New Home, CSR moves to new premises Options

[Graham Lane]

Very soon CSR will have a fabulous new home in the massive basement of Bella Vista, the new ultra-modern 'no expense spared' bar of Castello delle Forme, just 300m up the road from Villa Rosa, its present home.

What this means is that not only will we have space for the scenic digital track but also space for a 30m four-lane Ninco analogue track for more serious racing and championship events. There will also be space for a pit area with tables and benches. There is up-and-over door access to this floor so we can drive a van in for loading and unloading the scenic track for hiring purposes. It has lift and stairs access to the bar above which has a pizzeria, gelateria, and lounge area. We are looking for a sponsor and applying for a grant for the disabled so they can race too. There will be a ramp up to the drivers podium for wheelchairs.

Our first event there will be in about a month when the bar opens. It will be one of the opening attractions. Wish us luck!

[justDave]

Sounds great Graham. Congratulations! I know Italy quite well and this is just building into another good reason to visit a part of the country I havent been to yet!

Best of luck for the move.

David

[Graham Lane]

Thanks Dave. You know you would be very welcome if you ever come over. This is a very beautiful part of the world.

[injectorman]

Whaaaaaa no digital Graham?

[ewanmcken]

Good Luck!

[Graham Lane]

Well, finally, after months of waiting for our new bar to open we are on course for the inauguration of Castello Slot Racing! The new bar officially opens on 29th August and so does the club. The delay has been due to planning permission which has now been resolved.

I have spoken to a slot car club that I race at in Perugia who have a dreadfully small room with a superb track in it. It's currently two-lane as that is all they have room for but I proposed that they move it to our premises and we extend it to four lanes. This would benefit them and provide us with a core of excellent racers, one of which was a recent Italian champion, Fabio Tomassini.

Watch this space...

[Count]

Beer, pizza, ice-cream and slot racing??

...are you sure you're not getting mixed up with the after-life, Graham? Sounds too good to be true!

Half your luck! and best wishes for a very successful venture!

(Does this mean your simply creating room for another track build at the Villa Rosa?)

Count

[Graham Lane]

You're probably wondering what happened to all the great plans for Castello Slot Racing club, aren't you?

Well, I waited nine whole months for the dividing wall to be built and the floor to be covered at Bar Bellavista and...nothing! In desperation I removed my track and put it back in my stables. closer to hand and away from damaging little fingers, which had wrecked a couple of bits of scenery.

Then, the circolo (sports and community centre) of Castello delle Forme, said they would move the pagoda (a rigid building 15m x 7.5m that was used as a temporary church while our regular one was being restored) down the road to the circolo and we could have it as a permanent club room. The circolo incidentally is where we hold the Mini Mille Miglia (MMM) and a rival of Bar Bellavista.

In December 2009 we bought a second track, a 37m four-lane Ninco complete with even cars and controllers, from a club that was closing in Bergamo, near Milan. That has been sitting in a warehouse ever since.

There were several problems with the pagoda. It sat on land owned by someone related to the the same family who own the bar Bellavista who I had just pulled the plug on. The local priest who had been using the pagoda as a temporary church was also a member of this family and had 'lost' the key. On top of that, according to the local council, the building didn't exist so they couldn't grant permission to move a non-existent building! Remember, this is Italy. Not only do we have crazy problems like this but we also have equally crazy solutions, and finally one has been found. We are now just waiting for the Province of Perugia to stamp the permission granted by the local council and we are away. The concrete for the foundations has been ordered, the new (insulated) roof has been ordered, the location for the building has been ear-marked, and the building company have been booked for moving it. I am told that by September we should be up and running, although in true Italian style, he didn't say which September.

Everyone knows me as an optimist. All the committee members of the circolo are VERY enthusiastic about having the slot club there and have been hugely supportive of the MMM as we have seen. They have been working very hard to get this sorted and asked us to be just a little more patient and it will happen. When it does, Castello Slot Racing will be one of the best clubs in Italy with two very different types of track in a purpose-built building with great facilities on hand, including beer, pizza and ice cream. Of course, if it happens (did I say 'if'? Sorry, I meant 'when') then next year's MMM will be fantastic. Not only a new extension to the track but also new premises. I can't wait!

[Graham Lane]

As we edge inexorably towards the day when CSR opens its doors to the new club room I have just been told that adjacent to the club room will be an asphalt race track for radio controlled cars! This will be the first one in Umbria. At first I wasn't sure about the idea but having thought about it a lot I can see it will bring a lot of people to the sports and community centre and can only enhance the awareness of our presence. Brama, the fabulous model shop in Perugia, will be involved and they already sell Ninco track, cars and spares so I see a great tie up there too.

Radio-controlled cars are very expensive and much more difficult to drive than slot cars so we certainly won't be losing out to them.

[GeraldL]

Determined to come next year with a very BRG car, if I don't do it now then I never well so it's a must. I haven't been to Perugia but I have been to Arezzo, it seems Italy is slot racing mad. Sounds like my planned visit to the Verona model show if off! Gerald Lambourn

[Kustomart]

Good Luck with the move Graham, sounds like the ideal slot car venue in every respect

All the best.. Martin De'Ath.

[Graham Lane]

In the fashion of an F1 race we now have a full set of green lights for the Castellano track to move down to a temporary room at Oasi Verde. This will happen on Saturday 18th September and next Tuesday we shall be fine tuning the track ready for our first club night.

The room is 6m x 6m so only big enough for the digital two-lane bit, but this gives me the opportunity to build the new extension in readiness for the 2011 MMM by which time we should have our new 10m x 10 club room and the four-lane Ninco analogue track alongside Castellano.

We can finally start building up some membership.

[Graham Lane]

Well the track has been moved and is up and running. Our first club night is next Tuesday 28th September. The first evening is free of charge and runs from 7pm to 11pm.

[Graham Lane]

We've had two club nights so far, with a great deal of response.

The first club night found us a new sponsor for the MMM - Quantum Management Group in the USA!

The second club night we had a couple of local ladies who want to run a face night for ladies with a cup for the winner. What could be more fun?

We're trying to keep a low profile at the moment until we get a few bugs ironed out of the track. Then we'll have an opening night. Andy is going to link our two power bases in Simple H format to overcome the power issue. We also plan to get a new six-car power base and then use the old PBs to run the pit lane.