WVSCA 2-Hour enduro: video and link

Check out this link to see the results from the Wyoming Valley (Pa.) Slot Car Association's 2-Hour Enduro 1st Anniversary results.

New SCX Porsche 911 - UPS

The new SCX Porsche 911 UPS deco will be available soon.

"Truth in 24" LeMans documentary coming

The trailer for "Truth in 24" let's see how long it is before I'm told to remove this...


Well I'm very glad to see that ESPN is producing a documentary (that's what we call "reality TV" these days because "documentary" sounds too educational I guess) about Audi's pursuit of a win in the 24 Hours of LeMans during 2008. In an article I just read in AutoWeek (Jan.26th edition page 38) there's a description of the filming of the documentary, "Truth in 24" and it struck me that it's about damn time that racing got some kind of TV show. We have lots of reality shows with drunken fools and crab fishing Alaskans (BTW, I love Deadliest Catch so no emails please) but nothing to show the real drama that unfolds on the track from race-to-race about sports car racing. Recognizable cars (which are much closer to what you will see on the street...ok not the LMP's), races held at night, in the rain, what's not to like?

BTW, you've got to check out the promo's on the website...http://www.truthin24.com/#/the_story/

The story line, according to AutoWeek is that Audi is no longer the favorite (uh...ok) at LeMans and they're in a heated battle with the attack by Peugeot with the 908HDi. The viewer gets to see the action in the pits and an inside look at the Audi Motorsports efforts during the race using multiple cameras and wireless mics on the pit crew. Well it sure sounds like this has all the makings of an "event" not to be missed and also one to be recorded and played over again doesn't it?

Hopefully this will lead to some sort of modest awakening of the sports-watching-public that there's a really great racing series here.

Truth in 24 airs on ESPN at 8pm on March 20th, the night before the season opening race at Sebring... I know where I'll be that night. Watching ESPN for the first time in years!

On a personal note I read in the article that NFL Films shot the footage which means 2 things, the quality of the photography should be top notch AND... sometime during filming one of the NFL shooters filming either intentionally got in the way of a still shooter or got into a fight with a still shooter. Those NFL Films guys are a pain in the ass (any pro photogs out there that might read this will be nodding as they read this). During a previous career I'd gotten into more than one "discussion" with them on the sidelines.

I will make a note of this which will auto update that day so folks can be reminded to watch ESPN that night.

Dave K
Publisher, Slot Car News

New Revell Galaxie in the US and other Revell releases

This and other Revell releases are now in the US or soon will be.

85-4892 1963 Ford Galaxie 500 #28 Fred Lorenzen Retail $54.39

08345 NSU TT Bergmeister, ltd Edition Retail $142.29
08346 BMW 320 DRM 1977 "Winkelhock" ltd Edition Retail $142.29
08339 Audi Sport-Quattro SWB-Rallye Ivory Coast '84 "Blomqvist/Cederberg" Retail $57.79
08399 Audi Sport-Quattro SWB Rallye Monte Carlo '85 Rohrl/Geistdorfer Retail $57.79
85-4896 Ferrari 275P Retail $45.39
85-4897 Ferrari 250 GTO LM/64 Retail $45.39

Thanks to REH Distributors for this news!

Sideways Daytona Prototype review coming

Slot Car News will publish a review of the new Sideways Daytona Prototypes soon. Until then enjoy the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona!

Sloting Plus tires

Sloting Plus make now rubber front tires low profile. Dimensions are 16,40 mm exterior diameter x 8,5 mm width for 15 mm wheels and superior diameters ...
The reference is 7001 with 4 units in a pack.

New Racer Alfa T33/3's

New from Racer Slot Cars:
RCR47A - Alfa T33/3 - #4 - Buenos Aires 1000kms 1970 - N.Galli/R.Stommelen
RCR47B - Alfa T33/3 - #6 - Buenos Aires 200miles 1970 winner - A.deAdamich / P.Courage

New SCX Hummer H3

On the way soon the "muddy" SCX Hummer H3.

Sideways Daytona Prototype's ship this week

The Sideways Daytona Prototypes will arrive in stores later this week in the US market.

Slot t-shirt from RedBubble.com

A slot related T-shirt from RedBubble.com, very cool and straight forward design. It sure looks like a Gulf deco car there, and everyone knows how popular those are! LOL

New SCX Corvette C6R

SCX will release this Corvette C6R in February. The car was driven by Andy Pilgrim and Ron Fellows.

