13 replies to this topic

[Jim Difalco]

Sorry to report that my friend Jim Damerell passed away on Sept 3.

 

Jim was well known as a racer in the east at Elmsford Raceway as well as an avid R/C racer. Jim was also very involved with groups flying tethered airplanes in competitions.

 

I attended his wedding to his wife, Chris. We both worked together at the arcade that was in the bowling alley above Elmsford Raceway. Him fixing machines and me making change for the customers in between playing foosball. When I wanted to buy my second Fiat X1/9 Jimmy faked a letter on company letterhead saying I made more money than I was actually making so I could get my car loan.

 

Jim was a big guy at 6' 3". One of my favorite slot car memories was him picking me up off the ground in a bear hug at Buzz-A-Rama after I broke the King track race lap record in 1976. I am glad to have told Jim this memory I had of him when I last saw him and our Elmsford Raceway buddies in 2019.

[Larry Labounty]

So sorry to hear of Jim's passing. He was a great person!!! Lots of great memories of him some of them pretty funny.

 

RIP, Jim.

[old & gray]

"Ray, I need a new motor"

 

RIP, Jim.

[Gil Aubin]

I remember sleeping on his couch while he and Jim Birritta thrashed on their cars. 

 

RIP, Jim.

[Cheater]

JIm joined Slotblog on March 16, 2009, and over the next 15+ years, made exactly one post, on the very day he registered.

No one is required to post to be a member here, but IMO it's a shame that Jim didn't wish to share the knowledge of slot racing he so obviously possessed.
 
No one seems to know the origin of the quote:

 

"When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground."

But from my perspective, it is absolutely true.

 

RIP, Jim. Wish I coulda known you.

[Bill from NH]

Gil,

 

Do you recall if Jim attended some of the monthly C & C wing car races in the '70s? His name rings a bell with me, but I'm sort of hazy.

[nicky 65]

Although I never met James Damerell, sometimes you feel like you were in the presence of that person. I heard the name many times while racing at and hanging around Buzz-A-Rama. When we cleaned out Buzz-A-Rama, I came across a large box of tech sheets from the '70s... many of you guys here on Slotblog remember me posting about getting those tech sheets back to their rightful owners. Many of the names have passed on. Some were still alive and I mailed them out to them.

 

One of the names that I remember was James Demerell but I was not able to get in touch with him. But Jim Difalco had asked me if I would send any remaining tech sheets to him and I did. I hope those sheets found James in some way and maybe put a smile on his face.

 

Rest In peace, James Damerell.

 

It is very true what Cheater said in an earlier post "When an old man dies, a library burns to the ground." That quote could not be more true in the case of Frank 'Buzz' Perri, who I'm sure had many stories to tell about our great hobby ... and, of course, James Damerell.

[slotcarone]

I remember racing many times with Jim.

 

May he RIP.

[NJ Racer]

Very sad to hear this news. We became neighborhood teenage friends way back in the early days as young teenagers when we were regulars at Grand Prix Slot Car Raceway in the Bronx, NYC.

 

Always had my ten-peed serviced at his mom's bike shop a few doors down from the raceway.

 

Years later, in the late '70s, I ran into Jim at Elmsford Raceway. My condolences to the family. RIP, big Jim.

 

That's Jim in the upper left of this photo taken at a special event race at Grand Prix Raceway

 

[Jim Difalco]

Good photo. That is Al Pollack sitting down and second from the right

[Jim Difalco]

One night Kallio, Jim and myself were in the Elmsford Raceway parking lot after closing time. The raceway was below a large bowling alley and it had an upper parking lot in back of the building. You could circle the building. Jimmy decided that we should do a few hot laps around the building with his English Ford Cortina. Jim went first circling the building a couple times at a fast pace screeching the tires in the turn right in front of the raceway.

 

Kallio got in next and he might have made a lap but on the second time around the cops showed up. The officer's line to Ray was, "Who do you think you are, Mario Andretti"?

[alainprost22]

Jim was a good friend of mine.  Before entering into slot cars, Jim was an enthusiastic model airplane builder.  I went with Jim many a time, to the Dykman Park model airplane circles. In those days, the model airplanes were tethered. Some of Jim's buddies were Tony Deville, Sr. and Jim Greenaway.

 

Jim was in my JHS chorus class. Not many knew,that Jim had an incredible voice. I can still remember Jim pulling up, in front of our house, with either a Cortina, then another Cortina, then a Renault Dauphine, then a Datsun 240Z.  

 

Jim's mother drove us to Buzzy's many times. I went with Jim to my first long distance race, at Holiday Raceway in Berwyn, PA. The ride home was terrifying, because I had the task of keeping Jim awake. At that time, I didn't have a drivers license.

 

Jim raced a lot at Dykman Raceway, Gran Prix Raceway, and Elmsford. A lasting memory. My brother drove down to watch the Bicentennial race at Joel's. On the way home, Jim hitched a ride with my brother. How Jim fit in my brother's Porsche 914 is still a mystery to this day. Somewhere on the road, we all pulled off for a short rest. We were exhausted, but, all of a sudden, we all just started laughing uncontrollably. That was a good day.

 

Jim only lived about three miles away from me. But, we never bumped into each other. My loss. Duck.

 

That was my brother in the photo.

[Jim Difalco]

Al,

 

I had fleeting thought that might be Marty in the picture but I went with you.

 

Next year is my 50th high school reunion. I will probably attend and we should get the gang together like we did in 2019. I will coordinate it. You can attend this time since you have finally retired.

[Vay Jonynas]

Lots of treasured memories in this thread.

 

RIP, Jim.