Track for Pioneer Legends

[WB2]

A question for Legends owners: do you prefer tight or broad curves on an oval?
I took my Carrera layout down and thoughts drifted to making an oval and getting a few Legends cars. For a four lane track, curves could be R1/R2; R2/R3; or R3/R4. With straights six sections long, which curve radius would the experienced Legends racers feel work the best?

[REL13]

I have a 6 lane oval made with Carrera track. The club only uses the outer 4 lanes when we race. The track is 16'x7'. Here are some pictures. I have run my Legends on this track. They run good. I haven't run on the two inner lanes. Hope this helps.

[WB2]

Is your track R1/R2/R3 radii?
And it looks like the straights are 5 long.

[REL13]

yes it is.

[slothead]

I have a routed 2 lane paper clip type oval that's narrow (4' wide by 12' long). The inside lane is tight to me and the surface is intentionally smooth and slick (unpainted Masonite, also known as hardboard). I run Legends with stock tires at around 11 volts and still find them a little hard to control. So, I'm building a larger 3 lane slightly banked oval from MDF that's 6' wide to have wider turns. The inside lane radius is about 22.5" with some changes in the arc to mimic realistic racing grooves.

The track is still under construction but I'm looking forward to racing the Legends and other oval track cars on it. Because of the painted MDF surface it won't be as slick and the slightly banked wider turns should be faster and funner to race on.

My vote goes for wider turns on an oval.

[Fathead59]

Just a question , when you race do you have a staggered start since the outside lanes are longer than the inside ones ?

[REL13]

No, Everyone races on every lane, So it is equal at the end.

[HomeRacingWorld]

I know my oval is routed...but the table was built originally for 4 lanes of Carrera that used R1 and R2 with borders. So the track is just 5 foot 3 in width with lane spacing very close to Carrera.

I think they look and run great on this radius myself as they are a smaller outfit.

[slothead]

This makes sense with a 'track for Pioneer Legends' since in some cases tracks have created a small oval in front of the main grandstand using the main straight and pit lane that's used for Legends. Tighter turns would be more realistic and Harry knows how to tune cars to get the most out of them.

[WB2]

And I bet you like running the wood surface better than the plastic, correct?

[HomeRacingWorld]

Well yes, I do prefer the smoothness and action on the wood. The solid electrical connections from the braid is also a bonus.

However...we had many years of fun on that Carrera and building a track with it is a great idea. For me it just meant pulling the magnet as I want that gentle drift. When I stand near the corner, it just looks the part and I am an oddball to say the least. That kind of action actually matters to me. And when I see it happen 2 or 4 wide...well, even more so. I will dig through The Abyss and see if I can find some photos.

[Fathead59]

Thanks , I guess you use timed laps for each lane then to see who wins the races

[HomeRacingWorld]

Yes, using the lane rotation works. Same format we use in the Showdown.

[oldspark]

I race by myself (sad I know) using a figure 8 with Artin R 4 curves and the legends car with stock tires work very well for me.

[slothead]

Solo racing is better than no racing and can be as much fun as you make it. If you don't have one already invest in a lap counter & timer system so you can compare sessions and race against the clock. Rather than just trying to turn in the fastest lap, use the average lap time or total time for a number of laps. Rotate cars or lanes and keep track of performances. Use time penalties or a running clock for deslots so your driving skills matter and you have to improve. Be creative with different formats.