The current Shepherd Speedway was built in 2005 as a test track but once up and running hosted many thousands of laps of racing. I routed it into 1/4" hardboard with slots that went all the way through the surface to prevent anything from getting stick in the slots. This was possible because of a 1x3 lattice the surface was glued to before routing.
I love the track and over the years added a lot of 'short track' scenery with the help of my grandson to make it very realistic and so much fun to race on. But, it's 4' x 14' and was meant to be replaced by a bigger oval with wider turns years ago, and that time may have finally come.
As the weather warms up I should have room downstairs in the barn to build a larger oval, either 5' or 6' wide, and try it out before deciding if I want to dismantle the current one up in the loft. That means I can do this without touching the working oval for now.
Here's what I'd like some feedback on:
What sheeting to use for the track surface? I want something with decent grip (not as slick as hardboard) but that still has a smooth surface. I used MDF for the road course and am leaning toward using that again but am open to suggestions. Since I'll only need 3 sheets of whatever I end up using cost isn't an issue - I don't want to regret not spending more per sheet now for a better outcome.
What thickness of sheet to use? If I go with MDF I know it's quite heavy so the thinner that can be used safely the better. But, I might want to put a little banking in the corners so not too thin to risk cracking during shaping.
As a solo racer I only need one lane but am thinking about routing 2 lanes with a crossover so it actually takes going around twice to return to the dead strip for the timer/lap counter to complete a lap. I like longer lap times and think it will be challenging to run both the inside and outside grooves. I'm thinking of putting the crossover at the entrance to turn 1 so it will be within arms reach of the driver's station. I may put the crossover on a small section that could be swapped out to make it a normal 2 lane oval if desired.
Any other things I should be thinking about?
I love the track and over the years added a lot of 'short track' scenery with the help of my grandson to make it very realistic and so much fun to race on. But, it's 4' x 14' and was meant to be replaced by a bigger oval with wider turns years ago, and that time may have finally come.
As the weather warms up I should have room downstairs in the barn to build a larger oval, either 5' or 6' wide, and try it out before deciding if I want to dismantle the current one up in the loft. That means I can do this without touching the working oval for now.
Here's what I'd like some feedback on:
What sheeting to use for the track surface? I want something with decent grip (not as slick as hardboard) but that still has a smooth surface. I used MDF for the road course and am leaning toward using that again but am open to suggestions. Since I'll only need 3 sheets of whatever I end up using cost isn't an issue - I don't want to regret not spending more per sheet now for a better outcome.
What thickness of sheet to use? If I go with MDF I know it's quite heavy so the thinner that can be used safely the better. But, I might want to put a little banking in the corners so not too thin to risk cracking during shaping.
As a solo racer I only need one lane but am thinking about routing 2 lanes with a crossover so it actually takes going around twice to return to the dead strip for the timer/lap counter to complete a lap. I like longer lap times and think it will be challenging to run both the inside and outside grooves. I'm thinking of putting the crossover at the entrance to turn 1 so it will be within arms reach of the driver's station. I may put the crossover on a small section that could be swapped out to make it a normal 2 lane oval if desired.
Any other things I should be thinking about?
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