# NE Ohio HO slot car enthusiasts wanted



## Ohio_Danimal (Jan 13, 2012)

I originally posted this in the Intro section as I needed my obligatory 3 posts to start a thread.

The last 10 years my friend and I have been running on a large 4 lane Lock and Joiner track in my buddy's basement in Brimfield Ohio (next to Kent Ohio). 

The table and track have a lot of history, having been purchased from an Estate sale from John Force's grandfather (the famous funny car driver). John used to race on it as a child.

We also have a smaller 4 lane landscaped soldered and glued Tomy track that is more suitable for Tjets.
These Friday night races have gone on a loooong time. They usually involve some VERY good food and plenty of beer. Racing had been fun and fast, as we not only race the older Aurora T-jets and Magnatractions, but also run modern full Magnet cars like Patriots, etc.

Last August a close friend of ours who attended every week died and now it's really down to just my buddy Mike and I. Sometime a few others come by from out of town, but still...

So a few weeks ago Mike and I started the cleanup of the track to prepare for this Winter's racing (we only run in the Winter. In warm weather we are too busy riding our motorcycles) and were having difficulty getting the track to run well. Every year it gets harder and harder to get all the electrical gremlins out of the old lock and joiner track.


So we decided to rebuild the track using all new Tomy components. This process is going on right now and will be completed in a week or two. 


















So I am posting here on the outside chance that some NE Ohio slot nuts may want to participate. 

Racing is usually Friday nights, but can easily be done Saturdays if needed. The location is at the intersection of Rt43 and I76.

So...anyone interested?

Also, there are multiple couches and a futon if anyone drinks too much and doesn't want to drive home that night 

Anyone interested can email me for more details at [email protected]

Thanks for your time!

Update:
We finished grinding the connecting tabs over the weekend and have assembeled the new layout with dialectric grease on the rail zags.
The turn borders were done and turned out great! 
I read a bit here and there about folks looking for ideas on nice, cheap borders for Tomy track. Here's what we did and it turned out great.
McMaster Carr sells a 50ft roll of 1/4x1" rubber strip with adhesive back very cheaply.
As it is still a bit low for Tomy track, we used double-sided foam tape you can get at most Wally worlds or anywhere. It raises the strip up even with the track and is easily trimmed to fit great.
My reed switches will arrive today. All that's needed now is to countersink the track mount holes and screw the track down firm. Then superglue the rails in and go to town with my Slottech rail hone. Once done it'll be like glass (is already running well for everything BUT Tjets. We were able to get a few Tjets running well last night but it took a ramp on the face of the shoes to get by the rail edges where the tracks join together, which the honing will resolve.)

So...anyone in my area want to check out the new track?


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## slotking (May 27, 2008)

go look up OHIO HOPRA
they have a lot racers and may be able to help or race with you

go to HOPRA.net and look up the ohio reps


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## Ohio_Danimal (Jan 13, 2012)

slotking said:


> go look up OHIO HOPRA
> they have a lot racers and may be able to help or race with you
> 
> go to HOPRA.net and look up the ohio reps


Thanks 'King

Most of them are fairly south of us, although Canton is only 45 min away.

Not sure if the hardcore guys would be satisfied at Brimtuckey Int'l Raceway.

As touched on earlier, it's more about getting in a groove, running fast laps and eating and drinking lol.

I guess it'll just stay small. Too bad as the track is starting to smooth out 9honing the rails this weekend) and the layout rocks!


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## neorules (Oct 20, 2006)

John Warren has run a racing group for many yrs in the Cleveland area also J&B Raceway in Fremont OH has racing.


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## Sir Slotsalot (Jan 23, 2010)

Dan,

The track looks awesome!! If you are going to "hone" the rails, a fingernail buffing block works great. Abrasion is very gentle. Rails will be ultra smooth and bright. Clean up is easy as there is very little residue. Buffing blocks are found at any Walmart for $2 bucks. One of the best tools in my track box.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Trim-Nail-Care-Implement-Buffing-Block-1-ct/10413888

Hope this helps.


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## Ohio_Danimal (Jan 13, 2012)

Sir Slotsalot said:


> Dan,
> 
> The track looks awesome!! If you are going to "hone" the rails, a fingernail buffing block works great. Abrasion is very gentle. Rails will be ultra smooth and bright. Clean up is easy as there is very little residue. Buffing blocks are found at any Walmart for $2 bucks. One of the best tools in my track box.
> 
> ...


I already have a Slottech honing tool from Tony P.

Thanks for the tip though.

The old track that it is replacing was a lot of fun for a long time. It was just a pain in the ass to maintain the lock and joiner mess.

