonsen,
Duval took the lead, but with all the
in his TS030 after clipping another car
killed when his Aston Martin crashed at
safety car periods the Toyota team
on the approach to Mulsanne Corner.
Tertre Rouge, and for the weather,
were able to hang in there, while the
The car? Another Ferrari 458…
which contributed to a record twelve
second-placed Audi of Jarvis picked up
Davidson sustained back injuries from
safety car periods.
a puncture and was only able to regain
which he thankfully recovered fully,
Audi had three R18 e-tron quattros
third spot in the 22nd hour. Despite
albeit a few centimetres shorter than
ranged against two Toyota TS030s,
their best efforts, Davidson, Sarrazin
he originally was. The remaining
which had already scored successes in
and Buemi had to make do with
Toyota actually led briefly, but then
other rounds of the World Endurance
second place, just one lap down, after
Kazuki Nakajima collided with the
Championship. In qualifying, it would
a race in which the weather must have
experimental DeltaWing in the Porsche
be fair to say that Loic Duval must have
played into the hands of the four-
Curves. He managed to get all the bits
stunned the Toyota team with his pace,
wheel-drive Audis. Toyota had pushed
back to the pits, the car was repaired
some four seconds faster than they
the Audi team all the way, and they
but then had an 11th hour engine
themselves could manage. Showing no
always say it takes three years to win
failure. Rather ominously, it was the
ill effects from (or maybe having
Le Mans, don’t they?
two new e-tron quattros that filled the
learned nothing from) his experience
first two spots, the first win at Le Mans
the previous year, Anthony Davidson
possibly, but Toyota has been hugely
for a hybrid design, with Tréluyer,
diced with Lotterer’s Audi in his TS030
encouraged by its progress – how
Fässler and Lotterer getting their
in the early stages of the race, but
much more has been achieved
second victory in a row. It might have
gradually the Audis pulled away, that
compared with all those years of utter
ended up being an easier win this time,
is, until they tried to give it all back to
mediocrity in F1! – and Porsche will be
but nobody was in any doubt that
Toyota. The leading Audi of the 2012-
fresh on the scene with a new
Toyota was going to be a very serious
winning combo dropped to 24th place
contender; Porsche, you will recall,
contender in the future.
following a crank sensor problem, and
knows all about winning at Le Mans…
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
Can Audi do it in 2014? Quite
SlotCarMAG 15
Posillipo Slot Club The
by Claudio Savarese
T
he Posillipo Slot Club was founded in the city of Naples at the end of the 1965 by two
brothers: Geppino (Gey) and Claudio (Cla) Savarese. Posillipo is the name of the
neighbourhood where Gey and Cla were born and actually live. Several F1 Grands Prix were held in Posillipo racetrack from the 1940s until the early ’sixties, hosting drivers such as Ascari, Fangio, Villoresi, Farina, Surtees and others. Gey, the older brother, was the first to be exposed to some sort of slot car racing at the beginning of the ’fifties. He received, as a gift from his parents, a short track and two electric cars powered by AC current motors. At the end of 1964 it was the turn of Cla to receive a Scalextric set at Christmas time. Since then, the Top picture: Members of the Posillipo Team Right: Roberto Bulzoni
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original figure-of-eight shaped track
Gey has always looked after the
grew slowly but steadily. The year
race organisation and management.
after, a four-lane racetrack 70 feet in
Quite skilled in electronics, he was
length was permanently installed in
able, during the 1970s, to design
the house. The birth of the Posillipo
and build a computer fully dedicated
Slot Club is dated on the 27th of
to lap timing and scoring. A
December 1965, when, for the first
sequence of red, amber and green
time, a race was recorded in writing.
lights were the normal starting
From there on, all races have been
procedure, with an automatic stop-
recorded together with year results,
and-go penalty solely for any car to
lap and race best time and all data
jump the start. This was long before
of each championship winner.
the full scale F1 decided to use the
Four basic rules are the soul of the PSC: • Driving skill must win
same scheme! Since the ’eighties, software programmed using visual basic (VB)
some types of races (club
runs on Windows and is fully
cars are used, first choice
integrated with the track power and
of car and starting lane is
the race management rules.
for the lower ranked pilot) • The ability to handle cars
Cla has always been passionate about the track and the cars, trying
and customise the stock
to make them faster and faster.
models must win some
Today it is normal for him to lead
other types of races (the
the Posillipo team, or participate
only limits to the car
with other groups in endurance
technical specifications
races. To date, he has entered 24-
are: max length, width,
hour races 32 times, scoring one
height and tyres that must
victory (France) and 4 podiums
be rubber).
(Germany, Italy, UK).
