One of the things I hadn't thought about when I really got into slotless racing was that so few others would be interested. After getting a track together and a few cars, I tried to interest friends in trying it. These were guys I had raced slot cars with or were in my "1/1th scale" car club.
NOBODY was even interested enough to come and try it!
To be fair, this is twenty or more year old technology that died as radio controlled cars were becoming popular. And of course, the guys who race T-jets and AFX cars are using old technology, but it is still being made and there is a thriving aftermarket to supply that part of the hobby.
Over the past months I have come to realize that slotless racing may actually BE dead for all practical purposes. But I like it and don't give up easily. Therefore, since I was the only one into this (although my wife races with me from time to time and my five year old nephew tries to when he visits, but is a bit too young yet) I decided to explore ways to race by myself.
NOBODY was even interested enough to come and try it!
To be fair, this is twenty or more year old technology that died as radio controlled cars were becoming popular. And of course, the guys who race T-jets and AFX cars are using old technology, but it is still being made and there is a thriving aftermarket to supply that part of the hobby.
Over the past months I have come to realize that slotless racing may actually BE dead for all practical purposes. But I like it and don't give up easily. Therefore, since I was the only one into this (although my wife races with me from time to time and my five year old nephew tries to when he visits, but is a bit too young yet) I decided to explore ways to race by myself.
IN THE BEGINNING...
Going back to basics, racing against a Jam Car was my first thought. The original idea was to put a "third car" on the track for two racers to avoid or "pin" the competitor behind the Jam Car and pass him. Unfortunately, most Jam Cars are a lot slower than the race cars and with experience, you could "time" your blocking and passing.
To run by yourself against a Jam Car all you really have to do is to tape the trigger of one of your controllers in the full speed position. Of course, once again this quickly becomes boring. There is also a risk of frying the power pack through a pile up creating an electrical short. I use a multi outlet "power stick" with a circuit breaker and on/off switch to try to give some safety. Dan has a better idea on his www.tycotcrracing.com website. As you'll see, that on/off switch is a necessary item to start and stop races.
Another way to entertain yourself, is to add obstacles to the track. Not just a single obstacle, but three of them per lap and in different lanes! Barrels, cones, barricades, ramps, and other items can be used. The Break Out Curve is a nice addition, as is the Tyco "Danger Zone" track, which is really just a straight section with the wall removed from one side, forcing you to change lanes or turn off the track. Having one obstacle is basic, but adding multiple obstacles is quite a challenge! Depending upon where you place them, such as not far after coming out of a turn, they can be VERY hard to avoid! Two obstacles on one straight away forcing you to "zig-zag" is even tougher. There is no way you can get up to top speed on anything but a very big track.
But again, with practice, you can learn to get pretty good at slaloming around the track. That's when you make free rolling "stalled cars" one of the obstacles. Now, even if you hit a stalled car obstacle, it rolls to a new location and becomes yet ANOTHER obstacle! Still not tough enough? Place two static obstacles and a free rolling stalled car obstacles in one lane and a Jam Car in the other! The idea is to keep slotless racing interesting and challenging. It took me quite a while to top this, and in some configurations, I haven't beaten this combination yet!
Going back to basics, racing against a Jam Car was my first thought. The original idea was to put a "third car" on the track for two racers to avoid or "pin" the competitor behind the Jam Car and pass him. Unfortunately, most Jam Cars are a lot slower than the race cars and with experience, you could "time" your blocking and passing.
To run by yourself against a Jam Car all you really have to do is to tape the trigger of one of your controllers in the full speed position. Of course, once again this quickly becomes boring. There is also a risk of frying the power pack through a pile up creating an electrical short. I use a multi outlet "power stick" with a circuit breaker and on/off switch to try to give some safety. Dan has a better idea on his www.tycotcrracing.com website. As you'll see, that on/off switch is a necessary item to start and stop races.
Another way to entertain yourself, is to add obstacles to the track. Not just a single obstacle, but three of them per lap and in different lanes! Barrels, cones, barricades, ramps, and other items can be used. The Break Out Curve is a nice addition, as is the Tyco "Danger Zone" track, which is really just a straight section with the wall removed from one side, forcing you to change lanes or turn off the track. Having one obstacle is basic, but adding multiple obstacles is quite a challenge! Depending upon where you place them, such as not far after coming out of a turn, they can be VERY hard to avoid! Two obstacles on one straight away forcing you to "zig-zag" is even tougher. There is no way you can get up to top speed on anything but a very big track.
