# Starting to think about an HO track.



## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Since I'm having to dispose of my 1/32nd scale stuff to support my college fund I've been giving some thought to taking my 4 lane TOMY oval apart and building a two-lane road course. I did an inventory of the pieces I have and started playing with Ultimate Racer last night, thinking about area and two of my favorite real world tracks, Riverside and Laguna Seca. 

I only got the see one race at Riverside, the last NASCAR race there about 20 or so years ago. My memory of the track is a bit funny but there's enough research online to get diagrams and details. I've been to Laguna Seca (sorry, I refuse to call it Mazda Raceway) just about every year since 1982. I know in 1988 they added the infield section and made some other changes, but I think the added length actually made the track a more spectator friendly track. As with Riverside there is a hugh amount of research available from the modern era, but not a whole lot from the 1960's, which was before my time out here.

What I'm planning on doing is laying out this track, with is similar to the current track layout:










..real world...










This lays out in a 6' X 6' area, and would have about a 12" elevation change. Laguna Seca has a 300' elevation change but I think a foot would be enough. As you can see there's not a lot of straight track, but the front straight uses 15" radius corners so it'll still be plenty fast. There are a lot of 6" radius corners, which will make it very much a drivers track.

My racing subjects will be T-Jets. Period. Sure, I'll have magnet cars for the kids, turn the 'ol G-Jet power down to 6 volts, let them break a few trees now and then, but the whole track theme will be 1964-1970. This will give me SCCA, Trans-Am and some Can-Am as well. I really like my RRR Cobra 427 T-Jet, on a JLTO chassis it hauls pretty good and corners nicely even without silicones. I just want to get back to racing as it should be, some of you guys know what I'm talking about.

I have the wood to begin this now. I have the power, the controllers and all but a few of the track pieces. For some reason I also have an abundance of styrofoam sheets to build the elevations out of. I just need to order a few curves, pay a visit to my local model railroad shop for some "grass" and it a month or so it would be ready to race on. After the holidays I'll start doing something towards making this one a reality.


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

You've done an amazing job of capturing the essence of the real track in a compact format. With all the right landscaping and scenic accrutements this track should definitely capture the flavor of a '60s TJet model motoring raceway.


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## Martin Simone (Feb 21, 2007)

Is it just me or is the real Laguna Seca just a black square.

Up until 1987 turns 3 and 4 didn't exist, the track just went from what is turn 2 to turn 5. There was only one foot bridge that was built in 1972 I think, and that was the one at the start/finish line. Just in the last year or so the rise at the top of the Rahal Straight was removed but the corkscrew is still a blind corner. I don't know how much flex you can get into those 6" curves but anything off-camber is going to be tough with a car like a T-Jet.

There's a 1983 CART race on youtube, that has the arrangement I think you're looking for.


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Pete -- 

Go here: http://www.silhouet.com/motorsport/tracks/tracks.html

All kinds of 1:1 tracks for inspiration. :thumbsup:


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## Martin Simone (Feb 21, 2007)

Wow 'doba, what a treasure that site is!!! I just spent an hour going down memory lane about all the tracks. Pete, seriously consider doing the Laguna Seca layout without the 1980's extension if you want a true vintage era track. If you're set on the infield section you can always say you're having vintaqge races, but really for a period perfect layout drop turns 3 and 4. I know that makes it shorter (read: less track to buy) but for T-Jets it'll make it a little bit faster too.


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## martybauer31 (Jan 27, 2004)

Just my $.02, but I'm not always sure a classic track makes for a great slot car track...