New JelClaws for SCX Compact Nascars!

JelClaws will be making Compact Nascar tires within the next month!!! I just talked with Joe from JelClaws and he says they're in the final stages of making molds and I'd expect to see prototypes within the next few weeks to a month, with production starting VERY soon after that.

http://www.jelclaws.com/start.php

SCX 63160 Renault 8 Gordini Monte Carlo ‘69

The Renault 8 was first introduced in 1962 as a small family car. It was built in various models up until 1971. The R8 was one of the first small sedans to include 4 wheel disc brakes as standard equipment. These cars were assembled by Alfa Romeo in Italy, and marketed by Renault. In 1964 a Gordini tuned R8 was introduced. This raised the horsepower from 44 bhp in stock trim to over 90 bhp. These cars were originally only available in blue and included two white stick-on racing stripes. The Gordini R8 was further revised in 1967 to provide 100 bhp. This latter version of the Gordini is the car SCX has chosen to model and is based on one which competed in the 1969 Monte Carlo Rally. I couldn’t find photo reference for that particular competitor, but there is a wealth of photographs on the internet of the R8 in road racing and rally guise. SCX has done a good job of rendering this particular model. The paint is up to their usual standard with some nice painted and chrome accents like rain gutters, window trim, and bumpers. The half tray interior has some detail and leaves lots of room on the chassis for lead placement.

As a magnet car, the R8 is totally stuck down. My test track, Maxport II located at Mini Grid in Toronto, is a 22m Sport track operated at 11V. I only needed to blip in the tightest hairpin corners and could lap my test track in 8.5s. It could be run flat out otherwise. This car is in the zone with the SCX SEAT 131 Abarth (8.2s) and Alpine A110 (8.7s). On Mini Grid’s Magnet Marshal the R8 pulled 273g of magnetic downforce and tipped the scales at only 74g with the magnet installed. As has become the norm with SCX rally cars the R8 has bright multiple headlights and illuminated tail lights. The excellent magnet performance and bright lights (as well as durable construction) will make this a popular car for kids.

The chassis for this car is a 1 piece design with the motor mounted solidly to it. Since I prefer racing slot cars without traction magnets so I removed the bar magnet from the R8. My lap time increased dramatically to 11.6s. The car was easy to slide through the corners which is surprising for such a tall, narrow car. I cleaned up the minimal flash on the plastic wheels and sanded the tires which reduced my lap time to 10.5s. The Gordini’s body is held on with 4 screws: 1 each in the nose and tail, as 1 on each side. I removed the side screws, and loosened the nose and tail screws half a turn. This bought me another tenth of a second. I’m sure that tuning with weight and fitting better tires would even further improve the car’s lap times. In stock form with minimal tuning this car could run head to head with the likes of a NINCO Cobra (10.4s), 550 Spyder (10.4s), Fly Porsche 911 (10.5s), and TeamSlot Lancia Stratos (10.6s).

Overall, I really like this car. It’s an interesting subject and nicely rendered model that runs very well both with and without traction magnets. SCX got it right by not overpowering this car and by putting straight axles and round wheels on it. I think it would be great to see SCX bring out some Pro wheels for their vintage sports and rally cars. These parts would be ideal hobbyists who want to take their tuning a step further and complement what is already a very good car.

Toyota F1 2009 movie

New MRRC cars on the way

I'm reliably informed that the MRRC Porsche 910, Chaparral, and Ford GT40 MkIV are on the way from China to the slotting world.

Ganassi Racing Looks to Make History at Rolex 24 at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will be looking to make history in the January 24-25 Rolex 24 At Daytona, seeking to win America's premier sports car race for the fourth consecutive time.

Ganassi Racing has a pair of Lexus-powered Rileys entered in the 47th running of the classic, which takes the green flag at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, January 24. The race will be covered live on FOX starting at 3 p.m. ET, with coverage continuing on SPEED from 4:30-10 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday.

Last year, Ganassi Racing became the first team to win the Rolex 24 in three consecutive years. For 2009, Scott Pruett and Juan Pablo Montoya return in the No. 01 TELMEX/Target entry, seeking to win the event for the third straight time. They will be joined by Memo Rojas, who joined Pruett in winning six races last year including the Rolex 24 -- en route to sharing the Daytona Prototype championship in the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

Pruett is the leading class winner in the history of the Rolex 24. He's won his category eight times, including three overall victories.

"Last year was huge for Ganassi Racing, winning our third in a row," Pruett said. "Now, we're going for four, and that says a lot about the team and the commitment Ganassi has made. Even though we didn't test in October and November, we were fastest in the opening session at Daytona In January. To come here fast right out of the box is a great way to start the year."

Dario Franchitti also shared in the 2008 Rolex 24 victory. This year, he moves to the No. 02 Target/TELMEX entry, joining 2006 Rolex 24 winner Scott Dixon and Alex Lloyd. The potent combination pairs the two most recent Indianapolis 500 winners and IndyCar Series champions with the 2007 Indy Pro Series champ.

"Chip's going for four in a row, so it should be pretty exciting," said Franchitti, who joins the Target Chip Ganassi Racing IndyCar Series team in 2009. "That's an amazing statistic, and it speaks volumes for the job that this team does. It's good to be in the same car with Scott. We are teammates this year, and it gives us the chance to work together after racing against each other for many years. My new engineer, Chris Simmons, is engineering the No. 02 car, so that will also help get us ready for the IndyCar season."

Franchitti won the Indy 500 and IndyCar Series titles in 2007, driving for Andretti Green Racing. He joined Ganassi Racing last year, competing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Dixon, who lost the 2007 crown to Franchitti on the final lap of the season, won titles in 2003 and 2008 for Target Chip Ganassi Racing.

Ganassi Racing made its Rolex 24 debut in 2004, when championship-bound Pruett and Max Papis combined with Dixon and Jimmy Morales. The team placed all three of its cars in the top seven in the 2005 event, with a Dixon-led team finishing sixth while Pruett took seventh.

After a tight battle throughout the opening 20 hours of last year's race, Ganassi Racing won by four laps, with Montoya and Pruett leading the final three hours and 19 minutes. Overall, the team led 252 of the 695 circuits, including 128 by Montoya and 118 by Pruett.

Practice for the Rolex 24 At Daytona begins at 10 a.m. on Thursday, January 22, with qualifying at 3:45 p.m. and night practice at 6:30. Friday's schedule includes final practice and qualifying, plus the Fresh From Florida 200, the Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge season opener. For complete reports and live timing and scoring, please visit www.grand-am.com.

Toyota F1 build-video

New Sloter Gulf Zytek

Sloter has introduced the new mold of Zytek, and the first livery is a Gulf deco! See a gallery of photos at this link, I've also shot a few photos with the previous mold and this new one to show the differences.

New SCX 2009 'cars

SCX has begun to ship the following 2009 cars:

#29 Harvick 2009 Reeses Peanut Butter Cups deco
#31 Burton 2009 Catepillar deco
#99 Edwards 2009 Aflac deco
#88 Earnhardt Jr. 2008 National Guard Camo deco

Sloter Lola T70 Spyder Mosport 1967

Sports car constructor Lola has been in the business of building race cars for fifty years now. One of their most iconic designs is the T70. It’s origins lie with the Lola Mk VI which was a mid-engined Ford powered fastback. This car competed at LeMans in 1963 and while it suffered with gearbox issues, it was able to record the second-fastest lap of the race with only three gears working. This got the attention of Henry Ford, who had recently had his merger talks spurned by Ferrari and who was ready to seek revenge on the race track. He contracted Eric Broadley, the founder of Lola, to work for the next 18 months on a Ford powered collaboration which resulted in the GT40. The rest is history: the Mk VI derived GT40 won LeMans in 1966, ’68, and ’69. This contract funded the stabilization of Lola cars and 1965 they introduced the T70.

The car was quick out of the box with the T70 besting the lap record at Silverstone by 7s. The car was a coupe design with a semi-monocoque chassis and Chevrolet power. By 1966 the T70 was revised to a Spyder configuration as the T70 Mk II. Since the motor was not a stressed member of the chassis privateers had some flexibility in terms of powerplant selection. Some would fit Ford motors in place of the standard Traco built Chevy unit. This car quickly racked up victories in the USRRC and CanAm series including wins by John Surtees and Mark Donohue. Even though Surtees scored the inaugural 1966 CanAm championship driving a T70 Mk II Lola cars would see only three other CanAm victories as McLaren and Porsche took turns dominating the series.

