Worldwide Slot Car Racing

Clothes covered with saw dust is just part of the job for Gary Gerding. He designs and builds world caliber race tracks for slot cars.

Gerding told Channel 6 News, “most of the world championships held today are on my tracks.”

And Gerding himself has put in plenty of laps around the world. “I have a track in Brazil, ” Gerding said, “A couple of them in the Czech Republic, Finland, Bermuda, and Japan. “Just about anybody that races at a high level,” he added, “knows about me throughout the world.”

Gerding has several of those championship designs right here in Omaha. A slot car racing club gathers every Wednesday night in Irvington for competition and again on Sunday afternoons.

Tom Grasso, a club member said “You’ve heard of retired guys sitting around having coffee, we like to race.”

Some of the high end cars cost as much as $500.

There are several world record categories in each class and those times are recorded on what are called King Tracks, which Gerding designs and builds.

Gerding said, “So those records are reported on King tracks only and that’s how I built my reputation as having very fast tracks.”

Gerding added “It never gets old, I just haven’t grown up yet.”

Posted: Mar 5, 2012
Reporter: John Knicely

 

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Worldwide Slot Car Racing.

 

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