Scalextric sales soar thanks to Lewis Hamilton effect

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The firm, which also makes model railways and owns Airfix, today posted a 44 per cent rise in first-half profits to £2.6million as racing fans snapped up Scalextric cars and sets featuring Hamilton and his F1 team McLaren.

Chief executive Frank Martin said Hamilton's success in his rookie season — he was pipped to first place in the World Championship in one of the most dramatic seasons for years — has inspired interest in car racing and Scalextric.

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Profits fast track: Frank Martin

The firm, which saw sales jump by 37 per cent to £24.6million in the six months to the end of September, is now predicting a bumper Christmas.

Martin said: "The fact that we have got a very young and very appealing British driver right at the top of the championship provides a focus for kids on to motorsport that they might not have had.

"It is great to see a driver like Hamilton coming through.

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Lewis Hamilton is credited for sending Hornby profits soaring

"Scalextric is as close as you can get to the real thing — it is not as superficial as a video game, you can see and touch the car.

"We have seen demand for Scalextric significantly higher since the beginning of the F1 season this year."

Many stores - including toy superstore Hamleys - have sold out of the Lewis Hamilton range and cannot receive replacements quickly enough.

Other Scalextric models include the Transformers vehicles, motorbikes, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and rally driving.

The cheapest Scalextric package starts at £29.99, while the most expensive is £250 for the World Champion Scalextric Digital.

The kits are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and new technology means users can switch race tracks with the push of a button.

A firm spokesman sad: "While the traditional aspect is great we recognised the need to innovate and bring Scalextric into a new era.

"People love all these new features."