October 5, 2025  |   

MARC HO Slot Car Race Report – September 13, 2025

On a bright, beautiful autumn day with leaves just hinting at their vibrant change, nine racers gathered at Peter Lentros’ LenJet Raceway for an exhilarating day of MARC HO slot car racing.  This is the first race of the 43rd season for MARC.  The event, hosted at the renowned facility, saw intense competition, technical challenges, and plenty of camaraderie among the drivers.

SPEC Racer: A Battle of Consistency and Speed

The tracks were uncovered, wiped down and power supplies turned on.  SPEC racers were dusted off and removed from their resting place for the summer.  Practice consisting of controller adjustments, ride height checks, and testing the limits on each lane of The Bear.  The day kicked off with the SPEC Racer class, featuring inline magnet cars with a minimum 5.8 Ohm armature, level 4 traction and motor magnets, silicone slip-on tires, a 23-tooth crown gear, and 7-tooth pinion gears, all wrapped in brightly painted Lexan bodies.  The race consists of four heats with a duration of five minutes each heat.

 Peter Lentros set an early benchmark with an impressive 298 laps, showcasing the capabilities of his finely tuned machine. Hakim Harris briefly took the lead with 303 laps, despite multiple offs in the challenging yellow lane. Tom Jahl then surged ahead with a remarkably consistent performance, logging 330 laps. However, it was Bruce Olsen who stole the show, racing his final two heats late in the morning to clinch the victory with 332 laps.  Hakim delivered the fastest lap of 2.809 seconds in the yellow lane.  Bruce also logged the second fastest lap of 2.872 seconds in Blue.  Not all racers had smooth runs. Dave Muse struggled in the yellow lane, ultimately cooking his motor halfway through his third heat.  Jim Macartney experienced an extreme temperature event with his SPEC. Terry Ayer faced his own drama, removing a pickup shoe and spring with a Dremel tool between heats, rushing to the pits and returning with three minutes remaining in the heat. 

SPEC Racer Final Results:

  1. Bruce Olsen – 332 laps
  2. Tom Jahl – 330 laps
  3. Tom Gray – 317 laps
  4. Hal Pierce – 312 laps

Lunch Break: Pizza and Parts Talk

Midday, the racers took a well-deserved break, enjoying excellent pizza while catching up on the latest slot car innovations. Drivers swapped stories and exchanged tune-up tips, discussing new parts from various vendors, fueling anticipation for the afternoon’s racing.

Modified Class: High-Speed Thrills and Spectacular Crashes

The group decided to limit the practice, since most of the racers had already tested their Modifieds on the Viper.  The afternoon featured the Modified class, now the fastest class of the season due to a MARC rules change. These inline magnet cars boasted a minimum 2.4 Ohm armature, level 10 traction and motor magnets, silicone slip-on tires, any size crown gear, 9-tooth pinion gears, and vibrant Lexan bodies. The Viper is a six-lane track.  For this race we limited the competition to the middle four lanes.  The competition was fierce, with Peter Lentros setting an early pace at 272 laps. Terry Ayer then took command with 307 laps, only to be overtaken by Tom Jahl, who sealed the win with a stellar 332 laps in his final two heats of the afternoon.  Fastest lap honors go to Tom Jahl with 3.111 seconds in the White lane.  The Modified races were marked by intense back-and-forth battles and spectacular crashes. Tom Gray struggled with his chassis in the blue lane, while Jim Macartney faced heat woes, melting three pinion gears off the shaft, declaring his car was only good for four minutes in a five minute heat, eventually turning his car into a “smoker” by the end.

Modified Results:

  1. Tom Jahl – 332 laps
  2. Terry Ayer – 307 laps
  3. Hal Pierce – 286 laps
  4. Hakim Harris – 275 lap

A Day of Racing Excellence

The September 13, 2025, MARC HO race at LenJet Raceway was a thrilling showcase of skill, strategy, and speed.   From Bruce Olsen’s late surge in SPEC Racer to Tom Jahl’s dominant performances across both classes, the event highlighted the competitive spirit of MARC racing. Despite mechanical setbacks and intense on-track battles, the racers’ passion for the sport and their camaraderie shone through, making it a memorable day under the autumn sun.

Racing Details