The car as depicted by SCX competed in the third CanAm race of the 1967 season at Mosport. This car was driven to fifth by Roger McCluskey behind the fourth place T70 of Peter Revson and a trio of McLarens on the podium. These awesome CanAm machines were clocked at over 180 mph on Mosport’s long uphill back straight.

Sloter’s T70 is beautifully presented in it’s cookie-tin case. The rear deck is fixed in the open position revealing a fully detailed engine compartment. The cockpit is also chock full of detail: instruments, switchgear, and shift linkage. While the Sloter Lola arrives without a driver, a bagged figure is provided should you want to put one behind the wheel. High detail level aside, what Sloter has managed to accomplish with this model is to package an HO motor inside the model’s motor in the engine bay turning what would otherwise be a stunning static model into a slot car.

On track the performance of this car is mild. Even though the tires are slightly cupped the car handles smoothly. There isn’t enough torque in the HO motor to push a traction magnet around the track in this car so none is provided. Initial testing at Mini Grid’s Maxport II circuit yielded an 11.2s lap time. After circulating for a while I noticed that the car started slowing down with the lap times gradually increasing. The motor felt warm to the touch. After allowing the car to cool off I lubricated the rear bushings, adjusted the braids, and ran a few more laps. I was able to get my lap time down to 10.2s. This puts it in the zone with the NINCO Ferrari 250TR (10.1s), Pink Kar Ferrari 250 GTO (10.2s), Monogram Porsche 550 Spyder (10.3s), and Scalextric Ford GT40 (10.3s).

I really like Sloter’s T70 Mk II. While it is a mild performer, it’s a blast to race against similarly powered cars. The detail on this car is second to none and is really what one is paying for here. Truing the car’s tires on a Hudy or similar tire grinder (off the car), and making sure the drivetrain is properly lubricated will help purchasers get the most out of their car. I’d love to see Sloter make a less detailed version of this model using an S or FF can motor for power. This would allow their stunning T70 race against Fly Classics. If you like lower powered non-magnet cars then this is certainly one to consider.

Auto Art releases for Dec.08/Jan09

Estimated product availability - December 2008/January 2009

06001 1/6 KAWASAKI 900 SUPER FOUR(Z1)(CANDY BROWN/ORANGE)

75931 1/18 MAZDA COSMO SPORT (WHITE)
79001 1/18 KOENIGSEGG CCX (ORANGE)
74501 1/18 LAMBORGHINI ESPADA (SILVER)
74502 1/18 LAMBORGHINI ESPADA (BLUE)
70146 1/18 ALFA ROMEO ALFETTA GTV 2.0 1980 (RED)
70147 1/18 ALFA ROMEO ALFETTA GTV 2.0 1980 (SILVER GREY)
77912 1/18 PORSCHE 911 1964 (RED)
77386 1/18 NISSAN GT-R (R35)(ULTIMATE METAL SILVER)
77387 1/18 NISSAN GT-R (R35)(WHITE PEARL)
77388 1/18 NISSAN GT-R (R35)(DARK METAL GRAY)
77396 1/18 NISSAN GT-R (R35)(VIBRANT RED)
77397 1/18 NISSAN GT-R (R35)(SUPER BLACK)
88931 1/18 MERCEDES-BENZ 500 SEC AMG 24 HRS RACE SPA FRANCHORCHAMPS HEYER/ MERTES/WESS 1989 #5
88932 1/18 MERCEDES-BENZ 500 SEC AMG 24 HRS RACE SPA FRANCHORCHAMPS LUDWIG/CUDINI/MULLER 1989 #6
80730 1/18 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS DTM 2007 "ORIGINAL-TEILE" SCHNEIDER #1
80830 1/18 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS DTM 2008 "MERCEDES-BENZ BANK" SPENGLER #3
80732 1/18 MERCEDES-BENZ C-CLASS DTM 2007 "AMG" HAKKINEN #6
78793 1/18 TOYOTA SPRINTER TRUENO (AE86) SPECIAL TUNED VERSION (WHITE W/ BLACK BONNET)

60279 1/43 GRAN TURISMO SKYLINE GT-R (R34)
60180 1/43 NISSAN SKYLINE GT-R Z-TUNE 2001 (R34)(SILVER)

13582 1/32 JAGUAR D-TYPE LEMANS 24HR RACE 1955 WINNER J.M.HAWTHORN/I.L.BUEB #6
13661 1/32 FORD SIERRA COSWORTH RS 500 RALLY 1988 PANACH D.AURIOL #8 (RALLY TOUR DE CORSE)

76197 1/18 MERCEDES- BENZ 600 LWB PULLMAN (BLACK)

F1 Teams agree on cost freeze

The FOTA (Formula One Teams Association) Executive Committee met today in Heathrow to further progress the cost reducing initiatives already developed. All the Members unanimously agreed a number of important principles and supported the process now established within FOTA.

