Home Racing World

Summer has this reputation for being the "off-season" for slots. But really, it's a great time. Because the older I get the less I want to be out in the blazing sun :) I like the old Skunkworks, dark, dingy, and COOL :)

Plus my grill is nearby.

CONCUR! :text-yeahthat:

Any time is slot time!

My toy room is cooler in summer than the cottage, because it is well insulated and the big picture window only gets the morning sun. But the last couple of summers have had a long string of days in high 30s and low 40s (Celsius that is) and the track has lifted along the back straight. So that's when it comes time to retreat under the canopy of a 100 year old golden ash tree with a book and a cold beverage.

Here in central ca its up around 108F or 42C so I just go out and punish myself. I go out to the garage i built with the added insulation and AC. I punish myself by pouring out a cold one and overfilling the mug a little so my dog can clean it up. Then it is on over to the track for so fun.posting.php?mode=reply&f=5&t=7354#

My facility is in a small industrial park and is basically a 13.5' x 40' garage. No A/C. I just don't go down there during the middle of the day. This year the summer weather pattern is one where it rains most every afternoon between 3:00PM and 6:00PM. After that the evenings are relatively cool usually in the upper 70's (f). That is when I spend most of my time at the track.

Even during the slot racing boom in the mid '60s things were slow in the summers and a number of commercial raceways had to close. Here in Connecticut it can get very hot sometimes, but many people have AC or at least a basement that stays cool. I usually don't do any HO racing in the summer, but I have a track in my basement and I do work on my cars. My 1/32nd club, Shoreline Model Raceways, races during the summer, but attendance can be lower due to people taking vacations, etc. .

With younger people here in Florida there are a lot of other things to do in the summer time, like go to the beach. Yesterday my brother and I were talking on the way back from the doctors office and we used a section of a road that we used to take to the beach, he mentioned that it has been at least four years since he and his family have been to the beach. I don't think I have been on any beach in at least 10 years. But other than Marty, Charles and myself everyone we race with works and takes their vacations during the summer. Plus they aren't really fond of racing slot cars in the heat and humidity.

One thing that is NOT very available here in Florida is homes with basements. Remember, Florida is basically a sandbar that separates the Gulf of Mexico from the Atlantic Ocean. Knowing that, the water table can be very high. After a good rainy season, you can see standing water in the tire tracks of cars that have driven off of the road's surface. As such, basements just are not popular here.

When I built my home in 1978, I wanted a southern exposure. I was lucky and found a corner lot in an area that was desirable to me. I changed my garage layout around so the driveway was on the less traveled roadway. It now faces due west. In Florida that is not the optimum, but that's the way it worked out.

For cost reasons, I had a standard metal garage door. My wife wanted "cream house with dark brown trim" on the house. So that's the color of the house. I started construction in October and we moved in the home in February. When the first summer arrived, I found out what a dark painted metal door does here in Florida during July and August. Solar heater it was!

As time goes by, families grow and their children grow up and move on to start their own lives. My wife gave me the back bedroom for my slot car room. I have built my "Martin's-Ville" track there. To not completely tie up the room for a single purpose, I chose to build a "flipper table". But it makes the track's surface a bit higher then some people are comfortable racing on. But my grandkids and myself have an absolute ball back there.

Hopefully when I get caught up and given the green light from my latest surgery, I can get back to working on the track. My plans call for a "Flip Side" to the road course that I am presently using. I will have an oval with long straights and tight turns. Since it will be built on a 5 x 9 platform, it will be a short track. Hence the name of "Martin's-Ville".

My track is a 4 lane all analog track with commercial style driver's stations and an adjustable power supply. I used Carrera GO track and it works fantastically (thank you Cjent) for just about everything I run. BTW - I can run 1:32 cars on the inner two lanes, just not simultaneously. So I have a test track for 1:32 cars as well.

For 1:32 racing, it's time to brave the heat and make the trek to DeBary Glen. Just bring along lots of liquids - your choice of healthy or unhealthy type. After working outside for quite a few years teaching folks how to ride motorcycles, what's a little summer time heat?

Slot car racing, at least to me, is a 12 month, 365 day a year hobby.

Im with ya Marty!, I live in central Georgia,some people here call it the" armpit of the south".A good example of this,just last night my son-in -law and i went out for a few laps after supper,The temp in my shop was 97 with 85% humidity.just sitting on a comfy barstool watching me beat the pants off him made us both feel like a used dishrag.You really have to be dedicated to have an non temp controlled area to race in ,if you live in the south!
Bob

I'm also in central Cal.My track room has no a/c, so too hot for any slot car fun.

Steve