Go to Front page
Some rules for racing
-
2008
Oct 05
-
Comments
0
My whole motivation for the Hot Wheels Derby track was because I got tired of poker games. Not only do I not think poker is any fun, it’s too serious. People take it too seriously, not to mention it’s complicated - at least for me…way too much to think about during a regular game. So I thought Hot Wheels drag racing could be a little more fun while still allowing us to “keep things interesting.”
Not to say I had gambling in mind when I started this…OK, I guess I did, but it doesn’t have to be. But in my opinion, putting money on something simple and skill-free, like cars, is a lot less intimidating than playing cards. I think of it like horse racing. I have no control over the horse, but I hope my pick wins. I also like that racing is quick. Poker can last for hours and if you lose early you’re doing a whole lot of nothing while the others finish.
As the derby track nears completion, I figure it’s time to start talking rules. I jotted some of these ideas down a long time ago, so post with your feedback and we’ll eventually get to some happy place where everyone can be excited about the races. Of course, all this racing for rewards is as an alternative to poker. If the money isn’t motivating, then we don’t need it. I know some people need more motivation than pure enjoyment to participate, so this for those folks.
The Basics
- 1:64 scale cars only, preferably Hot Wheels, and that’s just because I’m a HW Guy.
- Model/line of car is up to each driver. I recommend the $0.99 variety at Target, but if you want to race your $4 Johnny Lightning, feel free.
- Races are like-cars only (mod-vs-mod, stock-vs-stock)
- Bracket tournament style with two cars per race.
- Each race is best of three heats. Winner of each heat gets lane choice for next race.
- No do-overs. If your car wrecks on the track you lose that heat. If both wreck it’s a tie and both race again on same lanes.
- Finish gate results are final.
Racing for Green
- $1.00 enters your car in tournament
- 2nd place driver gets entry fee back
- 1st place driver gets remainder of pot
Racing for Pinks
- No entry free, but you must own the car you’re racing
- For each race, winner gets loser’s car.
Now the theory is that everyone will go out and buy their cars and bring them to the track for racing. I also had a thought of pure random picks tournament. Since I have a rather extensive collection of cars, each driver would blindly pick a car from the collection to race. Heats run like normal with normal payouts, but nobody can race the same cars again. All cars used get removed from the pool and everyone draws again for the next set of races.
Or we get crazy and play darts to pick cars. Yeah, that’s it, darts. We take 20 cars and give them each a number, then throw darts at the board to see which car we each get. It’s like two games in one!
There are also chances to have classes for races. Like modified cars only, classes by weight, classes by car style/type…heck, even class by color. There’s all sorts of ways you could slice and dice the racing. I my opinion, whatever method keeps races close and fun is the best choice - but that’s all trial and error.
Like I said, just some thoughts that seem harmless. It’ll take a while to figure out what works for everyone best. Sure, you won’t come home with an extra $100 at the end of the night, but when was the last time you earned even $5 racing Hot Wheels? Hey, that $5 is lunch tomorrow!
If all this seems a little hardcore, well, I guess it is but I think that’s how we and make something like Hot Wheels a little more “adult.” A warning, however, that this will also severely alter how you look at Hot Wheels next time you’re at the store. No longer will you just admire the cars as cool looking toys, but you’ll wonder which one will run the fastest. You’ll start looking at wheel size, body style, weight. There are a lot of physics in racing and that’s half the fun.
Maybe this isn’t better than poker, but it at least at the end of the night you still have a fun toy to play with, so you never go home empty handed.