August 2026 marks a very special milestone for Nick Hirst – 30 years since he first started racing slot cars at club level, aged just 12. What began as a childhood interest has gone on to become a huge part of Nick's life. Over the past three decades, he has been a racer, club organiser, event promoter, track builder and supporter of the hobby, as well as spending most of his working life at Pendle Slot Racing and, more recently, establishing Northern Raceway with his family.
Check out the Northern Raceway website and Facebook page for more info and contact details.
Where It All Started
Photo - Nick @ 13 years old on the original Pendle Scalextric Club Track
Nick has been interested in cars and motorsport for as long as he can remember. That enthusiasm naturally extended to Scalextric and slot cars from a very young age, initially enjoying the hobby with his brother Neil and best friend Andrew.
Then, in August 1996, aged 12, Nick began racing at club level.
Photo - 24hr race in 1997 on the original Pendle Scalextric Club Track
The timing couldn't have been much better. Pendle Slot Racing had been established in 1994 by Sean Fothersgill, and in 1996 a club was set up in Nick's hometown of Nelson as the local slot racing scene began to develop.
Photo - Nick reciving a 3rd place Trophie in 1997 @ Pendle Scalextric Club Track
Pendle Scalextric Club was established in 1996, with its purpose-built 115-foot, five-lane MDF track becoming a meeting place for racers from the local area and much further afield.
Nick became involved with the club that same year, beginning an association that would ultimately last for more than a quarter of a century.
From After-School Jobs to 26 Years At Pendle Slot Racing
Slot racing soon became much more than something Nick did on a weekly basis.
During the early days of the company's mail-order operation, Nick helped out after school, including going to shows around the country, carrying parcels to the local Post Office – sometimes requiring two trips with bags and trays full of orders.
As Pendle Slot Racing grew from relatively modest beginnings into one of the best-known specialist slot car retailers in the UK, Nick became a full-time member of the business in 2000.
During that time, he has witnessed enormous changes within the hobby: new manufacturers, advances in car and track technology, the growth of internet retailing and the development of increasingly sophisticated competition cars as well as 3d printing becoming a big part of it.
Yet the basic appeal has always remained the same – getting a group of people together around a track and racing miniature cars.
Taking The Helm At Pendle Scalextric Club
Photo - Nick running a Slot it Challenge round at NorthStaffs Slot car Club around 2007
By 2000, at only around 16 years old, Nick had taken on the running of Pendle Scalextric Club.
It was a responsibility he would continue to hold for an extraordinary 23 years, until 2023.
During that period, the club hosted countless race nights, championships and special events, attracting racers of all ages and abilities.
Nick was also involved in organising numerous larger national championships and race meetings.
Between 2006 and 2012, Nick, with support from Pendle Slot Racing, ran the national Slot.it Challenge, a highly regarded UK racing series which regularly attracted more than 50 of the country's leading slot car racers, representing clubs from across the UK.
His involvement extended beyond Pendle too, helping organise events at other venues and promoting competitive slot racing on a much wider level.
Not Just An Organiser...
Photo - Left to Right, James Hunt, Nick Hirst, Shaun Mitchell, Steve Hills, Lee Andrews, Neil Hirst
Racing in The European 24 hr races in 2009 and 2010
Of course, spending 30 years around racetracks would be considerably easier if Nick wasn't quite so competitive himself!
Over the years, he has raced successfully at club, national and international level.
Among his achievements are becoming a two-time UK Slot.it Challenge Champion, winning the Pendle Club Championship on several occasions, competing in European 24-Hour Team Championship events, and taking part in numerous national competitions around the country at a high level.
Photo - Left to Right, A young Lewis Gough, Nick Hirst, Lee Green, Julian Edwards racing at Pinewood around 2009
Thirty years after first picking up a controller, the desire to find that extra tenth of a second hasn't gone away.
And it probably never will.
Building tracks as well as racing them
Photo - Nick and Friend Rob making a new section for the PSR Club track in 2011
Nick's involvement with slot racing has never been limited to simply turning up and racing.
Over the years, he has been involved in the design, construction, installation and development of numerous slot car tracks and layouts, ranging from permanent club circuits to temporary tracks and event layouts.
That experience has provided an understanding of slot racing from both sides of the barrier – not simply how to drive a track quickly, but what makes a circuit enjoyable to race on, how race meetings need to operate and, importantly, how to make the hobby accessible and enjoyable for newcomers.
That experience would become particularly important in the next chapter.
A New Beginning – Northern Raceway
Photo - Northern Raceway track in its new Venue for 2026
After almost three decades in the hobby, October 2024 saw Nick embark on perhaps his biggest slot racing project yet with the creation of Northern Raceway.
Rather than being a solo venture, Northern Raceway has very much become a family project.
Nick established the Raceway alongside his wife Sunicha and their children Isabella, Leighton and Emilia, with a huge amount of support from friends and Family as well as members of the racing community along the way.
Andrew Wainman played an important part in helping with the construction of the current track, while Jon Davies brought his IT knowledge to the project, helping to set up the computer and race-management systems as well as regularly assisting with events.
There has also been invaluable help from many of Northern Raceway's regular racers, particularly during 2026, when moving the Raceway to its new location became a major undertaking.
Without people giving up their time to lift, carry, build, wire, paint, repair and generally get stuck in wherever needed, the move simply wouldn't have been possible.
To everyone who has helped, raced, visited, supported events or simply encouraged the Raceway along the way on its current journey – thank you.
The aim behind Northern Raceway has always been to bring together years of experience and create a friendly, welcoming venue where experienced racers, families, children and complete beginners can all enjoy slot car racing.
Since opening, Northern Raceway has developed into a home for regular club racing, championships, endurance events, special meetings, birthday parties and group bookings.
For Nick, it represents something of a full circle.
He first walked into a slot racing club as a 12-year-old newcomer in 1996.
Thirty years later, he is helping provide somewhere for today's youngsters – and racers of every other age – to walk through the doors, pick up a controller and hopefully discover the same hobby.
30 Years – And Still Racing
Photo - Clitheroe and Disctric Motor Club visiting Northern Raceway for a Race event
From starting out as a 12-year-old club racer in August 1996, to running Pendle Scalextric Club, competing at national and European level, organising major race meetings, building tracks, spending 26 years working within the slot car industry and eventually establishing Northern Raceway with his family, it has been quite a journey so far.
There have been thousands of races, countless cars, plenty of trophies, probably far too many late nights preparing cars and tracks – and almost certainly several million laps.
But perhaps the biggest achievement isn't a championship or a trophy.
It's still enjoying the hobby 30 years later and sharing that experience with others.
The friendships made along the way, the people met through racing and the memories created are ultimately what have made those three decades worthwhile.
And now, through Northern Raceway, this next chapter is about helping other people discover slot car racing and hopefully giving another generation the opportunity to enjoy those same friendships, competition and memories.
Because somewhere out there could be another 12-year-old picking up a controller for the first time, just as Nick did back in August 1996.
Who knows where it might lead?
Here's to 30 years of slot car racing – 1996–2026 – and hopefully plenty more laps still to come.
