Model Car Racing Magazine

Live-Action Pit Stops With Digital

84

Riverside Raceway

November/December 2015

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Build Your Own Race Track Race Track Tests:

• BMW Z4 GT3 • Audi R18 4-Wheel Drive • Le Mans-Winning Mirage G8

Flip to Page 7

to compare with the real car!

Claudia Hürtgen, Stian Alexander Sorlie and Jörg Müller drove this BMW Z4 GT3 at the 2010 ADAC race at the Nurburgring. The car carried the “press” introduction paint scheme but with a number 91. — BMW AG Photo

84

Model Car Racing 3

84

CONTENTS ON THE COVER: The NSR 1/32 scale replica of the BMW Z4 GT3 at the 2010 ADAC round at the Nurburgring in 2010. ---BMW AG Photo

1/32 SCALE MODEL CAR RACING: 7 TRACK TEST

LeMans NSR 2010 BMW Z4 GT3

by Marc Purdham

10 Digital Racing Live Pit Action

by Robert Schleicher

11 Real Race Track Plans

2-Lane Mugello Circuit for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco, Carrera (with optional lane-changing) on a 13 x 23-foot tabletop with LIVE ACTION PIT STOPS.

by Robert Schleicher

14 Race Tracks on a Tabletop

2-Lane Mugello Circuit for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco or Carrera (on a 4 x 8-foot tabletop

by Robert Schleicher

17 Tech Tips

Adjusting Independent Front Wheels

by Robert Schleicher

18 Home Racing

Build A Wood Race Track Part 3: Cutting The Slots & Painting

by Robert Schleicher

19 Tech Tips

Routing The Slots

by Robert Schleicher

21 Tech Tips

Fixing Routing Mistakes

by Robert Schleicher

23 Tech Tips

Painting The Track

by Robert Schleicher

25 Vintage Racing

Studio 65 1952 Ferrari 212

by Robert Schleicher

27 Formula 1

Scalextric 1969 Brabham BT26A-3

by Albin Burroughs

15 TRACK TEST

Supertuned Racers, Part 124: Magnet-Free Front “Steering” Shoot-Out Solid vs. Independent-Rotating vs. One-Way Ball Bearings Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8

by Marc Purdham 4 Model Car Racing

29 Historic Racing

1969 Formula 1 Grid in 1/32 Scale

32 Your Track

Gary Knabe’s 3-lane 12 x 18-foot wood Riverside Raceway

36 Track Test DIGEST:

Summary of 16 Full Race Track Test Reports on 7 Model Racing Cars

by Marc Purdham

1/24 SCALE MODEL CAR RACING: 24 Vintage Racing

Monogram 1/24 Scale Kurtis Midgets

by Robert Schleicher

HO MODEL CAR RACING: 38 Home Racing

Scalextric Super Karts

by Bill Wright

42 Tech Tips

Inline, Sidewinder or Anglewinder?

by Robert Schleicher

44 TRACK TEST

Supertuned Racers, Part 125: Magnet-Free LeMans Slot.it 4-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro

by Marc Purdham

44 TRACK TEST

Supertuned Racers, Part 125: Magnet-Free LeMans Slot.it 2-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro

by Marc Purdham

40 Home Racing

4-Lanes with Auto World Track

47 Track Plans

4-Lane Mugello Circuit for 4 x 8-Feet

by Robert Schleicher

DEPARTMENTS:

6 Editorial: The Zen of Model Car Racing 48 Club Directory 49 Pit Board 50 Index, issues number 79 through 84 52 New Stuff

On Your Tablet:

Model Car Racing is now available for iPad or Kindle. Just click on the Apple iTunes icon and search for Model Car Racing to order individual issues, subscriptions or a limited number of back issues. There’s more information on page 58 of this issue.

Where To Buy Model Car Racing Products:

Dealers: A listing of the addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, and websites of all the dealers that carry Model Car Racing magazine appears on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com Manufacturers: A listing of the addresses and websites of firms that manufacture model car racing products appears on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com:

More Information: 54 Home Racing

Tech Tips Painting Plastic Track

by Robert Schleicher

There is an Index of all of the past issues, a Digest of the results of the first 291 cars in our Race Track Test series, Pros and Cons of plastic track by brand, the Pros and Cons of the four digital systems, Pros and Cons of 1/43 scale and an index of the 157 previously published track plans, by size, on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com.

Model Car Racing 5

Editorial ������������������������� The Zen Of Model Car Racing (Much, much more than just racing) We call this model car racing to make it clear that these are cars that are designed to be raced. You already know that but there are at least a million folks out there who have not yet discovered that you can race model cars on a tabletop track. You may not, however, understand as much as you think you do about how much of the fullsize cars racing experience that these 1/32, 1/76, 1/43 and 1/24 scale model racing cars have recreated.

Do My Eyes Deceive Me? Yes, what you see is much less than what you perceive with these cars. There is more to this than just watching a red or a silver block zipping around the back of a flat black snake. All of the cars that are being produced today are exact replicas of some specific full-size car (allbe-it with a few imaginary paint schemes). You are not just racing a car, you are racing Fernando Alonso’s 2014 Ferrari or Stirling Moss’ 1958 Mille Miglia-winning Mercedes or, or, or. And the other cars are just as real as yours so the action itself---the race---is as real as sitting in a Ferrari at Daytona. But you throw away a lot of that excitement by just standing up there and driving your red or silver block.

It Only Looks Real If You Take A Real Look Our model car racing tracks are generally assembled or built on a tabletop that is about 30-inches from the floor. Some of us assemble tracks on the floor. With either elevation, however, you are seeing the race from the perspective of a helicopter pilot. Yes, television converge now includes a lot of those sky high shots but the real excitement is down there trackside. We forget that these cars are replicas of full-size cars that we usually only see from down beside the track. From that helicopter height, the cars blur into red ’uns and silver 'uns--the details blurred with the distance.

Most of us are looking for as much help as we can get from experienced model car racers. Many of the folks that have been racing for 30 or 40 years will tell you, that if you want to see real racing, run the race near eye level so you can actually see what’s happening down there on the track. Try it, driving car at whatever speed seems most realistic you---remember the full-size cars usually take a parade lap at slow speed so that realism is there for you recreate as well as the faster racing action.

All of our model racing cars are actually faster than the full-size versions so you may not want to use full power for this exercise in stepping into your alternate universe.

You can make it a rule with your group or club that at least one race will be held with the drivers sitting or kneeling beside that 30-inch high table (or laying down, if track is on the floor) so your eyes are just a few inches above the level of the track. Your lap time most certainly will be slower because you will not have the depth perception you get from driving from that helicopter. And, some will be better at adapting to the new view than others. So you may not win. If that bothers you, do it on your own where there won’t be witnesses to your ineptitude. Alone, though, you only have one car in action---with two or three or four, the racing is even more a recreation of 1/1 action.

6 Model Car Racing

Four Dimensions We do what we can to present these model cars as they truly are; exact replicas of real racing cars. You can compare the trackside views of cars like the one on the cover and on page 7 and you will have a tough time determining which one is the model and which one is the 1/1 car. Turn to page 10, however, and it is obvious that car is a model because you are viewing it the way you would see it if you were holding that model in your hand. The overhead shots make it clear that these are models---the trackside views can be mistaken for the real thing (which is precisely what the folks that made the models and our photographers intended). But we can only offer two dimensional views. We have created a few videos to add the dimension of action with GT, Trans-Am, Formula 1 and LeMans LMP1 cars racing around the Laguna Seca track. There are two videos on the www.modelcarracingmag.com home page, a camera car’s view (as Modern GT cars at Laguna Seca) and the view of a slot car driver (Real Race Car Sound) examples.

A camera car’s view of modern GT cars racing at Laguna Seca: http://youtu.be/FdR8q3w6LKA To see your imagination at work in two dimensions plus action you can also rent or download the 2012 version of the movie Anna Karenina. The incredible scenes in the movie where the toy train morphs into a real train are repeated every time you race a model car on a tabletop track. For more insight about how your imagination works take a good look at the illustrations in one of Rob Gonsalves books like Imagine A Day and Imagine A Night. We are doing what he illustrates by making these model cars real.

For us, this works in 3D---you can hold your imagination in your hands, rotate it to see at the same perspective you view the full-size car, and feel that the model does, indeed, weigh about what you’d expect it would weigh if reduced to 1/32 scale. You can race it so you add the dimension of action; there really is no substitute for racing the "real" thing, that 1/32, HO, 1/43 or 1/24 scale car on a tabletop track---your car is a three-dimensional machine with the added dimension of action.

Zen And The Art Of Model Car Racing 1974 You might also imagine that the most realistic view of a race car would be from the driver’s seat. Most race car cockpits from any given era and type of car are very similar so you would have some trouble determining what car you are driving from what you could see from behind the wheel. What makes racing model cars on tabletop so interesting is that we can actually see the entire car that we are driving. What’s more, we have very much the same amount of control that the driver of the full-size car has. For a race car fan, it is the best of both worlds---you get to be both driver and spectator at the same time.

Robert Pirsig’s 1974 book Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance suggested that much of the joy of riding and maintaining a motorcycle (or a car) derives from what could be called subconscious images, you are one with the car (that’s the Zen part). Using your entire being to control a motorcycle is part of what Keith Code teaches motorcycle racers and one of the top women drivers in America, the late Denise Mc-

Cluggage, taught it as well for both race car drivers and for ski racers in her The Centered Skier book in 1977.

That “out of body experience” comes with the game when you are racing model cars because you really are in two places at once, outside the car watching and “inside” using that hand controller to drive car at the limits of it’s tire adhesion.

iHobby Expo March 12 and 13, 2016.

The National Hobby show, the iHobby Expo, is now at the New Jersey Expo Center, in Edison New Jersey, about 20-minutes from the Newark Airport. The iHobby Expo (www.hmashow.com/Public.html) is the largest gathering in the United States for the model car racing importers and manufacturers. Usually, Scalextric, Slot.it, AFX and Auto World have demo tracks as well as displays of their latest products.

Volume 14, Number 6 (issue number 84) November/December 2015 Publisher: Robert Schleicher

Technical Editor: Chris Walker

Editor: Robert Schleicher

Track Test Editor: Marc Purdham

Layout & Design: Aaron Tipton - aaron@atgd.net Contributing Editors: Mark Gussin Jeremy Dunning Jason Boye Dan Wilson Alan Schwartz Dan Esposito Brad Bowman Bernard Sampson Pat Dennis Editors Emeritus: Rocky Russo Bill Sipple Jose Rodriguez Jim Russell Bob Braverman Ron Klein

Albin Adams

Circulation & Dealer Contact: email: modelcarracingmag@hotmail.com Model Car Racing Publications, Inc. 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142 Boulder, CO 80301-3346 website: www.modelcarracingmag.com Model Car Racing (USPS 020-443, ISSN 1538-9170) is published bimonthly by Model Car Racing Publications, Inc., 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142, Boulder, CO 80301-3346. Copyright 2015, Model Car Racing Publications, Inc. Individual issue price $6.95. No current issues or back issues are available from the publisher but a list of dealers who carry the magazine is on the website at www.modelcarracingmag.com. All sales and subscriptions are not returnable.

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Track Test: Le Mans: NSR 2010 BMW Z4 GT3 Shoot-Out: Sidewinder vs. Anglewinder vs. Inline The NSR BMW Z4 GT3 is available with an inline, anglewinder or sidewinder motor pod. We have previously tested NSR cars with inline and anglewinder pods but this is the first Race Track Test of an NSR sidewinder. The chassis in all the NSR cars are very similar so any of the three motor pods will fit most cars. The performance of any of the NSR cars should, then, be very similar to the results we achieved with this 2010 BMW Z4 GT3.

You can compare the NSR 1/32 scale model to the full-size car — the model is on the cover (and on page 9) — this is the fullsize car.

■■Track Tests by Marc Purdham The BMW Z4 GT3 was designed to contest the popular GT3 class in the FIA GT3/GT1 European Championship, the International GT Open, and the ADAC GT Masters against a dozen other brands beginning in 2010. The “GT3” class rules allow enough modifications so cars as varied as a tiny Lotus Exige can effectively compete against cars like the massive Bentley Continental GT3. The rules allowed BMW to replace the road car's six-cylinder engine with a 500 horsepower 4.4 liter V8. The front suspension is also unique to the GT3. The steel inner body has a welded-in safety cell but the visible portions of the body, including the front and rear aprons, hood, roof, rear wing, and many other components are made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CRP). The racing GT3 looks

like the street Z4 but it is about 400 kilograms lighter. There’s more information n the 2012-2013 BMW Z4 GT3 in the July/August 2013 number 70 issue.

The NSR replica of the 2012 BMW Z4 GT3 is a nice recreation of the shape of the full-size car. The wheels and tires are smaller than accurate 1/32 scale but that has become a “feature” of many of 1/32 scale replicas of modern era race cars. You can replace the rear tires with more accurate-size 10.0 x 20.4 mm Super Tires 1410RC silicones, 1410RT Yellow dogs or another brand of silicone or urethane tire with the stock rear tires on the front wheels. The larger tires fill the wheel wells so the model looks more like the full-size BMW racer than a “cruiser” street rod.

Model Car Racing 7

The NSR chassis is more flexible and the body is thinner than most other brands so tightening-down the motor pod should prove helpful in increasing the chassis stiffness. The front and rear wheels are aluminum with setscrew mounts. The motor pod’s mounting screws can be adjusted to produce faster lap times by loosening or tightening, depending on your track surface and tires. This process is described in the” Six Screw Hop-Up” article in the July/August 2013 number 69 issue (which is also at www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Sample Issues”) We Race Track Tested the BMW with the downforce magnet in place and with the stock tires. The downforce magnet is strong enough to keep the car planted at some really quick cornering speeds.

The NSR BMW Z4 GT3 is one of the lightest 1/32 scale cars we have tested, just 5 grams heavier than the ScaleAuto BMW Z4. The BMW is nearly a half-ounce lighter than either the NSR inline or anglewinder cars thanks to that small motor. The lack of weight should have resulted in the sidewinder BMW achieving better performance than the inline or anglewinder cars but it was the opposite.

The light weight and relatively low torque motor made it difficult to modulate the throttle for smooth cornering.

If you want to try to add more weight to bring BMW up to the weight of an inline car you have a half ounce play with. It is doubtful you will be able improve its performance much by simply adding weight—it is more likely that you can discover a gear ratio that is better suited to the small motor. The quick way to more performance, though, would be simply to buy a new NSR inline motor pod, Boxer motor and gears....

½½ Shoot-Out: Sidewinder vs. Anglewinder vs. Inline This Race Track Test provided opportunity to compare the performance of one brand of model race car fitted with an inline, an anglewinder and a sidewinder motor pod. There’s more information on inline, anglewinder and sidewinder chassis on pages 42-43. The Indy F1 Scalextric Classic and Carrera test tracks are relatively tight, so there is more emphasis on cornering ability than all-out acceleration or top speed.

The NSR chassis seems to work best on both the smooth Carrera track surface and on the rougher surface of the Scalextric Classic test track with the inline motor pod. The cars with the sidewinder and anglewinder pods produced nearly the same speeds but the car with the inline pod and motor is significantly faster.

There is no simple way of determining if the difference is the result of the motor alone but the anglewinder and inline have essentially the same motor so the motor is not likely a factor with them---the sidewinder is a slightly different motor.

In reality, the amount of downforce the magnet produces can have more effect than motors or gearing or weight distribution. We will test the NSR BMW Z4 GT3 with its sidewinder pod and with the downforce magnet removed and replace the rear tires with number 1410 Super Tires silicones and report the results in the next issue.

One of the theories about why a sidewinder car could turn quicker laps times than a car with either an inline or anglewinder chassis is that the sidewinder places more weight on the rear wheels for better traction and, perhaps, more predictable control. However, NSR has fitted a smaller motor in their sidewinder so the model is about a half-ounce lighter than either the NSR anglewinder or inline chassis pod (which both have the same “Boxer”-style motor).

The quickest cars in 15 years of race track testing on pages 42-43 suggest that an inline motor might be a disadvantage running magnet free but there is really no significant difference between inline, anglewinder and sidewinder running with magnets---what is significant, is that a properly setup magnet-free car is as nearly quick as an out-of-the-box car with its downforce magnet. The downforce magnet is strong enough to keep the car planted at some really quick cornering speeds.

8 Model Car Racing

NSR Cars Overall Weight, Front Weight & Rear Weight: NSR BMW Z4 GT3 Sidewinder Overall Weight: 75 grams (2 5/8 oz.)

Weight on Front Tires: 30 grams (1 1/8 oz.)

Weight on Rear Tires: 45 grams (1 1/2 oz.)

NSR Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 Anglewinder 85 grams (3 oz.)

Weight: Weight: 30 grams (1 oz.)

Weight on Front Tires: 55 grams (2 oz.)

Weight on Rear Tires: NSR 2010 Porsche (997) 911 GT3 RSR Inline 82 grams (2 7/8 oz.)

Weight: Weight: 30 grams (1 oz.)

Weight on Front Tires: 52 grams (1 7/8 oz.)

Weight on Rear Tires:

The BMW Z4 GT3 contested the GT3 Series (gt3europe.com) and the Blancpain Endurance Series (http://blancpain-endurance-series.com/). There was a far greater variety of makes and models in the Blancpain Series including: • Aston Martin DBR9 and V12 Vantage (Scalextric and SCX) • Aston Martin V12 Vantage (NSR and Carrera) • Audi R8 LMS (Scalextric, Ninco and Carrera) • Bentley Continental GT3 (Scalextric) • BMW M3 (Carrera and SCX) • BMW Z4 GT3 (NSR and ScaleAuto, coming from Scalextric and Carrera) • Chevrolet Corvette C6R GT3 (Scalextric and Ninco) • Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 (Carrera) • Ferrari F430 (Scalextric, Ninco and Carrera) • Lamborghini Gallardo LP560 (Scalextric and Ninco)

• Lamborghini Murcielago (Scalextric and Ninco) • Lotus Evora (Scalextric) • Lotus Exige V6 Cup GT3 (Scalextric) • Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 (Ninco, ScaleAuto SCX and Carrera) • McLaren MP4-12C GT3 (Scalextric) • Nissan GTR GT3 (Scalextric) • Porsche 911 (997) RSR (Scalextric, Ninco, Carrera and SCX) • Alpina B6 (not available in 1/32 scale) • Lamborghini LP600 (not available in 1/32 scale) • Nissan 370Z (not available in 1/32 scale) • SOURCE: www.m-power.com

Model Car Racing Track Test: "Out-of-the-Box" Lap Times Modern Le Mans GT Cars With Magnets Shoot-Out: Sidewinder vs. Anglewinder vs. Inline

36-foot Scalextric Indy F1 Course:

36-foot Carrera Indy F1 Course:

NSR 2013 BMW Z4 GT3 (sidewinder)

4.17 sec.

3.82 sec.

NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage (anglewinder)

4.04 sec.

3.83 sec.

NSR 2011 Porsche 997 GT3 (inline)

3.80 sec.

3.63 sec.

