32 replies to this topic

[Jim Brown]

Yeah, I raced there many a time... I guess just at a different period in time than you. Do you remember "Wayne & Homer"? They were in their 40's at the time and both made fast cars and had a couple of guys named "Joe ?" and Ed Duell drive them. I remember that Homer was an odd little fellow, nice enough, not exactly handsome in a "classic" or "Hollywood" sense..... but boy was Homer's wife a looker!(at least to a 17-year old) It was quite different racing there, with lamps and whatnot(a LOT of lamps and whatnot!) hanging from the ceiling around and over the track. LOL

Wayne Bajeron was a fairly good builder and so was Homer.They mainly raced at Bellaire and Fosters.They took apart my controller one time
to see what made me fast. They took it home and checked it out after I had won a race at Bellaire.They found nothing but a Cox hand controller
with heavy wire leads. Robert Saunders was another very good builder Craig raced for him. Wayne and Homer had nice looking wives as did
many others.Buddy Allen built cars and CL Brooks ran them.Gene Powell built and raced his own cars.You are really jogging my memory.I still
can't really place you, but at my age and 45+ years ago what can I say.

[Tex]

I had a brief stint driving for Wayne/Homer, VERY brief. Joe?, who had driven for Wayne, had gone into the Army and Ed, who drove for Homer, was off at college. Wayne and Homer more or less teamed up and looked around for a replacement driver. I guess they thought I showed the most promise among the group of us local "also rans". It was a great honor to be chosen to drive for them, as their cars were better than any I'd driven before. This story is not all glory, it has heartbreak also. At the time that Wayne and Homer asked me to drive for them, I was driving for an old guy named Charlie Hogwood; remember him, Jim? He was a short, round little man with a well chewed cigar in his mouth, probably in his early 70's. Charlie's cars were, how should I say this... "less than professionally built". That is to say, there were big blobs of solder here and there and they didn't really look a lot like the contemporary successful chassis'(maybe 69/70). When Charlie oiled the car for a race, the word "sparingly" was nowhere to be found. Despite the looks of Charlie's cars, they actually ran pretty good. But I'd been asked to drive cars that really were a cut above what I was used to, so I took Homer and Wayne up on their offer. I think it broke Charlie's heart when I told him. I feel terrible about this now, thinking back and remembering... I showed Charlie no loyalty. He drifted away pretty quickly after that. Like I said, I drove very briefly for Homer and Wayne, proving to them that I was just a dweeb who didn't know how to keep a car on the track. I blew Charlie off just to prove to Homer and Wayne that I was a loser.

[Jim Brown]

I had a brief stint driving for Wayne/Homer, VERY brief. Joe?, who had driven for Wayne, had gone into the Army and Ed, who drove for Homer, was off at college. Wayne and Homer more or less teamed up and looked around for a replacement driver. I guess they thought I showed the most promise among the group of us local "also rans". It was a great honor to be chosen to drive for them, as their cars were better than any I'd driven before. This story is not all glory, it has heartbreak also. At the time that Wayne and Homer asked me to drive for them, I was driving for an old guy named Charlie Hogwood; remember him, Jim? He was a short, round little man with a well chewed cigar in his mouth, probably in his early 70's. Charlie's cars were, how should I say this... "less than professionally built". That is to say, there were big blobs of solder here and there and they didn't really look a lot like the contemporary successful chassis'(maybe 69/70). When Charlie oiled the car for a race, the word "sparingly" was nowhere to be found. Despite the looks of Charlie's cars, they actually ran pretty good. But I'd been asked to drive cars that really were a cut above what I was used to, so I took Homer and Wayne up on their offer. I think it broke Charlie's heart when I told him. I feel terrible about this now, thinking back and remembering... I showed Charlie no loyalty. He drifted away pretty quickly after that. Like I said, I drove very briefly for Homer and Wayne, proving to them that I was just a dweeb who didn't know how to keep a car on the track. I blew Charlie off just to prove to Homer and Wayne that I was a loser.

There were no losers only inexperienced people some of us raced club racing years before commercial slotcar raceways.

[John Stezelecki]

I've been hearing a lot about the Belaire facility lately. It draws interest fro me because it once had one of the greatest tracks American ever maaade , The Sovereign aka Purple Mile. What can you tell me about the facility. Is the building still there? What year did they close?

