159 replies to this topic

[TSR]

When I obtained the rights to use the name American Tracks again in the late 70's, I received a box load of documentation.

John, from whom?

AMCRC and American Racing had filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January 1969, and all remaining assets were liquidated following a Chapter 7 filing in September 1969 in the Los Angeles Superior Court. Henry Rose of Russkit told me that and he was the one who helped the filings as an attorney for AMCRC.

Any remaining trademarks were invalid by 1975 at the latest possible date, so you did not need any authorization from anyone... if there were any patents, they would have been invalid by 1984 if applied in 1965, and there was hardly anyone to defend them after 1969 anyway!

[Rickard Five]

When I obtained the rights to use the name American Tracks again in the late 70's, I received a box load of documentation...

I've begged and begged John to find the AMCRC Track Owners Manual, and reprint or scan it. From what few pages I've seen 10,000 years ago, it had lots of good advice on how to properly run a professional raceway!

Plus the kitsch value of any book that recommends an ash tray for every pit space is priceless!

[TSR]

Rickard,

The LASCM has all of these on file and eventually they will be published on their website at www.lascm.com.

It also has the "fire sale" offers published in 1968 from the manufacturing plant in Santa Monica after the AMCRC had to vacate their lavish offices on Wilshire Blvd... wanna buy a track, REALLY cheap?

Firewood today.

[Phil Hackett]

King tracks are too short...

Personally, I'm waiting for a 250 foot King track to be built...

[Rickard Five]

The LASCM has all of these on file and eventually they will be published on their website at www.lascm.com

Is there any thing I can do to expedite seeing them posted?



P, I'd take one of these...

I really want the timing system and lap counters for our raceway , can you deliver?

[jimht]

From page 21 of the AMCRC Racing Manual.

Hmmmm... a reference to high-banked tracks being not so good for racing.
Guess we proved them wrong, eh?

Look at all the future business that's been created by using Kings as the "Standard"...

[TSR]

Rickard,

Unfortunately, no, I cannot speed it up as the completion of the book, then the rebuilding of about 30 cars for the museum is what is in my near future...

[Rickard Five]

Thank you, Jim, you just gave me more ammo to keep certain classes of racing out of our raceway.

From Page 21 :
"It Would not make economic sense, or be fair to your regular drivers, to allow "Semi-Pro" contestants, who go from raceway to raceway on race nights, to come to your center only on race nights and compete for your valuable prizes".

I truly believe anyone racing in a strap cobalt motor class in the ranks of the "semi-Pro" that go from raceway to raceway on race nights, to come to your center only on race nights and compete for your valuable prizes! and never spend a nickle in the raceway. $5-$10 entries do not pay the electricity it takes to run a raceway, much less the rent...

[Mike Patterson]

Jim,

Thank you for the excerpt from the AMCRC Racing Manual; I found it interesting reading.

Are there any more gems of wisdom in it?

[TSR]

Mike,

I don't know about wisdom but in the classic days of the 1960s, VERY FEW cars, either production models or handbuilt RTRs, could actually "punch the banking".

What sounds astounding today to us was normal in the day, where the banking was just another turn you had to drive, and if you failed to lift, God saves us all!

[MG Brown]

is there any thing I can do to expedite seeing them posted?

Mr P: Send me what you need to have scanned and it will be done post-haste.

[Rickard Five]

P, the wisdom of the banking thing was maybe a little ahead of it's time, BUT...

In another thread I invoked the sacred name of Mr. 27, Randell Webb, and to show how far reaching that wisdom of banking being BAD.

One day we showed up at the track, and out front was Randell smoking a cigarette, and someone asked when he was racing 27, to wit he answers, "I'm racing right now". Meaning he had glued his lane in so well all he did was rubber-band his controller WIDE OPEN, and took a smoke break for 2-3 heats. In those heady days of unlimited gluing, it started becoming real clear that with punchbowl tracks and air control, it all comes down to who can spend the most buying direct from manufacturers and who's in the good old boy club, getting the pick of the PK arms!

There is even a track I know of that used turnbuckles tied to the floor to increase banking, to get faster lap times with less driving. At that point what's the point of racing, let's all just dump out all the cash in our pockets and light the piles on fire and the one that burns the longest wins!

[TSR]

Rickard,

Point well taken but we do race our Retro cars and other than for the banking, we have to drive every corner!