ScaleAuto 2012 BMW Z4 GT3 (sidewinder)

3.90 sec.

3.60 sec.

Carrera 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 (inline)

4.13 sec.

3.93 sec.

Scalextric 2010 Corvette C6R GT2 (sidewinder)

4.02 sec.

4.63 sec.

SCX 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT-3 (inline) 3.61 sec.

3.85 sec.

NINCO ProRace 2005 Toyota Supra JGTC (anglewinder) 3.81 sec.

3.74 sec.

NOTES: The lap times and other test results for all of the track tests in the first 84 issues are available on www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Model Resources”, then click on the link “Race Car Test Results”. We performed a full Model Car Racing Track Test on the NSR 2012 Aston Martin V12 Vantage (anglewinder) in the May/June 2014 number 75 issue, the NSR 2011 Porsche 997 GT3 (inline) in the September/ October 2012 number 65 issue, the ScaleAuto 2012 BMW Z4 GT3 in July/August 2013 number 70 issue, the Carrera 2011 Ferrari 458 Italia GT2 in the July/August 2012 number 64 issue, on the Scalextric 2010 Corvette C6R GT2 in the March/April 2012 number 62 issue, in the SCX 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in the March/ April 2012 number 62 issue, the SCX Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT-3 in the March/ April 2012 number 62 issue and the NINCO ProRace anglewinder 2005 Toyota JGTC Supra in the March/April 2006 number 26 issue.

The NSR BMW Z4 has a fully-adjustable chassis with a three-screw-mount motor pod and a sidewinder motor.

The short sidewinder motor concentrates most of the bulk toward the rear to provide better traction especially when running magnet-free.

Model Car Racing 9

Digital Racing Live Pit Action The Pit Lanes on the 13 x 23-foot Mugello Circuit plans on pages 11-13 of this issue can be recreated with either Scalextric or Carrera digital track sections. An article on pit walls and timing boxes for the Scalextric Digital system appeared in the January/February 2014 number 72 issue and on the Carrera pit lanes in the March/April 2014 number 73 issue.

The Scalextric and Carrera Digital systems include track sections that you can arrange to duplicate the pit lanes on a full-size race track, including the pit wall and timing stands that race crews use to monitor and signal the drivers. There’s more information on the Carrera Digital 132 pit lanes in the March/April 2010 number 50 issue and updates on latest Carrera Digital 132 pit and race management systems in the March/April 2011 number 56 issue. All five articles are on www.modelcarracingmag.com under the top link “Sample Issues”. .

The wall that usually separates the racing pit from the track itself is one of the most exciting areas of any race track. The mechanics and mangers stand behind (or on) the pit wall to display the message boards and or hand signal to the drivers during the race. With 1/32 scale digital systems you can include pit lanes and pit stops that accurately mimic how the full-size race cars enter and exit the pits.

And, between the pits and track, you can even install accurate replicas of the pit walls and timing stands.

One Carrera 30347 Double Lane Change allows two pits to be accessible without either car needing to wait for the other. These pit garages are Carrera 21104 Pit Stop Lane buildings with one of the 21105 VIP Floor on top of the neatest garage, and the official scoring tower is two of the four stories from 21102 Press Tower with 21103 Press Tower Extension Set on the third floor. The three Pit Walls with Timing Stands are outof-production Fly kits (that are being produced again this winter). Slot Track Scenics (www.slottrackscenics.co.uk) now has replicas of the more modern-era stands.

One Scalextric C7036 double-lane changer creates paths in and out of two pits. Here, the yellow Corvette has just competed its pit stop and is exiting onto the pit lane behind the red GT car. The green Aston Martin is waiting for the blue Aston Martin to finish its pit stop before moving on into that pit. With digital, all five of these cars are under separate control of five drivers. Meanwhile, a sixth car can be racing. You will want additional double lane-changers before and after the pits and even in front of the pits so cars racing on the track do not collide with cars entering and leaving the pits.

10 Model Car Racing

Real Race Track Plans: For 2-Lane Mugello Circuit In 13 X 23-Feet for Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX or Ninco, and for Carrera with (Optional) Digital Lane-Changing and (Optional) Live-Action Pit Stops You can assemble this track with Scalextric or Carrera digital, including operating pit lanes or you can skip them and assemble it as an analog track.

■■by Robert Schleicher The Mugello circuit is located 37 kilometers from Florence, Italy. Mugello is one of the oldest race track sites in Europe, dating back to 1914. Originally a paved and dirt road course, it reverted to all-dirt in the twenties. The track was then paved but its status was diminished by the nearby Mille Miglia races. A new track was paved on the same site in the sixties and it became one of Italy’s favored road racing venues. The circuit was completely rebuilt again in the early seventies into a 5.245 meter configuration and hosted Formula 5000 and FIA GT races. Ferrari uses it as one of their test tracks but it has become most noticed as the host track for the current MotoGP motorcycle racing series in Italy.

½½ The Mugello Circuit in 1/32 Scale Operating pit lanes are available for Scalextric, Carrera and SCX digital systems so they are included in this plan. If you want to build an analog version simply substitute standard straights for the pit lane entrances and exits and for the digital crossover lane-changers. This is an unusual plan with a walk-in aisle so corner marshals can reach all of the turns. The tabletop is 13 x 23-feet but you will need corner marshal access along the top, left and bottom. The right end can be placed against a wall so you can fit the track in a minimum 16 x 26-foot room. On the Scalextric version the track sections could be removed (or added) at the points marked W if you want to eliminate the access aisle and save 3-feet of width, however, the corner marshals will have a long reach for some areas.

The 1/32 scale versions are similar to the shape of the Mugello Circuit. The Scalextric Sport, Classic, Ninco and SCX versions have a wide range of curves with just two tight standard-radius “S” curves at turns T1 and T2. The remaining curves are “outer “O” (turns T4, T6 and T8) and outer-outer radius “OO” (turn T5). To capture the shape many of the turns on the Carrera version there are tight “S” standard radius curves, although turn T3 is an outer “0” radius and turn T5 is an outer-outer “00” radius. Turns T4 and T8 are increasing radius.

The portion of the track through turns T10, T12 and T14 can be assembled on a single 4 x 8-foot panel if you want to start “building” this track in a minimumsize space. That plan is on page 14 of this issue.

½½ Digital Pit Lanes Both plans include track sections for installing working digital pit lanes. They are designed so there is room between the pits themselves and the race track for the walls on a modern track where the computer terminals and individual teams’ timing stands are located with the race crews’ computers and driver signaling and communication flags, signs and messages as shown on page 10.

½½ Pits For Analog Racing With analog racing there is no need for a separate pit lane because there is only one car in each lane. That car can stop anywhere (except at a chicane or “squeeze” track) without affecting any other car. Most racing groups specify that each driver must run an equal amount of time on each lane so your racing program can specify that the car in the “blue” lane (the one with pits) must drive into the pits for some specified amount of time during the car’s stint on the blue lane. Most of computer race programs for analog cars include pit stop sequences that require the car to stop for fuel and a preset time and some even provide for changing tires or for increasing tire pressures. Most of the race timing and control system for analog include the option of mandatory pit stops for fuel and for tires. Trackmate (www. infoserve.net/oss/slotcar/) and PC Lapcounter (www.pclapcounter.be/), Lap Timer 2000 (www.gregorybraun.com/LapTimer.htm) are two systems.

You can locate the pits and the pit walls right beside the track. The pits for the second lane can be adjacent to the pits for the first lane and you can just ignore the fantasy of pit crew darting back and forth across the track.

If you really want operating pit lanes, the Scalextric or Carrera Digital pit lane entry and exit tracks can be modified to operate with a push button on-off switch. The lane change flaps are actuated by a simple solenoid and you can connect a 12-volt DC power supply to that solenoid with an on-onoff push button to active the solenoid to open or close the lane-changer flap.

The wiring for the Carrera Digital 132 solenoid (the Scalextric solenoid is in a similar location) is shown in March/April 2010 number 50 issue (also on www.modelcarracingmag.com under the top link “Sample Issues”).

½½ Digital Racing Systems Both plans include suggested positions for the Scalextric Sport Digital or Carrera Digital 132 lane-changers. You may discover that you want to relocate the lane changers or use lane-changers to route the cars in a different direction after you have raced on the track for a few hours. You will probably want to install lane-changers at any of the places marked with an “X” on Scalextric plan to provide the optimum number of chances for passing.

The track plans indicate two positions for the controller-connector track ("A" on the plans) so the drivers can be positioned at different areas of the track for conventional analog cars. If you are using the digital systems, only ONE connector track can be used. If you try to use two connector tracks you will burn-out some of the circuits in one or both of the connector tracks.

Model Car Racing 11

Five tables can be used to support this 1/32 scale version of the Mugello Circuit in a 13 x 23-foot tabletop area.

The Mugello Circuit. The thin line is the pit lane.

TRACK PLAN

2-Lane Mugello Circuit In 13 X 23 Feet:

L

Track can be expanded in length by adding matched pairs of straight track sections here.

List of Scalextric Digital Track Required

T Turns on the model versions of the track

Key

W Track can be expanded in width by adding matched pairs of straight track sections here.

Quantity

Description

H

0

C8234 1/2 Standard Curve

S

11

C8206 Standard Curve

O

16

C8204 Outer Curve

OO

22

C8235 Outer-Outer Curve

F

0

C8236 “Short” Straight

E

1

C8200 1/4-Straight

D

4

C8207 1/2-Straight

B

44

Full-Straight (47 if assembled as an analog track)

A

1

C7030 Digital Connector Track (two are shown---use only one for digital)

C7014

2

C7014 Pit Lane Track, left hand set

C7016

6

C7016 1/2-Straight, Single Lane

C7017

4

C7017 Single Lane curve

C7036

1

Location of first C7036 double lane-changers---more should be located at the points marked “X” on plan, replacing two straights with one C7036 plus one C8207 half straight.

12 Model Car Racing

X If you are assembling the track with Scalextric Sport Digital, 1 1/2 straights at these points can be replaced with the C7036 double-crossover straight lane-changer.

If you are using Ninco N-Digital, the 40207 double Lane-changers can be substituted for any standard straight.

To build the plan with Ninco track you will need about 10-percent more space and you may need some additional short straights to get everything to line up properly.

If you are using SCX Digital, double Lane-changers can be substituted for any standard straight.

TRACK PLAN

2-Lane Mugello Circuit In 13 X 23 Feet:

List of Carrera Digital 132 Track Required Key

Quantity

Description

H

2

20577 1/2 Inner Curve

S

9

20571 Inner Curve

O

13

20572 Middle Curve

OO

3

20573 Outer Curve

OOO

14 pr.

(28) 20578 Outer-Outer Curve

E

3

20612 1/4-Straight

D

0

20611 1/3-Straight

B

35

20509 Full-Straight 35 if assembled as an analog track)

A

1

30344 "Black Box" Connector Track (two are show---use only one for digital)

DX

2

30347 Double Lane Changing Section (minimum---see Note below)

ST

2

30341 Pit Stop Extension (single lane)

3 pr.

30346 Pit Stop Lane

SX L

Track can be expanded in length by adding matched pairs of straight track sections here.

T Turns on the model versions of the track.

W Track can be expanded in width by adding matched pairs of straight track sections here.

NOTE: If you are using the Carrera Digital 132 lane-changing system any adjoining pairs of standard-length straights ("S") may be placed with Carrera Digital 132 lanechanging tracks. The plans show the locations for the Carrera Digital number 30343 right-hand and 30345 left-hand lane-changers, you can substitute the Carrera Digital 132 number 30347 double-X lane-changer at any of these places and provide twice the passing opportunities.

Model Car Racing 13

Real Race Track Plans 2-Lane Mugello Circuit on a 4 X 8-Foot Tabletop for Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX, Ninco or Carrera A 4 x 8-foot plywood or MDF panel is just large enough for a 1/32 scale race track using any of the popular brands of track. There’s an index, by size, of the previously published track plans from Model Car Racing magazine and from the four books by Robert Schleicher on our website www.modelcarracingmag.com.

■■by Robert Schleicher This Mugello Circuit looks unusual because it is only a portion of the 13 x 23-foot plan on pages 11-13. You can start with this simple 4 x 8-foot figure 8 and expand it to suit your space and your budget. You can simply add pairs of straights at the points marked “L” on the plan or expand it five-feet to the right to include corners T9 and a flopped T15. The turns are numbered TO match those on full-size Mugello Circuit.

The turns at the ends are the largest radius that will fit in a 4-foot width with a

TRACK PLAN

2-Lane Mugello Circuit on a 4 X 8-Foot Tabletop

½½ Digital Racing Systems There is no room on this compact plan for any of digital lane changers. You could expand it by two straights at the points marked “L” to include two double lane changers for any of the brands of track.

List of Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX or Ninco Track Required

TRACK PLAN

Key

Quantity

Description

Key

Quantity

Description

List of Carrera Track Required

H

0

1/2 Standard Curve

E

1

1/4-Straight

Key

Quantity

Description

Key

Quantity

Description

S

7

Standard Curve

D

2

1/2-Straight

H

2

20577 1/2 Inner Curve R1

E

1

20612 1/4-Straight

O

16

Outer Curve

B

1

Full-Straight

S

4

20571 Inner Curve R1

D

0

20611 1/3-Straight

OO

2

Outer-Outer Curve

A

2

Connector Track

O

16

20572 Middle Curve R2

B

0

20509 Full-Straight

0

“Short” Straight

OO

0

20573 Outer Curve R3

A

2

20583 Connector Track (analog)

OOO

0

20578 Outer-Outer Curve R4

F L

Track can be expanded in length by adding matched pairs of straight track sections here.

T Turns on the model versions of the track

tight series of right/left/right/left ess bends across center. There’s a lot of driving excitement available, even in a space this small.

To build the plan with NINCO track you will need about 10-percent more space and you may need some additional short straights to get everything to line up properly.

14 Model Car Racing

L

2-Lane Mugello Circuit on a 4 X 8-Foot Tabletop

Track can be expanded in length by adding matched pairs of straight track sections here.

T Turns on the model versions of the track

Track Test Race-Tune Your Race Car: Supertuned Racers, Part 124 Front “Steering” Shoot-Out Solid vs.

Independent-Rotating vs. One-Way Bearings Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 It is possible that, on a tight tabletop track, front wheels that rotate independently can allow a car to corner faster and, thus, produce lower lap times than the same car with a solid front axle. We tested three possible front axles to see which produced the quickest lap times.

We removed the Avant front wheels and axles and slipped a 45mm Slot.it axle in place with Slot.it aluminum front wheels and tires for the “solid axle” test. We then replaced the aluminum front wheels with Slot.it SIPA74as 17.3mm one-way ball bearing wheels and stretched SIPT19 low-grip tires over them to provide the smallest overall tire width and diameter at 8.0 x 18.1 mm, close to the original tiny (but accurate-size) Avant wheels and tires.

At the time of this test, the smallest Slot.it SIPA72 15.8mm wheels were not available---you can, now, use them with Slot.it SIPT19 tires to have wheels and tires that are 8.0 x 16.7 mm, which is close to the 7.0 x 17.0 mm size of the originals on the Avant Slot Mirage G8.

Avant Slot has offered the Mirage G8 in a variety of paint schemes including this number 10 car that finished second at LeMans in 1975.

■■Track Tests by Marc Purdham The Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 that we Race Track Tested in the May/June 2015 number 81 issue is fitted with well-controlled independent-rotating front wheels. It was one of the quicker cars we have tested.

The new Slot.it Audi R18 with four-wheel drive also had independent-rotating front wheels but with one-way ball bearings in each wheel. The Slot.it R18 (with only the rear wheels driving) in the September/ October 2015 number 83 issue was the fastest car we

have tested. We wanted to see how much difference the front wheels make in the cars' performance so, this time, we tested the Avant Slot car with Slot.it one-way ball bearing front wheels to see if the Slot.it wheels allowed quicker lap times than the stock Avant Slot independent-rotating front wheels. For comparison, we also fitted a solid front axle on the Avant Slot car see if non-independent wheels resulted in slower lap times.

The front wheels on the Avant Slot Mirage G8 are plastic, pressed-onto steel stub axles. The rear wheels and anglewinder gear are aluminum with setscrew mounts.

The downforce magnet effectively increases the model’s traction and cornering speeds enough so that there is little effect with any front wheel change.

We did not, then, test the car with the downforce magnet in place. We only tested the car on the smooth Carrera track surface but the results should be similar on the rougher Scalextric Classic track.

We did, of course, replace the rear tires with something that would provide better traction, in this case a pair of 1404RC Super Tires silicones.

The tests did indicate that this car, fitted with independently-rotating front wheels is quicker than the same car fitted with a solid front axle (where both front wheels rotate at the same speed), especially on the tight Indy F1 test track.

Model Car Racing 15

The one-way ball bearing wheels rotate independently and they allowed us to run slightly quicker lap times than the independently-rotating wheels on the stock Avant Mirage but the difference is not significant. However, it is not practical to fit the Avant Slot independently-rotating wheels to any other brand because the axle supports would be too difficult to fabricate. If you want independently-rotating front wheels, then, the Slot.it one-way ball bearing wheels will provide independent rotation and they will fit virtually any 1/32 scale car.

Avant Slot 1975 Mirage LeMans Group 8

SPEC SHEET

The Prototype (the real car):

The size the model The dimensions of the should be in 1/32 scale: Avant Slot model:

Length:

NA

NA

5.64 in. (131.1 mm)

Width:

NA

NA

2.49 in. (63.3 mm)

Height:

NA

NA

1.18 in. (30.0 mm)

½½ A Significant Difference?

Wheelbase*

NA

NA

3.25 in. (82.5 mm)

Track, Front:

NA

NA

1.95 in. (49.4 mm)

There was only .06 seconds difference in the Avant Slot Mirage G8 lap times between the Slot.it front wheels and the stock Avant Slot front wheels and that 6/100 is too little to matter. However, the solid front axle was between .35 and .41 seconds a lap slower, or about 10-percent. You will need to try them yourself to see if your car, your track and your driving style produce similar results, but this test suggests (not proves, “suggests”) that your car with well-controlled independently-rotating front wheels could run 10 laps in the time it took the same car with a solid front axle to run 9 laps—that is a significant difference.

Track, Rear:

NA

NA

2.03 in. (51.4 mm)

Tires, Front:

NA

NA

7.0 x 17.0 mm

Tires, Rear:

NA

NA

10.2 x 18.9 mm

Weight:

NA

NA

85 grams (3 oz.)