The 6x6 just doesn't look like that much fun unless you want nothing but technical and no straights at all, it appears your longest one would be about 2.5 feet. I think the minimum straight you would want would be at least 8 feet, I love the t-jets too, but I want to get them cranked up just like my magnet cars.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Marty, the Rahal straight is 31" by design and would be the longest. I tore up the oval and ran some half-laps with the parts I could make and my JLTO Cobra, going through the front straight with those 15" sweepers I only had to breath the car in and out of them, and that's without silicones. I'm sort of looking more for a railroad layout/scenery track that a real race track. More than likely the only real racing will be with a few friends over beers, maybe teaching the new GF to race, but no serious club racing. My oval's longest straight was just at 5' and the TJ's I had were about wound out at that point. This will give the drivers something to think about, especially on 100 lappers. What I really need to find is one of those cool AFX Pit Station things they sell in Australia, that would be perfect.


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## TK Solver (Mar 18, 2004)

You weren't really asking anyone for opinions but I agree with Marty. Your layout looks like it would be frustrating to race on. Sometimes the shape of a real track doesn't portray the behavior when modeled in 1/64th scale. For all practical purposes, the 1:1 cars consider the 11-2 section a straight and are pretty much wide open until approaching the hairpin. Consider the possibility of extending the 9-10-11 section so that the 11-2 section is straight. Maybe use a couple of 18" curves at point 10 and orient the hairpin at 3:00 instead of 1:30.

Then again, if you're more interested in building a model than racing on it, your current design would look more accurate.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Thanks guys, input is always welcome.

I looked at the 1983 CART race, I also found a video of a guy playing Laguna Seca in Grand Prix Legends in 1967, the middle of my proposed era. From that I reshaped the design a little.










Gone is the infield section, and the sweepers from what was turn 11 through to what was turn 6 are the 18" radius corners TOMY now has. While this won't allow flat-out through that section it will allow those with big brass ones to carry as much speed through there as possible, and accounts for an 8' high speed section. It also allows it to keep some of the historical shape. It also allowed me to extend the turn 10 to turn 11 straight some, and flattened out the main straight to the start/finish line.

How this look so far?


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## Montoya1 (May 14, 2004)

Riverside?


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## vaBcHRog (Feb 19, 2003)

martybauer31 said:


> Just my $.02, but I'm not always sure a classic track makes for a great slot car track...
> 
> The 6x6 just doesn't look like that much fun unless you want nothing but technical and no straights at all, it appears your longest one would be about 2.5 feet. I think the minimum straight you would want would be at least 8 feet, I love the t-jets too, but I want to get them cranked up just like my magnet cars.


At least 8 feet? That throws out all the door tracks and 4 X 8 tracks out the window as you can not get an 8 foot straight on a 4 X 8 sheet of plywood. Pete's track with the elevation changes would definatley be a handling track and punch would be more important than speed. It would be a great TJET track to race on. Also a well tuned TJET will surprise you on a track like this 

Roger Corrie


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## TK Solver (Mar 18, 2004)

I like the new layout. It would be fun to drive. Here's a wild idea... What if you had the cars swap lanes in the lower right corner then again in the upper left corner? I can envision two cars battling on this course and having them swap lanes would capture some of the intensity of a real race as the trailing car peeks out to try to pass. The dust flies into the goggles of the driver of the white snake eyes cobra trying to get around the sinister and diabolical driver of the black Corvette GS. By swapping at those two spots, both lanes would get time on the outside of curves. On the other hand, it's often a little kooky to use those criss-cross tracks so maybe the kid in me has taken over momentarily.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Actually TK that was considered, since the corkscrew is going to be the equalizer it would be good to swap just before it, and back right before going onto the home stretch. A neighbor had a pair of the 18" corners so I set up the main straight all the way to what is now the Rahal Straight. I almost got through wide open with a silicone shod JLTO with a Fairlane body in the inside lane, just having to breath it through the last corner without much of a loss of speed. There are two elevation changes here I didn't model for this test, the downhill into the first sweeper and then the uphill to what is now turn 3. That may make a difference on braking into turn 1, we shall see. 

