65 replies to this topic

[68Caddy]

I was thinking who where the greatest racers ever and why?

What made the diffrence and why are we still competing with the great ones 40 years later?

My first picks: Mike Steube and of course Dan DeBella and Warmack and don't forget Tore, too many to mention? (And if I forgot to mention some of you was not because YOU don't deserve to be there, it's because I had some holy water. )

How does your list go and why?

Dokk, you are there to but I had to put you last because you love to ignore me.

Nesta aka 68Caddy

[MG Brown]

The heroes in my early days of slot were different from those of you on "The Shaky Side", and because of that, my nominations would be different.

I would like to have seen Rick and Phil Sloan (the Infamous Sloan Brothers) and John "Son" Babcock from the Battle Creek, Michigan, "Cereal City Raceway" crew able to travel more and to compete with some of the better known racers that surely will appear on this list.

John seemed to be good with anything that could be raced - scale cars, wing cars, HO cars...

I guess Rick and Phil are spotted in Indiana at oval races now and then just for snicks and giggles.

I feel that Jim Stevens needs to be mentioned too as a great builder and all-around good guy; Jim was almost as inscrutable as Michael Iga "in the day".

[Tex]

Ah, a hero-worshipping thread in all it's glory; I LIKE it! The first pro "name" I heard of was John Cukras. The folks that ran our local raceway (the Davidsons) had gone to the big race in San Antonio for the '68 Worlds Fair. They came back and said what a nice guy John was. I "think" they also mentioned Jerry Brady as not being so nice; don't quote me on the Brady reference... I "think" they mentioned that.

A couple years later, as I became more involved in actual racing, I heard of Mike Steube and Joel Montague from some locals who began buying stuff from them or traveled to some of the bigger races. This would all be from about 1969-1972.

[Les]

There is "ONE" GREATEST racer of all time. Winner in the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and still winning!!
Has raced and won (in all classes) on a Nationial level for over 40 years and still racing and winning.

NO other racer can even come close to John Tore Anderson!! He is the GREATEST of all time!!!

[Mark Wampler]

What I think highest in the rock stars of slotcardom are the guys who are humble. They don't go around with a "holier than thou" attitude. They're willing to help out and give advice. Those guys are the ones that I look up to. I find that most of these guys that race at BPR are very helpful

I think of all the racers that come to the top on my list, I'd have to pick John Cukras. July's race on the King put a lot of pressure on everyone rushing to get set up with the hand-out motors. John had the task of setting up two other teammates ahead of himself. Oscar showed what a Cukras car can do with multiple podiums. Likewise John W did very well, but Mr. Cukras had a lot of problems. Sometimes glory is deferred when others are priority.

John leaned over one time and whispered a little hint about an axle setup that I was struggling with for the last couple of months. He simply said, "Ditch it". I was thinking the same thing, so John's witness was good enough. Here's a guy who fits the bill of number one humble servant.

[endbelldrive]

Howie.

[JerseyJohn]

This one is easy for me being from NJ. My old days heros were and still are, Emott, TonyP, Noose, Gorski and Tango.
New heros since I started racing again 2006, Katz ,Carlissi, Cicconi, Kisling, and Bruce.
Heros in the batters box, Rob, Vinny and Torre, Dom, and Jersey Jimmy.
Vintage racing heros. My Team Krash buddies Wild Bill and Mike Jr.

[Matt Bruce]

NO other racer can even come close to John Tore Anderson!! He is the GREATEST of all time!!!

I second that. Over the long haul, nobody has done it better than him. He never stopped racing, has run and won just about everything, and has forgotten more than most of us will ever know about slot cars.

[TSR]

and has forgotten more than most of us will ever know about slot cars.

By this time of the day he has already forgotten his own name...

[Cheater]

Bob Cozine has to be on anyone's list of the best ever slot racers, if for no other reason than for winning the Chicago Arco race over a huge field (the largest ever, I've heard claimed).

And having raced against Bob for many years, I can say the beating him was almost impossible if he didn't break. I don't think I ever did so.

A fierce competitor on the track and the most helpful and nicest guy off it.

[The Bugman]

WITHOUT A DOUBT, in my mind (feeble as it is... LOL) John "the Jet" Cukras is and was the best all-time greatest slot car racer/builder/inventor/designer.

