The Parker SCC (A No-Magnet Organization)

[TrainingLotus]

And now for something completely different............

And this was quite the runner at the event - and looked good doing it!

[TrainingLotus]

Here is the track layout progression (not to scale and with artistic liberties taken, as the new track [right] is longer by 5 feet):

We finally have a full shot of the new track:

[TrainingLotus]

And We're Off! The second race on the new track layout.

The race was postponed by 22 hours as the host had an aviation-related delay. The time was used wisely, as the dust and debris was dealt with ahead of the race. The racers were able to jump straight into their Group C race without much time needed for track cleaning and preparation. Foam flooring was a welcomed addition, particularly underneath the driver station, for comfort. A discussion was had over the necessity and practicality of additional track call buttons, which will be evaluated in the weeks to come. Plans have been discussed, albeit tentatively, to finish the construction on the wall separating the track from the rest of the basement. The podium, printed long ago on a 3D printer, was refound to help with the podium pictures. Lastly, racer Nick stopped by to say hello but could not stay to race.

The first race was Group C, as all of the racers felt this was the best way to ease into the day of racing. And, oh boy, what a race it was! The first heat showed that a wire had come loose on the timing equipment for the red lane. Unfortunately, this meant that the driver on red (Brian) did not record a time. As he is the host, he opted to not re-run the heat and chalk it up to his own nincompoopery (d'oh). There was much speculating and guessing to the outcome otherwise, but it mattered little as the goose egg remained. In continuing with the previous race day, Pete obtained victory again, remaining to the ONLY person to win on the new layout, until Can-Am, that is (spoilers!). No new track records were set.

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Pete	128	128	31	32	33	32	5.195	5.628
Tony	126	126	33	31	31	31	5.148	5.689
Dave	115	115	30	29	28	28	5.607	6.246
GREG	108	108	30	23	26	29	5.518	6.673
Gina	107	107	27	25	26	28	5.854	6.768
Brian	97	97	33	32	32	0	5.212	7.405

The second race of the day was a highly anticipated race, as Thunderslot Can-Am is a favorite of Tony's...but Pete was yet to be defeated on the new layout. Brian, however, took off to a storming lead but was quickly hobbled by a bent front rim. Greg, Dave, and Gina found their footing in the sure-footed Thunderslots. The entire field was spread by .4 seconds, which may be our shortest margin yet. Tony was momentarily frightened by Brian's setting of a 4.893, however that fear was quickly alleviated as Brian's McLaren Elva suffered a bent front rim and took him out of contention for the win. Tony ended up winning, with quite a few laps-in-hand and broke the "Pete Streak"!

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Tony	139	139	36	35	34	34	4.928	5.157
Brian	135	135	35	34	35	30	4.893	5.351
Pete	127	127	32	32	30	32	5.155	5.7
Dave	122	122	31	31	31	29	5.063	5.852
GREG	121	121	30	33	31	27	5.209	5.926
Gina	119	119	31	29	30	29	5.342	6.033

In what has quickly become a crowd favorite, NSR F1 returned instead of the planned NSR 9vGT. As Dave had to leave for another engagement, the field of marshalls dwindled and track calls were aplenty. The marshall did their best, while the racers also did their best (all agreed the best could have been better!). With the Nascar race playing in the background (and cheering on Raikkonen and Button), the racers may have been distracted. The distraction led to a few drivers forgetting their car location on restarts, although all cars ended with their wings intact, which was deemed a success. Brian was able to secure his first win on the new track layout, as well.

