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| Well, Since the FRAY was canceled this year, and since West Seattle Speedway and Hobby went T.U. last year and since I don't have room in my house to set up a nice big track, provide pit space etc. and finally since the bulk of organized racing in these parts (Seattle) is 1/32 or 1/24 or if HO then it's the new fangled magnet stuff, I had to search for an alternative. I found it. In a basement under the landing lights of Sea-Tac airport. A group of guys meet every Wednesday night to race A/FX Magnatraction cars. It's called A.I.R. Andy's International Raceways. The trouble is, these guys are from the stone ages of racing. No computer lap timing or counting. They don't run lane rotation. In fact they only let 4 people a night race! They use numbered bottle caps to select lane choices. They use numbered bottle caps to decide which of the 3 cars you use in a series to race in any given heat. They don't use turn marshals AND they don't run crash and burn. In fact, EVERY deslot is a TRACK CALL!! The car rules are interesting too. Body rules are "Hood,Roof, and Trunk" No lexan unless the body weighs 3 grams or more. Any weight body is OK if it's hard plastic or resin. Any arm except quadralams, any magnets except polymer, any tires, any wheels. The newest series they are allowing 1 radio shack dot magnet to be used as a traction magnet as long as it's glued next to the right rear wheel. So I guess even here I'm running magnet cars. The heats feature a pace lap led by the racer in the far outside lane. Once a heat starts everybody counts their laps out loud. Preliminary heats go for 10 laps, then the 3 final heats are 10 - 15 - 20. The winner of the nights racing is the guy who wins the most heats. Race stoppages are handled by the "button man" which is a non participating racer who sits at the end of the track manning a kill switch. If you deslot you yell out "HOLD IT!, or STOP!, or in my case. SONOFAB****!!!" and the button man stops the race. Simple. Each racer is a "Team" (I'm team Gordon, Jeff not Robby) My 3 cars for this series are a RRR Fairground Cougar, a RRR T-Jet Lola which I've smooshed and spread to make it fit a magnatraction chassis, and an old t-jet Ford GT which I cut grooves on the inside of the body to make IT fit. Now before you get all head scratching and pooh poohing this style of racing let me add. WE HAVE FUN!! And I guess that's the point of this article. Don't let yourself get bogged down into thinking there is only one type or only one "right" way to race. These guys have really opened my eyes. Now it's my turn to open theirs. I'm donating an old computer to the track and I'm going to drag these guys, kicking and screaming if I have to, smack into the 21st century. Later! The still trying to make a magnatraction work like a FRAY car Rockinator Team Cars For The Rockinator A.I.R. Road course minus the "Bank" Which is at the far left. Just over 80' per lane. All Old style A/FX snap together track. A Case of t-jets. All original, most mint. | ||||||||||
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