So now it's just a couple of drops of superglue on each rail section, press the rails in and let dry...and then honing.

Reed switches go in this weekend too.


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## Ohio_Danimal (Jan 13, 2012)

Here's a few more pics

The smaller 4lane Tomy. Track glued and soldered and filled. Small Labda power supply. No timing setup but great fun with Tjets. Had working streetlights and lit Exxon sign in the pits when newer









Picture of the big track when it was all lock and joiner. Many years of fun for us, and as I said earlier, was owned by John Force's Grandfater and used heavily in the late 60s









and a short video from about 2 years ago where you get to see my buddy's gut hang out a few minutes in lol
http://s167.photobucket.com/albums/u123/Danimal_album_photos/?action=view&current=101_0083.mp4


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## Ohio_Danimal (Jan 13, 2012)

couple of more pics. Honing of the rails nearly done. Smooth as silk so far.
The layout we changed a bit...more technical with two chicane sections now. Lots of fun tho








resin body Ford Fairlane, Skinny silicones, SuperII magnets, stock Tjet arm and gearing








another resin body Tjet. This one with taller gearing. I think a 9t is better for this track, even with the loss in top end








Another resin Ford Galaxy. Needs painted








Resin Cheetah...this one's fast








Pit row...next to my Defalco








here's the secondary chicanes we added. Fun stuff


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## 2.8powerranger (Dec 13, 2004)

Nice track! Im 35 mi south of Columbus so its a little far for me. Check out central ohio h.o slotcar racers ass...[c.o.h.o.r.a ]they race all over,,,great bunch of guys they have a circuit the run several different tracks around central ohio every saturday night.


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

There's a lot of slot car activity in the NE Ohio region. It may be one of the better areas in the country from a slot car perspective, from great race centers like Mark's Model World in Canton (right across the street from the Pro Football Hall of Fame) to one of the best long running swap meets in existence with the twice a year show in Richfield. 

Mark's Model World has three amazing 1:24 tracks, a fully instrumented drag strip, and there is always a top notch HO track setup with nightly and weekly racing with TJets, Magnatraction/XT, and box stock magnet cars running on a rotating schedule on Wednesday nights. Some of the adjacent racing groups from PA, WV, and other parts of Ohio will sometimes host races at Mark's including VASCRA TJet racing and the 1:24 retro series. If you are close to Mark's and want to meet other enthusiasts from the area and region, Mark's is a great place to meet them and can serve as the hub of your racing interests. The shop owner Mark Kitto is a great guy and extremely knowledgeable about all things slot car related besides being a world class slot car racer.

The Ohio HOPRA is quite active in the area with at least a half dozen races per season, culminating with the 12 Hours of Ohio Enduro race in the spring, the ultimate test of superstock racing endurance for both cars and drivers. It's not unusual to see teams from the East Coast and PA show up for the Enduro. If you're looking to learn from and test your skills against some of the best racers in the country, these guys will help show you the way to pick up your game.


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## Ohio_Danimal (Jan 13, 2012)

AfxToo said:


> There's a lot of slot car activity in the NE Ohio region. It may be one of the better areas in the country from a slot car perspective, from great race centers like Mark's Model World in Canton (right across the street from the Pro Football Hall of Fame) to one of the best long running swap meets in existence with the twice a year show in Richfield.
> 
> Mark's Model World has three amazing 1:24 tracks, a fully instrumented drag strip, and there is always a top notch HO track setup with nightly and weekly racing with TJets, Magnatraction/XT, and box stock magnet cars running on a rotating schedule on Wednesday nights. Some of the adjacent racing groups from PA, WV, and other parts of Ohio will sometimes host races at Mark's including VASCRA TJet racing and the 1:24 retro series. If you are close to Mark's and want to meet other enthusiasts from the area and region, Mark's is a great place to meet them and can serve as the hub of your racing interests. The shop owner Mark Kitto is a great guy and extremely knowledgeable about all things slot car related besides being a world class slot car racer.
> 
> The Ohio HOPRA is quite active in the area with at least a half dozen races per season, culminating with the 12 Hours of Ohio Enduro race in the spring, the ultimate test of superstock racing endurance for both cars and drivers. It's not unusual to see teams from the East Coast and PA show up for the Enduro. If you're looking to learn from and test your skills against some of the best racers in the country, these guys will help show you the way to pick up your game.


Thanks for the summary.
I have been to Marks quite a few times in years past, racing both Tjets and Magnatractions on the corian track. Mark seemed like a great guy and it's nice to have him around for parts, etc.

I'm not so interested in the serious end of racing anymore. I prefer the home track, beer-in-hand, dinner in the oven kind of racing. 

