State-Of-The Art Tech: • Controlled Four-Wheel Drive • Front Wheel Differential

More Power For Digital Racing?

83 September/October 2015 $6.95 State-of-the Art Tech: • Controlled Four-Wheel Drive • Front Wheel Differential

Design Your Own Wood Race Track Formula 1: •1955 Ferrari-Lancia D50 •1971 Tyrrell 003 •1975 Brabham BT44B

www.modelcarracingmag.com •2014 McLaren MP4 Flip to Page 7 to compare with the real car!

The Audi Sport Team driver Joest: Marco Bonanomi driving the Audi R18 e-tron quattro on June 9th at the LeMans “Test Day” two months before the 24 Hour race where the Audis finished 1-3. — LAT Photo

Model Car Racing 3 15 TRACK TEST Sedan Racing Ninco Seat Leon Cup Racer 83 by Marc Purdham 15 TRACK TEST Supertuned Racers, Part 122: CONTENTS Magnet-Free Sedan Racing Ninco Seat Leon Cup Racer by Marc Purdham

ON THE COVER: ON THE COVER: The Flyslot (Slotwings) 1/32 scale replica of the Brabham BT44B at the Argentine Grand Prix in Buenos Aires January 12, 1975. — LAT Photo

1/32 SCALE MODEL CAR RACING: 7 Formula 1 Flyslot (Slotwings) 1975 Brabham BT44B by Robert Schleicher 9 Historic Racing 1975 Formula 1 Grid In 1/32 Scale 10 TRACK TEST LeMans Slot.it 4WD 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quartto 17 Digital Racing by Marc Purdham More Speed? by Robert Schleicher 10 TRACK TEST LeMans 19 Race Tracks on a Tabletop Slot.it 2-Wheel Drive 2013 Audi R18 e-tron quattro 2-Lane Hockenheimring Circuit for Scalextric Sport, by Marc Purdham Classic, SCX, Ninco or Carrera (with optional lane- changing) on a 5 x 9-foot ping-pong tabletop 13 Tech Tips by Robert Schleicher Changing the Front/Rear Drive proportions by Robert Schleicher 20 Real Race Track Plans 2-Lane Hockenheimring Circuit for Scalextric 14 Tech Tips Sport, Classic, SCX, Ninco, Carrera (with optional One-Way Front Wheels For Any 1/32 Scale Car lane-changing) on a 10 x 18-foot tabletop. by Robert Schleicher by Robert Schleicher

4 Model Car Racing 42 Home Racing Build A Wood Race Track Part 2: Planning the Track by Robert Schleicher 45 Tech Tips Design Your Own Racetrack by Robert Schleicher 46 Tech Tips How To Use Track Plans for Plastic Track To Build a Wood Raceway by Robert Schleicher 23 Home Racing Buildings For Your Race Track 51 Your Track by Robert Schleicher Slot Mods 9 x 13-foot Four-Lane Wood Vernola Raceway 28 Formula 1 HO MODEL CAR RACING: Scalextric 1971 Tyrrell 003 by Albin Burroughs 25 Home Racing Innovative Hobby Supply Building Kits 32 Formula 1 Scalextric 2014 McLaren MP4 49 Track Plans by Bill Wright 4-Lane Hockenheimring Circuit for 4 x 8-Feet by Robert Schleicher DEPARTMENTS: 6 Editorial: The Ultimate Race 48 Club Directory 50 Pit Board 54 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 34 Vintage Racing issues, subscriptions or a limited number of back issues. There’s more Formula 1 information on page 56 of this issue. Strombecker 1954 Maserati 250F by Robert Schleicher Where To Buy Model Car Racing Products: Dealers: A listing of the addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, 35 Formula 1 and websites of all the dealers that carry Model Car Racing magazine Cartrix 1955 Ferrari-Lancia D50 appears on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com by Albin Burroughs Manufacturers: A listing of the addresses and websites of firms that manufacture model car racing products appears on our website at 39 Historic Racing www.modelcarracingmag.com: 1955 Formula 1 Grid In 1/32 Scale More Information: 40 TRACK TEST There is an Index of all of the past issues, a Digest of the results of the Supertuned Racers, Part 123: first 257 cars in our Race Track Test series, Pros and Cons of plastic Magnet-Free track by brand, the Pros and Cons of the four digital systems, Pros and Flyslot/Avant 1980 BMW M1 Cons of 1/43 scale and an index of the 157 previously published track by Marc Purdham plans, by size, on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com.

