THE NUMBER ONE QUESTION I receive on a regular basis is, “How do I get a Racing to the Future™ program started in my school, club or organization. Since the majority of the readership here participates in Kentucky’s Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP), I’ll use that organization as the example to explain how to get things rolling. Remember, this program is very flexible and is designed to accommodate a variety of learning opportunities. So feel free to tailor the program to fit your organizations’ needs.
So let’s get into what you need to get started and how you can use the program to supplement instruction or use as a special event for your school or organization. Racing to the Future™ uses a drag racing format. We use that format in order to get as many students racing as possible in a fixed time limit. Since a drag race takes less than 2 seconds to run, the students get many opportunities to race as they earn or need track time. But you can also do road racing or ovals. When the program started, we raced on banked oval tracks, using lower voltage so the cars would be easier to drive. For this example, we will stick to the drag racing format that we use in the STLP events.
What You Need to Get Started
- Race Track (20 feet, 7 Inches make a Scale Quarter Mile)
- Starting Gate and Finish Line (We recommend using Auto World’s product)
- Dead Track Section or a Catch Box (For cars to slow down/stop)
- Controllers
- Power Supply (20 Volt – at least 1 Amp)
- Cars (We race HO scale, 1/64th Scale cars)
- And Excited Student Racers!!!
Let’s start with the track. We recommend using Auto World or Tomy AFX track to build your drag strip. Both company’s track sections are interchangeable and can be easy assembled and taken apart for storage when not in use. We also race on a scale quarter mile which comes out to 20 feet 7 inches from the starting line to the finish line. After the finish line, we have a “dead” section of track and a few feet of regular track for the shut down lane for the cars to have a controlled slow down. We also use a padded catch box at the end of the track to capture the cars and prevent them from falling to the floor or getting damaged. A cardboard box with some bubble wrap or towels will work. Here’s the piece count to build a quarter mile drag strip with a 5 foot shut down area.
- 21 – 15 Inch Straight Sections (Can be Auto World or Tomy AFX)
- 1 – 15 Auto World Drag Strip Starting Track with Xmas Tree
- 1 – 9 Inch Auto World Finish Line Track With “Win” Lights
- 1 – 3 Inch Dead Track Section (comes with the Auto World drag strip sets)
- 1 – Power Pack (20 Volt/1 Amp Auto World unit or Tomy AFX Tri-Power unit)
- 2 – Controllers (Auto World or Tomy AFX)
We recommend buying a drag race set from Auto World. You get most of the track you will need, the start and the finish gates, dead track, controllers, power pack and 2 cars. You will need to purchase additional 15 Inch straight tracks to get the 21 feet 7 inch length plus the shut down area. The 15 inch sections are sold in pairs. Depending on which drag race set you purchase, you may need between 6 and 10, 15 inch track sections to get the quarter mile length. You may also purchase the start and finish gates separately, and purchase AFX race sets for your other pieces.
You can find the Auto World Drag Sets, cars and parts at their webstore at the link below:
https://www.autoworldstore.com/Slot-Cars-s/5.htm
You can find AFX Race Sets, cars and parts at their webstore at the link below:
https://afxracing.com/product-category/product-main/
You may also want to check the sponsor links on the Racing to the Future™ website. They offer high performance cars, hop-up parts to improve the car’s speed and other options to grow your program and the learning opportunities for your Student Racers.
Several of the schools and organizations that use the Racing to the Future™ program, use it as an after school activity. They organize into groups, learning about the cars, how they work and fine tuning their racing skills. Some also use the Racing to the Future™ website for references and ideas on projects related to the slot cars and racing. You can find more How-To articles and videos at the link below:
So once you get started and you have your students introduced to the cars and track, you can start preparing for the Kentucky Student Technology Leadership Program’s State Championship events. Several schools run practice and tuning sessions, where the students can exchange ideas and race each other to gauge their changes. Some even run competitions to see which students will compete at state (there is a 6 students per school limit for STLP state championship Racing to the Future™ events).
Another activity can focus on the art work and decoration of the cars. This can be enhanced by using computer applications for drawing and photography to create stickers or decals for your cars. The Racing to the Future™ STLP State Competition includes a judging segment where the appearance and work done to the car and chassis are judged and awarded for the best work.
There are many avenues to pursue under the Racing to the Future™ competition. Graphic arts, and scratch-built designs are just a few. When you visit the Racing to the Future™ website, be sure to check the links to our sponsors and other slot car sites. You can get several good ideas from Speed Inc., Slot Car Illustrated, SlotBlog and HobbyTalk. Just look under the slot car sections and HO sections of those websites and see what ideas other slot car hobbyists have come up with.