The fun of racing
Slot car racing is a hobby that exists for more than forty years. The hobby was called a sport in the sixties. At that time young and old people were racing on big commercial raceways. Unfortunately the hobby died in the beginning of the seventies. In the nineties the hobby got a revival. Many older people became interested in slot racing because of the excellent detailing of the models and the fun of racing.
Classic slot car racing
Slot racing is racing with model cars on a plastic or wooden track. An electrical engine powers the slot car. The motor is connected to a guide that is positioned under the chassis of the model. To the guide are copper braids connected; the guide is positioned in a slot in the middle of one of the parallel rails. The slot car gets speed if the driver gives power to the rails by means of a hand held controller.
What is digital racing?
Digital is a well-known term in the model railroad hobby. With this technique it is possible to control all the trains independently. On a digital race set each car gets independent power because the track is under constant power.
Digital racing will allow more than one car to be driven on the same lane at the same time and to cross between lanes for overtaking (on a special crossover section).
Controllers
The hand held controller contains a variable resistor. A spring-loaded trigger varies the amount of power supplied to the car. By variation of the power the car goes faster or slower. The voltage that normally is used varies from 12 to 14 volts.
Racing
The slot car comes out of the slot if the driver gives too much power. This is called "deslotting" by racers. The driver puts the car back in the slot, but his opponent is able to continue. The skill is to drive as fast as possible without falling out of the slot. The driving ability comes with practising. Concentration and the ability to react quickly make the better driver.
The winner is the driver who completes most laps. Races are over fixed length of time or number of laps. Nowadays, an electronic counter counts the laps. In the old days laps were counted by a mechanical lap-counter.
Scales
Slot car models are available in three scales: H0 (the smallest scale), 1/24 (the biggest scale) and 1/32 (very popular around the world). There are manufacturers that offer models in other scales (mostly battery-operated tracks), but these cars are considered to be toys for children.
Buy a track boxed set
The best way to start with slot racing is to buy a track boxed set. The major 1/32-scale manufactures are Ninco, Scalextric, SCX, Artin and Carrera.
More information
Beginners Class
Slot car preparation
Collecting slot cars
