Great conversation! I agree, I always spend a lot of time planning out a new layout. Flow is so important. I always like a twisty section, a longer straight to let the cars stretch their legs. Use your space but don’t over use your space. Just because you have a little more room doesn’t mean you should fill it. Great advice Dave!
Usually I will leave a comment with a love it or make a joke or something like that but on this one I can’t I think this is the best video I have ever watched on RU-vid Dave wow yes yes brilliant I’m lost for words just thank you 👍👍👍🤟🤟🤟
I have for the last few months been asking the question why Scalextric,Carrera etc don't have a layout computer program that will take input as to what your table or floor area size is and also has you input to the computer program all the particular track pieces and shoulders etc that take space that you either own or will be buying AND THEN spit out as many track layouts that the computer program can calculate using all that information! Yes we have the place your pieces of track and figure your area and puzzle it out (which to some people is a fun puzzle) to see what you can get. Is it too hard for a computer programmer to figure this out? Imagine if Scalextric had that or Carrera etc. The sales of track would sky rocket! Anyway your video made me drink a lot of coffee as I was on edge of my computer chair enjoying it! Thanks for giving great insight all the time!🏁
If you find one that will automatically compute all possible layouts from you just telling it all the track pieces you have including shoulders etc for any size of area then that will be something else. I am not talking about placing the track pieces on the computer screen myself and stretching the layout diagram etc in other words using it like a manual solving puzzle. The input by me would be all the article numbers of each piece of track etc and the size of area for the computer to spit out all possible layouts! Policar would sell a heck of a lot track! Heck I would dump my track I have for Policar for sure!🏁
Layouts are very hard to get right but simple tends to be better. The way in which to not do it is some of the tracks Scalextric have featured from what people have sent in. Huge crazy massive tracks with track going everywhere. As you say it depends on a person's vision and the type of racing. Nice chat there Dave ❤
Great discussion Dave. Track layout is so subjective. I venture to say that a good layout is whatever design is fun to you. That’s about it in a nutshell.
I mostly like tuning and comparing cars to each other and comparing the results via digital application. As such, I keep a temporary track layout with three sectors. I deliberately make one slow, one medium, one fast. Then you can see which cars perform better in the twisties and which can make up the time in the back straight. Other than that, I like one long straight the full length of the table with the finish line dead in the middle. It often leads to dramatic finishes.
Great topic for discussion Dave👍🏻. Also, I would add that the space available is one of the most important things to take into consideration. My track has all sorts of technical parts and some long straights so a great mix of what you talked about. As the track is quite long at 125 feet, lap times are necessarily longer than the 5-10 second pace. Dictated by the loft space.
Good chat and right on the money I reckon. Thought about my own track and the only one I'm down on is time, but that's due to space available and not wanting a cramped space. Liked the coffee ingredients analogy 👏🏼👏🏼
Interesting chat, I’m a drive through scenery type of bloke but I’ve made some big mistakes on my small layout, hidden bends etc. all lessons to be learnt for my next layout as I’ll be looking to have levels to increase the track size and lap times! Bery thought provoking, nice one Dave!
When I set my track up I always put pieces of ply under the corners to give it some camber so the technical parts still have some follow Also a long straight and one banked turn is mandatory for us Good talk 🍻
An excellent video full of great information and ideas. I always enjoy your chats, and yes blind corners are a killer of an otherwise good layout. My old track had one in the back corner which was very hard to reach so a lap was less enjoyable then it should have been as every crash took much longer to clear then it normally would.
Great insight Dave - really helpful way of framing a massive topic. Plus that musical connection is genius. Anyone keen to start with a riff and turn it into a slot car track?!
G'day Dave, great chat, and I agree Ive seen plenty of Tracks over the years where they fit in as much track as they own but to hell with visibility, my track like yours has been designed to allow visibility from all round, cheers and let commonsense prevail...
