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David Liebenthal, 1951-2019


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#1 Steve Okeefe

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 08:37 AM

David Liebenthal died yesterday at 3:18 PM after a prolonged battle with diabetes.

 

He is survived by his wife, Jacque, and those of us in the slot racing community who knew him as a fierce competitor and the owner and operator of Proformance Racing.

 

Rest in Peace, my lifelong friend.


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#2 Cheater

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 08:48 AM

Oh no...

Gregory Wells

Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap


#3 havlicek

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 08:50 AM

Very sad. I had some nice talks with him on the phone, but never met him in person. Prayers and condolences to his family and friends.


John Havlicek

#4 old & gray

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 09:28 AM

So sorry to hear this. I remember his work when I was building in the '90s.

 

My condolences to his family.


Bob Schlain

#5 Leon

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 10:14 AM

So long, dear friend


Leon Haley

#6 Half Fast

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 10:29 AM

A fine craftsman.

 

A nice man.

 

His loss is a shame.

 

RIP, Dave.


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#7 Cheater

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 11:14 AM

After their move to Georgia, David and Jacque lived just twelve miles from me and I visited their home often.

 

David could be opinionated and a little prickly, but he had such a big heart and truly liked helping others. He was very kind to Jay and me when we were running the SERRA Retro racing group. He loved slot racing as much as anyone I have ever known.

Jacque called me this morning, thinking she was going to inform me of David's passing, and seemed a little surprised I already had heard the sad news.

 

When I commented that we had known for some time the trajectory that David was on, she agreed but added, "I am going to miss him so much."

 

So will I, Jacque, and so will a lot of other people. And as you said, he is in a better place now.

 

RIP, my friend.


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Gregory Wells

Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap


#8 Bill from NH

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 11:45 AM

I met Dave once, when he came north to the '97 Nats and brought his balancer with him to NH. He provided balancing services out of his Holiday Inn room.

I occasinally used him for parts and he was always very good to deal with. I recall he moved to GA (from VA or MD?) when his wife, an AT&T district manager, got a job transfer there.

My condolences to the family and I'll miss Proformance, too.
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#9 slotcarone

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 12:02 PM

RIP, David. I did race with him a long time ago.

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#10 Noose

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 12:25 PM

RIP, Dave. Remember when he came to the Sano. We had good chats over the years.

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#11 Uncle Fred

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 12:35 PM

Sad to hear. I raced with Dave back in the '60s then Wing cars in the '90s.
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#12 JerseyJohn

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 12:44 PM

A sad day. Whenever I spoke with David I always left an hour clear to talk. He was a very smart man.

RIP, David.
 

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#13 Guy Spaulding

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 12:51 PM

Rest in peace, David. 

Prayers for all family and friends.

#14 boxerdog

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 02:13 PM

Well said by all. David was a very interesting man and a true racer. He will be missed.


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#15 Tex

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 04:53 PM

RIP, David.
 
My condolences to the family.
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#16 Fast Freddie

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 05:47 PM

David was a very good friend. I gained much from his knowledge over the years. I especially remember the first time he came to my track and schooled me on the proper way to race direct. 

He will be missed. Rest in the peace you deserve, David.
Fred Younkin

#17 alainprost22

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 06:04 PM

My brother and I went to high school with Dave. In the '60s, Dave raced with us at Gran Prix Raceway (Bronx). Even in those early days, Dave was building some really good toys.

Dave relocated to the Midwest for college, then marriage. I reconnected with Dave when I was transitioning from Elmsford to King track racing. We would spend hours on the phone, talking about anything from proper glue techniques to body mounting strategies. By the end of our conversations, I thought my head would explode from all the valuable information received.  

He would call my wife, his "girlfriend."

I will miss our conversations. I will miss Dave. But I'm fortunate to have so many stored memories of him.
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#18 triggerman

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Posted 14 January 2019 - 07:32 PM

I'm so sad to hear of Dave's passing.
 
He was a great mentor and friend who helped me get started with my Hudy Tire Truer upgrade service, aka Knob Job. His web sales expertise was valuable to a luddite like myself.
 
For years anyone inquiring about my products was directed to proformanceracing.biz for any info they needed.

God speed Dave. You'll be missed

Dale Ryan
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#19 MG Brown

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Posted 15 January 2019 - 10:35 AM

Have David's arrangements been published? Thanks in advance.


That's thirty minutes away. I'll be there in ten.
 
 

 


#20 Cheater

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Posted 15 January 2019 - 11:37 AM

MG, not as far as I know.

 

Jacque told me yesterday when she called that his service would probably be early next week.


Gregory Wells

Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap


#21 MSwiss

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Posted 15 January 2019 - 01:13 PM

David was a great guy.

A solid businessman that I always had good dealings with.

As others alluded to, always an interesting phone conversation, a terrific craftsman, and a solid racer.

David was one the guys to beat, in G27, in the late '80s, finishing third at the '88 Nats, and second to Jay Horn, in '89.

May he rest in peace.

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#22 Jim Lange

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Posted 15 January 2019 - 01:20 PM

Godspeed, my friend, may you rest in peace.



#23 Matt Bruce

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Posted 15 January 2019 - 10:28 PM

Godspeed, Dave.



#24 Howie Ursaner

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Posted 16 January 2019 - 12:21 PM

Thanks for your help, Dave! RIP.


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#25 Cheater

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Posted 16 January 2019 - 02:52 PM

I just spoke with Jacque's sister, who is working on David's service, and she is seeking pictures of David that can be emailed to her.

 

I'll be going through my photo library to see if I have any usable images and request that all of David's friends to check to see what they may have.

 

Contact me via PM if you have anything please!


Gregory Wells

Never forget that first place goes to the racer with the MOST laps, not the racer with the FASTEST lap






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