by HO RacePro » Sun Apr 21, 2019 5:01 pm
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