[dgersh]

Hey Phil,
How come your Club Special Cooper has fat tires and my Club Special BRM still has the skinny ones? Thought the wider tires were only on the Honda, Viper, etc... Did all the older ones get reshod, or is that your personal initiative?
Don

PS: I know Motor Sport changed the cover, was just funnin'

 

[dgersh]

Nice job Derek. So, what two motors did you use on the Alfa?
Not sure about those tires, or the pickup, but I don't have any better ideas for getting one under the nose... a pin? post in front of blade?
cheers,
Don

 

[dgersh]

Nice work as usual Phil!

I have a tuning question for you natives: I am beginning to prepare my cars, and naturally it would be a good idea to test them.... but we have nothing like a Sandtex surfaced track anywhere in Paris that I know of.... only plastic (mostly Carrera) or polyurethane surfaced wood (MDF) track. Would either of these help in tuning a car for your track, or is handling nothing alike?

Thanks,
Don

PS/ Mac, you said controllers were standard 3-pin, but I must admit I don't really know what that means.... is that a jack of some sort, or alligator/pin type connectors?
We have our plane reservations by the way, and will arrive at Birmingham on Saturday morning around 10:15... not leaving until Monday, so no rush on Sunday evening...

 

[dgersh]

Thanks Phil, you're the King of the (Early) Adapters! Why oh why can't we standardize international controller connections????

Coop, you confirmed what I'm afraid of! The polyurethane is, as you suspected a very glossy surface - I think it's what's used on most modern slot tracks, and is definitely made for glue racing. My only experience with Sandtex is on Jeff's rail racing track at Brooklands, which had traction even for 40-year old tires! I just won't test the cars - that'll give me a good excuse for not winning - hey, I'm a genius!
Don

 

[dgersh]

I'm getting tired of saying this Phil, but another excellent car - you trying to corner the market? what kind of wheels did you use, and what chassis? and what are those vaguely O-ring front tires and rear slicks? Almost look like German spongies....

Don

 

[dgersh]

Mac,
I'm greatly looking forward to this! Yves and I now have our plane reservations so we'll see you on Saturday at the airport. I'm sure glue will still be drying and solder will still be cooling as we land...

A couple of clarifications:
1) You said no "blobs", but are period vacuum-formed bodies okay? Not even sure I'll use one yet, and probably not, but am just wondering. I will be brining two period Lancia-Ferraris: one a fiberglass body (sorry, I just can't get used to saying 'glass-fibre') that is way too low, and the other a vac-form that is way too high.... can't win em all!

2) Are period kit cars in Cat. 1 or 2? More specifically, I'm thinking about my Strombecker Mercedes W154, and similar models, if there were any beside the MRRC 4WD...

3) Is there minimum diameter on the tires? and/or does the +/- 1/32 rule apply here?

In any case, I'll be bringing a bunch of cars just to try em out on a real English club track (I'd appreciate if you'd arrange to have a couple guys in tweed suits smoking pipes and faithful wives doing the scorekeeping so it'll look like the photos I grew up with...)

Thanks,
Don

 

[dgersh]

Very nice work David (and Derek too!). But it's not fair - you've finished already, while I've got some painting scheduled for this weekend...

Are those BWA wheels as well?

I'll be bringing a Du Bro vac-bodied version of this car (assuming the paint dries!), with a vintage chassis (Bonner motor!), so the comparison should be interesting.

Small hint to fellow last-minute builders: I picked up a couple Bugatti 251 resin bodies from Dave Sykes, and the Atlas 206 motor/chassis combo fits very well after removing excess material from inside the body and shortening the chassis a bit... Of course, this one may be drying in the plane as well...
cheers,
Don

 

[dgersh]

Talk about stunning cars!

Remind me how this thing ran in the proxy, Russell, with the powerful motor, large skinny tires and guide behind the front axle... I've got a Bimotore project with a 26D and similar problems - tho not same level of workmanship!
Don

 

[dgersh]

All very nice and well Phil, but which one you gonna run?

Where do you get all your decals by the way? Are these from your old stocks or do you have a modern supplier?
Don

 

[dgersh]

I think I'll just stay in the Birmingham airport with Yves and cheer you guys from there.... Fantastic work, folks....

The only thing that reassures me is your photo David, something about Mad Dogs and Englishmen...

If it's not in the rules, don't know why a full-width chassis would be banned - well, except for the fact that back in the 60s, the Midwest clubs basically ran nothing but Lancia-Ferraris and Harvey Aluminum specials!

Anyway, the whole point is to get together, race and chat....
see you in a couple days,
Don

 

[dgersh]

Very well said Mac, bravo!

More to the point, what's the weather like this weekend?

Should we bring anoraks, or will there already be some on site....?

Very much looking forward to this, and so is my micro-motored Bugatti 251 -- whoops, let the cat out of the bag there!

Don