• Nothing has to happen by
We at the PSC have been racing
chance (No marshalling is
over the 49 years of activity a great
envisaged in any of the
deal of makes of both 1/24 and 1/32
PSC racing styles. Each
scale models: Scalextric, Monogram,
driver is able to cut the
Polistil, Cox, Revell, Fly, SCX, Exin,
power to the track. The
Ninco, Slot.it, NSR and several mixes
number of cuts is limited
of everything.
and a heavy, but always constant, delay in cutting power penalises the faulty driver) • All pilots must have a
It is easy to explain why PSC have an interest in the oXigen Le Mans race: The rules are quite intelligent, easy to follow but giving freedom to always find new ways of improving
chance of winning
performance and durability of the
(several championships
model.
are run in parallel during the season: short stints, endurance, handicap and others)
The oXigen way of racing is far superior to the analogue classic style. Racing on a racetrack reproducing a real race is thrilling.
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
Pictures: (1) The first race record (2) Self built lap counter and timing scheme (3) Self built lap counter and timing hardware (4) The two cars of the very first Scalextric set
SlotCarMAG 17
TEAM ENTRY LIST
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24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
1
P1
Driven by:
FERRARI (ITA), FERRARI (ITA), CASSANDRA (ITA), FLUCKIGER (CHE), SCATENA (ITA)
About A new team name for the 2013 champions who enter P1 with the Audi R18 e-tron quattro. This all-wheeldrive racer will be true to the revolutionary Audi hybrid in terms of drive train, but can the team of five defend their title and emulate Audi Sport’s success? The nature of Le Mans has seen it grow into a true proving ground for technology - in all scales! Pascal Fluckiger joins the squad from Slot.it Club Geneve to strengthen the already notable driver line-up.
Posillipo Promotion 1965 (ITA)
2
P1
Driven by:
SAVARESE (ITA), ALIBERTI (ITA), RUSSO (ITA), BULZONI (ITA)
About The Napalese team returns for the third consecutive year, to challenge for victory in P1. On the podium for the previous two years, the familiar driver line-up of Savarese, Aliberti and Russo will be sure to mount a strong challenge. Joined by Roberto Bulzoni, Posillipo will be looking to benefit from all the learning gained from running the Lola B09 coupe in 2012. There’s only one step on the podium left to climb for this charismatic outfit.
Mospmis-California Team (ESP)
3
P1
Driven by:
MUŃOZ. F (ESP), OSUNA (ESP), MUŃOZ. I (ESP), RUIZ (ESP), NAVASQUILLIO (ESP)
About A combined 33 years of experience in this team from Barcelona, Mospmis-California Team represent the P1 challenge from the California Slot Speedway. The Lola B09 should prove a reliable workhorse for the Spaniards to practice their craft, but the race will throw plenty of challenges for the first-timers who may be used to somewhat smaller circuits. The Spanish have fared well over the years, and this outfit could be dark horses to watch for.
Dutch Touch Slotracing (NLD)
4
P1
Driven by:
VONK (NLD), v.d.HURK (NLD), KIEVIT (NLD), KLOPPENBURG (NLD), KARMAN (NLD)
About Regulars at Le Mans will recognise every name on this roster as the formidable Dutch are back in force under Kevin Vonk’s Dutch Touch banner. The super driving skills of each of these pilots paired with the technical wizardry of crew chief Willem Kloppenburg should not be underestimated! After a quiet year in 2013, this team will want to be back where they belong – right at the front. Expect the orange Radical to represent a serious challenge to the P1 field.
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
SlotCarMAG 19
TEAM ENTRY LIST
BB Slot Reggio (ITA)
TEAM ENTRY LIST
North Staffs SSRC (GB)
5
P1
Driven by:
BAILEY (GBR), MADDOCK (GBR), WAIN (GBR), HILLS (GBR)
About The friendly yet competitive North Staffs team return for a third successive year, bullishly opting for an entry in the P1 category. Another team where everybody has raced at Le Mans before, their experience could be pivotal when it comes to making those race-changing decisions. North Staffs have been keeping their eye in by racing in the PSR-organised Group C oXigen races, so it’s a safe bet they’ll hit the ground running in the first practice session. The team opt for the proven Lola B10 coupe.
Pendle Slot Racing (GBR)
6
P1
Driven by:
HIRST (GBR), HIRST (GBR), THOBURN (GBR), THOBURN (GBR), EDWARDS (GBR), MASON (GBR)
About One of the most famous names in British slot car racing returns for 2014 after taking a year out in 2013. PSR stick with the Radical chassis, the car in which they nearly toppled Racing for Holland in 2012 to challenge for victory in the dying moments. After having to settle for second, the Pendle team will only be targeting one result this year - first place. Brothers Neil and Nic Hirst are joined by Rob Mason, and from clubs in the south of England Julian Edwards, alongside Graeme and Jack Thoburn.
ProSpeed Slot Racing (DEU)
7
P1
Driven by:
NALBACH (DEU), PIETER (DEU), RÜBEN (DEU), WELSCH (DEU), EHL (DEU)
About A brand-new team from Germany will arrive at Le Mans this year under the captaincy of Stefan Nalbach. The ProSpeed team have plenty of endurance racing experience on the continent, including victories in several German 24-hour races and the spoils from the German national GT championship LMES. Car OnLine magazine editor Alexander Ehl features in the squad, who enter the formidable Audi R18.
