Professor Motor News - June 2017

When Revell-Monogram stopped making 1/32 slot cars a few years ago, model racing enthusiasts lost some of the nicest looking slot cars on the market. Perhaps they didn't perform on the track as well as they looked, but they did have a very interesting range of cars with superb detailing.

Professor Motor has purchased the slot car tooling, and after a couple of years spent developing new chassis and running gear they are now getting some prototypes into production.

Here are some early test shots of the Greenwood Corvette, Plymouth GTX NASCAR, and Shelby GT-350.

It is my understanding that the first in the Professor Motor slotcar line to be produced will be the 1965 Ford Galaxie NASCAR which Professor Motor is asking for suggestions on what decoration to use.

Slot Car News will keep you informed when there is more news and a release schedule.

Goodspeed News May 2017

GOODSPEED IS CLOSING 

Over the last 12 years, many 1:32 racers have enjoyed competing regularly at Goodspeed in downtown Kalamazoo and contributed to the ongoing success of the four lane Scalextric track. Great friendships have been made along with lots of great memories. 

The building at 244 E. Michigan has now been sold and the deal will close in a week or so. Unfortunately, the new owner's plans will not allow Goodspeed to remain in the basement after the middle of June. So plans have been made to shut it down with two big events.

Thursday 5/11 This was going to be the Touring Car Enduro, but now it is going to be two of our most popular classes; C12 Trans Am and C22 Modern GT1. Both C12 and C22 has 200 gram magnet limits.

C12 Trans Am (1967-1971) 200 grams

Carrera; Cuda
Pioneer; Camaro, Mustang
Scalextric; Camaro, Cougar, Challenger, Mustang, Javelin

C22 Modern GT1 200 grams

Auto Art: Lamborghini Diablo GT3
Carrera: Corvette C6
Fly; Porsche 911 EVO, Porsche 911 GT198 (not the “Racing” version), Viper, Saleen SR7R, Ferrari F40, Dodge Viper
Ninco Mosler MT900R, EVO Genie,
Policar; Ferarri F40 LM
Scalextric; Ford GT, Jaguar XKRS, Aston Martin DBR9, Maserati MC12, Corvette C5R & C6R
SCX; Aston Martin DBR9

The track will open at 6 PM, tech at 7 PM and racing immediately after. 

Saturday May 20 Goodbye to Goodspeed Special Event. This will be a general hot lapping, B.S. session so bring any and all your cars to finish it off. We will shoot a group photo between 1 & 2 PM. Track will open at 9 AM until the last person goes home.

The dissembling of Goodspeed will start on Sunday May 21 at 1 PM. Any and all help will be appreciated.

Note: It is likely that this track will be relocated at some time- there is no further information on where and when available at this time.

CG Slotcars Announces Autocoast Ti22 Can-Am 1/32 RTR

CG Slotcars plan to release the Autocoast Ti22 Can-Am in 2017 as a RTR 1/32 slot car.

These photos are of the first prototype and it is very close to being ready - production will start shortly.

The first production built slot car will be raffled off during the 7th Annual Michigan 24hr race April 1-2. The raffle winner will receive the car before anyone else. If you want the chance to own it - please consider donating to the annual charity raffle held during the race. All of the proceeds from the raffle are split among the teams entered and the money is donated to that teams charity. 

More details and a link to the list of prizes are here: Slot Racers Giving Back Raffle

If you don't win the car - or the other great prizes we have donated - there are other great prizes to be won! You just donate to enter.

This car (like the others CG Slotcars have done) has a fascinating history. There were two Ti22's built and both (unfortunately) were destroyed. A 1:1 replica of the Ti22 has recently been completed and is expected to compete in the Can-Am reunion race as part of the Long Beach Grand Prix weekend.

The Ti22 designer Peter Bryant eventually went to work with Shadow. Maybe we'll tell that story with a slotcar in the future!

Mossetti Racing Reveals New 1/24 Stamped Steel Chassis Line

After a series of 'teaser' photos, the updated 2017 Mossetti Patriot 1/24 chassis have been introduced.

