This 4x8 layout is an adaptation of the "4-way Challenge" described on HOSlotCarRacing.com. We found the straight away lengths too short for any wide open gas-brake action with our modified Super G+ cars so we introduced Johnny Lightning Thunderjet 500 cars for their awesome powerslide capability. This new driving style made the inside and outside lanes obsolete since powersliding caused the rear wheels to fall off the track. After some innnovative thinking, a solution was found.
The entire infield of the layout was raised to track level with the use of 1/4 inch low density foam. A 4x8 sheet of foam was cut to match the layout and the plastic track was inlaid. I used clear packaging tape around all the outside corners so the cars would have a smooth transition when sliding onto the foam. This early solution looked a little strange but it worked great and provided for some fantastic racing until the tape started pealing off.
What came next was a bit more drastic and required extreme attention to detail. I would use 18 inch wide self adhesive cabnet liner to cover the entire track and cut each lane out individually. After about 6 hrs of careful slicing and dicing, I had what seemed like a marble finish race track (not to mention a killer backache.) The cabinet liner is about half the thickness of the power rails so there's less of a step as cars swing out aroudn corners. Also, having the same surface on all the lanes keeps them balanced and the smooth finish actually made the track faster since only the guide pin has to deal with track joints.
The final step was to add some infield greenery to provide a reference point for the layout. Anticipating upcoming turns is very difficult without this subtle detail and the low profile "trees" keeps dust and debris off the racing surface. I used packaging tape to fasten all the infield sections once I was happy with the contours. Cleaning the track is much easier with everything on the same level but care must be taken to avoid pealing off the surface in certain sections. Direct sunlight (heat) has a way of adding a few wrinkles but they don't seem to effect racing all that much.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with the result but if I had to do it all over again, I would start with something other than plastic track. After all the trial and error in setting this up, I doubt that I saved any money over something like Maxtrax and the additional time required to smooth everything out is hard to justify.
TIP: I've never heard of this approach being attempted and I ran a few tests before committing to the idea. The cabnet liner comes in many colors and a few different finishes. My first choice was white with a textured finish. I laid down 2 panels and cut out a couple lanes for the test. The texture was pretty good for racing but the contrast of white on black quickly left us seeing permanent stripes and was far too distracting to run a few laps on never mind racing for an entire evening.
