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1/32nd scale racing is a trademark of Hot Wheels Haven, and our four lane homebrew hillclimb was buzzing with our returning Vintage Stocker and Single Mag Limited divisions. Here at Haven, we want to re-emphasize that we are committed to our 1/32nd scale program as a fun and cost-effective route into slot car racing as a sport and hobby.

First on the day was our ever popular Vintage Stocker division. The big talk during the off-season was the controversial Carreras. The allowance of Carrera's line of vintage stock cars - made due to the discontinuing of the Monogram line - introduced what at first seemed like an equivalent car, but over the course of the season developed into a serious performer. We have decided to grandfather in the Carreras up until the holiday break, but with Professor Motor acquiring the production rights to the Monogram slot car line, the Carreras will be illegal.

That aside, the driver makes the car and Haven veteran Joe Hall put on a show with his trusty Plymouth Superbird. Joe and Big Blue ran a crushing 86 laps over their 4 heats, making it plain that the Carreras are going to make their mark while they're still here. Joe's son Morgan, Haven's inaugural Juniors champion, brought his own Charger Daytona in with an equally impressive 74 laps, while the first home of the Monograms was Stocker and Stamped Steel race winner Max Hullman. Two more youngsters, Tom Hullman and newcomer Colin Richardson, brought in the fourth and fifth places. Tom stayed right on dad Max's tail and the two ended up separated by only SIX segments. Colin, prior to today, had never run a Vintage Stocker, but came to race and was happy to borrow "Jim", my trusty Jim Hurtibise #56 Plymouth, and gave it his all, putting on a particularly drifty display on the blue lane by sliding the rear bumper along the guardrail in a most crowd-pleasing way.

Vintage Stockers

1st: 86 laps, Joe Hall, Carrera Plymouth Superbird #8
2nd: 74 laps, Morgan Hall, Carrera Dodge Charger Daytona #30
3rd: 67 laps, segment 10, Max Hullman, Monogram Plymouth Belvedere #43
4th: 67 laps, segment 4, Tom Hullman, Monogram Ford Fairlane #17
5th: 54 laps, Colin Richardson, Monogram Plymouth Belvedere

After the stockers were safely back in their boxes, it was time for Single Mag Limited. Now our fastest category with the Multi-Mag Open category having been shelved due to track condition issues, Single Mag Limited allows a blend of light tuning and driving skill. Our box-stock Juniors category was run together with the SML program, making for a fun challenge for the adults and juniors. The race had the appearance of a walkover going in as Joe Hall and his always dialed in Slot-It Ferrari 312PB were the odds on favorite. Joe delivered an applause worthy performance, though. In previous seasons, a running joke was how long it took Joe to break into the 100 Lap Club at Haven in SML, but today he was relaxed and on top of his game with 107 laps. Being a very good sport and fighting a new car without its silicone tires, rookie Jason Richardson piloted a Carrera Ferrari 512BBLM up to 51 very slippery laps. An order was placed for a set of Indy Grips for his Ferrari to bring it up to par as he learns the track and the sport. For the Juniors, Morgan Hall and his now famous yellow Porsche 917-30, wrung out another outstanding run to 75 laps, showing just what Carreras can be capable of. Colin Richardson, now with a race under his belt and back in the Monogram GT350R he practices with week in and week out, ran very well until a shifted pinion started to cause uneven power delivery (unfortunately not an uncommon problem in front-motored slot cars). His 50 laps were still a great performance and a good base to build on.

Single Mag Limited

1st: 107 laps, Joe Hall, Slot-It Ferrari 312PB
2nd: 51 laps, Jason Richardson, Carrera Ferrari 512BBLM

Juniors

1st: 75 laps, Morgan Hall, Carrera Porsche 917-30
2nd: 50 laps, Colin Richardson, Monogram Shelby GT350R

1/32nd scale racing will continue on October 12th, with doors at 10:00 and racing at 1:00, Stockers running first. Come on out and enjoy!

Anybody have Carrera 1/32 "digital ready" cars for sale ?

According to the last conversation I had with the Professor, new releases of the classic NASCARS are not slated until well into 2015. Classic road cars are expected to be first.

