So what have we been up to? Well the Porta-Trax project is nearly complete, with our new commercial track appearing soon at various shows and events throughout the Toronto region.
Although it appears to be a simple banked oval ...this track system represents hundreds of hours of design and testing to select the best surface, design a proper rail system and provide true-scale realism. My goal was to provide the most realistic racing experience possible with a wide market reach; while banishing the "geekiness" that is often associated with R/C racing.
It's a blast with 4-6 cars running the high-speed banking...works with both the d'NaNo and Mini-Z's. (we do like the MR-03s on the oval - very smooth)
Lap timing, driver performance printouts, DMX programmed lighting, video and sound, scale neon signs ...in a completely portable system that sets up in about an hour.
The new EX5-UR computer radios were the "missing link" that made this all possible by vastly improving the handling of the cars; we can now tune for a 6 year-old child or Mini-Z World Champ in just seconds.
The final stages of the project (not shown) are custom racing seats with a full-sized steering wheel and pedals.
The "So You Think You Can Drive" theme was chosen to add a touch of "in your face" and bring R/C racing to the masses.
...don't even ask what this costs ...the market is not the hobbyist or even hobby stores, it's for commercial event brokers and entertainment centers.