½½ The 1975 Mirage G8 The Mirage G8 was one of the little-know full-size race cars. The Avant Slot models made us all aware of the car and of its remarkable success at LeMans in 1975, finishing 1-3. This is the Avant Slot replica of the third-place number 10 car; the first-place number 11 car is on the cover of the number 83 issue. What is not obvious, in the model, is that the Mirage G8 was fitted with basically the same Cosworth V8 as the then-current Formula 1 cars, an engine that would win races for nearly a decade. There’s a 1/32 scale replica of the Cosworth V8 in the Scalextric Brabham BT26A-3 on pages 28-31 (and in the Lotus 49 and McLaren M7). The Mirage G8 was as close as the factory could get to racing a Formula 1 car at LeMans. A simpler time, indeed…

½½ Slot.it One-Way Ball Bearing Front Wheels: • SIPA72as Ø15.8mm plastic assembled front wheels for 4WD system (2x) • SIPA73as Ø16.5mm plastic assembled front wheels for 4WD system (2x) • SIPA74as Ø17.3mm plastic assembled front wheels for 4WD system (2x) Slot.it also offers just plastic (metal wheels are not available) wheels to accept one-way ball bearings:

Weight on Front Tires:

35 grams (1 1/4 oz.)

Weight on Rear Tires:

50 grams (1 3/4 oz.)

Magnetic Downforce on Carrera:

30 grams (1 1/8 oz.)

Magnetic Downforce on Scalextric:

42 grams (1 1/2 oz.)

Ground Clearance on Carrera:

0.9 mm (.035 in.)

Ground Clearance on Scalextric:

0.8 mm (.030 in.)

Pickup Lead (pivot to rear axle):

93.8 mm (3.69 in.)

Gear Ratio:

2.70:1 (10/27)

Model Car Racing Track Test: "Magnet Free" Lap Times

36-foot Carrera Indy F1 Course:

Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 w/solid front axle

4.60 sec.

Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 w/Slot.it one-way ball bearing wheels

4.19 sec.

Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 w/stock independent front wheels

4.25 sec.

Slot.it 2013 Audi R19 e-tron ultra 4wd (four-wheels driving)

4.11 sec.

Slot.it 2013 Audi R19 e-tron ultra 2wd (two-wheels driving)

4.05 sec.

Slot.it 1987 Porsche 962 LH (with SP sidewinder motor)

4.06 sec.

Slot.it 1998 Porsche 911 GT1-98

4.26 sec.

Racer “Sideways” 1978 Porsche 935/78

4.11 sec.

NSR 2010 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR

4.23 sec.

• SIPA72 Ø15.8mm plastic front wheels for 4WD system (2x)

Magnets removed and silicone tires fitted:

• SIPA73 Ø16.5mm plastic front wheels for 4WD system (2x)

NOTES: The lap times and other test results for all of the track tests in the first 84 issues are available on www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Model Resources”, then click on the link “Race Car Test Results”. We performed a full Model Car Racing Track Test on the Slot.it 2013 Audi R18 e-tron Quattro (4WD and 2 WD) in the November/December 2015 number 84 issue, on the Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 in the July/August 2015 number 82 issue, on the Slot.it 1987 Porsche 962 LH with a sidewinder SP motor in the November/December 2013 number 72 issue, on the Slot. it 1998 Porsche 911 GT1-98 in the March/April 2011 number 56 issue, the Racer “Sideways” 1978 Porsche 935/78 in the July/August 2013 number 70 issue, the NSR 2010 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR in the November/December 2012 number 66 issue.

• SIPA74 Ø17.3mm plastic front wheels for 4WD System You will also need these four components for each pair of wheels: • SICH95 Hubs for 4WD front wheels (2x) • SICH96 Bearings for 4WD front wheels (2x) • SICH97 Snap rings for 4WD front wheels (10x) • SICH105 Flanged Bearings for 4WD tensioner (2x) TIRES: The SIPA72 wheels are the standard Slot.it 15.8 x 8.2 mm, the SIPA 73 wheels are 16.5 x 8.2 mm and the SIPA74 wheels are 17.3 x 8.2 mm overall size so any Slot.it or other aftermarket front (or rear) tire to fit that wheel can be used. The overall diameter and width of the tire will need to be similar to that of the tires that are being replaced.

Independently-rotating front wheels with ride height adjustment are standard on the Avant Slot Mirage G8. We tried it stock and with a solid front axle and, again, with Slot.it one-way ball bearing front wheels.

16 Model Car Racing

This is the Avant Slot replica of the third-place number 10 car; the first-place number 11 car is on the cover of the number 83 issue. Pattos offers a decal set for both cars so, if you cannot locate the winner, you can decal any of the previous Avant Slot Mirage G8 cars.

Tech Tips ������������������������ ½½ Adjusting Independent Front Wheels The front wheels on the Avant Slot Mirage G8 rotate independently with a very well-engineered system of metal half-axles with heads to control their side-to-side movement. Two Allen screws are provided for the bottom of each half-axle with a third Allen screw between the two on top. You can adjust both the up and down movement for “ride height” (forcing the pickup blade as deep into the slot as possible with the front tires touching the track) and/or adjust-in some positive or negative camber.

Loosen the Allen screw so the axle can tilt up far enough be removed from the chassis.

For the solid front axle test, we stretched Slot.it SIPT19 low-grip tires over Slot.it 17.3 x 9.75 standard wheels to match the size of the Slot.it SIPA74 one-way ball bearing wheels so the tires for these two tests would be similar the to stock Avant Slot front tires. The smaller SIP72 16.5mm wheels are a closer match for the Avant Slot wheels but the Slot. it wheels were not yet available when we tested the car.

The stock front wheels are tight press-fit on steel stub axle. Grip the axle firmly with pliers while you twist and pull on the wheel remove it from the axle.

We removed the stock Slot.it tires from the ball bearing wheels and stretched-on the Slot.it SIPT19 lowgrip tires for this test.

Model Car Racing 17

Home Racing Build A Wood Race Track Part 3: Cutting The Slots & Painting You can have your own racetrack. There are a number of choices, ranging from snapping plastic track together on the floor to using your carpentry skills to build a track as rugged and realistic as those that Slot Mods offers for $20,000 and up. This series will take you all the way though the process. In this, and future issues, we’ll show you how to plan the track, how to route the slots in a wood track, how to add realistic scenery, and how to race on the track. The techniques and materials to build benchwork to support the tabletop are in the July/ August 2015 number 82 issue and step-by-step information on how to draw the track on the tabletop are in the September/October 2015 number 83 issue.

■■BYLINE/Robert Schleicher of every curve. Remember to make a second layer if your track has an overpass like Paramount Ranch or Suzuka.

You can also bend the track surface into banked turns or up and down hills while it is secured to the open-grid benchwork but those areas must be removed so they can be routed, then the MDF board with pre-cut slots (and braid recesses) can be reinstalled on the benchwork.

When the track satisfies your critical eye, remove all of the MDF panels so you can lay the MDF panels flat on the floor while you use a power router to cut the slots (and recesses for the braid). You will need room to swing the router and move the wood straight edges to guide the router and it really is much easier to do it on the floor. When you reinstall the track surface, insert the screws in the same holes and everything should align nicely, ready for paint and the installing of the copper tape or braid.

½½ The Router Bit to Cut The Slots Buy at least two 1/8-inch router bits to cut the slots because you will likely break at least one. Large hardware stores sell bits or you can buy a (CMT), high-quality carbide tipped straight cut 1/8-inch router bit with dual flutes with a ¼-inch shank for routing slots up to 3/8-inch deep for $15.99 (buy three) from Slot Car Corner (www.slotcarcorner.com/). Install the router bit so it cuts a 5/16-inch deep slot.

You can rent a power router similar to this from tool rental shops. Get one that will accept a ¼-inch router bit and that has at least one or two holes with set-screws to lock-in a ¼-inch trammel (which you will make from a three-foot length of brass rod).

Assemble the complete track, with all of the slots marked in pencil on the MDF track surface. Erase any errors made with the pencil marks. In general take a close look at every inch of that tabletop so you know this really is where you want the slots to be located---it's relatively simple to change a pencil line, but a lot harder to fill-in a slot and start again. Also mark the outside border or skid area of every curve to be sure have 5 to 6-inches of clear track around the outside

18 Model Car Racing

If you wish to use copper or steel (magnetic) braid, you will need to make a recess on each side of the slot to recess the braid so it is flush with the track surface. You will need to make a second pass with the router. Slot Car Corner sells a special ¾-inch diameter router bit with a pin inserted in the center that makes it very easy to route the recesses for tracks using ¼-inch wide braid. Note the center pin is designed to ride in the slot cut using another router bit (i.e. the center pin on this bit will NOT route/cut the slot). The router bit also has a ¼-inch diameter shaft. Or you can buy a conventional babbitting bit to cut the recesses for the braid on either side of the slot. Braid is available in 1/8, 3/16-inch and 1/4- inch widths so you will need a babbitting bit (like Slot Car Corner tool)

that cuts the depression for the braid to cut a recess on both sides of the slot for the braid. The braid should not actually hang over into the slot, so you will want the recess for the braid to be about 1/16-inch wider than the two widths of braid, plus the 1/8-inch slot. You'll need a 9/16-inch babbitting bit for 1/8-inch braid, a 11/16-inch bit for 3/16-inch braid or a 13/16-inch bit for 1/4-inch braid.

Buy at least one (CMT), high-quality carbide tipped straight cut 1/8-inch router bit with dual flutes with a ¼-inch shank for routing slots up to 3/8-inch deep. This one is available from Slot Car Corner (www.slotcarcorner.com/).

You will need a second router bit if you are going to use braid rather than tape for electrical pickup. Slot Car Corner also sells a special ¾-inch diameter router bit with a pin inserted in the center that makes it very easy to use slot itself to guide router to route the recesses beside the slots for tracks using ¼-inch wide braid.

TECH TIPS ������ ½½ Routing The Slots

There are several different methods of routing the slots in MDF board. All require a powered router. The difference is how you guide the router. The fastspinning router bit will try to grab at any tough spots to bounce sideways as well as up and down so you will need considerable muscle pressure to guide it where you want it to cut. You have to have a firm guide rail so you can press the router down onto the MDF while you exert a similar pressure to push it firmly against its guide. If you try to just push the router along it will cut a zigzag and very random slot that is useless for anything but woodworms.

I can only offer information on what I helped Albert Hetzel use to cut the slots in about six tracks. Today, the system Luf Linkert (www.oldslotracer.com/) has devised is an alternate choice. The system I uses takes two people---don’t even think about doing it alone. Start with that pencil plan that was described in the number 83 issue. First, drill a single 1/16-inch hole for the center of each of the curves to serve as pivot point for trammel rod that will guide the router.

A trammel is a type of compass to allow you to draw large circles. Use a 1/8inch diameter brass or bronze rod that's 6-inches longer than the widest curve.

Use a file or grinder to make pencil point on one end of the rod. Bend about two-inches of that end of the rod over 90-degrees. The point will be the center of the curve and will rest in a 1/16-inch hole you drilled to locate the center of every curve. Clamp the free end of the rod in two of the pockets in the side of the router. Adjust the router back and forth on the rod so the distance between the point of the trammel and the center of the router bit matches the diameter of the curve you wish to cut. Cut the slots first, then the recesses for the braid.

Your assistant must push the tip of the trammel firmly into the 1/16-inch hole you drilled at the center of the circle and hold it there while you start the router.

Keep the router running while you gently swing the router over and onto the surface of the MDF, using the trammel as pivot, to drill a starter hole with the router bit and, again using the trammel as pivot, apply a steady pressure on the router to cut the slot. Always work only in one direction---do not back up or the slot will be wider than you want. When you are finished with that curve gently tilt the router out of the slot, then turn it off. If you try to turn the router on or off while it is the slot, the bit is likely to catch on the edge and break. Route all the curves first. Install the babbitting bit if you are going to cut recesses for plated copper or magnetic braid on either side of the slot and cut all the braid recesses for the curves. When they are done, remove the trammel.

The router is guided down the straights by pushing it against a straight piece of 1x3 or 1x4 (again held firmly to the tabletop by that assistant). If your lane spacing is 3-inches, the 1x3 (which is actual about ¾ x 2 ¾-inches) will allow you to line-up the board with the pencil line for the next slot (or with the just–cut slot) for perfectly parallel straights. If you are cutting slots (lanes) 4-inches apart, use a 1x4 (which is actually about ¾ x 3 ¾-inches) to guide the router down straights with the pencil line or previous slot visible beside the 1x4.

Start with a curve and, because it should be clearly marked on the tabletop. You will have marked where the curve begins and ends so you will know where to turn the router on and where to turn it off. Cut one slot and turn the router off, then loosen the trammel-holding screw to move the router to the next slot and cut it, then the third and/or fourth slot. When all the slots for that first curve are cut, place router back in the end of the first slot and hold the 1x3 or 1x4 firmly against the side of the router with the opposite end of the board parallel to the straight line (the one you drew on tabletop) so the router can be guided then stopped at the beginning of the next curve. Again, cut that slot, stop, move the router and guide board and cut the next slot, then the next. Repeat the process for the next curve. The system begins with the first curve and continues in sequence down every curve and straight until the track is complete.

½½ Overpasses and Banked Turns If the track has an overpass, there will need to be two layers of MDF board so you will have to cut a second “removable” portion of MDF board for the bridge or for track that is beneath the bridge. I recommend that you make the removable part a straight even if the straight is on the level underneath the bridge. It is far easier to align a removable straight section that to align part of a curve.

Drill a 1/16-inch hole at the "X" indicted for the center of the curve. Push the tip of the 1/8-inch trammel rod (see text) for the router into the hole. Hold the tip in the hole while you swing the router to cut the slot. This really works best with two people, one to hold the trammel and one to move the router.

You can elevate the track above the benchwork with 1 x 4 shims cut to the width needed to support the MDF for a smooth transition from tabletop level up and (Continued)

Model Car Racing 19

Use a solid 1x3 or 1x4 that is perfectly straight to guide the router as it cuts the straights from the end of one curve to the beginning of the next curve.

Luf Linkert (www.oldslotracer.com/) uses a flexible Lexan strip and a special base for the router and he has completed around 100 slot car tracks himself and his fans and customers probably twice that many more. He offers a 72-inch long Lexan strip that will create any curve you can dream up, and a custom router base that provides three different lane spacing (3, 3 1/2 and 4-inches).

20 Model Car Racing

Tech Tips

����

(Continued)

down again. Use 1 1/2-inch flat-head #8 Phillips-head woodscrews to attach the shims to the MDF but do not attach them to the tabletop or framework so you can move them to adjust the up and down flow of the MDF surface.

You can bend the 3/8-inch MDF board enough for smooth up and downhill transitions. However, if you want to have banked turns or crank-in some offcambers, you can cut some 1/8 x ¼-inch grooves about 2-inches apart on the underside of the track with a table saw so allow the MDF to flex. Even with the grooves however, the MDF will only bend a little and if you hear even a hint of cracking, you have gone too far---pull it back flat on the floor and weigh it down while you flood the cracking area with Super glue and let it set for 48 hours.

I would advise you to wear gloves goggles and a respirator when working with MDF because you produce a dust as you cut. Keep a vacuum cleaner with hose attachment at hand and vacuum frequently. Your helper can keep the vacuum running all the time you are routing.

Luf offers a video on how to route and finish a track using his flexible guide strip. The video is only available in NTSC format but he has it on CD as well.

½½ Fixing Routing Mistakes

You will make mistakes cutting the slot. Usually, you will run a curve a bit too far or you will let the router bounce off the board on a straight. The result of nearly every routing mistake is a too-wide slot. You can fill-in the slot with the DAP Plastic Wood or Automotive Bondo body filler. Use a piece of 1/8-inch styrene sheet cut into a 1 x 4-inch strip. Wrap waxed paper over one edge and push the strip into the slot at the too-wide area. Fill the too-wide area with the putty and let it dry overnight. If you've made a dozen mistakes, you can make a dozen 1 x 4-inch pieces of 1/8-inch styrene and fill all the errors at once.

Check every inch of every slot to be sure each is smooth and deep enough. Hold a spare guide flag from one of the cars with your fingers and run it through the slot. You will be able to feel any rough spots or shallow spots. If the slot is too shallow, it is possible to setup the trammel and/or straight guide board and recut it, but you will almost always make the slot wider. If the slot is only shallow for a few inches, you can deepen it with a motor tool like a Dremel, using a 3/32-inch straight milling bit to shave away the bottom of the slot to the proper depth. Finally, wrap fine sandpaper around a piece of 1/16-inch plastic and sand the vertical sides of all the slots. Get the slots absolutely perfect because any slot-created wrecks will drive you nuts later. Also check the smoothness of the recesses for the braid if you are installing braid.

½½ Installing The Tabletop

Luf Linkert marks the inner and outer edges of skid apron areas about 6-inches outside the outer slot. He then cuts MDF panels along those lines to provide just the “road” part of tabletop.

When you are satisfied that the slots are perfect, you can install the MDF boards on the tabletop. You can use scraps of MDF board as gussets beneath the joints.

Attach the MDF board to the tabletop braces and to the gussets with 1 1/2-inch flat-head #8 Phillips-head woodscrews. Use a Use 1 1/2-inch flat-head #8 pilot bit to pre-drill and countersink all of the screw holes. When you are finished fill in all the screw heads and the joints between the panels with DAP Plastic Wood or Automotive Bondo body filler. Finally, use a sanding block (or a power sander) to smooth the surface of the track. Vacuum off all sawdust and wipe the track with damp paper towel and it is ready to paint..

(Continued)

Model Car Racing 21

Luf Linkert has developed a system to allow stiff MDF board to be formed into more gentle up and downhill transitions as well as into banked turns. He cuts ¼-inch deep slots about 1-inch apart on the bottom side of the track. The system will only work, however, if you have cut that portion of the track to the width of the road---it’s not something you would try with a 4 x 8-foot piece of MDF. ---Luf Linkert photos

If you cut the slot too wide in places, jam a 1/8-inch thick piece of plastic or wood into the slot, wrapped with wax paper. Push putty between the waxed paper and the track to fill-in the slot. If you have made some major mistakes routing slots, you can easily remove panels and cut new slots. There was too much difference in lap times on these three lanes so even after racing for a few weeks, we removed the panel and cut new slot so outer and inner lanes would have more difference in their lap lengths.

Sand the inside edges of the slot with sandpaper wrapped around a 3/32-inch thick piece of plastic or hardboard.

Attach the tabletop with 1 1/2-inch flat-head #8 Phillips-head woodscrews but use a flathead pilot bit to prepare the holes for each screw. If this is your first wood track, I would recommend that you do not use any elevation changes or overpasses---just build a simple flat tabletop track, then you can decide if you have skills to make a attack as complex as Albert Hetzel’s Suzuka. You will only need to cut the edges of track if you are using a number of up and downhill sections.

22 Model Car Racing

If the slot is too shallow, you can cut it deeper for short distances with a 3/32-inch straight router bit in a Dremel motor tool

Tech Tips

���

(Continued)

Painting The Track If you are going to paint the track it is easier to do it before installing the braid or the tape. If you are using braid, put a ¼-inch wide strip of masking tape in the recesses so the paint will not fill them. Everyone has his or her own idea about the best paint. We tried anti-skid deck paint, latex exterior wall paint and finally settled on tough floor paint like Behr Porch & Deck Enamel. Today, most wood track builders prefer inexpensive flat-finish interior latex but the finish no longer has withstand the toxic chemicals that were used to treat foam tires in the seventies. Obviously, you will want a matte or no-gloss finish. Personally, I prefer a medium gray with a bit of beige to match the color of older concrete.

