I saw a thread like this over on Dirtoval.com and thought it might be cool. Post your old, vintage pancar / oval pics from back-in-the-day. There are lots of guys here who have been racing since before other guys were born. There's a lot of history out there that most guys have never seen.

So, come on, show us what you got!

In the words of Doug Carter,
"Days gone by from the way-back machine. Retro is cool and vintage is king."

Dale I knew that pic would hit a nerve!!! :thumbsup: Lookin forward to seeing some Kool old rides!!

go to rcthunder.net/plenty of back in the day stuff!!!

I saw a thread like this over on Dirtoval.com and thought it might be cool. Post your old, vintage pancar / oval pics from back-in-the-day. There are lots of guys here who have been racing since before other guys were born. There's a lot of history out there that most guys have never seen.

So, come on, show us what you got!

I might have some Old Sugar Hollow stuff at my Parents house....
I'll have to see next time I go to Ridgefield.....

I should have photos of the first Winter Blast at K&N and some from a time ago as well must go thru some old boxes of photos..fun to see where we all started at.

Chris

Oh I got some pictures from back in the late 80's with sidewinder! But don't have it in hand, it's in Colorado somewhere in the box. I miss those days!

...and so far, no one's posted any vintage oval car pics. If I had some vintage oval car pics to post, they'd be here ;)

im sure captain11 has vintage pics, you cant get more vintage than he is!lol

http://www.dirtoval.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18359&d=1207785320
You want vintage mark here you go. Incase you couldn't tell I'm on the left.

That's cool.

Racing use to be so simple.

oh, no pics yet, have a couple might try to put on here, but here's an older vid from Walt's http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIwrrGNjcag&feature=channel_page

Photo from RC World, Danbury CT. A-Main line-up for the last race of the 1988 or 1989 Season. That's me kneeling down on the grid. lhjester in the photo (staring up at the driver's stand)

I think this is my last car for A&D Fasttracks, Brewster NY.

West Bridgewater MA 1989?. Monster 450'? run line oval. Banked like 45 degrees.

playing wasnt going to stop me, 1992ish...trying to find other ones..
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/500/thumbs/1992_ken_with_Bolink_1_.jpg (http://photos.hobbytalk.com/showphoto.php/photo/32975)

heres one from 1990 Bought this in NY, a rockbuster still have it to this day, controller MIA!!!!!
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/500/thumbs/1990_Rockbuster_from_N_Y_Show_1_.JPG (http://photos.hobbytalk.com/showphoto.php/photo/32976)

Photo from RC World, Danbury CT. A-Main line-up for the last race of the 1988 or 1989 Season. That's me kneeling down on the grid. lhjester in the photo (staring up at the driver's stand)

I think thats Lou Andreco leaning on the stairs. Powder Puff in the infield. Looked like full grandstands too. Skippy was probably getting ready to light a blockbuster about fifty feet behind them.

Kent Clauson and Brian Kinwald - 1991
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/516/1td91_09.jpg

Dave Pulfer - 1991
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/516/1td91_03.jpg

Lake Whippoorwil - 1992
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/516/1whip01.jpg

BoLink car - 1992
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/516/1lw007.jpg

Slim - 1992
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/516/1lw012.jpg

Rick Jordan - 1992
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/516/1lw023.jpg

More from Whippoorwill - 1992
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/516/1lw014.jpg

Wow. Great stuff, keep it coming...

That track in West Bridgewater looks like it would be a blast to run on.

what happend to rc world?

More Whippoorwill - 1992
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/516/1lw002.jpg
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/516/1lw006.jpg
http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/516/1lw018.jpg

what happend to rc world?

Closed around 1993 or so.

these pictures of how turnouts use to be are something..why do tracks now struggle with 10-40 entries

I never realized how narrow the WHIP was.

Why do tracks struggle for turnout? In part lower numbers come from less MFG. support, and 'TEAM' racers, which in part comes from lower numbers of racers...

Sales drives 'TEAM' support, 'Team Support' drives sales.

But, you also have to have LOCAL track support. Without that, having ALL the team racers in the world...you don't have anyone to continuously sell to.

They say 'BIG RACES' Kill local races...which there is probably some truth to.

A track that has a great local program, but is dependant on the turnout week in and week out, but loses 1/3 - 1/2 of their racers 2-3 times a month for LARGE races won't stick around long. They fight to keep the racers HOME, while big events fight to GET THEM.

