Why I play this game

[Mayberryman]

We are all slot car racers and each of us gets our enjoyment out of the hobby in many different ways. Yesterday I had one of those great moments racing at The Barn Burners Slot Car Club. The second race of our three race program was for the Historic TransAm cars, we had 13 racers so we had a round robin style race. On my second segment 30 seconds into the 3 minute 30 second segment I was racing against a Pioneer Mustang door to door. This race went on for the entire three minutes with neither ever being more than a foot or so ahead of the other and swapping the lead almost every lap. Neither of us came out of the slot and the racing was intense. It did not matter that I am 68 and he seemed to be in his early 30s at most, nobody cared who the other votes for next November or the views on the second amendment was. The fact was that for that three minutes I was the Scaley Camaro racing against the Pioneer Mustang with each wanting to finish in front of the other. I guess that the end of the segment happened in a perfect way because when the power went off The Scaley Camaro and the Pioneer Mustang finished exactly dead even with two victors and no loser. We put the controllers down, faced each other and gave a warm handshake.
After the race The Pioneer Mustang won with 84 laps and the Scaley Camaro came in second with 82 laps and I was never so honored to have been beat. I am not telling this story to prove my slot racing ability nor am I telling it to promote my club but, in fact, I am telling it to show how this little hobby can mean so much to each and every one of us in our own way.

[cgingras]

That's exactly why I race slot cars. Nothing else matters while we race.

[Czar]

Very nicely written Mr. Mayberry. As you said, sometimes the competition is so intense that everything else melts away and you are transported to the driver's seat of the model racer. Though I have never raced a 1:1 car (on a track) I can't imagine the feeling is any different. When I am racing like that I am inside "my" car, piloting for all I am worth. I concur that other topics aren't relevant to slot racing. In fact, one of the things I appreciate the most about slots is, that in the big scheme of things, it is absolutely meaningless - merely an escape. Finally, someone else said it a long time ago, but I fully agree, "I would rather lose by an inch than win by a mile."

[Rleog]

What he said. :text-goodpost:

[nhdungeonracer]

:text-goodpost:

Great post MB, and you're right. Racing or playing with these "toy" cars is an escape from the everyday life we all have to deal with in our own ways, but this kind of things brings us all together for a short time. If all of us remember it's for fun while running the little cars, everyone has a great time. :auto-driving:

[HomeRacingWorld]

Now this is a good one. Well said indeed.

[Florida_Slotter]

You always know when you're involved in a GREAT race. Your hands are shaking when the power goes off at the end.

I remember one day on the way home, my wife said, "Things sure got quiet back in the slot car room." I told her we were really racing hard and there was barely enough time to breathe let alone talk.

[Wobble]

One race like that is worth 10 where you're outright winner with no competition

[dreinecke]

Great post!!!

[slothead]

My 2 cent take on this is while the close racing made it extra special, what was most valuable was ordinary people having fun together. In those moments the illusion we are different fades and what we have in common comes to the foreground. Like kids playing in a sandbox that haven't been taught who not to like yet.

Your story reminds me of the Electric Football game video Harry posted a link to - grown men of every size, shape, and color, with their home team jerseys on, playing electric football together in a tournament. Having fun allows us to see each other clearly, without labels and judgement, just people.

That's been true for me with every club or group I've ever raced with.

Slothead

[Modlerbob]

I enjoy having a group come over and racing in formal races, especially when the competition is tight. But I also enjoy the one on one sessions that I had with Marty Stanley when he was able to come over weekly and now the evenings when Garold Page comes over and challenges my driving skills. Sometimes we drive for fifteen minutes or more neck and neck without wrecking. A lot of the time we swap cars just to see how close things really are. Three or four hours can go by in what seems like a flash. I much prefer slot car racing over any computer game I have ever played.

[Florida_Slotter]

ModlerBob,

Well my friend, those certainly were outstanding days my friend. Nothing would make me happier than to come over and do some more "dicing" with you. It was some of the most FUN I have ever had the pleasure to participate in. I remember the only time one of us would gain an advantage was when the other would make a mistake like going too deep into a turn and then have the car get loose on corner exit. Then the driver that made the mistake would have to "get up on the wheel" and drive at 100% to make the lost ground up. Yes sir, I remember those sessions well and truly miss them. Perhaps one day I will feel well to drag myself over there. But the pain is truly getting worse day by day. The morphine is keeping me comfortable, but my mental faculties suffer because of the medication. I will give you a call if I can make it your way one day. At least we will always have good memories of outstanding slot car racing to tide us over.

[TuscoTodd]

I couldn't agree more with all of the above!
:text-bravo:

[Mr56p]

I recall with such happiness the HOURS spent 'just playing'... running side by side... back and forth. Waiting on the other guy to catch up so you can race close. When that happens in club racing its THE reason I play. In our club races, I used to be the guy that would not let anyone pass. I always would whack someone out in a turn if they tried to pass me, didn't matter if I was leading or 4 laps down. I made them have to get by me on the straight or on the inside of me in a turn. I had a bad rep, and my style didn't always sit well with the clean racers in the club. A few months ago, I decided to change my style and vowed to race clean. What I have found is that I enjoy the pressure of getting by someone cleanly more then taking them out. Racing someone with enough restraint to NOT take them out has made my club racing more fun for everyone. HOWEVER... when we throw those older Carrera Nascars on the track to play with.... its back to my old ways! What can I say, even at 60 years old... I'm a work in progress.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Larry! Nelson and I were talking about you and your wonderful track just a couple of days ago while he was revamping the lighting in my shop. You are a great host, and you can nerf with us anytime. It isn't dirty racing if we all do it together, after all! We all love our little Jenny (a grown woman now), and she's the deadliest nerfer I ever saw.