1/32 slot racing at a nearby commercial track

[Modlerbob]

It had been a while since my last visit to Greg Walker's The Race Place in Holly Hill (next to Daytona), Florida. Probably around six months. I had all but given up racing 1/24th scale cars and the drive takes about 45 minutes from my home. So two Thursdays ago when I showed up over there I was surprised to discover they are now racing 1/32 hard body slot cars. Three classes of Scaley cars, trans-ams, BTCC and GT3, plus a class featuring lexan bodies on a locally produced rigid aluminum chassis. They are running on the large Daytona speedway road course and the cars are supposed to be 100% box stock except for tires. So now I am in the process of preparing some of my cars to run on that track. They have been having 8 to 10 drivers showing up and there may be a few more getting cars ready for racing. The only type of car I don't have is a BTCC sedan.

I am hoping that this renewed interest in 1/32 racing at Holly Hill might spill over to having a few of those racers come over to race on my track. However setting up cars for my track won't necessarily produce a good runner at Holly Hill and only time will tell how dedicated this group is to running 1/32 cars.

[HomeRacingWorld]

That is pretty good news, hope you enjoy it.

[Pappy]

Hi Bob,

JK Products and Parma both make a 1/32 scale chassis that work very well on commercial tracks. They will both work very well on your track with a lower powered motor. Both use lexan bodies. Of the two the JK is superior. You won't believe how well they handle.

Here's a link to JK's web page for 1/32 scale chassis. They also have a good selection of bodies.

https://www.jkproducts.com/en/560-1-32

[Modlerbob]

For racing at Holly Hill I don't have a choice. Everybody uses the same chassis. For racing at my track we prefer running hard body cars.

[bobbyraz49]

What I like about box stock is that all racers probably feel like they have a chance !
We did this at a Buffalo track for many years. Then we found that some were altering cars with added magnets, deeper guide flags, bringing their rims/tires out and a lot of people lost interest. A LOT !

Hope all goes well at that shop !

[Modlerbob]

Bobby, your statement about altering cars is what I'm concerned with. The core of this group are the same gentlemen who were racing 1/24 BRM cars seven years ago. The gradual transition from 100% stock to highly altered cars is what killed that series and I am seeing signs of the same trends now. The guys that have to win at any cost will most likely drive the rest of the racers away. It's too bad since most of them could win most of the time with totally stock cars.

[chappyman66]

The same thing happens everywhere that people compete. Even in a fun club setting there are folks who tune and tweak and others who don't, and the speed difference is obvious.

We use a fuel stop handicap to even things out. When I worked at a commercial raceway we had strict tech and a claim rule where the winner could lose their car if it was obviously faster in box stock classes. That tends to discourage overt cheating.

But bottom line is that everyone wants "The Unfair Advantage".
But for my .02: go race if you want, and enjoy it. No one can take your fun away. ;)

[Pappy]

It's happened at every raceway for decades. Some people put a lot into it and win all the time but it doesn't necessarily mean they are cheating. They test and tune and practice. Some guys come in an hour before the race with their car in pieces and want someone to help them put it back together. When they can't compete they quit.

[bobbyraz49]

[Modlerbob]

Bobby, your suggestion has already been proposed and rejected by enough of the drivers to keep it from happening. Pappy, you are right, partially. Some of us prepare our cars carefully but within the rules and somehow the guys who are driven to win at any cost usually win by big margins.

[viejoronnie]

Thats one reason I quit racing as a teenager in 1967. The only guys that won were those with the rewound industrial motors.

Now the only local club runs box stock non mag classes to keep everyone at an "even" level. This year depending on the time of year the classes are:

Slot.It Group C/IMSA
Revo Slot Porsche GT2
Thunder Slot Lola T70
NSR Rally
Carrera Modern GT
90s Ferrari vs McLaren (mfr tbd)

No "open" classes this year,

Two classes run every 6mo., alongside with 1 of 4 classes run every 3 months,

Thus, one new to the club needs to have 6 cars to run all classes for the entire year.

[bobbyraz49]

[Modlerbob]

Well I raced again this Thursday. On my last outing I came in dead a## last, 10th out of 10 racers. This time I improved to 5th driving my Penski Javelin.

[Modlerbob]

This week we raced Trans Ams and Scaley modern CT-3 class. I came in 4th out of 7 with my Javelin in the Trans Am race and 3rd out of 7 in the GT-3 race with a new inline Porsche 911. I'm gradually getting better.

[Mayberryman]