Lolita and an Explosive.
Is anything more divisive in the world of slot car racing than the issue of track calls? Drivers who’ve crashed love them because they prevent their competitors from gaining much advantage, and those who haven’t hate them, because they stop them gaining ground. Pity the poor sod who has to operate the track call button, because he’ll get it in the neck either way. Track call buttons should come with a health warning: ‘Explosive. Not to be operated by those of a nervous disposition.‘
And so it was this week, when an early track call warmed up the clubroom’s atmosphere nicely. Your correspondent was too busy not crashing to notice who had, but there was a crash, then a track call, then howls of protest about it, then a riposte. Tempers, to put it delicately, flared, so a gentle reminder is probably in order. Don’t argue with the ref. He’s doing his best.
Anyway, away from the track call fireworks a race was happening, a race which at the front was an almost exact replay of last week’s. Julian again dominated, his total race time just 0.18 seconds faster than last week, his best lap a mere 0.01 quicker. That, dear readers, is mighty consistent. Almost as consistent as the kerfuffle that track calls generate, but let’s not go there again…
The Tomster had turned up with legs that looked like they’d been attacked by his school’s resident bunny boiler, although he dismissed the suggestion that he’d ever be that attractive to the opposite sex and claimed instead that he’d been attacked by some brambles. Whatever. I guess when you’re only fifteen, any attention is better than none. Nonetheless, whether his fight had been with a rampant Lolita or a rampant plant, it appeared to have calmed him down considerably, because he produced the most consistent and steady drive he’d done since joining Molesey. Yes, it didn’t see him climb far up the leaderboard, but it was a noticeable improvement on previous weeks, so bodes well for the future. Keep it up, Tom.
Finishing one place ahead of the Tomster was Simon, an unfortunate victim of the track call shenanigans. Holding a comfortable fourth place heading into Heat 5, Simon crashed heavily a few laps in, killing his car. Usually such a crash would have triggered a track call, but the button’s operative was on strike and the race clock continued to tick, Simon losing four laps whilst his broken car was replaced with another, tumbling down the leaderboard to finish in an unaccustomed seventh place.
Elsewhere, Terry and David enjoyed a race-long fight over what would turn out to be fourth place, David eventually triumphant, his Schnitzer BMW M1 just pipping Terry’s Team Bryant Ferrari 512 BB LM. Alex couldn’t repeat his performance of last week, his Toyota Celica still quick, but his driving this time littered with mistakes and crashes.
All in all it was another thoroughly enjoyable evening despite the track call chaos. People claim that slot car racing is only a bit of fun, but that’s not really true. Tempers wouldn’t fray if it was. It’s competition too, and all the better for it. Roll on next week!
PS. The club’s AGM is on Thursday 10th November. If you’ve not yet replied to Neil’s email asking for your thoughts and suggestions, please do so soon, even if it’s only to say that you’re completely happy with the way the club is run and have no suggestions. Remember, the club is only as good as its members make it, so please find a few minutes to have your say.
