How to Start Low Cost Retro Racing?

[mcrracer]

Is There a way to start up a "low cost" Retro class of racing at my track? All I have been seeing so far are chassis around $125 and up, is there a lower cost alternative for chassis? My guys are all new, none can build there own chassis yet. What are my options? So far we have a 55ft oval. We are working on getting a mini orange or a mini paperclip I like very much the idea of the Retro class. What are our simpler, low cost motor options? Thanks

[Tex]

You can keep the cost of a retro car under $100 total if you scratchbuild the chassis yourself. I know, you said y'all don't scratchbuild yet. Well, that's it then... nothing more to say. If you want to race retro, either learn to scratchbuild or spend some cash for a chassis someone else built.

Oh yeah, you can buy retro motors for around $12 - $13(Falcon 7, TSR D301, JKHR, Pro Slot FK).

[Sam pan]

Simple scratchbuilt LTOs can be built with less than $20 worth of parts. Mike Katz has done some build tutorials on Slotblog. Rgeo and Chicagoland Raceway sell motor brackets. Add a Slick7 steel guide tongue,some K&S brass and wire and you're off to the races. Rick also sells a basic chassis jig for cheap. Cut down some old tires for fronts. Parma Cyclone bodies work well. Lots of used stuff out there also.

Good luck

[La Cucaracha]

Run JK Stamped Steel Cars with TI-22 Bodies.
Total cost about $70
They run great and look old school.
http://www.jkproducts.com/proddetail...K204171W&cat=8
Much better handling than the narrow, top heavy cars.
Encourage your racers to invest the money they save into valuable tools like good soldering iron, dremel tool, jigs, etc.
As they gain experience and skills, they may want to begin venturing into chassis building.
Don`t make it too complicated or they will likely become frustrated and quit.
Your racers will thank you.

Here`s a picture of an Outisight TI-22 on a Flexi Car.
These handle great and mount up fine on a normal 3 1/4" wide stamped steel chassis.

[Sam pan]

Mike.
He specifically asked about "Retro class".
"I like very much the idea of the Retro class."

Save your advise for people who ask about "Flexi" racing.

[La Cucaracha]

This style car is affordable, excellent handling, and will appeal to anyone who likes the look of retro.

[RomanK]

Marlon, trick is to capitalize on what's already working and not try to reinvent the wheel. There is already a retro group racing in the Chicago area if I'm not mistaken, find out for sure them mimic their rules. Find out where they are racing and talk to them, see if another track could be added to their schedule. That way you'll have more racers to draw from at the start, those racers will be experienced and perhaps would be able to get your locals up to speed. If you have to, work with a local chassis builder to help you get things started. Some of the chassis kits I've seen look to be pretty basic and hopefully easy to assemble. From what I've seen, Retro tends to bring out some of the folks that have long ago hung up their controllers. Also, not sure an Oval will do it for these guys, they mostly race on road courses.

Just some thoughts

[mcrracer]

Thanks for all of the advice and suggestions.

[ckdaboer]

IMHO, Low cost racing is what is needed in this industry.

Low cost racing is Flexi car at about 60.00 each. Or retro racing at 100.00 each or even the 100.00 wing car with the Falcon motor or similar.

If this hobby wants to grow, it must concentrate on getting many people to the participate. That means in my opinion, concentrating on the easy to drive and affordable cars like a JK C-25 ready to run. Building a beginner and intermediate program around that to attract everyone no matter their age or sex. It is better for the hobby or any industry to have lots of participants or customers. Keep the rules simple, the tracks EASY to drive and the cost affordable. Better to have 20 racers enjoying the hobby than 2 or three "big spenders" who do not support the local raceway. The tracks and equipment need to be USER friendly. If someone wants to go faster then they can when they LEARN their hobby. It is not just going fast and then crashing at every corner.



Just saying........

[La Cucaracha]

Try to find a roadcourse.

Contact Mike Swiss and Jerry Kulich.
Mike runs a weekly series at his raceway.
They are in your area and can give you great advise.

There a lots of nice looking tracks for sale.
Good luck and have fun.

[Tex]

Specifically regarding scratchbuilding, here is THE dead simplest retro chassis kit and it handles GOOD: http://www.e-slotcar.com/shop/brass-...s-kit-jk-d301/

The number of parts is minimal which means soldering is kept to a minimum; this is basically more "assembling" a chassis than truly scratchbuilding, using solder instead of glue. It's a good place to start with retro racing. I dare say these are still competitive and not just outdated junk... very simple yet effective design.

[mcrracer]

Thanks. Do you still need a chassis jig to build the JK kit?

[wjdougherty]

JKD3X25R, D3 CHASSIS X25R CHASSIS KIT, Price: $36.95

http://slotblog.net/topic/37414-jk-d...chassis/page-2

[Tex]

Thanks. Do you still need a chassis jig to build the JK kit?

You can get by without a jig, although graph paper would help you keep it "straight". Note that this kit doesn't include a rear axle tube(as per the pic). You can use either bushings or ball bearings fro the rear axle. BB's can be had from Avid RC for $1.50 per bb(last time I bought them). The post above shows another JK retro chassis kit. Look it up; it's a lot more complicated for a beginner to try and build. Well, maybe not a LOT more complicated(for an experienced builder), but the D301 chassis would definitely provide an easier entry into retro racing for a beginner scratchbuilder.

[fl_slotter]

Well there are ways to come up with low cost entry level Retro cars.

1. Find someone who is capable of and willing to build some chassis for you. I know a guy here in Florida that helped out a track by building 12 chassis for them. They were all the same, based on the JK D3 chassis kit. They were sold to racers (no track owners allowed) for $29.95.

The first race, one of the local racers bought one of the chassis and another racer also bought one. On race day, guess who were the fastest 2 racers? Of course some of the really good chassis builders were there and could not unseat them.

2. Use FK type motors - under $14.00.

3. Paint you own bodies.

I do believe you can have a competitive car for under $75 that is capable of winning against anything more expensive.