These chassis should be available for purchase from your local raceway or wholesaler no later than April 10th.

Inside the Long Awaited Scalextric Penske Javelin Trans-Am

Here are a couple of quick shots "inside' the Scalextric Penske Javelin Trans Am along with my notes.

At first glance the Scalextric 'New Generation' Inliner DPR Chassis
seems to offer little truly new but closer inspection
reveals interesting details.

The front and rear tyres/hubs are different widths
There is a LED light board for the tail lights
Three attachment screws where we were
led to believe that all new generation chassis
would have only two attachment screws.

Here we see that the guide blade is a new deeper design

The Scalextric 'New Generation' body inside
shows the tray-style interior (note driver position)
Reinforced front spoiler supports
Separate body to chassis locator brackets

Long Awaited Scalextric Penske Javelin Trans-Am (finally) Breaks Cover!!

After being delayed for so long that some enthusiasts felt it might have been canceled, the first decoration of the long awaited Javelin Trans-Am, the Penske / Donohue / Sunoco version, should be hitting dealers shelves in North America as you read this.

Samples of the two other Javelins to come in 2017 were shown at a European toy show in January.

All of the versions currently announced by Scalextric are:

C3731 #6   Penske Racing / Mark Donohue

C3875 #1   Roy Woods Racing / George Follmer

C3776 #63 Jockos Racing / Bill Collins

As soon as photos of the chassis and running gear are available we will publish them here. The chassis is expected to be Scalextric's latest generation DPR chassis with inline motor and gearing.

2017 USRA Division 2 National Championships

Pioneer Plans New Addition to the "Dukes of Hazzard" line in 2017

This is a pre-production prototype of Rosco's patrol car that Pioneer Slot Cars plans to release in 2017. 

It will be a 1/32 scale slot car and fit in quite nicely with their Dukes of Hazzard Chargers.  

As any Dukes fan will tell you, Rosco's patrol car is the perfect companion to Pioneer's General Lee.  

The Patrol Car will come complete with a figure of Rosco P. Coltrane behind the wheel...

And ol' Velvet Ears herself, Flash riding shotgun.  No release date has been announced for this car other than "planned for 2017".  

Information as we receive it from Pioneer will be posted here.

Photos courtesy of Pioneer Slot Cars.

Long time Slot Car Enthusiast and Wife Purchase ProSlot Ltd.

New owners vow to uphold same high quality manufacturing

Dec 1, 2016

Lowell, MI – Another West Michigan husband and wife will continue the path of the longtime owners of the niche manufacturer ProSlot, Ltd. John and Angela Miller of Hartford, purchased the 44 year old company from Dan and Cheryl DeBella of Lowell after the ProSlot founders decided to retire.

“I’ve been a slot car fan and enthusiast for most of my life,” said John Miller. “Turning my hobby into a profession for me and my wife is a dream come true.”

Miller said they are committed to maintaining the same principals and high quality manufacturing practices that have contributed to ProSlot’s strong success over the years. To help ease the ownership transition, the Millers retained 24 year employees Joe and Roger Chiechi, who have played an integral role in the manufacturing process at the company. In addition, the DeBellas will mentor the Millers throughout the transition period. 

“We are pleased that ProSlot will be in great hands,” says company owner Dan DeBella, “It is comforting knowing our business will continue to be run by people as enthusiastic about slot cars as Cheryl and I.”

“We want to assure our distributors that ProSlot products will have the same superior quality they have come to expect,” says John Miller, “We are doing everything we can to make the transition in ownership as smooth as possible.”

ProSlot Ltd. is currently located in Lowell, MI but will soon relocate operations to Hartford, MI. 

ProSLot Ltd. manufactures slot car parts, including armatures, chassis and motor parts for slot car markets in the U.S. and around the world. There are three employees besides the new owners.

