R4/5 Retro racing Webcast at Tom Thumb Hobbies 11/3/12

[stoo23]

Hi all,

I noticed some 'posts' over on SlotBlog concerning the R4/5 Webcast of the Retro racing at Tom Thumb Hobbies in Columbus Ohio this weekend.

The Amazing thing about it, was the Number of Entrants in the various classes for the event.

They have already run the GT/Coupe's on Friday and had 66 entries !!!
F1's on Saturday had 65 entries !!!

For those that might be interested, the CanAm race is yet to run, (it being on Sunday US), so you can check it out if you are interested.

Here are the 'links' for the 'threads at SlotBlog about the event;
http://slotblog.net/topic/35502-retro-r ... msearch__1

http://slotblog.net/topic/35477-webcast ... msearch__1

The above link gives the address for the 'Live' Web link, including Live Timing and Laps, but is available Directly here;
http://www.tomthumbhobbies.com/LiveTiming/

Having been following Cody Bramble's racing in the US at a couple of events at both Buena Park Raceway and last night at Dallas, where in all honesty, the numbers were sadly rather Small, there being Only 1 Entry in Int' 15, (Cody), 4 entries in G27, 9 in OMO and only 7 in Grp7,..it makes for an interesting comparison !!!

I mean heck,..getting 60 Plus entries for ANY slot car race Anywhere these days is an amazing outcome and I guess, really puts into sharp focus the True Popularity of Retro racing in the US.

One would Have to suggest that NO other form of slotting is getting Anywhere Near those numbers, for ANY other class, arguably Anywhere in the World !!

Pretty Impressive really and kinda reminds me of what Aussie slotting was like Way back when I was still a kid !!!

[stoo23]

The Webcam is Live now, for practice and the Visual 'Feed' with audio is Excellent and Very smooth,..especially compared to the same thing from Dallas for the Wing races.

The 'Live' timing also seems to be much smoother and Instantaneous,..looks like a Huge crowd there !!!

[stoo23]

CanAm qualifying has started and the web feed looks great.

There are 35 entries in Group A !! and 35 in Group B !!
70 entries in CanAm !!,..Wow !!!

Ron Hershman of Outisight Bodies fame, TQ'd and set a New Retro Track Record with a Very Fast 4.662 around Tom Thumb's Very Good Original Blue King.

[Koford1]

Stu, that looks like an old AMF style king, those times are quite fast. Falcon motors????

[stoo23]

Yeah Charles,..Tom Thumb,..Like Waitara, is one of the Few raceways that has been in existence in the Same location since it started and is about the same age as Waitara,..So, Yes that IS an Original 'American' Blue King and is apparently one of the best in the country.

Certainly Looks very nice and appears to be Very smooth.

Fast ?,..Yes,..Falcon's for sure, or the Pro-slot Puppy Dog motors.

[stoo23]

Amazingly,..the Final is running Now !!

Have been watching it since about the 5th bracket,..they are in the 7th bracket now,..guess that's what happens when you that many entries.

VERY clean racing as one would expect,..Hershman is leading at the moment, followed by Chris Radisich and Rande Marshall, with Only 2 laps between 1st and 6th.


Ron Hershman wins, with 289 laps, followed by Chris Radisich on 288 laps, with Rande Marshall finishing just inches ahead of James Merriman for 3rd, both of them being on 286 laps, followed by Matt Bruce 285 laps, Tom Lauterbach 281 laps, Rick Benardo Jr 279 laps and finally Ralph Thorne with 242 laps.

It was interesting watching the event, as one could 'chat' with many of the Viewers,...I was chatting with Oscar Morales and spent quite a bit of time talking with Steve Kempson from the UK,..amongst others,..

[ozproducts]

Yea Chuckie i've raced opens on that track many times. It has always been very smooth, even back in the 80's

[Koford1]

Just had a thought, which probably developed around tracks/centre gone by and the huge entry list at Tom Thumb.
Just Imagine retro racing on the old original G&D layout, yep you got it before the dog leg was cut out. Thats going back in time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WB you'd remember it and Stu and Fox and maybe James as well.
Be nice to another scale track in NSW maybe with a little more straight, coupled with the demanding esses and dogleg to compliment the great track we race on at Hornsby.
LoL Todays Retro cars would probably be on par with the sedans raced in the Geoghegan at G&D in the late 70's, when the entry list was somewhere around the Tom Thumb numbers!
anyway enough reminicsing, back to work .....groan!!!!

[ozproducts]

Chuckie , I've always said to Garry he should build a Modern day G &D Yes it would be great.
Wayne

[Koford1]

With todays technology we could probably update the old car extraction method from th doughnut ie the garbage bin, maybe something like an automatic process similiar to when you go bowling and the car jut comes out of the chute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[lindsayb]

I remember racing at GD's first track in Phillip St, then in Mick Simmons building on another track before they got the old Villawood track. I actually think the track before would have been a good retro track.

Dont forget they used to hold the Brabham trophy race on the Hill Climb with F1 cars.

[stoo23]

Yes Charles,..I have often discussed that Same concept with Both Wayne and Garry J regarding a Modern G&D Track,..in fact you could almost Fit it in at Waitara !!!,..

BUT,..as I am sure yourself, Wayne, Lindsay and Fox would remember, from that Same time when G&D was above Mick Simmonds,....there was I think a Matich Trophy race that had Over 130 entries !!!

I was there with Hutcho' and Fox at about 8.00 or 8.30am and had a Daphne Breakfast,..(I think I made it to about the 'D' Consie!!,...lol) and the final finished about 1.00 or 2.00am !!!

Those were the days,..eh !!??

As I said,..I don't remember ANY Slot Racing event over the past few years that had That many entries,..and Plafit are supposed to be the Best thing to happen to Slot Racing ,..and is the Future of Slot Racing,...Hmmm,..Yeah Right !!!,..lol,....NOT,..!!!,....

We Really Will Have to try and Drum up support for the Retro Nat's and try and get as Many as possible to Attend !!

I'd Love to be rich enough to Travel to the States and attend races like the 'Checkpoint Cup' at BPR or the R 4/5 or Sano races,..in Fact Wouldn't it be Great to be able to get people Like John Cukras, Terry Schmidt, Bryan Warmack, John Gorski or Mike Steube to come Here for a race !!,..thinking of that,..it would also be Great to get some of the Tokyo Retro racers like Tebu and Haruki San to come here for a race !!!