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To Be Or Not To Be........a Racer


munter

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So far Thunderslot have not brought out a T70 in a livery that appeals to me so I don't have one and there is nothing about the Lamborghini Huracan that makes me want to buy one but maybe a different livery might entice me. Admittedly that chassis under a different body might have more appeal for me. One bloke that used to race with us used to get his Huracan out in our 18k GT class and that was a joke. While we're trying to squeeze 18 laps out of our Scaley or FLY GT's in a 3min race he's doing sub 8sec laps for 22+ laps. Similar outcome with his TS Lola in our pre 80's class.

 

Maybe there's more than one type of racer.

 

Recently we had 18k Nascar for a class one night and my AMT kit T-Bird cleaned up big time with almost 2 lap advantage so I've since put a slower motor in it. My NSR 917K seemed a bit sluggish so I replaced the standard motor with a 22K Shark and that had a similar outcome with almost 2 lap advantage so that will also be detuned. Rather than whitewashing the field I prefer a race where the cars are pretty much equal and you've got to drive for the win and the last couple of bends before the finish line determines whose cool headed enough to bring it home and there's only a car length or 2 in it.

Edited by Wobble
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Me? I love a good whitewash. Makes me feel good. A big winning margin pays back the hard yards tuning and testing and ahem, ahem..... it sets a benchmark for others to aim for. Can’t see the point in dumbing things down. Where’s the fun and reward in trying to go slower?

 

In saying that (and yes I know I’m sounding like a right wanker) I never forget that, in our local group, none of the really fast guys show up anymore so I get more than my share of wins at the moment. It probably won’t last but it’s fun while it does. Winning is cool. I thoroughly recommend it.

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Podiums are for short people.

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Just on the 2 cars mentioned as dominators-

Our pre 72 class is regularly won by NSR P68's and Slot It McLarens over Thunderslots.

Also Scaleauto and NSR's regularly win the GT3 class over Sideways cars.

 

I do find the speed of all new 1/32 cars ridiculously fast though. Trying to get MJK tyres onto 1 or 2 classes to slow em down a little.

 

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I agree. The good cars are soooooo fast now.

In saying that, I think 2019 could see me splash out on a Sideways Huracan. If Munter is going to be hating on me for my single Thunderslot, I may as well buy a Huracan and put the blowtorch on GT3. Booyah!!!!

Podiums are for short people.

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You head into the garage turn the light on and take the covers of your track , see who's around usually a few spiders down by the bottom bend , do make some nice web's there.

You turn the power on listening to the echo of silence, and get a slot car out of the box and all on your own you race against the clock trying to improve the time you last did with that car, and sitting on the stool you remember times past when there was the sound, of people in there the gossip normally about slot cars , laughing , swearing and the general noise, now just the sound of the wind rattling the door occasionally.

It is soon time to switch of leave the spiders to remake their web's put the covers back over it and turn the light off and head back to where the boring telly is, and yes it,s B frustrating. :unsure:

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It's a dark and lonely place Munter....be thankful that you have the opportunity to finish mid pack on a club night....oh how I yearn to finish mid pack.

I often wonder how many slot cars I could buy if I didn't have to fork out so much of my well earned dosh on petrol to travel so far to race meetings.

Last Friday I ventured to Nelson (5 hour round trip) for an hour long test and tune session. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but that's the price I pay for my addiction/passion.

2019 NZ RTR Nationals Gt 3rd

2017 NZ RTR Nationals NSR Classic 2nd

2017 NZ RTR Nationals Group C 3rd

2017 NSR Classic Challenge 3rd

2015 NSR Classic Challenge 2nd

2014 NSR Classic Challenge 3rd

2015 Garden City Invitation Overall Champion

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I’m 39 with a 4yr old little girl & 7yr old boy....I work 5 days a week with the odd Saturday.....So I don’t race, I PROXY race all over the world as you can see in the picture this is how I build my cars ...No fancy benches just the kitchen bench so I can still be with the family

 

BB01-BECE-9-F7-D-4595-A1-A4-854-E7611-C165.jpg

I don’t need to worry about all the different classes & Rules

When I tune my cars I walk in to my Sunroom and enjoy the piece an quiet that’s my non slot car Racing Schedule

Ow and I don’t need to worry about racing for Sheep stations as my club didn’t allow you to race at a level you chose to race at ....

