RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

Looks good ! Like the watering system. Edit: answered my own question. Did you bring in the dirt and drop it on the existing grass or did you dig up the area first ? I have heard that carving out the lanes with a sod cutter makes it an easy job. Seems to work good and if you roll it up you can replace it at the end of the season if you so decide (and reseed of course).

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

EDIT- DettaDude beat me to it, or maybe I just take too long.

I've heard people say this before, but IMO you need a fair amount of room. Even on a large track, you can improve your driving. There is usually one fast way around a track, no matter what size it is. You need some room for error. Even a good driver will make mistakes if the lanes are only 3 feet.

I can drive in an area of about 2-3 feet lap after lap, but I'm not going to put pipe all along the edges of that area. 4-6 feet is usually good. I wouldn't go much less than 4 feet.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

Alright, I'll do at least 4'. I haven't laid it out yet, hopefully I can get a decent layout in the area I'm working on.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

Also, it always seem to be the thing with new guys showing up at any of the tracks I race at - they think they were good at car control, but spend an inordinate amount of time the first FEW weeks bouncing off the pipes on both sides of the lanes. And that's with 4-foot lanes. [X(]
So to me 6-foot lanes would better suit the new guy, and while (like Gex_61 said) I feel like I could easily navigate narrower lanes I know it would be all but a waste of time trying because I wouldn't be able to have any pace going and as a result it would soon take all the "fun" out of it. And in my eyes, going terribly slow and/or breaking a lot of parts from beating down the walls ain't fun.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

The big thing is don't make it too busy.
I've raced on tracks in as small an area as 25' by 40' and I've raced on 50' x 80' tracks - and they were, generally, all fun. The only ones that weren't were the designs that the layout guy went a bit over the top and tried too hard to design too many elements into the existing space. The more room you have the more you can do, the less room you have the less you can do.
So it's my advice, especially to new or inexperienced track builders, is to simplify simplify simplify - don't get carried away with too many turns and jumps, and instead try and make as basic a layouyt as you can. It's easier to add in an extra chicane or jump later, than to have a track that's so full of corners and obstacles that you spend more time flipping your car back over than you do actually running it.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

heres my track for my tmaxx and my brothers HPI Firestorm that we race on. A lot of fun.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4J6bC-noyUY

Thought I would give what everyone always asks for....VIDEO!!

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

Looks like fun. Just one piece of advice - take it or leave it. Try standing on the outside of the track, instead of spinning around in circles trying to watch the car. One your going to make yourself dizzy and two it helps more with line of sight. Anyway good start and enjoy!

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

Very cool and nice track. JatoGuy is right about the position you should stand in. When I first started I made the same mistake of standing in the middle of the track. It was mostly becuase I felt I needed to be close when I flipped the truck so I could flip it back over. But standing on the side of the track is much easier to drive.
You guys are lucky. There isn't a track with in 20 miles of me.
When I lived in GA there was a Hobby Shop called Toys for Boys that was about 3 miles from my house. They had an indoor carpet track and an out door off road track as well as an outdoor paved onroad track. It was heaven and the perfect place to hang out and talk shop with the guys. They closed about 3 years ago. I will always miss that place.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

I've been very busy lately, but this thread has gotten me excited about working on my track again :D. Here are some current pictures; yes I went out into the cold just now. I put my RC18 out there for scale reference. It's still setup for the oval nats right now. I plan on fixing the track up over this next week; it has been raining a lot lately.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

i was on the outside. That is my yuonger brother on the inside. He likes to be closer to the car because he thinks it is easier to stay on the track. But as you can see that doesn't really help.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

I see most people have tracks that have a lot of turns and more obstacles. Do you find it more difficult to go fast and stay on the track when it is like that? As of the moment, my track is relatively round with a couple of jumps and going around in that circle does get boring. Is it worth the time to rip up the center of the track in order to make more track length and jumps. The video i posted previously doesn't show the consecutive doubles usually there because i took them down for my brother to get used to his first nitro.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

First thing I do is design the track on graph paper. This way when you go to lay it out on the ground, you know your design is going to work. I never insert jumps into the design on paper.

I use round-up to kill the grass. Then I use a garden weasle(SP?) to work up about an 1 1/2" layer. I then water and use a tamper to smooth it out. Do a section at a time, and use just enough water to make it pack. Too much water, and you've got mud that won't tamp.

It's true you don't want it busy, knocks the "fun factor" down. Also you can get small diameter flex pipe at home depot. I forget what it's called, and I'm waiting on a call from a buddy of mine who knows. But it's the perfect size for mini tracks. I think it comes in a 25' coil.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

You should make a track that fits your driving ability. I love making jumps and rhythm sections, because a flat track will bore me to death. You also have to remember that this is in my backyard, and I am the one making the layout; literally home field advantage. I have full access to it, so it doesn't take long for me to find the fastest way around. I have a lot of fun with rhythm sections. I make myself perfect every way through it.

I turn marshal myself about 2 times each battery pack on average; sometimes more, sometimes never depending on the layout and how well I know it.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

Rhythm sections are fun. It's tough for me to incorporate one into my track because of it being layed out on an incline. Every turn becomes a challenge because they're off-camber. I didn't want to level-out each lane either, kinda takes away the idea of the track being on an incline. When I do my next track next spring, it will be on more level ground, and it will have one.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

Here's a vid I shot from 2 years ago, of the indoor track we raced at during the winter. It's a small track, but we averaged 40 racers every Friday night. This was the Intermediate class B Main.

Oh well, can't get it to post [:@]

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

Inclines are a good thing. Make a layout that takes advantage of it; it will be unique. My track was flat, but look at how much I have tried to change it around.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

love the track design GEX. What r the dimensions

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

Got the call, it's sump pump discharge hose by Wayne Pumps, from Lowes or Home Depot. Comes in a bag/25' coil.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

haha i guess you havent met me!

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

my track is pretty simple. but ill tell ya what. if your looking to make your track hard just plant 2 trees in the way. lol.
i didnt think it would be a big deal but it sure takes some getting used to. soemtimes ill lose track of it behind the trees and have to move to see what direction its facing. and a wooden ramp can take some getting used to. i placed a jump directly off of a turn to make it difficult. when it was dirt it was ok because if you come off the turn a little sideways youd kinda slide over the bump and momentum would keep you moving straight down the track. now with wood the increased traction sends the truck into whatever direction it is facing. which is usually into another lane!

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

No, just glad you don't drive down my street or I have to pickup your insurance tab. :)

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

lol

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

22'x35'

The design changes constantly. I have a really old thread on here with a lot of my track layouts in it; you'll have to search for it. I really should update it.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

Here's a link to the hose I use on my track. [link=http://www.idealtruevalue.com/servlet/the-168981/Detail]Sump Pump Discharge Hose[/link] This is cheaper than what I paid. Again, it's the perfect size for mini tracks and you can bury the ends into the ground very easily.

RE: My Mini Track - pics
 

on our track i used 3/4" PVC pipe, ok so it won't stop a car but it prevents damage, now were using soil swept onto the sides since it just rained. Gex we need a video of a car lappin the track :D the biggest problem with mini's on off-road tracks has to be rocks and bumps flipping them, other than that.... its plain sailing