B&E Slotsport Introduces New "Eliminator Deuce" Hardbody Chassis Kit

Designed and produced for hardbody 1/24 racing on "commercial style" routed tracks, the B&E Slotsport Eliminator "Deuce" 1/24 chassis kits are now available to order and also available for sale at Mid-America Raceway and Hobbies in Naperville, IL. 

Eliminator "Deuce" Specifications:

• .042 nickel plated spring steel. Improved plating .
• 4.5" fixed wheelbase, but can be customized to your needs.
• Motor opening to allow that motor to breathe.
• Easier to assemble back half with optional motor mounting plate.

Contact B&E Slotsport for information and pricing on RTR cars and built up chassis.Works with a wide variety of tire sizes to suit your needs.

Website and Online Ordering - http://www.beslotsport.com

Facebook Page - http://www.facebook.com/groups/303991896418243/

Host of the 2017 USRA National Championships Announced

Slot Car Raceway LLC of Rohnert Park California has been chosen to host the United Slot Racers Association National Championship August 14-20 2017.


























All races will be contested on their 155' Ogilvie "King" track.

For more information, contact owner Frank Sarkella at:

Slot Car Raceway California Website

AutoArt Porsche 997 GT3 RS (13211 & 13212)

AutoArt surprised me with a package a little while back: a pair of their new Porsche 997 GT3 RS road cars.




In terms of appearance, AutoArt has done a great job capturing the shape and details of this car:






While adding some nice details like the roll bar and working headlights and tail lights, AutoArt has taken the easy way out when it comes to the marker lights - using silver paint instead of coloured translucent plastic. This was probably done to keep the cost and complexity of this model within reason. Paint and finish on my test cars is very good.


Underneath, AutoArt has gone with a rear engined chassis which makes sense given that AutoArt seems to take pride in how their cars are modelled, and this is how Porsche chose to build the 1:1 version of this car. Laying out the drivetrain in a similar fashion to the prototype allows for a half tray interior and lots of interior detail while leaving room for the model's motor and drivetrain.


The metal spring guide contacts on my test cars required a bit of tweaking to get these cars running smoothly. The rear end on one of my cars was a little tight and also needed a bit of work to get the rear axle spinning freely. Out of the box, these cars are mag missiles. Ditch the traction magnets and add some weight up front and these cars become very interesting to drive to say the least - in a fun way. The semi-tray interior leaves lots of room for weight placement on the chassis. The rear engined powertrain makes for some slidey driving on my Scalextric Sport test track. If you're racing this Porsche against other AutoArt cars I'm sure it will be in the zone. I wouldn't choose this model for my weekly club racing, but AutoArt isn't pretending to take on the pro Porsche 997s from the likes of NSR, NINCO, and SCX. If you're into street cars then these models are a good choice.

Goodspeed Race Report 6-30-2016

Mechanical failures were the theme of the 1:32 slot car races Thursday evening at Goodspeed.  Leads breaking free of guide shoes and motors, wheels departing axles and other disappointments contributed to a discouraging evening for some racers.  Yet the overall competitive spirit remained strong!  The less often run Daytona Prototype class race showed that many of the cars need further testing and tuning.  Racers competing included;n Bill Blett, Phil Carpenter, Brian Casterline, Cierra Casterline, Lonny Convis, Jack Dastoli, Doug Farlow, Harlan Jones, John Hansen, Leroy Heikes,  John Lacko, Keith Rosine, Craig Salisbury and Jerry Wofford.  Heats were 3-1/2 minutes long.  New lap records indicated by *

C9  Grand National Stock Cars 1960-1968         150 gram magnet limit                             Laps Per Lane 1 2 3 4

