Looking to Build 1/32 Slot Car Grid of B&H 500/1000, need grid info for 1968-78

[Nashville Slot Racer]

My name is Mike (a recent new member), and I am forming a new Euro-style 1/32 slot racing club in Nashville, TN. I have a six lane high banked Charlotte NASCAR track, and six lane routed short track, a four lane recreation of the 1964 Sebring layout and decorations, and a high-elevation road race track for Mille Miglia/Targa Florio and similar rally events, all in my basement. I can reconfigure the high mountain track to the Bathurst race, and my flat Sebring track to Sandown, and I have been collecting cars to run separate 1963-67, 68-72, and 73-79 eras of Australian events; I also decorate the tracks with authentic signage, billboards, grandstands and architectural features, etc.

I now want to recreate the NZ version of Bathurst I have just recently been learning about - the 1968-78 Benson & Hedges 500/1000, which I understand was limited to NZ-assembled cars. I have a glassed-in porch outside my basement to set up the Pukekohe circuit, and even Warwick Farms. My problem has been finding starting grids from that era online or in books. I grateful to have found an uploading of the car grids from the 1972 and 74 events here, at this forum. Does anyone here have the other 1968-71, 73, and 75-78 starting grids available that you could provide to me, so I could build a 42 car field? I have picked up a pile of Charger resin bodies from various Australian craftsmen, a Torana LC and a four-door XA, and some Seat 1430 slot cars I could maybe configure as 125Ts, as well as Vauxhall Victors, Zodiacs, and of course some Cortinas and such.

If you could provide me those grids for those years, or point me to where I could find it, I would be most grateful, because I can't find it elsewhere, and it is most critical to me. Furthermore, pictures of those events, where I can clarify models of cars only given brief car model descriptions in the grids (such as "Torana" in 1974, where a picture elsewhere here helped clarify), would be really helpful, as well as your knowledge of 1/32 resin body makers of some of these more obscure models, or even 3D printing files or printers, or even 1/32 diecast cars I could get someone to mold from for me. If you also know Australian/NZ expatriates in middle Tennessee who would like to participate in my fun, relaxed racing and recreation series, I would love to meet them.

Thank you so much for providing such critical information and help.
Thanks again!

[Milan Fistonic]

I have programmes for all those events but I'll have to scan them before I can post them.

[Nashville Slot Racer]

Thank you so VERY, VERY much, Milan - I'll look forward to seeing it, or you can PM me!

[Milan Fistonic]

Entry for the 1968 Benson & Hedges

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[Milan Fistonic]

Entry for the 1969 B&H

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[Milan Fistonic]

Entry for 1970 B&H

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[Milan Fistonic]

Entry for 1971 B&H

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[Milan Fistonic]

Entry for 1973 B&H

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[Milan Fistonic]

Entry for 1975 B&H

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[Milan Fistonic]

Entry for 1976 B&H

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[Milan Fistonic]

Entry for 1977 B&H

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[Milan Fistonic]

Entry for 1978 B&H

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[Nashville Slot Racer]

Thank you so VERY much for this critical information - I could get it nowhere else. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your time in finding this information in your records, taking pictures and uploading it. I will make very good use of this data in recreating these golden age events, in 1/32 slot scale. Speaking of that, if you or anyone else here has additional photos of how more of these cars (and track) looked during this era, and where I might extra 1/32 diecast, 3D files or resin bodies to fill out this field beyond what I already have, I would be further deeply appreciative.
Thanks again, racer!

[bry3500]

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Valiant-Charger-E38-1-32-Scale-Hemi-Orange-Diecast-Model-Car-Boxed-Licensed-/174283443584
https://www.stuff4blokes.com.au/1-32-oz-legends-chrysler-valiant-charger-e49-rt-big-tank-in-lime-light.html
https://www.tbirdslotracing.com.au/sunset-racing-shells-valiant-charger-1-32-womp-womp-clear
http://www.slotshop.com.au/scalextric-c4169-ford-falcon-xw-bathurst-1969-moff
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SCALEXTRIC-1-32-SCALE-CORTINA-SLOT-CAR-NEW-IN-ORIGINAL-BOX/184468331342?hash=item2af32b5b4e:g:KE0AAOSwTxBfRgXJ
https://www.scalemates.com/kits/c-mac-models-datsun-sunny-coupe-b210-120y-140y-conversion--941082