Model Car Racing 5 The Ultimate Race �� There is a wide range of opinions among us racecar fans tems, variable valve timing and variable valve lift profile it, a belt drive to the front wheels. The possible adjust- there about what constitutes the most exciting racing. systems are not permitted. That engine can only drive ments for the motor pod alone are complex (see the There is probably a near-equal mix of fans who believe the rear wheels but the “Motor Generator Unit" (MGU) “6-Screw Hop-Up” in the number 69 issue, which is nothing is more exciting than NASCAR, those who can drive any or all of the wheels. That’s about it. The also on www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Sample favor Formula 1 or fans who live for LeMans or… I mechanical specifications and the appearance of the Issues”), and you have the option of swapping-out the believe that mile flat-track motorcycle racing is the 2015 LeMans Audi, Porsche, Toyota and Nissan LMP1 entire pod to replace the anglewinder with an inline most exciting racing on the planet, followed closely by racers reflect just how far an open-end set of rules can (but the interior will need to be cut away—there’s not MotoGP motorcycles, then the World of Outlaws. You be implemented, from diesel to gasoline engines, four enough room beneath the rear deck of this Audi for the may notice a common theme here; all three of these wheel drive to front wheel drive, and much more. sidewinder motor and pod). machines do drift through the corners (yes, MotoGP Engineering For 1/32 Scale There are no rules about 1/32 scale model car racing machines do drift---look closely). Since none of my top design so, given the constraints of tracks and power, the three really exist as tabletop racers, I can pick or choose Model racecars are essentially simple machines with little Ninco Seat Leon and Slot.it Audi 18 e-tron ultra 4WD among NASCAR, Formula 1, LeMans and more with- differences in their size or performance. They are toy cars. represent the extremes of design in mass-produced out ever betraying my faith in my favorites. Accept that they are toys and you can enjoy the range of models. If you consider yourself a possible reincarna- If you want to start a fight at a bar or Starbucks, among pleasure that “toy” includes, which begins with my green tion of Colin Chapman, you will certainly want to play race fans, however, just express you opinion that one car beating your red car (because I am, of course, the su- (whoops, experiment) with the Slot.it Audi and its range type of race car is the ultimate machine. For most of the perior driver and builder/tuner). But today’s toys are often of adjustments. If you’re a “tuner”, see what you can do previous century, the cars that raced in Formula 1 were replicas of real cars and very precise replicas at that. Mod- with the Ninco Seat Leon. Replace the motor in the Nin- the most sophisticated machines on earth. The rules ern production techniques have allowed the manufactur- co car with a Slot.it motor to provide equal power, then limited little except engine size and turbocharging spe- ers to produce exact replicas for very little more cost than spend a maximum six hours tuning and adjusting both cifics. As Formula 1 cars’ flanks became the “facade” for just ejecting a lump of plastic (which a was what toy cars models and you may be surprised at which of these two some formidable corporations' logos, however, the For- looked like a half-country ago). So you get an exact scale cars is the quickest. mula 1 rules became more and more restrictive. Today, replica of, for example, The Mirage G8 that won LeMans in 1975---the Avant Slot 1/32 scale replica of Mirage G8 a Formula 1 car is the most-finely-controlled racecar in Volume 14, Number 5 is correct in every detail from the colors on the driver’s (issue number 83) history. That is also true of NASCAR, however, no one September/October 2015 looks at a NASCAR car as pinnacle of sophisticated en- helmet and the patterns of the wheels with the marking gineering---the rules are designed make the cars as equal so fine you need a magnifying glass see that, like the full- Publisher: Technical Editor: as possible (regardless of the sponsor’s images). Formula size car, the names of both drivers are painted behind the Robert Schleicher Chris Walker 1 claims to be the pinnacle of racecar engineering. doors. So whether you care or not, you have something more than just a simple toy---you have very complicated Editor: Track Test Editor: Robert Schleicher Marc Purdham No Limits toy that is a smaller replica of a very specific real racecar. It’s comforting to know, too, that you have the choice of ex- Aaron Tipton - [email protected] Colin Chapman, who created Lotus cars (with the help Layout & Design: periencing all the visual and mechanical complexities that of dozens of equally talented people), was an innova- Contributing Editors: toy offers or of just using it as a blue and orange toy car. tor. Chapman is credited with introducing monocoque Mark Gussin Jeremy Dunning Jason Boye body/chassis (on the Lotus 25), wings, carbon fiber and 1/32 Scale Design Spectrum Dan Wilson Alan Schwartz Dan Esposito ground effects to Formula 1 racing, Argue as you wish Brad Bowman Bernard Sampson Pat Dennis about how much he created, the cars that followed Lo- The essential engineering of a slot car means that there Editors Emeritus: tus machines were forced to use those basic principles is not a lot of leeway in the design of model. There have Rocky Russo Bill Sipple Albin Adams and they are still the core of Formula 1 and LeMans and been hundreds of variations on the theme but the ones Jose Rodriguez Jim Russell Indycar racing half a century later. Chapman abhorred that work best are the ones that are standard on all of Bob Braverman Ron Klein rules and the establishment met him head-on, his Lotus today’s 1/32 scale cars; a pivoting guide or pickup or (as 23 was disqualified from LeMans in 1963 because the Carrera calls it, a “keel”) guides the car in the slot, with Circulation & Dealer Contact: rear wheels had five bolts and the front had four. His woven copper wire brushes conducting 12 volts (give email: [email protected] innovative Type 88 Formula 1 car had a separate chassis or take a couple of volts) of DC current to the motor Model Car Racing Publications, Inc. and body with the body suspended much like a mod- then that power is converted into speed through gears 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142 ern over-the-road truck but the regulators never al- to drive the rear wheels. Boulder, CO 80301-3346 lowed the car to compete. I believe that, if Colin Chap- There are examples of two extremes in slot car design website: www.modelcarracingmag.com man were to compete today, it would not be in Formula in this issue, Ninco’s Seat Leon (on pages 15-16) and 1 because the regulations limit just about everything, Model Car Racing (USPS 020-443, ISSN 1538-9170) is published bi- the Slot.it Audi R18 e-tron ultra with 4WD (on pages monthly by Model Car Racing Publications, Inc., 6525 Gunpark Drive, which does explain why all recent Formula 1 cars are 10-14). The Ninco Seat Leon has a new chassis that will Suite 370-142, Boulder, CO 80301-3346. Copyright 2015, Model Car nearly identical mechanically and in their appearance. be fitted to most of the new Ninco cars. At a glance, it Racing Publications, Inc. Today, Chapman would likely have chosen the LeMans looks like a toy but the Seat Leon’s chassis is the most Individual issue price $6.95. No current issues or back issues are avail- LMP1 class to test his design ability. rigid chassis available, essentially a monocoque box able from the publisher but a list of dealers who carry the magazine is on the website at www.modelcarracingmag.com. All sales and subscriptions Le Mans 2015 (like the full-size Lotus 25) that houses all of the me- are not returnable. chanical elements and keeps the axles, gears and mo- SUBSCRIPTION RATE: United States: 1 year (6 issues) $35.00. We can Porsche, Toyota and Nissan are challenging Audi’s tor in solid alignment with no flex to amplify tire hop. only accept Canadian or foreign subscriptions for the digital version of the dominance of the LeMans LMP1 class in 2015. This The body on the Ninco Seat Leon is mounted with four magazine, which is $19.95 for six issues. We cannot accept subscription is certainly joy to the engineers, but the money for the pegs-in-sockets to keep it aligned but the pegs are a orders for the paper version of the magazine from countries other than the United States. projects arrives from marketing powers who obviously loose fit so the body will rattle enough to isolate it from believe that most of the world understands that it is the amplifying the chassis vibrations. Nothing is adjustable EXPEDITED SHIPPING SERVICE: Not available. engineering that wins LeMans, not the sponsor logos. and nothing needs to be adjusted—spend some time POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Model Car Racing Publications, With the exception of the four wheels (which are vastly getting the wheels and tires round and true and run- Inc., 6525 Gunpark Drive, Suite 370-142, Boulder, CO 80301-3346. Periodicals Postage is paid at Boulder, Colorado and at additional mail- different on the Nissan), these four LMP1 cars have ning the motor and gears to minimize friction. ing offices. little in common. The FIA rules for LMP1 class are the The Slot.it Audi, is at the opposite end of the engineer- Model Car Racing assumes that all letters, new product information, least-restrictive of any, ing complexity spectrum with a six-screw-mounted photographs of any kind, and other unsolicited materials are contributed gratis whether mailed or sent electronically. Model Car Racing assumes The FIA (www.fia.com) rules for the LMP1 class define pod housing the motor and rear axle and a front axle no responsibility for the return of unsolicited material. Solicited articles the car’s size and weight. Only one internal combustion that is adjustable for ride height, with one-way ball and photographs are paid for within 45 days after publication, at which engine is allowed. The engine is limited to two valves bearings in each front wheel to provide controlled in- time Model Car Racing obtains full publication rights. Unsolicited materials can be returned if adequate postage is included. per cylinder and electromagnetic valve actuation sys- dependent front wheel rotation and, in case you missed

6 Model Car Racing Digital Racing More Speed? Racing is about speed. However, the real thrill of racing is to be able to control that speed to complete more than just a single lap without flying off the track. The thrill of racing really lies in keeping the car at the very edge of its traction, in other words keeping the car under control.

■■Robert Schleicher

With analog racing, your car is going to follow that if all other cars are governed by that same limit. So this is stupid---“I need to go faster.” Run a dozen single slot until you give it too much power and slow all the cars down to a matching speed. The or more 50 lap races with at least four cars on the it deslots. That’s true of digital racing as well but , Scalextric Digital and Carrera Digital 132 systems track. Learn what digital racing offers; the chance with digital, you have the option of changing into make that speed-matching absurdly simple, just to actually race. With analog racing you are really the other lane. Digital racing requires more skill press buttons and change the program. Both sys- just running unmolested qualifying laps, perhaps, because your mind has to process additional sets of tems offer a wide choice of car speeds. If you fol- side-by-side with another car, but there’s little need data that include watching out for slower cars, try- lowed the instructions, you probably set the car's to pass or pick a line---just drive. Digital racing is ing find a “quicker” lane to get around near-equal speed (for each of the cars) at the fastest possible- much more like racing a full-size car because you cars and taking advantage of any lane-changes that --it’s racing, after all, so why would you want any- cannot just sit there, you have think about where can produce quicker lap times even without any thing less than 100-percent speed? Reset the system to pass, when to pass and which racing line to take- other cars---added to that perception is the need to about three-fourths or less and try digital rac- --If you really want racing for real, digital has that to remember when and where to push the lane- ing again. Don’t just do a dozen laps and decide and then some… changing button.

You are certainly trying to use all your skill to keep the car in the slot. If you really are using all your skill and concentration, there’s no concentration left for thinking-out and responding to lane changing. That’s why digital requires more skill and more concentration. Race all-out and you won’t have time think about lane-changing. But you will, eventually, find a slower a car in front of you so you will be forced to make a lane change.

