Australian Slot Car Racers Association

Hi all,

The rules for the Hornsby Plafit Series have been finalised.

Group C rules are here - http://ascra.com.au/pdf/Hornsby/2010_Group_C.pdf - updated again 5/2/2010

1/32 Modern GT and Historic Can-Am/Sports Car will be run under 2009 QPC rules

1/32 Modern GT Rules are here - http://ascra.com.au/index.php?option=co ... &Itemid=36

1/24 Historic Can-Am/Sports Car are here - http://ascra.com.au/index.php?option=co ... &Itemid=36

More information can be found on the ASCRA site here - http://ascra.com.au/index.php?option=co ... &Itemid=36

Hi Garry,

I'm having a bit of trouble coming to grips with some of these model car terms.

Spur - I thought that was the big gear.

Polar Length - is this something to do with global warming??

Geoff

Yeah !!! ,.. "Spur", really 'Get's my goat' as well,...lol

'Polar Length' though,..Is a rather odd 'term',..???

Ok, as far as I can see there's nothing about 'polar length' in any of the rules for this race. Follow the links, it's the 2009 QPC rules James is using for 1/32 and Can-Am.

Spur refers to the width as measured across the wheels. This is to distinguish it from the body width.

This is getting a bit old so how about giving it a miss and start supporting what James is doing.

Hi Garry,

I know I am old and dumb but why the need to distinguish between the width of the body and wheels (used to be called "track").

From what I can gather there is a problem with some of the Can Am bodies and limiting the guide length and track is an atttempt to make it a level playing field.

Seems to me that those bodies perhaps aren't scale and why not just ban them.

ie If my memory servies me correctly the Matich SR3, for example was a sports car about the size of a McLaren M6. The 1/24 version seems to have grown a fair bit.

See you at Hornsby in March,

Geoff

Hi Geoff,

Some of the bodies are very wide and the moulds seem to suffer from a condition known as "racers creep" where they mysteriously transform into wedges over time. Could be a side effect of constant back pouring.

Spur?? Well the model car racing crew just specify a maximum width and they call it spur because it doesn't relate to the body. The body can be wider than the maximum wheel width and it doesn't even get measured. This year in Queensland races we're going to 76mm maximum spur on the Can-Am and 114mm maximum guide lead (what they call polar length) to try and encourage the use of different bodies, otherwise it'd be the Matich championship.

Here's a good shot of an SR3. Try comparing it with the available bodies.



The car was actually quite small.

As far as the terminology goes I don't worry about it. It's just people trying to claim something as their own, it happens with everything. I find "guide lead" confusing, some people mean the rear axle to the guide and some mean the front axle to the guide. Fortunately it's usually easy to tell one from the other.

What do you think of the Group C rules? Any comments or suggestions for the powers that be, whoever and wherever they are.

Hey Gary,..I'm Not being 'Unsupportive of what James is trying to do',....

Heck, I have severe trouble with the flagrant re appropriation of the term 'Tectonic', by Modern Architecture,..so please, Pardon My comments re 'Spur',..but it Ain't in ANY Reference/Language dictionary I have looked at !!!,..

Actually,..Geoff,..the term 'Track', in Real Car terminology, refers to the Width of the Front and Rear Wheels, as measured to the 'Designed' Wheel Centreline, and is Not the 'Overall Width' as such.

I CAN Understand the 'Usage' of the term 'Spur, in relation to Delineating the Differences, as stated, between the Overall Width of the Body, compared to the Overall Wheel to Wheel Width !! It's just a Bad Word choice IMHO

Once again, the 'Pink Pig', is a Great 'Scale' Example, as although the Body, 'In Scale', would be Well over that of a Standard 917 'Porka', the actual Track Width Increase, was only a couple of inches, which was More to do with Airflow and aerodynamics, rather than an attempt to get a Wider Track.

Personally, I am somewhat surprised that the Matich SR3 is as Popular as it is, and can Only tend to agree, that it is Probably due to the available bodies being Completely 'Out of Scale' compared to the Real Car.

