Swindon Vintage Grand Prix 1999 - Race Report

Thirteen racers and some spectators visited the Four Lane Blacktop track in Swindon for the Vintage Grand Prix on January 24^th 1999. Six classes were contested, three in 1/32 scale and three in 1/24.

In case you haven't heard of retro slot racing before, the races are for cars built to a set of rules which evoke sixties slot racing. They don’t accurately reflect any one period but grew from an initial commitment to (in no particular order): nostalgia, fun, close racing, cheapness, hard bodies, slow motors and non-sponge tyres. There are retro rules for many 1/32 classes, and we are just starting to play with 1/24 cars (where we allow sponge tyres).

The actual model cars don’t have to be old or contain old components. They can be built new from newly-made bits. Some successful Retro cars were built in the period, and many use period bits. The first all-new retro car I built is now fifteen years old (sob). In the main, most of the things you need to build competitive retro cars are available from slot racing suppliers and model shops. Most of the classes raced at Swindon used 16D motors, and here modern motors (in Standard tune) are very suitable and even legal!

The Swindon track is a simple figure 8 with some retro-style tight corners and a bridge which needs careful negotiation to stay in the slot. It's well-suited to retro cars, and provides a challenge without putting too much strain on fragile bodies and tired motors.

Racers came from North London, Netley (Southampton), Bath, and Quorn, with most drivers having previously competed in the various retro meetings held at those clubs over the last few years. Home members from Four Lane Blacktop were in the main participating for the first time with some borrowed and some newly-built machinery.

1/32 classes were held first, starting with pre-1961 Grand Prix. These cars largely use the fibreglass shells available from Betta under their Classic brand, with simple brass and wire chassis and inline motors. They are limited to 56mm width with 7mm wide tyres, so can be tricky to drive. As with all 1/32 classes tyres are solid not sponge, with MRRC tyres in various sizes being the most popular.

Daniel Condon top-qualified in his Lago Talbot, with Ian Fisher and Tony Condon right behind. In the semis, Tony had an untroubled run and qualified three laps clear for the final from Ian, Dan and Dave Puremont. Two Mercedes 196, the Lago and a Lancia -Ferrari in the final.

Tony and Dave had a very close race for much of the 75 laps, with Tony running out the winner by just over a lap in the end. Dan overtook Dave and just held on to second place by four parts, with Ian fourth, struggling with the twitchy Lancia.

On to 1/32 Sports. These cars are allowed any motor orientation, so many are anglewinders. They use a variety of bodies, from plastic kits, fibreglass shells and modified homeset cars. With an overall width of 64mm they can be made to handle very well, and again use solid tyres.

Three drivers broke 30 in the heats: John Secchi with his Fly-bodied Ferrari 512, Rob's Porsche 911S and Derek Cooper's Bacon Ferrari 712. John top-qualified from the semi's, and was joined by Derek in the final. Tony and Dan also came up into the final, Tony racing one of his own MAD Mclaren M8B bodies, Dan with a Lindberg Jaguar XK120. John's good-looking 512 won easily from Derek, with Tony beating Dan by feet for third.

In the final 1/32 class, Saloon, American iron is the favoured option, either using one of Charlie's fibreglass shells or one of the many plastic kits available. These make good-handling cars even though they are restricted to inline, with the prospect of bodily contact adding a little more interest to proceedings.

Tony, Dave and Derek posted thirties in the heats, but it was Chris Frost who top-qualified from the semi's with his Camaro, where he was joined by Tony, Dan and Dave. Tony came back to win the final however, although he had to overcome a challenge from Dave Puremont's Camaro which led early on. Dan grabbed third, and Chris had to make do with fourth.

That concluded the 1/32 action, and we moved on to 1/24. Not many of us had raced 1/24 retro cars before (whereas many of the 1/32 cars have had up to a decade of development, albeit most of it done the night before and during meetings). It was gratifying to see how much effort had been put into some of the cars, for instance Dick Smith's scratchbuilt AVS Shadow, John Secchi's Fiat 500 Abarth and David Mitcham and Dan Condon's two Tamiya Jaguar Mark II's. We also had a class for sports cars built with kit or RTR chassis, dominated by Russkits, for which a very pretty Jim Clark Lotus 30 was produced by Derek. Many of the cars used some Dynamic components, and there was a mixture of 16D, 26D and 36D power, together with some Cox Nascars. Again most of this equipment has emerged on the open market, and it's good to see it being raced.

In the first class, I was lucky enough to fulfill my boyhood dream and put together a Russkit Carrera Sidewinder, with parts sourced from all over. Sadly it was a little less driveable than I'd hoped for and I fell back on a Riggen car I swapped some toy soldiers for. Despite its age it was good enough to win with just a new set of tyres and some setting up, with Tony Condon's Russkit second. Dan's Russkit Chaparral was quick but extraordinarily bouncy in third place, with John Secchi's sidewinder 36D Revell AC Cobra looking good in fourth.

Scratchbuilt Sports was a benefit for Ian Fisher's Ferrari 512S in the final, but he had been hard pressed in the semis by Dick Smith's scratchbuilt AVS Shadow (completed in true retro tradition at the meeting). Dan was third yet again with his Ferrari P4, with Rob fourth in Le Monstre.

1/24 Saloon brought out the really big iron, except for John who had built a Fiat Abarth 500 from a Gunze Sangyo kit with period Riko chassis. There were two Plymouth Superbirds, a Ford Galaxie and two Tamiya Jaguar MarkII's together with more big Yank sedans. Ian's Superbird TQ'd in heats and final and won easily from Dick's similarly-bodied car with Dan's Jaguar and Tony's (Pontiac) GTO also in the final.

All in all we had a great day's racing, with four different winners and nine of the thirteen drivers getting to finals. Tony and Ian won two classes each, with Dan the only driver to make every final, netting four thirds in the process but no wins.