Use putty to fill-in any gaps between the panels. Use a block of wood (or an electric sander) to be sure the joints between the panels are perfectly smooth.

The track is the least realistic aspect of model car racing. You can improve the realism by matching the color of real racetrack surfaces. A professional artist will know that concrete is not grey but a beige shade and that blacktop is not black but a dark gray---and both concrete and blacktop can range from very light to darker depending their age. No road surface has the uniform color of plastic track---age, wear, repairs and tire and oil tracks al discolor surface. You can recreate those variations by using a very light gray for a blacktop track, then providing the color variations with aerosol applications of darker gray (still not black) spots. On a beige concrete track, you can do what Art Tschinkel did on his The Ring Raceway (in the May/June 2015 number 81 issue and also on www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Sample Issues”) and mask-off areas to apply dark grey tar patches. Tire skid marks can be simulated with a felt-tip pen.

Copper tape lessens the realism of most wood tracks. I know it’s a personal thing with me, but the only thing that could even resemble those strips of would be leaking Castor oil from one the British cars I have owned--there is no copper surface on any road in the world. I would use Silver Copper Tape (actually nickel silver plated---1660-7/32 inch wide Silvered Copper Tape from Venture Tape) rather than plain copper. We’ll discuss tape more in the next installment of this series but the only downside to the Silvered Copper Tape are that it does not have electrically conductive glue so you must solder any joints or breaks and it costs about 20 percent more than copper---a bargain in my eyes. Equally realistic (it is standard on the Slot Mods tracks) is braid, either plated copper or magnetic---both are dark grey and their only downside is the need to cut those recesses.

½½ Do You Really Want A Wood Track?

Paint the track with primer and let it dry, and then sand it at least once to get the surface perfectly smooth and flat.

You can paint the track flat black to simulate concrete or flat grey to simulate concrete or you can spend a bit of extra time and make the road surface as realistic as cars that race on it like the road surfaces on Art Tschinkel’s 7 x 22-foot The Ring Raceway (May/June 2015 number 81 issue). There’s more information on painting tracks on pages 54-55 of this issue.

I have built and raced on about five of them and each was wonderful. After about a year or less I became bored with the track and finally gave it up and stopped racing for about a decade. It took courage (and a move to a new house) to tear down each of those substantial wood tracks and build another. Finally, I realized that I wanted no more albatross tracks and I switched to plastic. In the sixties and seventies you usually only had two choices of curves so routing a wood track made sense. Today, the popular brands offer four different sizes of curves (which is, really, eight different radii) plus the options of flat or banked. I admit my attention span may be below the national average but I seldom want to race on the same track for more than a year. On average, I have assembled a new plastic track every 11 months, sometimes switching from Scalextric to Carrera and back again. I use a variety of portable ping-pong and conference tables so even the shape of the tabletop can be changed. I realized that very little of the table space is available for scenery so fake fur works perfectly with standup plastic trees and a variety of buildings, spectators, pits, grandstands or other (equally portable) scenery items.

My advice? Build a wood track if you are so motivated and race on it for a few months before you decide to add any permanent plaster scenery. If you like the track, build whatever scenery you like. But, please, remember it is not really permanent---you have a sturdy table and you can remove any plaster scenery a lot quicker than building it and any elevation risers can be pulled to allow the track to rest as a flat tabletop. Cover the tabletop with beige felt fur and use the table as the base for an infinite number of snap-together plastic tracks. If I had done that years ago, I would not have given up the hobby for that decade.

Model Car Racing 23

Vintage Racing Monogram 1/24 Scale Kurtis Midget

■■by Robert Schleicher Monogram produced a 1/24 scale Kurtis Midget racer as a static model kit. Since the model was small enough to be raced on 1/32 scale tracks, it was not a major leap to offer it as a slot car kit. Monogram was able to use the chassis, wheels, tires and motor from the then-current Lotus 33 and Ferrari Formula 1 cars as-is for the Kurtis Midget.

Monogram produced some of the most accurate plastic parts so the Kurtis made superb display model and a truly fun racecar. Alas, it is too rare to race today. These two models provide an insight into model car racing in the sixties. Bill Wessells' Midget is pristinely assembled and painted with out-of-the box parts. A lot of racers went much further to create their own fantasy teams like Brian “Bob” Kovacs work of art or to recreate the paint schemes on the full-size Midgets. Both cars are part of Scott Bader’s collection at the Los Angeles Slot Car Museum (www.lascm.com).

An out-of-the-box (plus paint and assembly skill) stock Monogram Kurtis Midget nicely assembled by Bill Wessells

24 Model Car Racing

This Monogram Midget was painted by Brian “Bob” Kovacs, one of the most celebrated slot car painters of the mid1960s, a student of “Von Dutch”. The little green shield on the front has the logo, “KK” (Kustoms by Kovacs)

Vintage Racing Studio 65 1952 Ferrari 212 Highway Pioneers produced 1/32 scale static models of the 1952 Ferrari 212 in the late fifties and it was later sold by Revell, then Dapol. The molds have been destroyed so the cars are now collector items. Studio 65, however, has “repopped” the car as a cast-resin model but this one is assembled, painted and ready-to-race.

■■by Robert Schleicher The most common Ferrari roadsters (barchettas, in their terms) of the early fifties looked very similar but there were several bodies and engines. What made most look so similar was that egg-crate grill. The 166, 212 and 240 all had nearly identical grills but there were differences in the angle of grills, the shape of tails and wheelbase.

Most of the Ferrari 212 Export cars looked almost exactly like the Ferrari 166 except that the grill on most of the cars was more vertical than the grill on the 166 and there were (usually) very visible ceases beneath the taillights on the rear corners of body. The 212’s wheelbase was 2.8-inches longer and the overall length was 6.5 inches longer but those differences are hard to spot. The 212 has a 2,562 cc displacement V8 with each cylinder displacing about 212 cc. Phil Hill raced a 212 in 1952, first with number 22 at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and at Torrey Pines, California.

Highway Pioneers produced an plastic injection-molded static replica of the Ferrari 212 in the early fifties. Later Revell introduced the model and, finally, in the eighties, Dapol, in England offered the kits. Ninco produced a too-wide 1/32 scale Ferrari 166 in late sixties. More recently, TDR Innovations has an accurate 1/32 scale 3D-printed flexible-resin body kit that assembles easily on a Slot Classics chassis that was featured in the July/August 2014 number 76 issue. The TDR Ferrari 166 body, like full-size car, is very similar to the Ferrari 212 but with a shorter wheelbase. The bodies on some Ferrari 340 barchettas were nearly-identical to those on the 212 but it was the 212 that most interested American road racing fans.

Each of three cars has a specific windshield---full-width on the red number 4 car and no windshield the on red number 2 car

½½ The Studio 65 1/32 Scale Ferrari 212 The Studio 65 (http://www.studio-65.com/)1/32 scale Ferrari 212 has a hand built brass chassis with a front motor and drive shaft, an accurate 1/32 scale cast resin body, hand detailed full driver figure, high density resin wheels with set screws, 40 shore urethane tires and a TSRF guide. The Studio 65 models are only available ready-to-run. No separate bodies or chassis are available. Studio 65 did produce a few replicas of the Highway Pioneers 1949 Jaguar XK120 but those are sold-out and no more are planned. No, they do not intend to repop the Highway Pioneers MG TD or the Hot Rod. The body is very cleanly molded and, being a replica, has all lovely detail of the original. The chassis is well-constructed with soldered-together brass and steel rod and an FF motor. The cars are $175.00 postpaid from England. It is a car you could race because the body is rugged and the chassis can be used as-is or modified to suit your fancy.

Studio 65 offers the Ferrari 212 in red with a choice of two numbers and in yellow.

Model Car Racing 25

The Studio 65 models have a painted driver figure that is cut away so you can fit a rear motor in the chassis.

The yellow Ferrari 212 has a pair of Brooklands-style windscreens..

The motor is mounted in the front of the chassis---the second metal piece is a steel weight.

The chassis are assembled in this jig insures perfect alignment of the motor and gears, the front and rear axles and the guide shoe pivot.

Phil Hill driving his 212 Ferrari at Torrey Pines in 1952. ---Ron Kellog photo

26 Model Car Racing

Formula 1 Scalextric 1969 Brabham BT26A-3 Scalextric is expanding their series of late-sixties Formula 1 cars with this replica of the 1969 Brabham BT26A-3 to race against their replicas of the contemporary Lotus 49B and McLaren M7.

■■by Albin Burroughs The Brabham BT26A-3 was fitted with a Ford-Cosworth V8 with about 430 horsepower that also powered most of the successful Formula 1 (and many LeMans) cars in the late sixties. The BT26A-3 should have been a match for the Lotus 49 but mechanical failures (mostly collapsed front or rear wings) deprived the team of several podium finishes. Jackie Ickx did win the French and Canadian Grands Prix in 1969 (driving in car number 11 for only two races that season) and finished the season in second place, but the Brabhams were no match for the Matra MS10Cosworth-Ford V8 with Jackie Stewart driving that won the championship. The Brabham's best race of 1969 was at the Canadian GP where the cars finished 1-2.

Most of the constructors were using monocoque chassis that Lotus had introduced in 1963 but Brabham stuck with a multi-tube space frame. The 1968 BT26 was designed to use the Australian-built Repco V8 but the Ford-Cosworth V8 fit nicely, however, and the BT26A-3 was the car the team raced in 1969.

Jackie Stewart was the 1969 Formula 1 Champion in his Matra MS80 (no models, so far), with Jacky Ickx second in a Brabham BT26A-3 (the Scalextric model is replica of the car he drove in the French round of the series---he won the German (in car #6) and Canadian (in the #11 car) races. Bruce McLaren was third in 1969 in his McLaren M7C (Scalextric has both low and high wing versions) and Jochen Rindt was fourth in his Lotus 49 (Scalextric has replicas of both high and low-wing versions).

½½ The Scalextric 1/32 Scale Brabham BT26A-3 The Scalextric replica of the 1969 Brabham BT26A-3 is superb. The shape is accurate and it is near-exact 1/32 scale including a nice replica of the visible FordCosworth V8 engine. The model has both front and rear suspension linkages (strictly for show) as well as a full driver figure. Since 1969 was one of years when you needed a Ford-Cosworth DFV V8 engine to place in top twenty, these cars make lovely models with each displaying its replica of that famous power plant.

The Brabham (like the Lotus and McLaren) is powered by a slim FF-size motor, which leaves just enough space for the driver figure and the engine detail. The car is very quick, thanks to the wide tires and a reasonably strong downforce magnet. The Brabham and Lotus 49B have more magnetic downforce than the McLaren M7, probably because they both sit noticeably lower so the magnet is closer to the rails.

In spite of the wide tires, these open-wheelers did slide around the tighter corners. You can recreate that driving experience by simply removing the downforce magnet but you will also want to replace the rear tires with silicones like the number 1103 Yellow Dogs or silicone tires like the number 1103 Super Tires to maintain more predicable control .

Model Car Racing 27

The Scalextric Lotus 49B was featured July/August 2008 number 40 issue (with a full Race Track Test) and 1968 Lotus 49B in the January/February 2014 number 73 issue and McLaren M7C in the March/April 2015 number 80 issue.

Scalextric 1969 Brabham BT26A-3

SPEC SHEET

The Prototype (the real car):

The size the model The dimensions of the should be in 1/32 scale: Scalextric model:

Length:

145.8 in.

4.56 in.

4.59 in. (116.5 mm)

Width:

NA

NA

1.01 in. (25.7 mm)

Height:

NA

NA

1.16 in. (29.4 mm)

Wheelbase*

95.0

2.97 in. (75.4 mm)

3.03 in. (76.8 mm)

Track, Front:

56.0 in.

1.75 in. (44.4 mm)

1.80 in. (45.6 mm)

Track, Rear:

61.5 in.

1.92 in. (48.7 mm)

2.00 in. (50.9 mm)

Tires, Front:

NA

NA

8.9 x 18.4 mm

Tires, Rear:

NA

NA

12.8 x 19.7 mm

Weight:

1,230 lbs.

NA

53 grams (1 7/8 oz.)

Weight on Front Tires:

15 grams (1/2 oz.)

Weight on Rear Tires:

38 grams (1 3/8 oz.)

Magnetic Downforce on Carrera:

42 grams (1 1/2 oz.)

Magnetic Downforce on Scalextric:

120 grams 4 1/4 oz.)

Ground Clearance on Carrera:

1.2 mm (.050 in.)

Ground Clearance on Scalextric:

1.1 mm (.045 in.)

Pickup Lead (pivot to rear axle):

81.8 mm (3.22 in.)

Gear Ratio:

3.00:1 (9/27)

SOURCE: THE WORLD’S RACING CARS, by M.L. Twite

½½ How Fast With Downforce Magnet?

The Scalextric 1969 Brabham BT26A-3 car the same sidewinder chassis with SPsize motors as the Scalextric 1967 Lotus 49 Grand Prix car that was Race Track Tested “out-of-the-box’ (with the downforce magnet in place and the stock rear tires) in the July/August 2008 number 40 issue, so the Brabham BT26A-3 should have similar performance. The lap times and other test results for all of the track tests in the first 72 issues are available on the website under “More Information”, then click on the link “Race Car Tests”.

Model Car Racing Track Test: "Out-of-the-Box" Lap Times

36-foot Scalextric Indy F1 Course:

36-foot Carrera Indy F1 Course:

Scalextric 1969 Brabham BT26A-3

3.53 sec.

3.95 sec.

½½ How Fast Magnet-Free (with silicone rear tires)?

The Scalextric 1969 Brabham BT26A-3 car the same sidewinder chassis with SP-size motors as the Scalextric 1967 Lotus 49 Grand Prix car that was Race Track Tested “Magnet-Free” (with the downforce magnet removed, 1/8-ounce of weight and silicone rear tires) in the July/August 2008 number 40 issue, so the Brabham should have similar performance. The lap times and other test results for all of the track tests in the first 72 issues are available on the website under “More Information”, then click on the link “Race Car Tests”.

Model Car Racing Track Test: "Magnet Free" Lap Times

36-foot Scalextric Indy F1 Course:

36-foot Carrera Indy F1 Course:

Scalextric 1969 Brabham BT26A-3

5.07 sec.

4.43 sec.

28 Model Car Racing

The Scalextric Brabham BT26A-3, like the Lotus 49B and McLaren M7, has a single round downforce magnet located just ahead of the rear axe. There is no provision for fitting Scalextric Digital but it might be possible to squeeze-in a C7005 Digital Chip if you cut the driver off at the armpits and ground-away any inside braces.

Scalextric has finally made it easy to remove the body from a Formula 1 car to access rear gears and bearings. The other models have overlapping suspension links and tabs that make it difficult to get the body apart and even more difficult to get it back together.

Just remove five screws and the top half of the body lifts off complete with front axle.

½½ 1969 Formula 1 Grid: Scalextric has replicas of the majority of the cars that raced in Formula 1 in 1969. The winning Matra MS80 is not available (Airfix had a similar MS11 a few decades ago). The 11th place BRM P168, the 12th place Ferrari 312 V12 and 13th place Cooper T86B Maserati V12 are also not available in 1/32 scale. There were dozens of paint and decoration schemes on the Brabhams, McLarens and Lotii. All of the 1969 cars also raced at some of the 1970 races so you can expand the grid to include 1970 and add the Scalextric Lotus 72 (the championship car) and the Scalextric Tyrrell.

Model Car Racing 29

Jacky Ickx, in his Brabham BT26A Ford-Cosworth, leads Jean-Pierre Beltoise in his Matra MS80 Ford-Cosworth at the French round of the 1969 Formula 1 Championship at Clermont-Ferrand.---LAT Photo

30 Model Car Racing

Model Car Racing 31

Your Track Gary Knabe’s 12 x 18-Foot 3-Lane Wood Riverside Raceway Gary Knabe has recreated the shape of Riverside Raceway (with the option of racing on any of three alternate courses) and the scenery and atmosphere of the iconic race track.

■■by Gary Knabe

Riverside Raceway, in the near-desert of Southern California, flourished during the same mid-sixties-to-mid-seventies era that was the first boom period of model car racing. The track was host to the Can-Am, Trans-Am, Formula 1, Formula 5000, NASCAR, IMSA series and a variety of club races. Richie Ginther won the first race at Riverside on September 22, 1957 in John Edgar’s 410 Ferrari. The track was bulldozed into the parking lot for a shopping center in 1992.

The most famous images of Riverside are the series of ess turns leading into Turn 6, the cars racing down the main straight under the Champion bridge and huge orange Union Oil balls that were on posts above the pit areas. You'll see it al on Gary Knabe's 1/32 scale version of Riverside.

32 Model Car Racing

Riverside Raceway produced those three options for some proven reasons: the NASCAR course had fewer corners and potentially the fastest lap times. The “short” course was available for SCCA club and regional races where there was a desire for shorter race times and a need for fewer corner workers. The long course was the “star”, the route used for Times Grand Prix and a dozen other races including Can-Am, Trans-Am and the 1960 round of World Formula 1 Championship.

Riverside is one of the most interesting tracks to recreate on a tabletop because it is a delightful place to race with a nice balance of corners and straights. It can be an especially wonderful tabletop track if you can build-in the option of the three

different courses. Gary Knabe routed this version of Riverside from 3/8-inch MDF board and included all three courses. A pivoting point in the slot is set to direct the cars onto any of three alternate courses. The points are cut from a sheet of ¼-inch thick black ABS plastic and mounted on screws so they can be pivoted to either of the alternate lanes. It is similar to the moving points in the digital track systems but these points are not meant to move---the points in all three lanes, at the entrance and exit for the chosen course, are set and screwed-down tight. Gary has embedded some sheet steel into the track surface so scale-size

orange danger cones with magnets in their bases can be positioned on the track to visually block-off the “wrong” course---it can be helpful to drivers because a race schedule usually includes races on all three courses; starting, perhaps, with the long course for Can-Am cars, with the points then reset to the fewer turns of the NASCAR course for a NASCAR class race. The track is host to several of the Chicago area model car racing clubs including the JYD Racing group (www. toys4slots.com).

This diagram of Riverside Raceway originally appeared in Model Car & Track magazine in the sixties and was reprinted in the January/February 2001 number 1 issue of Model Car Racing magazine.

½½ More Information: • The Riverside International Automotive Museum: 815 Marlborough Avenue #200 Riverside, CA 92507 951.369.6966 http://legendsofriverside.com/ • PRO SPORTS CAR RACING IN AMERICA 1958-1974, by Dave Freidman, ISBN 0-7603-0618-4. This volume explains why tracks like Riverside had to be created. Dave Freidman was the official photographer for Shelby America and traveled all over the country (and the world), so his photos and his reminiscences are right on.

• RIVERSIDE INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY, A Photographic Tour of the Historic Track, its Legendary Races, and Unforgettable Drivers,

by Pete Lyons, 202 pages, 550 illustrations, color and black and white. Superb photographs and history from one of the “insiders” of road racing in California in the sixties. www.petelyons.com

Gary Knabe’s three-lane 12 x 18-foot wood recreation of Riverside Raceway includes optional routes for all three of the full-size track’s configurations.

