When we resume racing
Posted: Mon Apr 20, 2020 5:41 pm
Guys,
When we finally get to resume racing, I'd like to be a bit more flexible and remove some of the rigidity in how we run some of our events. From time to time I'd like to race completely different cars instead of sticking to the straight schedule. We can discuss this more and everyone can throw in suggestions for what we race when we do these events, however in the first instance, I want to run a class based on the rules below when we skip the regular events.
Why I came up with this class idea is twofold. First of all I have some cars sitting for years which I'd like to race, but they cannot run competitively in and/or are not legal for our existing classes. The second reason is that, going back to my childhood and early visits to Wallerfield, I'd see a number of the cars eligible for this proposed class racing in club events there and we even used to race a slot car class for some of these cars back then. Our slot car tracks would see Minis, Triumphs, Sunbeams, Escorts, Cortinas and others racing back then, some as ready-made Scalextric cars, others built from Airfix kits and Scalextric parts like motors, axles, gears, wheels and tyres. Coming back to today, I have my Scalextric Cortina that was recently rebuilt with precisely this class in mind. I also have a BMC Mini that I plan on prepping for it and possibly others too.
Here are the proposed rules:
1960s Club Racing
Objective:
A class for older road-going non-GT cars of the 1960s where all cars run as closely and competitively as possible against each other. Lap times should ideally not vary by more than 0.2 sec.
Eligible Cars:
Ford Anglia 105E
Ford Cortina Mk 1 and Mk II
Ford Escort Mk I
Ford Capri Mk I
MGA
MGB and MGB GT
Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger
BMC Mini, Mini Clubman and Mini 1275 GT
Lotus Elan and Elan +2
Vauxhall Viva
Hillman Imp
Hillman Hunter
Austin A40
Austin-Healey
Triumph TR4
Triumph Spitfire
MG Midget / Austin-Healey Sprite ("Spridget")
Jaguar E-Type
Cobra Roadster
... etc.
Here's a site that can be useful in getting an idea what a piece of metal (e.g.lead) of dimensions you supply will weigh:
https://ultraray.com/calculator/
Here are some examples of lead weight calculations from the site above (I've used 0.063 in as the standard thickness as this is the thickest lead sheet supplied by Professor Motor):
20 mm x 15 mm x 0.063 in = 5.4 gm
20 mm x 14 mm x 0.063 in = 5.1 gm
20 mm x 13 mm x 0.063 in = 4.7 gm
25 mm x 8 mm x 0.063 in = 3.6 gm (std Scalextric magnet size)
25 mm x 6 mm x 0.063 in = 2.7 gm
25 mm x 5 mm x 0.063 in = 2.3 gm
25 mm x 4 mm x 0.063 in = 1.8 gm
So, what cars do you have that would suit this class? The lockdown is ideal time to work on them!
Gordon
When we finally get to resume racing, I'd like to be a bit more flexible and remove some of the rigidity in how we run some of our events. From time to time I'd like to race completely different cars instead of sticking to the straight schedule. We can discuss this more and everyone can throw in suggestions for what we race when we do these events, however in the first instance, I want to run a class based on the rules below when we skip the regular events.
Why I came up with this class idea is twofold. First of all I have some cars sitting for years which I'd like to race, but they cannot run competitively in and/or are not legal for our existing classes. The second reason is that, going back to my childhood and early visits to Wallerfield, I'd see a number of the cars eligible for this proposed class racing in club events there and we even used to race a slot car class for some of these cars back then. Our slot car tracks would see Minis, Triumphs, Sunbeams, Escorts, Cortinas and others racing back then, some as ready-made Scalextric cars, others built from Airfix kits and Scalextric parts like motors, axles, gears, wheels and tyres. Coming back to today, I have my Scalextric Cortina that was recently rebuilt with precisely this class in mind. I also have a BMC Mini that I plan on prepping for it and possibly others too.
Here are the proposed rules:
1960s Club Racing
Objective:
A class for older road-going non-GT cars of the 1960s where all cars run as closely and competitively as possible against each other. Lap times should ideally not vary by more than 0.2 sec.
Eligible Cars:
Ford Anglia 105E
Ford Cortina Mk 1 and Mk II
Ford Escort Mk I
Ford Capri Mk I
MGA
MGB and MGB GT
Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger
BMC Mini, Mini Clubman and Mini 1275 GT
Lotus Elan and Elan +2
Vauxhall Viva
Hillman Imp
Hillman Hunter
Austin A40
Austin-Healey
Triumph TR4
Triumph Spitfire
MG Midget / Austin-Healey Sprite ("Spridget")
Jaguar E-Type
Cobra Roadster
... etc.
- Period: 1960-1969
- Body: See list. Other cars for the period may be added once approved (I know that they're several European cars that will qualify). Fender flares may be added if original body does not have them, but may not exceed 3mm in width (equivalent to 3.8 inches on a 1/1 car). Wheels and tyres must not be visible when viewing body from above. Windows may not be tinted.
- Interior: At least a full shelf with driver head, arms and steering-wheel. Ultra-light/one-piece plastic interiors are not allowed.
- Motor: FC130 or FF up to 18K (this is to allow for most standard cars)
- Magnets: None.
- Tyres: 8mm maximum tread width.
- Ground Clearance: 1.0mm under motor.
- Maximum Track: 55mm
Here's a site that can be useful in getting an idea what a piece of metal (e.g.lead) of dimensions you supply will weigh:
https://ultraray.com/calculator/
Here are some examples of lead weight calculations from the site above (I've used 0.063 in as the standard thickness as this is the thickest lead sheet supplied by Professor Motor):
20 mm x 15 mm x 0.063 in = 5.4 gm
20 mm x 14 mm x 0.063 in = 5.1 gm
20 mm x 13 mm x 0.063 in = 4.7 gm
25 mm x 8 mm x 0.063 in = 3.6 gm (std Scalextric magnet size)
25 mm x 6 mm x 0.063 in = 2.7 gm
25 mm x 5 mm x 0.063 in = 2.3 gm
25 mm x 4 mm x 0.063 in = 1.8 gm
So, what cars do you have that would suit this class? The lockdown is ideal time to work on them!
Gordon