The teams detailed and signed a comprehensive Aerodynamic Test Restrictions Agreement, effective in 2009.

Furthermore, the Teams agreed that they would develop and freeze low cost transmissions for the 2010/12 seasons which would have a six race life, priced at € 1.5 million per season per team.

FOTA also reaffirmed its commitment to a € 5 million engine supply from 2010 for independent teams, who have expressed their agreement with and support for this arrangement.

The FOTA Technical Regulations Working Group will now conclude the elimination of expensive materials and identify further opportunities to reduce the cost of components and systems which do not deliver performance differentiation. All of the Teams present wished to express their support for the entrant currently known as Honda and they will agree to any name change registered.

All of the Teams are committed to working together in a rational and systematic manner, within the framework of FOTA to effectively reduce the costs inherent to Formula One. The same approach will now be used to improve the spectacle of the sport, following the outcome of the FOTA commissioned market research.

New Ranch Design resin bodies

Ranch Design is now showing 3 new 1/43 resin bodies that are available for sale. A Maserati MC12, Lamborghini, and 550 Ferrari.

Slot Car Diner's 2009 slot calendar

Download the new Slot Car Diner 2009 calendar at this link: http://www.homeplanet.at/sdd/SDCalendar2009.zip

"The Gold Plated Porsche" by Stephan Wilkinson

Ever thought about owning a Porsche? Well I sure have. I'd been talking with Van LaPointe (a slot brother and contributor here on SCN) about the idea of maybe someday actually buying a Porsche (an old one for sure...high miles.. cheap, maybe a 914... you get the idea) and he suggested a book, "The Gold Plated Porsche" by Stephan Wilkinson. Consider it sort of a "Zen and the Art of Porsche Restoration" he weaves stories that may with slotters out there that have fantasies of actually a real version of the slot cars they race.

He talks about several places I've been, so right away I was intrigued and wonder if I'd ever seen him while on endless drives around the northern 'burbs in my past life as a newspaper photog. He lives in Cornwall New York, very near where I used to work in Westchester County. He's a regular at DeMan Motorsport in Nyack, New York, I've been to that shop many times, once even talking with Porsche mechanic extraordinaire and I must admit, I've stood outside the gates at the shop and fantasized the Porsches (most of them racers not just for the gold-chained type of yuppie driver) crammed inside the gates. He paints a vivid picture of working on the car... and in excruciating detail about tuning the carbs which alone I think has scared me off of ever thinking about owning a car or even restoring one because I'll be the first to admit I'm laughably unqualified to do anything that could remotely be called "restoration" on a real car. Though he sure is encouraging in the book and frequently does imply that it's possible for maybe anyone to do what he'd done. So reading about the process was sure entertaining.

I came away with a number of things from reading this book, it was sure enlightening to hear about Stephan doing all the resto work himself including the paint. A common thread throughout the book was the idea that working on the car and putting your soul into the car to bring it back to life was the more important than the perfection that might be achieved by more capable hands doing the work instead of you. In the final few pages he retells a story about Ferry Porsche being at a Porsche Club of America concours show and he's asked if, looking out at several hundred polished-and-trailered-beyond-belief Porsche's, Ferry was proud of the sight of the cars. He wasn't, he said something to the effect that his cars were meant to be driven not polished. How does that relate to slot cars, well... how many shelf queens to you have? I've often thought that a slot car on a shelf is sort of like a life unlived, and I'm certain that when Van read that passage alone it resonated with him as well.

While I cannot ever know the beauty of rebuilding the most amazing car ever built (the Porsche 911) or the thrill of even driving a Porsche, I do know about the satisfaction of building a nicely running slot car and racing it. Whether it's a car that I will ever put on the top step of the podium during a slot race doesn't matter. Is there a connection with slot cars and this book, well probably not, I appreciated the honesty of what's between the covers. I appreciated hearing about the shade tree mechanic that restored this car, drips in the paint and all. And I do think that it's a book that every slot fan out there should read.

