12 replies to this topic

[CruzinBob]

I have a new hobby. Scanning all the many photos I've collected over the years. Wish I had more of my year long stay in Tucson 1967-68. It was the end of an approximately seven year run in the slot car world. I raced at Gun Slot Raceway. I was an up and coming motor builder/arm winder. Dave Fortner was the local chassis builder and we'd take home the race tickets.

I dug up an old magazine clipping of the track which I'll scan later and post. Would love to hear from anyone about this place.

[slotcarone]

Bob do you still have that box and any of the old stuff?

[CruzinBob]

Yeah, I have one of the pink ribbons.

[Mark Joerger]

I worked behind the counter at that raceway after school and on weekends to keep myself on slot car parts. My recollection is that the name was 'Gun Slot' rather than 'Top Gun', but I could be wrong. The owner's name was Gunnard Steele, so it was Gun something.

The place had two tracks built by Revell - a long, skinny, banked oval with a kink in the back straight ("Monza") and a road course similar to a blue King ("Riverside?").

A year or so after Gun Slot closed, the owner opened a full-line hobby shop in a mall across town with the road course tucked neatly into the back of the store. The new name was "Gun's Fun for Everyone". It was still in operation in 1973 when I left town.

I must have some photos somewhere...

- Mark Joerger

[MSwiss]

Bob,

You handsome devil. You could of been "Malcolm in the Middle" before Frankie Muniz was.

[TSR]

It was indeed called "Gun's Raceway". I remember going to the big USRA race there in 1971 with Lee Gilbert in my two-cylinder Honda N600 car, and a particular incident that he probably remembers. On the way there, on the 2-lane freeway, we came upon two large cars that were occupying both lanes and trying to pass and re-pass each other at a speed well below the minimum mediocrity average. This lasted for quite a while, at which point I got a bit impatient and using all of the 38HP or so provided by the little air-cooled engine, put my car squarely between the large machines and made my way through.
I cannot remember if the drivers of both cars actually woke up to honk their horns or flash their lights in disapproval, or if they even noticed. That is lost in the memory banks.
I remember that Lee was a bit shocked, but was used to my dealing with such situations and approved.

[CruzinBob]

I must have some photos somewhere...

Mark,

Got your msg, thank you. It's good to hear others experiences. Yes, it was Gunslot, wasn't it! Do you remember Glen who also sometimes worked behind the counter? I was 16, he was in his 20's and had a new Vette. He and a few others drove it over to L.A. sometime in '68 for a big race.

The big track there was very interesting, I haven't been able to come up with the pic yet. It had a dip for the bridge and if you failed to brake, your car would go straight into the bridge.

I would really LOVE to see some of your photos.

Mike, there are a few of US handsome devils around, eh

[Mark Wampler]

Hey Bob, I always like to read your posts from all over the planet. If you're in the Santa Maria area on a Monday, drop in for Retro night.

[Mark Joerger]

Got your msg, thank you. It's good to hear others experiences. Yes, it was Gunslot, wasn't it! Do you remember Glen who also sometimes worked behind the counter? I was 16, he was in his 20's and had a new Vette. He and a few others drove it over to L.A. sometime in '68 for a big race.

The big track there was very interesting, I haven't been able to come up with the pic yet. It had a dip for the bridge and if you failed to brake, your car would go straight into the bridge.

Sure -- Glen Looney. He built chassis in large quantities that we sold out of the counter. Pretty nice stuff, as I recall.

Yes, the Revell road course was 'interesting'. I think it was actually called 'Monte Carlo'. The back straight had a series of tight little 'esses' in the breaking zone, and 'the dip' under the bridge was a real challenge -- if you missed it you ended up stuffed down into a dark hole. You needed a corner marshall with night vision to find you and pull you out!

I recall one of those Tucson USRA races quite well (possibly the 1971 race ?) -- it was the high water mark in my career! I qualified in the amateur semi, won that, and just kept moving up. thru the semi-pro ranks and all the way thru to the pro main. I was hanging in about 4th with a borrowed Fortner chassis and a J&M armature when one of the J&M (Jeff / Marty) guys miss-slotted my car and it took off for a mega-crunch at the end of the back straight that put me out of the race.

I'll look around for those pics...

- Mark Joerger

[MrWeiler]

It was indeed called "Gun's Raceway". I remember going to the big USRA race there in 1971 with Lee Gilbert in my two-cylinder Honda N600 car, and a particular incident that he probably remembers. On the way there, on the 2-lane freeway, we came upon two large cars that were occupying both lanes and trying to pass and re-pass each other at a speed well below the minimum mediocrity average. This lasted for quite a while, at which point I got a bit impatient and using all of the 38HP or so provided by the little air-cooled engine, put my car squarely between the large machines and made my way through.
I cannot remember if the drivers of both cars actually woke up to honk their horns or flash their lights in disapproval, or if they even noticed. That is lost in the memory banks.
I remember that Lee was a bit shocked, but was used to my dealing with such situations and approved.

My cousin had a Honda 600 and I drove it a couple of times. (I also helped fix it when the 600cc rubber band broke) QUESTION: When making the pass under discussion did you and Lee flap your arms out the window to improve the acceleration and top speed of the N600 to acomplish the pass?

[MrWeiler]

The big track there was very interesting, I haven't been able to come up with the pic yet. It had a dip for the bridge and if you failed to brake, your car would go straight into the bridge.

Phil @ Sonic had some pics of the Revell tracks...

[TSR]

When making the pass under discussion did you and Lee flap your arms out the window to improve the acceleration and top speed of the N600 to acomplish the pass?

I got a speeding ticked for doing 78 mph on the California 101 freeway in that thing. I tried to convince the cop that the car could only do 60, but he said that he had read the Road & Track test and knew better. You can also ask Lee Gilbert what kind of speed this thing went downhill in neutral on the road to Denver covered with snow.

[Jesse Gonzales]

http://slotblog.net/...track-designs/# here is the Revell data sheet for the track in the back room at Gunn's Fun for Everyone at Campbell Plaza. Great place to race with fellow Arizonan's and some Californian's  on occasion.

 

Jesse Gonzales