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It's finally official.   

 

Two years of headaches but worth it.

 

Mid-America products owns the building and all the contents and copyrights of Parma and Champion slot racing.

 

Big things will start happening now.

 

 

 

Well, ladies and gentlemen... Buzz-A-Rama has officially been cleaned out. There is nothing left but four walls and 56 years of memories. Everything is gone... maybe an occasional motor brush or single pinion gear on the floor in a corner somewhere. There is no sign of it ever being a raceway...The gate has been pulled down for the last time. That is, until the new owners take over and start the rebuild.

 

Thousands of people of all ages walked through those hallowed doors... men turned into boys... boys turned into men as they worked on and raced their little toy cars around one of Buzzy and Dolores' five tracks. It's where many kids got their hands dirty for the first time. Some turned out to be real car mechanics. Some opened companies. Some became stockbrokers.

 

Whatever they became... we all shared in one very important fact: we all had a great time at Buzz-A-Rama. Buzzy and Dolores might be gone... but their memories and the memories of racing there will forever be in our hearts and in our minds; those can never be taken away.

 

Ask anyone who grew up in Brooklyn, and the surrounding areas, if they heard of BAR... and they all say yes. It was the most iconic raceway in all the country and even in some parts of the world... everyone knew of or wanted to race there. Buzzy and Dolores were legends... the basement of BAR was a thing of folklore. We all wanted to get down there, we all wanted to see what all the talk was about, we all tried our hardest to get Buzzy to change his mind, open the door and let us into his wonderful world of slot cars. I helped him out for the last eight years. He trusted me to open any drawer, any closet, and any box... but not the basement door. That was off limits. I was hoping to see the memorabilia and hear all his stories about how one man could have accumulated so much stuff.

 

But it never happened... the stories all died when he died. The book never got written... and a good book it would have been. I used to love talking to him on those Saturday and Sunday afternoons when he would open at 2 PM. I always asked him about something that I found in the bottom of a drawer that hadn't been opened in over 30 years. He never skipped a beat, he would tell me the story like it happened yesterday. Dolores would always chime in and say, "Hey, Buzz, remember when..." and she would bring up an old story or race or person that made a significant impact on BAR.

 

I miss then both very much. They complemented each other like fine wine... he was rough and tumble and she was the forever voice of reason. They were a perfect couple. They ate, slept, and breathed Buzz-A-Rama. He told me he would die before he closed up... and he was right.

 

I miss you, Frank 'Buzz' Perri and Dolores Perri. May you rest in peace forever. 

 

PS: Buzz, I finally got down into the basement but it just wasn't the same without you.    ;(

Something a little different, thought this might be interesting for some.  

 

With this chassis you can adjust the weights trackside with your tire tool without even taking the body off, and they can even be adjusted between (or during) heats in seconds. Great for back-to-back comparison of different weight locations. This is something of a proof-of-principle prototype and the next version will probably be a good bit more elegant.

 

 

I get asked frequently why I still race slot cars by friends of mine who did it when they were kids. I started in 1963 in NYC racing at Polk Hobbies, Cobra Raceway, Buzz-A-Rama, Roosevelt Raceway, and many other tracks in the NYC area. Most of them know what I did for a living and they seem puzzled.
 
So over a drink I told him that as we get older (I am 70, going to be 71 in Aug) we tend to lose motor skills and hand eye coordination. It's just a factor of getting older.
 
I told him that I know of no other hobby that will challenge your hand eye coordination motor skill set on a daily basis like slot car racing where you can't get hurt.
 
In my previous life I was an airline captain for a major airline so flying kept that skillset up to speed. Landing at night in the rain will challenge your hand eye coordination especially in a crosswind.
 
I flew helicopters in Vietnam (see picture) which takes an extraordinary amount of hand eye coordination to fly.
 

 
I also flew fighters, which required you to perform air-to-air refueling. This is one of the most challenging maneuvers that you must be able to do day or night! At times in the clouds!  
 

