Track Design Rethinking

[Nor Cal Mike]

I am nursing a tender back today so I stayed indoors and worked on decorating my second McLaren car and body mounting on both cars that I have. That idle time allowed me to think about track designs. Not a specific track mind you but a new concept and different way of thinking about how a model car should run around a course with other cars.

The natural tendency is to think of two parallel lines running side by side around the track at a constant spacing wide enough to allow the cars to pass side by side. This is really derived from slot car technology which originated in the late 50's early 60's by toy companies such as Scalextric, Eldon and Strombecker. To this day, even with the advent of digital slot racing, the same two lane, side by side race tracks of the 60's is the norm albeit with a few crossovers tossed into the mix. Since this is a brand new way to race toy cars, don't you think it is time to throw out the old mold and try something new? Something out of the box?

Here is my thought. Except for Nascar type speedway racing, most real race tracks really only have a single racing line around them. Passes, in many cases, are only made when someone makes a mistake either by him/herself or with a little help from a competitor on their bumper. That mistake allows the car behind to squeeze in to take away the inside line and make a pass. My thought is this. Can I design a track with a single racing line most of the way around as the primary route an have the other lines either right or left of the primary line being secondary lines.

Food for thought. Anyone else have any ideas to add?

[Double Naught]

Hmmm, like blst, the best lane is the "default" line. You only steer when you what to overtake. But you can't run side by side with no steering input.

Have to think about this.

Paul

[Keld]

'Diving lines', at the end of the straight, you must have a chance to change lane to the inner curve, and brake late, doing that you can use the car in front on the racing or outer lane as bumper and stay at your wire, I can do this on my test track,it's great.

but yes there are a lot to learn, I dropped the 2 line when designing, thinking about how the track looks, draw the track in full width.
next step is drawing the racing line,
next planning how a car in the wrong side also can go after the raceline, no driver on a real track will stay at one side more than absolute necessary, so both or all 3 or 4 lanes will search the fastest route.

I also think it a must to have possible racing line at each corner, cars follow each other, will all use this racing line to keep speed up a go as fast as possible, and then we will see the mistakes, a driver missing one corner, the car behind going at exactly the same speed, coming up side by side.

But it is not always on the inside, there are a Kimi route, Kimi Raikonnen did it on the outside more than once last season in formula one, but you has to have .... to do that

[Nor Cal Mike]

Paul and Keld,

You gentlemen have the idea. It is my natural tendency to draw the two lane concept like slot cars have had since day one first and then draw in the racing line as an accessary to them. What is new, at least to me, is thinking in reverse order.

[WesR]

I see no point in a racing line all round the track. The point of having steerable cars
is to steer them! Each turn needs a racing line and each straight needs a lane change,
if necessary, to enable cars to move to the outside lane ready for the turn. Driving
Magracing cars should be a succession of right and left turns. Also, if an overtaking car
manages to get up the inside of of a car on the racing line, that driver must forgo
the racing line and run wide. Thats why speeds are restricted to give drivers time to
make these decisions. Our tracks have some 12 racing line and lane changes to be made each lap which requires skill from the driver.
All this is explained on our website.

[Oldgoat]

Mike and Keld,

All Maggers
Love the idea of reverse planning Mike and yes Keld Kimi has what it takes and he takes it , even on the outside where the driver he plans to pass would not think anyone would pass on the outside. Thats the enjoyment of simple magracing track contruction, anyone can be creative and anyone who follows F-1 can watch the lines the drivers take and build it into your tracks.

If there is and ther are many of you have driven RL racing from karts to sport racing and etc. knows there are many ways to take a corner and hope you stay on track and many ways to pass another driver, so magracing is open for all of us to design and build enjoyable racing fun and a greatly reduced cost.

okay off the soapbox Chris

Love this forum with all you creative racers.

Chris Sr.

[Raudi1]

I too originally thought as nor cal mike that real race tracks have a predominant line, so why not have all cars follow this and force others to outbrake and dive under a car to pass. This of course would require the trailing car to be right behind and dive bomb the leader, sometimes successful and sometimes not.

After watching some of the early video I agree with Wes's comment and revisions made to his Lindford circuit. Why reward a lazy or inexperienced driver with the racing line? Instead make them travel a greater distance and force them to steer or give up ground.

Our track therefore has two lanes all the way round to facilitate passing, plus a racing line in each corner, but on both hairpins there is a default "rim rider" lane where if no steering is done you travel an extended radius adding 15-20 inches compared to gutter lane. In between the default lane crosses over twice per lap. This assures that if no steering is done you will by default travel the "long way around giving up 6-8 car lengths per lap.

This allows a newbie to "slot car" it around paying a penalty each lap until they eventually pick up the turn in points. Of course drivers experienced with the track will learn the best combination of turn points to follow the racing line and will then run nose to tail awaiting the driver in front to make a mistake, or perhaps give him an opportune nudge.. which is as it should be!

I feel Wes is spot on with this, and this needs to be incorporated into any successful track build to differentiate this from being a slower and more complicated scalectrix.

[Lasp]

We need more experienze to evaluated the tracks.
Here i have done a corner with the inner line wire with a radie of 220mm and the outher is 300mm
Betwen them is a racing line at 400mm radie. Works very well Then outside a put one "wrong change collect and bring cars back to the outer line. And at the othest i put a thicker wire för the gravelbeed. I just let them point at the right direction, and its seem to work well.

[Raudi1]

Great plan Lasp... I think this is the right direction and I like the idea of a large diameter rod to collect and slow cars that missed the corner.