Edited by GAS41T
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It's a dark and lonely place Munter....be thankful that you have the opportunity to finish mid pack on a club night....oh how I yearn to finish mid pack.

I often wonder how many slot cars I could buy if I didn't have to fork out so much of my well earned dosh on petrol to travel so far to race meetings.

Last Friday I ventured to Nelson (5 hour round trip) for an hour long test and tune session. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but that's the price I pay for my addiction/passion.

 

Don't develop an interest in racing toy motorbikes, the closest I can attend a race meeting is Australia, supplemented with an occasional trip to Europe.

 

My goal is to one day not finish last

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It's not all about winning but when you do it's always good fun, all racing is.

 

Actually attended another track an hours drive away on Friday night for the first time, good fun on a smaller more technical track.

 

I've had the most fun when coming second to another racer with the winner only being decided by the last turn,

 

That definitely gets the adrenaline pumping.

 

Most of my cars are set up on a Sunday afternoon in the shed with a few quiet beers.

 

I'd say those set up early on are probably the best runners lol.

 

My racing also improves if I've had 4 beers before racing (tried 3 and 5 but 4's the magic number lol).

 

I just seem to settle, not worry about what everyone else is doing and just get into a groove, enjoy and find I can push even harder.

 

I used to just plod along at home tinkering with my own cars but it is fun to get out and race others, wish I'd started sooner.

 

Just wish there were more tracks around instead of the couple I frequent.

 

I'm not just all about restorations and Lotus 16's.

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A few things here

 

Munter is seldom "mid pack" if he isn't on at least one podium each club night, I'll eat my Difalco - unsalted.

 

Wobble - Every time I hear something like " Our 18K class " I cringe and want to go out the back and kick a portaloo for 5 minutes ALA Murphy. Motor power has only a loose and vague connection to RPM. You guys need to look at the club rules and make some changes. Using RPM as a power control instead of wattage is severely limiting, and de-equalizing. How can an 18K FF050 motor or even S-can compete with an 18K Boxer motor with 3 or 4 times the torque and thus power. Whose portaloo do I kick, Wazza's a Welford's? Motor Power Article

 

All said and done there is at least as much in good car setup as there is in difference between best beast and most other offerings in the class. That gives guys with a smaller cheque-book ample opportunity to foot it with those spending spending spending, - IF they are willing to put in the time to improve a car.

I think the HBMRC rules are a pretty good leveler of playing fields in that respect. There are a couple of classes I'd have liked a little different - still would, but on the whole they do a good job of leveling the field. Mac re-rewrote them into primary school year 3 english for us a few years back and that made it possible for most of us to see the wood for the trees - worth guys taking a look at our rules page.

 

Caddo - too much power, - volts, volts will do it. On a couple of our smaller tracks including mine, dropping even say our stock Group C Slot.its to 10V made them like a new, tractable and very pleasurable car to drive.

 

Mac - Okay, I'll let the guys know we can take the throttle-stops off our controllers and stop using the chokes now. :lol: :lol: :lol::ph34r:

You're bigger than me, the magic liquid malt number for my modest frame is about 1.3 . . . .

 

The Thunderslot Lolas. They are good, but on Mac's track, Mac driving, I noticed you were barely a 1/10th a lap faster than my 7 year old Slot.it Matra last club night we ran them. Or were you sandbagging?

At Tony's track in May, I used my Matra as a speed benchmark against my NSR 908 - it was 3/10ths faster, as fast as the best guys like the Bidwells, that Millings bloke and Dion, and and still a 10th faster than most guys were driving the Thunderslot Lolas on Sunday which Tony and Westie and set up for the vent. My Matra is only 2/10ths quicker on most tracks than about 6 other assorted 65 - 80 sports I own, so I don't see it as a problem of anyone needing a Thunderslot to be competitive in 65 - 80 sports classes - it may just be 'easier' to get the Thunderslot up to speed out of the box. Again, that is echoing Caddo's comment. I also seem to remember "mid-pack-munter" pulling out a Matra recently and that was about as quick too.