 
To say the least, hand-eye coordination is of the utmost issue doing this, and, yes, it can be a little scary
 
The only other hobby that, to me at least, challenges your hand-eye coordination to the max is motorcycle racing, and I used to do that as well. I sold all my race bikes when I turned 69.
 

 
Once again, this can get you seriously injured, but not racing slot cars
 
So, for me it was an easy choice. I want to maintain my motor skill set which has been with me for a long time and have fun at the same time!
 
Clyde

This is a little feel good story about slot car racing........................I grew up in Brooklyn a few blocks from Buzz A Rama............My father would take me there as a kid 4-7 years old.1969-1972

Then we moved out of the neighborhood and i never went back...........but I would often pass by on my way to my Grandmothers house often wondering what it would be like in there years later.

Well fast forward to 2007...........I have a nephew that was always trying to get me to play video games . Of which i had no interest in. I told him about slot car racing when i was a kid growing up in Brooklyn, and he wanted to give it a try. I found the Race Place in NJ and we took a trip down...........rented some cars and we were both hooked. I then found out that Buzz A Rama was still open .......I was beyond excited.I bought a few old cars on Ebay........we fixed em up and started going every weekend for about a year or so. My nephew started High School ............found a girlfriend and I was left high and dry.

I had gone a few times by myself ...................and then started racing weekly at Race Place in NJ.  On the weekends I would go to BAR and try to convince Buzzy to start a racing program. He was tired and not really into it. But after several attempts..............I convinced him , and we would have about 5 races a year. But the interest in Brooklyn just was not there. It was tough to try and get 7or 8 racers.

In 2021 Buzzy and Dolores both passed away from covid............10 days apart. I have to tell you I was devastated...............and I told my wife I was done and Im selling everything.

She says to me ..........."don't do it"...........I listened to her ........and a year and a half later ,john and Tara Vitale opened up RACE YA on Staten Island about 8 minutes from my house.

WOW .............what surprise . Its almost like the "GHOST OF BUZZY " has blessed me with another raceway.

 

John and Tara Vitale who opened Race Ya ..............were strictly thinking of parties...........and not organized racing. I started reaching out to a few guys  I knew from Staten Island and before you know it after a few months ..............we have over 38 guys racing with us. Our Tuesday night racing program is off the charts..............guys were digging out their old boxes and coming in left and right. 

it has been over a year now and still going strong.....................Tuesday nights are anywhere from 16 to 26 racers in 3 mains.  Its like a big family........a social club.......boys night out. 

Buzzy would be proud of the program I put together and best bunch of racers on the east coast. 

Come on down and check it ....................you wont be disappointed..........I   (and Buzzy) promise you..

Not my work, I wanted to show off my buddy Asa’s work, from Track Rat Engineering. He’s done many replicas, but after my return at the 2023 Chili Bowl he decided to replicate my car, all the way down to a custom hood.

Built off a Sprint Plus Chassis, Asa built the cage and nerfs, and I believe all the body parts. He’s not fully done yet, I know it’ll get motor detail, headers, and a driver figure. He went as far to ask for photos of my helmet.

Enjoy, guys.

A local racer spotted this and shared on my FB page.

 

It was constructed by a man by the name of Sherman Collings.

Been dealing with a lot of family stuff lately. Lots of illness and lost three people, two under 50 years old, in the last few months. 

 

Anyway, my one-year old grandson slept over last night.

 

This morning I was taking my eBay pictures and he swiped this Dynamic chassis out of the box.

 

He loves wheels.

 

He also said he loves the versatility of these Dynamic chassis (well, not really )

 

Brought a smile to my face. 

 

"And so shines a good deed in a weary world," Willy Wonka.