One of the reasons why dome long-time slot car racers do not switch to digital is that they have dis- covered that they simply do not have the concentration or skill to go as fast on a digital track as they do on an analog track. If they are using 100-percent of their concentration there’s nothing left except to slow down---which is, of course, not in their options list. But, speed is only relative to the other cars. It is not the track that you are trying to beat but the other drivers and their cars. If all the drivers and all the cars are equal, you have just as much chance of winning on a digital track as on an analog track. You simply have to face the realty that your powers of concentration and driving skill are not The current Carrera Digital 132 and Digital 124 systems have the option of 10 speed settings for each car. If you enough to maintain the same speeds with digital as are careful to set the speed to exactly the same setting for each car, their performance should be nearly-equal. To you do with analog. set the speed, “…Place the cars to be adjusted on the track and press “SPEED” once. A certain number of LEDs will now light, showing the speed level last used. Push the “SPEED” button as many times as necessary until you There is, then, a simple solution to making digital have reached the speed desired. Confirm by pressing “ENTER/START”. There’s more information on the Carrera racing more enjoyable. Slow down! Well you can’t Digital 132 system in the March/April 2011 number 56 issue (which is also on www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Sample Issues”). win races by slowing down. Actually, you can win Model Car Racing 17 Most Scalextric Digital sets do not offer a speed option and they are designed for only four cars. If you are racing Scalextric Digital I would strongly advise you to try the best of digital, buy the Scalextric C7042 Powerbase and the P9303 15V Power Supply. If you are upgrading an existing Scalextric Digital track you will need the C7042 and the P9303 Power Supply but you can use your Scalextric Digital throttles (analog throttles will not operate the system). This is the least expensive digital system that also allows you the option of racing any brand of analog car. The C7042 has adjustable speed as well as dozens of other features (there’s an article on C7042 in the November/December 2010 number 54 issue (which is also on www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Sample Issues”). You must set the power for each car but you can set each car with the same percentage. The C7042 offers four power options: 50, 75, 88 or 100-percent power. The throttle response can also be adjusted but that does not really effect the performance of the cars, just how quickly they react to the movement of the trigger.

18 Model Car Racing Race Tracks on a Tabletop 2-Lane Hockenheimring Circuit on a 5 X 9-Foot Ping-Pong Tabletop with (Optional) Lane-Changing for Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX, Ninco or Carrera This Hockenheimring Circuit is designed to fit on a 5 x 9-foot Ping-Pong table. There’s an index, by size, of all the previously published track plans from Model Car Racing magazine and from the four books by Robert Schleicher on our website www.modelcarracingmag.com.

■■Robert Schleicher

These plans are much-modified versions of the Hockenheimring Circuit on pages 20-24. The significant curves are retained but the length of the straights are reduced to squeeze into a 9-foot long tabletop.

The Scalextric, SCX and Ninco version utilizes as many of the outer and outer-outer curves as pos- 2-Lane Hockenheimring 2-Lane Hockenheimring sible in such a relatively small space. Turns T6 and Circuit on a 5 X 9-Foot Circuit on a 5 X 9-Foot T11 are broad enough so that, even with magnet- TRACK PLAN Ping-Pong Tabletop TRACK PLAN Ping-Pong Tabletop free cars, you should be able to drift through with List of Scalextric Classic, Sport, SCX or Ninco List of Carrera Track Required Track Required about ¾-throttle or more. Turn T6 begins with a Key Quantity Description tight standard curve but opens up into an outer-size Key Quantity Description H 4 20577 1/2 Inner Curve R1 curve so you can begin to accelerate through the H 2 1/2 Standard Curve turn and onto the main straight. Turns T1 through S 10 20571 Inner Curve R1 T12 will present a smooth right/left ess bend with S 10 Standard Curve O 7 20572 Middle Curve R2 enough straight between to get car straightened out. O 16 Outer Curve OO 0 20573 Outer Curve R3 OO 4 Outer-Outer Curve OOO 0 20578 Outer-Outer Curve R4 The Carrera version has mostly their smooth “out- F 2 “Short” Straight er” curves with just over a full circle of the tighter E 8 20612 1/4-Straight “standard” curves. Turn T12 and tucks-in as a de- E 1 1/4-Straight D 2 20611 1/3-Straight creasing radius but rest of curves can be taken at D 5 1/2-Straight B 4 20509 Full-Straight a smooth throttle setting, swinging from a right to B 7 Full-Straight A 2 20583 Connector Track (analog) left drift through ess bend and whipping around A 2 Connector Track turns T1 and T11. It should be one of most enjoy- L Track can be expanded in length by adding able tracks to drive. L Track can be expanded in length by adding matched pairs of straight track sections here. matched pairs of straight track sections here. T Turns on the model versions of the track The plans are designed so they can be lengthened T Turns on the model versions of the track at the points marked “L” and there are four parallel X If you are assembling the track with Scalextric straights so any increase in table length will result Digital, 1 1/2 straights at this point can be in four-times that length added to the lap length. If replaced with the C7036 double-crossover you have room for another half of a ping-pong ta- straight lane-changer plus a half straight. bletop, for example, the plan would fill 5 x 13 ½-feet If you are using NINCO N-Digital, the 40207 and the lap length would be increased by 18-feet. double Lane-changers can be substituted for any standard straight. ½½ Digital Racing Systems To build the plan with NINCO track you will need about 10-percent more space and you may need There is room on the plans for Scalextric, SCX and some additional short straights to get everything Ninco track for two of the double lane-change track to line up properly. sections at “X” on the plan.

The Carrera plan also has room for two of the Carre- ra Digital 132 number 30347 double lane-changers. Model Car Racing 19 30 Model Car Racing Jackie Stewart on his way to winning the 1971 Spanish Grand Prix. Montjuich Park, Barcelona (and 1971 World Championship) in his Tyrrell 003-Ford Cosworth.---LAT Photo

Model Car Racing 31 Vintage Racing Strombecker 1954 Maserati 250F The Strombecker replicas of 1954 Maserati 250F were, effectively, the first mass-produced 1/32 scale slot cars made in America. The first 250F cars in 1960 had a white frame with strip metal pickup brushes. By 1961 the frames were grey, the pickup brushes were braided copper and the motor was a grey round Mabuchi. That’s the car in the photos. In 1961, the grey motor was replaced by a faster but nearly-identical motor painted red that became know as the “Red Bomb” (not for speed, but because they overheated quickly and melted the commutators to produce an unforgettable uric acid odor). The short life just might have been exacerbated by many of us disassembling the motor to remove a dozen or more turns of the fine copper wire from each of the three armature segments (a speed-secret know as “dewinding) to produce an even quicker and much shorter-lived bomb.

■■by Robert Schleicher

The early Strombecker Maserati 250F (and D-Type Jaguar and Testa Rosa Ferrari with the same frame) had the motor mounted in front, apparently to leave more room for a driver figure. Strombecker revised the frame so the round motor was now in the rear of the chassis. The first motors were those same red bombs but with a shorter armature shaft. In 1963 the Maserati was fitted with Strombecker’s later chassis that had an open-frame motor like that in Steve Burkey’s number 1 car. The new motor fit the older frame. An accessory for the car was steering, again like that on Steve Burkey’s car. The frame fitted most the contemporary Strombecker cars including the D- Type Jaguar and Ferrari Testa Rossa that were introduced in 1961 (as illustrated in the May/June 2002 number 3 and November/December 2002 number 6 issues of Model Car Racing).

The Strombecker round can motor responded nicely to the removal of some of the “excess” turns of fine copper wire from the armature segments but its track life could be measured in minutes---quick while it lasted, but what lingered in my nostrils (even today) was the sharp uric acid smell of the burnt plastic commutator inside the motor that melted when the motor overheated.

Strombecker produced replicas of the 1954 Maserati 250F from about 1960 into the late sixties.

