Slot Car Racing For Newbies

Slot cars have been around for decades and children of all ages have, in one way or another, experienced the thrill of racing miniature models of their favorite cars, whether by watching adults race slot cars or by growing up racing the cars themselves. But not everyone is very familiar with the hobby because as far as gaming and sports goes, children nowadays are more computer-game-oriented.

So what is slot car racing?
Slot car racing is a hobby or a sport, depending on which side of the coin you are looking. Nowadays, it is largely considered a hobby among those who were born during the earlier decades. In the sixties, however, it is widely considered as a sport, somewhat in the league of baseball, bowling, and basketball. During the earlier decades, both young and old are involved in the sports. Huge commercial raceways dot nearly all cities, just as they do now with bowling facilities. Unfortunately, as with most fad sports, this one died its natural death. But it was never really forgotten as evidenced by the fact that slot racing these days is experiencing revival in popularity.

The New and The Old
When it was first introduced to the public, slot racing was the sports of the sons of the filthy rich. The raceways as well as the model cars are very very expensive, thus it started slow. But the general public soon picked up the habit when less expensive model cars and raceways became available. Its Golden Age began and ended during the sixties to seventies. It is only now that people are rediscovering slot car racing.

The classic style of slot racing comprises of model cars made of wood or plastic that are powered by electricity. This is considered the conventional slot cars.

In this type of slot racing, cars race in a single line. The number of cars that are raced during a single 'competition' depends on the number of lanes available. Say when the raceway only has 2 lines, only 2 cars are allowed to compete. Whenever there are 4 lanes, 4 cars are allowed for completion, and so on. Because variations in the general speed of the slot car are affected by the position of the lanes, most races are divided into heats wherein drivers switch lanes to equalize any limitations imposed by each lane. Being the conventional or classic mode of slot racing, this is the more popular method used among race sets all over the world.

The newer form of racing is the digital slot car racing. This allows for 2 to 8 drivers to compete in 2-lane tracks. Unlike with the conventional mode of racing, this one allows for better control of the lane as well as the car. Any or all of the drivers can race in one lane simultaneously, thus allowing for better competition and real race-like appeal.

Why you should race?
Slot car racing is many different things to different people. Some people race for fun, others as a hobby and still others for money prizes. For starters, slot car racing is purely for the satisfaction of one's innate sense for racing.