½½ Previous Riverside Raceway Articles: • Track Plans for Riverside Raceway, short and long courses for 8 x 20feet, 4-lane wood and for Carrera, Scalextric, SCX, Revell, Monogram, and Strombecker track, January/February 2001 number 1 issue • Rick Morrissette’ 8 x 16-foot Artin Riverside Raceway, July/August 2003 number 10 issue • Michael Smalley’s 7 x 14-foot 4-Lane Carrera Riverside Raceway, January/February 2008 number 37 issue • Track Plans for 2-Lane Riverside Raceway for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, NINCO or Carrera (with optional lane-changing) on an 8 x 16-foot tabletop, September/October 2012 number 65 issue (also on www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Sample Issues”) • Don Edward’s 4-lane 12 x 30-foot Slot Mods Raceway, September/October 2012 number 65 issue (also on www. modelcarracingmag.com under “Sample Issues”)

The double-hairpin turns (top) are both used for the long version of Riverside. The two turns are bypassed by a straight across the top for the NASCAR version of Riverside.

Model Car Racing 33

The straight along the left is used for the NASCAR version of Riverside to eliminate some of the turns that could have been a challenge to sixties-era sedans.

The orange plastic pylons have magnets in the bottom and there are small circles of sheet steel embedded in the track so the cones can be used to make it visually obvious to the drivers that the track does not go in that direction.

34 Model Car Racing

These three Can-Am cars are exiting the turn from the short course onto the main straight.

The black plastic points were cut from ¼-inch thick ABS plastic. The points can be set to route cars right or left. When set, the points are screwed-down tight so there’s no chance the cars’ pickups can pick the wrong route.

The Champion bridge was scratchbuilt from 1/16-inch thick sheet styrene with the logos copied from the internet.

The Union 76 balls are ping-pong balls on brass rod posts with 76 decals.

All of the buildings are scratchbuilt from bass wood and styrene sheets and strips.

Racing Trans-Am cars on the track that was host to Trans-Am races in the period produces an extra element of realism; “Yes, We are racing Trans-Am and, yes, at Riverside!”

Yes, IMSA cars also raced at Riverside (as well as at Watkins Glen). They are the only tracks that hosted such diverse classes as SCCA Production and Modified, Trans-Am, Can-Am, NASCAR and IMSA.

Model Car Racing 35

2015 Track Test Digest Issues 79-84 16 Full Race Track Test Reports on 7 Model Racing Cars This is a digest or summary of all the track tests on 1/32 scale race cars we have performed in the 79th though 84th issues of Model Car Racing magazine. Most of the test results over the past 15 years would be the same today because the majority of the 1/32 scale model cars are using identical motors, gear ratios and tires and they weigh about the same. Thus, a Scalextric sidewinder 1969 Trans-Am Mustang with a sidewinder chassis from 2002 should perform almost exactly like a Scalextric sidewinder 1969 Trans-Am Mustang with a sidewinder chassis from 2013 with many other brands and models offering similar comparative performance. There were 21 Model Car Racing Track Tests in the first six issues, 27 in the second set of six, 20 in the third set of six, 21 in the fourth set of six, 27 tests in the fifth set of six, 23 tests in the sixth set, 21 tests in the seventh, 28 tests in the eighth, 24 tests in this ninth, 17 in the tenth,16 in the eleventh, 12 in the twelfth,18 in the thirteenth and 16 in the fourteenth set of issues so the total now stands at 291. In some tests, there were errors or omissions in the numbers, which we have tried to correct for this compilation. Individual back issues are not available. The results of all 291 tests are also on www. modelcarracingmag.com

½½ Model Car Racing Track Test Results With Downforce Magnets (by brand): • Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8, Issue #81 • Flyslot (Slotwings)/Avant 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #81 • Ninco Seat Leon Cup Racer, Issue #83 • NSR 2010 BMW Z4 GT3, Issue #84 • ScaleAuto “Homeset” 1980 Porsche 935, Issue #81 • Slot.it 4-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #83 • Slot.it 2-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #83

36 Model Car Racing

½½ Track Tests Of “Supertuned” Cars Magnet-Free (No Traction Magnets) with silicone tires (by brand): • Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8, Issue #82 • Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 w/Slot.it front wheels, Issue #84 • Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 w/fixed front wheels, Issue #84 • Flyslot (Slotwings)/Avant 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #82 • Flyslot (Slotwings)/Avant 1980 BMW M1 (inline), Issue #83 • Ninco Seat Leon Cup Racer, Issue #83 • ScaleAuto “Homeset” 1980 Porsche 935, Issue #81 • Slot.it 4-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #84 • Slot.it 2-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #84 ½½ 2015 Issues: • #79 January/February 2015 • #80 March/April 2015 • #81 May/June 2015 • #82 July/August 2015 • #83 September/October 2015 • #84 November/December 2015

Model Car Racing Track Test: Cars With Traction Magnets (stock tires):

36-foot Scalextric Indy F1 Course:

36-foot Carrera Indy F1 Course:

ISSUE #81 Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 PERFORMANCE:

3.47 sec.

3.79 sec.

ISSUE #81 Flyslot(Slotwings)/Avant 1982 Ferrari 512BB(sidewinder) PERFORMANCE:

4.66 sec.

4.73 sec.

ISSUE #81 ScaleAuto “Homeset” 1980 Porsche 935 PERFORMANCE:

3.71 sec.

3.98 sec.

ISSUE #83 Slot.it 4-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quartto PERFORMANCE:

3.31 sec.

3.69 sec.

ISSUE #83 Slot.it 2-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro PERFORMANCE:

3.04 sec.

3.21 sec.

ISSUE #83 Ninco Seat Leon Cup Racer PERFORMANCE:

3.64 sec.

3.94 sec.

ISSUE #84 NSR 2010 BMW Z4 GT3 PERFORMANCE:

4.17 sec.

3.82 sec.

“Supertuned” Cars Magnet-Free (No Traction Magnets) With Silicone Tires:

36-foot Scalextric Indy F1 Course:

36-foot Carrera Indy F1 Course:

ISSUE #81 ScaleAuto “Homeset” 1980 Porsche 935 PERFORMANCE:

4.66 sec.

4.13 sec.

ISSUE #82 Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 PERFORMANCE:

4.09 sec.

4.25 sec.

ISSUE #82 Flyslot (Slotwings)/Avant 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM (sidewinder) PERFORMANCE:

4.89 sec.

4.77 sec.

ISSUE #83 Flyslot (Slotwings)/Avant 1980 BMW M1 (inline) PERFORMANCE:

4.70 sec.

4.16 sec.

ISSUE #83 Ninco Seat Leon Cup Racer PERFORMANCE:

5.22 sec.

4.90 sec.

ISSUE #84 Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 w/Slot.it front wheels PERFORMANCE:

NA

4.19 sec.

ISSUE #84 Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 w/fixed front wheels PERFORMANCE:

NA

4.60 sec.

ISSUE #84 Slot.it 4-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro PERFORMANCE:

3.83 sec.

4.11 sec.

ISSUE #84 Slot.it 2-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro PERFORMANCE:

3.81 sec.

4.05 sec.

Model Car Racing Track Test:

Model Car Racing 37

Home Racing Scalextric Super Karts

■■by Bill Wright For the past 50 years or so, go-karts have been the training ground for the majority of the top Formula 1 drivers. Today, a young driver who is not a kart champion by about age 8 has little chance of matching the experience of his peers that are trying to become professional road racers. If you have a favorite youngster (presumably around 8ish), you can at least give him one of the Scalextric Kart race sets. If he (or you) already has a track, the two Karts are available separately.

Scalextric Super Kart

The Scalextric Super Karts’ overall dimensions are about the same as most 1/32 scale cars but, being properly proportioned for a go-kart, the tires are very small.

The driver is about 3 1/2-inches tall and, assuming he or she is a six-footer, the Scalextric Super Karts are about 1/20 scale. There is a vertically-finned twostroke engine replica beside the driver and a muffler across the rear, just ahead of the rear knerf bar. The links for the (non-working) front suspension are visible along with members of the tubular chassis.

The motor is an open-frame style similar to those that were once used in HO and 1/43 scale cars. The Super Kart is light enough so the motor provides all the speed you’ll need. The tiny tires need a fairly tall gear ratio to allow the car to run at the motor’s highest speed. There are two small round downforce magnets located just behind the motor. They produce minimal downforce, however, and you will probably have more fun running the car without them. There is just .005-inches of ground clearance when running on the Scalextric track, so the magnets are as close as they can be to the track rails---if you want more magnetic downforce, you will need to install additional magnets..

There is a removable trap door so the car can be fitted with Scalextric Digital using the C8515 Digital Chip. This would be one car that would make you want to race digital---imagine six of these little machines weaving in and out of the lanes of two-lane track!

38 Model Car Racing

SPEC SHEET

The Prototype (the real car):

The size the model The dimensions of the should be in 1/20 scale: Scalextric model:

Length:

N/A

N/A

4.64 in. (118.0 mm)

Width:

N/A

N/A

2.60 in. (66.1 mm)

Height:

N/A

N/A

1.47 in. (37.3 mm)

Wheelbase*

N/A

N/A

2.90 in. (73.6 mm)

Track, Front:

N/A

N/A

2.27 in. (57.7 mm)

Track, Rear:

N/A

N/A

2.24 in. (56.8 mm)

Tires, Front:

N/A

N/A

6.6 x 14.1 mm

Tires, Rear:

N/A

N/A

10.3 x 15.4 mm

Weight:

N/A

N/A

64 grams (2 1/4 oz.)

Weight on Front Tires:

22 grams (3/4 oz.)

Weight on Rear Tires:

42 grams (1 1/2 oz.)

Magnetic Downforce on Carrera:

90 grams (3 1/4 oz.)

Magnetic Downforce on Scalextric:

100 grams (3 1/2 oz.)

Ground Clearance on Carrera:

2.0 mm (.010 in.)

Ground Clearance on Scalextric:

1.0 mm (.005 in.)

Pickup Lead (pivot to rear axle):

84.2 mm (3.31 in.)

Gear Ratio:

3.43:1 (7/24)

The Kart has a small open-frame motor with two round downforce magnets just ahead of the rear axle. The car can be converted to Scalextric Digital by simply replacing the trapdoor on the bottom with the C8515 Digital Chip.

Two screws retain the driver and seat that covers the motor. The front bumper is held on with two more screws and the rear cover with two more.

The Scalextric Kart is about 1/20 scale, close to the scale of the larger die-cast metal cars like this 1/18 scale Jaguar XK120 coupe. The number 21 XK120 roadster is an exact 1/32 scale Highway Pioneers/Revel body from the January/February 2008 number 37 issue.

Model Car Racing 39

HO Racing Four-Lanes With Auto World Track Auto World offers some of the least expensive HO track but there is a relatively limited choice of sizes. The 9-inch curves can, however, be used to assemble a four-lane track with Auto World Track sections.

The geometry is a simple addition of 3-inch straights for the outer two lanes so you can place 9-inch curves side-by-side to create a four-lane track. All three of these plans will fit on a door but they can be compressed to shorter lengths or expanded to fill any area.

Auto World offers two choices of 3-inch long adaptor track sections to join Auto World track to older Life-Like (00177) or Tyco (00178) track. You can use either one, joined in the slightly-wider center, as a 6-inch straight for any of these track plans.

40 Model Car Racing

The plan for the HO 4-Lane T-Track to fit a 45 x 75-inch area.

TRACK PLAN

HO 4-Lane T-Track to fit a 45 x 75-inch area

Auto World Track Sections Required

Insert a pair of 3-inch adaptor track between two 90-degree 9-inch radius curves for outer lanes with two 9-inch 90-degree curves for the inner lanes. All of the plans on these pages contain 90-degee or 180-degree versions of these track sections.

Quantity

Description

9 pr.

(18) 3-inch Adaptor Straight (00177 or 00178)

7

9-inch Straight (00172)

5

15-inch Straight (00171)

16

9-inch 90-degree Curve (00173)

The plan for the HO 4-Lane Indianapolis Track to fit a 30 x 78-inch door area.

TRACK PLAN

HO 4-Lane Indianapolis Track to fit a 30 x 78-inch door area

Auto World Track Sections Required Quantity

Description

2 pr. (4)

3-inch Adaptor Straight (00177 or 00178)

2

9-inch Straight (00172)

14

15-inch Straight (00171)

8

9-inch 90-degree Curve (00173)

The plan for the HO 4-Lane Figure-8 Track to fit a 36 x 72-inch door area.

TRACK PLAN

HO 4-Lane Figure-8 Track to fit a 36 x 72-inch door area

Auto World Track Sections Required Quantity

Description

4 pr.

(48 3-inch Adaptor Straight (00177 or 00178)

4

9-inch Straight (00172)

12

15-inch Straight (00171)

12

9-inch 90-degree Curve (00173)

Model Car Racing 41

Tech Tips Inline, Sidewinder or Anglewinder?

Slot.it, NSR and ScaleAuto offer chassis and/or motor pods that allow you to fit many of their cars with an inline motor, a sidewinder motor or an anglewinder motor. Which is best?

■■by Robert Schleicher Back in the sixties, most 1/32 scale cars had inline motors because there was not enough room between the rear tires to mount the motor sideways. The sidewinder worked better than an inline on the larger 1/24 scale cars because it concentrated more of the weight over the drive wheels. Bill Sipple at Auto Hobbies discovered that an Athearn open-frame train motor was actually a sidewinder version of the common inline motor and had batch made by Pittman with the then-standard 1/8-inch axles threaded for 5-40 nuts. These were also too wide to fit between tires on a 1/32 scale car but worked great on 1/24 scale models.

Atlas and K & B produced variations. There was enough room between the rear tires on 1/24 scale cars to mount most common Mabuchi “S Can" motor as a sidewinder and they were quicker than the Auto Hobbies open-frame motors.

Today, the most common motor is the “SP-size” or S150 can. It is short enough to be mounted as a sidewinder and it is common on a lot of Flyslot GT cars as well as Can-Am and smaller Slot.it cars. NSR fits a smaller and shorter version of the slim Boxer motor in their sidewinder chassis pods. The space problem still exists today because there is not enough room fit the popular Flat-6 or “Boxer”motor between the rear tires of a 1/32 scale car. Hence, the anglewinder where the motor is mounted at an angle so the forward end just clears one of the tires---most of the weight is over the rear axle, much more than with an inline configuration.

Many manufacturers choose inlines to provide room for an interior (like nearly all Formula 1 cars). Others use sidewinders (notably Scalextric) to leave the center of the car free to fit a full and completely-detailed interior. The anglewinder also leaves the center of the car open for a detailed interior and it is a popular choice on modern LMP1 cars like those from Slot.it, NSR, Avant Slot and ScaleAuto. But, again, which is best?

42 Model Car Racing

I can state with certainty that, given motors with equal performance and similar-size cars, an experienced model car tuner can get just as fast lap times with an inline car as he can with an anglewinder or with sidewinder. There is, then, no "best". But, but, but, you may discover that you are more comfortable and, therefore, more confident with the way that one of these chassis configurations handles on your tracks. That, then, is the best for you.

We have been considering the subject of different motor locations since the magazine began publication. There was a comparison test in the of then-new Scalextric Rally cars to see “ Which is best, inline or sidewinder?” in the November/December 2002 number 6 issue. We have performed hundreds of Race Track Test since then and honestly, the results are inconclusive. The fastest cars we have tested as inline, sidewinder and anglewinder chassis on both Scalextric Classic and Carrera Indy F1 tracks are on page 43. The BOLD lines are the quickest in each class. From this data you might gather that an inline or an anglewinder is the quickest out-of-the-box but, less-magnet, the anglewinder or sidewinder cars are the quickest.

When you consider these lap times beware about drawing conclusions about which is fastest. First, there is a vast difference between a car with a downforce magnet and one without any downforce magnet. The downforce magnet hides a vast array of handling faults and a quick lap time is more likely to be the result of a proper balance between motor power and magnetic downforce than about which motor location is quickest. I would say the results with a downforce magnet are really inconclusive. Without a downforce magnet, however, the car is relying on the balance to achieve the best handling (we eliminate the tire question because all of the magnet-free tests are conducted with similar silicone tires). When cars are running magnet-free, the anglewinder chassis is likely to be quicker, with the

sidewinder slightly slower and the inline that distant third. So now you know? But you will discover that the motor location is nowhere near as critical as you might expect; the quickest car in one recent Slot.it proxy race series had an inline motor and it beat all of the sidewinders and anglewinders.

TRACK TEST RESULTS: Inline: With Mag SCX 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3

3.61 Scalextric track Slot.it “Reloaded” Audi R8 3.47 Carrera track Inline: Less Mag NSR 2010 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR (inline)

4.68 sec. Scalextric track 4.23 sec. Carrera track

Sidewinder: With Mag Slot.it 1971 Alfa Romeo T33/3

4.59 sec. Scalextric track 3.90 sec. Carrera track

Slot.it offers chassis with all three motor locations: • Inline with SP-size motor in Porsche 962C and other Group C cars • Anglewinder with Flat-6 motor in Sauber C9 and other modern LMP cars • Sidewinder with SP-size motor in McLaren M8D, Alfa 33, Chaparral Slot.it offers a wide range of replacement motor pods, often with a choice of how far the motor is located below the axle centerline and the inline pods can be ordered with the plastic motor end bell located either toward the front or the rear. The pods will fit most Slot.it chassis. In addition, Slot.it has their HRS/2 chassis that can be adapted to any body and motor pods are available for it in anglewinder, sidewinder or inline configurations, often with a choice of motors vs. axle heights (to lower the motor relative to the rear axle). These pods will also fit most stock Slot.it cars,.however, not all of the replacement pods do not have outriggers, just two front and two rear attaching screws.

There is not always room inside the body for a different motor configuration so you will not, for example, be able to fit and inline or sidewinder motor pod inside a Slot.it Audi R18 without removing part of the interior and cutting the driver off at the armpits. Also the rear deck on many of the modern LMP cars with anglewinder chassis is so low that there is no room for the crown gear on an inline chassis.

Sidewinder: Less Mag Slot.it HRS/2 Chassis with Slot it orange can 21K motor 11/34 gear 3.87 Scalextric track

4.06 Carrera track

Anglewinder: With Mag Avant Slot Mirage G8

3.47 Scalextric track

3.79 Carrera

NSR also offers most of their cars with a choice of inline (IL), sidewinder (SW) or anglewinder (AW) chassis. The pods are available separately so, even if the car is not offered in the configuration you want, you can buy a separate pod, motor, and gears to have any of the three configurations.

Anglewinder: Less Mag Slot.it 2013 Audi R18 e-tron ultra 4wd (two-wheels driving) 3.81 Scalextric track Slot.it 2013 Audi R18 e-tron ultra 4wd (two-wheels driving) 4.05 Carrera track

We have Race Track Tested all three of NSR chassis options and results of the tests out-of-the- box with downforce magnet are on pages 7-9. We’ll have the results of magfree test in the next issue. These are three of NSR cars with (l. to r.) inline chassis beneath their 2013 Audi R18 Inline (in the July/August 2013 number 69 issue), Aston Martin Vantage V12 anglewinder (in the May/June 2014 number 75 issue) and 2014 BMW Z4 GT3 sidewinder (in the November/December 2014 number 84 issue.).