[Tex]

When I went to the Bellaire facility, it was a "typical" turnkey operation from what I've read the last couple of years. I think there were 5 American tracks there: Purple, Red, Black, Yellow and Orange. A couple named "Davidson" ran the place. They had a teenage daughter named Candy(seriously!) and another daughter about 6 years old who whupped up on dweebs like me with her Cox La Cucaracha. A guy I went to Jr. High with, Grey Weil, worked there part time. Grey also was a stick boy for the local Houston hockey team at the time('66? '67?). The Davidsons had to move(lost their lease?) and they moved to Windsor Plaza, next to the "Pieces o' Eight" pool hall(the "eight" on the sign was an 8-ball). They had the Red American setup there; that's the track I cut my competitive racing teeth on. Jim doesn't remember me, but I remember Lee Davidson teching one of Jim's Lotus 40's for a race once and loudly remarked about being surprised that Jim had a full 1/16" clearance under his car. Of course, it was all in good fun as Jim was a racer in good standing with the Davidson's. Later, they put up the Purple Mile at the Windsor Plaza location; I think the Red Imperial stayed operational at the same time(maybe?). I helped them pull an all-nighter, getting the track sections out of storage in the back, loading them into a pickup, driving the sections around to the front, and then bringing the sections in through the front door. I remember falling asleep on my feet... or rather waking up while still standing there. LOL Good times.

[John Stezelecki]

When I went to the Bellaire facility, it was a "typical" turnkey operation from what I've read the last couple of years. I think there were 5 American tracks there: Purple, Red, Black, Yellow and Orange. A couple named "Davidson" ran the place. They had a teenage daughter named Candy(seriously!) and another daughter about 6 years old who whupped up on dweebs like me with her Cox La Cucaracha. A guy I went to Jr. High with, Grey Weil, worked there part time. Grey also was a stick boy for the local Houston hockey team at the time('66? '67?). The Davidsons had to move(lost their lease?) and they moved to Windsor Plaza, next to the "Pieces o' Eight" pool hall(the "eight" on the sign was an 8-ball). They had the Red American setup there; that's the track I cut my competitive racing teeth on. Jim doesn't remember me, but I remember Lee Davidson teching one of Jim's Lotus 40's for a race once and loudly remarked about being surprised that Jim had a full 1/16" clearance under his car. Of course, it was all in good fun as Jim was a racer in good standing with the Davidson's. Later, they put up the Purple Mile at the Windsor Plaza location; I think the Red Imperial stayed operational at the same time(maybe?). I helped them pull an all-nighter, getting the track sections out of storage in the back, loading them into a pickup, driving the sections around to the front, and then bringing the sections in through the front door. I remember falling asleep on my feet... or rather waking up while still standing there. LOL Good times.

I guess that the 68 season at the original the Bellaire original location must have been the banner year. Cary Drewer won the Car Model Magazine race on the Sovereign. The season ended with on the Bellaire 150' American Imperial which was won by Richard Bennet, Jom Jordan took second while Buddy Fowler placed third. Some of the other big names on that track were Tippy Cherico, Larry Williams, Joe Webster Greg Moon aand Harvy Allison. I wonder if any of those guys are still arouns. Does anyone know when Bellair finnally closed it's doors?

[Tex]

I guess that the 68 season at the original the Bellaire original location must have been the banner year. Cary Drewer won the Car Model Magazine race on the Sovereign. The season ended with on the Bellaire 150' American Imperial which was won by Richard Bennet, Jom Jordan took second while Buddy Fowler placed third. Some of the other big names on that track were Tippy Cherico, Larry Williams, Joe Webster Greg Moon aand Harvy Allison. I wonder if any of those guys are still arouns. Does anyone know when Bellair finnally closed it's doors?

Joe WEBSTER! THAT'S his last name! LOL He drove for Wayne of "Homer & Wayne" fame until the Army took over(famous if only in MY mind). I knew Tippy and raced against him at Broadway Hobbies when it was on Broadway. And the "Larry Williams" you mention.... could that possibly be Larry "Willman"? The Larry I'm thinking of was a short, cocky, dark-haired little fella. It's also entirely possible that Larry went by multiple names.... don't ask why. And, of course, that would be Carey Drewes you referred to(LLoyd Drewes' son).

[John Stezelecki]

Jim,

It was probably Willman. Any of those guys still around? Here's a good question, Does anyone have any photos of the interior of these raceways that were popular in Texas back then?