295 replies to this topic

[Gator Bob]

Let's not get the wrong idea, they weren't "great wins" by any means...it was towards the end of their operation any only a few folks would show up.
Yes, Richie is related to Ronnie Buck, I'm pretty sure they're brothers.
And yes, it was the same guys that had the Rt. 9 Flea Market place.

 

Thanks, Pete.

 

Very cool, Mr. Buck and Ronnie built my Wall Stadium SS chassis years after Z&R closed. IIRC... It was the second 'layback' cage car CES built and at that time...  only Scott Riggleman and I had them. Great car!

[Tex]

We were racing flexi's down at All Scale Raceway in Waxahachie, Texas yesterday. Lonny Getso already has an American Raceway's Blue King he's refurbished and now he has an American Raceways 100' Orange track. It needs work but we may be able to race on it sometime in the Fall. It still has some of the original braid on it.... it's SKINNY. Here's a couple shots of the track mocked up in position where it will be in the raceway:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here's what we all hope will become fully functional:

 

 

 

 

[don.siegel]

Just thought of something: I raced in Seattle for about a year and a half in '74-75 and Empire Raceways had a track put together from a couple different American tracks - great layout! 

 

Anybody here raced on this track, or have a photo? 

 

Don 

[Champion 507]

Don, I haven't.... yet. Lonny is only about six hours from me and I talk to him by phone two or three times a year. My son and I ran on his King two years ago and as soon as all the ducks line up, I'll run on this one.

 

Tony Griffin, a long time Dallas area racer, had an Orange in Garland, a Dallas suburb 30 years ago and I got to race on it once.

[MrWeiler]

The old tracks with the steering wheels, how did that work? What were the steering wheels for?

1) I don't know how they worked when new, by the timeI tried one they were worn out and crappy. I was at the Tom Thumb AMR demo raceway in the SF Valley so I assume the wheels wore out fast and were difficult to maintain.

2) There was a gas foot throttle judt like in a street car. You had to turn the wheel in the corredt direction in the turns and hold it centered on the straights or the power was cut off until you set the wheel to the corredt position.. Bu the time i tried them the wheels were very loose and lost contact easily. Interesting idea, terrible exicution.

[911GT3]

A few weeks ago, I ran into someone that claimed to own a four lane AMCR track.  I had a short conversation with this person that left me in doubt about his claim.  Of course he didn't show me any pictures but sketched the layout.  However, intead of letting the subject drop, I am curious to know for sure.  Does anyone know of any American Model Car Raceway four lane tracks?

[don.siegel]

[Bob Chaney]

... when you click the American Raceways link in link in Richard's post today (4/29/2013) you find this American Raceways track for sale in Ohio:

 

 

Looks like a good example, in good condition.

[911GT3]

Don,

 

Thank you for posting the picture. That is the layout that was shown to me.

[Krummy]

We just purchased that track and will have it set up for commercial use again.

[Brian Davis]

I think it's Genuine American. I bought one of those that had been in storage for 20+ years and the top crossover did not fit worth a damn, took a lot of tweaking to get it to fit correctly. I always thought they were fun to race too, but made the marshalls crazy with red going from normal outside to inside. LOL Drivers station looks correct , paneling sides, which look in very nice condition, look correct. I never saw a Premium Hillclimb(formica), only Paneling sides. Look on the bottom of the track, it will have stencil numbers and letters for track sections and may even still have the buss hookups for the steering wheels? I bet it says 135 under there. In one of the acess holes there may still be a Dymo stencil stapled on, giving number of the track...

 

That is what I thought but if you look at it closely you can see some slight differences from the pitcher on the first page of this furm. There are two pictures in the Race Place link you just have too click on the photo of the track. Look at the cross over by the bank and you will see what I'm talking about . On the photo the first page of this furm the turn after the cross over is touching the bank and it is not on the RP photo. Tell me what you think. Real or not I really enjoy running on that track and I think red is the best lane.

 

I'd like to interject here for a bit more clarification. (even though these are old posts)... If you go to The Race Place even today they still have the original AMR timers and driver panel plaques. As those pictures show they have "post" legs as well. 

 

The track is in dire need of a refurbishing though. It has been used and abused for many years. 