But again, with practice, you can learn to get pretty good at slaloming around the track. That's when you make free rolling "stalled cars" one of the obstacles. Now, even if you hit a stalled car obstacle, it rolls to a new location and becomes yet ANOTHER obstacle! Still not tough enough? Place two static obstacles and a free rolling stalled car obstacles in one lane and a Jam Car in the other! The idea is to keep slotless racing interesting and challenging. It took me quite a while to top this, and in some configurations, I haven't beaten this combination yet!
The SUPER JAMMER
After a while, tough as the track could be, static obstacles and a Jam Car got rather tiresome. So I thought about what I could do to "upgrade" the challenge of racing myself. I decided I needed a faster Jam Car. I was looking through my small box of "parts cars" and took out a Tyco one which had a bad steering sleave. By removing the steering sleave and locking the tie rod to steer one way, I had a fast car that didn't need to be lane controlled.
In the photo at the left, if you look closely at the area at the end of the motor shaft, you'll see a small tan colored rectangle. This is a small piece of strip wood glued in place with Walther's GOO, so that it could be removed later. This chassis was marked by white paint on the wheels and the ends of the front bumper. Otherwise, the car is just like any other of the race cars and faster than the typical Jam Car. To start any "race" with what I call a "Super Jammer," you line both cars up and then flip the on/off switch on your power stick to start. If the Super Jammer crashes, just shut the track power off.
The idea for having a better "driverless" car for slotless racing came from auto racing computer simulators where you could race against the "A.I." car. "A.I." stands for "artificial intelligence," you're racing against the computer program. You can set these so that you can always beat the A.I. cars, or have them get better as you learn to get better with the simulation, or run as fast as the program can make them. I was looking for this sort of challenge by upgrading the Jam Car idea.
However, a wide open controller would just make my Super Jammer an out of control rocket! The only way to control a "driverless" car to become like an "A.I." competitor was to modify a controller to suit.
After a while, tough as the track could be, static obstacles and a Jam Car got rather tiresome. So I thought about what I could do to "upgrade" the challenge of racing myself. I decided I needed a faster Jam Car. I was looking through my small box of "parts cars" and took out a Tyco one which had a bad steering sleave. By removing the steering sleave and locking the tie rod to steer one way, I had a fast car that didn't need to be lane controlled.
In the photo at the left, if you look closely at the area at the end of the motor shaft, you'll see a small tan colored rectangle. This is a small piece of strip wood glued in place with Walther's GOO, so that it could be removed later. This chassis was marked by white paint on the wheels and the ends of the front bumper. Otherwise, the car is just like any other of the race cars and faster than the typical Jam Car. To start any "race" with what I call a "Super Jammer," you line both cars up and then flip the on/off switch on your power stick to start. If the Super Jammer crashes, just shut the track power off.
The idea for having a better "driverless" car for slotless racing came from auto racing computer simulators where you could race against the "A.I." car. "A.I." stands for "artificial intelligence," you're racing against the computer program. You can set these so that you can always beat the A.I. cars, or have them get better as you learn to get better with the simulation, or run as fast as the program can make them. I was looking for this sort of challenge by upgrading the Jam Car idea.
However, a wide open controller would just make my Super Jammer an out of control rocket! The only way to control a "driverless" car to become like an "A.I." competitor was to modify a controller to suit.
The ADJUST-A-TROLLER
The controlling of the "Super Jammer" was actually fairly easy. Running the car and figuring out the best speed it could run without crashing then taping the trigger is just too crude. However, by adding a screw and washer alongside the trigger to a used Tyco TCR controller would allow me to adjust the speed very closely. All I have to do is to thread in the screw as the washer held down the trigger to "fine tune" the speed of the Super Jammer.
To mount the screw, I drilled a small pilot hole beside the trigger then enlarged it to a size just a little smaller than than the screw I wanted to use. You MUST be very careful to drill the hole in alignment with the movement of the trigger. By carefully threading the screw into the hole in the plastic, the screw will "cut it's own threads."
I used a machine screw rather than a wood screw as the finer threads allow for a finer "throttle adjustment." I had a spare insert washer and used it just to give the "Adjust-A-Troller" a unique look.