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Brian	142	142	35	36	36	35	4.791	5.054
Pete	132	132	33	33	35	31	4.858	5.43
Tony	128	128	32	35	30	31	4.996	5.6
GREG	122	122	33	32	29	28	5.081	5.873
Gina	114	114	28	27	29	28	5.435	6.413

With the new track layout comes new Records:

NSR 9vGT: Yet-To-Be-Raced
Slot.it Group C: Pete - 5.084 &131 Laps (Previous record, for comparison: Pete - 4.709 sec. & 144 laps)

Thunderslot Can Am: Brian - 4.893; Tony - 139 laps (Previous record, for comparison: Brian - 4.478 sec. & 152 laps)
NSR F1: Brian - 4.791 sec. & 142 laps (Previous record, for comparison: Brian - 4.366 & 155 laps)

[TrainingLotus]

The "Pete Streak" ended last week...do we see the start of the "Pete Jinx"?

With the Easter holiday weekend potentially causing a suppressed turnout, we had 7 racers come out for the race today. And what a race day it was! With a few exceptions (Tony, I'm looking at you!), the field of cars was a lot closer in both lap totals and fastest laps.

The previous race's pre-race preparations were noted as a success, so they were followed again for this week. Minimal on-track cleaning was needed once the racers arrived, with fast laps being laid down quickly. The host provided 3 Hot Wheels cars as a small prize per race (based on random conditions instead of "winner"), however, they were forgotten about during the excitement of the day. Oh well, that means they'll be there for next time!

Some track improvements were completed, including new controller holders (that actually hold a controller, which was a success) and additional track-call buttons at marshaling stations. The planning for additional track (and facility) improvements are planned for the coming weeks.

The first race is normally one with the highest grip potential (or slowest motor) as our racers ease into race day. With Group C being relegated to the sidelines for this race week, ThunderSlot Can-Am took it's place. Tech provided some fireworks and discussions, as the reigning Can-Am [menace, oops, I mean] winner, Tony's (and Brian, his mechanic's) cars were found illegal due to a height clearance issue. Brian's car was quickly sorted due some loosened screws, while Tony's car's motor would not pass clearance tech despite the chassis clearance being sufficient. This was given a one-race pass with a necessity to be fixed by next race by the tech director, Pete. The mechanic, Brian, is baffled by the situation and hopes the motor has merely, gently, shifted over the months it has raced. The Can-Am race was quite exciting race, as the high-grip Can-Ams provide a great platform. Tony took a win, not at all marred by his tech inspection mishap. Gina & Greg's cars performed very well (with Greg keeping up with the podium finishers for 3 out of the 4 heats), while Dave got used to a loaner car as he picks out one for himself. We can't wait to see what the next race will bring.

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Tony	139	139	35	34	35	35	4.775	5.151
Pete	136	136	34	35	33	34	4.984	5.295
Brian	135	135	34	33	33	35	4.971	5.32
Matt	130	130	32	33	33	32	5.219	5.529
Dave	123	123	32	31	31	29	5.237	5.816
GREG	120	120	32	30	32	26	5.204	5.989
Gina	119	119	30	31	28	30	5.185	6.025

The second race of the day was a highly anticipated race, as NSR Formula 1 has become a group-favorite race. Tony ran a brand-new, JPS-liveried car which suffered from traction issues (sorted post-race was a combination of the truing drum being too coarse and slightly different-sized tires). Compared to last race, this F1 race was well-mannered and efficient. Matt made a re-appearance on the podium and every race hit the 30-lap mark for every heat. Fastest laps were only a spread of 0.4 throughout the entire field, which may be our closest race yet! Brian ended up with the win, however Pete's car (which has the fastest lap) suffered some Red-lane misfortunes. With post-race workshopping on the F1 cars, we believe this field will continue to tighten up over the coming weeks and races. Greg turned his most laps between Tony & Pete in Heat 4. Gina proved consistent throughout the race as she's continuing to learn the track layout (as consistency is her strongest trait so far, we're all looking forward to racing with her at the top of the timesheet in the near future).

