Officials from the Guinness book of Records have confirmed James May has set a new world record for the longest-ever slot car track.
In front of a crowd of literally possibly thousands, James and a team of volunteers created a 2.75-mile Scalextric track along the original course of the now-abandoned Brooklands circuit in Surrey.
The track, built for Captain Slow’s new telly series James May’s Toy Stories, consisted of more than 20,000 sections. Once completed, two teams – one from the local community for local people, the other from the Scalextric Club for slot car people – raced a miniature red Aston Martin and silver Mercedes – unfairly rumoured to be driven by Richard Hammond – around the track.
The record was set when the Aston crossed the line at 7pm on Sunday, recording a lap time of… just under two hours.
If you’re wondering exactly where the track went, let us hand you over to Alan Winn of the Weybridge motor museum.
“The route took the track across a river on a pipe bridge, through Mercedes-Benz World, along the railway and behind the industrial estate,” Mr Winn told local paper Get Surrey. “It then went across Barnes Wallis Drive and in front of Tesco, across Sopwith Drive and to Staniland Drive and through people’s front gardens in the road.”
All clear, then. And… oh, hang on. He’s still going.
“It then went across the roundabout at Wellington Way, inside the Proctor and Gamble building and back to the museum.”
Phew. That’s our minds at rest. Massive respec’ to James May and all the record-breaking volunteers. Big up yourselves, as we believe they say down in Brooklands.
Open Car Bar
What do you think?
Lisa-loo loves Rich commented on this article
Monday August 17, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Come on now,James be the referee and let Richard and Jezza race each other round that track,and no before you say it Richard won’t actually be IN the car heh heh
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EUSlovenia commented on this article
Monday August 17, 2009 at 10:36 pm
Great work May.
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Kias' are cool commented on this article
Monday August 17, 2009 at 10:56 pm
Has anyone else noticed that James has 6 fingers in that picture???
Does he have 6 of anything else?…Only Smarties has the answer.
Congrats and all that.
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chris commented on this article
Tuesday August 18, 2009 at 7:56 am
I was there they were using car batteries every 50m or so to power it and loads of warped because of the heat
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Jimo commented on this article
Tuesday August 18, 2009 at 10:26 am
lol nice one may
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BrowntheRockCat commented on this article
Tuesday August 18, 2009 at 11:27 am
@Kias’ are cool – some say the stig knows…..!
nice one may but does anyone know if the track is still set up?
yeah, as someone said, next build a ten mile 00 gauge railway – i could help as i have 15 engines and about piles of track.
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Can i just say... commented on this article
Tuesday August 18, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Bloody hell thats huge i would love that in my back garden
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Can i just say... commented on this article
Tuesday August 18, 2009 at 2:46 pm
Well Done James> Your amazing
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Solara commented on this article
Tuesday August 18, 2009 at 7:04 pm
That is fantastic – well done James and all his volunteers! I’m really looking forward to the series…it’s going to be brilliant.
I wish the track were a bit nearer so that I could visit and see it.
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Elfrae commented on this article
Tuesday August 18, 2009 at 8:41 pm
I thought I saw the volunteers starting to take the (Scalextric) track apart after it was all over, but I can’t remember exactly. You can still visit the museum and the racetrack itself.
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shearsby7 commented on this article
Wednesday August 19, 2009 at 7:50 am
james, after fixing your car on sunday did you get home ok??
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I commented on this article
Wednesday August 19, 2009 at 9:18 am
Well done, Captain Slow!!
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2_sleek commented on this article
Wednesday August 19, 2009 at 3:30 pm
Nice Nice Nice!!!! I must say i think u guys do a great job!!!!! Keep going and one day when you guys are somewhere in Africa please come say hi in Cape Town!!!!
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the guy commented on this article
Wednesday August 19, 2009 at 9:25 pm
godd for him. he dserves some ohter rep apart from a guy from the 40s
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rach commented on this article
Thursday August 20, 2009 at 11:34 am
well done james.
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Kitten commented on this article
Thursday August 20, 2009 at 3:57 pm
Watched him walk over the new bit of the Leeds – Liverpool canal in Liverpool last weekend on a Meccano bridge! He was really nice but a bit of a wuss with the heights. Nice harness though….
http://www.flickr.com/pho tos/8264582@N06/381801877 5/
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Eh ... commented on this article
Thursday August 20, 2009 at 7:18 pm
No, that track isn’t still down, it was packed up after the event. We have a bit
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Teresa01 commented on this article
Sunday August 23, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Congrats James!!!
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Beardy Branson commented on this article
Monday August 24, 2009 at 6:55 pm
James is cool
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Jenny commented on this article
Monday August 24, 2009 at 11:05 pm
CAPTAIN SLOW FTW!!!!
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funnylookinnut commented on this article
Friday September 4, 2009 at 5:36 pm
If ever there was a great one for talking about toys, it’s be our man Slow. Within the man dwells a mischievous 10 year old. Rock on!
Why don’t we have fun stuff like that on in the states. Oh wait. Paris Hilton just twitched a finger. That’s why……
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stigbey commented on this article
Friday September 4, 2009 at 10:05 pm
thated make a good show aswell lol
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