axman

I have seen the ultimate "highs" of slotcar racing... and the absolute lows... My introduction to slotcars was my dad bringing me a KADAR slotcar home set he'd picked up in Hong Kong in 1964. I became aware Slotcars must have been big at the time because I can remember going into Myer Melbourne toy department and lining up to race on the first 8 lane commercial track I had ever seen. The  My parents moved to Sydney in 1967 and I "arrived" to see amazing tracks from Yagoona to Rockdale all close one by one. The Slotcar racers actually did the most damage, and the manufactures were not to blame. There was no structure for "out of the packet" racing. The very thing that attracted car enthuiasts to Slotcar Racing. I remember great racing at Rons Epping Hillclimb track, My Tamiya FT26d powered porsche see-sawing for race honours against a Ruskit 16d powered Lotus 40 and a Dynamic Renegade.

So confident of our racing (like not falling of the track once in a 50 lap final) we went to a NSW championship race at American Raceways in Crows Nest to test our skills... Well.. that was like another world. These cars wizzed around in half the time with sticky goo inpregrated tyres, brass bits chassis, bodies that looked like chocolate box blister packs, and motors so fast they smoked - quiet often. I was so obsessed to be part of what I perceived to be the "Holy Grail" of Slot racing I soon fell into the grips of this this new slotcar world order. Old scale friends disapeared, tracks closed, friends still close to me heard me mumbling Hutchison, Bannister, 60 turns 30# wire in my sleep and must build a Morrisy chassis. The tracks just kept closing... Every time I would find another stonkin racetrack it would close... We just did'nt get it. If you wound your own motor, built your own chassis ( usually from welders brazin rod) and only built a car to win the next race, how could the track survive? you did'nt want to wear out your new race car spending money practising.

There's a lot more to this story that as an old bugger could go on forever. I am really happy to see slotcars get back to what they should be... If you have a club racing off the shelf cars DONT LET ANYONE stuff up Slotcar racing again... Keep it standard, keep it simple and dont keep changing the rules! That'll keep it fun.  axman