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More Photos And Technical Data!
Why were certain cars better than others...
Most entries performed quite well. Of the ones that did not, most of the problem was from poor traction due to inadequate tires. MacPinches two entries desperately needed silicone tires, and Mac will get one free set for each of his two cars, courtesy of Indy-Grip. Alan Schwartz tires arrived too late for the battle, and his cars skitted desperately through the races. Athina's Joest-Porsche also had traction problems as the tires used just did not have enough grip.
The second common problem was...too much power or brutal power delivery. It is obvious that the best choice was either a Plafit Cheetah or a Fox, or even a Slot-It V12. Kathryn's Porsche 908 had a totally stock FLY motor and still set the fastest lap time of any car there, but the car could have been a lot faster and still perfectly controlable with any of the aforementioned motors.
It leaves us with the rocketship motors expertly built by Russell Sheldon. No single doubt that using a controller with less resistance, his cars would have clearly dominated the show. But the rules were designed to control the escalation to exotism, as this was a prelude to the soon-to-be TSRF, the True Scale racing Federation which will use 1/24 true scale cars AND a limiting controller rather than a "spec" motor. A much fairer way to race with cost control, the way of the future in this writer's opinion.
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FASTEST OF THEM ALL...
...was this Class E Porsche 908/2 entered by Kathryn Walwick of Jacksonville, FL. It LOOKS pretty stock except for the two large Slot-It magnets, Indy-Grip silicone tires, Classic machined guide flag with screw-on braid, drill blank front axle, and various washers here and there. It used a stock FLY motor, stock bearings and rear axle, stock gears and wheels, stock body with all the heavy injected accessories. Chassis was mounted solid on body, with chassis screws backed 1/2 turn. It set an easy pole in Class E, won a runaway race and was the easiest to drive, according to all the drivers.
It was put together in a mere 2 hours by race organizer Philippe de Lespinay.
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Kathryn's 908/2 guide flag...
...was a 1960's "Classic" unit using Parma braid screwed onto it, providing excellent and uninterrupted contact throughout its easy cruise to a 20-lap win. The guide had been machined to fit flush and match the height of the defective and poorly designed stock unit. A brass sleeve was epoxied in the chassis and there was no retainer on top.
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Jim Cunningham's Class D winning Porsche 917 LH...
...shows great engineering. A full sidewinder in the great tradition of pro-racing. It won its class by not being the fastest but the smoothest. It used a Plafit Cheetah, and was the only car with sponge tires with any grip. The decals were hand-made by Jim, and the detail was rather good, in spite of a bit of a "thingie" attitude. Jim lost lots of Concours points with inadequate front wheels. Such wheels were tolerated this time around but will be forbiden in the next event. |
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Mark Gussin's Chevy BelAir comes all the way from U.K.
It has to take an Englishman to make a decent Yank Tank?
This car is gorgeous and has an accurate effigy of "Fireball" Roberts at the wheel. It was 180-degree with Russell Sheldon's super-exotic and exquisitely built DVR chassied, vac-formed bodied '64 Ford Fairlane. Both had the exact same qualifying time, but Gussin's car was so much easier to drive, and eventually won the race. Mark used a Slot-It V12, distributed in America by Scalextric USA. The motor provided ample power and excellent brakes and top speed. Mark also used Indy-Grip tires and a carbon fiber 2-piece chassis.
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Mark Gussin's Maserati steering unit...
...used old VIP parts mixed with hand-built brass units. It worked well and did not hamper the car in any way. Where the car lost on the track is possibly in excessive weight, hampering the stock motor, as Russell Sheldon's lighter Alfa creamed it in the straights. Then again, Russell had a rocket motor, the most controlable of his three entries. |
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Speaking of Mark Gussin, here is his Maserati 8CL, exquisitely carved from balsa wood.
It has an interesting layer of brass pans, the bottom one "floating" as the car rolls. The set-screw aluminum wheels had very realistic wire inserts. Overall quality and feel was excellent. Driver detailing was outstanding and had no match in all the contestants.
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These are the two Alfa-Romeo 8C entered by Alan Schwartz and Russell Sheldon.
Wait a minute, those guys have been talking behind our backs! The very similar chassis obviously came from the same place...Somewhere in Dubai I guess. Alan's car was the better of his three entries but the rocket hand-built motor in Russell's finely detailed car was just too much. Russell car was beautiful, but the judges had a keener eye for the Maserati 8CL, costing Russell the overall win in Class B. |
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