It is not apparent in the photograph, but the Strombecker Maserati 250F (number 1) is about 10-percent larger than Pre-Add body (out of production) on the Scalextric chassis (in the number 28 issue). A similar exact-scale 250F (with even more louvers) is available from Dave Jones Body Shells The later Strombecker 250F models had an open- ([email protected]) J. D. Jones, 10 Park Rd., frame motors and you could buy a bolt-on steering One of my first slot cars was this Strombecker 250F Blackpool, Lancashire FY1 4HT UK. front axle like that on Steve Burkey’s model. There’s purchased in about 1961. The 250F was one of my favorites more on Steve’s Strombecker Maserati and his even but the fact that it was about a scale foot too long for 1/32 earlier Scalextric stamped-tin 250F in the July/August bothered me enough so I eventually sectioned about ¼-inch 2005 number 22 issue. out of the body and shorted the chassis to match.

34 Model Car Racing Track Test: Supertuned Racers, Part 123: Slotwings/Avant 1980 BMW M1 The Slotwings division of Flyslot is expanding their new series of high-performance cars that are fitted with high-rpm Avant Slot motors. The first car in the series was the Ferrari 512BB LM with an SP-size “mag" motor as a sidewinder that was Race Track Tested in the July/August 2015 number 82 issue. This 1980 BMW M1, however, is fitted with a Flat-6 " Boxer" size motor mounted in a separate inline motor pod.

■■Track Test by Marc Purdham

The 1978 M1 was the first BMW mid-engined "supercar". BMW wanted to -en ratio by replacing the stock 9-tooth pinion gear on the motor with an 8 or 10-tooth hance the car’s image as a racer and upgraded about ten-percent of the produc- to leave the rear axle intact. The new chassis has holes above and below the front tion to Group 4 specifications with a stiffer monocoque chassis and with the axle slots allow Allen screws be used to adjust upward and downward travel limits horsepower increased from 286 to 470. BMW contested the under 2-liter class (the “Ride Height”) of the chassis. The motor pod has four attached screws so the in 1980 with turbocharged M1 racers and finished second (with 59 points) to car can benefit from most of chassis-tuning adjustments for potentially lower lap Lancia (200 points). The ultimate development of the M1 was for the FIA "Pro- times described in the “6-Screw Hop-Up” in the number 69 issue (which is also car" Series in Europe in 1980, a "spec" series for BMW M1 Procar racers, and for on www.modelcarracingmag.com under “Sample Issues”). If you want to race the the IMSA Camel Pro GTO Series in 1981. The Procar M1 BMWs were built with car without the two downforce magnets, you can regain most of the lost traction a tubular frame and even larger rear fender extensions not unlike those on the by replacing the rear tires with number 1007 silicone Super Tires, which are about 320i sedan racers and were fitted with 3.5 liter 6-cylinder engines. 1/16-inch narrower than the Slotwings tires. The model has a simple vacuum- formed interior and a plastic driver head (both unpainted) to minimize the weight. The Slotwings model is a replica of Group 5 cars that contested the GT class at LeMans and other races, competing against the Ferrari 512BB LM racers. Fly has You can use the number 1007 tires on the stock wheels but the wheels hang out been producing these models since 2007 with a one-piece chassis and an SP side- of the fenders too far---most club racing rules stipulate that both wheels and tires winder motor. For this new high-performance “AV” series Flyslot's Slotwings divi- must be no wider than flush with the sides the body. We replaced the rear axle sion has teamed with Avant Slot and this new BMW has a completely different with a Slot.it SIKK07B Axle kit, inline and 1405RC silicone Super tires for this chassis with a separate Avant Slot motor pod, motor and gears. However, to keep Race Track Test and reduced the track width so the tires are no wider than the the price as low as possible, the rear wheels are plastic-press-on. If you want to outside edges of the body. The car is a major improvement over previous Flyslot/ change the crown gear, it would be wise to replace the wheels with aluminum set- Avant Slot Ferrari 512BB LM (in the July/August 2014 number 76 issue) primar- screw-mount items and install a new rear axle. You can, of course, change the gear ily because the BMW has a much quicker motor and that separate motor pod.

40 Model Car Racing With the pod, you have the choice of tightening-down all four screws to stiffen the relatively flexible chassis or of leaving some screws loose to isolate vibrations. Given the model’s relatively light weight, wide rear track and massive tires, it easily outperforms even the fastest GT-class cars on both the rough-surface Scalextric Classic and the smooth-surface Carrera tracks.

Slotwings/Avant Slot 1980 BMW M1 The Prototype The size the model The dimensions of the SPEC SHEET (the real car): should be in 1/32 scale: ______model: Length: 174.7 in. * 5.46 in. (138.6 mm 5.34 in. (135.7 mm) The new Slotwings chassis for the BMW M1 has a separate motor pod with an Avant Width: 71.8 in. * 2.24 in. (56.9 mm) 2.49 in. (63.2 mm) Slot motor and gears. Height: 44.9 in.* 1.40 in. (35.6 mm) 1.35 in. (34.3 mm) Wheelbase* 100.8 in. 3.15 in. (80.0 mm) 3.22 in. (81.8 mm) Track, Front: 61.0 in.* 1.91 in. (48.4 mm) 2.08 in. (52.7 mm) Track, Rear: 62.0 in.* 1.94 in. (49.2 mm) 2.00 in. (50.9 mm) Tires, Front: NA NA 9.6 x 18.1 mm Tires, Rear: NA NA 13.0 x 19.8 mm Weight: 1.026 kg. NA 83 grams (3 oz.) Weight on Front Tires: 35 grams (1 1/4 oz.) Weight on Rear Tires: 48 grams (1 ¾ oz.) Magnetic Downforce on Carrera: NA Magnetic Downforce on Scalextric: NA Ground Clearance on Carrera: 1.8 mm (.075 in.) The interior in this Slotwings/Avant high-performance car is a simple vacuum- formed sheet of plastic with a white plastic driver’s head. Ground Clearance on Scalextric: 1.7 mm (.070 in.) Pickup Lead (pivot to rear axle): 84.2 mm (3.31 in.) Gear Ratio: 3.00:1 (9/27) SOURCE: ROAD & TRACK'S ROAD TEST ANNUAL & BUYER'S GUIDE 1981 lists specifications for the production version, the racing M1s were somewhat longer and wider. *NOTE: Dimensions are for the production BMW M1 body, the race car is significantly longer and wider.

Model Car Racing Track Test: 36-foot Scalextric 36-foot Carrera "Magnet Free" Lap Times Indy F1 Course: Indy F1 Course: Magnets removed and silicone tires fitted: Flyslot/Avant 1980 BMW M1 (inline) 4.70 sec. 4.16 sec. Flyslot/Avant 1972 Ferrari 512BB LM (sidewinder) 4.95 sec. 4.72 sec. Slot.it “Reloaded” 1999 Audi R8C 5.22 sec. 4.34 sec. Sloting Plus 2003 Reynard 2KQ LM 0.17 sec. 4.62 sec. ScaleAuto 2008 Radical SR9 5.52 sec. 5.02 sec. NINCO 2007 Honda NSX Super GT 5.52 sec. 4.26 sec. with NC-6 motor and Slot.it 3.60:1 gears Fly 1996 Ferrari F40 5.83 sec. 5.56 sec. The rear wheels were spaced about ¼-inch too far apart, protruding too far past the Avant Slot 2006 Audi R10 TDI LeMans 5.24 sec. 5.27 sec. edges of the fenders so we replaced SCX Audi R8 PRO LeMans 5.38 sec. 4.96 sec. the rear axle with a Slot.it SIKK07B Axle kit, inline (which includes): NOTES: The lap times and other test results for all of the track tests in the first 78 issues SIPA09B Plastic wheel inserts are available on the website under “Model Resources”, then click on the link “Race Car Test Results”. The Flyslot/Avant 1972 Ferrari 512BB LM (sidewinder) was Race Track • SIPA62-Als 17.5 x 9.75 mm Tested in the July/August 2015 number 82 issue, the Flyslot 1970 Ferrari 512S in the aluminum wheels September/October 2012 number 65 issue, the Slot.it “Reloaded” 1999 Audi R8C was • SIG128-AL 28-tooth Race Track Tested in the May/June 2012 number 63 issue, the Sloting Plus 2003 Reynard crown gear 2KQ LM and Scaleauto 2008 Radical SR9 in the March/April 2011 number 56 issue, the NINCO Lamborghini Gallardo with 2.38:1 gearing in the September/October 2010 • SIPA01-51 51 number 53 issue, the NINCO Honda NSX Super GT car with Slot.it 3.60:1 gearing in the mm axle September/October 2006 number 29 issue, the Fly Ferrari F40 in the September/October • SIPA02 Bronze bushings 2008 number 41 issue, the Avant Slot Audi in the November/December 2007 number 36 issue, and the SCX Audi R8 PRO in the July/August 2007 number 34 issue. • We also fitted 1405RC silicone Super tires for this Race Track Test.

