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Scalextric C1423M Scalextric Spark Plug Formula E Race Set - Jean-Éric Vergne v Mitch Evans.RRP £169.99. Scheduled November 2021


Scalextric are now official slot car partners of Formula E - the all-electric racing series presented as the future of motor racing by the FIA at the global climate talks in Glasgow. This first set gives us a first glimpse of the brand new detailed, but super-resistant, Digital Plug Ready Formula E cars. There's the gold DS Techeetah of two-time champion Jean-Éric Vergne - plus the Jaguar of Kiwi Mitch Evans, who finished fourth in the 2020-1 season...

       

Two more Formula E cars will be released between now and Christmas - the red and white Mahindra of Alexander Sims and the gold DS Techeetah of 2019-20 champion António Félix da Costa. The Scalextric RRP for these will be the mid-range £39.99 price point. From the look of the photographs, these single-seaters will withstand plenty of hard racing knocks and might just make the perfect single-seater option for digital racing.

       

The track layout isn't the star of this set - or even the cars - Scalextric have delivered an innovative format to launch Formula E. They've gone full-in with control via phones (or tablets) and a brand new Formula E version of the Spark Plug app. The new app attempts to reflect the fan-participation of the real series and can involve up to twelve people in various roles. Perfect for some family fun...

       

I reviewed Spark Plug with the original app in the SlotRacer Review section here. It's certainly a different way of driving a slot car, but it is fun and gives a lot of scope for gameplay, which Scalextric added to with the Batman-themed app update and have now given something extremely interesting for racers - although I'm not entirely sure electric cars have spark plugs...

   

You don't need to buy the set to get the Scalextric Spark Plug Formula E app - it is available now at GooglePlay and the App Store. All you need is the current analogue powerbase with the square controller sockets, plus one Spark Plug for each car and compatible smart devices. The app has single player, team and 'versus' modes - the first two are practice runs for the big race...



The new app allows two teams – of up to six people each – to participate in the race via the app. Each team has a driver, who chooses the driver option in the app to drive their car. Team members choose the team option - and they have their own collective and individual tasks to perform in the race, including pit stops, strategy, fan boost and attack mode. An average race lasts eight to nine minutes and is controlled by the app.


       

Spark Plug knows how much throttle each driver uses and if the car is on the track or not. From this data, the app calculates ‘distance’ travelled, which is displayed in the form of ‘checkpoint progress’ on everyone’s app screen. Drivers rely on their team to tell them the race situation and instruct them on strategy. Each team can have between 1 and 5 non-driving team mates, each with their own phone or tablet and with their own tasks…

• Pit stops – at least two per race. The pit crew carry out a tyre change and battery recharge. The app gives a warning and then stops the car on the track. An in-app ‘mini-game’ appears in pit crew’s app. Speed is of the essence to jack up the car, change wheels, recharge the battery etc. Each team member can work on a different task. Once completed, the car is released back to the driver.
  
• If a driver crashes more than a set number of times, an extra pit stop is triggered. The pit crew get a view of car to diagnose and fix any damage as quickly as they can.
  
• Fan boost – one per race, controlled by pit crew.
  
• Attack mode – the opponent’s car gets an unexpected boost that might cause a crash.
  
• Speed restrict – intermittent power on the opponent’s car to give a ‘kangaroo’ effect.
  

Fans of Formula E will see how some familiar features have been changed or tweaked to add to the Scalextric gameplay. Also, pit stops aren’t routine in a Formula E race any more, but in the Scalextric app, they play an exciting, collaborative part of the action.

I'm looking forward to having a play with the app this weekend - if it's anything like the previous versions, then it'll be pretty easy to pick up and learn. However, as a fan of Formula E, I am very much looking forward to getting my hands on these cars...

       

The development of the Scalextric Formula E range will be the subject of one of the up-coming episodes of the Yesterday TV documentary about Hornby - so expect to see lots of background and track action.

The Formula E Spark Plug set and individual cars are expected very soon and are available to pre-order at most Scalextric stockists. You can download the Scalextric Spark Plug Formula E app from Google Play and the App Store now.