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Brian	145	145	36	37	37	35	4.737	4.963
Pete	137	137	35	36	34	32	4.709	5.243
Matt	136	136	34	36	33	33	4.848	5.268
Tony	135	135	35	33	34	33	4.921	5.296
Dave	127	127	30	32	34	31	4.927	5.654
GREG	126	126	31	34	31	30	5.037	5.695
Gina	123	123	31	31	31	30	5.169	5.817

The last race saw the return of NSR 9v GT! This was an anticipated race, as we did not know how the cars would perform, under race conditions, on the new layout. Testing proved that the cars could complete competitive lap times without being out-of-control, so we were all cautiously optimistic. The race did provide some action, however, as Brian's car was swapped out 2 times (for a total of 3 cars raced, DSQ'd!) and Tony only sorted his controller in the middle of his 3rd heat (and thus, pulling out the fastest lap). Matt put on a great showcase and took the win, his first on the new circuit layout and added his name to the wall. This had the largest time difference across the racers for fastest lap, at an (only!) 0.543.

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Matt	129	129	32	33	32	32	5.257	5.551
Pete	128	128	33	33	32	30	5.322	5.589
Tony	126	126	33	31	31	31	5.219	5.726
GREG	121	121	31	30	30	30	5.448	5.927
Dave	119	119	30	30	30	29	5.421	6.029
Gina	115	115	29	29	29	28	5.762	6.247
Brian	DSQ'd	DSQ'd	31	32	31	32	5.306	5.703

Back to the topic of the day, the "Pete Jinx" has appeared! After dominating the new layout for 4 races, Pete has not seen the top-step for 5 consecutive races. Will the next race see his return to the top? Stay tuned and find out during the next episode of "BRIE THE CAT ATTACKS THE SLOT CAR TRACK".



Our race wouldn't be possible without the support of parts from our local slot car track, Fantasy Raceway. They've set up an online portal for parts & car ordering, which can be found here: https://fantasyraceway132.com/

With the new track layout comes new Records:

NSR 9vGT: Tony - 5.219; Matt - 129 laps (Previous record, for comparison: Brian - 4.659 sec. & 145 laps)
Slot.it Group C: Pete - 5.084 &131 Laps (Previous record, for comparison: Pete - 4.709 sec. & 144 laps)

Thunderslot Can Am: Tony 4.775 & 139 laps (Previous record, for comparison: Brian - 4.478 sec. & 152 laps)
NSR F1: Pete - 4.709 sec. & Brian - 145 laps (Previous record, for comparison: Brian - 4.366 & 155 laps)

As an interesting note, here is the previous order of fastest classes & lap time differentials, fastest to slowest:

F1 (4.366) // Can-Am (4.478) // 9v GT (4.659) // Group C (4.709)

Currently, this is the order, fastest to slowest, on the new layout:

F1 (4.709) // Can-Am (4.775) // Group C (5.084) // 9v GT (5.219)

There is potential for more speed from both the 9v GT & Group C, and it remains to be seen if 9v GT can regain it's position as 3rd fastest class.

[TrainingLotus]

Will the "Pete Jinx" Continue? STAY TUNED AND FIND OUT!

The major notable item for this week's racing is the inclusion of a new racer! It continues to surprise me the amount of racers that exist in the community that just want to have fun and spend an afternoon racing toy cars around a wooden track. Err, I mean, slot car race.

With the inclusion of the new racer, Geoff, we finally broke the double-digit racer count for the first time. And, how exciting it was! But due to the large number of racers, we opted to limit the on-track activity to two classes. The plentiful marshals meant that there were few track calls (outside of badly injured cars or cars that desired to race on the floor rather than the track), however this did not provide enough time gained to have a third race. All racers, save two, were present.