 

I have just set up a Sideways Huracan, it feels nicely planted on my small track, even with the stock "medium" tyres - which are a pig to true. But it isn't THAT fast with the 17k Baby Raptor. My ScaleAuto Merc with a Slot.it orange-bell in a sidewinder pod is still quicker - about 2/10ths lap. Same power, lighter, more nimble. I m yet to put a high power boxer motor into the Lambo for testing.

 

So that's all the thoughts I can muster this week .....

Recovering Lapsed Slot Addict :ph34r:  *  Custodian of many used screws (mostly loose :rolleyes:)  *  Total kidder  *  Companion of other delusional slot addicts :lol:  

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Yeah, I know what you mean about "18k", but I just get an email on Tuesday saying what classes will be running on Wednesday evening and if they're "18k" or "open". And unfortunately that's open to interpretation and some use FK-180's and some also use Slot.It motors and tell you they cant imagine why it's so fast. You know why it's quick 'cos you marshalled it one night and remembered such and such a car has such and such a motor when you went to grab it and turn it the right way up. .

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And another thing you can do Wobble, if it is "18K " - demand that all Scalextric black stripe cars be removed from track, they have been at least 20k for several years. Some dyno up as high as 23k.

 

yeah, I know, I am a stirrer :lol: :lol: :lol::ph34r: :ph34r: :ph34r:

Recovering Lapsed Slot Addict :ph34r:  *  Custodian of many used screws (mostly loose :rolleyes:)  *  Total kidder  *  Companion of other delusional slot addicts :lol:  

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You head into the garage turn the light on and take the covers of your track , see who's around usually a few spiders down by the bottom bend , do make some nice web's there.

You turn the power on listening to the echo of silence, and get a slot car out of the box and all on your own you race against the clock trying to improve the time you last did with that car, and sitting on the stool you remember times past when there was the sound, of people in there the gossip normally about slot cars , laughing , swearing and the general noise, now just the sound of the wind rattling the door occasionally.

It is soon time to switch of leave the spiders to remake their web's put the covers back over it and turn the light off and head back to where the boring telly is, and yes it,s B frustrating. :unsure:

 

This is the best bit that I have ever read from you.

It captures really well the mood.

Cheers

G

 

"I am an expert at the top of my field when mowing the lawn".

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It's a dark and lonely place Munter....be thankful that you have the opportunity to finish mid pack on a club night....oh how I yearn to finish mid pack.

I often wonder how many slot cars I could buy if I didn't have to fork out so much of my well earned dosh on petrol to travel so far to race meetings.

Last Friday I ventured to Nelson (5 hour round trip) for an hour long test and tune session. Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but that's the price I pay for my addiction/passion.

 

Branco I feel your pain. I have to travel half-way through the globe to get to race digital on large circuits.

But all in all I am very lucky.

I have a solid digital group here: after two years and 10 different classes we are still enjoying SSD.

And then there is the Oraki analog group which keeps things interesting.

Cheers

G

 

"I am an expert at the top of my field when mowing the lawn".

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I feel a bit privileged being a member of 4 slot car clubs in Canberra and racing twice a week on 12 different club tracks with another track to be built in a couple of months. There's also another 5 tracks at the commercial raceway.

 

They are an hours drive from home but I work in Canberra anyway so not out of my way.

 

But I do have it tough - a total of 48 classes including trucks so a lot of cars to setup. :D

Edited by Sports Racer

May the downforce be with you.

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But I do have it tough - a total of 48 classes including trucks so a lot of cars to setup. :D

 

No wonder we don't see you on forum as much these days :lol: :lol: :lol:

Recovering Lapsed Slot Addict :ph34r:  *  Custodian of many used screws (mostly loose :rolleyes:)  *  Total kidder  *  Companion of other delusional slot addicts :lol:  

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So busy.

 

Enduro tonight, racing at Way2fast tomorrow and with the Scalextric Club on Friday.