Seems like a visious catch 22 doesn't it?

How long was the "WHIP" opened? How many years of racing went on there?

How about KING N.C.?

There are a few tracks that are still racing that were around 20 years ago, but those numbers seem to be getting fewer and fewer.

2008 was the 20 year anniversary of the 'Original' RCThunderdrome SuperSpeedway events. The only thing that has kept that type of racing alive for it's 21st year, is the dedicated racers and the fact that the facility was never a "FOR PROFIT" facility and is still made available at an affordable price.

The RCRA traveling series killed oval racing in the southeast, especially GA

keep the pics coming. really awesome thread if we get more pics

I think part of the lower car/driver counts is whatever's popular in certain parts. Back when the Whip was running, you had maybe three or four classes - that was it. 6-cell stock, 6-cell Modified, Sportsman Stock, and maybe a Pro Modified class. Nowadays, there's what, 7 or 8 different classes that spread the fields thin.

West Bridgewater MA 1989?. Monster 450'? run line oval. Banked like 45 degrees.

Anymore pics of that track? Looks crazy!

Hey Hank, I think that is Cliff Lett with Kinwald, not Clausen.

Hey Hank, I think that is Cliff Lett with Kinwald, not Clausen.

Agreed- that's Lett...

Anymore pics of that track? Looks crazy!

Here ya go...

Hey Hank, I think that is Cliff Lett with Kinwald, not Clausen.

That would be correct!!

I think part of the lower car/driver counts is whatever's popular in certain parts. Back when the Whip was running, you had maybe three or four classes - that was it. 6-cell stock, 6-cell Modified, Sportsman Stock, and maybe a Pro Modified class. Nowadays, there's what, 7 or 8 different classes that spread the fields thin.


Not just OVAL! Back in the Day...a lot of the TEAM Drivers raced On-Road, Oval, Off-Road, etc.

Now you have 15 Off-Road classes in 1/10th and 1/8th scales...nitro and electric
you have 15 DIRT OVAL Classes
You have 15 On-Road Classes (1/12th , 1/10th touring with all the tire and motor combos, WGT) all electric, plus the NITRO classes....

R/C has gone in MANY MANY directions.

I still see a lot of SoCal guys who ran OVAL races in the 80's and 90's running On-Road or Off-Road, some 1/5th scale, some 1/4 scale, some 1/8th scale.... YOU NAME IT!

My car is the 2 tone green one next to the guy walking between the rows in the first pic in post 20.
Ran sportsman stock, I was 12 and I think that was the Oval Masters when it was held at The Whip.
Paint was done by twelve, aka The Legend. LOL

Holy smokes! where was this track?Here ya go...

It was in West Bridgewater MA. Huge building. 450' run line. I was told it used to be two indoor hockey rinks side-by-side. I remember walking around the outside of the track. I couldn't reach the top of the wall standing on my toes. The straights were dead-flat, the corners quickly banked up to 45 degrees. You heard the tone, pulled the trigger, stayed ON THE BOTTOM, waited for the next tone. Like Talledega. I think that place has been gone for many years.

yea, definitely a batteries and motor track, cool though!

Post your old, vintage pancar / oval pics from back-in-the-day..There's a lot of history out there that most guys have never seen.

So, come on, show us what you got!

This is the 1988 Fox Run Raceway champeenship car..
Handbuilt chassis, had to run gearboxes..
Tracks were several indoor roller rinks, with urethane floors.
240ST motors, 7-cell SCR packs.
Mod was with Trinity Drag, 12T single 7-cell SCR's..
We used to have D-Mains, with 8 starters,
nearly every week. Great times... had to get there before
the doors opened, to make sure you got a pit spot..
otherwise... you were on your own..

http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/510/top_gun2.JPG

I thought this paint job was so cool lol.

http://photos.hobbytalk.com/data/510/10L.JPG

It was in West Bridgewater MA. Huge building. 450' run line. I was told it used to be two indoor hockey rinks side-by-side. I remember walking around the outside of the track. I couldn't reach the top of the wall standing on my toes. The straights were dead-flat, the corners quickly banked up to 45 degrees. You heard the tone, pulled the trigger, stayed ON THE BOTTOM, waited for the next tone. Like Talledega. I think that place has been gone for many years.


