D’s Diecast Discoveries: Gravity Throttle Racing

by Jim Desaulniers

Like many of you, I troll the depths of YouTube, scour the channel guide at RedLineDerby, and keep an eye on the “Track Spy” section of the DRN (formerly DSPN). With all the time dedicated to my own channel, I’ve found I have to be a discerning consumer of diecast racing content (either I watch all the channels or I actually produce my own content). That being said, it’s tough for me to get invested in a new channel unless the host is really able to differentiate it from everyone else. Like 725+ of you, a few weeks ago I came across Gravity Throttle Racing. This channel is so new to the scene I literally just submitted them to be added to RedLineDerby as I’m writing this. That being the case, the fact that they’ve already garnered 725 subscribers should say something about the quality of this channel.

So, what’s the big deal? Many open / road course channels run rally events, but few are dedicated to this type of racing (DRC Racing is a great homemade example). GTR does that, and takes it a step further by incorporating a bunch of cool elements most of us talk about but haven’t found a way to incorporate into our tracks. “Shavano River Canyon” is a totally unique homemade course that incorporates multiple materials and elements. The self-described difficult and technical course is totally that, and then some. The start area is pretty awesome in that there’s no visible start gate. The cars just seem to start rolling (something magnetic beneath the track, perhaps?) It begins with your typical dual single-lane track for a short initial downhill that leads into a 90 degree drift turn. You read that correctly, they’ve got drift turns. Plural! Cars then travel down a fairly long open-track straight (probably coroplast, but nicely designed to look like a 2 lane road) and into a typical crash racers-style 180 (a little more than 180 as we all know). The track goes “off road” at that point, with cars funneling into a barely 2car wide chicane, through a tunnel, then back onto a single-lane before hitting the second drift turn. The final straight often seems to make or break a great run. 2+ cars wide, it’s assembled from various materials with a stair-step “egg beater” section leading to the open finish line. Speeds aren’t terribly fast, but that’s not what this track was built for! The cars really look like they’re navigating a rally course!

The inaugural event at GTR is an in-house rallycross event featuring head-to-head matchups of various Honda Civics. Drivers earn points for hitting checkpoints, completing laps, and finishing first. So far we’ve only seen single car and head to head runs, but my guess is this track will be insanely entertaining with a 4-car group. There are quite a few DNFs, but that’s ok! No chaos, no fun!

The videography is that of someone who knows what they’re doing. The lighting is great, the camera angles are good, and the editing is on par.

Overall Channel Rating (out of 5) ****

Track Design *****

Diorama ****

Videography ****

Voiceover ***

Racing ****

LINK: Gravity Throttle Racing: (https:// www.youtube.com/channel/ UC0g6iDm1VDuWyeKkGAVn4_w)