Model Car Racing 41 Club Directory ��

Most model car racers prefer to race at home on their own tracks with a few class where extra magnets are allowed or different bodies. We try to NOT list friends. There are hundreds of model car racing clubs in the world but some the clubs that primarily race cars with hand-made metal chassis and clear plastic of them are groups who race very highly modified cars on tracks routed from bodies---those clubs are listed on various internet sites or you can find most of wood or PVC. The model racing cars you see on the pages of this magazine are them through the Old Weird Harold site at http://www.oldweirdherald.com. 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 There are hundreds of dealers in the country that have operating tracks in the store. Artin or the older Strombecker, Revell or Monogram tracks 1/32 scale tracks or We cannot list them all, but you can contact the ones in your area from the list of Tomy AFX or Mattel/Tyco HO tracks. 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-of- If your group races out-of-the-box 1/32 scale or HO scale cars, with only oc- the box cars and mostly on plastic tracks (although the club may also race on casionally events for modified cars) send us the information at www.modelcar- one or two hand-routed wood or PVC tracks). The group may have a modified racingmag.com and we’ll try to include your club in the next issue.

California, Los Angeles (Glendale): OTHG – Farrout Illinois, Central area: Hotslots 1/32 Slot Car Shop, Missouri, St. Louis area: (Carl Shorle) gsra@ Texas, Eastern area: East Texas Slot Car Association, Slot Car Club. Contact Stephen Farr-Jones 1809 A. Philo Road, Urbana, IL 61802 (217) 355- swbell.net Tyler , TX 75771, (903)882 0965 ETXSCA@ 818-416-9188, www.farroutslotcars.com/ 2277, [email protected] hotmail.com Missouri, St. Louis area: Monaco Grand Prix California, Fresno area: Insane SCRC, Illinois, Chicago area: Bolingbrook Speedway, Karl Miniature Racing Club, www.mgpmrc.org, email: Texas, Houston (Northwest Harris County): Hous- Joe Cabral [email protected] Staehlin, [email protected] [email protected] ton Scale Auto Racing Club (HSARC), www.hsarc. California, North San Diego County: Nomad Slot Illinois, Chicago area: Great Lakes Slot Car Club, net, (281)807-4026. New York, Binghamton Area: Tri-County Slots, Racing Club, Jim Cunningham (760)492-4619 contact: Northern Virginia-Metro DC area: Northern Contact: [email protected] [email protected] www.NomadSlo- www.greatlakesscc.com Virginia Digital Slot Racers, contact: Hayes Lewis, tRacing.com Illinois, Chicago Area: JYD Racing, contact www. New York, Watkins Glen area: The Slot Car Club [email protected] toys4slots.com Of The Twin Tiers, Contact: Frank Spena, Jr., sc- California, North San Diego County, Escondido Vermont, Burlington area: Burlington Slot Dorks, - “The Slot Outlaws” 760-747-4511 or email: Illinois, Peoria/ Metamora area: Peoria Model Car [email protected] Daniel, [email protected] [email protected] Raceway, North Carolina, Winston-Salem area: Road Williamsburg Virginia area: The Barn Burners” (309) 573-1027, [email protected], California, San Jose area: Devin Mauldin web@ America Racers, King City, North Carolina, Tom Contact: Joseph Brimer [email protected] (309)712-3299 [email protected] flyinghump.com Brooks, (336) 985-3867 or [email protected] Washington, Auburn area: Rainier Raceways, California, South Bay (Los Angeles): Stan Smith Indiana, Indianapolis area: (Jeremy Dunning) [email protected] Ohio, Columbus area: 1/32 Slot Car Racers of Greg Gaub [email protected] (310)812-1866 Central Ohio, Randy Horton, http://groups.yahoo. [email protected] Indiana, Terre Haute area: Otter Creek Slot Racing Washington, Seattle/Tacoma area: PSSRA (Puget com/group/1-32SlotCarRacersOfCentralOhio Association, Sound Slot Car Racing Association) http://pssra. California, South Bay (Los Angeles): ITG - In The Bob Redman [email protected] Oregon, Portland area: Beaverton Area Slot Car webhop.net/ or Tony Kuljis, Groove Slot Car racing, 324 W. Florence Ave., [email protected] Inglewood, CA 90301. Contact: Marc Natividad Iowa, Cedar Rapids area: Iowa Model Area Racers, Club (B.A.S.C.C.),15430 SW Gull Ct., Beaverton, (310) 200-6300. [email protected] http://imar.us/ Oregon 97007, 503-330-6907 Washington, Seattle/Tacoma area: NMRL (North- west Model Racing League). John MacKenzie Colorado, Denver area: Rocky Mountain Slot Car Indiana, Fort Wayne area: Wallace Dale Monroe, Pennsylvania, Allentown-Reading area: Allen & (206)295-9980, [email protected] Club (RMSSC) [email protected] Allen Motor Speedway Racing, (610) 520-7247, http://rmscclub.proboards.com/index.cgi Iowa, Cedar Rapids area: ERASR (Ecurie Road [email protected] Toronto, Canada area: Scale Sloters 1/32, America Scale Racers) Art (319)626-6374 [email protected] Colorado, Denver Area, Colorado Slot car Club, Pennsylvania, Chambersburg area. Vancouver, Canada area: (Luf Linkert) luf@ contact: Iowa, Swisher area: IMAR (Iowa Model Auto Rac- Sherman Collings [email protected] (717) telus.net http://coslotcarclub.proboards.com/ ing), Jerry Hightshoe [email protected] 377-1435 Colorado, Denver area: Front Range Vintage Kentucky, Louisville area: Derby City Slot Car Pennsylvania, Harrisburg area: Homestead Slotcar and Historical Racing Club, http://monovell. Club, www.derbycityslotcarclub.proboards.com/ 1/24 scale racing clubs: Speedway, Landisville, Pennsylvania. Ken Falco at proboards.com/index.cgi [email protected] [email protected] Oregon, Eugene area: Pelican Park Speedway D.C., Washington area: The Capital Racing Louisiana, Lake Charles area: Lake Area Slot Car (541)349-0917 htm210@comcast. League, Auto Racing, Julian Guillory, http://groups.yahoo. Pennsylvania, Manheim area: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/tcrl, contact: com/group/LASCAR D & B Raceways, Don Noll [email protected] Digital Racing Clubs: [email protected] Maryland, Baltimore area: (Allan Schwartz) Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area: Mt. Airy Racing Phoenix, Arizona area: DSCRC-Phoenix, Carrera D.C., Washington area (Alexandria): Classic Slot [email protected] Association, Herbert Bigelow (215) 868-4464, 1/32 & 1/24 only, email [email protected] Car Association (CSSA), John Roberts, (703) 582- Michigan, Grand Rapids area: Rivershore Interna- [email protected] 5504, [email protected] tional Raceway, Alto, Michigan, Stephen Thomas, Ohio, Mansfield area: Mid-Ohio 1/32 Scale Pennsylvania, Wilkes Barre Area: NEPA Slot Car Racing Club, [email protected], John Chorpening D.C., Washington Metro area: Old Dominion Slot (616) 891-1632. email: [email protected] Club, 570-903-9182, nepaslotcars.com (419) 289-6563 Car Club, 5322 Graystone Rd., Warrenton, VA Michigan, Kalamazoo area: West Michigan 20187, contact: Chris Bowles (540)341-1405 or, Slot Car Group, John Lacko (269) 344-5588, Pennsylvania, Wyoming Valley Area: Wyoming Val- Northern Virginia-Metro DC area: Northern [email protected], [email protected] https://www.facebook.com/ ley Slot Car Association, Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, Virginia Digital Slot Racers, contact: Hayes Lewis, www.nascarslots.com or www.metalracer.com groups/205657316120426/ wvsca.blogspot.com [email protected]

