The Cars
What is a Slot Car?
A slot car is a miniature, scale model of a full-size racing car powered by a small electric motor and controlled by a hand controller connected to the racing track. Slot cars come in many different forms. Everyone is familiar with the home race sets such as Scalextric, Ninco, SCX and Fly, but these are not as quick and competitive as the slot cars raced in clubs and raceways throughout the country. Having said that, these home race set cars do provide a good introduction to the sport of slot car racing.
Racing classes
The cars we race are mainly 1/32nd scale models (approx. 125 mm to 150 mm long and 64 mm wide). The mainstay of our club racing are cars raced to British Slot Car Racing Association (BSCRA) standards.
A slot car is a miniature, scale model of a full-size racing car powered by a small electric motor and controlled by a hand controller connected to the racing track. Slot cars come in many different forms. Everyone is familiar with the home race sets such as Scalextric, Ninco, SCX and Fly, but these are not as quick and competitive as the slot cars raced in clubs and raceways throughout the country. Having said that, these home race set cars do provide a good introduction to the sport of slot car racing.
Racing classes
The cars we race are mainly 1/32nd scale models (approx. 125 mm to 150 mm long and 64 mm wide). The mainstay of our club racing are cars raced to British Slot Car Racing Association (BSCRA) standards.
| bscra_handbook_2022.pdf |
The heart of the Slot Car
At the heart of a slot car lies its chassis and a small electric motor. Modern chassis' are built from brass or spring steel. The fastest slot cars in the world use very lightweight steel chassis cut from a single piece of sheet material with advanced cutting machinery. All slot cars are guided around the track by a plastic guide shoe that fits into the slot cut into the track surface. Fitted to either side of the guide shoe are the pick-up braids that feed the electric current from the track to the motor.
Controlling the car
The car is driven via a hand controller that plugs into the track. Squeezing the trigger of the hand controller makes the car go faster but the car also brakes and quickly stops when the trigger is released. As with any hobby or sport, a lot of practice is needed to become good at driving a slot car quickly in race competition.
Car bodies
The plastic bodyshells used on serious slot cars are lightweight polycarbonate so as to keep the car's centre of gravity as low as possible and therefore improve its handling in corners. A huge range of bodyshells are available, covering every class of racing. Because most bodyshells are intended for serious racing rather than good looks, they don't carry unnecessary details but do look very good when painted with a bit of imagination.
At the heart of a slot car lies its chassis and a small electric motor. Modern chassis' are built from brass or spring steel. The fastest slot cars in the world use very lightweight steel chassis cut from a single piece of sheet material with advanced cutting machinery. All slot cars are guided around the track by a plastic guide shoe that fits into the slot cut into the track surface. Fitted to either side of the guide shoe are the pick-up braids that feed the electric current from the track to the motor.
Controlling the car
The car is driven via a hand controller that plugs into the track. Squeezing the trigger of the hand controller makes the car go faster but the car also brakes and quickly stops when the trigger is released. As with any hobby or sport, a lot of practice is needed to become good at driving a slot car quickly in race competition.
Car bodies
The plastic bodyshells used on serious slot cars are lightweight polycarbonate so as to keep the car's centre of gravity as low as possible and therefore improve its handling in corners. A huge range of bodyshells are available, covering every class of racing. Because most bodyshells are intended for serious racing rather than good looks, they don't carry unnecessary details but do look very good when painted with a bit of imagination.
