Do you feel the need for speed, but do not want all of the dangers and risks that are involved when driving a real car at high speeds incurs? Not to mention the cost to repair a real racing car when you wad it up in a crash. If this is you, then try your hand at slot car racing. You see, model car racing has been around since 1929 and has gained immense popularity, nationally and internationally.
Today, model slot car racing is in a group of model car racing which include radio controlled, better known as RC racing and others
THE VERY, VERY BASICS OF SLOT CAR RACING
Model slot cars are powered electronically by either batteries or from some source of electricity, which is furnished to the car by a metal strip on each side of the slot.
The tracks on which slot cars run are made up of groves or slots(hence the words ‘slot’ car) into which the cars are guided with the help of a pin or a blade like apparatus on the under carriage of the cars. Only one slot car is to occupy one slot. So for example, if you have an eight lane track, you can have up to eight cars circulating the track.
Each slot is connected to a power source, such as an electric power pack or batteries which maintains that the power supply remains stable throughout the whole time the cars are on the track. To prevent the cars from jumping out of the slot, some of the cars under carriage have some sort of magnets which keep these electric model cars in constant contact with metal strips even at high speeds. Some model car blades are even magnetized to achieve the same effect as the undercarriage magnets. The speed of the cars are controlled by the squeezing of the trigger way on a pistol-grip joystick placed in the hand of the person who is controlling the car. Squeezing the trigger increases the speed of the car and releasing the trigger slows the electric model car down or stops it completely.
car racing is truly international. International competitions are held annually in the United States and abroad. The United States has 2 HO scale car organizations called the United Federation of HO racers Association (UFHORA) and the HO Professional Racing Association (HOPRA). Each year both organizations hold national and international events around the country. These events are not only for racing the slot cars, but also to raise general awareness car racing in general..
I WANT TO RACE SLOT CARS. HOW DO I GET STARTED?
So you want to race,huh? If you are a true beginner to slot car racing,first I recommend you join an car organization, either a local one in your neighborhood and or one that is recognized nationally. You can access a wealth of information from these places. For the HO ethusiast, check out the national organization HOPRA.
