Slot car racing back on track

 

Hobby enjoys resurgence as kids of all ages compete for fun and glory

Published March 8, 2013

By JOHN BASSETT/SPECIAL TO THE STAR

Growing up in the late 1960s and early 1970s, I had a slot car track. But in my teen years, I lost interest.

I wasn’t the only one. In the final two decades of the 20th Century, partly due to the advent of video games and an ever-expanding TV universe, slot car racing almost died.

However, in the past decade, the hobby has made a comeback, and much has changed.

In its simplest form, slot car racing is a fun and economical way to pass the time with family or friends. Buy a track, set it up, and start racing.

But gone are the old cars with crude, inefficient motors and inaccurate bodies.

Today, several manufacturers offer tracks and cars in analogue or digital formats, in different scales, and with different driveline configurations. Extra parts such as higher rpm motors, different gears, stickier tires, lighter wheels, and stronger magnets, are available to make the cars faster.

Read full article here : http://www.wheels.ca/news/slot-car-racing-back-on-track/