On April 5, the usual fearsome band of misfits, wonks, and ersatz speedaholics gathered at Keith's house for the latest round of the IHSR 2007-2008 series.
And, as the title suggests, an Important New Record was set! I'm sure you're wondering what it was, e.g., the most number of racers ever? (No.) The
highest average IQ of any slot car racing group? (Are you kidding?) A new lap record of less than 0.0 seconds? (No, but it's only a matter of time.)
The new record was the Youngest Ever IHSR Slot Car Racer--namely, Kendall at not quite 4 years old! And while he comfortably held down 15th place in the LMP race, he finished in fine style and did not have the slowest average lap time. That honor went to a Dakar-riding, highly experienced racer who shall remain nameless to avoid any lawsuits... Regardless, congratulations to Kendall! Here's the young fellow himself, who appears to be giving all credit to his Dad.
As usual with our hapless group, a great time was had by all. Although some people preferred to practice diligently, with focus and dignity--such as Bob and Mike T., others like Mike H. and Charlie had fun trying to swat each other's cars as they went by...
Elsewhere, Keith is coaching Kendall, and a Towering Hayes is driving his McLaren CanAm vintage racer with his usual verve--and Mike Z., an accomplished racer himself, is gaping in amazement at Hayes' achievement. (Or was he astonished by Hayes' new found height?)
Speaking of the McLaren, here it is, still wearing most of its new orange paint!
Keith had upgraded the storage facilities for his slot car collection. They used to be kept in the Grand Ceremonial Cardboard Box (stacked about 10 deep!), but now they reside proudly on a proper shelf. (The question is, will Keith be in the doghouse with Trenna when she sees exactly how many 1/32 cars he owns??)
Here is Mike T.'s Racer Ferrari 250 LM (which is actually dark blue, not black as I was thinking). It's taking off down the infamous "Not-So-Straight" Straightaway, which launched a thousand slot cars into oblivion...
The moment that Mike T.'s (rather expensive) 250 LM went on the track, some thoughtful person decided it would be a good idea to augment the barrier at the end of the N-S-S Straightaway with something more cushioned. Before long, a spare mouse pad was carefully taped to the guard rail. It also served to protect the Family Jewels of the marshalls, in this case, Todd and Sherman!
Other nifty cars in evidence included Bob's limited-edition Mosler...
...Rodney's rapid McLaren LMP...
...Ryan's new Lancia rallye car...
...and someone's (Keith's?) gorgeous Lancia LMP.
Meanwhile, back at the pits, Charlie and Mike T. were desperately rebuilding their cars in an effort to gain a little further speed.
Speaking of the pits, in a crowded field of outstanding car builders, Sherman is beginning to stand out. In the top of his box are (i) a Slot-It McLaren F1--that Sherman painted and decaled, starting with the body-in-white kit, (ii) a Porsche LMP car (more about this momentarily), (iii) the beautiful Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer that I pictured the last time, without knowing whose it was, and (iv) something on its side.
Okay, so which of these Porsches was painted and decaled to match the other one? One is right from the factory, while the other was done by Sherman. Fantastic work and attention to detail.
Meanwhile, back in the pits, Charlie and Mike T. are still working furiously on their cars--but they've been joined by Bob, the complete picture of Intensity as he corrects a problem. (Did he perhaps miss the mouse pad?)
Well, somewhere along the way, we actually held the LMP race. On Keith's track, the stock Slot-It cars were fastest by a significant margin and filled out the top 5 places. Hayes was unstoppable with his Jaguar. It was hooked up impressively, and he drove it skillfully--fast and off-track only a couple of times. Close behind, Charlie and Jim had a ding-dong battle. (No, that doesn't mean they were throwing junk food at each other; it means the racing was very close. Sheesh...) Rodney and I filled out the top five, having had our own spirited duel. As a measure of Hayes' consistency, he won outright despite having the fifth fastest lap, behind Charlie, Jim, me, and Rodney! Next time, we're takin' away the stool... If I remember who was running which class correctly, Ryan and Mike T. finished out the LMP-stock line-up.