I too raced there and was a fast track in its time and had forgot about that place. Thxs for the walk down memory lane.

I never realized how narrow the WHIP was.

Why do tracks struggle for turnout? In part lower numbers come from less MFG. support, and 'TEAM' racers, which in part comes from lower numbers of racers...



The Whip was a big bowl, the lanes were pleanty wide for the track design.

As for tracks struggling, you have to have a flexible business model to survive:

First, the business is a hobby shop, the track(s) are a loss leader. You have to have a storefront on a busy highway.

Second, you have to move all types of product. Having multiple tracks helps (offroad, touring, and oval).

Third, you have to protect your reputation and keep the customers happy. Your customer base is much larger than the weekly club racers.

Fourth, there is not enough demand to support multiple oval tracks in a given area. A lot of guys get the idea that 'If you build it they will come'. That's not a business model its a recipe for eventual failure. One good shop with good tracks will fill the demand for a 1 hour drive perimeter, so you must be strategic in choosing a location.

Two different hobby shops in South Carolina do this well, The Hobby Stop in Rock Hill and Carolina RC Complex in Easley. They have been around a long while and they don't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon (knock on wood). They are about 1.5 hrs apart and cater to two different types of competitors (The HS is mostly casual club racing while CRCC is more competitive in nature).

Bob

WOW seeing the banking on that track (West Bridgewater) makes me wish I knew it was around back then. But back in the early 90's I was just married and only had a blackfoot and no way to find out about tracks like this. Could you see todays cars with Bl motors and Lipo packs on banking like that ?????

WOW seeing the banking on that track (West Bridgewater) makes me wish I knew it was around back then. But back in the early 90's I was just married and only had a blackfoot and no way to find out about tracks like this. Could you see todays cars with Bl motors and Lipo packs on banking like that ?????

Yeah, I know. Back then, I was pretty "green". I wish I could go back to that same track with today's stuff, and what I know now...

it to bad these tracks could not work with each other and not try to take from each other just think about the tracks that have gone away with out as much as a drawing of them

Closed around 1993 or so.

It actually closed in 1990. Too much of the "profits" of the business went up the nose of the owner.

-E

yeah Eric, I remember attending the last race. We made the treck from Canada on a few occasions to race Foxwoods.

Great memories after the race going to the Chineese Restaurant with the gang,

yeah Eric, I remember attending the last race. We made the treck from Canada on a few occasions to race Foxwoods.

Great memories after the race going to the Chineese Restaurant with the gang,

Oh, you mean Foxhill. That was a different track. That one was just north of Boston. That one lasted until 1996. It was a great fast track

-E

Joe Blackburn won the 1997 NORRCA Paved Oval Nats in Modified, held at the Encino Velodrome --shortly after he took a several year break, finished college, got a job..and made his way back to R/C Racing a couple years ago.

This past weekend, he returned to his old fashion of being DOMINANT at the Encino Velodrome with a NEW Track Record, TQ and "A" Main win.

Here's the Past

http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/undergroundracing/Image/joeb.gif
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/undergroundracing/Image/jbcar.gif

and NOW

http://southwesttour.com/images/jb48.jpg

..and YES that is the same type of body in both PICS. (The '97 Parma/PSE HS Monte Carlo)

kisbey motor spray........cheater! ahahahahaha

nice to see one of roland chavarrys "rc services" stickers on the old car.and that was when maxtec was the hot motors.ask joe if that was one of the headhunter cars.

Dave - it was an HPI car. I got the Headhunter sponsorship right after the Nats if I remember correctly. I only raced the Headhunter a few times on the velodrome. I think the HPI car worked better because I could move the batteries much farther in than on the Headhunter. I still have that body ... and the Headhunter that I used at the Winterfest a few months later. The car also used one of Maxtec's homegrown "Shockwave" motors.

That video from Walt's sure brings back a lot of memories. That track was small but it was fun. I've still got the toolbox plaque from that race in my box.


Hey MA & CT guys, I remember going to a track somewhere in MA(sorry can't remember where) in the mid 90's, I think it was called Speedworld USA. It was a fairly big track. The one time I went there I actually beat Steve Fumme in the 1/10 mod B-main. I think I still have the angle-x around here somewhere.
Anyone remember that place?