Model Car Racing 43

Track Test: Le Mans: Magnet-Free Supertuned Racers, Part 125: Slot.it 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro Shoot-Out 2WD vs. 4WD Less Magnet ■■by Marc Purdham

Slot.it has upped the anti on performance again with this car. The concept was to provide a four-wheel drive car that, like the full-size car, was the car to beat. When we tested the Slot.it 4-wheel drive Audi with the downforce magnet in the September/October 2015 number 83 issue it was quicker than even Slot.it’s own rear-wheel drive car and it was quicker yet with just the rear wheels driving. This test compares cars without downforce magnets and, without a downforce magnet, the Slot.it 4WD car is also noticeably quicker than most of the two-wheel drive cars we have tested but it is no faster than Slot. it’s own 2-wheel drive cars. The differences in lap times between this Slot. it Audi and the Slot.it Porsche 962 we tested earlier are not significant---all three are virtually equal. On the tight test tracks, the four-wheel drive Audi did seem to be easier to control but that was likely because it does not coast or free-wheel as much as the two-wheel drive versions. We have done more testing with those one-way ball bearing front wheels (there’s a “Shoot-out” comparing a solid front axle, to Avant Slot’s well-controlled independentrotating front wheels to Slot.it front wheels on pages 15-17) but, on the tight Indy F1 tracks, the Slot.it 4WD Audi (in two-wheel drive) is the car to beat.

44 Model Car Racing

The new Slot.it 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro 4wd has a chassis that is nearly identical to their other LMP1 cars---the four-wheel-drive components are added and can be fitted to most other Slot.it chassis.

The one-way-rotating ball bearing front wheels should fit any brand of 1/32 scale car.

Model Car Racing 45

½½ Shoot-Out: Modern LMP1 (& other) Cars “Unlimited Performance”

Model Car Racing Track Test:

36-foot Scalextric Indy F1 Course:

36-foot Carrera Indy F1 Course:

Slot.it 2013 Audi R18 e-tron ultra 4wd (four-wheels driving)

3.83 sec.

4.11 sec.

Slot.it 2013 Audi R18 e-tron ultra 4wd (two-wheels driving)

3.81 sec.

4.05 sec.

Slot.it 1987 Porsche 962 LH (with SP sidewinder motor)

3.87 sec.

4.06 sec.

"Magnet Free" Lap Times

Slot.it 1998 Porsche 911 GT1-98

4.52 sec.

4.26 sec.

Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8

4.09 sec.

4.25 sec.

Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12 LMR

4.84 sec.

4.68 sec.

NINCO 2009 Lamborghini Gallardo with NC-14 anglewinder motor and 2.38:1 gears

4.96 sec.

4.78 sec.

Racer “Sideways” 1978 Porsche 935/78

4.49 sec.

4.11 sec.

NSR 2010 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR

4.68 sec.

4.23 sec.

SCX 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT-3 (inline motor)

4.56 sec.

4.73 sec.

NOTES: The lap times and other test results for all of the track tests in the first 84 issues are available on www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Model Resources”, then click on the link “Race Car Test Results”. We performed a full Model Car Racing Track Test on the Slot.it 1987 Porsche 962 LH with a sidewinder SP motor in the November/December 2013 number 72 issue, on the Slot.it 1998 Porsche 911 GT1-98 in the March/April 2011 number 56 issue, Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8 in the July/August 2015 number 82 issue, the Arrow Slot 1999 BMW V12 LMR in the July/ August 2014 number 76 issue the Ninco Lamborghini Gallardo with 2.38:1 gearing in the September/October 2010 number 53 issue, the Racer “Sideways” 1978 Porsche 935/78 in the July/August 2013 number 70 issue, the NSR 2010 Porsche 997 GT3 RSR in the November/December 2012 number 66 issue and the SCX 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG GT3 in the May/June 2012 number 63 issue.

The toothed drive belt runs along the left side of the chassis with a bolt-on tensioner/guide.

46 Model Car Racing

The black Slot.it replica of 2013 R18, like the prototype, has a completely different body than the 2011 silver R18. Both models have the incredibly low rear deck that was a hallmark of these Audi LeMans cars. The first release of the 2013 car is this replica of the all-black car that ran at the LeMans Test Day in 2013. Later, Slot.it will release a limited edition of the Audi R18 that won LeMans in 2013.

Race Tracks For Your Home: HO 4-Lane Mugello Circuit For a 4 X 8-Foot Tabletop ■■by Robert Schleicher

This plan is based on the full-size Mugello Circuit on pages 11-13 of this issue.

This plan compresses the track to fit on a 4 x 8-foot panel but you could expand it by 30-inches (two pair of 15-inch straights) at Turn T15 and between turns T8 and R9 to create a walk-in race track. This a plan for those that relish acceleration and braking, with tight curves at turns T1/T3 and T8, for point-and-shoot racing. Turns T8, 9, 12 and 13 are the fastest broadest turns in HO. The AFX terminal/connector section can be substituted for any of the 15-inch straights on the track. You can install one on one side of the track and the second on the opposite side of the track so the drivers can also serve as corner marshals.

The majority of the HO plans in the magazine cram as much track as possible into that 4 x 8-foot area. Any of them would be more enjoyable to race on with the straights longer than the typical six-feet or so. It can be difficult to design a plan for, say, 4 x 16-feet that can be shrunk to fit a 4 x 8-foot area. So we present them as compact as possible and hope that you’ll expand them to 4 x 10 or 4 x 24-feet to get those exciting 20-foot straightaways. Most of the plans are marked

with “L” letters indicated just where to insert the additional sets of straight track sections to expand the track to any length.

TRACK PLAN

HO 4-Lane Mugello Circuit to fit a 4 x 8-foot Area

AFX Track Sections Required Quantity

Description

Quantity

Description

2

3-inch Straight

0

9-inch 45-degree Curve

0

6-inch Straight

4

9-inch 90-degree Curve

4

9-inch Straight

8

12-inch 45-degree Curve

36

15-inch Straight

10

15-inch 45-degree Curve

0

6-inch 45-degree Curve

10

18-inch 45-degree Curve

Model Car Racing 47

Club Directory ��������������������� Most model car racers prefer to race at home on their own tracks with a few friends. There are hundreds of model car racing clubs in the world but some of them are groups who race very highly modified cars on tracks routed from wood or PVC. The model racing cars you see on the pages of this magazine are all designed to be raced on plastic tracks (although they can be raced on most wood or PVC tracks) from Scalextric, Sport, Carrera, NINCO, SCX, Riggen or Artin or the older Strombecker, Revell or Monogram tracks 1/32 scale tracks or Tomy AFX or Mattel/Tyco HO tracks.

class where extra magnets are allowed or different bodies. We try to NOT list the clubs that primarily race cars with hand-made metal chassis and clear plastic bodies---those clubs are listed on various internet sites or you can find most of them through the Old Weird Harold site at http://www.oldweirdherald.com.

There are hundreds of dealers in the country that have operating tracks in the store.

We cannot list them all, but you can contact the ones in your area from the list of dealers that carry Model Car Racing magazine www.modelcarracingmag.com.

The clubs that are listed here are groups whose main interest is to race out-ofthe box cars and mostly on plastic tracks (although the club may also race on one or two hand-routed wood or PVC tracks). The group may have a modified

If your group races out-of-the-box 1/32 scale or HO scale cars, with only occasionally events for modified cars) send us the information at www.modelcarracingmag.com and we’ll try to include your club in the next issue.

California, Los Angeles (Glendale): OTHG – Farrout Slot Car Club. Contact Stephen Farr-Jones 818-416-9188, www.farroutslotcars.com/

Illinois, Central area: Hotslots 1/32 Slot Car Shop, 1809 A. Philo Road, Urbana, IL 61802 (217) 3552277, info@hotslots132.com

Missouri, St. Louis area: (Carl Shorle) gsra@ swbell.net

California, Fresno area: Insane SCRC, Joe Cabral Joe_Cabral@comcast.net

Illinois, Chicago area: Bolingbrook Speedway, Karl Staehlin, karlstaehlin@gmail.com

California, North San Diego County: Nomad Slot Racing Club, Jim Cunningham (760)492-4619 jim@NomadRaceways.com www.NomadSlotRacing.com

Illinois, Chicago area: Great Lakes Slot Car Club, contact: www.greatlakesscc.com

California, North San Diego County, Escondido - “The Slot Outlaws” 760-747-4511 or email: rick_houston@hotmail.com California, San Jose area: Devin Mauldin web@ flyinghump.com California, South Bay (Los Angeles): Stan Smith (310)812-1866 stan.dsmith@tw.com California, South Bay (Los Angeles): ITG - In The Groove Slot Car racing, 324 W. Florence Ave., Inglewood, CA 90301. Contact: Marc Natividad (310) 200-6300. ftnzguru@aol.com Colorado, Denver area: Rocky Mountain Slot Car Club (RMSSC) http://rmscclub.proboards.com/index.cgi Colorado, Denver Area, Colorado Slot car Club, contact: http://coslotcarclub.proboards.com/

Illinois, Chicago Area: JYD Racing, contact www. toys4slots.com Illinois, Peoria/ Metamora area: Peoria Model Car Raceway, (309) 573-1027, historybuff.stange@gmail.com, (309)712-3299 butterbean722004@yahoo.com Indiana, Indianapolis area: (Jeremy Dunning) jeremydunning@hotmail.com Indiana, Terre Haute area: Otter Creek Slot Racing Association, Bob Redman rredman427@aol.com Iowa, Cedar Rapids area: Iowa Model Area Racers, http://imar.us/ Indiana, Fort Wayne area: Wallace Dale Monroe, wallmonroe@aol.com Iowa, Cedar Rapids area: ERASR (Ecurie Road America Scale Racers) Art (319)626-6374 Iowa, Swisher area: IMAR (Iowa Model Auto Racing), Jerry Hightshoe lowboot2@hotmail.com

Colorado, Denver area: Front Range Vintage Slotcar and Historical Racing Club, http://monovell. proboards.com/index.cgi

Kentucky, Louisville area: Derby City Slot Car Club, www.derbycityslotcarclub.proboards.com/ Mark@derbycityspeedway.com

D.C., Washington area: The Capital Racing League, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tcrl, contact: Warsteiner42@aol.com

Louisiana, Lake Charles area: Lake Area Slot Car Auto Racing, Julian Guillory, http://groups.yahoo. com/group/LASCAR

D.C., Washington area (Alexandria): Classic Slot Car Association (CSSA), John Roberts, (703) 5825504, jonrob-1@msn.com D.C., Washington Metro area: Old Dominion Slot Car Club, 5322 Graystone Rd., Warrenton, VA 20187, contact: Chris Bowles (540)341-1405 or, info@nascarslots.com, www.nascarslots.com or www.metalracer.com

Maryland, Baltimore area: (Allan Schwartz) compass@bellatlantic.net Michigan, Grand Rapids area: Rivershore International Raceway, Alto, Michigan, Stephen Thomas, (616) 891-1632. email: sbbthomas@aol.com Michigan, Kalamazoo area: West Michigan Slot Car Group, John Lacko (269) 344-5588, jalacko@aol.com https://www.facebook.com/ groups/205657316120426/

HO Clubs: The majority of HO racing on a club level in the US is home sectional tracks, using hard bodies and largely stock equipment. The majority are Thunderjet focused, although many do run the Life-Like, Auto World, Playing Mantis, G-Plus and Mattel/Tyco cars, these mass produced magnet cars tend California, Bay area: M.S.C.R.C. - Model Slot Car Racing Club www.mscrc.orgemail: info@ mscrc.org California, Bay area: Shaunadega Racing www. shaunadega.com California, South Bay (Los Angeles): ITG - In The Groove Slot Car racing, 324 W. Florence Ave. Inglewood, CA 90301. Contact: Marc Natividad (310) 200-6300. ftnzguru@aol.com Colorado, Denver area: Front Range HO (FRHO)

48 Model Car Racing

Missouri, St. Louis area: Monaco Grand Prix Miniature Racing Club, www.mgpmrc.org, email: mgpmrc@mgpmrc.org New York, Binghamton Area: Tri-County Slots, Contact: gjtecza@yahoo.com New York, Watkins Glen area: The Slot Car Club Of The Twin Tiers, Contact: Frank Spena, Jr., sccottt1@yahoo.com North Carolina, Winston-Salem area: Road America Racers, King City, North Carolina, Tom Brooks, (336) 985-3867 or mrnova@alltel.net Ohio, Columbus area: 1/32 Slot Car Racers of Central Ohio, Randy Horton, http://groups.yahoo. com/group/1-32SlotCarRacersOfCentralOhio Oregon, Portland area: Beaverton Area Slot Car Club (B.A.S.C.C.),15430 SW Gull Ct., Beaverton, Oregon 97007, 503-330-6907 Pennsylvania, Allentown-Reading area: Allen & Allen Motor Speedway Racing, (610) 520-7247, Jallenenterprises@verizon.net Pennsylvania, Chambersburg area.

Sherman Collings modelersc@comcast.net (717) 377-1435 Pennsylvania, Harrisburg area: Homestead Speedway, Landisville, Pennsylvania. Ken Falco at KFalco@Studio5architects.com Pennsylvania, Manheim area: D & B Raceways, Don Noll don_nll@yahoo.com Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area: Mt. Airy Racing Association, Herbert Bigelow (215) 868-4464, herb310@juno.com

Texas, Eastern area: East Texas Slot Car Association, Tyler , TX 75771, (903)882 0965 ETXSCA@ hotmail.com Texas, Houston (Northwest Harris County): Houston Scale Auto Racing Club (HSARC), www.hsarc. net, (281)807-4026.

Northern Virginia-Metro DC area: Northern Virginia Digital Slot Racers, contact: Hayes Lewis, hayeslewis@yahoo.com Vermont, Burlington area: Burlington Slot Dorks, Daniel, aircooled@pbfoot.com Williamsburg Virginia area: The Barn Burners” Contact: Joseph Brimer vagators@yahoo.com Washington, Auburn area: Rainier Raceways, Greg Gaub ggaub@ggaub.com Washington, Seattle/Tacoma area: PSSRA (Puget Sound Slot Car Racing Association) http://pssra. webhop.net/ or Tony Kuljis, kuljis2@msn.com Washington, Seattle/Tacoma area: NMRL (Northwest Model Racing League). John MacKenzie (206)295-9980, jicemanmac@msn.com Toronto, Canada area: Scale Sloters 1/32, chris.w@rogers.com Vancouver, Canada area: (Luf Linkert) luf@ telus.net

1/24 scale racing clubs: Oregon, Eugene area: Pelican Park Speedway (541)349-0917 htm210@comcast.

Digital Racing Clubs: Phoenix, Arizona area: DSCRC-Phoenix, Carrera 1/32 & 1/24 only, email lewbr2002@yahoo.com

Pennsylvania, Wilkes Barre Area: NEPA Slot Car Club, 570-903-9182, nepaslotcars.com

Ohio, Mansfield area: Mid-Ohio 1/32 Scale Racing Club, chorp@ohio.net, John Chorpening (419) 289-6563

Pennsylvania, Wyoming Valley Area: Wyoming Valley Slot Car Association, Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, wvsca.blogspot.com

Northern Virginia-Metro DC area: Northern Virginia Digital Slot Racers, contact: Hayes Lewis, hayeslewis@yahoo.com

to be utilized by small round robin groups by invitation or as groups of friends.

There are some excellent clubs across the US racing basically stock hardshell T-Jet cars for the most part on sectional home tracks. This is only a partial listing. If you have an active group racing hard-bodied T-Jet-style cars, let us know.

club. http://www.scaleracers.com/FrontRangeHO/ default.asp

Missouri, Kansas City area: http://home.kc.rr.com/jhabernal/mahor/

Illinois, Chicago area: http: nitro-racing.4t.com/

Missouri, St. Louis area: gsra@swbell.net

Indiana, Fort Wayne area: Wallace Monroe, wallmonroe@aol.com

Ohio, Columbus area: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/colohhoscc/ messages

Kentucky / Virginia area: http://www.thunderjetracing.com/

Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area: http://vintagehoracing.mr-bigstuff.com/

Michigan, Lansing area: NASAR, Richard Leeper (517) 290-9952 or lansingNASAR@myway.com

Pennsylvania, Wilkes Barre Area: NEPA Slot Car Club, 570-903-9182, nepaslotcars.com

Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area: Mt. Airy Racing Association, Herbert Bigelow (215) 868-4464, herb310@juno.com Winston-Salem/Greenville, South Carolina area: Upstate HO Slot Car Club, 403 Hill Lane, Mauldin, SC 29662 - (864) 967-7865 Richard Tabb at mrnova@alltel.net or Steve Lorch at youneedjesus@juno.com United Kingdom, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire Burning Rubber, www.burningrubber.net

Pit Board #84 ��������������������� Car Hop?

Die Cast Cars You Can Race

I would like to try running some of my cars without downforce magnets but ,when I removed the magnet from my Scalextric Camaro, the car hopped and skidded through corners uncontrollably. I did buy a pair of 1102R Super Tires and they helped a lot but the car still bounces around on some corners and when accelerating down the long straight. Is the motor too powerful for the tires?

Please help. I am a beginner at this but want to start out. I do have three slot cars and I am not sure which one is analog and which one is digital:

Thank you for any advise you can offer, Carl Jacobs

Monogram Mancuso Corvette #76

SCX 1/32 Renault Formula 1 2010 “Kubica” SCX 1/32 Lancia Delta S4 (Gold and Black livery) My suspicion is that only the “Kubica” is digital but I am not 100% sure.

I could have selected a better title than “Car Hop” but I just could not resist. If you have to ask why...… Meanwhile, the most probable cause of the car hopping is an out-of-round wheel. A poor-fitting or out-of-round tire is more usual but you have already eliminated that by fitting a different set of rear tires. It is, of course, possible an out-of-round front tire causes that hop so it would be wise check them. There’s an article in the July/August 2015 number 82 issue (also on www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Sample Issues) on how to “true” the wheels. Tire hop can also be the result of the motor and/or the rear axle bearings being loose in the chassis. The motor may not be seated tightly in its mounting notches and it is possible that one or both rear axle bearings have been dislocated partway out of their notches. You can be sure the problem will not occur by snapping-out the motor and rear axle and applying a thin bead of metal-filled epoxy in each of the notches in the chassis that retain the motor and rear axle bearings. Snap the motor and rear axle back, and be sure they are seated properly, then wait 24 hours for the epoxy to cure completely.

