Slot racing is the quickest indoor sport and as with any sport, it takes time and practise to get to the top. The Dowty track has a lap length of over 46 metres and is the longest four lane track in the country. It has a large variety of bends and long and short straights. If you can learn to drive around this track you should be able to tackle any other track. We have club cars and controllers that you can borrow but they are very basic, and it is best to buy your own as soon as possible. If you have any questions or problems the club members will be glad to help you out.
GETTING STARTED
Controllers
The controller is your only link to the car. Even though there is only a thin wire connecting you to the car you will find that after a while you can ‘feel’ what the car is doing on the track. An electronic controller will cost from £90 upwards, but you can adjust the controller to suit the car and your driving style. It is important to learn to set your controller up for the car during practise. Usually you have a few laps before a race starts to make sure it is OK.
Braking Probably the most important adjustment to start with. The car will be easier to drive if you turn down the braking because it gives more room for error. When you have learned to drive consistently you will find that you will be quicker around the track with more brakes, because you will be able to go at full speed on the straights for longer. Some motors brake very well and the braking will have to be turned down to make them drivable.
Ohms or resistance. This allows you to adapt the controller to different types of motors. Generally the more power the motor has, the lower ohmage the controller needs to be set at. This has different terminology for different controllers, but the easy way is to think of it as the ‘go-faster’ knob because as you turn it up the car will go faster for any given setting of the trigger.
Choke. This makes the motor easier to drive by slowing the acceleration slightly, therefore is the ‘go slower’ knob.
Cars
Your first car should be a 1/24th production car. They are the cheapest cars that we race, motors are relatively slow and the cars are fairly stable. There is a club shop with everything necessary for a club car. A new one will cost about £45 for the parts, although there are usually second hand ones for sale. It is probably better to get someone to build the first one for you, although if you can use a soldering iron, they are not too difficult. Dave can build a ready-to-run car for £60
We also race 1/24th saloon which is the same as 1/24th production but with a faster motor and a different body, but you can just change the body and race that car. The good motor will cost over £50, so a complete car will cost £85 - £100 or ready-to run for £20 on top of that price
Your second car should be a 1/32nd production car. These use the same motor as the 1/24th production, but in a smaller chassis. 1/32nd scale is the same size as you race at home (Scalextric, Ninco etc). An r-t-r will cost £62.50 because the 1/32nd scale chassis is dearer than the 1/24th
The fourth class is 1/32nd saloon. These are much more complicated chassis but the motor is the same as the 1/24th saloon. If you want a new top of the range one it will cost £300, but again there are usually second- hand ones around for about £50 upwards, or you can change the body on your 1/32nd production car and race that.
Driving
Driving a slot car is similar to driving a real racing car. To get to the top you need to go as fast as possible on all parts of the track. You need to brake as late as possible for each corner without coming out of the slot, carry as much speed as possible through the corner and accelerate as soon as possible onto the straights. It is best to stay in the slot because you will lose at least 2 or 3 seconds every time you come off. It takes a long time to learn these skills and you shouldn’t get too disheartened when the existing club members go much faster than you to start with. Watch the best drivers to see how they do it. It may help to hold your controller and pretend you are driving their car to see where they are braking and accelerating.
The track
The track is cleaned and ‘gooped’ every few months. When it has just been done the grip is good, but after a while dust sticks to the track surface and reduces the grip. This is why the track is less grippy at the start of the night and the tyres need to be cleaned several times early in the evening. You will find that you may need different settings on the controller when the track is grippy than when it is slippery and you have to adjust your driving to suit the track conditions.
Moving on
Eventually you may want to go to try racing on other tracks. You will find that experience on other tracks will help at Dowtys as well. The first step is probably the Cotswold Challenge. Dowty & Swindon clubs race on each others tracks on alternate months throughout the year.
After that is the Southern 32 which is a one day meeting on a Sunday at various tracks around the southern half of the country including Dowtys. Some of the tracks are quite close, although others are a long way away. The nearest are Oaklands Park (in Birmingham), Dudley and Swindon. Classes raced are 1/32nd production in the morning and a team race for 1/32nd saloon cars with sports car bodies in the afternoon.
The next step up is the British Open Championship. There are classes for Premier drivers, Main Grade and Novice so although you will be competing against the best drivers in the country, you will have different finals and trophies at the meetings. There are 6 rounds in the 1/32nd scale BOC and four rounds in the 1/24th scale BOC, spread all over the country and the meetings take two days. You would need more cars for this and they are expensive. You also need to stay overnight somewhere which will add to the cost.
Then there is the 1/32nd production weekend, which uses the 1/32nd scale production car for individual races on the 8 lane Nationals track. The club team race is also held on this weekend.
Finally there are the 1/32nd & 1/24th national finals which are 3 day meetings, also held on the nationals track, and at the top is the world championships which was held in England last year, but can be anywhere in the world, and is held over 9 days of racing.
I would recommend that you wait at least a year before you attempt anything other than club racing, Cotswold Challenge, a few of the closer Southern 32 rounds, although production at the 1/32nd nationals would be good experience. You would already have a car for that and you are only racing against other novice drivers.
Before you try anything more than the Cotswold Challenge & Southern 32 you will need to be able to do your own car preparation and repairs. Club members will always be willing to help you, and may even lend you cars, but time is usually tight at meetings and if they have any problems of their own they will want to do that work first.
There are several slot racing web sites. The best ones are http://www.slotracing.oxyhost.com/ which lists dates and venues for races, race reports, and there are pages of hints for building cars, tracks, lap counters, controllers. The other main site is http://www.bscra.fsnet.co.uk/ which has all the rules for the various classes as well as links to the main suppliers of slot racing bits and other sites. Both are worth checking so you can get an idea of what is involved.
The results of the club nights, best times and a history of the club can be found on http://www.cheltenham4u.co.uk/community/dowtyslotcarracing.asp
We hope you enjoy your racing .
If you decide to race at Dowtys you will have to join the Dowty Sports & Social Society. At the moment the cost is £20 for one year, although that may go up in 2010. There is no membership fee for the slot car club, but adults pay £4 per week or £10 per month and juniors £2/week. This covers the cost of hire of the room, maintenance of the building, track, the club cars and controllers. We encourage everyone to join the British Slot Car Association as well. The fee is £19 for adults and £9.50 for juniors.
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