 

That's the first track my dad and I walked into and eventually raced at weekly. Got a red splatter paint Parma truck RTR as my first slot car. Ahh, to be nine years old again... in '95. Ha-ha...

[Samiam]

Looking for a picture of an American Black Royal with the hump intact. Had no luck with my internet searches.

 

Thanks.

[don.siegel]

Hump? 

 

Didn't think that track had one... there's an AMF Royal in Bordo, and I've shown pics of it, but it was refurbished awhile ago, and doesn't have a hump that I know of. 

 

Don 

[TSR]

I just happen to have a great picture of an American "Black" with not one but TWO "humps" on its straightaway. Since it is a real color picture and comes straight from an American Model Raceways booklet, I guess it can be deemed as authentic!


 
I also would like to point out that ALL AMCR tracks had straightaway humps in their original editions of 1965. it was not an option! 
 

[PCH Parts Express]

PdL,
 
If a raceway was built to match the picture above and located in a good location with reasonable advertising budget, a friendly knowledgeable staff with good hours and fair prices would it make any money and stay in business? The reason I ask is that the raceway in the picture looks great. Do people want what is pictured?

[don.siegel]

That is a great photo Philippe, but I think the Royal is the one with the slight bank at the end of the straight, and in the esses; here's the Bordo track - no hump left, but a lot of fun to drive... 

 

[Gator Bob]

Yup, that's the 'Black' I remember.

 

"Drop Arm" ... LOL

 

 

 

 

[TSR]

That is a great photo Philippe, but I think the Royal is the one with the slight bank at the end of the straight, and in the esses; here's the Bordo track - no hump left, but a lot of fun to drive...

 

Don,

in the AMCR docs I have, it is called the Royal.  The track you have in Bordeaux is not the original AMRC but an AMF made in England in 1966 under AMCRC license, so it is likely to be somewhat different and to follow changes suggested after the original tracks proved to be a bit, uh, hazardous to drive!

 

AMRC = American Model Car Raceways

AMCRC = American Model Car racing Congress

[don.siegel]

Philippe, 

 

In an earlier doc I have (no date, but it says "Prices effective July 27, 1964), it's just called the "Model 90 - 8". They all have names like that, nothing like the Royal or Blue King yet... Each one is available in an Econ-O-Line or De Luxe version, and they're all shown with interior landscaping - that may not have survived long either, if it ever existed... 

 

Don 

[SlotStox#53]

Wow! Both the tracks shown by Don & PdL look amazing!! Can see where Bob says "Drop arm" on that straight with the bumps! Was driving on those as interesting as it seems?!

 

Scott, count me as one slot racer who'd love a raceway/track like that to race at

[Gator Bob]

Locally, back in the day we didn't really to the tracks by their name ... just by color.  

 

The track in post #208 looks really nice.   

 

Tex, That shop looks like a great place and the Orange is going to be fun with the old counter.

[TSR]

Philippe, 

In an earlier doc I have (no date, but it says "Prices effective July 27, 1964), it's just called the "Model 90 - 8".

 

Don, for AMCRC or AMCR, that has to be the very earliest listing  have heard of... and yes, the '64 docs show no names, yet. The names came in mid-1965 literature.

As far as the AMF track in Bordeaux, was it not completely rebuilt at some stage and the bumps removed by fitting new sections? I seem to remember something like that when I was there and inquired about the track. I know that at least the surface was redone and new braid was installed.

[Gator Bob]

Was driving on those as interesting as it seems?!

 
I never wanted to be on the Black track... only took a lane waiting for a lane to open up on one of the better tracks... they would let us switch our time and pay the difference for bigger tracks. They would even "hold" your time if you needed repairs...
 
BTW: Anyone try running silicones on an original Black... LOL.

[don.siegel]

I'd love a longer track too, but we just don't have any here... and the Bordeaux AMF Black is great for vintage racing - it does still get a little hairy sometimes with 8 of the faster cars on the track! 

 

Philippe, I think it was just resurfaced and the braid changed, no new sections, but will have to check with Samy. It came out of a local bowling alley if I remember right.... 

[Gator Bob]

Flash ...... This is the same Big Red track that was in Closter NJ's big plaza store.

 

Thanks to WJTalor for the clarification. And here I thought it was just a Little Emperor   

It was much easier to get time on this track then on the King.