Why do you like oval tracks

[dreinecke]

I'm a road course guy - straight up. I had a nice, routed 4 lane oval and while cool, it was 99% only me on the track and that became boring, so I sold it. To echo a comment earlier in the thread, it becomes you against the track on a road course.

Does this mean that I don't like ovals? No! When I visited HRW, I told Harry I was shocked at how much time I spent on the oval there. It was due to the door-to-door style of racing we had going on with 4 guys just slugging it out. Major fun!

[Derby City Speedway]

I will add to the point of a oval is all the fun you can have, if you have players to fill the remaining lanes with you. I have had 2 ovals in my years and both have been destructed due to no interest. And this comes from a club that has off and on 10 to 22 people. Bores the heck out of me by myself, and I used to race the 1.1 cars locally, so this coming from a oval track fan.

[racer6583]

I love ovals but if you find that you are racing mostly by yourself keep the road and get some plastic track you like and just set it up when you want to get dizzy then when your tired of chasing your tail then hit the road for a little break but if you have friends comin over like once a month then go strictly oval then you won't get bored with it.
Oval by yourself is no fun period.

[Kemtronracer]

Racing alone is not the issue; we've got about three guys who can show up regularly. We had another, but his wife just had twins so his life is "over" for the next few years. So basically we'll have a few guys for regular races and possibly some newbies as we find them. My goal is to attract new racers to our club. But I have a wife, so if I build a new track, the old one will have to go. I think this will make a great project for me now that the temps have cooled down. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

[Nor Cal Mike]

Unless you are limited to something that is narrow there is no need to have to settle for one or the other. This is my old track. It is about 7 ft wide.


Road


Oval


Road


Oval

[Kemtronracer]

I appreciate all the input with regards to building a dual purpose track, but that is not my desire as weight is an issue. My plan would be a 6X16' track that folds up against the wall in my garage. I originally had my road course built that way, but it was just barely manageable. An oval with a removeable infield would be light enough for one guy to setup alone. Plus I really want four lanes spaced 4" for 1/24 scale cars, so the infield would be too small to accommodate the larger cars.

Much of the concensus on this thread is that a roadcourse is preferred if you are racing alone. There is a possiblility that I could buld a decent rally track in my basement workshop just for running cars between race nights. And no, the basement is not suitable for for a club track as it is just too confined to accomodate and it is not handicap accessable.

[Wolseley Hornet]

If weight is the issue,why not try a different method of construction?

I've noticed that almost everyone tends to build tables and tracks that would probably withstand a nuclear attack, even if the track is only for home use.

I realise for the commercial raceways construction has to be heavy to withstand the depredations of the general public,but for use at home does it really need to be 3/4 inch MDF on a plywood base - and all this weight of course really does require a massive timber frame to support it?

I may be biased because here in the UK there is no such thing as even half decent timber. You can only buy damp unstable rubbish - and then you pay through the nose for it! So the pressure is on to find alternatives.

However, I've just completed an experimental folding portable track made from a slab of extruded polyurethane foam insulation board with a skin of 3mmMDF glued to the outside, and then routed.(I'll try and post some pictures as soon as I've recovered from the trauma of failing to get Photobucket to work - a real crash course in colloquial English usage that turned out to be! Even the flies on the wall were scared!).

The point, though is that it seems to have worked well.It is only 48x20 inches, and folds in the middle - but it works, and I think I'm going to try a bigger one next.

You can get these insulation boards in 8x4 here, and I imagine they come in the same size in USA.One rather slight person can throw one of these around with ease; and although adding thin MDF(or even thin plywood) would make it heavier, it should still be easy to handle.

Worth considering,don't you think?

David.

[Kemtronracer]

[Wolseley Hornet]

We'll just watch this space then . . .

Happy building!

[Nor Cal Mike]

I agree with David, heavy is not necessary. This track is one I built a few years ago. It 4X8 is made of 1/4" plywood over 1X1's on 1X3 ribs. The slots run all of the way through the sheeting. I cut them with a saber saw rather than a router. It is currently leaning against my garage wall. I can carry it and load it on the roof rack of my car by my self. It is 4 years old and still going strong.

[frank9129]

I have a StingRay Oval. It is 4x16' routed MDF.
Since I picked it up I have fixed a crushed end and resurfaced the entire track. My fault. I let the guy behind me get too close.
This track has been the source of fun for several hundred kids in the Annapolis MD area. I take it to Churches, Schools, Charity Events, and a couple of parties.
You can follow the build on HRW and I do post pictures when I have time to get the camera during a race.
The kids are our future. Keep them interested.

[Kemtronracer]

StingRay's track is pretty much what I want to build. I just need to investigate the ultralight MDF to see if I can order it at Lowes or Home Depot.

[Florida_Slotter]

[Florida_Slotter]