Hi, I’m Clive!

It all started with a simple figure-of-eight Scalextric track and two cars — one red, one green — at my grandad’s house. Whenever we visited, out would come the track, and before long I’d be racing against my grandad, dad or sister.

Those are some great childhood memories, and little did I know that several decades later, at the age of 53, I’d be planning something rather more ambitious. Apparently, a simple figure of eight just isn’t enough anymore!

I’ve been fascinated by motorsport for as long as I can remember. I grew up watching Formula 1 with my dad and grandad, and we’d often head off to local karting tracks for a bit of racing ourselves. Over the years, that enthusiasm has grown to include Formula E, rallying and touring cars. There’s just something about the combination of speed, engineering, strategy and competition that I’ve always loved.

Professionally, I’m a website development manager, so technology and problem-solving are a big part of my everyday life. A little while ago, I decided it was time to find myself a new hobby — something away from the day-to-day world of IT.

The funny thing is, after considering various possibilities, I kept coming back to slot cars.

And while the original idea was to find something away from computers, it didn’t take long before I started thinking about how technology could make slot car racing even more interesting. Old habits die hard, I suppose!

Welcome to Angel Grove Race Circuit

I’m based in North Lincolnshire, and my ambition is to build my own permanent slot car racing circuit, which I’ve named Angel Grove Race Circuit, after our home.

After plenty of research, I’ve decided to build the circuit using Carrera DIGITAL 132. Both Carrera and Scalextric have their loyal followers, but Carrera’s reputation for build quality helped sway my decision. That’s not to say there won’t be a few Scalextric cars joining the grid along the way!

My plans go well beyond simply joining a few pieces of track together. I want to create a miniature motorsport venue, complete with pit garages, realistic scenery, buildings, lighting and all the little details that bring a circuit to life.

Being a bit of a technology enthusiast, I’ve also got ambitions for digital race management, timing, telemetry, cameras and perhaps even some remote-control features.

One idea I’m particularly keen on is integrating the circuit’s lighting with the race management software. Imagine green lighting when racing is underway, yellow during caution periods, purple for fastest laps or sectors, and red when a race is stopped. Throw in some atmospheric lighting for wet races, and things could get quite interesting!

Of course, there’s one rather important detail: I haven’t actually built the circuit yet!

I’m still in the planning stages, working out the layout, the building, the equipment and how everything will fit together. There’s plenty to learn, a fair bit of experimenting ahead, and undoubtedly a few mistakes to make along the way.

But that’s half the fun.

Why My Slot Car Track?

I’ve always enjoyed DIY, building things and figuring out how stuff works. I’m certainly not going to claim to be a perfectionist or an expert slot car racer. I’m more the sort of person who enjoys getting stuck into a project, learning as I go and gradually improving things.

These days I probably do a little more research before diving in than I did when I was younger, although I’m not sure I’ve completely grown out of that habit!

That’s really why I started My Slot Car Track.

Initially, it’s somewhere to document my own journey — from the earliest ideas and planning through to building Angel Grove Race Circuit, getting the cars running and, hopefully, hosting some proper racing.

But I’d love it to become much more than my own project diary.

My hope is to build a friendly community where fellow slot car enthusiasts can share their own circuits, track layouts, photographs, ideas, experiences and even the occasional disaster. Whether you’re completely new to the hobby or you’ve been racing for decades, there should always be something we can learn from each other.

Eventually, I’d love to have friends, family and perhaps a few new racing mates battling it out at Angel Grove. I wouldn’t mind trying my hand at club or league racing too, if I can find somewhere reasonably local.

And knowing me, even when the circuit is supposedly finished, I’ll still be finding things to add, change or improve.

So welcome to My Slot Car Track.

If you’re interested in slot car racing, enjoy building things, love a bit of motorsport or simply fancy following along as I attempt to turn an ambitious idea into reality, you’re very welcome here.

Who knows? You might even pick up a few ideas for your own circuit.

See you on the grid!

Clive