There is one more possible cause of hop on a sidewinder car like the Scalextric Camaro, there may be too much side-to-side movement or “play” at the rear axle. If the rear axle can slide more than about .005-inches (the thickness of three magazine pages) you should insert a plastic washer between the back of the wheel opposite the gear and bearing. Pull the assembled rear axle and slice one half of an .005-inch thick plastic washer so you can bend it, and snap it over the axle. The .005-inch thick number SS13 plastic polymer washers from Slick 7 (Slot Sports--- www.slick7.com) are perfect for this use. There’s an article on the process in the January/February 2010 number 49 issue (again, on www.modelcarracingmag.com).

Poor Power Hello, I have a Scalextric Sport track assembled on two 4 x 8s connected in a T shape. I cannot get even power all the way around the track. In some places the cars come to a crawl. I have done the obvious; checking the connections and even using a volt meter in the slow spots, but nothing helps. Is there something I am missing? Is there a second power source that can be attached elsewhere on the track

Love your magazine, Julius Steuer,

Dirty track is a more common cause of poor performance than poor connections.

Polish the track rails with one of the red rough-weave mechanics cloths or something similar. Do not use steel wool or emery paper because it will scratch the rails to make corrosion return sooner. If the rails are badly oxidized, you can polish them with the hard rubber erasers sold to clean model railroad track.

If you are checking the rails with a voltmeter, there should be slightly less power the further you are from the connector track. There is always a slight power loss at each joint and a loss through the each foot of the length of the metal rails. Scalextric offers a pair of C8248 Sport Track Power Booster Cables that snap onto the metal tabs on the bottom of the pickup rails beneath the track. The cables are 3 meters (about 6 1/2 feet) long, which would suggest that Scalextric believes you might need them for every 6 1/2 feet of track (although there is no reason other than tidiness to run the cables beneath the track---they can go right across (or under) the tabletop. Connect the two clips of one of the cables to two of the metal tabs from track rails on the bottom of the connector track section and connect the clips on the opposite end of the cable to the track section that is about 6 feet away. The wires are color coded black and red so be sure that you always connect (say) the red wires to the bottom of the right rail. If the track is longer than 13-feet per lap, add a second pair but connect them to the track section nearest 6 1/2-feet in the oppose racing direction. If the track is longer than 21feet per lap you can add a third (or fourth) set of cables connecting from the previous track section. If the track is 40-feet or longer, it would be wise to make you own cables with 18-gauge wires so you do not have a power loss through the connector cables.

I bought the cars in Atlanta, Georgia (Hobby Town) by mistake, thinking these are just quality scale models to find out at home that these are in fact slot cars. Now I am in love with these things.

I am looking to buy a track you can fit in a “normal” living room so would help if you can point me to a specific brand and type for a beginner while considering the cars I have.

Thank you so much from Romania, Lucut Boborama

We have been telling folks for 15 years that these are "die-cast cars that run" and asking “Why would you want a model car that you could not race?”. The SCX Digital cars have a 1/8-inch long vertical sliding tab in the middle of the pickup or guide shoe blade. That tab is spring loaded and the "digital" signal moves it down below the depth of the slot to engage the SCX lane-changer lever. The car can be converted to analog but the digital copper tabs must be removed and wires connected from the pickup directly to the motor tabs. The pickup itself is OK as-is. There's a five-page "Pros and Cons" about the best track on www.modelcarracingmag.com under the top tab "More Information", then "Plastic Track" on the sidebar. The "best" is usually what is most readily available where you live.

Carrera Track vs. Scalextric My cars run just fine on my Scalextric track but when I try to race them on a friend’s Carrera track, the cars often stall and stop running on some portions of the track. Aren’t all brands of cars supposed to operate on all brands of 1/32 scale track? Is there some adjustment I should make or do I need buy special guide shoes for my Scalextric cars so I can race them on Carrera track?

Thank you for your help, Pete Ross

Yes, all brands of 1/32 scale cars should run on all brands of 1/32 scale track. There are a couple of “ifs”, however; Carrera track has the plastic on the sides of the slot extended up to the level of the metal pickup rails. If the pickup brushes are adjusted so they are brushing the sides of the pickup blade on the car, that plastic on the sides of the Carrera slot may keep the braid from contacting the metal pickup strips on the track. There are photos of correctly-adjusted braid for Carrera track on www.modelcarracingmag.com under the left “New To The Hobby” link (there’s also an article there about trimming the Carrera guide shoe so it will not jam on Scalextric curves).

The only other problem you might encounter would be with some of the older cars from the seventies and with any car that is designed run on a commercial race track.

Those older cars often had open-frame motors (see “Motor Brushes” letter, above) that drew as much as two amps of electrical current, while today’s motors usually need less than a half-amp. Those older cars and cars from the commercial race tracks can easily trip circuit breaker or fuses on most model car racing power packs.

New To The Hobby?

There’s more information on pages 42-43 of this issue. There are some basic tune-up tips that are needed for every model race car on www.modelcarracingmag.com under the “New to the hobby?” link. There are 13 tips including: How To Get Started in Model Car Racing, Lap Counting, Two Driving Techniques, Perfect Pickup Braid, Tire Mounting, Cleaning Track Rails, Cleaning Track, Avoiding Disaster: Oil & Grease, Race Program Set Up: Color Coding & Racing classes, Reliable Wires, Chassis Set Up, Carrera Guide Shoe Mods and Gearing setups. There’s lots more you can do, including changing to silicone rear tires with better grip, loosening the body-to-chassis screws and more.

Model Car Racing 49

Model Car Racing Magazine 2015

Volume 14 - Issues 79 through 84 Index 1/32 Scale Model Car Racing: Body Shop:: (also see "Race Car Shop") • Dave Jones 1964 BM P261 Formula 1, Issue #74

Can-Am: • Slot.it 1970 McLaren M8D, Issue #73

Club Racing: • Handicap Racing Equality, Issue #81 • The Constructor (see Race Car Shop):

Digital Racing: (Note: Every issue also has track plans that include locations for lane-changers for Scalextric Sport Digital and Carrera Pro-X track---see "Race Tracks on a Tabletop" and "Real Race Track Plans") • Scalextric Digital Chip Installation in Carrera F1 cars, Issue #79 • Carrera Digital 132 Wireless+ Control, Issue #80 • Carrera Digital 132 Reliable LaneChanger Location, Issue #81 • Carrera Digital 132 Race Management App, Issue #82 • More Speed?, Issue #83 • Live Pit Action, Issue #84

Editorials: • Racing With An App, Issue #79 • Race Car Rewards, Issue #80 • It’s My Sandbox, Issue #81 • Slot Cars, Issue #82 • The Ultimate Race, Issue #83 • The Zen of Model Car Racing, Issue #84

Formula 1: • Carrera 2013 Ferrari F138, Issue #79

50 Model Car Racing

• Scalextric 1970 Lotus 72C, Issue #79 • Ninco “Formula” Cars, Issue #79 • Scalextric 1969 McLaren M7C, Issue #80 • Scalextric 1968 Lotus 49B, Issue #80 • Scalextric 1958 Maserati 250F, Carrol Shelby’s F1 Car, Issue #82 • Flyslot (Slotwings) 1975 Brabham BT44B, Issue #83 • Scalextric 1971 Tyrrell 003, Issue #83 • Scalextric 2014 McLaren MP4, Issue #83 • Vintage Racing: Strombecker 1954 Maserati 250F, Issue #83 • Cartrix 1955 Ferrari-Lancia D50, Issue #83 • Scalextric 1969 Brabham BT26A-3, Issue #84

Historic Racing Classes: • LeMans 1959 In 1/32 Scale, Issue #79 • LeMans 1972 in 1/32 Scale, Issue #81 • LeMans 1951 in 1/32 Scale, Issue #82 • 1975 Formula 1 Grid In 1/32 Scale, Issue #83 • 1969 Formula 1 Grid in 1/32 Scale, Issue #84

Home Racing: • Race Management with an App, Scalextric ARC One, Issue #80 • Build Your Own Race Track Part 1: The Table, Issue #82 • Tech Tips: Build A Model Car Racing Table, Issue #82 • Carrera and AFX Buildings For Your Race Track, Issue #83 • Build A Wood Race Track Part 2: Planning the Track, Issue #83 • Tech Tips Design Your Own Racetrack, Issue #83 • Tech Tips How To Use Track Plans for Plastic Track to Build a Wood Raceway, Issue #83

• Build A Wood Race Track, Part 3: Cutting The Slots & Painting, Issue #84 • Tech Tips: Routing The Slots, Issue #84 • Tech Tips: Fixing Routing Mistakes, Issue #84 • Tech Tips: Painting The Track, Issue #84 • Scalextric Super Karts’, Issue #84 • Tech Tips: Painting Plastic Track, Issue #84

Le Mans Racers: • Race Car Shop: TDR Innovations 3D Printed 1959 Aston Martin CBR1/300 with Slot Classics or PCS-1 Chassis, Issue #79 • ScaleAuto Home Set 1980 Porsche 935J, Issue #79 • Ninco 1958 Porsche 356, Issue #79 • Scalextric 2013 Bentley GT3, Issue #80 • Modelant 1947 Alfa Romeo 8C2900B , Issue #80 • Slot.it 1974 Matra MS670B, Issue #80 • Slot Classics 1938 Alfa Romeo 8C2900B , Issue #80 • Track Test: Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8, Issue #81 • Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 117, Magnet-Free: Flyslot/Avant 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #81 • SRC (Slot Racing Company) 1981 Lola T600, Issue #81 • Track Test: ScaleAuto “Homeset” 1980 Porsche 935, Issue #81 • SRC (Slot Racing Company) 1972 Matra MS670B , Issue #81 • SRC (Slot Racing Company) 1971 Porsche 914/6GT, Issue #81 • Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 119, Magnet-Free: Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8, Issue #82 • MMK 1951 Cad-Allard LeMans, Issue #82 • Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 120 Magnet-Free SHOOT-OUT:

• Flyslot/Avant vs. Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #82 • Slot.it 1989 Nissan R89C , Issue #82 • Track Test Supertuned Racers, Part 121 Magnet-Free: Flyslot/Avant 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #82 • Slot.it 4WD 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quarto , Issue #82 • Track Test: Slot.it 4WD 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro , Issue #83 • LeMans Slot.it 2-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #83 • Track Test Supertuned Racers, Part 123, Magnet-Free: Flyslot/ Avant 1980 BMW M1, Issue #83 • Track Test: LeMans NSR 2010 BMW Z4 GT3, Issue #84 • Track Test, Supertuned Racers, Part 124 Magnet-Free, Front “Steering” Shoot-Out: Solid vs. independentrotating vs. One-Way Ball Bearings: Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8, Issue #84 • Track Test Supertuned Racers, Part 125, Magnet-Free LeMans Slot.it 4-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #84 • Track Test Supertuned Racers, Part 125, Magnet-Free LeMans Slot.it 2-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #84

Muscle Cars: • 1970 Dodge Challenger, Issue #82

Race Car Shop: • LeMans: TDR Innovations 3D Printed 1959 Aston Martin CBR1/300 with Slot Classics or PCS-1 Chassis, Isaac #79 • Pattos 1961 Lotus 19 on Slot. it HRS/2 Chassis, Issue #81

Race Tracks on a Tabletop Plans: All plans are designed for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, NINCO or Carrera track (most with optional lane-changing)

• 2-Lane Unicorn Banked Raceway on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop, Issue #79 • 2-Lane Silverstone 1948-1949 Grand Prix Circuit on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop, Issue #80 • 2-Lane Sochi, Russia Autodrom on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop, Issue #81 • 2-Lane Estoril Circuit on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop, Issue #82 • 2-Lane Hockenheimring Circuit on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop, Issue 83 • 2-Lane Mugello Circuit on a 4 x 8-foot tabletop, Issue #84

Race-Tune Your Race Car: (See Super-Tuned Racers)

Rally Cars: • Scalextric 1986 Lancia Delta S4, Issue #80 • Scalextric 2014 Volkswagen Polo R WRC, Issue #81

Real Race Track Plans: All plans are designed for Scalextric Sport, Classic, SCX, NINCO or Carrera track (most with optional lane-changing) • 2-Lane Unicorn Banked Raceway on a 9 x 15-foot tabletop, Issues #79 • 2-Lane Silverstone 1948-1949 Grand Prix Circuit on a 9 x 19foot tabletop, Issue #80 • 2-Lane Sochi, Russia Autodrom on a 10 x 18-foot tabletop, Issue #81 • 2-Lane Estoril Circuit on a 5 x 18-foot tabletop, Issue #82 • 2-Lane Hockenheimring Circuit on a 10 x 18-foot tabletop, Issue #83 • 2-Lane Mugello Circuit on a 13 x 23-foot tabletop with LIVE ACTION PIT STOPS, Issue #84

Sedan Racing: • Slot.it 3D-Printed Chassis for Carrera DTM Cars, Issue #79 • Ninco Seat Leon Cup Racer, Issue #82 • Track Test Sedan Racing Ninco Seat Leon Cup Racer, Issue #83 • Track Test Supertuned Racers, Part 122 Magnet-Free Ninco Seat Leon Cup Racer, Issue #83

Shoot-Outs

(see Track Tests):

Supertuned Racers: • Part 117, Magnet-Free: Flyslot/Avant 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #81 • Part 118, Magnet-Free: ScaleAuto “Homeset” 1980 Porsche 935, Issue #81 • Part 119, Magnet-Free: Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8, Issue #82 • Part 120, Magnet-Free SHOOT-OUT: Flyslot/Avant vs. Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #82 • Part 121, Magnet-Free SHOOTOUT: Flyslot/Avant 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #82 • Part 122, Magnet-Free Ninco Seat Leon Cup Racer, Issue #83 • Part 123, Magnet-Free: Flyslot/ Avant 1980 BMW M1, Issue #83 • Part 124, Magnet-Free, Front “Steering” Shoot-Out: Solid vs. independentrotating vs. One-Way Ball Bearings: Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8, Issue #84 • Part 125, Magnet-Free LeMans Slot.it 4-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #84 • Part 125, Magnet-Free LeMans Slot.it 2-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #84 • Track Test DIGEST: Summary of 16 Full Race Track Test Reports on 7 Model Racing Cars, Issue #84

Tech Tips: • Assemble a PCS1 or Slot Classics Chassis, Issue #79 • Test ‘N Tune Tips, Issue #79 • Vintage Racing: Chris Walker’s 1964 Monogram Lola GT, Issue #80 • Test ‘N Tune Tips for MagnetFree cars, Issue #80 • Slot.it Rear Axles for Flyslot cars Issue #81 • Trimming Clear Plastic Bodies, Issue #81 • Assembling the Slot.it HRS/2 Chassis, Issue #81 • Painting Clear Plastic Bodies, Issue #81 • True-Running Tires, Issue #82 • Build A Model Car Racing Table, Issue #82

• How the Slot.it Four-Wheel Drive System Works, Issue #82 • One-Way Front Wheels For Any 1/32 Scale Car, Issue #83 • Changing the Front/Rear Drive proportions, Issue #83 • Differential Action for any 1/32 Scale Car, Issue #83 • Design Your Own Racetrack, Issue #83 • How To Use Track Plans for Plastic Track to Build a Wood Raceway, Issue #83 • Adjusting Avant Slot Independent Front Wheels, Issue #84 • Routing The Slots in a Wood Track, Issue #84 • Fixing Routing Mistakes in a Wood Track, Issue #84 • Inline, Sidewinder/ or Anglewinder?, Issue #84 • Painting a Wood Track, Issue #84 • Painting Plastic Track, Issue #84

Track Tests: (There’s an index and the test result times for all previous Track Tests from the paper and paid Internet issues under the top bar “More Information” then click on “Race Car Tests”): • LeMans Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8, Issue #80 • Supertuned Racers, Part 117: Magnet-Free Flyslot/Avant 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #81 • LeMans ScaleAuto “Homeset” 1980 Porsche 935, Issue #81 • Supertuned Racers, Part 118 Magnet-Free: ScaleAuto “Homeset” 1980 Porsche 935, Issue #81 • Supertuned Racers, Part 119, Magnet-Free: Avant Slot 1975 Mirage G8, Issue #82 • Supertuned Racers, Part 120 Magnet-Free SHOOT-OUT: Flyslot/ Avant vs. Slotwings 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #82 • Supertuned Racers, Part 121: MagnetFree SHOOT-OUT: Flyslot/Avant 1982 Ferrari 512BB LM, Issue #82 • LeMans Slot.it 4WD 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro , Issue #83 • LeMans Slot.it 2-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #83 • Sedan Racing Ninco Seat Leon Cup Racer, Issue #83 • Supertuned Racers, Part 123, Magnet-Free: Flyslot/Avant 1980 BMW M1, Issue #83 • LeMans NSR 2010 BMW Z4 GT3, Issue #84 • Supertuned Racers, Part 125, MagnetFree LeMans Slot.it 4-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #84 • Supertuned Racers, Part 125, MagnetFree LeMans Slot.it 2-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro, Issue #84 • Track Test DIGEST: Summary of 16 Full Race Track Test Reports on 7 Model Racing Cars, Issue #84

Vintage Racing:

• Clear Plastic Bodies, Issue #80 • Revell 1963-1965 Corvette, Issue #82 • Formula 1 Strombecker 1954 Maserati 250F, Issue #83 • Studio 65 1952 Ferrari 212 , Issue #84

Your Cars • Chris Walker’s Lindberg 1962 BRM P257 on a Brass Chassis, Issue #79

Your Track: • Jim Stokes’ 12 x 24-foot Four-Lane Scalextric Stokes Speedway, Issue #79 • Slot Mods 6 x 12-foot Two-Lane Standard Raceway, Issue #80 • Art Tschinkel’s 7 x 22-foot Three-Lane Wood The Ring Raceway, Issue #81 • Randy Peterson’s 15 x 30foot Four-Lane Wood Satan’s Turf Raceway , Issue #82 • Slot Mods 9 x 13-foot Four-Lane Wood Vernola Raceway, Issue #83 • Gary Knabe’s 3-lane 12 x 18-foot wood Riverside Raceway , Issue #84

HO Scale Model Car Racing: Drag Racing: • Auto World NHRA Funny Cars, Issue 82

Home Racing: • AFX Pit Building, Issue #80 • Innovative Hobby Supply Building Kits, Issue #83 • 4-Lanes With Auto World Track, Issue #84

NASCAR: • Auto World 1969-1972 Dodge & Plymouth Grand National (the preNASCAR ) Stockers, Issue #79

Track Plans: • 4-Lane Unicorn Banked Raceway for 4 x 8-Feet, Issue #79 • 4-Lane Silverstone 1948-1949 Grand Prix Circuit for 4 x 8-Feet, Issue #80 • 4-Lane Sochi, Russia, Autodrom for 4 x 8-Feet, Issue #81 • 4-Lane Estoril Track for 4 x 8-Feet, Issue #82 • 4-Lane Hockenheimring Circuit for 4 x 8-Feet, Issue #83 • 4-Lane Mugello Circuit for 4 x 8-Feet, Issue #84

Track Tests: • AFX Mega G+, Issue #81

1/24 Scale Model Car Racing: Vintage Racing: • Monogram 1/24 Scale Kurtis Midgets, Issue #84

• Tech Tips: Chris Walker’s 1964 Monogram Lola GT, Issue #80

Model Car Racing 51

New Stuff #83 New Cars Shipped Recently These are most recent shipments of new cars and products.

