Geography (WorldTour cont. from page 13) Gray. “But, ultimately it is about racing. I want to do everything I do to compliment and support the racing, as that’s where the real excitement is.” Gray seems to know what the audience likes. His favorite part of his track aligns with what viewers like, too: “My favorite part of the track has to be ‘The Beast’,” he says, referring to the first turn which is located inside a tunnel. “It is absolutely amazing all the action that happens as a result of that sharp 180 degree two-lane corner inside the tunnel.” Meet The Beast! – The first corner is hidden from the cameras, which leads to big surprises at the tunnel exit at Fraser Ridge
Gray is also an eager ambassador for his new sport. “I have introduced a number of my UK friends and family to diecast racing as a result of all of this.” He’s also got a sizable following of his channel among the locals in Indonesia, too.
is amazing how the smallest change to the layout can have a very big effect with how the cars perform on the track.”
In addition to suggesting that anyone building a mountain should join Redline Derby, Gray reflects on what he has learned along this process: “The best advice is to continually check and test the track as you build. It
And, as an outside observer, one can learn a lot about how to stir up excitement for one’s YouTube channel by seeing how James Gray built his community by building publicly. And a great build it is!
As our tour comes to a close, there are many tracks in countries that we’ve not yet visited. I feel a bit disappointed that I’ve not yet discovered any tracks in Africa or mainland Asia. If you happen to know of anyone running a league from those parts of the world, pass along the info by sending an email to comments@diecastracingreport.com. We will happily visit them in our next look at international tracks. Also, in the unlikely event that you’re reading this within the confines of a research facility in Antarctica, let me know if anyone there is racing Hot Wheels. The photos of that would be something I’d like to see!
involved for a long time, the quarantine/lockdown months were something that spurred people on towards attempting to build something new while stuck at home, and whether that was a track or a car, that is now a part of their world, and a part of them going forward.
One thing that became clear in the writing of this series was just how closely the community of diecast racers has bonded everywhere during a pandemic that restricts personal travel to a high degree. Thanks to YouTube videos and Facebook groups, these ten track owners and many others like them have created an outlet for creativity and competition that literally knows no borders. I asked each of the interviewees about what they saw in the future for diecast racing. Every one of them mentioned the growth of the sport. No one said that they thought the end of the pandemic (whenever that might be) would bring about a shrinkage of the diecast racing populace. It seems that, even for those who have been 18 | Diecast Racing Report
One of the tracks we featured in our first leg of the journey, Chaos Canyon in New Zealand, has taken the lead on pulling together an international tour of four tracks (three in America, one in New Zealand), and that will be coming up very soon. Another of our first issue stops, Hot Wheels Calgary, has started showing daily races on his new track. Over in Ontario, Beaverworx (featured in our second installment of the series) has finished their primary racing track and the footage from the first race there looks impressive. Many of the cars that are headed to Stefan Huwer’s track in Germany are being gathered up in Buffalo, New York for a unified shipment to his VW Golf event. And viewers of 3DBotMaker’s King of the Mountain recently saw one of Huwer’s kids’ cars representing Germany in a qualifying run at Race Mountain. It’s good to keep up with our international friends.
