It's the curves that make the difference - even with Carrera
The starter set from Carrera was getting too boring for me. As I have enough space in my flat for a large race track, I had to expand it. The beginning of a never-ending story.
When I was three years old, my godfather gave me a Carrera track for Christmas. That was clearly too early for me. I think he wanted to own one himself, but felt too old. But you're never too old to play. Unfortunately, I no longer own the racetrack I had back then. I also don't know when and why I lost it. I think it was too big for our little Appenzeller house or I destroyed it - clearly too young.
Well, today I live in a flat with lots of space and my desire to play hasn't diminished. I can do whatever I want. Nobody minds if there's a toy car lying around. If I stand on it and swear, then at least it's my own fault.
So I bought my first self-paid Carrera track, set it up and went for one lap after another with my girlfriend. Practice makes perfect, as we all know. If you're not focussed, you fail. I can therefore recommend Carrera for adults too, it's definitely not just a children's game. Each car also drives differently, but more on that later. The track was great, but with a length of six metres it was definitely too small. There's still room for improvement!
Roads and bends
No sooner said than done! With a few upgrades, my track should become more exciting and the boost button on the controls should be used more often.
I have installed three different extension sets in my new track. As a result, the lap times are longer and I can reach a decent speed with my cars. Provided I don't get thrown off the track.
The side changes are the core element of this set. They are fun to ride, but don't require much skill from the pilot. You can board through at high speed without any problems. Crossing too slowly increases the likelihood that the double sliders will no longer make contact. Then you have to get up and reposition the car. The junctions also make it more difficult to remember your own lane. Do I have to put the car back in the left or right lane now?
The narrowing and the rails, which look like "curves", are special on my second extension set. In most cases, the car with more mass wins the narrowing. The "curves" are rails that are bent upwards to create an exaggerated banked curve. However, the 90° curves for this are missing and must be taken from another basic kit.
The third set consists of several straights and two 90° banked curves. Ideal for extending the existing race track by a few metres with just one kit.
To make the Carrera track more exciting for me, I have built various chicanes into my track. As a result, this "children's toy" fascinates me for longer and I can face different challenges. However, I have to be focussed at all times, which is not easy, especially during a catch-up race.
Bridge or camel hump
Two different chicanes can be built from this bridge. This is particularly fun in the longer term, as you can rebuild your track in different ways. If you drive over it too fast, you're out. Not every car behaves in the same way. The longer the wheelbase, the worse the car copes with the bumpy track.
This is particularly noticeable in Formula 1 cars. The underbody rests on the track and the front wheels are in the air. It therefore falls off the track much faster than a DTM car, for example. A similar problem arises when looping. If the double sliders are bent down too tightly, the front wheels no longer have any contact with the track. As a result, it is no longer possible to accelerate in the loop.
As there is too little weight on the front axle, the front wheels lift off. The Formula 1 car is therefore mainly intended for circuits and long straights. Then the double sliders can be bent properly and off it goes. It is fast.
The ski jump
Yes, it really works. However, you need a bit of a run-up to get the car up to the right speed. The car can no longer accelerate on the jump itself as it does not contain a power track. The angle of the jumps can also be changed individually. Fun, but doesn't work every time. The speed has to be pretty accurate.
These speed changes are what make the course exciting. If you're not there every millisecond, you have to get up to put the car back on the track.
The seesaw
In my opinion, the seesaw is a very cool thing. I can while away a lot of time here. If you go too fast, you fly out. You have to go up and down with a lot of feeling and low speed. Could be difficult for children with little patience. If you're unlucky and drive down too slowly, the cars may run out of power at the transition from the seesaw to the straight and come to a standstill. Then you have to get up and push again.
Conclusion
The expansion sets contain many straights but unfortunately not so many bends. The more curves you add to your track, the more challenging it becomes. I built the track in two different ways. However, as I didn't have enough bends, my course mostly comprised long straights with the aforementioned chicanes and a bend at each end.
However, I thought it was great that the number of track sections for both courses fitted well and that I only had one track section left for each. Care and patience are required when taking them apart, otherwise the small plug-in connections can break. However, this can be easily corrected or repaired with additional connecting clips for the edge.
Despite the many extensions, my racetrack is still a long way from reaching its maximum size. I still have a few things planned for it. Next, I'm going to get the upgrade kit for the controller. This will allow the hand controllers to be operated wirelessly. If a vehicle jumps off the track, I don't have to leave the controller behind, I can always carry it with me. This saves me valuable time in the race, because as soon as the car is back on the track, I can continue.
As a trained multimedia electronics engineer, I love to solve problems. But technology should be fun and not a crutch. I own a consulting firm in the field of audiovisual production environments.