That was a awesome description, I consider my 1/32 scenery track to be a drivers track, not a racing track, just as you say I enjoy watching cars against scenery driving around, My 1/24 track no scenery is my racing track, no time to look at scenery with opponent and autonomous car .
Good chat old bean, loved the musical reference, corner one in my track is now, Faithless Insomnia...... Full of drama! Insomnia Corner, it actually has a ring to it, 😂😂
I deliberately put a high bank curve at the end of my strait that effectively lengthens the straight and allow time to change the car speed for the up coming s curve. I modelled my on a 24 h le Mans type layout where there is a pit lane area and a country drive area.
I'd love a little bit more space for some country scenery and a banked turn but I just don't quite have the space, annoying as an extra foot on the length and width of my space would do it but I had to build the shed in the space that was there
Avoid the half throttle circuits... If you can't get full throttle it's a fail. A good place to start is two long straights with a 180 bend. Long enough straights for full throttle and maybe out-braking. Add technical bits and follow Dave's advice and you're good to go.
Just watched 3 of your videos back to back and i am now contemplating what is a slot car? what is a layout? All very interesting and thought provoking. enjoying it.
Great info, With my tracks I always put together I always made them flowing and by that I mean when you come out of a turn you have enough straight to punch it and I try to do this many times as I can in a layout so your always fluctuating your throttle input. with my layout I have now I made it have flow but also made it so the lanes are equal in length ( this probably don't matter for digital but I am analog ) and I also added a section with elevation and different size and types of turns in it. But I have to say a good layout is something you put together and finally find the one you have the most enjoyment to drive the cars on and that is what matters most you enjoy the layout. Tracks big or small curvy not curvy if your racing everyone has to run the same track and no matter what shape it is I always found it don't matter you always have fun.
I agree that slot car layouts generally fall into one of two categories, to a greater or lesser degree. Firstly, the purely racing focussed tracks, which treat slot cars as machines in their own right and are just pure slot track, usually with (fairly dull) constant radius corners in succession. Secondly, there’s the scale model layout with scenery, dioramas etc. This is definitely the camp I’m in. What I don’t understand is why layouts like that aren’t discussed in the same terms as model railways or wider scale modelling, at least I’ve never seen anything like that.
Hi Dave, Thanks for all the very good information and all the interesting thoughts and chats. You and your layout have really inspired me. I have copied your layout and think it is great! However I made a small and easy change to it that I think is important when it comes to make a good layout for raceing. I switshed the two curves left in the layout between levels to make the left and right lanes equal length. I made the the first large curve after startline to go up to the top level, and placed the left narrow curve on the layout on the low level instead. The top level then run in opposit direction and uphill straghit becomes downhill straght. I get very similar laptimes on both lanes. What do you think Dave? Can it be a development even for Mundon Park?
My layout space space space is limited a flowing track bends long straights short straights can always see the cars due to space its a compromise but works for me
Yeah that's a tough one but you touched on some really great points! I have always wanted a true to scale version of some of my favorite tracks. Boy those lap times would NOT be under 12 seconds... Have always dreamed of a Daytona road course, 1053 feet of track! lol With a 200 foot back straight stretch! I would like to try it once! lol Current layout 16 x 6... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Tf8BMSLYors.html
One thing I don’t hear talked about is variable corners. Many courses become point and shoot tracks because of the use of the same radius corners. IMO every corner should be different. You can do tight entry or loose entry ( larger radius into tighter radius) or even large radius carousels. Don’t restrict yourself to simple 90 degree radius turns. It will challenge your driving and keep your interest more than a 90, straight,90, straight style of track. My track is an homage to a real track but changed to fit a given space. This works for me ( and the guys I race with) because each corner is just a little different. Since I race digital the lap length is not as much of an issue, but analog racers should keep that in mind when designing. I’m speaking from a racers’ perspective here as the scenery is secondary in my view. Thanks for the chat. Mike M.