1. Brian, 73 laps, Monogram Plymouth GTX #99, 98 g. weight, 129 g. magnet, 22 KPH speed, Maxx Trac tires 19 17 18 19

2. Lonny, 71 laps, Monogram Ford Fairlane #29, 102 g. weight, 136 g. magnet, 27 KPH speed, Maxx Trac tires 18 19 18 16

3. John H., 70 laps, Monogram Ford Fairlane #29, 106 g. weight, 148 g. magnet, 31 KPH speed, Super tires 18 17 18 17

4. John L. 70 laps, Pioneer Dodge Charger #40, 106 g. weight, 149 g. magnet, 25 KPH speed, Super tires 17 19 18 17

5. Harlan, 69 laps, Monogram Ford Fairlane #34, 91 g. weight, 149 g. magnet, 32 KPH speed, Super tires 18 19 18 14

6. Doug, 64 laps, Monogram Ford Fairlane #115, 116 g. weight, 150 g. magnet, 26 KPH speed, Super tires 17 17 16 14

7. Jerry, 64 laps, Monogram Plymouth GTX #43, 105 g. weight, 150 g. magnet, 29 KPH speed, Super tires 15 16 17 16

8. Bill, 63 laps, Monogram Ford Fairlane #29, 109 g. weight, 149 g. magnet, 32 KPH speed, Super tires 16 16 16 15

9. Keith, 62 laps, Monogram Dodge Charger #6, 98 g. weight, 121 g. magnet, 28 KPH speed, Super tires 14 17 16 15

10. Phil, 62 laps, Monogram Ford Galaxie #21, 106 g. weight, 134 g. magnet, 29 KPH speed, Super tires 16 18 17 11

11. Jack, 58 laps, Scalextric Dodge Charger #4, 94 g. weight, 146 g. magnet, 28 KPH speed, Super tires  2 20 19 17

12. Cierra, 57 laps, Scalextric Dodge Charger #22, 91 g. weight, 138 g. magnet, 22 KPH speed, Quick Slick tires 11 15 17 14

13. Leroy, 57 laps, Monogram Ford Fairlane #22, 91 g. weight, 126 g. magnet, 27 KPH speed, Super tires 16 15 15  11

14. Craig, 54 laps, Monogram Ford Fairlane #29, 95 g. weight, 138 g. magnet, 28 KPH speed, Super tires 15 14 13 12

Fastest Laps Per Lane

#1 Lonny 10.609, Brian 10.887, Harlan 10.977, John L. 11.219, John H. 11.224, Jerry 11.525, Keith 11.771, Phil 11.791, Jack 11.828, Cierra 11.911, Doug 11.957, Craig 12.231, Leroy 12.321, Bill 12.586

#2 Lonny 10.378*, Jack 10.469, John L. 10.474, John H. 10.771, Harlan 10.805, Brian 10.951, Cierra 11.282, Keith 11,291, Phil 11.485, Craig 11.726, Doug 11.771, Jerry 11.870. Leroy 11.950, Bill 12.120

#3 Lonny 10.478, Jack 10.498, John L. 10.505, Harlan 10.778, Brian 10.935, John H. 10.966,  Keith 11.262, Cierra 11.318, Jerry 11.448, Phil 11.644, Doug 11.794, Bill 12.026, Leroy 12.437, Craig 12.843

#4 Brian 10.683, Jack 11.107, Lonny 11.135, John L. 11.210, John H. 11.686, Jerry 12.101, Keith 12.183, Harlan 12.507, Leroy 12.586, Bill 12.706, Doug 12.957, 

Cierra 13.002, Phil 13.530, Craig 13.617

 