Having actually stood Very close to The Original SR3 & SR4's Waaay Back,..they were Both Very Small Cars, as compared to what was becoming the 'Norm' overseas in either Interserie or CanAm,..I would suggest that even though the McLaren M6 is also a relatively smallish CanAm Car, it Ain't No 'Petite' little Thing!
M6's and M8's etc are Damn Wide! M20's, have a Huge Plan Form, like a 917/30.
The Notorious and Oft' disliked (love it or Hate it) Autocoast Ti22 was one Damn Wide car, as was the Ferrari 612 and 712's and the March 707 another Super Wide beastie. Compared to say Lotus 30's and 40's, Lola T-70's, Chevron B-16's etc, they were Monsters,..a bit like Comparing Speedway Super Modified's with Sprint cars!!,..lol

I think trying to stick to True Scale Bodies, results in the 'Racers' eventually 'Navigating their way' towards the body that is Invariably the Widest and gives the greatest latitude in all it's other dimensions,.it's almost a No Brainer,... lol
This has even been 'Noted' as a 'Problem' within both the 1/32 Gt class and I would Imagine Group C as well, as in Both situations, there are Bodies that Are Quite a Bit Wider/Longer/Both!,..lol that from the choices, tend to 'Limit' a Racer's choice !!,.. Say No More,...lol

I can understand why the 'Handling' body dimensions 'Evolved' in the US Years ago, as it allowed the Many body Manufacturers around at the time, to all produce Bodies 'Representing' Many different current and Past Racing Cars and allowed one to make a 'Personal/Emotional choice, that would Not necessaarily place you at a disadvantage because of the Personal choice.
Mind you in some examples,..the 'Racers Creep' would definitely appear to have,..'Massaged' a few of the popular choices!!,..

I Can understand the Scale relevance with the 1/32 Modern GT and Group C,..etc, etc, especially when the Cars are Utilising 'Scale' sourced Bodies as such,..but with Lexan etc, it's a slightly Different world of realism realisation !!,...lol
Heck, even the Detail Lunatics from Germany aren't overly 'Anal' about the Exactness of the 'Scale' of the Car being represented in their series.
It has More to do with the Added Detail, Paint, Driver, Wheels etc, to Add to the 'Effective' Scale Appearance of the car,..I can 'Dig' it !!!,..ROFL


To Myself, 76mm seems somewhat 'Narrow' for a Few cars that Ran in that era. Is their a 'Cut off' as such as in the Year of When the Cars First Ran etc ??

From the look of the Can-Am/Sports body list the cutoff is 1970, which sounds about right for a 'Historic' class.

Actually it's a great class because unlike most of the Plafit classes you don't have to throw half of the car away and buy new bits to set it up right. The Excel chassis even comes with the right wheels on it. If you want to run ball bearings you need the different front axle bracket but at $4.80 it's not going to break you.

If you run enough QPC races up here sooner or later you'll get a chassis as a prize.

Hi Garry,

The Group C Rules look OK to me. Interesting that you now have to run wheel inserts (Which I agree with) and that the parts that have to be replaced include both the windscreen and side windows, and that damned hot pit seems to have disappeared.

Sorry to go on like a broken record but I am still a bit bemused at how our friends up in Qld like to carry on a.bout how their form of racing is "Scale" when their Can Am bodies clearly aren't!!!

Yes that Matich SR3 certainly was a small car.

BTW Good on James for organising his own scale racing series, maybe if he were to talk to Peter VH we could get some good national racing happening. Hey if we ever get our scale track we could even join in.

Geoff

Sorry Geoff but the 'hot pit' thing is covered by the racing regulations which are, as they've always been, "whatever James and Wayne think is a fair thing on the day".

You know we've raced with hot pits before where we had a bench so each team currently racing could set up a pit area close to the track. Anyone who thinks a hot pit is a single 2 foot square table needs to be educated (to put it as politely as I possibly can). But we already knew that didn't we

And it's not everyone in Queensland, almost all of us are quite sensible and just want to have some fun before we die.

......allowing other brands of chassis', not just Plafit's?

No, no other brands.

I spoke to Werner tonight and it seems there are only a few SLP-1 chassis available so maybe they shouldn't be allowed. I'll see what James thinks.

Regardless the 1700G should be the way to go on Hornsby.

James has agreed that the SLP-1 should not be allowed due to availability problems.

The rules will be amended shortly to reflect this change.

Hi Garry,

I don't know where you and Werner have looked for these chassis, but I know for a matter of fact they are available. Infact I ordered one yesterday. Bugger! So is there any chance of getting the rules changed back?

Mikey.

Ok, never let it be said that I'm afraid of looking stupid, sometimes I think it's my default condition.

Sorry Mikey, we were only looking at local supply.

I've spoken to James and the rule will be changed back to the original. That is, SLP-1 chassis are allowed.

If anyone wants an SLP-1 Werner might have a few chassis available, they don't seem to be on his web site yet but you can email him. Or you can ask Mikey where to get them.

Once again apologies all round, let the flaming begin.