 

Duffy's Slotcar Raceway

 

 

3808 Carson Ave, Unit D

Evans, CO 80620

(262) 844-3178

matt@duffysslotcar.com

 

Tracks:

155' Hot Tracks Hillclimb

 

 

70' Fastlane Tri-Oval

 

American Raceways Liberty 60 Deluxe

~Completed picture soon~

 

Owners: 

Matt Sheldon & Leslie Hernon

Hi,

 

I have had a few requests to publish some of my chassis, so here they are with a surprise or two. Unfortunately I do not have many left, but a few in any event. Please realize that in the day we did not bring the finish to a jewel like level, as some great builders do today. I used to finish them with steel wool and never tumbled. In spite of which, these all have their original patina, even though over 50 years old. Honestly I can not remember the history of each, but will try my best to provide a little context and discussion. Some of these were published about 10 years ago by Steve Okeefe.

 

The first chassis, which may look somewhat crude, is actually very interesting from an historical perspective. I built this in the winter/early spring of 1966, after Jim Russell met me at Peter Pan Raceway, gave me one of the Team Russkit cars, and asked Howie and I to form Team Russkit East. Needless to say we were thrilled to join and work with Mike Morrissey et al. This was my first attempt to emulate the west coast cars, which I built immediately after receiving the car from Jim, and it was probably the first west coast style car built on the east coast. 

 

 

 

The next chassis, which is minus its drop arm, must date to the fall of 1967. I would often salvage drop arms from older chassis to incorporate in later ones, as in the days before plate drop arms the drop arms were rather complex multi-rod affairs. And even when we started using unstamped plate arms they were still rather complex. I was not churning out chassis, so there were really not that many and each was unique. This would have come early in the days of floppy body mounts. It appears that it may have been a converted Formula One chassis, and may have been the first one I did with floppy body mounts. This would have not been unusual as I often did this. As I recall the first anglewinder that I won with at Hamilton Raceways was originally an inline that I cut down, and then later added floppies to to make a sports car chassis. I know that this one came before the one that follows because of the simpler bracing of the motor bracket.

 

 

 

The next one also appears to have been a Formula One chassis that was converted into a sports car chassis. You can clearly see the evolution of the bracing of the motor bracket, which continues in the next chassis. To the rear of the drop mount hinge is what appears to be one of the body mounts for an F1 body. Also note the complex construction on the front of the drop arm to hold the guide. I am not certain, but I believe that this is a chassis that I ran at the Arco Nationals in Atlanta. If it was I would have run it as both a coupe and Can-Am car. While it is possible that I ran the next chassis in Atlanta, I believe I ran this. I can't remember the order of the races there, so it is possible that I ran it there as an F1 and then converted it, but I don't think so. I was in three of the four finals in Atlanta, finishing as high as third (probably with this chassis) and was fourth overall. Just out of the money, sigh...

 

 

 

Next is a later more refined chassis. As I said, possibly run in Atlanta. It was over 50 years ago, so please forgive me for not remembering. PdL has pointed out that this chassis matches pictures of the one I ran and won the final East Coast Car Model race and the series championship with) at Mini Wheels Raceway the winter of 1968. It must be that one then as I never built the same chassis twice. Again note the yet more complex motor bracket bracing and the wider drop arm. This is how it appears to me that this came after the previous one, even though it is using four frame rails on each side rather than three plus the piece of flat brass. This surprises me, as normally the chassis were evolving heavier and heavier. Well, the drop arm was. Otherwise I can not explain it, unless I was trying to make it more flexible and more similar to the chassis I ran and won with at Don's in California the summer before. 

 

 

 

Next is not my build, but certainly my design. This is Steve Okeefe's gorgeous recreation of the rather unique Puzzle Pan that I built in California the summer of 1968. Needless to say, Steve did a fantastic job and I thought I should include it. This was my attempt to reduce the chatter I (and many) were encountering with the new anglewinders. It was based loosely on the 1/32 chassis that the cub racers were running in the midwest. The idea was to combine a heavy low center of gravity pan with slightly loose jiggle elements. It worked really well. I ran it at a major race at Buzz-A-Rama the fall of 1968. I did not qualify for the main, because I qualified late and the power was really down. I made it up through the consistency and semi, but the motor was overstressed and got very hot due to power issues, plus pure fatigue, and the pinion actually separated from the motor shaft, spinning freely. I loaned it to Howie who qualified really well at a major race at Nutley later that fall and I believe came in second to Mike Tango, the owner of the track. Then it was stolen.