What about the LMP-mod cars, without magnets? Well, there was no beating Keith on his own track in this class, and he won by 5 laps over Mike Z. and Sherman. Bob and Mike H. were a bit farther back, as were Todd and Bill (both of whom we were very glad to see on hand).
Kendall won the Mini GT Class by a mile. Here, Keith tells him, "Someday, son, all this will be yours!"
Meanwhile, back in the pits, Mike T. had apparently gotten tired of standing and working frenetically on his car--so he sat down.
During tech for the magnet-less VSC cars, Hayes discovered that Mike H.'s all-conquering Lola had considerable pull from its motor magnets--enough to easily attract the Official Tech Screwdriver. Hayes says, "Hey, look what we have here!" At stage left, Mike H. protests that Hayes has impaled his car with the screwdriver in an effort to get him disqualified. Eventually, the Magnet Marshall determined that the 16 g of downforce was sufficiently low to be ignored, and the opera was over.
Here we are at VSC practice, with Ryan about to try out his green Ferrari GTO. Jim is standing nearby thinking, "Huh! That looks just like a Ferrari GTO, but it's green!" In the background, Hayes, Bill, and others are all looking down at something--as are the people shown on the TV. Someone lose a contact?
Another welcome returnee was John, pictured here in-between Hayes and Charlie. He had arrived too late for the LMP race, but he put his finned Corvette to good use in the VSC-mod class. Charlie's formerly VSC-mod 'Vette was now in VSC-stock, despite its low-rider, Tilt-o-Rama bodywork. Hmmm, let's see: who's in charge of tech these days...?
Meanwhile, back in the pits (yet again), Rodney looks Suspiciously Guilty of having been watching the Formula One qualifying that Keith had playing on the DVR...
...and the Tech Inspection Opera has resumed, with Mike looking Deeply Skeptical as Hayes describes the book he is writing on how to mold resin bodies from scratch in an environmentally friendly manner. (Maybe that's where the green GTO came from?)
The coolest new car was clearly Mike Z.'s lime-green Lola T-70 in the modified class. Not only was it beautiful, it was a rocket. Of course, it had to contend with Mike H.'s equally rocket-like dark green Lola--and in the hands of Keith, no less, since Mike H. decided to give me a run in the stock class with his Camaro.
The race in VSC-mod was one of the best we've had in a long time. There were at least 6 guys who were blindingly fast--in aphabetical order, they were Bob, Hayes, John, Keith, Mike Z., and Sherman. Hayes, Mike Z., and Sherman, in particular, shared several heats, and it was super to watch them battle it out. Who did the best typically depended on which lanes they were on. Sometimes Hayes' McLaren could very gradually close the distance to Sherman's Porsche, while Mike's Lola was doing the same. Bob and Keith were generally in different heats but were both pounding out good lap totals. In the end, Sherman won overall by a bare lap over Hayes. Keith was close behind, followed by Mike Z., Bob, and John. An outstanding race, especially for Mike Z., who had been up at 2:30 am, building the Lola for its maiden voyage! Rodney was somewhat farther back, driving his Lucite MGB, and Bill finished out the VSC-mod class with his GTO.
I decided to run my ancient TransAm Camaro in VSC-stock, since it was a bit easier to drive on Keith's diabolical track than my nominally faster '56 Corvette. It was no match for Mike H.'s Camaro and driving, however; he finished 2 laps ahead of me and with a best time of 6.999 seconds vs. my 7.318. Charlie's 'Vette was close behind, along with Jim, Todd (driving Jim's Lamborghini Miura), Mike T., and Ryan.
The race was fun throughout, although there were an above-average number of launches off the Not-So-Straight Straightaway. In addition, at one point the flat screen monitor (purportedly from Charlie's Discount Electronics Outlet) decided to jump out of its mount, landing squarely (and solidly) on the track. Fortunately, no cars were found underneath, the monitor was replaced, a "Monitor Monitor" was assigned, and the racing continued.