The reason for my post was to try to get some area racers interested in more of a private experience at Brimtuckey International Raceway (our track)


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

There's more than a summary in there. There's also a formula:

_Mark's is a great place to meet them and can serve as the *hub* of your racing interests. _

HO slot car racing and the participation around it is unique and different than the bigger scales. The key difference is that a lot of HO slotters have substantial home HO tracks. Few people I know have 155 ft Blue King 1:24 scale tracks in their basement. This difference is very important when it comes to HO. Having a premium and full featured racing facility in your area that has some focus on HO slot car racing is a unique and rare opportunity to meet fellow HO slotters. If the race place has weekly HO slot car racing, especially of the stock and near stock classes, there's a very good possibility that some of those people are mixing it up on their home tracks on occasion. These same people that race together once a week at the "hub" or race facility are very likely the same sort of people who are interested in periodically getting together on other nights and even rotating between the home tracks. 

The perfect scenario for HO slot car enthusiasts and racers is the "hub and spoke" model where the hub is a full featured race facility (with parts and service) and the spokes are the home tracks of the people who rendezvous periodically at the hub. The hub provides a common/neutral ground for racing and getting together as a single semi organized group and it forms a common group identity. A prominent hub also attracts new racers. The spokes provide an opportunity to bring other people and tracks into the mix and reach out to other enthusiasts who are not yet aligned around the hub. Spokes allow for more heightened individual participation and sharing because hosting a race or get together requires more effort on the part of the host. Hosting should be shared. The spokes also allow diversity both in tracks, venues, and racing classes but also in the race night experience. To me this is the absolute best case scenario you could ever have in the HO slot car space. If you're missing the hub or if you're missing the spokes you are giving up what could be the most rewarding, highly attended, and diverse HO slot car experience possible. 

If you live in proximity to what could be the perfect hub for building the perfect HO slot car experience then my advice would be to take advantage of that opportunity. It isn't going to happen overnight and it is going to require socialization among racers, but if you're going to do it then why not shoot for the best case outcome? 

I think if you get a network of HO enthusiasts together around a hub and spoke model you'll find that the "I'm not a serious racer" thing is a moot point. Just about all HO slotters are also basement hacks that will race any class of car at any given time and really enjoy the social experience as much as the racing itself. There are actually very few HO racers who take it too seriously and a lot more who just like having a good time among friends. 

Just my 2 cents worth of advice.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Nice tracks and track history :thumbsup: But I'm from Central PA., but sure as heck- if I Lived within 50 miles of you, I'd been your newest buddy and love to race on those tracks and your style of Racing.


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## Ohio_Danimal (Jan 13, 2012)

AfxToo said:


> There's more than a summary in there. There's also a formula:
> 
> _Mark's is a great place to meet them and can serve as the *hub* of your racing interests. _
> 
> ...


If I wanted to go to Marks to recruit slot car buddies I would. If I wanted to do that I would end up at Rt.93 where I feel more comfortable and welcome (always seemed to not feel welcome at Marks by the regulars...especially if I was doing well. In Magnatraction racing I lost count of the times I had other racers accuse me of cheating there after handing them a loss. I always took it in stride though, knowing that my car was legal and just a rocket. If I had gone there more often I guess I would have BEEN a regular and felt more at home)

Perhaps you can interpret that to meaning that I really don't want what it is I am asking for (additional people at our track), but I think that it is because I am just lazy.
The time I have for HO slot cars is limited. Once warmer weather arrives we barely ever race, as I have other hobbies that consume my time in warmer weather. 
Maybe I really just wanted to show off our new track and say hello in an attempt to create an internet presence for myself concerning THIS hobby.
I do appreciate the time you took to convey your thoughts in written word, but my days of going to commercial tracks for any reason seem to be behind me. Who knows though....that could change.


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

Danimal, I wish you all the best with your venture and I certainly respect your opinion and perspective, and most of all, your courtesy. Good luck and happy slotting.


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## Ohio_Danimal (Jan 13, 2012)

Gonna revive this old thread of mine

HO slots became less of an importance in my life after Frank (Owner of Rt 93 Racetrack in Akron) passed away. He was a cornerstone of slots and a great guy and friend.

Anyways...about a month ago we got the track mentioned on this thread cleaned up and she running great....perhaps better than ever. 

Soo.....throwing this out there last minute

Anyone interested in some HO slot car running New Year's Eve (tomorrow night)?
Champagne and slots
and food
and beer
and other unmentionables lol

Track is located in Brimfield Ohio, right near where Rt 43 and I76 cross.

Will check back a few times to see if any interest. All ya gotta do is bring some Tjets or whatever clas you like (we run em all)

Dan


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