HO Clubs: The majority of HO racing on a club level in the US is home to be utilized by small round robin groups by invitation or as groups of friends. sectional tracks, using hard bodies and largely stock equipment. The majority There are some excellent clubs across the US racing basically stock hardshell T-Jet are Thunderjet focused, although many do run the Life-Like, Auto World, Play- cars for the most part on sectional home tracks. This is only a partial listing. If you ing Mantis, G-Plus and Mattel/Tyco cars, these mass produced magnet cars tend have an active group racing hard-bodied T-Jet-style cars, let us know.

California, Bay area: M.S.C.R.C. - Model Slot club. http://www.scaleracers.com/FrontRangeHO/ Missouri, Kansas City area: Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area: Mt. Airy Racing Car Racing Club www.mscrc.orgemail: info@ default.asp http://home.kc.rr.com/jhabernal/mahor/ Association, Herbert Bigelow (215) 868-4464, mscrc.org [email protected] Illinois, Chicago area: http: nitro-racing.4t.com/ Missouri, St. Louis area: [email protected] California, Bay area: Shaunadega Racing www. Winston-Salem/Greenville, South Carolina area: Indiana, Fort Wayne area: Wallace Monroe, Ohio, Columbus area: shaunadega.com http://groups.yahoo.com/group/colohhoscc/ Upstate HO Slot Car Club, 403 Hill Lane, Mauldin, [email protected] California, South Bay (Los Angeles): ITG - In The messages SC 29662 - (864) 967-7865 Richard Tabb at [email protected] or Steve Lorch at youneedje- Groove Slot Car racing, 324 W. Florence Ave. Kentucky / Virginia area: http://www.thunder- Pennsylvania, Philadelphia area: Inglewood, CA 90301. Contact: Marc Natividad jetracing.com/ http://vintagehoracing.mr-bigstuff.com/ [email protected] (310) 200-6300. [email protected] Michigan, Lansing area: NASAR, Richard Leeper Pennsylvania, Wilkes Barre Area: NEPA Slot Car United Kingdom, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire Colorado, Denver area: Front Range HO (FRHO) (517) 290-9952 or [email protected] Club, 570-903-9182, nepaslotcars.com Burning Rubber, www.burningrubber.net

48 Model Car Racing Race Tracks For Your Home: HO 4-Lane Hockenheimring Circuit for a 4 X 8-Foot Tabletop ■■Robert Schleicher

This plan is based on the full-size Hockenheimring Circuit on pages 20-24 of them as compact as possible and hope that you’ll expand them to 4 x 10 or 4 x this issue. This plan includes the longest possible straight with a tight 9/12 curve 24-feet to get those exciting 20-foot straightaways. Most of the plans are marked at each end. When the race cars exit the 225-degree hairpin turn at Turn T11 with “L” letters indicated just where to insert the additional sets of straight track they can immediately receive nearly full throttle swinging into 270-degree Turn sections to expand the track to any length. T12 before diving into hairpin turn T1. The broad ess bend through turn T3 tucks into a tighter left at turn T5 to recreate some of most realistic action of HO 4-Lane Hockenheimring Circuit full-size racing. TRACK PLAN to fit a 4 x 8-foot area AFX Track Sections Required The AFX terminal/connector section can be substituted for any of the 15-inch Quantity Description Quantity Description straights on the track. You can install one on the bottom side of the track and the second on the opposite side of the track so the drivers can also serve as corner 2 3-inch Straight 2 9-inch 45-degree Curve marshals. 4 6-inch Straight 8 9-inch 90-degree Curve 4 9-inch Straight 28 12-inch 45-degree Curve The majority of the HO plans in the magazine cram as much track as possible 12 15-inch Straight 9 15-inch 45-degree Curve 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 0 6-inch 45-degree Curve 0 18-inch 45-degree Curve plan for, say, 4 x 16-feet that can be shrunk to fit a 4 x 8-foot area. So we present Model Car Racing 49 Pit Board #83 ��

Motor Brushes tires contact the track, then gradually tighten the screw to lift the front wheels until the tires just clear the track, then back-off a turn so tires One of the slot car magazines from the seventies had an article about just touch the track. Opinions vary on how much upward movement adjusting motor brushes. The motor they showed did not look anything is best but the goal, here, is to be sure that as much of the weight of like the motors in the cars I have. That older motor had two parallel steel the car rests on the pickup braid as possible---some prefer that the full pieces with a block of iron (which I assume was the magnet) between weight of the front of car rest on the front tires, others want the car be them and a round armature wrapped with bare copper wire spinning able tilt a bit before the front axle supports the car so they leave 1/64- between two brass end pieces. There were visible copper strips that were inch or more of upward axle travel. Experiment and see which works rubbing on the armature with a coil spring to keep them in contact. Do best for you. today’s motors have brushes like that? Crash? Burn? Spin? Thank you, Norm Stallman The article on handicap racing by Jack Robinson in the May/June 2015 Yes, all of the motors in today's 1/32 (and 1/24 and 1/43 scale and AFX issue described his club’s system of handling cars that deslotted or spun- HO scale) cars have motor brushes as well as an armature and magnets. out as a penalty of 30-seconds plus the time it takes for a corner marshal There’s a photo of one of the early Strombecker open-frame motors in to bring the car to the driver. That’s a variation that is new to me. Don’t a Maserati 250F on page 34 of this issue. The motor you describe was most clubs just use the waiting drivers as corner marshals to reslot any car called an “open-frame” motor because you could see inside it---today’s that spins out as quickly as possible? In real racing, especially in modern motors are usually housed in a steel case (usually called a “can” for obvi- times, it is unusual for a car to be so badly damaged when it spins out ous reasons). There are two molded sintered iron alloy magnets inside that it cannot continue as soon as the spin is under control and the car is that stamped steel case held against the rounded sides of the case. The pointed in the right direction. What is your opinion? round armature spins between those two magnets. The plastic end of the motor (called an “end bell”) contains the motor bushes which are simple Regards, Tim Bellington 1/16-inch (give or take) strips of spring steel with small chunks of sintered copper staked to the steel strips---the chunks of sintered copper are the Out there in real world, race cars that spin out usually just rejoin the actual brushes---the steel strips serve as both springs and holders. Most race but we do not have that spin-out option---if our 1/32, 1/24, 1/43 of the motors are held together with two little metal tabs that engage slots or HO scale cars “spin” they loose their source of power and are out in the plastic end bell. You can bend those tabs out (once, maybe) without the race until the “wrecker” puts them back on the track (in the slot). breaking them but it is not worth the risk of breaking them off when you The system of having enough corner marshals to get any desloted car try to bend them back. Yes, you will get to see what’s inside but any adjust- back in the slot as quickly as possible does a fine job of recreating the ments you make will either burn-out the motor or reduce its speed. The “penalty” a racer driving a full-size receives from spinning-out---if the only maintenance these motors require is an occasional (once every 50 corner marshals are experienced, the desloted car still has an excellent hours or so of operating) drop of oil on each bearing. chance of catching up before the end of the race. There is a third system of handling cars that deslot that is called “crash and burn” which means Ride Height what it sounds like it would; if you deslot, you are out of the race. There are several groups that prefer that system because it makes it far more I am confused about concept of “ride height”. It seems to describe how far of a challenge of your skill to drive when you have to contend with the the front tires are from touching the track. And yet… What does it mean risk of being out the race if you go too far. Personally, I do not like the and how do I adjust it? crash and burn system because it favors those that know the track well enough to stay in the slot and it does not include the most common Regards, Tom Gozales real world option of simply spinning-out. And it discourages the drivers from pushing hard enough to learn to drive faster and, specifically, On a model race car, ride height usually refers to how far the bottom to learn the track anywhere near as well as the track owner. The major of the pickup blade is from the bottom of the slot. If you are using plus to crash and burn is that you only need a few corner marshals to a stock pickup or guide shoe, the bottom of the blade cannot be too get the cars out of the way of the other lanes. The “30 Second” penalty deep. However, some of the aftermarket pickup blades have longer is a compromise but the penalty, again, is far greater than the time that (deeper) vertical blades that can rub on the bottom of the slot. With is lost when a car spins out on a real race track (but it is more logical plastic track, that usually results in the car clicking and clacking over for a spun-out car to just loose a couple of laps or so than to be out of every track joint and, because the blade is dragging rather than siding, the race completely). Try all three systems with your group and decide the car is often slower that with a shallower blade depth. The ideal is to which one seems to work best for you. have the bottom of the blade about 1/64-inch from the bottom of the slot when: (1) the front tires are touching the track and (2) the spring New To The Hobby? from the braid is compressed with only the weight of the car. Most of the lower-cost cars, including all of the Scalextric and Carrera models There are some basic tune-up tips that are needed for every model race and the Ninco 1-series, do not have adjustable front axles. You can only car on www.modelcarracingmag.com under the “New to the hobby?” adjust the “ride height” by being certain that the braid is not bent down link. There are 13 tips including: How To Get Started in Model Car Rac- so much that it is lifting the front tires off the track. Most of the more ing, Lap Counting, Two Driving Techniques, Perfect Pickup Braid, Tire complex cars including Slot.it, Avant Slot, NSR, ScaleAuto, Mr. Slotcar Mounting, Cleaning Track Rails, Cleaning Track, Avoiding Disaster: Oil and Ninco Lightning, have adjustable front axles with small holes in & Grease, Race Program Set Up: Color Coding & Racing classes, Reliable the tops and bottom of the bearing slots to accept Allen screws. Turn Wires, Chassis Set Up, Carrera Guide Shoe Mods and Gearing setups. the Allen screws to limit the amount of upward or downward front There’s lots more you can do, including changing to silicone rear tires with axle travel. Start by loosening the bottom Allen screws so the front better grip, loosening the body-to-chassis screws and more.

50 Model Car Racing Your Track Slot Mods 9 X 13-Foot 4-Lane Wood Vernola Raceway The inspiration for this custom-built Slot Mods Vernola Raceway is Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. The plan is not a replica of the full-size track but many of the “signature” features of Laguna Seca are carefully replicated. The famous “Corkscrew” downhill ess bend is on the far left of the track. The wood and metal “Mazda” arch bridge is in the lower left, with the pagoda-style scoring tower in the center of the track. The back straight runs the full length of the track for all–out speed, from a banked entry turn to the top of the Corkscrew, with a similar straight with a gentle curve along the front of the track.

The Slot Mods tracks are carefully crafted pieces of entertainment room furniture, with Formica-protected edges.

The Slot Mods track is routed from MDF board with copper braid for the pick- • Slot Mods Four-Lane 10 x 10-Foot Wood ups. The Slot Mods crew has developed the scenery-building techniques for Pebble Beach Raceway, Issue #59 model railroads to withstand more rugged use on a model car raceway. The • Zak Brown’s 15 x 25-foot Wood Slot Mods Slag Raceway, Issue #61 scenery is shaped with blue or pink insulation foam, the covered with a layer of Hydrocal plaster and textured with Woodland Scenics ground foam glued • Tom Abrams’ 7 x 30-Foot Four-Lane Wood Slot tightly to the surface. Mods Reliable Raceway, Issue #63 • Don Edward’s Slot Mods 8 x 16-Foot Riverside Raceway, Issue #65 This is the twelfth Slot Mods track we have featured. All twelve are available at www.modelcarracingmag.com under top bar “Sample Issues”. • Slot Mods 8 x 20-foot Three-Lane Martin European Odyssey Track, Issue #67 • Jim Farley’s Slot Mods 6 x 12-foot 2-Lane • Slot Mods 12 x 30-foot LeMay Museum Raceway , Issue #69 Wood Corkscrew Raceway, issue #53 • Slot Mods 2-Lane Wood 4 x 15-foot 1969 Trans- • Rick Burr’s 8 x 16-Foot 3-Lane Slot Mods Wood Am Camaro Z28 “Tribute” Track, Issue #71 Vintage Mid-Ohio Raceway, Issue #55 • Slot Mods “Today” Show 6 x 12-foot two-lane track, Issue #80 • Slot Mods 14 x 14-foot Wood Ford Global Laguna Raceway, Issue #57

Model Car Racing 51 The newest Slot Mods tracks are computer designed so customer can make any changes before construction begins.

Slot Mods’ Chris Blasciuc scratchbuilt the replica of Laguna Seca’s pagoda press Laguna’s “Corkscrew” turns runs downhill along the left side the track. The road tower from basswood strips. surface as cambered to replicate the original turns.

52 Model Car Racing The Slot Mods tracks are usually populated with hundreds of spectators and worker figures with dozens of scratchbuilt trees and other scenic features.

The guard rails and chain link fences are produced in special jigs and custom-fitted to each track.

The bridge for the lap counter lights, press tower and grandstands are also scratchbuilt using styrene sheet and strips. The Slot Mods tracks have built-in wells (bottom) to safely store the controllers.

A pair of sixties NASCAR cars diving off the top of the Corkscrew. The raised blue and white curbs are examples of Slot Mods’ superdetails.

Model Car Racing 53 New Cars 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”.

SRC has shipped “street” versions of the Porsche 914 in red, yellow or blue.

Mr. Slotcar has shipped their all-new 1995 McLaren F1 GT car with a separate anglewinder motor pod and the body in solid green, orange, blue and yellow. The Le-Mans-winning black “Uneo Clinic” car is due this month. We’ll have full Race Track Test in next issue.

SRC 01104 Matra 670B 24h Le Mans 73

Slot.it SICA18D Ford GT40 Gulf 24H. Daytona 1967 Winner.

Slot.it SICA13E Jaguar XJR12 Racer (Sideways) SW21LENAC BMW M1 “Miller Beer” limited to 100 units for the 2015 North American Group 5 Castrol 24h. Daytona 1990 Winner. Championship from www.electricdreams.com.

Scalextric C3661 Bugatti Veyron

SRC 01606 Porsche 914/6 no. 40 Le Mans 1970

Racer SW35 Ferrari 512BB/LM - N.A.R.T. Le Mans 24hrs 1979

Scalextric C3662 McLaren 12C

54 Model Car Racing Scalextric C3631 MGB

Cartrix made a few of the race versions of the number 26 can as well as the practice (open-numbers) number 28 car from www.electricdreams.com). 1/24 Scale Cars:

Scalextric has shipped three versions of the early seventies C3635 Ford Escort Mk.I.

