Australian Slot Car Racers Association

Dear Racers, Now the dust has settled on the APC ( Which was a great event, and a whole bunch of us from HSC are planning our attack on next years race). The N.S.W STATE TITLES for Plafit cars is our next BIGGG Race.
Sat, 11th DEC, 6.00pm.....GROUP C
Sun, 12th Dec, 9.00am.....1/32nd
Sun, 12th Dec, 1.00pm......Can-am
Group-C is a normal sprint race, not the usual 2hr teams race. Entry Fee per class is $15.00. Can-am should finish at 5.00pm. There is Qual,consie,semi's and final in all classes. Iám expecting 25 in each class.
Trophies will be awarded for TQ,Concourse,1st,2nd &3rd.( concourse is drivers choice in each class)Rules are the 2009 QLD Rules.
Wayne

Wayne,

What bodies for Group C ???

I vote for Andrew's 15 thou lexan bodies.

You've got my vote too.

Geoff

OK, Group c will be .015'' ACE bodies, Rules and car weight to follow.
Love Wayne

then its not a hardbody race after all
the idea of racing plafit chassis was to use model cars and convert them to slot cars
(thats what we use) that includes can ams,and whatever classes there is.
just my two bob

SG1, The idea behind changing Group C to lexan bodies, was to get more people racing this class. Instead of a body costing $150.00 and smashing too bits on the first corner. Now they can get a lexan body for $40.00 and it should last all year. The model bodies will still be used at the APC.
Wayne

Is there anything in the works to do something with Plafits new 1/32 Ez RTR chassis?
Seems at $55 and all you need to do is bolt a shell on her would be a good way for Plafit newbies like myself to enter some racing without the big price tag.

Learn how to Scratch-build your Own chassis and it will be Even Cheaper !!!

Scratch build? Seems kinda pointless seeing Plafit rules such as Group C dictate that you need only Plafit manufactured parts etc. You would be scratch building for nothing!
The only reason I asked about the EZ RTR chassis is because it seems like a viable option for a entry class when you consider $55 for running gear, maybe $10 lexan body & interior, splash a bit of paint about and you have a Plafit car for under $70.
That to me seems pretty cost effective compared to my Modern GT car which was $100 for RTR red devil and another $65 for a Ninco Ascari that I only needed the shell of = Nearly 100 bucks extra.
Anyways its only an idea and I was only asking the question

Oh Yes !!,..I Most Thoroughly agree !!,..I was being fascetious !!,..Build Your Own Car and Race Retro !!,..
and Hey the Point was There IS More to the World of Slot Racing than Just Plafit,..and I for One Vote NOT to Have ANOTHER Plafit Meccano Class That Costs Even More,..Even if it Does 'appear' to be a Bargain,..My investment,..like yours has cost me More than Enough thankyou !!!,..lol
We already Have;
1/32 Modern GT
1/24th CanAm / Sports
1/24th Group C
1/24th JPGT
1/24th F1

PLUS, the So Called 'Vintage' guys and 'Other' Model Car guys Also run Plafit.

Do we Really Need Another !!?? There ARE Other Manufacturers of Meccano cars out there as well !!!

I appreciate what you are saying,..

Amazingly,..in the World of US 1/32 and 1/24th Hatrd Body Racing,..a LOT of Scratch Built Chassis are Run,..as well I have Noticed in Many of the 1/32 'Proxy' Series of races.

Some Brass and Piano wire,..a Bit of Pactice and you can Build a Very Good car that Doesn't 'Require' you to Buy ANY manufacturers Part to be Legal,...I Kinda Like THAT !!

All very good points Stoo and building a chassis from scratch does seem like a bloody good challenge.
Speaking of other meccano chassis classes does anyone know what has become of the MJK Nascar class? It was very popular at the MCN in Dapto last year.
Would love to attend the NSW State Titles this year but will be in Miami Florida, seems like lately I'm missing out on a lot of good events due to other commitments etc

Well may I suggest to all those with 'Interests', concerns etc re The Next MCN (to be held at HSC), that you make contact with either james or Wayne at HSC and Discuss the various Classes and Possibilities etc.


Apologies for Partial Thread Hijacking !!,..lol

Stoo and Luke, both good points.

My argument for stoo is how many scratch builders are currently out there and racing.

Look at the racers at HSC where this retro deal has the biggest following and there is a handful and there are alot of Oz product cars out there and for $200 odd dollars it is not cheap.

Yeah Plafit aint cheap as well but coming from a commercial point of view the raceways need to cater to the majority and even though the minority are faithful tragics that have been around for a long long time, a commercial raceway will not make alot of $$$ from those as the material will be bought or has been out sourced and there is a small selection of stuff that has been bought from your local slot car center.

The later model stuff be it plafit, mjk or the like is good for commercial raceways and newbys and can be a good way to get those who want to further expand their slot car collection into scratch built stuff.