The controlling of the "Super Jammer" was actually fairly easy. Running the car and figuring out the best speed it could run without crashing then taping the trigger is just too crude. However, by adding a screw and washer alongside the trigger to a used Tyco TCR controller would allow me to adjust the speed very closely. All I have to do is to thread in the screw as the washer held down the trigger to "fine tune" the speed of the Super Jammer.
To mount the screw, I drilled a small pilot hole beside the trigger then enlarged it to a size just a little smaller than than the screw I wanted to use. You MUST be very careful to drill the hole in alignment with the movement of the trigger. By carefully threading the screw into the hole in the plastic, the screw will "cut it's own threads."
I used a machine screw rather than a wood screw as the finer threads allow for a finer "throttle adjustment." I had a spare insert washer and used it just to give the "Adjust-A-Troller" a unique look.
Another minor change I made to my Adjust-A-Troller was to shorten the wire to the terminal track, since nobody would be using it to race. I painted the fins a brighter color so I could find this unique piece of equipment easily. I also removed the steering wheel after a while, since it was not needed with the locked steering of the "Super Jammer!"
Once you had a speed regulated racing car to run against, racing against a "Jam Car" was a challenge again! While the slower standard Jam Car is fairly easy to time your moves against, the Super Jammer is so much faster that timing it and avoiding being caught in mid lane change by the center lane wall of the turns is a LOT tougher! You're racing against a car that can be as fast as yours, but nobody needs be there to drive it.
This controller was so successful to run the Super Jammer that it got me thinking about another idea for uncontrolled cars.
Once you had a speed regulated racing car to run against, racing against a "Jam Car" was a challenge again! While the slower standard Jam Car is fairly easy to time your moves against, the Super Jammer is so much faster that timing it and avoiding being caught in mid lane change by the center lane wall of the turns is a LOT tougher! You're racing against a car that can be as fast as yours, but nobody needs be there to drive it.
This controller was so successful to run the Super Jammer that it got me thinking about another idea for uncontrolled cars.
I made up a second Adjust-A-Troller, this time leaving the lane changing wheel on. This allowed ANY of the racing cars to become Super Jammers! You could set the steering for either lane and adjust the trigger for speed. In fact, you could use the non-steering Super Jammer in one lane and a regular car in another, turn on the power, and "let 'em have at it!" You'd be surprised at what pure chance can create.
But watching is not my idea of racing.
I now had a Super Jammer that was non-steering which I call "Super Jammer Type One," and an Adjust-A-Troller with no steering wheel to run it, which I tagged at "Adjust-A-Troller Type One." And I could use any race cars with an "Adjust-A-Troller Type Two" to run the car "driverless" in either lane.
But watching is not my idea of racing.
I now had a Super Jammer that was non-steering which I call "Super Jammer Type One," and an Adjust-A-Troller with no steering wheel to run it, which I tagged at "Adjust-A-Troller Type One." And I could use any race cars with an "Adjust-A-Troller Type Two" to run the car "driverless" in either lane.
ADVANCED RACING ALONE
By using one regular controller and the "Adjust-A-Troller," you can run your race car, a "Super Jammer," and a regular Jam Car all at the same time. This works because the Jam Car draws it's power from the race cars' power. For all practical purposes you are racing against two race cars and a standard Jam Car! Quite a challenge, but it get's tougher!
Because the regular Jam Car draws power from the race cars and more of it from the lane it runs in, catching and passing the "Super Jammer" race car and the Jam Car is a real challenge! Every time you swing into the lane to pass the "driverless" race car, you slow down a bit! And, if you hang out there too long, you get blocked behind the Jam Car!
If you set up the Super Jammer's speed just right, it's almost impossible to pass the Super Jammer AND the regular Jam Car! However, like those racing simulators, you can adjust the speed of the Super Jammer race car to a bit slower speed just as you can set the ability of the "A.I." cars to be beaten.
BEYOND RACING
Using your Obstacles, Jam Cars, and Super Jammer, you can run your track as a "highway." This would work very well on a road course type layout. You can use the Super Jammer as a car you're trying to pass and run a Jam Car in the opposite direction to represent "oncoming traffic." This can get REALLY exciting on a small track using Speedsteer semi trucks! This is one case where a car is as tough as a semi!
Customize the body of one car to be a police car and play "Cops and Robbers." You can be the Police one time and the Getaway Car the next. Maybe you want to chase a "speeder" or some other highway scofflaw. And you can just as easily be the car being chased of course. Throw in opposing traffic or road construction for extra fun.
