|
Private Circuits: Custom-built slot-car tracks sell to wealthy hobbyists around the world
David Beattie, owner of Slot Mods, talks about the construction of custom slot-car raceways at his shop. (Detroit Free Press)
DETROIT — Business coaches often advise people to find what they love and the money will follow. That certainly worked in Dave Beattie’s life.
Beattie, 50, of Clinton Township, Mich., lost his job three years ago as an operations manager for an exhibit display company. Broke and with a young daughter and a wife training to be a doctor, he wasn’t sure what to do.
Then an acquaintance who knew of Beattie’s hobby of slot-car racing — tabletop racetracks on which miniature race cars zoom around powered by electric current — admired Beattie’s own handmade track in his basement. He asked Beattie to make him one.
Read full article here:
Categories: Media Tags:
Reviving ‘60s Hobby – Slot Car Racing
Reviving ‘60s Hobby — Slot Car Racing
by
Eastern Iowa Life
February 17, 2012
SWISHER — Zip, click, zoom. Up, over and around. The little 1/32nd-size slot cars eat up the 10 curves on the 57-foot long track in less than five seconds, a scale speed of about 250 miles per hour.
No wonder guys like Jerry Hightshoe, 68, of rural Swisher have revived a hobby of their 1960s youth — slot car racing.
“I wanted this to be a true driver’s course,” says Jerry, retired administrator from the College Community school district, who started building his basement track in 2001. It was race-ready in a year but, as with model railroading, always seems to be a work in progress.
“We’re more into racing than the scenery,” says Bruce Gardner, 64, of Iowa City (right) who joined fellow slot-car racers Art DeArmond, 63, of North Liberty (left), Jerry (center) and Craig Margulis, 57, of Iowa City, in a recent practice session.
read full article here:
Reviving ‘60s Hobby — Slot Car Racing | Eastern Iowa Life.
Categories: Media Tags:
SoMdNews.com: Need for speed
Need for speed
Slot car racing gives hobbyists feel of drag racing
Staff photo by GRETCHEN PHILLIPS
Calvin Starcher, right, owner of Fas Trax of MD in Hughesville, helps Jeremy Fowler, 13, of Mechanicsville before a race.
Calvin Starcher fell in love when he was in the eighth grade, and the feeling never faded.
That’s when a friend from Matthew Henson Middle School took Starcher to the race track for the first time, where he got hooked. When he was 17, he began racing his 1967 Chevrolet Chevelle SS.
“I’ve been drag racing all my life” at Maryland International Raceway, said Starcher, 52, who has run Fas Trax of MD slot car racing in Hughesville for six years. “I wanted to do some kind of slot car racing.”
Slot car racing had the same effect on him as drag racing did all those years ago.
Read full story here:
Categories: Media Tags:
New Modified Tour…For Slot Cars…Starts in the Northeast
New Modified Tour…For Slot Cars…Starts in the Northeast
Reality Modified Tour to Feature Cool-Looking Replica Modifieds
Speed51.com – The Short Track Source
Slot car racing’s popularity has dwindled since the 1960’s and 70’s and has evolved more into a hobbyists sport. However some racers and slot car enthusiasts from Long Island and the New England area have come up with a cool new concept that could very well bring slot car racing back to the hobby forefront.
Pete Pernesiglio, a NEMA Midget driver from Long Island and Ray Brown former Late Model driver from Attleboro, Massachusettes collaborated with friends who share their passion for this hobby and have formed the Reality Modified Tour.
“Slot car racing has kinda died out over the years, there aren’t many stores or tracks to race at anymore.” say’s Pernesiglio. “Now, more and more people are building tracks in their home and inviting friends over once a week to race and have fun.”
Ray Brown from Reality Raceway.net started building a spec 1/24th scale asphalt Modified to resemble an actual NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour car. Unless you are a model guru, you wont be able to find a more actual looking NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour car.
read full article here:
Speed51.com – The Short Track Source.
Categories: Media Tags:
Categories: Media Tags:
I REALLY Wanted This Slot Car Circuit For Christmas
I love slot cars. I remember building tracks with my dad and my brothers, racing old sports prototypes, old school F1s and two Porsche 911s. One of the cars was the RCR 917, so I was blown away by this custom racetrack.
read full article:
I REALLY Wanted This Slot Car Circuit For Christmas.
Categories: Media Tags:
Racer Boy: Slot Car Racing, or How to Race Door to Door Without Worrying about Your Doors
By Rob Krider
Racer Boy: Slot Car Racing, or How to Race Door to Door Without Worrying about Your Doors
“Slot car racing?” you ask. Yup. I’m not talking about that weak ass Tyco set that ran on six C batteries that you found under the Christmas tree when you were a kid. I’m talking about blistering fast slot cars on technical 8 lane tracks with race position telemetry and lap times as you race head to head against other racing fanatics.
Categories: Media Tags:
Around Town: Mid-America Raceway
WGN TV Chicago – Around Town: Mid-America Raceway
WGN TV reporter does a story featuring Mid-America Raceway in Downers Grove, IL.
View video at WGN TV here:
Around Town: Mid-America Raceway
Categories: Media Tags:
Silverstone – A Little Training
Watch Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton as they prepare for the Santander British Grand Prix by battling it out on a Scalextric slot car track of the new look Silverstone!
Silverstone – A Little Training
Categories: Media Tags:
Slot Car World Championships come to Edgewood
Slot car world championships come to Edgewood
by CHRIS EGAN / KING 5 Sports
Posted on July 30, 2010
EDGEWOOD, Wash. – From the 1960s through the 1980s, many kids enjoyed playing with slot cars. Thanks to video games, the slot car phenomenon has faded.
Or has it?
There are people around the country who still love their slot cars, and they take it very seriously. Just ask those taking part in the 27th annual Flat Track World Championships in at Pacific Slot Car Raceways in Edgewood.
View on KING 5 TV Sports here:
Slot car world championships come to edgewood
Categories: Media Tags:
