The Show So Far... June 2017

[Phil Kalbfell]

I used a die cast as. Master for my Early Vette that ran in the 2013 event. It was reasonably easy to mould.

[NOISY MUSE]

VERY nice work Phil!! Is it a model of a "real" car from the Carrera or a very well-conceived (and executed) fantasy livery?

Was your original one of the "Duntov" series diecasts? That's what I've got to start from. No time for this year, but next...

Scott

[greenman62]

The Delay...

Okay... we're one month past deadline and only 8 cars (5 in class A, 3 in class B) have arrived at Castello del Uomo Verde. I expect 2 more entries from NOISY MUSE shortly. I have entry fees for 5 cars. I have delayed starting the series in hopes I could encourage those who said they would compete but haven't sent entries to do so.

My question for this year's grid is "Do we go on?"

I'll leave it up to you all. If the answer is "no", I'll ship all the cars back as soon as possible. If it's "yes" I'll start scheduling races.

Sorry for the wait... I haven't forgotten.

Greenman62

[NOISY MUSE]

My own take on proxy races in general...and to an extent this one.

Proxy races USED to be everyone send cars to a host track, the cars were run, and a victor crowned. This seems to have been "corrupted" by the Race Across America format. I think that was a neat idea...for that event. Unfortunately it seems that EVERY proxy has adopted that format which has a number of problems with it. A couple biggies:

1) it over complicates management of the event. There's no real way for later venues to schedule in any meaningful way because their "date" is entirely dependent on all the previous venues getting their runs completed on some sort of schedule. The problem snowballs the further down the list it goes.

2) related to 1) above, but a problem even if a militarily precise schedule is maintained...it just takes too darn long. I see where events have taken longer than a year to complete. By the time I got my Corvette back from VRAA 2006 I'd pretty much forgotten I had built the car, much less that it was in an ongoing event.

3) it drives the entry fees up. It costs a LOT of money to ship the cars all the hell over creation. But instead of $5-10 bucks we're up to $35 PER CAR. That's a lot of money on top of building a car(s) to compete. It'd be less of a blow if I was going to get to drive the cars at one of the events, but I'm paying it to have others drive. I could build another car, or more likely two, for that $70.

Now, if is determined that the only way to do a proxy any longer is to have the cars travel to eighty-jillion venues, I would be very selective re: those venues. The first and most over-arching requirement would be that a requirement to host a round of the event would be that there must be at least an entry submitted in each class by someone(s) in that club. That would seem to be the least standard of support for the event to me. Yeah, I know it's fun to run all the cars, have the world's eye on you, etc., but there should be some minimum level of actual, meaningful, support for the event itself. Related to 3) above, those clubs the cars are being sent to that didn't enter any cars are unreasonably benefiting from those high entry fees the actual builder/entrants are paying. "What a deal...I don't really do anything, this big box of cool cars is sent to me for my buddies and myself to flog, then someone covers my cost to ship that box on to someone else."

The coolest proxies I was ever involved with were the Daytona West proxies in the late '90's. Cars were submitted, Bob scheduled concours judging for Friday night, then we spent pretty much all day Saturday running the cars. By the end of the day a victor was crowned and the awards prepared to be mailed back with the cars. In this day and age we could even stream live video from the venue.

I COULD see that having both a plastic track and a routed track could be argued that they add to the competition, but my own belief is that any more than the two rounds ends up being counter-productive. We have allowed a one-off event, the RAA, to become the paradigm for proxy races when that really doesn't deserve to be the case.

imho, of course

Scottrik

ps. I'm DESPERATELY trying to complete my cars, but they're fighting me every step of the way. The wheels I expected Monday arrived yesterday...and won't work Another set of wheels ordered that should arrive mid-late week upcoming. Slot Car Corner has become a one-click shopping location on my PayPal account. Regardless how many events and where scheduled, I will still plan to mail my cars to you. Thanks for undertaking the management of such an event.

[Sports Racer]

I vote we continue (and wait for NM's cars to arrive, no matter how long it takes). I didn't enter this proxy looking for some instant action and no matter what proxy I enter I regard the car as belonging to someone else until I get it back.

As soon as you advise it's definitely on I'll send you the entry fee.

Cheers

Paul

PS. The more tracks involved the happier I'll be. Just as long as they are no more than a month apart.

[Mitch58]

If I've done the math right, the way it stands now I have a pretty good chance of a podium finish in the tiddler class, in every race.

[reek455]

My car is completed and ready for entry but I have not officially entered because I've been waiting to see if we would have enough cars to run. I'm not sure if Greg was counting mine in the total but he knows it is ready to go if needed and I can deliver it to him at our regular Odd Thursday night races at any point.

[greenman62]

Life happens...

Welp... as if on cue my computer coughed up its guts this morning. No... it's not gonna "get better". It's toast. My hired geeks tell me the new one will be ready by Friday. I was going to respond to your posts but the wifi router saw its opportunity and cashed in its chips too (what fun). So here I am playing thumbsies with my iPhone.

Okay, the TLOR proxy series will take place... but delayed... at least until I get my files back with the new table moose of decal generator, game beast and book keeper. If you plan to race, get your cars in. Rico, yes, you're entered. I'll see you Thursday.

Hopefully we'll have the first race in May.

Greenman62

[greenman62]

Okay, the TLOR proxy series will take place... but delayed... at least until I get my files back with the new table moose of decal generator, game beast and book keeper. If you plan to race, get your cars in. Rico, yes, you're entered. I'll see you Thursday.

Hopefully we'll have the first race in May.

Greenman62

Back up and online! I received Rico's car last week. Now we're just waiting for the Muse to send his car(s).

Greenman62

[Sports Racer]

Good to hear.

Make sure you put up lots of photos of the cars. If you have time, a shot from the side and another of the underneath so we can see what chassis was used.

Thanks

Paul

[greenman62]

Good to hear.

Make sure you put up lots of photos of the cars. If you have time, a shot from the side and another of the underneath so we can see what chassis was used.

Thanks

Paul

There will be lots of pix... there's a concours d'eleganze. It's participants choice... you get to vote on "the fairest in the land"

[Sports Racer]

Is there a booby prize in that concours?

Just asking.

[greenman62]

Is there a booby prize in that concours?

Just asking.

No boobies... not even the blue footed variety

Greenman62