Yet another idea is to stage an occasional Auto Thrill Show as described briefly on Page Three. This would be best done using a chassis whose steering has failed and there is nothing to damage. You just lock the steering on the Stunt Car. Beside using the Wheel Ramp to create rollovers and the full ramp to jump and land on Catch Cars, you can set up any number of barriers to hit. These can be barrels or Road Construction barricades. If you are into simple modeling, make a light wooden "crash wall" that actually breaks apart when hit. I've seen a few Thrill Shows that used to place a wall of large blocks of ice on the track and ram a car into them. These can be made out of Styrofoam and painted to look like ice. Many years ago there was a stunt in which the car crashed into a small, "break away" house or shed and collapsed it.
While not strictly a Thrill Show, you could set up a Record Distance Jump over parked cars. Use your obstacle caqrs to land on, or can you make it over all the cars? The possibilities for simulated destruction are limited only by your imagination!
KEEPING SCORE
Another way to challenge yourself and keep interest up is to set up a way to keep score of the racing. In organied slot car racing we have computerized scoring and control these days. The computer starts and stops the race, times the speeds, counts laps, and posts final scores. This can be probably all be worked out for slotless racing, but is far beyond my abilities. Therefore, I retreated to the "old fashioned" method of a basic timer and paperwork.
The simplest way to do this is to use a kitchen timer that will set off it's alarm in as little as one minute (less if you can find one) and run under the tried and true "Crash and Burn" format. Crash and Burn means that if your car stops moving, the race is over for you! This could be a crash, and spin out, or a stall between lanes when trying to change. No matter how it hapens, if your car stops, YOU LOSE!
Actually, this is the most realistic way to race either slot or slotless cars as there are no "turn marshals" in real racing! At a real raceway, if you stall, spin out, or crash, the chances that you can come back to win the race is VERY unlikely. Sure, it happens in long distance road racing or in a 500 mile NASCAR race once in a while, but it is EXTREMELY rare on the typical local speedaway!
Basically, whether you're racing with a Jam Car, obstacles on the track, a Super Jammer, or any combination of those, the format is the same. You line up the cars with the power off. If you are running against a Jam Car and a Super Jammer, they are the "front row." You set the timer for a minute, and throw the power switch "ON." No matter how long you set the timer for, it's over if you crash or stall before time is up! Once you're out, turn off the power and set up for the next race.
If you want to know how long a full minute can be, try it! It's like holding your breath under water or standing in front of a crowd and having to speak for a short time.
I made up a "score sheet" on my computer to keep track of the finishes. It has three columns, one for me, one for a Jam Car, and one for a Super Jammer. At the top is an area to write in what sort of cars and obstacles might be used. This is an excellent way to track your progress as a slotless racer!
I suck as a driver, but the Super Jammer "driver" is a real pro!
Of course, I have aquired a few Speedsteer semis, so I run the "Crazy Trucker" version of racing against a Tyco Jam Truck, and a Speedsteer truck run as a Super Jammer. Because the trucks handle poorly compared to the cars, you have to run slower in the curves. I do better with this combination, but am still not a regular winner against the Super Jammer! He must be the same guy who drivers the Super Jammer cars!
IMAGINATION
The ideas I came up with to race by myself are not the end of the possibilities. I'm sure that I haven't thought of everything that can be done to keep interest in slotless racing alive. It's all a matter of imagination. The only real limitation to modifying or running slotless cars is to remember that they have out of production for a LONG time. Cars and parts have a somewhat limited supply, so this could be considered "Vintage Racing." But other than that, it's; "Gentlemen....Start your engines!"
By using one regular controller and the "Adjust-A-Troller," you can run your race car, a "Super Jammer," and a regular Jam Car all at the same time. This works because the Jam Car draws it's power from the race cars' power. For all practical purposes you are racing against two race cars and a standard Jam Car! Quite a challenge, but it get's tougher!
Because the regular Jam Car draws power from the race cars and more of it from the lane it runs in, catching and passing the "Super Jammer" race car and the Jam Car is a real challenge! Every time you swing into the lane to pass the "driverless" race car, you slow down a bit! And, if you hang out there too long, you get blocked behind the Jam Car!