C29 Daytona Prototypes 200 gram magnet limit Laps Per Lane 1 2 3 4

1. Brian, 91 laps, Sideways Riley MKXX #6, 71 g. weight, 177 g. magnet, 28 KPH speed, Super tires 23 23 22 23

2. Doug, 87 laps, Sideways Riley MKXX #91, 83 g. weight, 199 g. magnet, 31 KPH speed, Super tires 22 23 20 22

3. Lonny, 86 laps, Sideways Riley MKXX #61, 82 g. weight, 163 g. magnet, 31 KPH speed, Super tires 22 21 21 22

4. Harlan, 82 laps, Sideways Riley MKXX #60, 74 g. weight, 168 g. magnet, 28 KPH speed, Super tires 21 23 20 18

5. John H., 80 laps, Slot it Dallara #60, 78 g. weight, 168 g. magnet, 30 KPH speed, Super tires 20 21 20 19

6. Jerry, 80 laps, Slot it Dallara #77, 79 g. weight, 184 g. magnet, 27 KPH speed, Super tires 22 22 20 16

7. Bill, 73 laps, Sideways Riley MKXX #91, 78 g. weight, 155 g. magnet, 29 KPH speed. Slot it tires 19 19 17 18

8. Cierra, 72 laps, Sideways Riley MKXX #60, 73 g. weight, 182 g. magnet, 29 KPH speed, Super tires 18 19 18 17

9. John L., 72 laps, Sideways Riley MKXX #61, 83 g, weight, 170 g. magnet, 31 KPH, Super tires 19 20 18 15

10. Jack, 67 laps, Sideways Dallara #77, 80 g. weight, 164 g. magnet, 38 KPH, Super tires 20  6 21 20

11. Craig, 63 laps, Fly Riley MKXX #3, 91 g. weight, 171 g. magnet, 22 KPH, Super tires 20 20 20  3

12. Phil, 62 laps, Sideways MKXX #1, 76 g. weight, 101 g. magnet, 26 KPH, Super tires 19 16 18  9

13. Keith, 59 laps, Slot it Dallara #10, 75 g. weight, 175 g. magnet, 28 KPH, stock tires 18 19 17  5

Fastest Laps Per Lane

#1 Brian 8.655, Lonny 8.777, Harlan 8.876, John H. 9.004 Doug 9.225, Jerry 9.232, Jack 9.262, Bill 9.784, Craig 9.869, Keith 9.961, Cierra 10.324, John L. 10.390, Phil 10.776

#2 Harlan 8.441, Doug 8.533, Jerry 8.631, Lonny 8.663, Brian 8.737, Jack 9.024, John H. 9.203, Craig 9.275Cierra 9.426, John L. 9.561, Bill 9.617, Keith 9.826, Phil 11.618

#3 Lonny 8.606, Brian 8.656, Jack 8.666, Harlan 8.676, Jerry 8.788, Doug 8.954, John H. 9.258, Craig 9.471, Bill 9.582, John L. 9.738, Keith 9.773, Cierra 9.786, Phil 10.605

#4 Brian 8.817, Jerry 9.132, Lonny 9.149, Doug 9.184, John H. 9.339, Harlan 9.797, Jack 9.949, Cierra 10.718, Bill 10.838, John L. 11.077, Phil 12.295, Craig 14.483, Keith 16.301

 

Next Goodspeed Race  

Thursday July 7, track opens at 6 PM. Tech at 7 PM and racing immediately after.  Classes to be raced:

C16 Group 5 1978-1982 GT 175 g. magnet limit

 

Carrera; Alfa Romeo GTA Silhouette, Dekon Chevrolet Monza, Ferrari 512 BBi LM, Pantera, Porsche 935/78, VW Group 5 Kafer 

Fly; BMW 3.5 CSL, BMW M1, Ford Capri, Lancia Beta MC, Porsche 911 R, Porsche 934, Porsche 935 & 935 K3, Porsche 911 GT1 98 

Monogram; BMW 320 Turbo, Greenwood Corvette 

MRRC; Toyota GT Celica (18K motor)

Slotwings; Ferrari 512 BBi LM

Scalextric 1976 Torino

SRC: Lola T600 

C32 Scalextric Corvette L88 (Premier Series)  175 g. magnet limit.

Contact jalacko@aol.com for more information.

"Friday Night Thunder" - May 2016

Everyone had a great time at B&E Slotsport's first "Friday Night Thunder" event of 2016 at the New Mid-America Raceway in Naperville. 

It was mad, major fun zipping around the Gerding tri-oval even though I eventually over-drove the car, crashed big time and had to limp home. It was serious and insane fun for a small coin investment and $100 to win was nothing to sneeze at.

Congrats to Dustin Senft for winning (Surviving the carnage?). 

1st- Dustin Senft, 2nd- Mike Mazur, 3rd - Neal Isler

See you all next month - 6/17.