All in all, it was a highly enjoyable day of racing and camaraderie. Thanks for filling in at the last minute, Keith!
Rick
The new record was the Youngest Ever IHSR Slot Car Racer--namely, Kendall at not quite 4 years old! And while he comfortably held down 15th place in the LMP race, he finished in fine style and did not have the slowest average lap time. That honor went to a Dakar-riding, highly experienced racer who shall remain nameless to avoid any lawsuits... Regardless, congratulations to Kendall! Here's the young fellow himself, who appears to be giving all credit to his Dad.
As usual with our hapless group, a great time was had by all. Although some people preferred to practice diligently, with focus and dignity--such as Bob and Mike T., others like Mike H. and Charlie had fun trying to swat each other's cars as they went by...
Elsewhere, Keith is coaching Kendall, and a Towering Hayes is driving his McLaren CanAm vintage racer with his usual verve--and Mike Z., an accomplished racer himself, is gaping in amazement at Hayes' achievement. (Or was he astonished by Hayes' new found height?)
Speaking of the McLaren, here it is, still wearing most of its new orange paint!
Keith had upgraded the storage facilities for his slot car collection. They used to be kept in the Grand Ceremonial Cardboard Box (stacked about 10 deep!), but now they reside proudly on a proper shelf. (The question is, will Keith be in the doghouse with Trenna when she sees exactly how many 1/32 cars he owns??)
Here is Mike T.'s Racer Ferrari 250 LM (which is actually dark blue, not black as I was thinking). It's taking off down the infamous "Not-So-Straight" Straightaway, which launched a thousand slot cars into oblivion...
The moment that Mike T.'s (rather expensive) 250 LM went on the track, some thoughtful person decided it would be a good idea to augment the barrier at the end of the N-S-S Straightaway with something more cushioned. Before long, a spare mouse pad was carefully taped to the guard rail. It also served to protect the Family Jewels of the marshalls, in this case, Todd and Sherman!
Other nifty cars in evidence included Bob's limited-edition Mosler...
...Rodney's rapid McLaren LMP...
...Ryan's new Lancia rallye car...
...and someone's (Keith's?) gorgeous Lancia LMP.
Meanwhile, back at the pits, Charlie and Mike T. were desperately rebuilding their cars in an effort to gain a little further speed.
Speaking of the pits, in a crowded field of outstanding car builders, Sherman is beginning to stand out. In the top of his box are (i) a Slot-It McLaren F1--that Sherman painted and decaled, starting with the body-in-white kit, (ii) a Porsche LMP car (more about this momentarily), (iii) the beautiful Ferrari Berlinetta Boxer that I pictured the last time, without knowing whose it was, and (iv) something on its side.
Okay, so which of these Porsches was painted and decaled to match the other one? One is right from the factory, while the other was done by Sherman. Fantastic work and attention to detail.
Meanwhile, back in the pits, Charlie and Mike T. are still working furiously on their cars--but they've been joined by Bob, the complete picture of Intensity as he corrects a problem. (Did he perhaps miss the mouse pad?)
Well, somewhere along the way, we actually held the LMP race. On Keith's track, the stock Slot-It cars were fastest by a significant margin and filled out the top 5 places. Hayes was unstoppable with his Jaguar. It was hooked up impressively, and he drove it skillfully--fast and off-track only a couple of times. Close behind, Charlie and Jim had a ding-dong battle. (No, that doesn't mean they were throwing junk food at each other; it means the racing was very close. Sheesh...) Rodney and I filled out the top five, having had our own spirited duel. As a measure of Hayes' consistency, he won outright despite having the fifth fastest lap, behind Charlie, Jim, me, and Rodney! Next time, we're takin' away the stool... If I remember who was running which class correctly, Ryan and Mike T. finished out the LMP-stock line-up.
