Slot cars can give all ages a racing hobby

Nice article about Red Devil Raceway in the Seattle Times.

The Seattle Times

Originally published April 3, 2016

By Jeff Layton

red-devil-track
John Norman sets slot cars on the track at Red Devil Raceway in Seattle. (Jeff Layton / Special to NWautos)

At local tracks, baby boomers and millennials can gather to duel with slot cars.

It’s rare to find a hobby that retired folks and video-game kids enjoy equally. But at Red Devil Raceway on Lake City Way, gray-haired baby boomers and long-haired millennials gather to duel with slot cars.

Slot-car racing pits miniature cars, trucks and even go-karts against each other on a grooved electric track. A small metal tab at the front of a vehicle fits into the lanes and picks up electric current to power the vehicles down the track.

Racers enjoy timed lapping tournaments, which can make use of the hand-eye coordination mastered by years of Xbox playing, and the driving wisdom of someone who has been behind the wheel for decades.

 

“Kids with computer-game skills translate well into this hobby,” says Gerry Brott, who operates Red Devil Raceway.

His store has two public tracks; each races four cars at a time. One is about the length and width of a single-car garage, and the other is a smaller version that can be disassembled and transported to fairs and private events.

At Red Devil, good-natured battles are fought amidst the high-pitched colorful blurs of cars zooming by.

Slot cars move fast — a top track speed at Red Devil clocked at 45 mph.

Read full article here: Slot cars can give all ages a racing hobby