John Ford has been a leading authority on slot car racing since 1965.

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H.O. - The term "H.O." comes from the model train hobby and was coined in England before WWII. If "O" gauge trains are 1/43 scale, then "H.O." is meant to mean "1/2 of 'O'", or 1/87 scale. Then, when Tyco introduced their Tyco Pro cars in 1970 as scaled down 1/24 scale equivalents (complete with guide flag and floating pans). The finished product was closer to the 1/64 scale in universal use today. This larger size was adopted because it was easier to drive and create components for. Dynamic even used the larger size to create the only anglewinder HO ever mass produced. The confusion exists primarily because even though the entire "H.O." industry adopted 1/64 scale as the standard over 25 years ago, they still don't even mention it in their advertising to this day! 1/64 scale is "S" gauge in train language.

H.O.P.R.A. - The H.O. Professional Racing Association, one of several H.O. orginazations. Which one is the official one depends on who you are talking to.

H.O.R.N. - Activated by pressing on the little tiny button in the center of the slot car steering wheel. Actually, the H.O. Racing News, a long running newsletter edited by John Warren.

Hammer down - The term used when a racer is driving at his fullest capabilities.

Handling - Referrs to how your car works. If it works well, it "handles" well.

Handout - A type of racing where the racer furnishes the car and the race director furnishes the motor. While not perfect, it is a way to keep the racing equal as far as horsepower goes.

Hand wound - A term given to armatures where the wire is actually wound by hand. These are more expensive for obvious reasons, but are also better than machine wound arms because the count on the windings are more accurate, and optimized for the lowest number of windings allowed, and the wire is wound tighter which is better.

Hardbody - Hard plastic bodies from plastic kits must be used for this class. Be sure spectators are not close to the track at or near the finish line. A hard plastic body carries a lot of momentum when it launches off the track, and a spectator standing close could be hurt. Parma also makes a clear lexan hard body, but it is mostly used for rental cars.

Hardshell - See hardbody above.

Hardware - In slot racing, this term most often refers to the metal components of the endbell. Comprising 2 brush hoods, 2 slider plates, 2 heat sinks, 2 sprint posts and 4 screws.

Hansen Pans - A popular style used in the late 70's. To make them, simply cut the front 1/3 of your bat pans off and attached the smaller part to the hinged wire holding the front wheels. This allowed this portion of the pan to move up and down with the front wheels. The remaining portion of the pans could be hinged to become a "floppy" pan, or simply soldered to the plumber rail to become a static pan.

Heat - While the motor certainly contains heat, the most active usage of the word heat referers to the segments of a race. If you race on an 8 lane track, it takes 8 heats to make a complete race. Heats are timed segments of a race.

Heads-up - A drag racing term for when two cars race together with no advantage given to either car.

Hemi-wound - This is a term for armatures which are wound "backwards" to the normal. Most all armatures spin fastest counter clockwise because they are wound counter clockwise. Hemi-wound armatures are wound clockwise and spin fastest in that direction. The argument is that an armature spinning clockwise exerts a downward force on the guide which should help the car stay on the track better. It is not a proven argument, because most all major titles have been won with counter clockwise "standard" wired armatures. Thanks to: Gerhard Nennstiel for reminding me that this definition was not in the original version....jf

Hillclimb - The slang name given to the American Aristocrat slot car track. So named because of its over and under straights and "hillclimb" from one to the other. See Aristocrat.

Hinge - In controllers, the hinge allows the wiper to be spring loaded giving extremely smooth operation. On chassis, the hinge is that part of the frame that allows another part of the frame to move up and down. Much the same as a door hinge allows a door to swing back and forth.

Hollow axles - While many people make the hollow axle today, the Shamega version was the first. Used primarily for qualifying, these axles greatly reduce rotating mass, but are considered to be too easily bent to be used in competition. See Holloweenie. Hollow axles only come in the 3/32 size.

Hollow set screws - Of course set screws are hollow, or there would be no place to put the allen wrench. Hollow set screws referrs to those which have been cut in half allowing you to be able to see all the way through. This elliminates the solid chunk of metal on the end, greatly reducing the weight, and increases the balance of the wheel.

Holloweenie - The first hollow axle for qualifying marketed by Shamega.

Home Set - While it could refer to many things, it is in our book a model car racing set you could use in your home. There are many different "home sets" available in all scales. The most popular is the HO scale because of it's small size and ready availability at most toy stores. Today, 1/32 scale is the fastest growing segment of the slot racing industry because it too is small, can be raced in your home, and is available in many toy stores around the world.

Hot Tips - This could mean an occasional article in Scale Auto Racing News, or it could refer to the 1000 degrees given off by a #4033 soldering iron tip on a Ungar soldering iron.

Hone - Term used for precision grinding the magnets to fit a specific air gap.

Hood - See Brush Hoods.

Hook up - You hook your controller up to the track. Also, your tires "hook up" if they have good traction.

Horseshoe brace - Referrs to a piano wire "U" or horseshoe shaped brace that goes from the motor to the chassis, either in the front or back.

Hot wing - From Parma, this is a stamped steel piece that is designed to be added to a group 10 chassis in the front. This re-distributes the weight and adds bumpers to the car. Most popularly used on the original Parma Flexi chassis.

Hot melt glue - Formerly the most popular way to hold down track braid. Today, most track builders use contact cement.

Hub - Also known as the wheel.

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