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I wrote this piece almost 7 years ago, but it still pertains today, so I thought I would post it again. Happy Slotting!
.....
Very early this past Saturday morning Rob and Scott and I drove down to Georgia for two days of slot racing with the Atlanta Gang. We weren't able to depart on Friday afternoon and it's a bit over five hours to Mark's place from my home in North Carolina and so we left at 4 am.
As always, we had a great time with fellow slotters - lots of laughs, good food, a little good-natured ribbing, sharing of tuning and driving tips, and competitive racing.
So before I continue, I want to thank both Mark and George for housing and feeding us and for their warm, southern hospitality. And thanks also to the many guys for sharing their tuning tips with us.
But this thread is not about that.
During one heat of a race, Rob - a fellow SCANC, and I engaged in a discussion about the perception of slot car racing by the general public. Rob asked, "What do you think someone off the street would think about this?", motioning his hand past George's workbench and the surrounding pit areas.
Now, like any other serious racer, George has on his workbench a menagerie of slot-related gear including at least one power supply, a tire truer, a soldering iron, lamps and magnifiers, assorted jigs and set-up blocks, drivers, pliers, strippers and shears, knives, and various tubes and jars and cans of adhesives, lubricants, putties, primers, paints, and other potions. And of course, George also has a plethora of spare parts. He's got car bodies, chassis, pods, motors, gears, axles, bushings, hubs, tires, guides, braid, wire, spacers, stops, and screws of various sizes.
In addition to the paraphernalia that George owns were the slot boxes of over a dozen other racers, each stuffed with similar tools and equipment.
I laughed, because I knew exactly what Rob meant. When I tell friends I'm into slot racing I get looks of bewilderment and disbelief. You'd think maybe I had three heads. Sure, some guys remember the commercial raceways of the 60s or home sets of one brand or another. But most folks, especially women, are surely thinking something like "You're 56 years old and you play with toy cars?"
What Rob meant is that most folks have no idea of the DEPTH of our involvement. And if they did, they would certainly think that we be committed to some forgotten mental institution far from the most distant fringes of society. Often, I consider the amount of time and sums of money I pour into this pastime and think to myself, "Am I nuts?"
Listen to the many conversations during a slot weekend and you're likely to hear about the best way to true a set of tires or debates about shore ratings and the advantages of one tire compound over another. Talk about controllers will involve ohm ratings, band numbers, and brake, sensitivity and choke settings. You're likely to hear opinions and unproven theories about the best way to break in a slot car motor. And you'll surely garner advice on how to correct handling woes.
Like any other hobby or sport, the degree to which you can get involved in slot cars knows no bounds. Whether you're building a circuit, acquiring a collection, scratch-building a chassis, painting a body, casting parts, tuning a ready-to-run racer, improving your racing skills, or just socializing with good friends, slot racing provides a fun and challenging way to pass time.
Rob and I had many hearty laughs last weekend because we imagined how ridiculous our activities might look to someone not in the know. But the conversation took a serious turn when Rob mentioned a magazine article he read recently. The article stated that one key to happiness is to involve yourself in something that you enjoy but that you also find regularly challenging and that gives you an opportunity to excel.
For me, this pastime provides that key.
We left Atlanta at 7 pm Sunday evening after some quick good-byes, words of thanks, and firm handshakes.
I woke up this morning with a smile still on my face knowing that this was the most fun I've had in many recent weekends.
Thanks again guys, for hosting.
Cheers and happy slotting to all,
Steve
.....
Very early this past Saturday morning Rob and Scott and I drove down to Georgia for two days of slot racing with the Atlanta Gang. We weren't able to depart on Friday afternoon and it's a bit over five hours to Mark's place from my home in North Carolina and so we left at 4 am.
As always, we had a great time with fellow slotters - lots of laughs, good food, a little good-natured ribbing, sharing of tuning and driving tips, and competitive racing.
So before I continue, I want to thank both Mark and George for housing and feeding us and for their warm, southern hospitality. And thanks also to the many guys for sharing their tuning tips with us.
But this thread is not about that.
During one heat of a race, Rob - a fellow SCANC, and I engaged in a discussion about the perception of slot car racing by the general public. Rob asked, "What do you think someone off the street would think about this?", motioning his hand past George's workbench and the surrounding pit areas.
Now, like any other serious racer, George has on his workbench a menagerie of slot-related gear including at least one power supply, a tire truer, a soldering iron, lamps and magnifiers, assorted jigs and set-up blocks, drivers, pliers, strippers and shears, knives, and various tubes and jars and cans of adhesives, lubricants, putties, primers, paints, and other potions. And of course, George also has a plethora of spare parts. He's got car bodies, chassis, pods, motors, gears, axles, bushings, hubs, tires, guides, braid, wire, spacers, stops, and screws of various sizes.
In addition to the paraphernalia that George owns were the slot boxes of over a dozen other racers, each stuffed with similar tools and equipment.
I laughed, because I knew exactly what Rob meant. When I tell friends I'm into slot racing I get looks of bewilderment and disbelief. You'd think maybe I had three heads. Sure, some guys remember the commercial raceways of the 60s or home sets of one brand or another. But most folks, especially women, are surely thinking something like "You're 56 years old and you play with toy cars?"
What Rob meant is that most folks have no idea of the DEPTH of our involvement. And if they did, they would certainly think that we be committed to some forgotten mental institution far from the most distant fringes of society. Often, I consider the amount of time and sums of money I pour into this pastime and think to myself, "Am I nuts?"
Listen to the many conversations during a slot weekend and you're likely to hear about the best way to true a set of tires or debates about shore ratings and the advantages of one tire compound over another. Talk about controllers will involve ohm ratings, band numbers, and brake, sensitivity and choke settings. You're likely to hear opinions and unproven theories about the best way to break in a slot car motor. And you'll surely garner advice on how to correct handling woes.
Like any other hobby or sport, the degree to which you can get involved in slot cars knows no bounds. Whether you're building a circuit, acquiring a collection, scratch-building a chassis, painting a body, casting parts, tuning a ready-to-run racer, improving your racing skills, or just socializing with good friends, slot racing provides a fun and challenging way to pass time.
Rob and I had many hearty laughs last weekend because we imagined how ridiculous our activities might look to someone not in the know. But the conversation took a serious turn when Rob mentioned a magazine article he read recently. The article stated that one key to happiness is to involve yourself in something that you enjoy but that you also find regularly challenging and that gives you an opportunity to excel.
For me, this pastime provides that key.
We left Atlanta at 7 pm Sunday evening after some quick good-byes, words of thanks, and firm handshakes.
I woke up this morning with a smile still on my face knowing that this was the most fun I've had in many recent weekends.
Thanks again guys, for hosting.
Cheers and happy slotting to all,
Steve
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