INTRODUCTION � Todd Hinton, a consummate hobbyist and racer, founded the Sacramento HO Club in 1999. I have never met anyone in my life with as many hobbies as Todd. Rather than trying to list them, let�s just say that Todd has air, land and sea covered. In his professional life, Todd is a master mechanic with well over 20 years of experience. He is also a dyed-in-the-wool auto sports enthusiast and former racer of full-scale cars (must be genetic as the auto racing goes back generations). Todd especially enjoyed racing HO scale cars and was always on the lookout for the next �Gentleman Racer� (team owner, driver, mechanic, etc.). The 2005-06 Season Point Series will start with a race on October 14th. It is our hope to continue Todd�s �Big Picture� view of HO racing�that it is not just about one person winning a particular race but about all SacHO racers developing their race programs and testing the success of that development on the track against the best (each other). This year, SacHO will be adding a new track and a new class! In addition to our two 4�x12� road courses, Spyder Speedway and River City Raceway, SacHO will be adding a 6�x16� routed oval track at Tim Lang�s Lumberyard Racing Complex. The new oval track will feature a hard body NASCAR class�please see the class specification section of this guide for more details.
WELCOME TO THE SACRAMENTO HO CLUB! � We are an affiliation of track owners and racers who test our miniature race programs against one another in a spirit of fun and sportsmanship. Race program? Each racer fills the role of team owner, driver, mechanic, auto body shop/painter and pit crew. Working within the framework of the race class specifications, we attempt to field our best racing product and test the result against one another.
HO SCALE � We race miniature model cars that are (roughly) 1/64 scale. These cars were originally derived from HO model railroad scenery. HO stands for �Half O Gauge�. Model railroad sets are designated according to their gauge, referring to the distance between the two outside track rails. The distance between the rails of an HO train track are half that of O gauge track rails. HO trains are 1/87th scale as were the working model cars in their scenery. As these cars evolved, they grew to 1/64 scale, which is larger and more practical for model racing.
FUN & SPORTSMANSHIP ARE JOB #1 � SacHO racers believe that fun and sportsmanship are the keys to successful racing. If success were only measured by winning and losing, a race featuring ten people would only have one winner and nine losers or one who is successful and nine who are not�that�s just not good enough! Contrast that example with another in which success is measured in fun and sportsmanship and all ten can be successful. That�s one reason why fun and sportsmanship is job #1!
MULTI-FACETED HOBBY � This is a multi-faceted hobby where much of the fun and satisfaction takes place before the race. For example, preparing race bodies with a touch of realism can be a hobby in itself. Last year, one of the racers introduced the concept of �Team Colors� by adopting a single paint scheme for all of his cars. He enhanced the �Team Color� concept in the off-season by developing a team logo, team decals, team shirts and even team shop towels. The �Team Colors� concept was quite a hit in the first Season Series as some others also fielded cars in their own trademark color schemes. These results were accomplished using several hobby components including airbrushing, computer design of team logo and team decals, iron-on transfers, pin-striping and using an inkjet printer to print home made decals on special decal stock. Equally fun and challenging is learning to �Blueprint� a racecar and add performance upgrades in accordance with the race class specifications. The mechanical aspect of HO racing can also be a hobby in itself and can involve specialized tools and skills�just like real racing! The hobby aspects leading up to the race can be so satisfying that the actual race event can seem like frosting on the cake.
SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE � From the casual racer to the fanatical hobbyist, there�s enough fun available for everyone! Just want to hop up that Super G Plus that you already have and use a $20 economy controller? Welcome to SacHO! Are you the kind that considers a $300-$400 precision instrument used to measure shoe spring tension basic equipment? Again, welcome to SacHO! This is a place for the hobbyist who wants to explore all there is to explore and it is also a place for the person who only wants to race cars once a month with minimal additional involvement. Whether you have a Small budget or big budget, are a beginning driver or expert driver, are a painter or engineer, there is enough fun available for everyone!
THE FUN STARTS NOW! � If you are a beginner, you don�t have to wait until you are an expert to have fun�I didn�t! My first race was thoroughly enjoyable even though the odds were probably 1000 to 1 that I would not win. If the odds seem too low, it�s probably because I am an optimist. Refusing an offer by the best builder in the club to build a top-notch car for the cost of the parts, I elected to �build� my own car. I did so by removing a BSRT G3 �roller� from the package, installing posts for a lexan body and mounting a pre-painted race body. The car was the slowest car on the track but I couldn�t have been happier! I managed to finish 6th out of 8�how did that happen? My happy daze lasted through the next event, a super stock race. I had a professionally built car by one of the best builders in the country and a race body to match courtesy of the club guru. The car practically drove itself to a 2nd place finish! Astonished as I was at the unexpected finish, I was just plain happy to be racing! I had discovered the thrill of racing, something that can be so thoroughly enjoyable whether you are running in the front, middle or at the end of the pack.
THE JOY OF COMPETITION � There is no racing without competition because racing is by definition competitive. It doesn�t matter whether it�s just one racer on the track trying to lower lap times or several racers competing against the field, competition is an essential component of racing just as sportsmanship is an essential component of competition. A racer always competes! The key to fully enjoying a race is to see your fellow racers not as enemy combatants but as friends and associates who are testing their race preparation and driving ability against one another and against their own past performances. SacHO races can be intensely competitive and enjoyable, leaving the contestants looking forward to the next race. Sportsmanship is the key to preserving and enhancing this enjoyment just as a �Winning is everything� attitude is certain to spoil it. Looking for the formula for successful racing? Here it is: if everyone has fun competing and enjoying the thrill of the race, then everyone wins!
REAP WHAT YOU SOW � Simply put, you get out of HO racing what you put into it. Never practice? Don�t expect to develop into one of the better drivers. Want a more competitive car? The other racers are ready to show you how if you are ready to invest the money for the premium parts and the time to learn. Want to learn how to paint and mount your own race bodies? Help is there for the asking but it will require an investment of time and a commitment to learn. Want a hobby with enough depth to enjoy for decades? HO scale model car racing has what you are looking for but you only reap what you sow. Welcome to SacHO. Let�s keep it fun! |
