Starting lines, where every race begins

Every race begins with a starting line, or starting gate. Fortunately for us racers, the starting line is also the easier mechanism to make for our race track. You don’t need a fancy electronic finish or lights and buzzers to have an effective starting line.

The only requirement is fairness

What does a starting line need? The most important trait a starting gate must have is fairness. It must be level and start each car at the same point, and it must release each car at the same time. Ideally it should not interfere with the car itself, but in some cases and races I’d say that responsibility falls into the hands of the car owner.

My starting gate 1.0

You’ll find all sorts of starting lines and gates available. Some are complicated electronic gates with tree lights, step pedals and quick release. Some are as simple as a block of wood laying on the track. I try to find a middle ground that gives me a quick release but without all the need for wires and lights. I always look for easy DIY projects that I can create using minimal parts…or better yet, parts already laying around the house.

The first starting gate I built was pretty ugly, but it worked pretty well. It used a plexiglass gate that was held in place my a cabinet magnet. The magnet held things in place and you just pushed on the plexiglass causing it to flip up and let the cars drop. It worked but it didn’t do much for showing off the cars and it was also kind of awkward to load cars in.

PHOTOS: Check out more build photos from my starting gates

That 1.0 starting gate met a crashing fate when my dogs ravage the track and let nothing but splinters in their wake. For the next version I wanted to keep things a little more simple. No magnets or plexiglass. I have a tendency to over-complicate projects so this time I stepped back and realized all that needs to happen is the gate need to lift up at the same time for both lanes. Nothing more, nothing less.

Keep it simple

A simpler starting line

Starting gate 2.0 is a simple lever. I salvaged wood from the first starting line, used some screws I had in the garage and built a little lever starting line. Just push on the back of the lever and it releases the car. To reach the bottom of the track, I glued two cardboard cut-outs and it worked great.

Two nice things about this starting line is that it’s easier to load cars (and you can see them), and since the starting blocks are cardboard, I can take them off and move them if needed. If I use BluTrack or change the distance between lanes, it’s easy to accommodate.

I’m quite happy with how it turned out and it works really well. Nice and simple and should this break, it’ll be easier to fix or at least rebuild.

Over at the Redline Community Forum you’ll find other starting line creations that are pretty great. Some of them are simple blocks and levers, and some of them are Erector set awesomeness. There’s even a nice gravity drop starting line that works from underneath the race track instead of on the top. You’ll find this time of starter in a lot of the “pro” starting gates. If you have permanent track setup then this type of starting line should be a consideration. The above-track starting gates like mine are intended to be removable for easy storage.

I came really close to building a starting gate AND finish line set with LEGO bricks. Toys helping toys, as it should be.

MORE: See more starting gates in the Redline Community Forum

What type of starting line to you use?

Under-track gravity starting gate

Share your own starting line designs and photos in the Redline Community Forum. You’ll help others by sharing ideas and who knows, you might get a few ideas yourself on how to improve or create your own starting line!

Starting lines and starting gates are a great weekend project. Just don’t over-think the system and you’ll get a nice, reliable starting gate. Unfortunately, finish lines are an entirely different story that we’ll tackle next time.

Did you make your finish line?

If you’ve built your own finish line, mechanical or electronic, please let us know so we can feature your build in the next article. Share your designs and photos in the Redline Community Forum or message us on Facebook or Twitter.