Group C made a triumphant return as the opening race to be run on the track. This is a perfect class due to the wheel size, tire grip, motor power, and general handling of the class. All cars (minus the newcomer, Geoff's) passed tech easily. Geoff was given a one-race "freebie" as the only non-compliant piece was the rear rim. While lap totals may not wholly reflect the closeness of the racing, it must be noted that only 0.229 spread the entire field from fastest to least-fastest (slowest?) car. This continues the theme of the field coming together as the racers get more time on the track and work on their cars between races. Greg and Drew's cars were stand-outs in the field. Drew's car had a minor braid issue that, when fixed, proved his car to be blistering fast. Nick suffered a similar braid issue which plagued two of his heats, otherwise he would have had a higher final placing. Oh, and we found some general controller maintenance would have helped as the wiper arm didn't operate as intended. Eric refused to let his rear wing survive a single heat (and often, the first three laps of a heat). The biggest surprise, however, came in the form of Geoff! With only an hour of practice, Geoff stormed into an early lead and ended up taking home his first win. Congrats, Geoff! We'll re-evaluate his rear rims during the next tech session, although we doubt the change will significantly impact his pace.

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Geoff	131	131	33	34	32	32	5.222	5.479
Pete	129	129	32	33	32	32	5.267	5.573
Brian	129	129	32	32	33	32	5.355	5.582
Matt	126	126	32	31	32	31	5.325	5.676
Tony	126	126	32	31	32	31	5.391	5.690
Greg	123	123	31	31	30	31	5.398	5.827
Eric	121	121	32	31	28	30	5.359	5.933
Gina	119	119	30	31	28	30	5.249	6.018
Drew	114	114	31	29	26	28	5.451	6.280
Nick	114	114	31	31	26	26	5.447	6.300

The second race saw the return of the NSR Formula 1 class. A continuing racer favorite class. With the exception of the first-place finisher (we won't talk about him), the field was tight throughout. With the higher power motors, the spread in fastest times was 0.625 (however, only 0.455 if you take off that first-place finisher's times!). This race saw two very different heats. One set of heats were very orderly. One set of heats were very...unorderly. However, fun was had by all, and the cars all made it out in one piece (after the removable wings were reaffixed). Pete was destined to higher results, especially given his fast lap time of 4.683, but often found himself in the second type of heats instead of the former. We concluded it must be Tony's fault, as the heats became orderly again after he exited red lane. Drew's F1 car continues to be a rocket ship and he nearly cracked into the 4's. Gina saw continued success, however her car had to manage without a rear wing. The eventual race winner pushed early on, anticipating Pete's challenge for the lead, when never materialized.

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Brian	148	148	38	37	37	36	4.583	4.843
Tony	140	140	37	35	33	35	4.753	5.138
Matt	139	139	35	35	34	35	4.833	5.168
Geoff	136	136	33	36	35	32	4.808	5.269
Pete	136	136	34	35	33	34	4.683	5.29
Eric	129	129	33	32	33	31	4.961	5.56
Drew	127	127	33	32	31	31	5.059	5.648
Gina	125	125	31	32	32	30	5.208	5.744
Greg	124	124	32	33	31	28	5.127	5.783
Nick	116	116	28	29	29	28	4.98	6.244

Back to the topic of the day, the "Pete Jinx" has continued! Brie, the cat, also made her presence continually known. She has still not snagged a car mid-race, despite her determination and grit.



Our race wouldn't be possible without the support of parts from our local slot car track, Fantasy Raceway. They've set up an online portal for parts & car ordering, which can be found here: https://fantasyraceway132.com/

Next race will be NSR 9v GT's and Thunderslot Can-Am's.

With the new track layout comes new Records:

NSR 9vGT: Tony - 5.219; Matt - 129 laps (Previous record, for comparison: Brian - 4.659 sec. & 145 laps)
Slot.it Group C: Pete - 5.084; Pete & Geoff tied with 131 Laps (Previous record, for comparison: Pete - 4.709 sec. & 144 laps)

Thunderslot Can Am: Tony 4.775 & 139 laps (Previous record, for comparison: Brian - 4.478 sec. & 152 laps)
NSR F1: Brian - 4.583 sec. & 148 laps (Previous record, for comparison: Brian - 4.366 & 155 laps)

[The Laird]

"anticipating Pete's challenge for the lead, [which] never materialized"

It was a race that would best be forgotten... and I'm going to try my best to do so.

[The Laird]

May 6, 2023, 11:50 PM
May 6th: What an event!

