Jeff Cooper, H2Outfitters’ Director of Fun is an avid kayaker.  But Jeff also loves slot car racing.  As Director of Fun, Jeff has set up slot car tracks in local communities and looks for ways to introduce slot racing at events and other venues in Maine.

H2Outfitters is a sea kayak instructional and education center offering programs from Maine down to Florida through its various regional outposts. Founded by Jeff in 1982, the company has had many firsts in the areas of kayak instruction, safety, leadership as well as trips and outfitting, and he is a recognized leader in outdoor sports.  But Jeff loves to be indoors too – racing his growing collection of slot cars.

Three years ago, Jeff met a world champion slot car racer in Positano, Italy who had recently begun manufacturing high performance slot cars for the public.  Now, Jeff had raced as a kid on those 8-lane commercial tracks using 1/24th scale cars.  From the stories he tells it was intimidating for a 12-year old to race against a bunch of grownups with their professional looking tool kits and “souped up” cars.

Upon his return, Jeff tracked down an importer in the U.S. and experimented with scale model racecars and track setups that would be appropriate for all age groups over the holidays.  Surprised by the response, his little sideline business has grown and now represents cars and racetrack systems from all over the world.  Spain, Italy, Germany and England all produce cars, parts and track systems.  H2′s Slot Car Junction has got product from Italy’s Slot-It & NSR, Spain’s NINCO, Cartrix and Fly, Scalextric from England and Revell-Monogram from Germany.

Slot car enthusiasts cover a broad spectrum of the population. Boomers, kids, teens, and adults all enjoy slot car racing. There is also a strong contingent of racing Moms too, along with guys in their 60′s and 70′s, who were scale model racers back in the day of Eldon and Strombecker kits!

Slot cars are non-disposable toys. If they break, you can fix ‘em. With a “hands-on” slot car set, participants discover the ramifications of a crash… a particularly valuable lesson for children who begin to understand the consequences of their actions, getting a clear message that in real life you don’t crash and go onto the next screen.

It’s the action and excitement that makes scale model racing a great gift that’s affordable fun for the whole family. Controlling a car through the curves, down the straights and into a turn gives one a sense of really being behind the wheel. There are digital kits that allow you to race up to 8 cars on 2 lanes, and analog systems that can have anywhere from 2-8 lanes of fun.

Jeff’s slot car selection is continually growing and although slots may never overtake kayaking at H2Outfitters, it’ll be a good bet that more and more “old” racers and youngsters will be enjoying the world of slot car racing if Jeff has anything to do with it.