This Slot Car Track Is A Beautiful Homage To Motorsport
Photography by Joachim Rayos
If there were ever a petrolhead’s petrolhead, it is Jeff Mosing. Between campaigning in the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup and the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge, tending to Mosing Motorsports (his namesake dealership in Austin, TX), or simply enjoying his car collection, it is probably safe to say that he has a passion for, well, cars. So being surrounded by all things motoring, what else does one do for a bit of recreation? The answer is a spectacular custom slot car track called the Dream Weaver.
HONEY, I SHRUNK THE RACETRACK
Slot Mods Raceways is famous for completely bespoke racetracks for 1:32 scale slot cars. From an appearance in the Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog (list: $300,000) to their latest commissioned work for Formula 1, these tracks are a detail-obsessed modeler’s fantasy come to life. Impressive in size and abounding in fine detail, every square inch is reflective of the company’s artisan touch. This piece, the Dream Weaver, is not a recreation of any specific track, but rather a personal greatest hits compilation: elements of Sebring, Virginia International Raceway, Daytona, Laguna Seca, and the COTA esses can be found.
And the result is no simple flat track: there is quite a bit of elevation and camber change as the track dips and weaves over and around itself. The result of which is a circuit that is visually entertaining and just as appropriately, a challenge to drive well. Get too eager on the throttle on the Daytona banking and the spiraling dip at the end conspires to flip your car airborne; hit the esses at the right speed and the car snakes rhythmically through like it’s on the proverbial rails. And just like the real thing, be prepared for some rubbing and missing body parts (the miniature stewards haul those off to a patch called The Field of Broken Dreams). The thrills are definitely full scale even though the cars can fit in your fist.
AND THEN THERE ARE THE CARS
Having a track that is part diorama begs the question: what do you run on it? Fortunately there is a deep selection of off-the-shelf slot cars to suit any motoring persuasion. Just from the house collection alone there were classic open-wheel racers, Le Mans prototypes, touring cars, vintage coupes and sedans, even big-rigs straight from the FIA’s European Truck series. The best way to visualize the diversity on tap would be to imagine attending a vintage motorsports event where the paddock is equally home to Group C behemoths and Mk1 Lotus Cortinas and everything in between. With such realism between the track and the cars, this is as close to racing as it gets indoors.
This now opens up a tempting-slash-dangerous option for the motorsports enthusiast. Even with a more modest club or home layout one can take immense pleasure in building a dream garage as the slot cars themselves are quite affordable. Group the right cars together and you and your friends are recreating motorsport’s legendary battles every Friday night. Anyone up for Ferrari versus Ford, best of 5?
DRIVING YOURSELF HAPPY
Few would attach the word transformative to a loop of track with miniature cars that run around in circles, but that is exactly what happens when you get up close to one of these creations. That thin smile when you spot the track from twenty feet away? It is a huge grin by the time you’ve laid down the cars and chalked up a lap. You’re back to being your ten-year-old self when play was play and all that mattered in the world was that shiny new toy car/airplane/train/boat that took you months to save up for. It’s one giant reminder that it’s okay to play and be a big kid every so often. Jeff’s business motto over at the dealership is “Drive yourself happy,” and his Dream Weaver is one hundred twenty square feet in which to do it.
