Prototype “Paper” SK Modified Body

(Right-click and open in a new tab for larger image)

My first iteration of a “super-light” paper body for our MegaG+ Support Class cars. This one is made out of premium glossy photo paper and is mounted on a 1.7 MegaG+ chassis using 8 mil clear double-sided tape I got from George.

Kevin worked up this body using some sort of drafting paper and then laminated it with some other material.

Both bodies are pretty cool. Haven’t tested them on the track yet but I did run a regular paper prototype last Saturday on a Jag DR-1 chassis and it held up pretty well. These bodies are way light and the car feels and handles like it has no body at all.

Design ideas are limitless and very appealing. We’ll see how durable they are. I’m looking forward to coming up with a Midget car design and upgrading my SWB MegaG+ IROC set. Once you get the design set and printed, it takes about the same time to trim and mount as a typical Lexan body. And way, way cheaper than even a clear Lexan body.

 

A Track Day Racing Fest

Just a few drivers showed up for this one but we sure did a whole lot of racing. Our newest driver, Aaron Castro, braved the Beachcomber traffic and got to the track around 12:40. Webster MotoSports arrived around noon so we got to business by 1:00.

Kevin and I were dinking around with “paper” bodies for various chassis’ when Aaron arrived. Cheap but not without their own issues. Paper bodies have been around for years. The draw is the customization possible and almost zero weight. The plan is to come up with a simple template that anyone could use to make a body. Of course, paper bodies are primarily intended for a body-clip chassis, replacing heavy and expensive plastic or 3D-printed hard bodies.

Once we figure out a workable design we’ll move the material to some thin synthetic material, which will be obviously more durable and easier to secure to the chassis.

On To Racing Action

I won’t bore you all with details but we did seven (7) Dash races, all on the same lane assignment, and all 40 laps. Aaron won the first race running our MegaG+ Support Class cars and he won the last race running Wizzard Storm Extreme cars, courtesy of Webster Motorsports. As you can see, the racing was very close and the cars were all vastly different, from very loose Box Stock TFX cars to Wizzard Storm Extreme magnet cars, we did a lot of racing for a track day.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Steve Stewart 239 98 2932.967
2 Aaron Castro 236 82 2954.773
3 Kevin Webster 216 66 2950.298

A very fun track day in spite of the heat wave. We stayed on SR3 instead of going indoors and enjoying SR2 in an air-conditioned environment. Had the fans going and the doors wide open.

Thanks for showing up, guys! 

 

Track Day Report

A few hours on the SR3 straight road course and a few races. Team Maddox, Pearson Racing, and Fast Lane Racing showed up to cut some laps and run a few Dash races.

Bottom line: Jerry Pearson dominated the Dash racing with two wins. However, Shaylin Maddox (Abe’s Mom) was so close in second that we needed to review the tapes.

Place Name Laps Points Total Time
1 Jerry Pearson 75 46 1037.239
2 Shaylin Maddox 72 41 1040.78
3 Eric Lane 62 30 1088.66
4 Steve Stewart 56 20 1050.672
5 Abe Maddox 14 11 224.264
6 Grace Maddox 11 7 225.035

Jerry won two of the three but Shaylin won one and was extremely close (1000/sec) in the other two. Both drivers were running Team Fast Lane Vipers. Way close racing!

I’m hoping to get back to some formal racing next weekend. Stay tuned for details on that.

Okay, shut up and drive.

New MegaG+ Editions

I’m sure some of you have seen these cars out there. RaceMasters has released a few new body styles for the MegaG+ 1.7 chassis. I really like those presented here.

I know buying a car for just the body is silly but these bodies are pretty cool. If you’re planning on purchasing additional MG+ platforms, I’d choose one or more of these. They come with a 1.7 chassis but the bodies are impressive also.

You can find these complete cars out there from $30 plus shipping.

 

 

Any interest in running these at some point?

RC Superstore has great prices.

Open Track Day Report

Awesome track day today!

Thank you for coming over and cutting some laps with me!

We had a smaller turnout than expected but the entire Team Maddox crew, Webster Motorsports, and a new driver to Stewart Raceway, Aaron Castro, showed up in force.

Just a bunch of Dash races and a few demo events to show Aaron some features of SlotTrak. But still filled the day with slot car action and went well into the night.

Aaron met Jerry a month ago to purchase a controller Jerry was selling on CL. Jerry must have done an excellent job of promoting Stewart Raceway because Aaron emailed me sometime later and expressed interest in a visit to the track to check things out.

Turns out, Aaron and I raced together way back in the mid to late 1970s in both northern and southern California. Neither one of us remembers each other but we frequented the same tracks during that period–a small world!

A much longer story to share here but the bottom line is that Aaron is all-in on HO slot car racing and could very well be a new venue for our club to expand to. A great guy, a great driver, and an excellent addition to our program. Thanks, Jerry!

Again, thank you all for making it a great day!

That’s all I’ve got for now. I owe Aaron some informational links on some other interesting tracks and info.

Okay, shut up and drive!