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Classic Thunder Saloons

 

Spirit of the class

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Take part in the resurrection of the wildest saloon car racing era in British motor racing history. Thunder and super saloon racing was born in the 60’s when men in sheds grew tired of the restrictions and costs of the major championships, and shoe-horned V8's and formula race engines into saloons with wings, spoilers and wheel arches wider even than the flared trousers of the day. Ordinary saloons became steroidal monsters that made the ground shake as they roared off the grid.

In order to achieve close racing whilst allowing the widest possible choice, the eligible cars are limited to those smaller cars that were marketed before 1st Jan 1983 (see the approved list below). The allowable dimensions are listed in the specifications below.

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Also allowed into this class (starting in the SMSRC 2020 season) are some equally steroidal silhouette monsters, that raced in the legendary German DTM Championship in the 1990’s. These Slot.it DTM cars have a mainly “out of the box” (OTB) specification with minimal technical changes allowed. They give good track performance without needing extensive modifications. In testing they have been closely matched with the Classic Thunder Saloon cars. 

 

Specifications

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  1. Body

    • Hard bodied plastic or resin material, to which wider wheel arches, sills, and wings and spoilers can be fitted.

    • Maximum wheelbase 78mm.

    • Modifying the body to change the wheelbase is not permitted (see dimension “x” on the illustrations below).

    • Wheels must be mounted centrally within the wheel arch.

    • Chopping / sectioning of the body to reduce the original height is not permitted. 
      i.e. the original dimension of the body measured from the underside of the sill to the top of the roof must remain unchanged (see dimension “y” on the illustrations below).

    • The widest part of the body must not exceed 65mm.

          

  2. Chassis

    • Inline motor configuration only.

    • Free choice of plastic/resin chassis. Metal chassis restricted to Penelope Pitlane only.
       

  3. Motor

    • Any permitted up to a maximum of 22.5k @ 12 volts
       

  4. Wheels/tyres

    • Free choice.

    • Maximum overall width of axles, wheels and tyres must not exceed 63mm.

    • Tyres may protrude up to 1mm beyond the edge of the wheel arch.

          

  5. Other parts  

    • Axles, braid, eyelets, guide, gear, pinion, screws, spacers and wires are free choice, as per club general racing rules.
       

  6. Approved list

    • The cars listed below have been approved by the Technical Committee for use in this new class for the 2019 season. Additional models can be assessed and added to this list if appropriate.

 

Morris Minor

Austin A35

Austin A40

Austin/Morris Mini (+ Cooper)

Hillman Imp

Renault 4

Triumph Herald/Vitesse

Vauxhall Viva HA

VW Beetle

MG 1100

Ford Anglia

Ford Cortina mk1  

Fiat 500

Seat/Fiat 124

Fiat Abarth 600/1000

Citroen 2CV

Ford Escort mk1 (+ RS versions)

Ford Escort mk2 (+ RS versions)

Vauxhall Firenza

Skoda 110R

Mini Clubman/1275gt

Ford Fiesta mk1

Ford Fiesta mk2

BMW 2002

Vauxhall Chevette

Mini Metro

Metro 6R4

Renault 5 GT turbo

Renault 5

VW Golf mk1  

Seat/Fiat Panda

Talbot Sunbeam

Ford Escort XR3/3i

Lancia Delta

BMW 3.0CSL *

Datsun 260z *
Ford Capri mk2* 
Porsche 935(911) *
Triumph TR7 *
Alfa Romeo 155 **
Mercedes 190 **
Opel Calibra **
 

* Scalextric model variants only that have been approved to race.
These cars do not meet all the requirements of the of the spirit of the class but have been approved due their low cost and wide availability. Other manufacturers versions of these models may offer a performance advantage and are not approved.
** Slot.it DTM models that have been approved to race, see below for specifications for the Slot.it cars

Due to variations in scale accuracy, models of the same car from different slot car manufacturers will not always be identical in size. Only models that comply with the dimensions stated in section 1 (above) will be permitted to race.

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8. DTM Slot.it

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  • Only those Slot.it DTM cars on the approved list can be raced. No modifications can be made to the car body/chassis apart, from removing the wing mirrors and aerials, and the use of lightweight interiors (as per club general racing rules).
     

  • The only permitted changes to the “out of the box specifications” are as follows:-

    • Wheels  and tyres are free-choice, apart from F1 size wheels, which are not allowed.

    • Tyres are free-choice and can be glued and trued.

    • Maximum overall width of axles, wheels and tyres must not exceed 60mm. 

    • Axles are free choice, but must be solid steel and remain standard and unmodified.

    • Front wheels must be fixed to the axle and must not rotate independently.

    • Bearings should be one-piece. Offset and ball race bearings are not allowed.

    • Motor must be a Slot.it V12/4 Motor, 21.000rpm, part number SIMX15 (black end-bell).

    • If a motor mount is used it must be the Slot.it 0.5mm offset item, part number SICH110, Inline configuration only.

    • Plastic or 3D printed chassis are allowed providing they have been made for and match the model of car body being used.

    • The guide blade can be any from the Scaleauto/Slot.it/Slotting Plus ranges.

    • Guides blades can be shortened if desired.

    • Gearing may be changed to 10/28 (10 tooth brass pinion and 28 tooth yellow inline crown gear) if desired.

    • Braid, eyelets, screws, spacers and wires are free choice, as per club general racing rules.

 

 

                        

 

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