295 replies to this topic

[vsrn]

Has anyone ever heard of an Emperor 220 that was built?

Supposedly, only six of the Sovereign 220s were built, and I've never heard of any place having an "Emperor", and it isn't in the "official" manual that I have...

Greg Holland
VSRN

[Ron Hershman]

Buzzy's in New York and one was set-up in Colorado for awhile. The story is... only four were ever built.

[Prof. Fate]

Hi,

Never saw that 220! Sniff.

I have done most of my racing on the Black and the orange tracks. Very popular all through the "dark ages".

A common mod on the black was putting in two straight sections to make a finger out of the middle turn. I have seen the black run either direction, both have problems. One direction, people commonly come off missing the lap counter and being reslotted on the straight, the other direction, the lap counter is in the brake zone.

I once put a kid in the hospital because of the hump on an orange. He thought it would be cool to put his head on the track to watch the cars coming towards him. We kept chasing him off and he started getting sneaky about coming back.

Fate

[Ron Hershman]

Stitches, concussion, or eyepatch???

[zforce]

Buzzy's in New York and one was set-up in Colorado for awhile. The story is... only four were ever built.

In 1975 or '76 I traveled, in a van, with Joel Montegue, Steve Bogut, and a couple of other racers from Joel's Race Place in Greenbelt, MD, to a race at Buzz-A-Rama (Buzzy's).

I raced I15 on the Emperior 220 track. It was the first time I had ever seen a track with crossovers. Don't remember much about the race except I'm sure I didn't do well. Fun track though.

[Bob Campbell]

I once put a kid in the hospital because of the hump on an orange. He thought it would be cool to put his head on the track to watch the cars comeing towards him. We kept chasing him off and he started getting sneakey about coming back.

Hey Rocky,

That was to funny reading about the kid and the hump!

The orange we had here in Colorado Springs had the same hump and the same problem with kids sticking their heads in the way!
I don't remember anyone going to the hospital but I do remember Gertrude (track owner) getting out the band-aids!

Bob C.

[Jerk]

I raced on a Sovereign 220. It was called a "Purple Mile"...

[Prof. Fate]

Hi,

42 stiches and a broken cheek bone.

And a lawsuit for me and the track! Got dismissed out of hand.

Bob, ran that track and the black in C-Springs as well when I lived in Denver. One of the most tedious things I remember, how ever, was the drive at 55, after your nerves have been doing 3 second laps!

Did you ever run the replica orange up in Northglenn?

During the dark ages when the folks with bits didn't do mail order, friends in Denver like Steve Burkey would buy and order bits for me from that track. It was my "local" track...

Fate

[Ed Endres]

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the pictures. We had in the early '90s a track up in Eaton, CO.
They had an orange Monarch, that was my favorite track. NASCAR body, Parma 1 or 2 frame, pink endbell Parma motor, 9/31 gears, and best of all Limpach tires. That setup really worked on that track.

They also had a King and a Hillclimb.

I raced on most of the tracks in Denver, too. It was so much fun to have that many tracks within an hour's or so drive. I feel for the guys coming up from the Springs, that drive always sucks.

Later,

Ed Endres

[Ken K]

Thanks for posting the pics of the American track designs, I have been looking for these for a long time. I used to race at a place called Hank's Raceway in Milwaukee. They owned a Monarch and later added a blue King. Those tracks lasted forever; they were still running into the late 1990s.

The Monarch they had looked a bit different than the photos. It had an orange infield (not green) and I think the outside of the track was wood grain not yellow/orange. The King had a blue infield as well. Does this seem familiar to anyone else?

I also remembered the main bank turn on the blue King as being higher than the banks on the modern Kings.

One last question: does anyone know of a place where they are still running a vintage track?

[Tom Thumb Hobbies]

Yep, I do. I still have an American blue King. Raced everyday. Follow the link in my signature to see some pictures.

As far as the bank being higher on the older tracks... I was told, I believe by Steve Olgivie, that because the new tracks don't have "bottoms" in them like the old tracks they don't have the strength to hold the surface at such a steep angle.

[tonyp]

Ken,

I remember Hank's. We wee there for a big race. Hank would turn on the power to start the heat and then go sell a bicycle. LOL.

Mike, I can not wait till the R4 to run on a real King track again. When a 4.73 World record was actually a World record as all the tracks were built the same (shameless plug, LOL). R4 will be like going home again. I never raced on any King that wasn't original until I went to Keystone last year.

[Ken K]

Mike,

I checked out your site. The track looks great. Did you rebuild it at some point?

[Ken K]

Tony,

Yeah, Hank was diversified, he even sold mini-bikes at one time, but hey it helped keep the place open.

[Tom Thumb Hobbies]

Tony,

I am honored that you plan on attending. We actually raced together before, I believe, at Joe Huttons place in Cincy. We will do our best to make you feel like you are "home".

I am also looking forward to the R4. See you then.

[Tom Thumb Hobbies]

I checked out your site. The track looks great. Did you rebuild it at some point?

Thanks, Ken. We did put a new top on it in '93. The current braid has been down less than a year. And we didn't change anything on the track. All the original contours are still there. It is a King that you have to drive... not just punch.

[tonyp]

Mike, I'll be there.

[Rick]

It's as fun a track as you will find. Truly a great race track...

[Rob Voska]

Anyone have any more / better pictures of an Aristocrat 135?

[Dooner]

Tony,

Years ago I walked into a raceway in South New Jersey that had an Aristocrat on the first floor on the left as you walked in the building just past the parts counter. As you walked in straight ahead was another track with a very steep bank that looked like it was climbing the wall. Upstairs was an R/C track. The owner's son was not very friendly.

Do you remember that raceway or have pics?

[MrWeiler]

Stitches, concussion, or eyepatch???

Mike Greeley was standing at the end of the straight on the big track at Circle-T in North Hollywood, CA, when a car launched over the bank (G27 I think) and hit him dead square in the face - he went to the hospital.

[The Groove]

Hope this picture of my American red Imperial comes up. I modified it to fit in my basement and it's a blast to drive. Also note the Strombecker raceway lap counter works, but we use the Trackmate for racing.

Rich

Home of the half-size American red

[Dooner]

Picture looks great. Beautiful job of redoing a classic track, Rich. Also nice job of utilizing your space.

I used to have a 1965 American King. Don't know where it is today.

[Tex]

I'm extremely jealous, Rich! Looks great!

[mwjsone/page]

I see some talk over a hump/bump in the main straight. Is this a common problem on one set track design? Black, red, orange, King?
Or was it just some of the older tracks were built into can this be adjusted out?