 

 

 

And the final chassis is not one of mine, but rather a Bob Emott creation. I borrowed this from Bob and Chris Vitucci and ran it in my final Car Model race in Baltimore the fall of 1968, where I was going to school at Johns Hopkins, and won. PdL has claimed that this was not an Emott chassis but I know for sure that it was as I personally borrowed it from them. It was pretty current with what was happening and I am proud to have it as a memento of my friendship with Bob.  

 

 

 

Sandy

Anybody working on anything to pass the time in winter? Slot car related or not...

 

I just finished a track build in my basement that I started in November. Now the only project I have is run a bunch of laps!!!

 

 

Here is a 3D look at the handle instead of the graphic.

 

Since I quit punching a time clock in late 2012, I've mostly worked from home and in recent months, I realized that I was probably sitting around a bit too much for an old geezer like me. So I started looking for a part-time gig, not so much for the money, but just to get out of the house and away from the computer.
 


The main criteria was that I didn't want to have a long commute in the miserable Atlanta traffic to wherever the job was located. When I saw that the Southeastern Railway Museum in Duluth, GA, was looking to hire a ticket taker for their gatehouse, I figured it would be a perfect place for me. It's just five miles up the road and has short hours – 10 AM to 5 PM. It is also only open limited days, depending on the season. In January and February, the musem is open Thursday through Saturday. In June and July, it's open Tuesday through Saturday. Except for special events (and there are a few of those), I'll probably only be working one or two days a week.
 


SRM has been around 50 years and is officially "Georgia's Transportation Museum" by act of the state legislature. There are over 90 pieces of rolling stock on the 35-acre property, which includes a minature amusement park train ride, as well as a short full-size train ride. President Warren Harding's private Pullman railcar, Superb, (shown below) is treasured part of the collection and as with much of the rolling stock, visitors are permitted to walk through it. There's an excellent model train layout, a MARTA bus collection, and much more. The museum is alongside the Atlanta-Washington CSX mainline which sees a lot of trains every day. The museum's driveway, which is the only access, crosses the mainline and its adjacent siding, and it is not uncommon for it to be blocked for up to an hour, trapping everyone on the museum property.
 

 
The vast majority of people working at the museum are volunteers, but there's a small paid staff who are responsible for handling money and for opening and closing the museum. The latter duty is no small task, as it takes perhaps 40 mins for one person to accomplish. There are something like 70 electrical breakers in multiple locations that have to be flipped on just to power up the place!
 

 
The best part is that perhaps 25-30% of the museum's visitors are pre-teen children and their excitment is a joy to see. We also receive visitors from all over the world.
 
A couple of weeks ago, we had a young couple from Kazakhstan ("You don't have a zip code? Why not?") with their six or seven-year-old son. After a couple of hours, when this family was headed toward the parking lot, the boy was loudly wailing and throwing a fit. The two of us at the gatehouse were wondering if the child had gotten hurt. The young mother saw the concern in our eyes and smilingly told us, "He just doesn't want to leave."

... this chapter was much less financially arduous.

 

I only had to buy 15 pizzas from Pizza Hut,  next door, to feed the "talent."

 

I was approached about six or seven weeks ago by the local ABC lead sports anchor, Ryan Chiaverini, if I would be willing to host an event where two slot cars were used unscientifically to predict the winner of the Chicago Bears - Indianapolis Colts game, the third week of the NFL season.

