wanderings of a slot racing ronon - 2008/09/05 19:35Hi all, what a painfull path i tread. in a quest to join a racing club, i was prompted by david lawson to enquire if could join Southend slot racing club. i recieved an invite by e-mail,so i took myself off thursday last to see if i could pitch my tent and camels among like minded folk. armed with a rough drawn scetch so i could vector in to my shangri la. but first i had to do battle with hordes of motorist at the horrendos "five bells" rounderbout to emerge unscathed for the short dash into pound lane,i negoiated the chicane and ptomptly on glancing at my map realised i was lost! there were no further instructions, now do i trawl every side road or do i do i urge my steed on toward burnt mills road . i decided on plan a and opted for the side roads. surely someone would have noticed a pierodic gathering but questions fell on deaf ears. so plan b onward to burnt mills road i drove slowly then looking for a sign.a sign a sign give us a sign.i had thought of unrolling my prayer mat and invoking devine intervention but it seems the slot racing gods were against me and i felt like a japanese ronan without a master destined to commit supuko and ending it all and throw myself in the waste paper basket. so like a true englishman i gave up and went home.
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I'm not one of the organisers or a regular at the club but I'm surprised they didn't give you decent directions to get there. Have a word with them. In fact the chicane you mention in Pound Lane is more or less outside the club premises, as you pass the chicane going towards the A127 look immediately on your left at a green gate that leads into some wooden buildings which is IRS garage there are usually a number of Alfa Romeos parked in the grounds. The club is one of the wooden buildings next to the garage office. Hope that helps David
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peterjon
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Re:wanderings of a slot racing ronon - 2008/09/10 16:45why, david , thank you kind sir, i will gird up my loins and go for a visit this thursday. incidently, this morning i recieved an e-mail from andy serles-brown telling me that mac pinches was winding down his business and that he no longer had any body shells. what a blow,especially as i had not got his brm and one or two others i fancied.now we are left with John D and Better & Cassic. i seem to recall reading on the web that we are spoilt for choice these days compared to the sixties! well ,if you count all those dreadful "lexon" bob bodies i don,t think so.now if you have been hoarding shells and have serried rows of cars in glass cases all over the house you,re in with a chance.now i will HAVE to learn how to cast in resin.what a drag! i used to choose a car i liked, develop and improve it eventually putting the battered model away. when it was uncompetative and choose another,so i didn,t have a vast collection. nor have i got one of those lovely bottemless spares boxes.all say aaah!you could say i start any models i build now with a clean sheet and a depleted wallet.in fifty years i don,t think that we have marched on to better things.do you?
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peterjon
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Re:wanderings of a slot racing ronon - 2008/09/10 16:46why, david , thank you kind sir, i will gird up my loins and go for a visit this thursday. incidently, this morning i recieved an e-mail from andy serles-brown telling me that mac pinches was winding down his business and that he no longer had any body shells. what a blow,especially as i had not got his brm and one or two others i fancied.now we are left with John D and Better & Cassic. i seem to recall reading on the web that we are spoilt for choice these days compared to the sixties! well ,if you count all those dreadful "lexon" bob bodies i don,t think so.now if you have been hoarding shells and have serried rows of cars in glass cases all over the house you,re in with a chance.now i will HAVE to learn how to cast in resin.what a drag! i used to choose a car i liked, develop and improve it eventually putting the battered model away. when it was uncompetative and choose another,so i didn,t have a vast collection. nor have i got one of those lovely bottemless spares boxes.all say aaah!you could say i start any models i build now with a clean sheet and a depleted wallet.in fifty years i don,t think that we have marched on to better things.do you?
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peterjon
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Re:wanderings of a slot racing ronon - 2008/09/12 13:22hi once again every, great ttidings! i have presented myself at the southend slot racing club, and you were right david, they are a great group of guys.and what a great track.i was invited to race (borrowed car and controller) and got my butt kicked and threw my car down the road a few times. i finished last in all four heats! the layout is quite technical and i shall have to learn the track.(more practice) one thing i noticed though, no shouting, swearing altogether a rather laid back atitude to the evening.i have been invited along to the practice session on saurday and will take myself along.i enjoyed the evening immensly and am keener than before.if thats possible.and the coffee was most welcome.this seems to be a group i would like to join.my thanks to dave lawson for pointing me in the right direction.it would seem that i have a new handle,i was on the computor as new pete! it would seem that my wanderings could be over
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David_Lawson
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Re:wanderings of a slot racing ronon - 2008/09/12 18:25I hope my directions helped you Peter and your wanderings are over. No doubt I'll meet you one day when I next visit the club.
David
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peterjon
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Re:wanderings of a slot racing ronon - 2008/09/13 17:05hi all, i attended my first track test day/practice session at southend slot racing club. after my dismal showing on thursday last.in an effort to learn the track i concentrated on the sections i consistantly threw the car down the road on last club night. as the computor logs the lap times and makes an odd noise when you improve on your last lap time.lots of walking up to screen and making mental notes.all this exercise if i,m not careful i will get healthy! are you all awake and paying attention,cos i will be asking questions later.i am spitting feathers waiting delivary of my new controller.hurry up tony(pendle slot) i want to get knob twiddling and do death-defying braking.at the moment, the last of the late breakers ends up in the scenery or on the foor.(did it wrong again dad).any way the up-shot of all this frantic activity was i knocked 2 secs off the lap times i set on club night.if i keep this up i will be able to give the third place men a bit of a fright. then instead of derisive sniggers the organisers will want me to mount the drivers console and give the others a run for their money, and the marshalls will breath a huge sigh of relief at not having to un-tangle the multi car pile ups i have caused.by the way still no mention of membership, perhapse they are still rolling around on the floor laughing.
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peterjon
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Re:wanderings of a slot racing ronin - 2008/10/02 22:10hi all, well it seems my wanderings are not over! i went off at "half cock". i went to southend s i ilot racing club today was my seventh visit, four club nights and three "practice" saturdays. i say that reservedly because no one turned up."some times no one comes for weeks" i was told. so much for the blurb on the web site. i realise that people have things to do,but how do you communicate with other members! i have no idea. no one asked for phone no. or e-mail at any time.both of wich i would have been happy to supply. after three meetings i asked another member about joining oh he said they all have a little chat about you then ask you. perhapse if had not asked i would become part of this secret society.i am not a trouble maker nor a hot head who wants to fight everyone,but i would like to persue my hobby and not make waves. perhapse there is an age limit or is it that i,m just too slow.when i asked can i run my f.1. i was told "we dont run them here". "you,ll need some lead in that " when my xjr9 climbed out of the slot and "we all run p4,s" when i asked about tyres.in fact very little information gleaned unless i asked. now it seems to me that this is not a massive rage sweeping the country, one member told me "none of my mates know i do this". why not!i don,t see people queing up at the door to get in.it is a minority hobby.club members surely should welcome new(old) blood as a kindred spirit, or perhapse they have enough already anyway this door seems to be closed at least to me.so my wanderings continue and at the moment i spite of keeness and enthusiasm i am still clubless.
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I'm not speaking on behalf of the SSRC so I won't address all your comments but it is an active club with a planned schedule of race meetings every Thursday evening so please keep going. The Saturday practice sessions are informal so sometimes there will be someone there but not always, the club rules ask that you check with a committee member before going there on a Saturday.
I would suggest you ask Joel, Vic or Mark for all the info about cars as they are committee members - they are a friendly bunch so I'm surprised you are experiencing difficulties.
David
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