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Davidson Holds Winner's Trophy Aloft 
January 7, 2003
FROM HOME OF F1 NEWS.COM

Whilst Williams got back to work with Formula One action in Spain, the only other Grand Prix track activity took place in England. But British American Racing testers Anthony Davidson and Darren Manning were fighting it for supremacy on a track of distinctly different character to Spain's Jerez de la Frontera.

Unlike their usual 900-horsepower, Brackley-designed mounts, Ant and Darren were battling for the title of Auto Express Pegasus Slot Car Challenge Champions on a 40m long, Scalextric and Ninco circuit.
23-year-old Davidson, having made his Grand Prix debut in a Minardi last season, set the pace and won the first four races from nearest competitor Mark Higgins, a rally driver.

Darren Manning, another Briton, was left trailing behind after confidently declaring, 'I'm going for glory or bust!' He ended up in the B Final, racing with Minis, but didn't fare much better and ended up seventh out of the eight competitors. In the final, 'Ant' sped off into the distance. 'If only the real thing was this easy,' he laughed, stretched to point out the differences between his slot and F1 mounts.

At the end of the day, Anthony Davidson held the spoils aloft and was awarded a majestic little trophy. 'Fantastic,' the diminutive racer commented. 'I'm not going to say it beats driving and F1 car at the Belgian Grand Prix, but it's the first trophy I've won this season!'

Slot cars of the '60s making a comeback 
From The Rapid City Journal - Dec. 8, 2002
By Jim Holland, Journal Staff Writer

RAPID CITY -- While micro radio-control cars are hot sellers this holiday season, traditional electric slot cars, most popular from the late 1950s through the mid-1970s, currently are enjoying something of a revival.

Clancy Kingsbury of Who's Hobby in Rapid City said individual cars and complete sets, in HO scale and the larger 1/32nd scale, are steady sellers every holiday season.The larger 1/32nd- and 1/24th-scale cars offer more realistic racing than the smaller, faster HO-scale slot cars, Kingsbury said.

Cars made by Ninco are modeled after actual race-prepared sports cars, including Porsches, Ferraris, Cobras, Corvettes and Vipers.

"The detail is real nice," he said. "A lot of the cars are collectible, limited-production releases."

Another indication of the revival of slot-car racing can be seen at Rex Conrad's Flags and Wheels Indoor Racing on 12th Street in Rapid City. Conrad recently bought a 155-foot, eight-lane slot-racing track and an inventory of 1/24th-scale cars and parts from a closed commercial raceway in Kalispell, Mont.

"Slot-car racing is real big again on the East Coast, and there's a lot of places on the West Coast with tracks, but there's not much going on here in the middle," Conrad said.

Conrad has cars and controllers for rent and also plans organized race nights, beginning sometime after the first of the year. He spent two weeks assembling the track, which features computer timing and scoring.

"We had a quite a few people in here last weekend racing," he said.

A couple of loosely organized clubs in the Black Hills also cater to slot-car enthusiasts.

Rapid City resident Warren Pfenning, 46, started racing at the long-gone Mechanized Raceway in downtown Rapid City back in the late '60s. He now collects HO-scale slot cars and races weekly with friends on four custom-built, computer-controlled racetracks in Rapid Valley. Other private tracks running larger cars exist in Belle Fourche and Rapid Valley.

"People my age that had these things as kids have never lost interest in them," Pfenning said. "The kids see we have slot cars, and they ask 'What are slot cars?'" Conrad said. "If you're under 30, you probably haven't heard of them before."

Shops cater to niche crowds
Featured items are cool and collected
From the L.A. Daily News
By Susan Abram - Staff Writer

BURBANK -- Christy Meisner likes to describe her store, Victory Station, as a place filled with stuff, the kind of stuff you remember wanting as a kid, but couldn't buy, or else always admired, but couldn't admit to.

"Oh my God, we've got everything," she said. "We've got Pee-Wee Herman dolls, lots of 'Star Wars' stuff, vintage toys. Our most popular items are slot cars. We also have a wall of just movie posters."

Meisner, like many other merchants along Magnolia Boulevard, has tapped into the niche market of collectibles.

For collectors whose tastes lean toward the unconventional, the kitschy or items that are just pleasant reminders of childhood, chances are they'll find it in Burbank.

From coins and stamps to comic books and swords, movie scripts, records, sports cards, vending machines, and vintage train sets are among the offerings -- especially for those into the thrill of the hunt.

Many of the shops are so specialized that some have been called the largest or only ones of their kind in the nation, like the Autobook/Aerobook shop, also on Magnolia Boulevard, which specializes in artwork, books and models geared to the car and airplane enthusiast.

"I'd say what makes us unique is that we're probably the largest store of our type," said manager Carl Keith. "Burbank is indeed eclectic that way."