Racing for Holland (NLD)
8
P1
Driven by:
NELWAN (NLD), SKIPP (GBR), OSU (NGA), v.ALTENA (NLD), GRAINGER (GBR)
About Embracing the spirit and the challenge perhaps unlike any other, Tamar Nelwan’s Racing for Holland entry brings a bespoke model of the Toyota TS-030 to the grid. Commissioned from master model maker Milan Tomasek (MTR32), this car is bound to attract some attention in the P1 category. A late change to the driver line-up sees 2012 participant Sebastiaan van Altena join the squad, the man arguably responsible for keeping Racing for Holland firmly in first place during the closing stages of the inaugural race.
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24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
9
P1
Driven by:
FISHENDEN (GBR), ALLEN (GBR), AINSCOW (GBR), FOVARGUE (GBR), GEARY (GBR), MAY (GBR)
About From the south-east coast travel the Viking squad – for the third year and with a third team captain. In 2014 Keith Fishenden leads the way with five team mates, all of whom have raced at Le Mans in previous years. Vikings have decided to up-spec the Radical SR9 to run in P1, where the Dutch Touch car will prove a useful yardstick. The team will be looking to make an impression on the leading P1 cars, while at the same time maximising the enjoyment to be had from the Le Mans race weekend.
Eastcote Exiles (GBR)
11
P2
Driven by:
BROOKS (GBR), WHITE (GBR), BRICE (GBR), UNDERWOOD (GBR)
About Buoyed by a positive showing in 2013, Eastcote return with an unchanged driver line-up to tackle Circuit de la Sarthe once more. Possibly the favourites for a class victory, the London-based racers will need to manage a trouble-free race to fend off the challenge from other P2 contenders. They showed they had the speed last year, can they wrap up their category and take home the spoils? Eastcote are another team to have raced on oXigen recently in the United Kingdom.
Hopeful Six (GBR)
12
P2
Driven by:
JONES (GBR), THORPE (GBR), WHITE (GBR), HILL (GBR), SAVIDGE (GBR)
About Alex Jones brings fellow drivers from Quorn Slot Car Club and Melton Mowbray to Le Mans, as the EastMidlanders unite under a brand new collective for 2014. With four drivers having competed in the Pendle oXigen endurance event last year, adapting to the challenges of Le Mans should not be an insurmountable task for these wood-track-based racers. The team is the only one to enter the Porsche RS Spyder in the P2 category.
Olifer Racing Stop & Go (PRT)
14
P2
Driven by:
FERREIRA (PRT), FERREIRA (PRT), FERREIRA (PRT)
About Sadly, Olifer Racing Stop & Go are unable to make the grid due to a last minute cancellation. We wish the Portuguese brothers well, and hope to see them in 2015.
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
SlotCarMAG 21
TEAM ENTRY LIST
Vikings (GBR)
TEAM ENTRY LIST
California Slot Aloyshop (ESP)
16
GT
Driven by:
JULVE (ESP), CARCELLER (ESP), FARGAS (ESP), TABARES (ESP), BARRIOS (ESP)
About Daniel Julve returns with his team for the third successive year to tackle the GT category once more, using the category-winning Saleen S7 that the team campaigned in 2012. Le Mans experience for most of the team, and multiple California Speedway Digital championship titles to boast between them! After a successful race at CarthagoBarna, this team will be looking to carry their momentum all the way to the top step of the podium.
Wolverhampton Wolves (GBR)
17
GT
Driven by:
BARTLE (GBR), COCKERTON (GBR), WIXON (GBR), EVANS (GBR), GOUGH (GBR), CLEMENTS (GBR)
About An almost unchanged driver line-up from Wolverhampton introduces Ben Clements (Demon Slot) as the sixth member of a squad with maximum experience at Le Mans. This youthful team will doubtless have the speed and the energy to put up a fight for the whole 24 hours, but they’ll need to look after their car and keep out of the penalty box to translate that speed into success! The Corvette is known machinery for the squad, who ran the same car in 2012.
Absolute Slot Racing (GBR)
18
GT
Driven by:
BIZZELL (GBR), BROWNSON (GBR), BROWNSON (GBR), CHILD (GBR)
About Paul Bizzell returns for his third Le Mans, with his team assembled from the breadth of England. A switch to the Aston Martin puts them in direct competition with the Corvette, and alone in the challenge of tackling the American muscle of the GT field. Absolute Slot Racing describe themselves as “Gentlemen Drivers” – can they spring a surprise and upset the favourites? We can be sure that whatever happens, the positive attitude of this team will mean we definitely see an Aston Martin cross the finish line on Sunday afternoon.
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24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
24 Hours Le Mans oXigen Slot.it Digital
SlotCarMAG 23
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www.slotcarmag.co.uk The bi-monthly Slot Car Magazine. Copies available from: Pendle Slot (www.pendleslotracing.co.uk) or LULU Publishing (www.lulu.com/uk) and PDF copies from www.slotcarmag.co.uk