Do you feel the need for speed, but do not want all of the dangers and risks that are involved when driving a real car at high speeds incurs? Not to mention the cost to repair a real racing car when you wad it up in a crash. If this is you, then try your hand at slot car racing. You see, model slot car racing has been around since 1929 and has gained immense popularity, nationally and internationally.
Today, model slot car racing is in a group of model car racing which include radio controlled, better known as RC racing and others
THE VERY, VERY BASICS OF SLOT CAR RACING
Model slot cars are powered electronically by either batteries or from some source of electricity, which is furnished to the car by a metal strip on each side of the slot.
The tracks on which slot cars run are made up of groves or slots (since the words 'slot' car) which the cars are guided with the help of a pin or a blade like apparatus on the under carriage of the cars. Only one slot car is to occupy one slot. So for example, if you have an eight lane track, you can have up to eight cars circulating the track.
Each slot is connected to a power source, such as an electric power pack or batteries which remains that the power supply remains stable through the whole time the slot cars are on the track. To prevent the slot cars from jumping out of the slot, some of the slot cars under carriage have some sort of magnets which keep these electric model cars in constant contact with metal strips even at high speeds. Some model car blades are even magnetized to achieve the same effect as the undercarriage magnets. The speed of the cars are controlled by the squeezing of the trigger way on a pistol-grip joystick placed in the hand of the person who is controlling the slot car. Squeezing the trigger increases the speed of the slot car and releasing the trigger slows the electric model car down or stops it completely.
Slot car racing is truly international. International competitions are held annually in the United States and abroad. The United States has 2 HO scale car organizations called the United Federation of HO racers Association (UFHORA) and the HO Professional Racing Association (HOPRA). Each year both organizations hold national and international events around the country. These events are not only for racing the slot cars, but also to raise general awareness slot car racing in general ..
I WANT TO RACE SLOT CARS. HOW DO I GET STARTED?
So you want to race, huh? If you are a true beginner to slot car racing, first I recommend you join an slot car organization, either a local one in your neighborhood and or one that is recognized nationally. You can access a wealth of information from these places. For the HO ethusiast, check out the national organization HOPRA.Their website is at http://www.hopra.org/
For those who race 1/24 scale slot cars, the United Slot Car Association is for you. You can visit their website at [http://www.usra.us/]
And if you want to race 1/32 scale slot cars, the True Scale Racing Federation organization is meant for you, you can check out their site at http://www.tsrfcars.com/
Then go down to the hobby store and purchase a model slot car racing set of the scale you want to race. It does not have to be a big set. Go home, set it up and have FUN !! See how the track and the cars are made. Notice how the car is able to propel itself down the track, stay in the slot and stop.Don't be afraid to delve inside the cars to check out the gears, chassis and how the body is mounted.
In no time you will be upgrading to a larger set either by adding on to you current set or jogging down to your local track for more experience and or better competition.You will most likely upgrade your car (s) also by lighting your chassis, installing a tighter wound motor with custom brushes, installing stickier tires for better Traction and more. and believe me when I say more, as there are many ways to make a slot car faster …. much faster.