[bry3500]

https://www.tbirdslotracing.com.au/spares-performance/car-bodies/sunset-racing-shells-mini-cooper-1-32-womp-womp-clear
http://www.scalextric-car.co.uk/Parts/Resin_Body_Kits/Hillman_Avenger_kit/Hillman_Avenger_kit.htm
https://www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/vauxhall-victor-resin-kit.html?___SID=U
https://www.pendleslotracing.co.uk/ford-cortina-mk3-resin-kit.html?___SID=U

[Nashville Slot Racer]

bry3500, thank you so much for taking the time to find and compile all those links for me. I already have all the Scalextric, Pendle and other slot car stuff, and I've tried to tap out the Aussie resin makers for the main racing marques like the Chargers before and have them, Manaros, Falcons (XW/XY/XA-XC), Torana XU-1s, etc. In fact, I probably have around 50-60% of the marques of the 68-78 B&H 500/1000 races. I am trying to get a resin caster to take an old 68 Dodge Dart and cast some more, so I could maybe convert them to Valiant Pacers, etc.

I have contacted a British resin body maker who might have access to those old Hillman Hunter and Avenger bodies you cited, but it looks like I will have a harder time finding those Sharp Sunny models, but I'll keep trying!

Thank you again, and any other leads are appreciated.

[Oldfart]

I can probably organise a Peugeot 404 for you as per 1968

[Nashville Slot Racer]

Mr. Fart,

Would that be a 1/32 resin body kit or model, or such? How might I obtain it?

[Oldfart]

Mr. Fart,

Would that be a 1/32 resin body kit or model, or such? How might I obtain it?
I'm working on either a resin body or vacuum formed. Watch this space.

[bry3500]

http://members.optusnet.com.au/pattosplace/home.html

[Nashville Slot Racer]

Mr. Fart,

My strong preference were to be for a resin option. If I obtained a vac formed body, I would either then ship it to a friend to cast in resin from it (just for me to use; I would buy the same number of vac forms as I would make in resin), or try myself to add some coating underneath to equalize the weight with the rest of the field of hard plastic or resin cars(Bruce at Pattos used to sell such a product, but does no more, and my bottle I'm sure has degraded over the decades, so if any of you have successfully done such a hardbody-equivalent undercoating to a vac form body, I would love to here your success stories of such products; for example, I swear by Australian INOX for braid here, and import it for my use). Neither option is preferred, but if vac forms of some of my missing bodies is all you can do, then I would still be very grateful. Please put me down as an interested party, and let me know (if you pm me here, just let me know in the thread) the body style and type of bodies (resin or vac form), when they would be available, their price (including shipping to the US) and how to pay you.

bry3500, I routinely raid the horn of plenty of Mr. Bruce ("Patto") over the last twenty years (decals, bodies and running gear), including some vac formed Aussie bodies of his when I had no other option, but I have tried to grandfather them out as redundant as I have found hard bodies of the body style with Australian casters or elsewhere (ex. I bought a stockpile of Monaro HQs from him to then backcast in resin to make them the proper weight, but the resin melted the bodies (the friend who did it for me said), or it preserved the warped orientation of the original vac formed body). I was not backcasting them for me to resell, but just taking the number of vac forms I bought to make an identical number for my personal use in the proper weight. I would much prefer original hardbodies in plastic or resin if at all possible.

Thanks to all of you for taking the time to help me out.

[Oldfart]

Mr Nashville, I'm curious why you want to use resin bodies for active slot cars. Today I was with the body maker for RC stockcars (UK type that bash and crash) and he couldn't understand why either as he said they won't take the banging that his bodies will. Resin after all is only polyester with filler powder with almost no strength.(Like body filler for panel " beating")

[Nashville Slot Racer]

As opposed to vacuum-formed versions? If you are referring to that, I used to run Lexan-bodied, metal chassied cars on commercial tracks for many years. However, my main interest in slot cars is the general scale realism, versus the ability to extract the last bit of speed, and make them blurs around the track. My tracks are relatively small (50-75 feet) in length (although 4-6 lanes wide), and have a lot of detailed scenery around the layout that would be vulnerable to high-speed cars. A cheap 1/32 plastic chassied and wheeled slot car with a hard plastic body (hard plastic injected molded or resin bodied) and wheels, and generally stock tires can be quite a handle to drive and get grip, which auto-modulates the speed down the cars and both protects the layout scenery and lets the cars look more scale-realistic when running and more enjoyable for those who want to recreate the "golden age" of racing, and more fun for spectators too. The speeds attained are more than enough for old geezers like me, and hard bodies, which can show a lot more car detail than vacuumed formed, are more than durable enough to handle our guardrails and low speed hits, and are more than a challenge to drive and hold good, intense races. I also enjoy fixing up and racing a body on a chassis with great care and attention to making it pretty authentic in its look, and using the craftsmanship of a new bodymaker friend from around the world, and getting around the track dicign with and leaning against similar cars lovingly put together by my friends. That's why!

