Teri Talk: In the groove with slot car racers

Nice article about 1/32 scale club racing in Virginia, in the Virginian-Pilot.

http://pilotonline.com

by: Teri Winslow

Danger forced Joe Brimer out of racing.

He competed professionally in open-wheeled cars but gave it up in late 1973 after college. He wanted to get married, and racing was risky, as well as a difficult way to make a living.

“It was a tough road and I was in love,” he said.

But about five years ago, at close to 60, he started racing again, mostly vintage cars.

It feeds his competitive nature and love of history, as well as a gearhead’s passion for tinkering. And there’s no danger — to himself or his marriage.

Crashes happen all the time, but at this raceway, Brimer just picks up his car and puts it back on the course – a 100-foot-long windy stretch of track on the second floor of a red barn next to his Williamsburg home. Brimer is president of Barn Burners Slot Car Club.

The 22 members come from Hampton Roads, Warrenton and North Carolina. They meet once a month for a day of racing. There are also special events throughout the year. A computer system records lap times and provides a throaty “vroom” when cars zip down a straightaway.

Besides the track, the ground floor of Brimer’s barn functions as a kind of pit area, where racers choose cars for competition from specially-equipped black tool boxes — and tinker.

“I don’t do anything small,” Brimer said.

Read full article here: Teri Talk: In the groove with slot car racers