The club ran the "Crap Car Proxy 2023" cars on Thursday, only a few days before our race day. After that proxy race, the club decided to do a thorough cleaning of the track. And...wow! What a difference it made. The cars stuck better than expected and a few new records (5!) were set throughout the races today. Everyone ran well, and we enjoyed watching FP3 and Qualifying for the Miami F1 Grand Prix. And, to top it off, we managed to run ALL 4! classes.

First race was NSR 9v GT. We had a new racer, Michael, join us. He started on red and after only a single heat of racing (which was his first, by the way), he quickly acclimated and finished strong across his remaining 3 heats. The field is quite tight throughout with only 5 laps (and 0.271) separating the top 4. Geoff set a new record in both race distance AND lap time. The field was slightly envious of his yellow McLaren, as that car has been tricky for most to setup on this track layout.

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Geoff	130	130	34	32	33	31	5.055	5.534
Brian	129	129	34	31	32	32	5.118	5.553
Matt	126	126	31	32	31	32	5.311	5.698
Pete	125	125	31	32	31	31	5.326	5.742
Gina	113	113	28	29	28	28	5.778	6.369
Michael	105	105	27	27	27	24	5.781	6.905

The second race was Thunderslot Can-Am. Michael sat this race out and Geoff had to leave after the first heat. Nick came in and joined, as well. Brian's car took off to a roaring lead and ended up with a 10-lap gap to second place. The field after 1st was a lot closer with 0.380 separating the remaining racers. Greg's car ran exceedingly well, and he took his first third place since the track reorganization (and got to sign the infamous wall). Gina's car ran quite well but yellow lane caused a little bit of trouble. Pete cycled through cars and tires to find a winning combination, which ultimately eluded him; we wish him luck for the next Can-Am race. Brian ended up setting new track records in both race distance AND lap time.

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Brian	141	141	35	36	37	33	4.734	5.081
Matt	131	131	33	32	33	33	5.078	5.47
Greg	127	127	33	32	32	30	5.035	5.664
Nick	123	123	30	32	31	30	5.24	5.845
Gina	123	123	33	29	31	30	5.358	5.851
Pete	119	119	30	31	28	30	5.458	6.015
Geoff	34	34	34	X	X	X	4.948	5.204

With enough interest in a 3rd race, the racers broke out their tried-and-true favorite: NSR F1! Gina had her newly-painted gold body. Tony continued to figure out and work through his JPS-liveried car, Nick gave his Williams another try (and we all prayed that his gear would last the race), and Matt switched back to a previous car after running his red F1 last race. Brian continued his running from Can-Am and jumped out to an early lead that the held for the remainder of the race. Gina, Greg, and Nick battled it out but suffered some issues throughout the race which held back their lap totals (including tires falling off rims, loss of wings, etc). With 5 of the 7 racers in the 4's (and the other 2 nipping at their heels) it ended up being a very close race. No new track records were set.

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Brian	145	145	37	36	37	35	4.619	4.942
Matt	139	139	35	33	35	36	4.809	5.168
Pete	139	139	36	35	33	35	4.659	5.173
Tony	138	138	34	35	34	35	4.74	5.212
Gina	122	122	30	33	30	29	5.126	5.909
Greg	121	121	33	31	30	27	4.954	5.915
Nick	121	121	28	31	31	31	5.094	5.948

With some racers starting to pack up (and the end of F1 qualifying), it looked to be the close of racing. However, Matt suggested a Group C race. All but 1 racers agreed (Greg had dinner plans to attend, otherwise we think we could have convinced him to stay) and the 4th race of the day was held. And what a race it was! Matt, Pete, and Brian all turned in an average of 33 over their first two heats and it looked to be a nail-biting conclusion. Tony's car struggled with a lack of rear grip and changed cars for the final heat (although that did not solve his problem). Nick and Gina also struggled for grip on their tires, and Nick's mechanic will be contacting the tire supplier for a change before the next race. With Pete off the track for the final heat of the race, it was down to Brian and Matt to chase him down for the P1 spot. With the time dwindling, it became obvious that it would be a photo-finish. And as the race expired, Brian's car ground to a halt 10 inches behind Pete's marker - PETE WON! New track records set by Pete for both race distance AND fastest lap.