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[Roger Dowding]

Nashville,call you " Nash " for short.
Those track shots look great - even if sideways as taken on a camera I guess. ***
The one with the MG "Safety Fast " overbridge - is that modeled on Sebring ? as brings this scene to mind. Photo from the Dave Friedman book " Corvette Grand Sports " 1;43 models by Universal Hobbies - Eagles Race brand.

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Your scene ..

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*** Your photo has restrictions so I could not turn it !!.

[Nashville Slot Racer]

Yep, Sebring it is! - 1964 era version. The pictures look oriented correctly to me here within the thread where I see it, although I had turned the camera for the correct aspect ratio. By the way, I do have the cars you showed, as well as just about everything else from that era! I also have a six lane routed short track and another four-lane road race track that I will also double up for Bathurst (and reconfigure the Sebring track for Sandown), but I can reorient the track table to do Watkins Glen, Road Atlanta, Road America, Laguna Seca, etc.). In my glassed in porch outside the basement, I have ad hoc temporary table layouts to do Le Mans, Monza, Warwick Farms, Pukekohe, and others in four lanes, as well as a twelve-lane track to run 24 cars in digital guise, and an eight lane crossover Figure Eight track.

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[Nashville Slot Racer]

Everyone, thank you for all your advice in helping me recreate a Golden Age of Kiwi Saloon Racing here in Nashville, Tennessee, USA (Home of Country Music, and the Nashville Superspeedway and legendary Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway since 1907) by recreating the Benson and Hedges 500 races from 1968 to 1978 in 1/32 slot cars. In fact, I plan to build a temporary four-lane Pukekohe layout each year with the key circuit features, like grandstands, Dunlop Bridge, stables, inner racecourse, billboards on the main straight, nasty dunnies, etc. (and rain if I could do it). I have also been collecting all the cars from that era, either in ready to run cars or specially commissioned resin bodies made, and I have far beyond needed for a full 42 car grid for my new club, although I am seeking a source of 1/32 bodies of the Chrysler Valiant V8 Regal (all pre-Charger Valiants that ran) and the Leyland P76. I have spent countless hours up into the wee hours each night pouring over all the car pictures and grids on the pages of The Roaring Season and peoples' comments, and saved pictures of the course background and features at the time in addition to specific liveries of body variants during the 1968-78 era.

If you don't mind indulging me further, if any of you fellow graybeards could advise me of other prominent New Zealand production-type saloon car races and the circuits used in the 1968-78 era, I would greatly appreciate it. I am not as interested in local club events as much as national events using similar New Zealand production cars, much like Sandown's relationship to Bathurst. My limited research suggests that circuits like Wigram, Timaru and Teretonga Park might be candidates from that era, but I would really appreciate any advice on production saloon races from that era that had some notoriety - I would like to expand my simulations to include other races to the B&H for my same saloon cars. Thanks!

[Nashville Slot Racer]

I should further clarify that my first preference are assembled-in-NZ-only production saloon races like that required for the B&H 500 at the time, so I can run the same cars that are refreshingly different from my motorsports upbringing. If your suggestions only include the Group 2 and Group 5 saloon racing in NZ at that time (Mustangs. etc.), I probably will run the same cars as in my ATCC series for those.

[Milan Fistonic]

There was this 4-hour race at Levin on September 6, 1969. It was for supposedly standard production cars like those in the B&H races.

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[Nashville Slot Racer]

Thank you so much for this, Mr. Fistonic - its "just the ticket"! Upon perusal of the layout its not too imaginative, but yet I can reproduce it rather easily, and I will look for track landmarks in photos to add some authenticity and atmosphere. It looks like these events continued to be held until the track's demise around 1975.

If there are similar events at other venues during this era, I appreciate any further tips!

[Kiwiminor]

Was there the Glenvale sponsored race at Bay Park in the 1970's, and does anybody have info on that?

[Nashville Slot Racer]

I've started documenting the layout and looking for info on Baypark too now - thank you Kiwiminor!

[Milan Fistonic]

Here's the entry list for the 1970 Glenvale 100 at Bay Park.

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