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Race Format

The aim of our Micro Scalextric Championship at Worthing HO Racing was to be a fun and exciting first step into slot car club racing. We ran the events in the school holidays so the 9.30pm finish wasn’t too late for younger racers.


Championship races were run on our 4-lane Tomy AFX layouts using race prepared Micro Scalextric cars - all equipment was provided.


Championship points were awarded from first to thirty-second place as follows:


160-130-110-90-80-70-60-55-50-45-40-35-30-28-26-24-22-20-18-16-14-12-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.


Two types of race made up the Championship: Team endurance races and individual sprint races with heats and finals (like on a regular WHO club night). Here are the formats we ran:



Endurance races


Racers are divided into teams of 2, 3 or 4 racers. Each team has at least one under-16 and one over-16 driver (if applicable) and all must race for the same overall length of time during the race as far as is possible.


Each team runs for 15 minute on each lane, with a driver change every 5 minutes. Teams race against other teams, filling all the lanes for each stint.


At the end of each stint the number of laps and parts of a lap (tenths, twentieths or hundredths) are recorded for each team. This is the stint score. If racing on a two or four lane layout, each team should run four stints of 15 minutes, giving a total race time of one hour for each team.


After all teams have raced on each lane, the stint scores are added up and the team with the highest total score wins. Championship points are awarded to every member of each team. The winning team members receive a medal each - and usually another prize too, courtesy of the championship’s sponsor Slot Car Magazine.



Sprint races


Each driver races a 2 minute heats across each of the track's lanes. Drivers race in groups, filling all the lanes for each heat.


At the end of each heat the number of laps and parts of a lap (tenths, twentieths or hundredths) are recorded for each driver. This is the heat score.


After all the drivers have raced on each of the lanes, the worst score for each driver is dropped and the remaining scores added up to give a total score.


Racers are grouped into finals depending on their total scores. If there is a tie, the tie-breaker is the dropped score. Racers choose their lanes in order of their total scores, with the highest score choosing first.


Finals are run over 2 minutes and determines finishing positions and championship points. A medal is awarded to the race winner and to the highest placed under-16 racer.



Cars


The championship works best if everyone drives the same cars. These were Micro Scalextric cars upgraded with replacement silicone tyres and replacement copper braids.


The cars were tuned and performances matched as far as possible. In the team endurance races, two cars were allocated to each lane to allow maintenance between stints and ensure optimum performance.



Practice makes perfect


Of course you can run these races at home with family and friends. You don't need the computer timing, just use your Micro Scalextric track with a lap counter, plus a kitchen timer, pen and paper. Learning to run fast with few or no crashes over 2 minutes is the perfect way to practice and hone your racing skills.


And there’s no reason why you can’t organise your own Micro Scalextric Championship at home, at school or in your local community. Please do let us know if you do!