4 replies to this topic

[Lone Wolf]

This is something I've thought about over the years.

 

Most are aware of how the 1 to 1 car guys got creative with rules way back when, Smokey Yunick, Garlits with his "in plain sight" extra fuel line, Sox and Martin running a titanium K member and so much more. 

 

Like most motorsports there always seemed to be the same guys near the top.

 

With so many people racing slots back in the day at so many tracks you would have thought there would be many more top contenders.

 

Many racers were engineers, car manufacturer guys, machinists etc. Many were very skilled with no such vocation as well.

 

Did the big guys have secrets up their sleeves?

 

Did they build a little camber into a certain wheel position,grind a tire with a special profile, stagger a wheelbase, build some twist in or anything else like that? Of course, so slight that the untrained eye would not notice.

 

Or were they just superior drivers with really good motors and prep?

 

Like the licks on a Tootsie Pop I suppose the world may never know.

 

Anybody want to spill any beans after 50 years 

[Pablo]

Of course they did, and many of those secrets have been divulged right here on Slotblog.

Don't know how you missed them. Just as an example, Tony P. still lets out a gem every once in a while.

 

Yes, they were superior drivers/builders/prep specialists, and yes they used many tricks.

Some of them are still doing it. I watched Ursaner just a few years ago win a BIG F1 retro race -

ZERO DESLOTS for the entire race and a ballistic fast car. Amazing to watch

[elvis44102]

i remember watching mike stuebe @ 1970 at a big Parma race in practice on friday night...total confusion on the track and people walking around blocking line-of-site..He was able to AVOID all

 

that and consistently go fast around the track..out of many hundred racers i watched only a small few had that kind of control and ability i hung around with Jan Limpach in those days, and Jan

 

was always playing those new-fangeld arcade games to improve his hand-eye coordination (i guess?)..for several years i was Jans personal pit crew which involved gluing the track (and de-

 

gluing)..

 

Its one thing to go fast and another to maintain consistently and not de-slot  very rarefied company...as far as the engineers i still remember a lecture on why the gears wont mesh properly on

 

an anglewinder...we were all a pretty observant crew and nobody had any speed "secrets for long"

[Mike Patterson]

I remember the bubbled, flared, smashed and bespoilered Lotus 30 bodies. Not exactly "off-the-shelf".

[slotcarone]

I remember the bubbled, flared, smashed and bespoilered Lotus 30 bodies. Not exactly "off-the-shelf".

I did quite a few of them myself!!