by: Matthew Dallas
Kapi-Mana News
DECADES LATER: Paremata slot racer Russell Levy says his passion for the pastime was rekindled when he attended a competition two years ago. “I was racing slot cars when I was 17, now I’m 57. I love the competition, the camaraderie and it’s a lot of fun.”
Recall the childhood thrill of racing slot cars at high speed around a toy raceway? It does not diminish with age.
”Whatever he tells you, it’s just big boys playing with their toys,” said Wellington Slot Car Club’s Allan Tucker when Kapi-Mana News visited its recently-established Porirua clubrooms.
The ”he” is club mate Chris Dillon, who had been contemplating a more considered response to what attracted men of middle and senior age to building, tinkering and racing small cars that go really, really fast.
”We’re all interested in motorsport; a lot of us probably had slot cars as kids,” said Chris, who, like Allan, has just returned from a slot racing event in Sweden.
Yes, it’s that serious.