Hi Andi
Wow what an ambitious project and so much to think about.
The basic Monza layout looks like it could work quite well as a slot car track as long as it's easy enough for marshals to duck under the track for access to the interior marshalling positions. Many full size circuits make very poor slot racing circuits, you mention one of the reasons for this, the previous threads on that subject explain all the other problems with them.
Making all the lanes the same length doesn't guarantee they will all be the same speed. However making them all the same length does help even up the lap times. Most club tracks are built with all the lanes the same length, yet it is very unusual not to have some lanes better than others.
The shape of banking you are planning with the outside lanes more steeply banked than the inner means that the outside lanes are potentially much faster. If this is a practical differance depends on the cars used, if they are flat out all the way round the inner lanes then this becomes unimportant. On 1:1 banked tracks like Monza and Brooklands the faster cars simply moved further up the banking to take advantage of the steeper banking. With slot tracks they don't have that option.
To answer one of your questions, no I haven't ever seen a slot car banking built like that. I guess one reason is ease of construction, simply making the banking angle for all the lanes is what you naturally end up with by bending a flat sheet. Another reason, at least amongst the more thoughtful builders, is that they didn't want the lanes at different banking angles for the above reason. Sadly this mitigates against close racing between closely matched cars.
I've not seen a track with so many multiple cross overs and squeezes in corners as this one, its difficult to know exactly how it will work out without trying it.
You say you want realism and racing lines.
What happens in 1:1 racing when cars are overtaking is that cars often go side by side into corners, the ideal racing line is often compromised for one or (more likely) both of the cars. The cars can move off the perfect line to give each other space or stick to their line and produce an avoidable accident (which has left several drivers in recent F1 races having to justify their accidents to the stewards)
Slot tracks don't allow cars to move off line to allow each other room, in that respect they are a totally unrealistic representation of 1:1 racing. The net result of this is that the overtaking car needs to be much faster to get past. Closely matched cars trying to overtake is far more likely to end up in an accident than getting past.
Squeezes in corners work well in slotstocks where contact between the cars in corners is expected, and the cars are built specially robust to cope with this. This represents the 1:1 British stock car ovals with their specially robust cars built to cope with contact.
Cross overs have done much to increase manufacturers' sales over the years because of the amount of crash damage they cause. It would be a shame to have some of the beautifully hand built slot cars I've seen you build smashed up by unnecessary accidents.
Wow what an ambitious project and so much to think about.
The basic Monza layout looks like it could work quite well as a slot car track as long as it's easy enough for marshals to duck under the track for access to the interior marshalling positions. Many full size circuits make very poor slot racing circuits, you mention one of the reasons for this, the previous threads on that subject explain all the other problems with them.
Making all the lanes the same length doesn't guarantee they will all be the same speed. However making them all the same length does help even up the lap times. Most club tracks are built with all the lanes the same length, yet it is very unusual not to have some lanes better than others.
The shape of banking you are planning with the outside lanes more steeply banked than the inner means that the outside lanes are potentially much faster. If this is a practical differance depends on the cars used, if they are flat out all the way round the inner lanes then this becomes unimportant. On 1:1 banked tracks like Monza and Brooklands the faster cars simply moved further up the banking to take advantage of the steeper banking. With slot tracks they don't have that option.
To answer one of your questions, no I haven't ever seen a slot car banking built like that. I guess one reason is ease of construction, simply making the banking angle for all the lanes is what you naturally end up with by bending a flat sheet. Another reason, at least amongst the more thoughtful builders, is that they didn't want the lanes at different banking angles for the above reason. Sadly this mitigates against close racing between closely matched cars.
I've not seen a track with so many multiple cross overs and squeezes in corners as this one, its difficult to know exactly how it will work out without trying it.
You say you want realism and racing lines.
What happens in 1:1 racing when cars are overtaking is that cars often go side by side into corners, the ideal racing line is often compromised for one or (more likely) both of the cars. The cars can move off the perfect line to give each other space or stick to their line and produce an avoidable accident (which has left several drivers in recent F1 races having to justify their accidents to the stewards)
Slot tracks don't allow cars to move off line to allow each other room, in that respect they are a totally unrealistic representation of 1:1 racing. The net result of this is that the overtaking car needs to be much faster to get past. Closely matched cars trying to overtake is far more likely to end up in an accident than getting past.
Squeezes in corners work well in slotstocks where contact between the cars in corners is expected, and the cars are built specially robust to cope with this. This represents the 1:1 British stock car ovals with their specially robust cars built to cope with contact.
Cross overs have done much to increase manufacturers' sales over the years because of the amount of crash damage they cause. It would be a shame to have some of the beautifully hand built slot cars I've seen you build smashed up by unnecessary accidents.
