Posts Tagged ‘Scalextric’

Rays Formula Libre race…

Posted: October 28, 2018 in Fotos, Obscurities
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It can only be a Formula Libre race, somehow I doubt 4 year old Ray Dones had a future as a race promoter…

This shot of the little dude and his eclectic grid of racers was taken at the Denver Toy and Hobby Show on 3 April 1965, but it could just as easily be me at the ‘Scalextric’ track at Rosebud on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in 1969.

We ‘useter holiday at McCrae during the long, hot Australian summer- in between working on the ‘tan my brother and cousin spent lotsa time and money on donuts and laps at that place up the road in the Summer of ’69.

I never did parlay my Scalextric pace at 11 to exceptional Formula Vee speed at 21, sadly!

Credit…

Georgia Lowell

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McCrae in the summer of ’69

Finito…

Brrrm-Brrrmm…

Posted: June 3, 2018 in Fotos, Obscurities
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Love this post by Australian racer/enthusiast Ed Holly on Facebook the other day. He happily reported he still has the record but not the turntable upon which to play it…

The Spotify (you can’t beat it mind you) generation really struggle with records and turntables, mind you vinyl is staging a comeback of sorts.

Didn’t we all have Scalextric sets or a mate who had one? The image gave me all kinds of happy flashbacks. School holidays in the sixties were a blur of train sets, slot cars, a Yogi Bear or Flipper movie with mum at Balwyn Cinema (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) with WH Lowe’s Ferrari showroom opposite in Whitehorse Road to drool over, choc-top ice cream in hand afterwards- and billy-cart manufacture of course.

Ken Holt, the Caltex Servo owner at Greythorn never did crack the shits no matter how many ball-bearings me ‘an me mates cadged in our quest for ultimate, super steep Fintonia Street speed.

Pram wheels at the front and ball bearings at ze rear was the gun setup which provided speed, plenty of front end bite and bulk oversteer of which Kevin Bartlett would have been proud.

After a couple of hours of that it was time to go inside, sort the brushes on the Chaparral and go Scalextric racing- I never did have that record mind you…

Credits…

Ed Holly, Getty Images

Tailpiece: Christmas shopping 1968- that could be mine…