 

He calls it 'Bear-ly Accurate Predictions,' and in the past has thrown two darts, two axes, had turtle races, etc. 

 

I jumped at the chance and recruited a couple of my grandkids to "race" four laps on orange and blue, with each car representing a team.

 

My wife recruited additional grandkids, relatives,  etc., and I put out a cattle call Thursday night on a couple of the local mom's FB pages where I get recommendations from moms on places to hold kids birthday parties, based on them previously hosting parties by me.  

 

With school not quite starting yet, I fairly quickly recruited 25 kids to act as cheerleaders, with quite a few of them being kids who had birthday party by me.

 

It went off real well, with Ryan, who had previously co-hosted a popular daytime local talk show, Windy City Live, for 10 years, being super personable and charming. 

 

The segment will be broadcast Sept 20, the Friday before the game in Indy, during or directly after the ABC 5PM News sports segment.

 

 

 

 

PdL says goodbye to the Eagle he built with one last drive at the Gathering of Eagles held Elkhart Lake this past weekend.

 

So I have read all the posts on this topic... I would like to clear the air.

 

Nothing has been sold as of yet except maybe some HO cars that were put on eBay. I speak to Frank Perri Jr... He has assured me that he is really not ready to sell anything in the store as of yet. There are a total of six 1/24 tracks. Four are set up and two more in the basement.

 

Anyone that would like to purchase the tracks will be able to in due time. Just not yet. The tracks that are set up... you will have to take them apart and truck them to the new location. Frank does not want to get involved with breaking down the tracks... you buy it, you take it apart. 

 

As far as the merchandise in the store, he is not ready to sell yet. 

 

Believe me, when that time does come you will know about it .

 

As far as the Emperor track... it is still in the basement along with an American King.

 

There will be at least one more Memorial Race at BAR in the near future. I will post when that date becomes available. 

 

I hope this clears the air.

My dear wife and love of my life passed away ten years ago in August. She was a wonderful woman and great partner. She was beautiful, smart, clever, strong and I was in awe of her.

 

Yesterday was her Birthday.

 

I commissioned Jairus to build a car dedicated to her about nine years ago. It is a Shinoda Mongoose. I gave it to her son Trey from a previous engagement. 

 

Rest In Peace sweetheart!

 

Last night I dreamed that God had called me to the great beyond and he said "Bring your cars we have a track!"

The new Janis Nabokins built track was finally put together today.

 

The 46 metre track has individual 12 volt power supplies on each lane.

 

All that remains to be done is the track wiring and the final track height leveling.

 

The Wellington Slot Car Club now has a track that will be the envy of many. 

 

 

My late brother Willy took me to my first sports car race when I was 7 or 8  in Wichita Kansas in 1957 - 1958. Back then they were racing on airfield tarmacs. I really enjoyed seeing the Ferrari, Maserati and Lotus racing cars to mention a few but the one thing that really stood out to me was the dual racing stripes that some of the cars were sporting. Ever since I started racing slot cars in 1964 I had always painted dual racing stripes on many of my cars. 

 

Seven, eight years ago I had an idea to make literal “Racing Stripes” into a slot car. I began with the sketch you see here. Working as an engraver I had access to a computerized engraving machine and proceeded to cut a piece of brass to look like double racing stripes. Going thru many pieces, bending and shaping the brass until I finally came up with a design I liked.

 

This is the result, finished a few days ago.

I wanted to keep a kind of dual theme in mind.

 

Dual racing stripes for the “body” and frame with two main rails. There are actually four rear wheels, two per side mounted back to back. The front wheels have two “O” rings that were ground down to size. Two prong knock off’s. Double holes in the rear of the “body” to facilitate two megaphone exhaust pipes that still need to be made and mounted, still have to figure out how to make and mount them. I also made the motor bracket with two “slits” on each side.

 

Racing Stripes will probably never see track time except maybe a slow parade lap or two just to prove it can!

 

Thanks for reading,

 

Marinko