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Digest 39

Published by JasonB on Sep 24, 2023

Our weekly round up of news from the slot car world.

Digest 39, and Slot.it Oreca 07 slot car

This week we take a look at seven new Scalextric releases, three Revoslots, two from Slot.it, a Carrera and a Racing Replica. Plus we have vintage Carrera figures, all the latest events, and our favourite videos and photos.

Slot Cars

Now Available

New Scalextric releases

Future Releases

Carrera Mercedes AMG GT3
Revoslot Chevrolet Corvette C5
Slot.it Opel Calibra
Slot.it Oreca 07

Built

Racing Replicas MGB model in pale primrose

Events

Slot car event posters

Figures

Vintage Carrera Frömter figures

Videos

Photos of the Week

Fly Porsche 911S – Bathurst 1970

Fly Porsche 911S in a yellow livery with red stripes

Photo by Sven Hoffmann

George Turner Models 1905 Daraq

Photo by Trevor Ford

More Issues

Updates

On This Day in History…

30-09-1997Max Verstappen, Belgian-Dutch driver and F1 World Drivers Champion, born in Hasselt, Belgium
01-10-1967Richard Petty continues his phenomenal NASCAR winning streak by taking the Wilkes 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway, an unprecedented 10th consecutive victory
01-10-1995Michael Schumacher wins the Pacific Grand Prix at the TI Circuit in Aida, Japan to clinch his 2nd straight Formula 1 World Drivers Championship
02-10-1948Silverstone programme cover 1948 Silverstone circuit plan
Read more about the airfield circuits of Great Britain in British Racing Greens
02-10-1954Montjuic programme cover Montjuic circuit diagram
02-10-1977Racer Sideways Toyota Celica Rodenstock
Racer Sideways Toyota Celica Rodenstock - Harald Ertl, DTM 1977, Nürburgring Betonschleife,
Nonfractal takes an in depth look at the Racer Sideways Toyota Celica Rodenstock, modelled on the car that appeared late in the 1977 season and achieved a best, and only finish of fourth at the season finale on this day in 77.
Read the full review
02-10-1977Niki Lauda finishes 4th in the US Grand Prix East at Watkins Glen to clinch his second Formula 1 World Drivers Championship by 17 points from Jody Scheckter, with James Hunt winning the race
02-10-1988Alec Issigonis, Greek-British automotive designer who designed the Mini, dies at 81
02-10-1998Belgian racing driver and four times Le Mans winner Olivier Gendebien dies at 74
02-10-2021Oulton Park programme cover

Features

BRM, the Inside Story

Published by JasonB on May 5, 2023 in Features, Updates

BRM Logo
A selection of BRM photos

We have a new and fairly substantial motor racing history section which we’ve added to the site. It could be encapsulated by just three letters, BRM, but in truth the full story would make a decent sized  book.

Graham Hill and Monaco harbour

The inspiration for our new section came from a British Racing Motors team mechanic, Dennis ‘Sheriff’ Perkins who worked for the team for well over a decade from the mid 1950s onwards, and who took photos throughout his time with the team.

Dennis Perkins and othe BRM mechanics

Of course Perkins wasn’t a professional photographer, he was first and foremost a BRM mechanic. In fact he was so good at his job that he was elected to membership of the BRDC, being proposed by Graham Hill and seconded by Jackie Stewart.

Scenes from Spa Francorchamps

But he took photos of some important motor racing events, and he took his photos from a different angle to the press, or the spectators. He snapped his pics from behind the scenes, from the oil stained pit boxes, from the workshops, or even from the team transporter which he drove across the continent in his slippers.

The BRM transporters travel through the mountains

Through his photos we will tell the story of British Racing Motors, from the disastrous and all too obvious failings in the early days, through to being world champions and one of the most consistently successful teams in Formula One at their peak, before they were brought back down to earth with a bump, as the team declined.

BRM mechanics

BRM had always set out to match and beat the best in Formula One. To do that, they absolutely insisted that they should build their own engines as well as the chassis. They wanted to take Ferrari’s approach, and when it worked, it really worked, but when it didn’t, it really didn’t.

BRM cars and engine

Nowadays of course, we can expect a netflix documentary for every F1 race, no matter how insignificant. But in those days there were a very limited cohort of press reporters and photographers. So this little treasure trove of photos from the pit lanes and paddocks of the 1950s and 1960s are important.

Ferraris at Zandvoort

We’ve tried our best to tell the stories of not just BRM, but of the individual races for which we have photos, many of which have their own fascinating tales to tell.

Scenes from the Moroccan Grand Prix

We’ve tried to tell the story of the BRM drivers and the BRM cars. We’ve used a wide variety of sources for all of the information, including contemporary reports.

Graham Hill and Dan Gurney

We’ve also included slot track plans for every circuit, and a comprehensive list of BRM slot cars.

Track plan of Nurbrurgring and a Cartrix P25

So there you go, that’s a rough outline of what we’ve got for you, hope you enjoy having a look and a read.

Many thanks to John Perkins, son of Dennis, for his kind permission to use these photos. Many thanks also to Dennis ‘Sheriff’ Perkins himself, not just for his sterling work with BRM, but also for recording his time with the team.

BRM, the Inside Story