If you set up the Super Jammer's speed just right, it's almost impossible to pass the Super Jammer AND the regular Jam Car! However, like those racing simulators, you can adjust the speed of the Super Jammer race car to a bit slower speed just as you can set the ability of the "A.I." cars to be beaten.
BEYOND RACING
Using your Obstacles, Jam Cars, and Super Jammer, you can run your track as a "highway." This would work very well on a road course type layout. You can use the Super Jammer as a car you're trying to pass and run a Jam Car in the opposite direction to represent "oncoming traffic." This can get REALLY exciting on a small track using Speedsteer semi trucks! This is one case where a car is as tough as a semi!
Customize the body of one car to be a police car and play "Cops and Robbers." You can be the Police one time and the Getaway Car the next. Maybe you want to chase a "speeder" or some other highway scofflaw. And you can just as easily be the car being chased of course. Throw in opposing traffic or road construction for extra fun.
Yet another idea is to stage an occasional Auto Thrill Show as described briefly on Page Three. This would be best done using a chassis whose steering has failed and there is nothing to damage. You just lock the steering on the Stunt Car. Beside using the Wheel Ramp to create rollovers and the full ramp to jump and land on Catch Cars, you can set up any number of barriers to hit. These can be barrels or Road Construction barricades. If you are into simple modeling, make a light wooden "crash wall" that actually breaks apart when hit. I've seen a few Thrill Shows that used to place a wall of large blocks of ice on the track and ram a car into them. These can be made out of Styrofoam and painted to look like ice. Many years ago there was a stunt in which the car crashed into a small, "break away" house or shed and collapsed it.
While not strictly a Thrill Show, you could set up a Record Distance Jump over parked cars. Use your obstacle caqrs to land on, or can you make it over all the cars? The possibilities for simulated destruction are limited only by your imagination!
KEEPING SCORE
Another way to challenge yourself and keep interest up is to set up a way to keep score of the racing. In organied slot car racing we have computerized scoring and control these days. The computer starts and stops the race, times the speeds, counts laps, and posts final scores. This can be probably all be worked out for slotless racing, but is far beyond my abilities. Therefore, I retreated to the "old fashioned" method of a basic timer and paperwork.
The simplest way to do this is to use a kitchen timer that will set off it's alarm in as little as one minute (less if you can find one) and run under the tried and true "Crash and Burn" format. Crash and Burn means that if your car stops moving, the race is over for you! This could be a crash, and spin out, or a stall between lanes when trying to change. No matter how it hapens, if your car stops, YOU LOSE!
Actually, this is the most realistic way to race either slot or slotless cars as there are no "turn marshals" in real racing! At a real raceway, if you stall, spin out, or crash, the chances that you can come back to win the race is VERY unlikely. Sure, it happens in long distance road racing or in a 500 mile NASCAR race once in a while, but it is EXTREMELY rare on the typical local speedaway!
Basically, whether you're racing with a Jam Car, obstacles on the track, a Super Jammer, or any combination of those, the format is the same. You line up the cars with the power off. If you are running against a Jam Car and a Super Jammer, they are the "front row." You set the timer for a minute, and throw the power switch "ON." No matter how long you set the timer for, it's over if you crash or stall before time is up! Once you're out, turn off the power and set up for the next race.
If you want to know how long a full minute can be, try it! It's like holding your breath under water or standing in front of a crowd and having to speak for a short time.
I made up a "score sheet" on my computer to keep track of the finishes. It has three columns, one for me, one for a Jam Car, and one for a Super Jammer. At the top is an area to write in what sort of cars and obstacles might be used. This is an excellent way to track your progress as a slotless racer!
I suck as a driver, but the Super Jammer "driver" is a real pro!
Of course, I have aquired a few Speedsteer semis, so I run the "Crazy Trucker" version of racing against a Tyco Jam Truck, and a Speedsteer truck run as a Super Jammer. Because the trucks handle poorly compared to the cars, you have to run slower in the curves. I do better with this combination, but am still not a regular winner against the Super Jammer! He must be the same guy who drivers the Super Jammer cars!
IMAGINATION
The ideas I came up with to race by myself are not the end of the possibilities. I'm sure that I haven't thought of everything that can be done to keep interest in slotless racing alive. It's all a matter of imagination. The only real limitation to modifying or running slotless cars is to remember that they have out of production for a LONG time. Cars and parts have a somewhat limited supply, so this could be considered "Vintage Racing." But other than that, it's; "Gentlemen....Start your engines!"