Note that nearly all the cars announced for production in 2015-2016 are on www.modelcarracingmag.com under the left link “All New For 2015-2015 From The Toy Fairs”.

Scalextric C3642 Volkswagen Beetle #40 Grey Slot it SICA26D McLaren M8D #12, Team Paul Newman Fly W40103 Williams FW08 Monaco GP 1983 Keke Rosberg

Scalextric C3640 Mini Cooper S Racer SW37 Kremer 935/K2 Team Willeme

Fly (Slotwings) WO44-01 Porsche 934 Silverstone,1978, #25. 1st in GT

Scalextric C3614 Mercury Cougar XR7 Trans-Am, driver Alan Moffat

Ninco 50655 Lancia 037 'Rothmann' Servia Sport

Scalextric C3660 Scalextric Lamborghini Aventador LP700-4

Ninco 50653 Audi R8 ‘Oakley’

Ninco 50658 Citroen C4 ‘Kubica’ Sport

52 Model Car Racing

Fly (Slotwings) WO44-02 Porsche 934 Nurburgring 1000 KM 1978

Scalextric C3599 Lotus Evora GT4 #77

The Proto Slot CB084 Abarth 2000 Targa-Florio 1970 is hand-made cast-resin and it is available readyto-race or as a painted body kit to fit you choice of chassis from www.electricdreams.com.

Carrera 30717 Shelby Cobra 289, "No.11" The MMK models are hand-made castresin. The MMK65-15 Ferrari 1953 340 MM number 15 fifth at LeMans 1953 is available as both a ready-to-run car and as painted body kit from www. electricdreams.com). MMK also offers the number 12 and number 14 cars from the 1953 LeMans race.

Carrera 27488 Ford Mustang GT "No.49"

on these chassis and their performance in the January/February 2015 number 79 issue. Most of the chassis are offered with a choice of mounts for Scalextric Digital or Carrera Digital 132 chips.

Lightweight cockpits and wheel inserts are also available for most of the cars.

• • • • • • • •

Scalextric Audi Sport Quattro Scalextric Bentley GT3 Scalextric Lancia Delta S4 Scalextric Aston Martin GT3 Carrera Ferrari 458 GT3 Carrera Audi DTM Audi A5 Carrera DTM BMW M3 Carrera DTM Mercedes C-Klasse

Carrera 23809 Porsche GT3 RSR, "Haribo Racing" D124 1/24 scale

Carrera 23814 Ferrari 330P4, "No.03" Monza 1967 D124 1/24 scale

HO SCALE:

The Proto Slot replicas of the 1949 Aston Martin DB1 are cast-resin with individually-applied decal markings.

They are available as ready-to-race cars or as painted body kits from www. electricdreams.com.

Carrera will ship three different paint schemes for the Formula E cars, including this ABT Audi Sport, "Lucas di Grassi, No.11"

These 3D printed chassis are available from Sloting Plus to fit the NSR motor pods which allows you to choose the motor location (inline, anglewinder or sidewinder) as well as motors, gears, wheels and tires for any of these cars.

Ultra-light cockpits and wheel inserts are also available for most of the cars.

• • • • • • •

SP600004 Carrera Audi DTM SP600005 Carrera BMW DTM SP600006 Carrera Mercedes DTM SP600008 Sloting Plus Reynard SP600009 Scalextric Maserati Trofeo SP600010 Ninco Seat Leon SP601001 Scalextric Fiesta

The Auto World Indycar Release 2 cars are fitted with the Super III chassis: • Tony Kanaan's Ganassi Racing NTT Data #10 • Scott Dixon's Ganassi Racing Target #9 • Marco Andretti's Andretti Autosport Snapple #27 • Ryan Hunter Reay's Andretti Autosport DHL #28

Carrera 21123 Grid Ladies, set of 5 figures

• Helio Castroneves' Team Penske Hitachi #3 • Will Power's Team Penske Verizon #1

There are dozens of 3D-printed conversion chassis available for Carrera, Scalextric and other 1/32 scale cars. Scalextric dealers can order these two chassis to fit their new BMW Z4 GT3 and McLaren P1 cars.

The Carrera AMG Mercedes C-Coupe DTM, "R.Wickens, No.10" 2013, like most of Carrera’s 1/32 scale cars, is available in either analog or in Digital 132 (which will operate on any brand of 1/32 scale analog track) with lights.

Carrera Porsche GT3 RSR, "hybrid, No.36" VLN 2011

American Iron (http://smilinrays.webs. com/) 1/32 cast-resin 1949 Ford Tudor with flat inter and drive and vacuumformed clear window insert. This is made from an accurate die-cast, not the undersized Lindberg-sized model (scale wheelbase is 3.56 inches).

1/24 SCALE BRM 036 'Sunoco' Team Penske Ferrari 512M #11, 1/24 scale

Slot.it sells this series of 3D printed chassis directly through the maker, Shapeways (www.shapeways.com/ shops/SlotIt). They will fit the Slot. it motor pods so you have a choice of inline, anglewinder or sidewinder motor locations as well a choice of motors, gears, wheels and tires. There’s an article

The four new Auto World Silver Screen Machines have the Thunder Jet Ultra-G chassis: • 1958 Plymouth Fury - Christine • 1968 Dodge Charger - Christine • 1970 Chevy Nova - Beverly Hills Cop • 1970 Chevy Chevelle- Vanishing Point

Carrera 23807 Porsche 917K Martini International, "No.35", Watkins Glen 6h 1970 D124 1/24 scale

Model Car Racing 53

Home Racing Tech Tips: Painting Plastic Track Your track can be as realistic as the cars. No road in the real world is the solid black color of Scalextric or Carrera track or even the solid grey of SCX track. Black works for manufacturers because it is easier to mold and the track does not show scratches and other marks that can make it look used right in the box. We can do better…

The Scalextric track on the Spa Track in the May/June 2006 number 27 issue was left unpainted black to recreate areas that were paved with blacktop tar and painted light gray to recreate areas that were paved with concrete. Both track and borders were painted.

■■by Robert Schleicher If you like black track you can just leave it as-is. You can, however, improve its realism by spraying on patches of dark grey to simulate faded and aged tar.

For a model car racetrack, simulated concrete can provide the most effective realism because joints in concrete, tar strips oil spills and skid marks are all visible.

Marc Purdham used dark grey Z-I-M UMA brand paint to simulate concrete then, dry-brushed the track with a sponge to simulate skid marks and added cracks in concrete with a fine-tip felt-tip pen. Art Tschinkel also opted for simulated concrete on his The Ring Raceway in the 7 x 22-foot The Ring the May/ June 2015 number 81 issue (also on www.modelcarracingmag.com under the top bar “Sample Issues”) and there’s a photo of his track on page 23 of this issue.

54 Model Car Racing

Marc Purdham used a sponge brush to apply Z-I-M UMA brand (www.ximbonder. com/products_detail.asp?id=34) tintable bonding primer-sealer (gray) with some black mixed-in to produce the grey he preferred on his "Just Twisted" 7 x 15-foot Scalextric Sport track that was featured in the September/October 2005 number 23 issue. The realistic skid marks were dry-brushed with a sponge using dark grey latex paint. The cracked lines were applied with a tine-tip felt-tip pen.

Mask the pickup rails with 1/8-inch wide Scotch Fine Line tape (automobile body paint shops sell it). To save time you can assemble three track sections including the skid aprons (use duct tape attach the Scalextric skid aprons to the bottom of the track) and paint them all at once. If you are working with Carrera track you can use latex paint and you can paint the entire assembled track.

Most paints will not stick to the slippery and flexible plastic used for Scalextric track.

Krylon Fusion Satin Twilight (gray) seems to stick nicely but it is only available in aerosol cans---it is superb because you can apply relatively thin layers so part of the black shows through to provide a mottled and aged look. Wear a respirator, rubber gloves and work outdoors with either of these paints. Marc Purdham used Z-I-M UMA brand tintable bonding primer-sealer (gray) applied with a roller.

When the paint has set for 24 hours, peel-back the masking tape. Rub over the rails with a shop rag dipped in alcohol to remove any traces of the tape glue from the rails.

You can use latex wall paint on Carrera track and apply it with a roller or one the aerosols like Krylon Camouflage Light Gray. If you using an aerosol, work outdoors.

The Scalextric track (top) is painted with several thin coats of Krylon Fusion #2440 Satin Twilight---Krylon Fusion #1339 Satin Pewter Gray 2339 is similar. Do not use the Krylon Fusion paint on Carrera track because it can warp and distort the track---Krylon #51606 Colormaster and is also available in aerosol cans if you want to use it on Carrera track. The Carrera track (bottom) is painted with Krylon Camouflage Light Gray.

Model Car Racing 55

Coming Next Issue The January/February 2016 number 85 issue of Model Car Racing will be on sale December 15, 2015 and it has the articles you asked for: • Digital Racing Pros & Cons---All the systems and brands • Build your own wood track, step-by-step; tape or braid pickups & electrical wiring • Formula 1 - Scalextric 2014 Mercedes F1 W05 Hybrid - Paint a 2014-5 Williams FW37 from Scalextric • Scalextric 1969 Sunoco Trans-Am Camaro • Track Test (Out-Of-The-Box): - Mr. Slotcar 1995 McLaren F1 GT LeMans Slot Mods 14 x 22-foot wood recreation of the signature features of the Road America track at Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin for Bobby Rahal is one of the largest Slot Mods tracks.

It is the featured "Your Track” in the January/February 2016 number 85 issue of Model Car Racing.

• Track Tests (Magnet-Free): - NSR 2010 BMW Z4 GT3 • Race Track Plans: - 4-Lane Indy F1 as 5 x 13 ½-foot tabletop

Now You Can Have Model Car Racing Delivered To Your Computer AND To Your Mailbox! Both The ‘Paper’ Copy And The Internet Version Of Every Page Are Just $35 — That Sixth Issue Is Just 25 Cents

“Instant” Delivery And A Magazine To Keep:

purchase both versions of the magazine.

When you subscribe to Model Car Racing you also have free access to the current issue of the magazine on the Internet. To see a short sample of the Internet version of the magazine click on the words “Digital Edition” on www.modelcarracingmag.com. The $35.00 yearly subscription now includes both the “paper” copy and an access code that will be emailed with each issue so you can see the magazine on your computer the day it leaves the printer. If you prefer only the Internet version (with no paper copy mailed to your door), the price for 6 issues is just $19.95. This (and the “tablet” edition----see below) also makes the magazine more accessible to enthusiasts in countries outside the United States.

Now Available for iPads or Kindles We cannot process orders for ether iPad or Amazon downloads—they must be ordered directly from the Apple iTunes store or Amazon Kindle….

This Internet version of Model Car Racing cannot be downloaded for security purposes. You can, however, print one or all of the pages of the magazine for your own use, but be aware that the files are large and will take some time. The paper copies cannot, of course, be sold or distributed because they are protected by International copyright. We would advise you to print any articles you wish to archive because we can only provide access to the Internet versions for the six issues (12 months) of your subscription.

We can only process orders about the 15th of each odd numbered month so there may be a delay in your receiving email notification that your first Internet issue is available to you on the web. Mail delivery of the paper copies can add a week or so to that. You will be notified by email that each of the next five Internet issues are available on the same day that the paper copies are mailed, which is about the first of every even month. Note that you will not be able to read this $19.95 internet version or the internet version offered with the paper copy subscriptions on an iPad, Kindle or Google tablet---iPad, Kindle and Goggle versions are only available direct from those stores---we cannot “bundle” the paper or the $19.95 internet versions with any of the tablet editions---if you want both versions you will need to

Paper Edition NOTE: if you do opt for the iPad or Kindle editions and you also want the paper edition, you must ALSO purchase the $35.00 paper subscription---there are no “bundle” packages that include paper and iPhone or Kindle web editions.

If you simply want an internet edition that you can read on your lap top, that is included free with the paper edition subscription but it cannot be downloaded---only read or printed. You also have the choice of subscribing to only that Internet edition (with no paper copies and no iPad or Amazon Kindle versions) on our website www.modelcarracingmag.com but that version is NOT downloadable (it can be printed, however).

Back Issues: We have no paper copies of any back issue. You may be able to find some paper back issues at some of our dealers on the www.modelcarracingmag.com website, and Electric Dreams (www.electricdreams. com) has a few of the number 1 through 6 issues (from 2002) with a Scalextric Limited edition Cadillac Northstar LeMans car.

Internet versions of issues number 55 through 84 (all the issues from 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015) are available for $4.95 each direct from the Apple iTunes store for the iPad, but only as readable and downloadable copies.

“Instant” Delivery and a Magazine to Keep: When you subscribe for $35.00 your sixth issue is just 25-cents---you save $6.70 over the newsstand price---and you will be emailed that your Internet copy is ready to download and the paper magazines are mailed to your door. Subscriptions received after September 15, will begin with the January/February 2016 number 85 issue of Model Car Racing will be on sale December 15, 2015. Subscribe now!

One Year (six issues, plus the Internet replica) mailed to the Continental United States: $35.00________ Internet ONLY Version One Year (six issues): $19.95__________

Foreign or Canadian subscriptions for the paper version will not be accepted. We are sorry, but the postal services in most of these countries are taking 8 weeks and more to send magazines when they deliver them at all. Only the “Internet Only” subscriptions ($19.95) for Foreign addresses (including Canada) will be accepted. We have a network of dealers in Canada, Europe, Australia and Japan listed on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com that will be pleased to supply the paper version of the magazine.

I am a new subscriber _____This is a request for a second subscription _____ This is a renewal _____This is gift subscription, from________________________________

Please Print: Name_______________________________________ Address________________________________________________________ City _________________________________________________State _____ Zip Code ___________Country_____________________________ Phone (______)_________________________________________Fax (______)____________________________________________________ Check or Money Order Charge My Visa or Mastercard No.________________________________________ Exp. Date_________________ Signature ���������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������� To order by email, use our secure order form on our web site at www.modelcarracingmag.com or Return Mail To: Model Car Racing Publications, Inc, 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142, Boulder CO 80301

56 Model Car Racing

More Ways To Enjoy Model Car Racing

Print Edition

Print + Digital Internet

Digital Internet

Print + Digital iPad, Amazon. or Readr

There Are Six Editions of Model Car Racing Magazine!

1. The 60-page bimonthly paper edition sold on newsstands, hobby dealers and to subscribers.

4. The Paid Internet only bimonthly edition.

2. The Apple iPad tablet edition on the iTunes newsstand.

6. The Free Internet only bimonthly edition (under the “Internet Edition” bar at the top of the website) so you can see how the Internet Edition works.

3. The Amazon edition for all the Kindles.

5. The www.modelcarracingmag.com home page

Get SIX issues in print delivered to your door PLUS the digital Internet version available on you laptop or desktop---both for just $35.00 Get SIX issues of the digital Internet version available on your laptop or desktop for just $19.95 Get SIX Issues on your tablet (This version must be ordered direct from Apple, Amazon, or Readr---we cannot bill you and no ‘Bundle" with the paper version is available.

NOW AVAILABLE FOR iPads and Kindles We cannot process orders for ether iPad or Amazon downloads—they must be ordered directly from the Apple iTunes store or Amazon Kindle.

Paper Edition NOTE: if you do opt for the iPad or Kindle editions and you also want the paper edition, you must ALSO purchase the $35.00 paper subscription---there are no “bundle” packages that include paper and iPhone or Kindle web editions.

If you simply want an internet edition that you can read on your lap top, that is included free with the paper edition subscription but it cannot be downloaded---only read or printed. You also have the choice of subscribing to only that Internet edition (with no paper copies and no iPad or Amazon Kindle versions) on our website www.modelcarracingmag.com but that version is NOT downloadable (it can be printed, however).

Model Car Racing 57

84 Books & Back Issues: All of the books by Robert Schleicher are currently out of print.

We have no paper copies of any back issue. You may be able to find some paper back issues at some of our dealers on the www.modelcarracingmag.com website, and Electric Dreams (www.electricdreams.com) has most of them as well as a few of the number 1 through 6 issues (from 2002) with a Scalextric Limited edition Cadillac Northstar LeMans car.

Internet versions of issues number 55 through 69 (all the issues from 2011, 2012 and 2013) and issues number 70 through 84 are available at $4.95 each direct from the Apple iTunes store for the iPad, but only as readable and downloadable copies.

We have tried to keep the most significant material in print because photocopying back issue articles is not an option. The most important tuning and race setup information is on the www.modelcarracingmag.com website under the left hand link “New To The Hobby” as well as information on 1/43 scale vs. 1/32 scale. All of the Race Track Test results from issue #1 through #72 are also on the website under the top bar link ”More Information” then in the left box “Race Car Tests” and there is information on selecting a specific brand of track. All of the articles on digital racing, on visits to “Your Tracks”, 4 x 8 and 5 x 9-foot 1/32 scale plans, 4 x 8-foot HO plans and additional features from issues #44 (March/April 2009) through the current issue are available on the website under the top bar link “Sample Issues”. These are readable and printable but cannot be downloaded for security purposes.

All of the articles from the first 72 issues are indexed under the top bar “More Information”, then scroll down on the left to “Model Car Racing Index”. The index

58 Model Car Racing

is searchable (with Safari, Firefox and others) under the top bar “Edit”, then scroll down to “Find”.

However, most of the articles from any of these issue are only available in the full paper or iPad issues, including the larger plans for “Real Race Tracks On A Tabletop” and the majority of articles comparing model cars to their prototypes, with the history and provenance of over 300 cars including the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s Formula 1 cars, Jaguars from XK120 to C to D to E to XKR, most of the GT, sports and Formula 1 Ferraris and Porsches and more.

The majority of the material (including all of the race track plans and visits to finished home tracks) that appeared in the in the January/February 2005 through November/December 2007 (numbers 19 through 36) issues of Model Car Racing is in the book SLOT CAR RACING IN THE DIGITAL AGE. Similarly, much of the material in SLOT CAR RACING, TIPS, TECHNIQUES & TRACK PLANS was first published in the magazine in the January/February 2003 through November/ December 2004 (numbers 7 through 18) issues but both of those books are no longer in print and no reprints are scheduled. At present, no additional books are in preparation.

There are two other earlier books on model car racing (also by Robert Schleicher) that contain additional material that was not published in this magazine but both books are long out of print: RACING AND COLLECTING SLOT CARS was published in 2001 and the SLOT CAR BIBLE in 2002.

To subscribe to Model Car Racing magazine, click on “SUBSCRIBE” on the top bar the www.modelcarracingmag.com home page.

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Race over to your local hobby store or shop online at: autoworldstore.com Dodge and related logos, vehicle model names and trade dress are trademarks of FCA US LLC and used under license by Round 2 LLC. ©2015 FCA US LLC. AMC and related logos, vehicle model names, and trade dresses are trademarks of FCA US LLC and are used under license. © 2015 FCA US LLC. AUTO WORLD and design is a registered trademark of Round 2, LLC. ©2015 Round 2, LLC, South Bend, IN

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