Motor Racing in Miniature – in a School Classroom

A Conisbrough Northcliffe Schoolteacher hopes to introduce a new sport to the area – motor racing. However, there will be no roaring motor and wreak of exhaust fumes, and no sticky end for the careless driver, for the car will be less than 6 inches long, and will race round a 150 foot circuit in a school classroom.

Mr KP Nettleton and a group in his modelmaking night class at the Northcliffe School plan to build a four lane circuit and electric cars as a group project.

Later, if the interest is sufficient, they will form a racing club, and hold competitive matches. Mr Nettleton, science Master at Northcliffe school during the day, told me: “This sport is very popular in the south of England, where there are many big racing clubs, and I think there is great scope for it here.”

Track Replica

The group will make the track section from hardboard mounted on softwood, and the guide because rails will be of copper conducting strip. Section will be interchangeable, and later a scale replica of an actual race track may be made.

“In scale, the initial track will be almost as long as the Mallory Park circuit,” said Mr Nettleton.

Mr Nettleton thinks that the attraction of the sport lies in the competitive element: “There is a great deal of skill attached to controlling these cards, and it is the nearest most people will ever get to driving a racing car,” he said.