I spent an hour on the RSC site last night looking at pictures of the SCCA Nationals cars in 1964-1967, and this is the class of body I want. This includes A.C. Cobra's as well as Cobra 427's, Covettes from 1958-1964 including the stingray, Sunbeam Tigers (ala maxwell Smart), Triumph Spitfires and TR250's, Austin Healey Sprite's, Early Porsche 911's and 904 GTS, Early Camaro's and GT-350 Mustangs, Convertible Jag E-Types and Lotus Elan's. This covers A-Production through D-Production cars for that period. That, combined with some period woodies with surfboards in the infield, maybe some naked spectators playing in the mud and Beach Boys music blaring on the speakers, this will be a nice layout. At least it is in my head.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

A few more video's have been found, and a very nice set of pictures were sent by staff at Laguna Seca itself are helping. They want pictures once it's done, so now I HAVE to finish this one. About the most useful were the geographic elevation diagrams I've found, even though they are from the current era I can pretty much work with the rest from the pictures and video's I've seen. The cross overs are in the design now, the location puts the same amount of insides and outsides for each lane. Once I can lay it out I'll measure it to be sure.


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## Scafremon (Dec 11, 2006)

Pete,

I think it is awesome the thought you are you putting into this track. It's a real eye opener for someone like myself, as I tend to focus on how big of a table can I build, and how much track can I put on it. 

I'm going to enjoy reading about this progress on this track. And like you said, you are committed to it, so keep us updated! :thumbsup:


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Scarf, I wish I had a 12X12 area to make this twice as big, but I think this will be about the perfect size for T-Jet's and maybe some XT Can-Am cars.


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## Martin Simone (Feb 21, 2007)

6X6 is good enough. But scratch build all of the marshal stands and bleachers, the guard rail is on the outside of the main straight even after the track drops away after turn 1. There were marshal flag stands about every 500' on the real track but if you can put them at the entry of each corner I think that would be good enough. There were a lot more trees inside of the fall away section after the corkscrew, especially on the infield side. Also on the downhill from turn 6 to turn 7 there was a bluff there and the beginning of the spectator fence. The pit road was a lot shorter. It had the entrance maybe 200' before turn 8 but it came back onto the track at the start/finish line. Most of the bleachers were along the front straight, between turn 1 and 2, and between turn 6 and 7. From what I can remember the hippies didn't drive woodies but find some stock VW vans, primer them up and maybe paint flowers and peace signs on them. My dad says they were mostly in the wooded area near the corkscrew because it was one of the few places with running water. Hope that helps.


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## Martin Simone (Feb 21, 2007)

Also just to throw this in, if I'm measuring right with the layout you show with the criss crosses your track should be about 23' per lap. That's like a 1/3rd mile scale for T-Jets and not a bad distance.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

I had 28' 9" but that was with the infield section I believe.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Here's the first of about half a dozen scaffolds that I'll be building for Laguna Seca 1967. The will be about 2 1/2" tall and have enough room for two marshals. 










That's a T-Jet for scale under it, and the figures are Fujimi aircraft carrier deck crew. I'll post another picture once it's painted.

The other thing is I found a perfect Cobra 427 diecast, dimensions are perfect for the T-jet. If a resin caster out there is interested I'll trade the diecast for a few resin copies!!!!


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## RacerDave (Mar 28, 2006)

Looking good Pete. I am enjoying watching this project unfold. Thanks for keeping us updated and involved. Dave.


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## Martin Simone (Feb 21, 2007)

Me too. But I want to reserve a car for your first race...










This is from the SCCA National Virginia, it's an A Production Cobra owned by Roger Penske...and driven by Mark Donahue. Built this one and I'll come race it.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

Looks like an A.C. 289, not a 427. That's fine, I'll do the body, you do the chassis.


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## Pete McKay (Dec 20, 2006)

The first scaffold is done.










I painted them red, not sure what color they are really but in black and white pictures they're a darker color, not silver or gray, so I'm guessing red. There are 7 scaffords seen in the Grand Prix Legends video on youtube (see Laguna Seca 1967), six are this size and one is much larger and at the start-finish line. I'm building the bigger one now, this finished one will go in the turn 1 area. I have a couple of small buildings to make as well. I'm also working on sign boards, corner countdown markers and other stuff.


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