Would you build a 1:32 Indy track?

[mattb]

Bad part of those really big tracks is they are so much work and materials to just end up a in a land fill in a few years. At least the size track most of us have can be transferred to somebody's garage or basement. You'd need an airplane hanger for those big ones!!!

[slothead]

I started this thread after the Indy 500 when remembering my dream as a kid of having a true scale Indy Speedway to race on. I wondered if anyone had also imagined building a true to scale replica of a real race track. Indy is a huge track, and a scale replica would be a monster in 1:32 scale. Plus, as Harry pointed out there are no Indy cars to race on it.

Once again, this is basically just a thought experiment, what a guy in retirement might choose to ponder to help keep his grey matter in the pink. IF it were going to be done the scale would probably have to be 1:64, HO scale. Now everything is half the size of what I calculated previously. AND, diecast versions of the cars already exist and are reasonably priced at about $10 each. Several posts recently have shown how Hot Wheels cars have been converted to slot cars, so it could be done. This is Indy 500 winner Simon Pagenaud's car.


It's still just an imaginary thing, a lingering idea. But a 4 lane HO scale Indy track with replica cars could be done at a reasonable cost of time and money. Not sure this is bucket list worthy, but ...

[OldStrombeckerGuy]

[mattb]

Old Strom guy, are you acquainted with Russell? If so, is he still in So Africa.

Russell Sheldon was one of the guys that was part of our first internet slot car group on AOL back in the early days. He is an avid 1/32 scratch builder and was involved in the slot scene in So Africa since the 60's.

[OldStrombeckerGuy]

[RichD]

A 1/64th scale Indy track would be 206 feet long, in England they run tracks that are that long but those tracks are road courses. I don't think that it is a great idea to replicate any track in scale. For a start slot cars have a guide pin or flag, so they can corner at higher speeds than 1:1 cars. My HO MaxTrax oval has 24 inch radius turns and cars with just a little magnetic downforce can take those flat out. A 1/64th scale Indy track would be 77.82 X 36.57 feet with the long straights being 51.56 feet long. Any conventional HO slot car could run around such a track flat out. Indy has 9 degree banking as well. High powered HO cars with no magnetic downforce would still be able to run the track flat out and that would be boring. To make things more interesting you could run with tires that have less grip or you could use more powerful motors and/or bump up the voltage. With more power the cars would be running at warp speed. The lap record for my track when it is in its 51 foot road course configuration is 1.8 seconds, that works out to an average 1/64th scale speed of 1236 MPH. If you built a car with less downforce and changed to a taller gear ratio you probably could do an average scale speed of 1500-2000 MPH. At that speed you could hardly make out what the cars looked like beyond the color. There is one more hitch with racing on a very long track, once the cars get separated they will be running by themselves for a long time, in my experience it is a lot more fun when the cars are running side by side.

[HO RacePro]

Over the decades I have heard of many attempts (or fantasies) at making a scale replica of a real-life race track. I remember an HO track that was a remarkably close copy of the Monaco Grand Prix circuit, wonderfully sceniked. A true work of art. And also a huge project, given that the entire track was done with plastic sections, using many highly modified curve sections to provide radii that were not available off-the-shelf.

Monaco, at least, is a small, tight circuit. Possibly one of the few that could be successful as an accurate-to-scale slot track. Most real-life tracks are just too big.

I thought it was an amazing layout, even though I only ever saw it as photographs. But it came to a sorry end when the owner had to move. It wasn't designed to be moved, and as best I know, had to be scrapped.

Even a simple 4 x 8 foot HO layout can be a project to move. Ask me how I know.

I am contemplating building a 1/32nd oval track that would be about 8 feet wide and 24 feet long, with banking about 10 degrees. I have a concept that would make it in six pieces -- two curves and four straights, with three collapsible tables for support. It would be pretty much a scale-up of my 4 x 12 foot HO oval, which has proven to be great fun to race on.

I think you could have your oval, just lower your sights a bit to keep it practical.