I have heard about these affordable chassis and i cannot see why they cannot be run locally with a broader point of view to a national deal and then possibly be used at State or National events.

From my point of view though, it seems there is not "broader view" for some and it affects all types of racing and before you think i am poo pooing scratch built stuff, Drag racing is nothing but scratch built and when there really only one guy in NSW that builds all the drag cars here (unless brought from ebay or OS) i know i would prefer cars that at least 50% of the racers could build themselves.

I personally like the lexan body idea and its a plafit title so it does not need to be a model.

the JTGT is not hugely popluar anywhere south of SE QLD and the F1 looks like its almost impossible for a F1 body lol, i have had a car for almost 12 months without a body lol.

Scratch built is very much a niche market so those racers that love that stuff need to be careful on trying to introduce too many scratch built classes as i think retro and F1 are quite good and plenty to accommodate the older style racer.

Without rambling too much longer we are all on the outer with 1/32 scalextric style racing and classes as this will be the most popular form of racing before we know it and flexis with become what retro racing is, a "niche market".

Plucka

Yes,..thoroughly agree, almost on all points,..but let's be Real as well,..the Scratch-building comments ALSO Relate to these Plafit Cars.
Just HOW Many people out there, have actually 'Assembled' their Own car?,..(How many did You Build ??,..lol)

I can,..almost Just Like in Retro, 'Count' those that Have built their Own Plafit car themselves on one hand!!
WayneB, has 'built' Nearly ALL of Them !!
New Racers Aren't Learning Much these days !!,..Not even How to Fasten 'Nuts and Bolts' !!!

As they Hang there on the wall,..They are NOT RTR, and Unless a Raceway, has a Dedicated 'Builder', then arguably, they aren't Much good for them either. In fact, apart from perhaps young Declan, (who Also comes from a Scaley background), I cannot think of Any other New or Young racers, that have 'Gotten Involved' as such, Because of the Plafit Cars,..Yet he has Also Raced Retro's with us Previously !!

Heck, take a look at the Pics of the Racing at HSC and you will see Exactly the Same, arguably 'Older' (sorry Guys), faces as Race Retro,..in Fact one could argue the Plafit cars success at HSC Has been Partly through the fact that The 'Regular' bunch of Racers and Older Retro guys, 'Took them Up' as such !!

That to me, is Not a Great portent of 'The Future of Slot Racing'.

You know, there Was a Time when Raceways actually Did Exist and Function,..for MANY Years, when virtually All 'Classes' of Racing involved Scratch-built cars,..If I spend My 'Hard Earned' dollars on some tools like a Dremel, (Of which Very Good El Cheapo units are now easily available), a Nibbler, some Files and a Soldering Iron, then My 'Expenditure' will be about the Same as ANY 'Track Built' Car,..Yet with Now only a Small expenditure for more Wire and Brass etc, I can 'Build' cars for MUCH Less and Have possibly MANY Cars!!,..for which I NOW Need Tyres, Bodies, bearings, Motors etc, etc,...Perhaps it is a Skill WORTH Learning, AND Promoting,..AGAIN,..within the Confines of 'Commercial' Raceways.

Arguably one that Perhaps could be 'Creatively' arranged with Local Schools etc, as the 'Skills' Learned,..ARE Useful !!
May I suggest the Lack of Scratch-building in Drags is also Very Sad,..if what you say, is the Case.


In Regard to the 'Home Set' crowd, that Was partly what I was going On about regarding the MCN,..as you say Plucka, it is the 1/32 Plastic Car brigade,..with all the Big Numbers at the Moment !!

You Must Also remember, that Wompy's and Flexis come from MY Era of Slot Racing !!!,..a Damn Long time ago !!!
Really Moved ahead in 30 Years eh !!??,.... NOT,...lol

Just HOW Many people out there, have actually 'Assembled' their Own car?,..(How many did You Build ??,..lol)

i did and built more than a hundred cars for my friends and relos
and had been building these cars since 1998.
unfortunately beeing ridiculed by the blob racers all the time.
being bullied in the tracks as well....and worst is our cars when marshalled are SLAMMED on the tracks to be broken.

STOOO you are very right!! very few build their own cars ,no wonder , they don't care whether they break them or other peoples cars
i was told that these cars are CRAP MECCANOS
. now they're trying to build and race them using "blob" bodies and telling me how to build them
thats because theydon't know how to build a car and don't know how to drive a hardbody racer


i still tell them my other chassis is better than this plafit they're selling .

i still tell them to run it on the big tracks !!!
these cars weren't just made to run on the flat and short tracks.
we build these cars almost to the exact replica of the real cars that raced on the real tracks.
and when these guys get annoyed because the real things are on the table , they bully and ban the person who has spoken the truth :lol