Oregon is a unique place inhabited by a unique breed of individuals who aren’t afraid to blaze their own trail. It should come as no surprise that the Founding Fathers of the Oregon slot car scene – following nothing but their own interests and passions – have molded and shaped it into something that true enthusiasts can find deeply rewarding. That’s because Oregon slot car racing – more accurately referred to as model car racing or true scale racing – is about a lot more than simply who has the fastest car. It is about driving technique, engineering, craftsmanship, fine tuning and innovation. It is about more accurately simulating real auto racing. It is also about camaraderie.
I recently sat down with “Bad Bob” McFarland at his home track to get a better understanding of the history of Oregon slot car racing and how it got to where it is today. When he is not racing, Bob is a kind, generous, mild and soft-spoken gentleman. But, with a controller in his hands, he becomes a steely-eyed predator merciless and out for blood.
Mid 1990's -- Lee Dundas's Track and Oscar Members
According to Bob, he first started racing in 1963 with a group of other Techtronics employees, on a 1/32 scale Strombecker track in the living room of Gary Wright. As word spread throughout Techtronics about the exploits of this tight-knit group of enthusiasts, they learned that another co-worker, Lee Dundas had a 3 lane plywood track at his home. Lee’s track quickly became the home of the Techtronics slot car club. Racers began developing their own cars using model train engines and plastic bodies.
Over the next few years, several other tracks were started in Portland in hobby shops or private homes and big club races became common. In 1966, commercial tracks exploded onto the scene. Ready-to-run cars were comercially available and tracks sprang up all over the country. In fact, according to an independent survey taken by AMF, by 1968 there were more slot racing facilities than bowling alleys in the United States.
1960's Model Racing F1 Kit
Ironically, it was the commercial slot car boom that effectively destroyed club racing in Oregon. It was not to emerge again until the early 1970s after most of the commercial tracks were gone. In 1972, Bad Bob built a 1/24 scale 4 lane track in his garage in Aloha. Once again, racers built their own cars. This time they used motors from Radio Shack, model airplane tires, built their own chassis from brass, piano wire and welding rod and used bodies from model car kits.
Throughout the mid 1970s and early 1980s, more tracks began to spring up in garages, basements and hay lofts throughout the state including Bob’s new track in Aloha and Doug Haynes’ track in Eugene. And, while Flexi-cars with Lexan bodies were commercially available, most Oregon clubs continued racing hand-built “hard body” cars.
Most of the venues used by OSCAR racers today were established in the last 15 years including Tom Street’s 4 lane track in Bend, Kimm Marshal’s tracks in Eugene, Gary Howard’s track in Portland, Bob Hanna’s track in Roseburg, Rich Vecchio's track in southern Oregon and Kirk Smith’s track in Milwaukee. Major club races are held at one of these tracks over the course of the season. Hand-built hard body cars are still the vehicles of choice. There are a variety of classes with various rules and requirements, but there are no restrictions on chassis design. |
2007-08 Oscar Champion “Bad Bob” McFarland
Our style of racing has the ability to keep people interested in the hobby for the long haul,” said Bad Bob. “You can go out and buy a modern slot car that is extremely fast that you can pretty much run at full throttle all the way around the track. Where’s the fun in that? Hard body cars require finesse and behave more like actual cars. They need to be driven.”
True scale model racing has a lot to offer. Some, like Beau Frazier, Flyin Brian and Gearloose are meticulous modelers. Their cars are genuine works of art. Others like Bad bob, Gregg Verges, Kimm Marshall and Bob Hanna are old-world craftsmen whose hand-built chassis are simply beautiful to behold. And virtually all OSACAR racers seem to take delight in the constant tuning and fiddling required to get the most of their cars.
For a new racer, this might seem a little overwhelming and intimidating. Fortunately, the veterans are more than happy to help new racers get up to speed. The first few times I showed up at the track, I was surprised just how helpful and encouraging everyone was. They loaned me cars. They showed me how to drive. They showed me how to tune them and even how to rebuild the motor I managed to burn out after several hours of nearly continuous driving (apparently, you can’t do that).
Beau Frazier's Gift -- Rat Rod!
One of the fellows whose modeling skills I was admiring showed up with a beautiful “rat rod” body (complete with dents and rust holes and scrapes) he built just for me after I had commented how much I appreciated the time and energy he clearly put in to his cars. That says a lot about the character of some of the characters that take this hobby so seriously.
Tifosi Evo Chassis -- Solderless
Another racer, David “The Professor” Naylor is working on a bolt-together chassis design that will allow people who don’t have the skills (or interest) to hand-craft their own cars to get in to the game. His Tifosi kits are already gaining popularity in the U.S. and internationally.
While the Oregon slot car community is not the only one to embrace true scale model racing, it is clear that this is the path they have chosen and that this style of racing is thriving.
Written by Dean "the Dean of Mean" Rodgers
www.rollingthundercommunications.com
Contact Dean at --
dean@rollingthundercommunications.com |