 

My wife is getting suspicious about all the late nights. Should I tell her its another woman so she only yells at me once?

 

How about I tell her I'm seeing her sister? That should be OK.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

Edited by Sports Racer

May the downforce be with you.

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So busy.

 

Enduro tonight, racing at Way2fast tomorrow and with the Scalextric Club on Friday.

 

My wife is getting suspicious about all the late nights. Should I tell her its another woman so she only yells at me once?

 

How about I tell her I'm seeing her sister? That should be OK.

 

Cheers

 

Paul

 

man with a death wish

Recovering Lapsed Slot Addict :ph34r:  *  Custodian of many used screws (mostly loose :rolleyes:)  *  Total kidder  *  Companion of other delusional slot addicts :lol:  

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  • 2 weeks later...

The 65 to 80 class in our group....needs a Thunderslot to be on the podium....I dont have one.

 

Do I or dont I spend the cash?

 

I know you are putting this thread out as a teaser - and good job too given there is so little new content on Auslot these days - but my view is that you do whatever you want to do.

 

Me? I am quite happy to win races and while I have been winning that 65-80 class with a Thunderslot recently, I used to win it with a NSR and, from memory, a Slot It before that. I could still podium with a Slot It or a NSR but race the Thunderslot because it's a dream to run. It makes me feel good and winning races wth a Thunderslot is not a bad thing. In fact I recommend it. You should try it.

 

The thing is that in our group there are really only 3 or so serious racers who put in the effort to get fast running cars. I suspect that a lot of smaller racing groups are like that. In the same way that you question why you need the latest brand to go fast, I question why most of our guys turn up week after week without trying to set up their cars to the best of their capabilities. I don't mind that they don't seem to care. I just don't understand it.

 

To me the best part of this hobby is not the actual racing. To me the most satisfying part is making a car go as good as I can possibly make it go. That's why, in our group, I promote so many events racing B for Basic cars so we can prove to each other how well cars can run if you put in some effort. I get more fun from these events that from any Slot It or Thunderslot races - that's for sure.

 

Anyway, apologies for the diatribe, but in my view racing the latest brand is in no way a bad thing. It's progress. Without being too big headed (is that even possible...) I think I could podium in our 65-80 class with a scalextric. Just to be a real prick I might start campaigning one to prove my point.

 

Bottom line? Just do what makes you happy. JK has ammased about 6-7 Thunderslots now. Does that make him the enemy? No. It just makes him broke.

 

Cant help but agree here

 

Here in Adelaide many have the thunderslots including me but the fastest classic in the state would be an NSR in fact many NSRs all belong to a renown car tuner ( Dennis Miller ). Better tuning will make any car competitive as for the GT3s the R series Scale auto are serving the beans to the Sideways Lambos big time.

Some are harder to tune than others its true , for me this is a side of the hobbie I adore racing comes second to car tuning I only race them to see if I have improved the car LOL.

Yes winning comes hand in hand with car improvement recently got a open top slot it alfa down to lap record pace in the classic class felt a great sense of achievement so i guess I dont agree with the premise that you need a certain car to win it just makes it easier.

Mick

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Dear Mick

 

since you enjoy tuning so much, am sending by post today, 350 cars that need a tickle.

Feel free to return a batch of 50 each week until done

 

sincerely

 

lazy

Recovering Lapsed Slot Addict :ph34r:  *  Custodian of many used screws (mostly loose :rolleyes:)  *  Total kidder  *  Companion of other delusional slot addicts :lol:  

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Dear Mick

 

since you enjoy tuning so much, am sending by post today, 350 cars that need a tickle.

Feel free to return a batch of 50 each week until done

 

sincerely

 

lazy

Will do $10 a car in Advance LOL

 

Sure, you're welcome to send me $10 a car for the sheer pleasure of being able to . . . . ohhhh, you meant i pay you..... - I'll get back to you.

Recovering Lapsed Slot Addict :ph34r:  *  Custodian of many used screws (mostly loose :rolleyes:)  *  Total kidder  *  Companion of other delusional slot addicts :lol:  

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