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Organisers of the English National HO scale slot car championships widest range of allowed chassis in Europe - Filtered power supplies - PC timing with gap to leader - adjustable brakes - Coalescent lane rotation - track calls - routed track sections
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The English Association of HO Racing Clubs
traces it's roots back April 2002 when a race meeting was held in Great
Burstead near Billericay, in a hall sourced by Deane Walpole. That meeting,
run by former Sutton H:O Racing Club coordinator Peter Baldock, was
enjoyed by all attending, and saw the HO scene in the UK
re-energized. A second meeting followed at Billericay, again run by
Peter but this time utilizing the good size of the hall to full
effect with a large track designed by
Jim Kelly,
who also hand crafted many of the corners, which was made from the
(at the time) ubiquitous Tomy track sections, but also the Lupico
Tomy-compatible 18'' curves. Following the two meetings EHORC (Essex
HO Racing Club) was formed. In March 2005 our name was changed again to English Association of HO Clubs, to reflect to involvement of two venues running to the ''East Anglia'' rules and format. The EAHORC championship returned to Norton twice more that year, wins for Deane and Mick Kench featured, with fixtures between Billericay ones (were Mike Ovens was amongst the winners). Those two venues formed the backbone of the series until 2006 when a change of priorities saw all rounds take place in one cost-effective locale, when we introduced our now established multi-class racing format and the renowned Mussel Bay Club in Kings Lynn, Norfolk became the first club outside of the HO sphere to add racing for it to it's roster, hosting the five EAHORC races and their own club nights. Since that time new venues and clubs have been added, but always with one eye on costs. This has allowed EAHORC to evolve into its current role, and focus on infrastructure improvements.
From the early days, EAHORC and the groups it evolved from have stood for maximum choice. Previously there had not been a consistent means of racing a wide range of chassis types, and any such moves always resulted in controversy. With an inclusive philosophy front and centre, EAHORC was able to move past that, especially once the multi-class format became established. Nowadays, we race a diverse number of chassis, from £5 ebay finds to $50 US-sourced 'rockets' and everything between. More importantly, the racers are as eclectic as their cars, and this give our race meetings a unique feel. In Late 2006, EAHORC's drive to find new racers turned up Andy Whorton. Andy had raced at National level many years before as a Junior and was happy to be reunited with his former pastime. As an adult he has contributed much to improvements in the technology we have access too, as EAHORC continues to strive for the right balance of fun and 'proper racing'. People like Andy, Jim and the irrepressible John Ovens have really driven HO on in the UK. 2008 saw routed track being used at EAHORC meets for the first time, with sectional routed pieces making their debut in October 2009, alongside the stunning AFX champcars pictured below (top row, far right). As of today there are 7 clubs affiliated to us and we are actively looking to add to that in the coming years, as well as helping any and all slot car clubs and individuals to get more from HO scale. To this end we have, for example, put on displays using John Ovens' superb garage track and Andy Whorton's AFX Raceway portable track as seen at the 2007 BSCRA ''Nats'', and are hoping to show at the 2010 Brooklands/Pendle event if it takes place.
For dozens more pictures click Here Click the links below to learn more about EAHORC
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