the thing about art is that it rarely turns how you expect it to, but it always turns out as it should. i drew a couple of layouts i had in mind for the latest circuit layout on F1R but in the middle of making it, i decided to improvise and ended up with what i call ‘Funnel’. its one of the first layouts that will almost certainly require braking and precision due to its high speed straights, corners and hair pin turn smack dab in the middle. this was a 2-day project that started with the first attempt at making the surface virtually seamless. Brian came up with the idea to use a clear silicone sealant to close the gaps and fill the dimples in the flooring. we tested the solution and it worked well so Brian picked up a few items and graciously donated to the cause. check out the gallery for a step-by-step of the construction of ‘Funnel’, now available for high speed racing only @ nanotrax!
originally, we planned to close the shop today since the last time we changed the layout, it took 8 hours. this was obviously because there were only 2 people (myself & Calvin) who worked to do it and we did it all at once. this time, we had F1R cleared to a bare floor before closing the shop, so the only thing left was to lay down the lining, rocks and clean the floor. Vincent came thru at our normal opening time to help out so we wrapped up everything by 3pm. we opened the shop with a new layout in place and invited members in for ‘practice & beer’ to celebrate. i’m proud of all the work we do here as its more than a ‘normal’ mini-r/c circuit; its a work of art and there’s nothing else like this in the world. i believe our members take pride in that as well and appreciate the opportunity to enjoy this hobby in such a unique place. in the midst of turmoil throughout the world, at least at nanotrax, they can find ‘joy’.
we all took our test runs on ‘Strata’ until closing time, discovering that we’ll have to prepare ourselves for high speed and chaotic collisions that will make our club races very interesting for the next 3 months. i figured it was time for an upgrade to the Mazda 787b, so i threw on some PN Racing ‘Double Star’ Aluminum Wheels and an X-Power ‘Hot’ Motor, just so i can be ready for Olaf in the next club race… he’s outta control! i’ll post pics of the new look soon on the nanotrax micro r/c forum, join us there for more ‘dNaNo discussion’ and more. see ya next time! ;)
welcome to the new year which to me is just another day but we marked its arrival with the installation of a new layout on NanoTrax F1R Showroom Circuit. Calvin arrived @ 8:40am to help with the project and it took just over 8 hrs to complete. by 5pm Ian stopped by and we all took our first runs on “Patchwork“. its a complete turnaround from “Art Deco“ with more narrow lanes, tight curves and long straights. this week’s club race should be interesting since the layout is ‘fresh’ and no one has any advantage outside of racing experience.
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at the end of year and beginning of another is always a good time for reflection: the 1st quarter of 2009 saw the birth of nanotrax and my move into a new line of ‘work’. previously, i was in web development and nanotrax became a new passion that i shared with Joom (my wifey!). the 2nd quarter saw the grand opening of the shop and an unfortunate and tragic accident that put everything on hold temporarily. during that time, my son (Nalani) was also stolen from me by his mother who vowed to never let me see him again. very trying times, but life is as such and we continued to move on. 3rd quarter saw the opening of our online shop and a burst of interest from around the world that has allowed us to maintain and prosper. customers from Austria, Belgium, Canada, Holland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Germany, France, Norway, Finland, Spain, Italy and the USA have all caught ‘dNaNo fever’ and we’re happy to be first place they look to find what they need to enjoy their hobby. also, it saw my son (Paris) and my mom visit and get to see what i do on the daily – in person. the final quarter of 2009 confirmed that NanoTrax had finally built a place that would attract excellent racing with our “Special Race” Tuesday. that was an exciting event and i look forward to having many like it in the near future.
i expect this year should bring unexpected but hopefully pleasant events that help us to enjoy our hobby and life in general. i’ve come to appreciate the little things and i’m thankful for every breath i take. i’m not perfect and i’m not always good but i’m brutally honest, fair and i put 100% into what i do daily. i’ve built this business with my customers and everyone who loves this hobby in mind. i’ve invested all i have including time, money, blood, sweat & tears. i won’t get financially rich doing this, but that’s no matter, as no amount of money can buy the happiness i get every day when i open the front door – the entrance to NanoTrax.
i couldn’t wait any longer… this morning, i installed the new “Long Wind” layout on F1R. Erwin & Slim visited today and were both delighted with the fresh circuit. it uses all 32 tiles so its a huge track for dNaNo with lots of long straights and sweeping turns. i thought the column would obstruct vision but its not an issue now that this layout is a reality (as opposed to a drawing). Long Wind is not quite as technical as the previous layout so even beginners should enjoy a run on it. average laps will probably hover around 10-12 seconds with fastest lap coming close to 8. we got a new visitor from Romania on the forum and he says that what i’ve created will be the standard for anyone following in NanoTrax footsteps. feel good feedback… join us in the micro R/C revolution! ;-)
a little car for a big guy: Slim (ENG) joined the NRC and chose the car that we think is his ideal match. his Lancia Delta HF Integrale is all hopped up and ready to make moves on our circuits. in addition to all the other hop-ups, he threw on some 18′ gold rims helping to increase the ride height and stability (stock are 17′, FR size). the car is fast and i was even able to push it to under 7 seconds on F1R. our club is slowly growing but getting the guys in for weekly racing is a difficult task. perhaps my expectations are high considering we’re just reaching the end of our 5th month in full operation? active members are ready for a new track layout so we’ll be busy installing it tomorrow (Sunday, Sept 26). sorry, we’re too anxious to wait for the 50 votes required on the forum poll :-P
Current Promotions
in the shop, we have buy 2 get 1 free Heineken Happy Hour daily from 2-6pm and ladies buy a drink, get free car rental. annual membership is now only 5,000ThB (30% off ) and track facililty & maintenance fee is only 80ThB per day (members pay no track fee). we now also have 2 available dNaNo with full options available for rent @ 300ThB per hour (stock rental is 200ThB per hour). if you haven’t stopped by the online shop lately, our flat rate shipping is only 999ThB worldwide and all Mini-Z Auto Scale Bodies have been reduced to only 899ThB. we’re having a clearance on them since the new Mini-Z MR-03 will be available next month (i’ll have only 3 of them in stock). check back in a day or 2 for new layout pics and join the forum if you’re a dnano fan.
we’ve had the current layout (appropriately named, Tight Navigation) running for a few weeks now and though it’s still a challenge, i’m looking forward to the next one. we’ll change the layout every 2-3 months and we have about a month left on this one so i’ve decided to allow our visitors (local and online) to choose what layout will be featured on our showroom circuit F1R. below, you’ll see the gallery includes 3 of 5 possible possible track layouts (view all 5 and vote for your favorite on the forum). the layout that gets the most votes will be installed on Monday, October 19 (around the same time the dNaNo Aston Martin Racing DBR9 arrives at the shop). even if you can’t come in, this is your chance to have a bit of influence on what happens and if you do come in, you’ll be able to race on a layout you helped to choose! its been kinda slow in the shop lately so my wife spent some time decorating her nails with NanoTrax keywords. check out her work along with the Mini-Z Ferrari F430 GT. i’ve got new items coming in shortly, expect an inventory update within 48 hrs. click here for the F1R Next Layout Thread – vote now to get your chance at a free NanoTrax T-Shirt.