Ed Bianchi

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Matt, that photo is one of the many photos that American Model Racing used in their advertising to hobby shops all over the country (I have the whole notebook). I own the AMR Red Imperial (1965 grandfather of the King track), that the Nationals were run on for several years. In fact, it may be headed for a city dump soon. I'm selling the property where sits, and my barn is full to overflowing. I have to let it go. I even offered it to Jay Leno for free, and his email answerer says they already have a King track in his place! None of the clubs have room for it, and now neither do I.

Slothead, I think I may have an idea for you, and its dead easy to do. You know the "groove" at Indy. If you emulate the groove in plastic track (accepting the limitations thereof), then build what amounts to shoulder around it inside and out from MDF, in the shape of the real Indy track, You will get a realistic experience of the race at Indy. Frankly, I'd like to run full out on that track. You will get your track footprint from the plastic track (I still like Carrera the best), and simply add the more or less decorative remainder of Indy with MDF. Just for fun, I would get my hands on a "cobblestone" Aurora HO track and cut it up to simulate the yard of brick. Paint it to look like brick paving. Make it a dead space for the timing. Wish I could be there if you decide to do it. This would be a blast to build and run on.

[mattb]

AMR built 2 Sovereigns, according to most guys. The Playland track went to Tx and now is in New Jersey, I believe. I've heard the other track went to Ga or Al, but has been lost to time. I have the color sheets for the AMR tracks and I bet the Playland install was one of the first and provided the great advertising photos.

I hope somebody saves your track from the landfill.



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[waaytoomuchintothis]

[RichD]

Here is the Purple Mile track at Modelville Hobby in Ashland MA. Next door at LenJet there is an HO version of the track.



Here is a video:

[bdsharp]

If I were to model an oval, I think I'd like to do the Daytona beach track. Not to actual scale, but just a representation. Sand on one side and asphalt on the other, with some Florida scrub in the middle with the Atlantic in the background.

[slothead]

Thanks to everyone who's chimed in on this thread. A few days ago I stepped back and seriously thought about the logistics of making my youthful dream of a full scale Indy track come true. It could literally be done in HO scale, using some combination of plastic track for straights and routed corners (13 ft radius). As pointed out, with even a modest amount of magnetic attraction to the rails cars could probably run flat out all the way around the track. Exciting at Indy but boring for slot cars. Plus, HO is just too small for my old eyes to appreciate even if the cars used highly detailed diecast bodies.

1:32 would be the ideal scale. But, it would take a lot of space, materials, and time to do it. If a sponsor could be found (Menards?), and a place to erect it (a Menards parking lot?), and a charity to do it in honor of (St. Jude's Children's Hospital?) it could be a fun and worthy endeavor. I'd definitely join the build team, drive cross country to work on it, and pay my fee ($20 for 5 laps/minutes?) to race on it - all proceeds to charity.

This could become the site of the first annual HRW get together on Memorial Day weekend which history will record as the beginning of a national organization to propose standards and do for slot car racing what the National Model Railroading Association has done for that hobby.

As I progress in my 2nd childhood I'll probably calculate just what it would take in materials (how many jumper needed for a 400+ foot 3 to 4 lane track?), and a projected overall cost. And not because I expect this to happen, but because the 9 year old me still alive in my brain isn't about to give up imagining 'what if'.

[mattb]

All of the above reasons, logistics and cost make me think a better choice would just be to get together as many Carrera guys as you can find, bring all their track and set up a 4 lane oval with #3 and #4 turns. 4-5 jumper cables and you might have what you would need to at least run some cars.

Maybe somehow a church basement or gym could be found that could be used for a day or two. I would think if you could just build a track 60-70 foot long and 20-25 wide, you could kind of get the feel of Indy with slot cars.

Scheduling and getting guys together, well that's not very easy to do! Nice thought, though.

[slothead]

Matt - if only the 9 year old in my head was as rational as you are. A big Carrera digital rounded rectangular track would be a good compromise. Maybe 1/2 scale and set up in a school gym.

A common 3D printed body style that could be painted and numbered to reflect actual IndyCar series cars.

As for drawing a crowd I figure the slotburgers would take care of that.