What about the LMP-mod cars, without magnets? Well, there was no beating Keith on his own track in this class, and he won by 5 laps over Mike Z. and Sherman. Bob and Mike H. were a bit farther back, as were Todd and Bill (both of whom we were very glad to see on hand).
Kendall won the Mini GT Class by a mile. Here, Keith tells him, "Someday, son, all this will be yours!"
Meanwhile, back in the pits, Mike T. had apparently gotten tired of standing and working frenetically on his car--so he sat down.
During tech for the magnet-less VSC cars, Hayes discovered that Mike H.'s all-conquering Lola had considerable pull from its motor magnets--enough to easily attract the Official Tech Screwdriver. Hayes says, "Hey, look what we have here!" At stage left, Mike H. protests that Hayes has impaled his car with the screwdriver in an effort to get him disqualified. Eventually, the Magnet Marshall determined that the 16 g of downforce was sufficiently low to be ignored, and the opera was over.
Here we are at VSC practice, with Ryan about to try out his green Ferrari GTO. Jim is standing nearby thinking, "Huh! That looks just like a Ferrari GTO, but it's green!" In the background, Hayes, Bill, and others are all looking down at something--as are the people shown on the TV. Someone lose a contact?
Another welcome returnee was John, pictured here in-between Hayes and Charlie. He had arrived too late for the LMP race, but he put his finned Corvette to good use in the VSC-mod class. Charlie's formerly VSC-mod 'Vette was now in VSC-stock, despite its low-rider, Tilt-o-Rama bodywork. Hmmm, let's see: who's in charge of tech these days...?
Meanwhile, back in the pits (yet again), Rodney looks Suspiciously Guilty of having been watching the Formula One qualifying that Keith had playing on the DVR...
...and the Tech Inspection Opera has resumed, with Mike looking Deeply Skeptical as Hayes describes the book he is writing on how to mold resin bodies from scratch in an environmentally friendly manner. (Maybe that's where the green GTO came from?)
The coolest new car was clearly Mike Z.'s lime-green Lola T-70 in the modified class. Not only was it beautiful, it was a rocket. Of course, it had to contend with Mike H.'s equally rocket-like dark green Lola--and in the hands of Keith, no less, since Mike H. decided to give me a run in the stock class with his Camaro.
The race in VSC-mod was one of the best we've had in a long time. There were at least 6 guys who were blindingly fast--in aphabetical order, they were Bob, Hayes, John, Keith, Mike Z., and Sherman. Hayes, Mike Z., and Sherman, in particular, shared several heats, and it was super to watch them battle it out. Who did the best typically depended on which lanes they were on. Sometimes Hayes' McLaren could very gradually close the distance to Sherman's Porsche, while Mike's Lola was doing the same. Bob and Keith were generally in different heats but were both pounding out good lap totals. In the end, Sherman won overall by a bare lap over Hayes. Keith was close behind, followed by Mike Z., Bob, and John. An outstanding race, especially for Mike Z., who had been up at 2:30 am, building the Lola for its maiden voyage! Rodney was somewhat farther back, driving his Lucite MGB, and Bill finished out the VSC-mod class with his GTO.
I decided to run my ancient TransAm Camaro in VSC-stock, since it was a bit easier to drive on Keith's diabolical track than my nominally faster '56 Corvette. It was no match for Mike H.'s Camaro and driving, however; he finished 2 laps ahead of me and with a best time of 6.999 seconds vs. my 7.318. Charlie's 'Vette was close behind, along with Jim, Todd (driving Jim's Lamborghini Miura), Mike T., and Ryan.
The race was fun throughout, although there were an above-average number of launches off the Not-So-Straight Straightaway. In addition, at one point the flat screen monitor (purportedly from Charlie's Discount Electronics Outlet) decided to jump out of its mount, landing squarely (and solidly) on the track. Fortunately, no cars were found underneath, the monitor was replaced, a "Monitor Monitor" was assigned, and the racing continued.
All in all, it was a highly enjoyable day of racing and camaraderie. Thanks for filling in at the last minute, Keith!
Rick
