Slot Racing Anyone?

Just an idea for some fun or maybe a fund raising Social.

The Timaru Model Car Racing Club (Crampton Tower Museum, Broadstairs) has a purpose built, permanent slot racing track - 4 lanes and 100ft long.

This is Scalextric Extreme - much faster cars - up to 40 mph (real not scale) indoor motor sport with the really fast cars doing lap times in the region of 4.0 seconds.

The venue can be hired for a modest fee (includes a bit slower cars and controllers) and anybody can pop along for a go at any club night (Thursdays from 7.30 pm). There is also a 'track day' this Sunday (23 October) from 2 pm to 5 pm where you can borrow a car to run or bring along your own Scalextric to see how they go on a really big track. Entry free to visitors.

Slot Racing also has a strong 'retro' section racing cars from the 60's and 70's - maybe modern chassis and parts but built in the style of slot cars from that period. Timaru runs a section catering for models of late 1960s CanAm cars (Lola T70 Spyder, McClaren M6, Ford Honker, Ferrari 612P etc).

Potential to run a competitive and social evening for club members or even against other local clubs?

It was on our to do list?

Do you work there?

~Lee

Just a Timaru Club Member for the last 45 years.

The club is run by the members and is over 50 years old - we lease space from the Crampton Tower Museum. This is the 5th track built by the club and the 6th location in that time.

Stan.

Ahh very interesting! How did you find us?

What sort of costs would we be looking at to go there as a club?

~Lee

Split-Lee wrote:

Ahh very interesting! How did you find us?

What sort of costs would we be looking at to go there as a club?

~Lee

Lee,

Very reasonable because we use such events as publicity for ourselves rather than a stand alone commercial enterprise - so £3 per person for an evening (or weekend afternoon), which means about 3 hours, subject to a minimum of 10 (number negotiable but in practice an absolute minimum of 5) for which you get exclusive use and the hire of cars and controllers plus one or more Timaru members to explain, organise and run some racing and keep the cars running!

The lap counting system also has computerised lap timing which the drivers can see on a monitor.

It's difficult to get a photo of the whole track because it fills the room, but here's a couple to give you the flavour;





Stan.

I am sure we could get atleast 10 people there and at £3 sounds like a bargain!

Are you open all year around?

Would be a cool meet to have over January/February when there aren't any classic car shows on!

Can you organise like tournaments for the club?

~Lee

Lee,

I'm assuming that you would want to charge something on top for your own club funds.

We are not seasonal, meet all your round on Thursdays and several weekend events as well.

What did you have in mind with a 'tournament'? we could certainly organise a club championship for you, based on a single meeting or several. Speedway type rules work quite well as speedway is for four bikes and we have 4 lanes. So that would be a series of 3 minute races, scored 3,2,1,0, everybody races at least once on every lane (4 races each) and at least once against everybody else - highest points total wins. We can 'seed' competitors through 1 minute qualifying after practice (fastest lap counts). We can probably even recycle an old trophy for the winner! Or you can sort yourselves out into say 4 teams, each team to race 15 minutes on each lane for a one hour race (or longer).

There's lots of options which you might like to consider.

I suggest you pop along one Thursday (or this Sunday afternoon) for a reconnaissance and some early practice!

Stan.

stanleykirk wrote:

Lee,

I'm assuming that you would want to charge something on top for your own club funds.

We are not seasonal, meet all your round on Thursdays and several weekend events as well.

What did you have in mind with a 'tournament'? we could certainly organise a club championship for you, based on a single meeting or several. Speedway type rules work quite well as speedway is for four bikes and we have 4 lanes. So that would be a series of 3 minute races, scored 3,2,1,0, everybody races at least once on every lane (4 races each) and at least once against everybody else - highest points total wins. We can 'seed' competitors through 1 minute qualifying after practice (fastest lap counts). We can probably even recycle an old trophy for the winner! Or you can sort yourselves out into say 4 teams, each team to race 15 minutes on each lane for a one hour race (or longer).

There's lots of options which you might like to consider.

I suggest you pop along one Thursday (or this Sunday afternoon) for a reconnaissance and some early practice!

Stan.

Yeah well I am sure we could sort something out cost wise!

Would be great to organise a club championship, I presume the track isn't wide enough for 4 cars then to compete?
Would be cool to get a competition cause the competitive side of it will make it much more fun!

Will try and pop down one evening and chat about it!

~Lee

Lee, this sounds like a heck of a lot of fun and would be a great event to fill those monotonous months that we don't have any shows!!!

Stan, if you get this. Can you drop me an email about this!

~Lee

Info@thanetclassics.co.uk

Maybe time to resurrect this idea?

I gather a lot of Thanet Classics members had fun on our slot racing track at the Crampton Tower day last October - so that will give you some idea! Unfortunately (depending on your point of view) I was on my way to Texas at the time.

The offer still stands to organise a tournament or event a team based 'endurance' event - say 4 man teams racing for 3 hours - for Le Mans type Models - maybe restricted to 60's cars - race a Ford GT40, Lola T70, Ferrari P4 (in 1/24 scale)!

Cost parameters are still the same as they were!

Stan Kirk

I should also add that we are having a 'Run what You Brung' afternoon from 1 pm this coming Saturday (19th January) - plenty of spare cars and Controllers to have a go - turn up at any time before 4 pm.

Stan Kirk.