Scalextric C3636 Ford Escort MKII

The ScaleAuto 1/24 scale SRT Viper GTS-R #93 in the 2014 Tudor United Sportscar Championship 1/43 Scale Cars (most are also available in 1/32 scale):

Scalextric C3592 Ford Escort

Carrera 61270 Go!!! 1/43 scale Audi A5 DTM M. Carrera 61274 Go!!! 1/43 scale AMG Mercedes Ekstrom #3 C-Coupe DTM, J. Green No.5

The NSR 1194AW BMW Z4 (E89) GT3 in red with an anglewinder motor pod. An inline motor pod, pinion gear and spur gear are available at additional cost.

Carrera 61272 Go!!! 1/43 scale BMW M3 DTM, #1 M. Tomczyk Carrera 64004 Go!!! 1/43 scale Aston Martin Vantage The Carrera Porsche 918 Spyder, "No.03" Is available GT3 "Bilstein" as an analog car or in Digital 132 with working headlights and tail lights.

Carrera 61273 Go!!! 1/43 scale BMW M3 DTM, B. Carrera 30722 Ford Mustang GT "No.49", Digital 132 Spengler, No. 7

Model Car Racing 55 Coming Next Issue The November/December 2015 number 84 issue of Model Car Racing will be on sale October 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; routing the slots in MDF board • NSR 2010 BMW Z4 GT3 • Scalextric 1968 Brabham BT26A-3 Formula 1 • Slot.it 2009 Lola Aston Martin LMP1 LeMans • Track Tests (Magnet-Free): – Slot.it Four-wheel-drive Audi R18 e-tron ultra LeMans • Track Test (Our-of-the-box") • Mr. Slotcar 1995 McLaren F1 GT LeMans Gary Knabe’s three-lane 12 x 18-foot wood recreation of Riverside Raceway (including optional routes for all three of the track’s configurations) is the featured "Your Track” • Race Track Plans: in November/December 2015 number 84 issue of Model Car Racing. – 4-Lane Indy F1 as 6 x 12-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: 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 When you subscribe for $35.00 your sixth issue is just 25-cents---you save $6.70 over the newsstand $19.95 internet versions with any of the tablet editions---if you want both versions you will need to price---and you will be notified by email that your Internet copy is ready to view the moment the paper purchase both versions of the magazine. magazines are printed and ready to be mailed to your door. Subscriptions received after July 15, 2015 will begin with the November/December 2015 number 84 issue which will be on sale October 15, 2015. Now Available for iPads or Kindles Subscribe now! We cannot process orders for ether iPad or Amazon downloads—they must be ordered directly from the Apple iTunes store or Amazon Kindle…. 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 Paper Edition NOTE: if you do opt for the iPad or Kindle editions and you also want the paper edition, “Digital Edition” on www.modelcarracingmag.com. The $35.00 yearly subscription now includes both you must ALSO purchase the $35.00 paper subscription---there are no “bundle” packages that include paper and iPhone or Kindle web editions. 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 If you simply want an internet edition that you can read on your lap top, that is included free with the mailed to your door), the price for 6 issues is just $19.95. This (and the “tablet” edition----see below) paper edition subscription but it cannot be downloaded---only read or printed. You also have the choice also makes the magazine more accessible to enthusiasts in countries outside the United States. 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, This Internet version of Model Car Racing cannot be downloaded for security purposes. You can, how- however). ever, 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 pro- Back Issues: tected by International copyright. We would advise you to print any articles you wish to archive because We have no paper copies of any back issue. You may be able to find some paper back issues at some of we can only provide access to the Internet versions for the six issues (12 months) of your subscription. 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 We can only process orders about the 15th of each odd numbered month so there may be a delay in Northstar LeMans car. 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 versions of issues number 55 through 78 (all the issues from 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014) and Internet issues are available on the same day that the paper copies are mailed, which is about the first #79, #80, #81 and #82 are available for $4.95 each direct from the Apple iTunes store for the iPad, but of every even month. Note that you will not be able to read this $19.95 internet version or the internet 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 Foreign or Canadian subscriptions for the paper version will not be accepted. We are sorry, but price---and you will be emailed that your Internet copy is ready to download and the paper magazines the postal services in most of these countries are taking 8 weeks and more to send magazines are mailed to your door. Subscriptions received after July 15, will begin with the November/December when they deliver them at all. Only the “Internet Only” subscriptions ($19.95) for Foreign ad- 2015 number 84 issue which will be on sale October 15, 2015. Subscribe now! dresses (including Canada) will be accepted. We have a network of dealers in Canada, Europe, One Year (six issues, plus the Internet replica) mailed to the Continental United States: Australia and Japan listed on our website at www.modelcarracingmag.com that will be pleased $35.00______Internet ONLY Version One Year (six issues): $19.95______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 Print + Digital Digital Print + Digital iPad, Edition Internet Internet Amazon. or Readr There Are Six Editions of Model Car Racing Magazine! 1. The 60-page bimonthly paper edition sold on 4. The Paid Internet only bimonthly edition. newsstands, hobby dealers and to subscribers. 5. The www.modelcarracingmag.com home page 2. The Apple iPad tablet edition on 6. The Free Internet only bimonthly edition (under the the iTunes newsstand. “Internet Edition” bar at the top of the website) 3. The Amazon edition for all the Kindles. so you can see how the Internet Edition works.

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 8383 Books & Back Issues: All of the books by Robert Schleicher are currently out of print. is searchable (with Safari, Firefox and others) under the top bar “Edit”, then scroll down to “Find”. 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 web- However, most of the articles from any of these issue are only available in the site, and Electric Dreams (www.electricdreams.com) has most of them as well full paper or iPad issues, including the larger plans for “Real Race Tracks On A as a few of the number 1 through 6 issues (from 2002) with a Scalextric Limited Tabletop” and the majority of articles comparing model cars to their prototypes, edition Cadillac Northstar LeMans car. 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 Internet versions of issues number 55 through 69 (all the issues from 2011, 2012 GT, sports and Formula 1 Ferraris and Porsches and more. and 2013) and issues number 70 through 83 are available at $4.95 each direct from the Apple iTunes store for the iPad, but only as readable and downloadable The majority of the material (including all of the race track plans and visits to copies. finished home tracks) that appeared in the in the January/February 2005 through November/December 2007 (numbers 19 through 36) issues of Model Car Rac- We have tried to keep the most significant material in print because photocopying ing is in the book SLOT CAR RACING IN THE DIGITAL AGE. Similarly, much of the back issue articles is not an option. The most important tuning and race setup material in SLOT CAR RACING, TIPS, TECHNIQUES & TRACK PLANS was first information is on the www.modelcarracingmag.com website under the left hand published in the magazine in the January/February 2003 through November/ link “New To The Hobby” as well as information on 1/43 scale vs. 1/32 scale. All December 2004 (numbers 7 through 18) issues but both of those books are no of the Race Track Test results from issue #1 through #72 are also on the website longer in print and no reprints are scheduled. At present, no additional books are under the top bar link ”More Information” then in the left box “Race Car Tests” in preparation. 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, There are two other earlier books on model car racing (also by Robert Schleicher) 4 x 8-foot HO plans and additional features from issues #44 (March/April 2009) that contain additional material that was not published in this magazine but both through the current issue are available on the website under the top bar link books are long out of print: RACING AND COLLECTING SLOT CARS was published “Sample Issues”. These are readable and printable but cannot be downloaded in 2001 and the SLOT CAR BIBLE in 2002. for security purposes. To subscribe to Model Car Racing magazine, click on “SUBSCRIBE” on the top bar All of the articles from the first 72 issues are indexed under the top bar “More the www.modelcarracingmag.com home page. Information”, then scroll down on the left to “Model Car Racing Index”. The index

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