The Gold Plated Porsche:How I Sank a Small Fortune into a Used Car, and Other Misadventures by Stephan Wilkinson. Copyright 2004, Published by The Lyons Press, Guilford Connecticut. Paperback, $14.95.

DaveK

Ninco NC1 vs. NC8 Motors

Through the generosity of Electric Dreams, a sample Ninco NC8 "Thruster" motor was obtained, in order to compare with an NC1 I had bought a few years ago. The NC8 is Ninco's currently produced motor for Ninco Classics, replacing the NC1. Although the NC1 is out of production, it is still available from some slot car suppliers, including Electric Deams. In the photo above, the NC8 is accompanied by the tattered, but healthy NC1 which had done a year's duty in a race car.

The NC8 is a short-can, or FK-130 type motor, of the same size and shape as the Plafit Fox, TSRF, and others. The case is crimped shut, preventing examination of the insides. Both ends of the shaft are accessible for oiling, but only one end is long enough to mount a pinion. Two black plastic end-mount adapters are supplied with the NC8, to permit convenient installation in motor mounts designed for the NC2, NC5, or NC6 (or any other long-can, FK-180 type motors).

Ninco's rating of the NC8 is 16,000 no-load RPM/14.8v, and 87 gcm stall torque/14.8v. This may be converted to 12 volt equivalency: 12,973 RPM/12v, and 71 gcm/12v.

Ninco's rating of the NC1 is only slightly less: 15,700 RPM/14.8v, and 74 gcm/14.8v. Conversion to 12v results in 12,730 RPM/12v, and 60 gcm/12v. I have tested approximately a dozen NC1's, with RPM measuring from 12,858 to 14,237 RPM/12v, slightly exceeding Ninco's rating.

Today's test of the new NC8 showed 13,370 RPM/12v, after a 45 minute break-in period on 6 volts, and a run of about 10 minutes on 12 volts. When the turquoise inductor (or choke) in the power lead was bypassed, RPM rose to 13,635. Some Ninco motors show the same RPM with or without the inductor, but not this motor. A full 265 RPM was lost in the inductor.

For comparison, the race-veteran NC1 was tested, with findings of 13,454 RPM/12v, probably an insignificant difference from the NC8.

Torque testing was next, using an arm-and-scale method. Nine readings were taken around a single revolution, each separated by 40 degrees, for an average of 75 gcm/12v for the NC8. When the inductor was bypassed, torque rose approximately 10 percent, with an average reading of 84 gcm. Follow-up testing of the NC1 revealed 77 gcm, showing the older motor at a slight disadvantage. Below, the nine-position torque arm (actually, a disc) is shown. The downward force on a scale is measured:



If the power output wattage is computed, following the method outlined on the Slot Car News Motor List, we find the sample NC8 is developing 2.86 Watts (without the inductor). The sample NC1 puts out 2.59 Watts. In a slot car, this may or may not make a difference you could measure in lap times. If you are contemplating up-motoring from an NC1 to an NC8, bear in mind that the NC1 weighs only 16 grams, while the NC8 tips the scales at 22 grams. What you gain in power with the NC8, you may lose due to the extra six grams of weight.

Nevertheless, the NC8 is a worthy successor to the NC1, filling a low-power performance niche favored by many vintage slot car racers. The RPM, torque, and power output of the NC8 are so close to the older NC1 that fair competition may be expected.

Extended - Super Deal on Super Wheels!!

The Super Deal on Super Wheels (see below) has been extended until Jan. 31, 2009!! For those of you who have already taken advantage of the Super Deal, here's a chance to stock up (we also want to thank you for helping to make Super Wheels so successful). If you haven't taken advantage of this special offer, here's your (last) chance!

Here's how the Super Deal offer works. Purchase two (2) pairs of Super Wheels for just $14.99 USD!! Thats almost $5.00 USD off the normal retail price!! Your choice - 2 pairs of 17x10mm's OR 2 pairs of 15x8mm's OR 1 pair each of 17x10's and 15x8's!! For more information or to place an order, please click here. Remember, beginning on Feb. 1, 2009, the price for Super Wheels will be $9.99 USD/pair.

