Rockingham Open Frame and Steering Grand Prix
Rockingham Slot Car Club invite entries to our annual ‘Open Frame & Steering GP’ which will once again take place on the Saturday afternoon of the ‘September Classic’ meeting.
Rockingham 'September Classic' - 5th Sept 2021
Open Frame and Steering Grand Prix Cars
General
This is intended as a ‘Retro’ class based on the type of cars that were commonly raced at many slot car clubs in the mid 1960s.
It is therefore expected that the majority of parts used in the construction of the cars will be pre 1971 period parts.
Period ready to run cars, motors, gears, steering units and guides are all reasonably easy to obtain.
Newly made parts scratch built from brass, wire, aluminium, etc are acceptable but should be ‘in the style of the period’.
Racing Classes
Class 1. Pre 1950 GP, Voiturette and Indy Cars. (CSCRA GP1a, GP1b, GP2a & GP2b)
Class 2. 1950-1960 GP and Indy Cars. (CSCRA GP3 Standards)
Class 3. 1961-1965 Formula 1 Cars. (CSCRA GP4 Standards)
Class 4. 1966-1970 Formula 1 Cars. (CSCRA GP5 Standards)
These classes are chosen as they were the common GP classes raced in the period and ready to run cars were available for each of them.
General Dimensions
Wheels, tyres, ground clearance, maximum width, etc should conform to the CSCRA car standards for the car being modelled and the class into which it is entered.
Any open frame & steering car actually built in the 1960s will be permitted to race ‘as built’ even if it does not quite comply with CSCRA car standards (but don’t take the mickey).
Eligible Cars and Bodies
Open to any 1/32nd scale model of a pre-1971 GP Car in the four classes above.
Body shells must be made from hard plastic, fibre glass, resin or wood.
Vac formed bodies are not permitted.
Motors
All cars must be powered by an ‘open frame motor’ mounted ‘inline’.
(Open frame motors are defined as – motors having their magnets at one or both ends of the armature shaft with iron or steel ‘pole pieces’ either side of the armature. Motors with magnets on both sides of the armature are not allowed).
(Inline is defined as - having the motor armature shaft at right angles to the axles and driving through a crown wheel and pinion).
Motors may have their original magnets replaced but the replacement must remain in exactly the same position as the original.
Additional magnets may not be fitted to any motor but ‘double pole pieces’ made from iron or steel are permitted.
Steering
All cars must be fitted with a working steering unit to which the front wheels are mounted. The steering unit can be a commercial ready-made item – Airfix, MRRC, etc - or scratch built.
The steering does not have to be directly connected to the guide but must work.
Slot Guides
It is preferred that these are covered by the body, but this rule will not be enforced too rigidly, particularly with regard to pre 1950 cars which tend to have very short noses and to cars actually made in the ‘60s or earlier.
Tyres
1960s original rubber tyres or urethane replicas (Ortmann etc) must be used and should comply with the CSCRA minimum diameters and maximum/minimum widths for each class.
Modern super sticky tyres like NSR, Slot.It, etc will not be permitted.
Tyres made from or containing silicon will not be permitted on any car.
Sponge/Foam tyres and ‘goop’ are not permitted.
Event Format
There will be a Concours competition into which entrants may enter one car only which can be from any of the classes. The car entered into the concours competition must be run in at least one race.
Racing.
All entrants will get 4 x 3minute heats, 1 on each lane, with the best two runs counting towards their qualifying position for the step up finals. (2 results from 4 heats if you enter just 1 class or 2 results from 2 heats if you enter 2 classes).
Entrants who enter 2 classes will have a free choice as to which car they run on which lane.
There will be separate 20 lap step up finals for each of the classes.
Entry fee for this event will be £5 per class.
Trophies will be presented to the Concours winner and to the race winners in each of the 4 classes.
The club will open for practice for this and Sunday’s ‘September Classic’ at 10am.
Concours and Racing for the ‘Open Frame & Steering GP’ will commence at 2pm latest.
Cheers.
Mick.
Click on the links below to go to the Rockingham or CSCRA websites.