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Scalextric McLaren MP4-23 Lewis Hamiltonby Wingless Wonder, Wednesday, April 9, 2008 22:41Fast Facts:Weight: 65 grams Stock Magnetic Downforce: 221 grams (3.40 magnifier) Motor: Scalextric SP 18,000 RPM I'm a big fan of Formula 1 cars, both the actual racers and the slot cars. I have a pair of Scalextric Williams F1 cars that drive wonderfully. Though I'm not a fan of McLaren, I do like the young Lewis Hamilton, and the new MP4-23 was a beautiful car by any means. I was initially afraid to test out this car, especially with all the bits that might easily break off. But when I gave it a go, I was surprised with how well it ran. It turned the track in a cool 6.216 seconds, but I knew it could get more. The FF motor is very punchy and made navigating some of the more difficult turns a task. I did the basic setup work and dropped a medium sized button magnet in the front magnet pocket. This car the car plenty of stick and it was able to push to a speed of 4.669, any faster through the turns and it would throw itself violently off track. Even though it's turned in a quick time and this feels like an ideal setup for a commercial track, I believe I'll be revisiting the car in the near future with a small magnet up front. Even a medium button magnet has a tendency to pull the front end off the car, sticking it the track and causing the car to stop rather suddenly. If you can maintain high speeds this isn't so much an issue, or if you're okay with gluing the magnet holder to the rest of the car. However I'm not entirely comfortable with either idea and I'd like to see if less could mean more when it comes to lower downforce helping the car's speed.  Unmodified Time: 6.216 Race-Tuned Time: 4.669
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