The Track in Gaithersburg, Maryland, is an R.C. hobby shop with a large indoor, off-road track for racers to run their cars on. It's owned and operated by Mimi Wong, with the current location opening in the early '90s.
Sly Coleman, a federal attorney with the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. opens his toolbox at The Track in Gaithursburg, Md on Friday, November 29, 2019.
Race Day - Wednesday, November 27, 2019
The Track hosts races on Wednesday and Friday evenings, as well as Saturday afternoons. Racers participate in qualifying "heats" corresponding to their vehicle type before undergoing actual races.
Chris Fokianos, an auto mechanic from Baltimore, Md, works on his car in between qualifying heats.
Fokianos adjusts his rear suspension.
Fokianos controls his car from the drivers' platform.
Mimi Wong, from Gaithersburg, owner of The Track, oversees a qualifying heat from her computer at the end of the drivers' platform. Wong says she knows people like competition, but she always tries to reinforce sportsmanship and fair racing with those who come here.
Eric Werner, an automotive engineer from Washington, D.C., poses for a portrait while putting a special chemical on his car's wheels.
Werner works on his car. He says that RC cars was a big part of why he became an auto engineer.
"We're lucky she's still here," Werner says, adding that it's not often RC tracks stay in business for as long as The Track has.
Nathan Easter, a student-athlete at La Plata High School from La Plata, Md, rushes to right a flipped car on track. Between their runs, racers are expected to help "marshal" other rounds and make sure all cars get back to being on all four wheels.
Easter looks through his bag for a part.
A RC car goes around the final corner before zooming down the main straight. F/5.6, 1/40", ISO 1,000Practices, Friday, November 29, 2019
On non-race days, and in the hours leading up to races, The Track has a more relaxed atmosphere, with racers tuning their cars, doing test runs around the track and interacting with other racers.
Tyler, 9, from Carroll County, Md (left), and Westin, 8, also from Carroll County, take care of a car after a practice run. The Track's owner Mimi Wong says she's seen many racers start bringing in their second generation to the hobby.
Perry Botto, a contractor from Lake Ridge, Va, works on finding the ideal setup for his car.
Wen Raquedan, an engineer from Virginia (left), chats with a fellow racer. Raquedan says he came down to The Track to chase after the faster racers and to test his speed at this venue.
Alex, 15, from Gaithersburg, works on cleaning his car's wheels.
Alex examines the steering behavior of his car.
Alex works on his car while Mike LeBlanc, retired, from Gaithersburg, looks on. LeBlanc has known owner Mimi Wong for a long time and has been coming to The Track since it opened in 1991, but he still refers to Alex his "teacher."
Jim Garner, retired, from Gaithersburg, runs his car around the track. Garner recently got back into the hobby after a 30 years because of the improvements in technology.
Garner takes care of his car between practice runs. Even though he's 76, he says he's "still learning."
Garner helps Brady, 15, of Silver Spring (right) check out a delayed throttle on the latter's car. Garner says one of the things he enjoys is hanging out with his fellow racers.
Mimi Wong, the owner of The Track, from Gaithersburg, stays busy during practice times when she doesn't have to oversee races. Here, she's putting together a new car.
Wong helps a customer get a part he needs.
Wong does some paperwork at the counter. Behind her are just a small collection of the parts The Track carries.
Special events: Saturday, December 7, 2019
Occasionally, The Track hosts special events put on by outside bodies. The weekend of December 7-8, 2019 was the 1st Monster and Mega Tour put on by JConcepts, a company that specializes in making RC cars and their components.
Charlie Buckland, a home improvement contractor from Elkton, Md, fixes his tires on one of his monster trucks. For this event, Buckland brought 7 of his over two dozen trucks at home.
Ronnie Santucci, a heavy equipment operator from Baltimore, Md, sends his car off a jump made up of miniature cars. For this event, trucks are running on a carpeted track rather than on the main, off-road track.
Matt Stoltz, who works in engineering in Greensburg, Pa, puts down his truck in the course.
Stoltz navigates his truck around the course. He says this hobby "never gets old," and has driven up to 10 hours to St. Louis to participate in events.
Even though there is an event going on, regulars are still here to work on and practice their cars. Here, owner Mimi Wong helps Cameron Bell, a heavy equipment mechanic from North Pa with his car.
Comments
Post a Comment