This year we are hosting the Thanksgiving dinner for the wife's side of the family. Since we're gathering in the basement it's going to be hard to miss ye olde track sitting there. Does anyone have any tips for having a good time with those wanting to run them li'l cars?

I've got the whole nine yards set up for timed racing so it's not an issue to keep track of times, laps, etc.

Just looking for ideas/tips to insure those that aren't "slotheads" enjoy themselves. :woohoo:

First, lube up the track with some turkey drippings, then ...........................


Have a great time slippin and sliddin. ;) rr

You ever get a giblet stuck in yer slot?? ..... man can THAT cause some serious chaos!... not to mention chaffing.

Other than that, I would say to have only race-ready cars out on the layout. All oiled all tired etc. Nothing more frustrating for a non-slotter than picking out a way cool car only to find it's not raceable or doesn't go as fast as everybody else's. Then they pick another and the same thing happens. Keep only your RTR stuff out that day. Pack away all yer shelf queens, antiques, and frageelies!...remember, our treasures are just trinkets to others (they have no clue about value).

I'll never forget my nephew was running one of my cars once and he thought it was funny how the wipe outs looked just like real cars wrecking. He complimented my landscaping and then he asked "say how much are these worth?"... I said "that one yer launching off the turn over there is worth about $75 to $100 dollars.... considerably less if you don't stop trying to crash it though". .... he stopped.

nuther

that's a tough question. Depends on the age group. For the 5 and under set I'd invest in a Thomas the train set and leave the table covered. From watching my son and nephew over the past few years (10-13 age range) they think running and launching the SG+ or similar off the track is a hoot, but running and tuning t jets/MT is fun too, especially if they are competing. If there are older kids (say age 50 and under) it wouldn't be a bad idea to set out low traction cars and whatever tuning gear you can - different sets of tires comes to mind. Announce a race for whenever is convenient - Let them practice and tune for a good while, run time trials if they want, then have an official race for some sort of prize. Fun for the guys anyway, who can resist a challenge?

Get 'em good & drunk first.

Oh wait -- that's my advice for first dates.

Nevermind.

Ligier,

Check out the ideas in this thread (http://www.hobbytalk.com/bbs1/showthread.php?t=190578) . The next time I have family over for a race day, I plan on running some races like these.

Flip the house circuit breaker and explain "the track is blowing the breaker"!!! I have an electrician coming Monday, or get about 10 or 15 Lifelike cars, set em on pit road, turn the power down and let the kids have at it. Turning the power down worked for me!!! I had a blast watching the kids try to pick out the fastest car. You may have to throw the red flag to stop the fussing and fighting, kinda like Nascar on ESPN/ABC. Be sure to have a mandatory pit stop ( wash your hands after eating). After there gone, it's time to call the tow truck and pick up the pieces. Happy Thanksgiving!!! RLM

Thanks for all the tips gang! I'll check out that thread you linked to Scaf.

Doba - Your quip reminds me of something I heard a comedian say on the radio..."I like my women like I like my coffee......yeah.....full of booze". LOL

Where in indiana are you I am in portage in.and I am interested in starting racing I currently race 1/24 and am getting tired of the long drive (over 100 miles round trip to race)

LR,
How did things work out?

It went well though people just wanted to "run 'em". There wasn't too much interest shown for "racing mode". The timing and scoring software was a hit and brought out challenges to "beat that".

Everyone had a good time and only one crash resulted in a broken front wing on one of the SG+ cars but no big deal as it can be easily repaired. Had a good time myself running with one of the younger kids who showed a knack for decent driving.

Glad to hear things went well. Only one broken car...AMAZING.