If this has changed, good news. Just relaying the last I heard, which was last week.

They are re-tooling the chassis. So the models will not be the same as original releases anyway. So perhaps a test and tune session would be a good idea when they arrive.

The Carreras are much easier to tune and to drive than the Monograms, and that is precisely why they unbalance the category. We've observed a near .4 second a lap advantage with the Carreras which is significant in a 2 minute heat. With the minimal modifications allowed (light sanding of the body posts to eliminate warpage, truing of the wheels and tires, spec Maxxtrac M10 rear tire) that's simply too much of a gap to shrug at our racers and say "Drive better".

If Andy at PM has made significant enough changes to the Monogram chassis layout to warrant reevaluating the cars, then it may end up being Carrera v Monogram again. Make no mistake, we love Carrera products but we like fair competition for our racers more.

Unfortunately, in the case of a commercial location, adding and subtracting classes can be detrimental to the shop and the racer base. Continuity of a program is one of the most effective ways to build it. When we first started the class, the Monograms were in production and available through two of our distributors in great variety. When production ceased, the cars became more difficult to obtain from distributors (which equates to an inability to put what we race on our shelf to sell) and we were forced to consider other avenues. Being a Carrera dealer, we did some preseason testing which led us to believe that the Carreras had a fair handling advantage, but lacked the straight line speed of the Monograms. Laptime for laptime, the cars appeared equal. However, as the season progressed, the Carrera cornering advantage was overwhelming the existing Monogram racers.

Unless the Professor Motor Monograms prove to have as much the measure of the Monograms as the Carreras do, we feel the continuity is key for our racers. The few racers who purchased Carrera cars have been informed and were in agreement that closing out this season with the rules as they are, and then moving back to an all Monogram class, is the correct solution.

Sunday, October 12th, saw the second 1/32nd scale race of the season at Hot Wheels Haven. With the Fall Points Championship slated to begin on the 26th, many racers were still dialing in combinations and shaking off the dust from the long summer.

With only two out of the gathered racers prepared for Vintage Stockers, it was agreed that we would run only the Single Mag Limited category. On hand was reigning champion of the defunct Multi-Mag Open category, Stevie McCarthy, who practiced an SML Slot-It GT40 but opted out of the racing field with severe handling issues. Thus, a field of four racers took to the track for four heats of quick action on our hillclimb.

SML Champion Bill Ebsch was making his first trip to Haven after the summer break and very rapidly showed that he and his trusty Slot-It GT40 hadn't lost a step. However, Bill wasn't left to just run his own race, as "Mr. Redline" Dave Sekerak was attacking strongly with his Slot-It McLaren M8D. Ultimately, while Dave was an even match for Bill in the center lanes, Bill's superior handling of the Red & Blue gutter lanes proved to be the ticket to a handy victory. Showing major improvement, now that his 512BBLM was wearing Indy Grips and he had more time on the car, was Jason Richardson, who even managed a 20 lap heat on the Red lane which put him in striking distance of Dave's Slot-It. Unfortunately, Jason forgot to clean his tires on the Blue lane which meant he spent too much time sliding the long tail of the Ferrari and too little time gathering speed in the corners. Making his second racing start was new Junior, Colin Richardson. Colin loves his Monogram GT350R, but the car has proved very difficult to get a hold of with its narrow tires and front-mounted motor. All the same, his powersliding style and enthusiasm tells us that this kid is here to stay.

Single Mag Limited

1st - 103 laps: Bill Ebsch (Slot-It GT40)
2nd - 93 laps: Dave Sekerak (Slot-It McLaren M8D)
3rd - 70 laps: Jason Richardson (Carrera Ferrari 512BBLM)
4th - 51 laps: Colin Richardson (Monogram GT350R)

In two weeks, the season kicks into gear with the beginning of the 1/32nd Scale Fall Points Championship. Racers will vie for the title in Juniors, Vintage Stockers, and Single Mag Limited. Dust off your cars and make the trip to the Hot Wheels Haven Hillclimb in Elyria, Ohio!