Contemplating a wood track

[Rleog]

I have a three lane routed MDF track with a lap distance of ~55 feet. The track runs on two levels with a Laguna Seca style corkscrew drop at one end and a more gradual 180 degree uphill at the other end. Both the corkscrew and the apex of the 180 degree uphill have squeeze sections.

If I had it to do over, I would eliminate the squeeze at the uphill section but keep the corkscrew squeeze. It’s difficult enough to plan and execute a pass without having two squeeze sections within 55 feet. I find the corkscrew squeeze appropriate since I have not yet seen film of any racer at Laguna Seca executing a pass within the corkscrew.

Bob G

[Courtney s]

Here it is "The Pass"

[slothead]

YES! Thanks for posting 'The Pass'. Wouldn't it be great to be involved in slot car racing like that, a patient and well executed pass for the lead. It actually only takes one pass like this to win a race, the leader doesn't have to lap the field 17 times for it to count.

[noddaz]

For me one squeeze is ok. Best if is in a hairpin turn. Everyone knows it is there, and you best not forget it. (Which I have been known to do) lol
Scott

[HO RacePro]

On Gerry Cullan's 4 x 10 foot, 4-lane, low-banked HO oval there are no squeeze sections, per se, but passing a car in an adjacent lane is no mean feat.

The lane spacing is 1-3/4 inches, which is larger than the standard HO spacing of 1-1/2 inches, but is still plenty close enough for gravity cars in adjacent lanes to tangle in the curves. It is possible to nerf a car on either lane -- the one inside you or the one outside you. And more than a few races have been decided by who is the nerfer and who is the nerfee.

Because the track is so short, but so fast, getting a pass done on the straights is very hard when the cars are closely matched. Passing in the curves can be the only option. That not only takes skill, but also a bit of luck. You have to stay close to the leading car, without making contact, and then nip past in the corner when your competitor misses his timing a hair and leaves you an opening.

It is challenging, but the caliber of racers who visit Gerry is high enough that battles of this kind often extend to a number of laps. It is the kind of racing that gets people excited, and earns admiration for both drivers.

If you run cars without traction magnets, I don't think squeeze sections are necessary. The cars drift enough to make passing challenging.

Ed Bianchi

[Fast Co.]

I have one squeeze on my track at the Corkscrew. Everyone that's ever raced it loves it, even guys who don't like squeeze sections. The lanes come within an inch apart at the tightest but we often manage to get four cars through the squeeze in close proximity, with only an occasional shunt. That probably says a lot about the skill of the guys I race with. Two cars in adjacent lanes can actually get by side by side if one car is a half-car length ahead of the other. They'll get sideways a bit, but they manage to stay in the slot. I was a little bit leery about putting a squeeze on my track at first, but the Corkscrew demanded it. At some point I will bring the yellow lane in even closer to the blue to reduce the severity of the "s" curve in that lane. I think the squeeze adds a heightened dimension to the racing. If two cars are attacking the curve side by side you have to know something about the attitude and abilities of the other driver and his car and make an effective snap decision as whether to charge in or back off a bit. Fun stuff!


Steve

[SpeedyNH]

right on.