Home track upgrade
The past few weeks I've had a pretty basic test track in the garage. I just got the parts to upgrade it and have rebuilt it. The whole thing is constrained to a quarter sheet (2ft x 4ft) of 3/8inch plywood on two sawhorses. The upgrades are a 180deg single lane curve and a chicane. The fun began as I cut wood pieces and screwed in hinges.. The 180deg curve is from Slanman Customs and is a nice bit of kit. It's a wide turn covering about 2ft. The chicane came of Amazon.The initial drop is 8deg into the new 180, out of the 180 is a 4deg drop into the chicane, out of the chicane the 4deg drop continues into a standard Hot Wheels 180deg. The Hot Wheels 180 curve exit is at a 4.6deg up slope (very short) which continues down a 2.2deg slope to the end timing gate.
The whole purpose of the track is to be a test circuit for road races. The upslope on the Hot Wheels 180 filters out cars that have issues or are not ready for prime time. I call it Deadman's Curve.
Here is the whole track - start gate at the left
Down slope from the start gate
Slanman 180 curve into the chicane
Deadman's curve - these cars all barfed on the up slope exit
These cars all made it to the final timing gate
Discussion
Looking at the ones that failed Deadman's Curve, Batmobiles are no surprise there, and your Audi wagon is a premium with rubber wheels, so, that's explained neatly. Keep testing!! It's more than anything I have!
Edit: I see two Hot Wheels High busses made it all the way through--good potential!
Useless fact:
Deadman's Curve is in Los Angeles, and was restructured to be a LOT safer after celebrity Mel Brooks sued the city, citing over fifty accidents in three years (including his own, resulting in a seven-month hospital stay).
Looking good!