Seat 131 video

If that doesn't make you want to take a slot car out and try and drift it around you track nothing will...LOL!

Ultimate Racer 3 available for download

A new release of ur3 is available for download at this link.

New features

Track layout editor:

• UR30 localization with external text file
• editor GUI simplified with full toolbar usage
• 2D track section display enhancement
• add 4/6/8 lane track sections - automatically generated
• zoom dialogue enhancement
• manage library include directive to merge track section libraries
• manage pictures as libraries
• 2 lane circuit gap suppressor
• new editor tools: center view, mirror circuit, left/right borders, circuit snapshot, border track operation button..
• new Carrera D132 library, Ninco library updated
• library includes to split libs
• new multi lane and dummy red/white libraries

Race management:

• count down start lights
• joystick interface
• UR30 localization with external text file
• simplify external device management - automatic hardware enabling/disabling
• link with Zone Trigger
• even start
• reaction time management
• "large" view selection buttons

Grand-Am Test Days at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 1, 2009) - Teams from the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16 will get a head start on the 2009 season Jan. 3-5 with three days of testing at Daytona International Speedway.

Known as the "Roar before the Rolex 24," the session is the lone scheduled testing at the speedway prior to the 47th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona, Jan. 24-25. All three days of the session are open to the public for $10 admission, which includes access to the infield, Sprint FANZONE and garage. Saturday's session also includes fan forums, including drivers from GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, Banner Racing and Hyper Sport.

Saturday's schedule opens with Rolex Series practice at 9 a.m., and includes night practice running through 8 p.m. Sunday's schedule runs from 9 a.m. through 5 p.m., with Monday's activities running from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. The Grand-Am KONI Sports Car Challenge will also test all three days in preparation for its Jan. 23 season-opening Fresh From Florida 200 at Daytona.

Nearly 50 entries have been received for the test, which will feature 19 Daytona Prototypes and 29 GT entries.

TELMEX Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates will have a pair of Lexus-powered Rileys in preparation for a potential fourth consecutive victory in the Rolex 24 At Daytona, including the No. 01 of defending series champions Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas.

Five-time Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Hurley Haywood is part of a two-car Brumos Racing entry, with Michael Shank Racing, Penske Racing and Krohn Racing also entering two cars. Other entries include 2007 co-champions Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty for GAINSCO/Bob Stallings Racing, with three-time NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson set to join them for the Rolex 24; 2005 Rolex 24 winners and series champions Max Angelelli and Wayne Taylor; 1995 Rolex 24 winner Christophe Bouchot, for Level Five Motorsports; Childress-Howard Motorsports, making its Rolex 24 debut with three-time event winner Andy Wallace; and Spirit of Daytona Racing, featuring motorcycle champions Scott Russell, Jeff Ward and Jason Pridmore.

Several of the teams, including Ganassi, Penske and Shank, are also expected to announce their Rolex 24 driver lineups at the test.

TRG and Farnbacher Loles Racing both have five Porsche GT3s entered in the test to head the GT lineup. Defending Rolex 24 class winner SpeedSource will have a pair of Mazda RX-8s, while 2008 champions Kelly Collins and Paul Edwards share the No. 07 Banner Racing Pontiac GXP.R with Jan Magnussen.

The GT entry also includes three Corvettes and a pair of Ferrari 430s.

For additional information, including the complete entry list for the Daytona Test Days, please visit www.grand-am.com.

Corvette committed to GT1... or maybe GT2

Corvette Racing program manager Doug Fehan is quick to reconfirm Corvette Racing's GT1 program in the first half of the 2009 American Le Mans Series.

"The primary focus of the race team is the 12 Hours of Sebring, Long Beach and, of course as it always has been, the 24 Hours of Le Mans," Fehan said. "We tested the GT1 car at Sebring in November. And we will be utilizing Sebring and Long Beach to put the final touches on the Le Mans effort. We're continuously developing the car and package for fuel mileage, efficiency and new materials from our various suppliers. We want our last GT1 appearance at Le Mans to be successful. The team understands the importance of a victory at Sebring, Long Beach and Le Mans to close the GT1 program."

The highly anticipated GT2 Corvette is still scheduled to debut at Mid-Ohio in early August, Fehan added.

"Engineering and fabrication continues to focus on the GT2 program," he said. "We expect the first actual race car to be completed in early February and will be testing that car in the spring."

News used with permission from the America LeMans Series

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