Hence it's not that bad. If some clowns find their jollies with rubber-band assisted controllers, I also feel a bit sad for them as they are missing the whole point of the exercise, and I have been there to know that I simply care no more for that kind of "cars", but as long as said "racers" spend money in the raceway I don't mind, except when I have to help clean the mess after a few have made the track a gooey mess.

Flat track, King, Kingleman, Englerman, Paperclip, I like it all, but only with light spray glue only once in the morning.

[Rickard Five]

P,

Retro cars are what have drawn me back in to the idea of road racing. Richard Hoffer (Tex) left three Retro F1 cars with me to draw, and after driving them, I got SUCKED IN HARD. So hard that I've built a couple of Retro Can-Am cars, and spent a few hundred to build a road race controller. First road controller I've had in 20+ years! There's an original Bblue King locally and next time its caretaker comes to race in Wylie I'm going to hit him up for an invite to play on it.

I'm dreaming of going to Buzz's soon and running my Retro and Vintage cars on his original track with the original timing systems.

And as for gluing the track, I only glue it after I clean it once a week (Thursdays) then I MIST only enough glue that the lowest common denominator (me, a dumb dragracer) can make a full lap. I have lots of kids that run 16Ds and Falcon cars, and I refuse to glue the tracks enough to burn up their cars or wear out their tires!

[Chris Barnes]

I don't see that it is just driving ability of the King as much as success. It may seem to be the same thing to some, but I talked to one owner of a very successful King about his business. His track was pretty banked and the track was always full.

He told me that the low-mid drivers loved it because they had success, and they did not have to go put their car on at every turn. The ease of the banked track gave them a sense of accomplishment, which made them return.

I thoroughly enjoy flat track racing, but that alone very seldom keeps the doors open. Keep the newbies feeling confident and they will keep coming back.

[Rick]

Now this is great advice for anybody to heed.

This is another reason oval racing is popular and will generate as much revenue as any track in the house.

[Gator Bob]

Yuuup, it does. The oval and the drag strip at my local track.

[Gator Bob]

So... without reading the other 60+ posts:

• Elvis
• Al Gore
• MLK

[TSR]

I am sure that John Ford will let us know.

[MrWeiler]

My fave - but a wing racer told me he couldn't drive one 'cause it was too hard... I assume because he had to do something other than hold full throttle...

[Phil Hackett]

In the parlance of a 1980s slot car slogan... it was a "Speed Crazed Moron" who designed the blue King... and I give thanks he did...

[Rick]

Who designed the King track? Wouldn't it make sense that American did? It is very similar to the Imperial with all the wrongs fixed. Wider radius in the bank, straight removed in the donut, being the two glaring improvments. Not as steep a bank as the Purple Mile. Resulting in a track that is now 155 feet instead of 150, but way more driveable/raceable.

[Rickard Five]

Now this is great advice for anybody to heed.

This is another reason oval racing is popular and will generate as much revenue as any track in the house.

We are in the South, and with Texas Motor Speedway in our Back Yard,and so much Sportsman Dirt Car Racing in the area, our little Quad Oval is quite popular, so much so I've banned Black cars and the #3 we had a race not to long ago where over 1/2 of the cars were Black #3 Dale Sr. cars and GOD HELP YOU if you have a gold and Black #13, and you're outside of me but no no road race track will generate as much revenue as a drag strip, EVER ! Find me a track that averages 140 cars / week on any road track, and I'll never mention the Revenue per sq foot GAP again

[TSR]

Who designed the King track? Wouldn't it make sense that American did?

Uh, Rick... the Blue King as well as all the others with "color" were ALL American Racing tracks. The question was, who is the INDIVIDUAL who designed the things.
And no one knows.

[RomanK]

We are in the South, and with Texas Motor Speedway in our Back Yard,and so much Sportsman Dirt Car Racing in the area, our little Quad Oval is quite popular, so much so I've banned Black cars and the #3 we had a race not to long ago where over 1/2 of the cars were Black #3 Dale Sr. cars and GOD HELP YOU if you have a gold and Black #13, and you're outside of me but no no road race track will generate as much revenue as a drag strip, EVER ! Find me a track that averages 140 cars / week on any road track, and I'll never mention the Revenue per sq foot GAP again

I'll bet your customers that had that #3 car banned were real happy.

Isn't a manager/owner of a raceway racing against his customers kind of a bad idea? and nerfing them? perhaps a new way to grow a customer base.