26 replies to this topic

[MSwiss]

At C/R's Retro race this past Sunday, Howie asked me about my whizzy bicycle I had parked in the office.
 
I remembered I bought it with my Purple Mile Nats winnings, and realized it will be 25 years since that race later this summer.
 
To commemorate my win, I'm going to offer $100 in Retro merchandise to the winner of the next NERR Retro race on the Purple Mile at Modelville Raceway.
 
I'll make it $125 if the winner is able to recreate the cover of Scale Auto Racing, standing on the 90 and bridge.
 
I'll up it to $250 if you can get Beuford to pose in the donut with those yellow shorts and spiky hair. LOL.

[Matt Sheldon]

Now that is funny.

[Dominator]

Sweet offer, Mike, thank you.

[Gator Bob]

Hey, Mike... great!

 

Picture

Win

Offer

Idea

 

You sure were cleaning up back then.

[Half Fast]

Considering the avoirdupois of many racers today, Assuming that pose may be detrimental to the long term survival of that Purple Mile!

 

Cheers,

[MSwiss]

I was about 200 lbs. back then.

The track seemed plenty sturdy. I was more worried keeping my balance on the tops of the walls.

[Cap Henry]

Mike, where was the track at then, and what kinda times were you running? I'm assuming you were running 27 or 7?

[Cheater]

Cap,

 

The Purple Mile Mike is standing on in that cover was at Georgia Hobby Center in Fayetteville, GA, which is where the 1990 USRA Nats was held.

 

I was there and in fact ran Group 7 qualifying where Mike took TQ. That race was the first time I met him.

 

FWIW, this is not the track that is now at Modelville. Best anyone knows it got wet in storage, after Tim Ferguson closed Georgia Hobby and sold the track, and was scrapped.

[Bill from NH]

FWIW, this is not the track that is now at Modelville. Best anyone knows it got wet in storage, after Tim closed Ga Hobby and sold the track, and was scrapped.

 

The original Modelville Sovereign that was located in Framingham, MA, suffered a similar fate. It got wet while stored in a RI barn when the barn's roof leaked. The existing Purple Mile at Modelville came up from Osessa,TX. Before then, it had been in the SF area.

 

In Odessa, the Sovereign's square donut was last used on an American Black.

[MSwiss]

I was there and in fact ran Group 7 qualifying where Mike took TQ. That race was the first time I met him.

 

Not hardly TQ. Maybe 17th out of 45. You might be confusing I set the lap total record in the Main.

 

I set my car up to go around red and white in the square donut.

 

The guys that qualified well (on yellow) usually didn't get around well there, or got bit by black in one of the fingers, where there was a small bump.

 

Mike, where was the track at then, and what kinda times were you running? I'm assuming you were running 27 or 7?

 

I ran 500 laps in the Main, which is a 4.8 average, but the lap times and lap totals varied wildly from lane to lane.

 

The best lane was yellow, followed by blue, purple, black, orange, green, white, and red.

 

A good heat on red was 57. A good heat on yellow or blue was 67.

 

It looks like I averaged about 5.2 to win the G27 warm-up.

 

[Cheater]

Not hardly TQ. Maybe 17th out of 45.

Well, everyone knows how one's memory goes away when you get old. It has been nearly 25 years.

Thanks for the correction.

[Half Fast]

How is it that the lap times were faster in the Semi-Pro race than in the Pro main?

 

Cheers

[MSwiss]

Those were the qualifying times.

Semi-Pro used a different timer that was about a 1/4 second optimistic.

[Half Fast]

OK but any way those were very impressive times for getting around that long and tricky track that served an eclair instead of a doughnut!

 

Cheers,

[Danny Zona]

It's very cool to see the picture of that Purple. I was able to race there when I was a kid when they hosted a Parma race.

[Eddie Fleming]

I was racing R/C at the time but spent some time at that event. That was the only time I ever saw Mike.

 

I was impressed.

 

Talked to Tim Ferguson not long ago and he told me the track was damaged and scrapped. 

[elinsley]

Cant wait to see who takes the win in the GT Coupe race on the purple mile on the 30th. Cant wait to see who recreates the photo from the cover

[SocoJustin]

May wanna reinforce that corner.... I'm coming to win... Lol

[MSwiss]

Please get permission from Peter before recreating the magazine cover.

 

Thank you.

[Uncle Fred]

I remember Buddy Buchanan....

[tonyp]

Ran a purple mile once in Columbus Ohio at an arco race. Power was so hot 1/2 the people blew up in the 2 minute laps and sections qualifying runs.

[Half Fast]

Good thing you didn't stand on the track in those days Tony

 

 

Cheers

[Uncle Fred]

I ran in a USRA race in Easton Pa once where after the 4th heat in GR27 a turn marshal climbed over the track and his foot went through it.  We took a 2 hr lunch break while they repaired the hole.

[MSwiss]

No red Dykem on awesome acid washed jeans, but close enough. LOL

 

Congrats to John Weaver on his win on the Purple Mile.

 

Please contact me on what merchandise you want  for the $125 prize.

 

PS- I just got in a stack in of autographed, 8 x10 glossy, Eric Gehrken  promo pics.

Attached Images

• 

[sledman]

Another view of NERR GT Coupe winner John Weaver, with James Grandi (2nd place), Collin Martin (3rd place) and the MVH "Purple Mile".