Besides racing building D3 slots, Cukras also has a very successful business in HO Racing, too. His Legend Racing HO products his are to this day being used all over the USA and half of the other world that races these tiny pocket rockets.

Cukras is the MAN... and not to forget his trusty sidekick "Pistol" Pete Zimmerman. This guy has been by Cukras' side since day one. Pete is an excellent machinist, motor, chassis builder and a lot of our D3 stuff Pete has made for us... with his great machine work.

I know I am very happy calling both these guys my good friends.

[Quickerthanyu]

I've only been racing slot cars for about eleven years now, however I've heard hundreds of stories about past "great" racers dominating the racing circuits "back in the day".

I finally got to meet two of those great racers, and in my mind, they are tied for greatest all time. These guys are the two of the nicest guys I've ever met in my life. From the day I met them, they've always been there with help, suggestions, tips, and have also become some very close friends.

So, in my opinion, the two greatest racers of all time are John Tore Anderson and Gil Gundersen.

[TSR]

Your are all forgetting Hermann Finklemeyer, the greatest of them all.

[Cheater]

Yep, that Finklemeyer is a legend in his own mind...

[TSR]

How can you say that about a man who absolutely dominated slot car racing for so many years and the very inventor of the droop-arm and the baggy pans?

[Tex]

I've never worn baggy pants. Baggy shorts maybe, but not baggy pants.

[NJ Racer]

Beuf Pedersen, Paul Ciccarello, and Paul Gawronski... no contest.

[Quickerthanyu]

That would be very true for current best racers. But unfortunately, they weren't around in the beginng to race in the golden days!

I personally know and am friends with both Beuf and Chicky, and both are extremely great racers and class acts, but still, not quite competition for some of the names mentioned already.

However, if I had to pick from those three, ot's Chicky hands down. How many other guys have won Pro G7 and 4-1/2 Nascar National titles? I believe he has over 20 National titles for that matter!

[NJ Racer]

But Joe Louis never fought Muhammad Ali either so go figure that one.

Based on our great retro revival program where great legends have recently met, I say Gorski and Steube are the best in their class.

TonyP and Steube get the nod for outstanding construction.

And yes, Noose gets my vote for painting.

[68Caddy]

Very interesting and I had a feeling that every region would have great racers in their stable.
I would love it if Dook would arrange a race at the Slot Car museum in LA with the greatest racers in the Nation.

I surly would watch that race if it ever happened.


Nesta

[TSR]

I've never worn baggy pants. Baggy shorts maybe, but not baggy pants.

Who said anything about baggy pants? Hermann P. Finklemeyer invented the baggy PANS. More flex in the banking, that is. Successful design and 4-time King track world record holder in reverse.

[Zippity]

Brown Nose time again, is it??

model car racing actually started in England in the 1940’s and was actually "rail" racing rather than "slot." The early model slotcars were somewhat similar to electric trains in that they got the electrical power from "rails" which were raised above the track surface

These are the people we should be praising and lauding

[68Caddy]

Maybe we need a Slot Car museum in the East.

Nesta

[kuni123456]

Maybe we need a Slot Car museum in the East.

Nesta

I think that each decade had a group of outstanding slot car racers. I have raced against many of the above mentioned racers and realize that the races were much larger in the 1960's than compared to following decades. I believe that the "Pro" racers from the 1960's had a much harder time racing in the mains of large races compared to present day slot racers. I also believe that the top racers of each decade could compete against each other. I see "Pro" racers from five decades racing against each other at Buena Park Raceway and it is interesting to see that many of the "A" Main racers are former "Pro" racers. I believe that the best racers are the ones who won the most National Open races, but because the USRA Nats started in 1971 it is hard to compare earlier racers. It is true that Paul "Buef" Pedersen has won five Nats and three Worlds races and that P.A. Watson has won four Nats and three Worlds races, but John Cukras won four out of six ARCO races and the Hemisphere Race in Texas before the USRA was created. He also won the first USRA race at Checkered Flag Raceway as well. I believe that if the best racers of each decade could race each other in the Group 7 you might be surprized about the outcome. Unfortunately, most racers are over 50 years old and the younger racers have an advantage.

John K. Wakamatsu

[Mike Patterson]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Jan Limpach. I heard he wasn't too shabby.

Mike Patterson