Driver	Laps	Score	Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
Pete	132	132	34	34	32	32	5.081	5.424
Brian	132	132	33	33	33	33	5.155	5.426
Matt	130	130	32	33	32	33	5.212	5.504
Tony	125	125	32	31	31	31	5.418	5.754
Nick	114	114	29	31	27	27	5.473	6.28
Gina	110	110	27	30	26	27	5.533	6.56

Current Records

NSR 9vGT: Geoff - 5.055 & 130 Laps
Slot.it Group C: Pete - 5.081 & 132 Laps
Thunderslot Can Am: Brian 4.734 & 141 laps
NSR F1: Brian - 4.583 sec. & 148 laps

[The Laird]

Racing Report for May 20th!

The racers started their two-race program and new track records were set. With the bedding in of the new track, and cleaner track area, the records for lap times and lap totals appear to be falling. The previous race saw 5 new track records while this week saw 2 new track records. We must be doing something right! Drew also finished with 2 4th place finishes - great job, Drew!

Race #1:
We started with Slot.It Group C's as it is normally a great class to help clean up the track surface before the other classes are run. Brian, Pete, and Matt ran competitively while Tony, Drew, and Greg had their own separate race for position. Fastest laps ranged within only 4 tenths across the entire field, however slippage and out-of-slot activities were plentiful for all. Overall, the racers had a great time. Tony's car suffered from "first-race-jitters" as it was only assembled prior to the race. Post-race tuning should place it higher in future races. Brian was able to set a new lap total record, while Pete barely missed out on setting a new fastest lap record.

Position	Driver	Laps		Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
1	Brian	133		34	32	33	34	5.158	5.393
2	Pete	132		34	33	32	33	5.094	5.438
3	Matt	131		32	33	33	33	5.204	5.474
DSQ	Tony	123		29	32	30	31	5.201	5.874
4	Drew	120		30	31	30	29	5.273	6.007
5	Greg	117		30	29	28	30	5.507	6.134

Race #2: The fan-favorite F1 race returned! With the release of the Formula 22 cars by NSR, the race organizer (Brian) opted to run a ( results disqualified) car to test out the competitiveness against the current field of NSR 86/89 cars. Currently, Paul Gage does not make a tire bespoke to the NSR Formula 22 stock rims. Fitting a "close enough" tire yielded poor results, so the car was run with a set of tires off a donor 86/89 car. This meant that the performance of the car is probably not exactly right with how the car will fare long-term.

Position	Driver	Laps		Lane 1	Lane 2	Lane 3	Lane 4	Fastest Lap	Avg. Lap
1	Tony	145		37	37	35	36	4.578	4.944
2	Matt	141		35	37	33	36	4.766	5.102
3	Pete	139		34	37	35	33	4.682	5.166
4	Drew	130		33	35	32	30	4.903	5.525
5	Greg	128		33	32	32	31	4.982	5.627
6	Frank	107		26	27	28	26	5.496	6.717
DSQ	Brian	144		37	36	35	36	4.704	4.977

As can be seen from the data, the car ran a competitive lap total and lap time, and was neither "slow" or "dominant." Depending the homologation of the rear rubber, we are anticipating the Formula 22's to run side-by-side with the Formula 86/89's.

With the holiday weekend upcoming, the racers are going to try and sneak in a race between the bi-weekly race days. Wish us luck!

NSR 9vGT: Geoff - 5.055 & 130 Laps
Slot.it Group C: Pete - 5.081 & Brian - 133 Laps
Thunderslot Can Am: Brian 4.734 & 141 laps
NSR F1: Tony- 4.578 sec. & Brian - 148 laps