Racing and estate space

Carefully packed into three suitcases, safely tucked away into the loft, are three precious racing car sets. I acquired these while in school, into my first year at work, and when Neha was about eight years old. The first of the sets was exquisite by night. Head lights and tail lamps blazed as the cars raced around the track. Fluorescent

safety markers gleamed in the dark. With a momentary pang of guilt, my brother and I snapped off the tiny magnets from under each car, and brought a sudden end to sedate road grip. Now liberated, control was required to stay on course.
The race sets that followed were even more spectacular. Tiny cars in one of them, could actually jump and switch tracks at the turn of a dial on the accelerator hand grip. For a brief while, life was all about setting up tracks. Changing the shape of the course. cleaning the carbon brushes under the cars, and setting up the advertising boards.
Banked track sections on the turns introduced awesome realism. Chicane tracks that curved dangerously close to each other meant giving way, or with some practice, presented an opportunity to force an opponent off the track. In one of the sets with larger cars, you could actually use the swing of the car on the turns to bump the opponent off.
That required getting the timing just right. And I invested generously in getting the timing right!
Here in Aran’s games room in Berkhamsted, is clear proof of what I’ve always known. It’s no good racing if you don’t have the real estate space to keep your track permanently set up! Anyone who has assembled – played – pulled apart – packed – reassembled – played – pulled apart and packed, knows it’s matter of time before the race set is never pulled out again.
Scalextric is the racing set to die for. It’s extendable. You can buy all sorts of extra tracks and build ingeniously-shaped courses. The one I’ve just been busy with is a delight.
The cars accelerate and respond beautifully. Too slow up the ramp and you’ll get stuck midway. Too fast, and you’ll fly right off! The straight sections are so, so tempting.
Desist. Or you’ll never make the turn!

The author may be contacted at arup_kavan@yahoo.com [1]