19 replies to this topic

[Preston M]

The Fall Brawl was a blast. It was great meeting everyone who does not race with Retro East.

Now, I have only been racing a year, but I can EASILY say that I have never seen the type of racing that went on this weekend before. The A Mains for GTC-PD, F1, and Can-Am were unreal.

Now, I must say thank you to a few people for such a memorable weekend.

Jay and Mike, thank you for hosting this event, I will definitely have to make my way back next year.
Noose, thanks for keeping everything organized and fair.
Jersey John, thank you for your willingness to let me use you spacers.
Dennis, wow. I showed this man the front axle of my upright, wondering what I should do, and he sat down for an hour and rebuilt the frame. Did I mention that it was a Samson CLONE!? Regardless, i would not have had the opportunity to run without his help.
Ed, for letting me use his tire truer, and always being one of the nicest guys in slots. He deserved that win.
Lastly, Derek. Derek texted me to let me know he saved a spot right next to him in the back room. Now, I don't own a power supply, and didn't bring my iron, I don't have set up block... but Derek does. He shared his entire bench with me for the weekend. Everyone better watch out for Velez, he is devoting some of his wing car time to Retro.

Now, as many of you know I sold most of my slot stuff. But that does not mean I'm done forever. I have talked to some people, and I can tell you that when I do come back... I'm coming back strong .

[Dddddderek]

Well, after a great long weekend of amazing racing and an extra long drive home (Thank you, I-95 emergency construction, for adding over two hours to my drive ), I would like to say thank you to Mike Iles and Jay Kissling for hosting another great event at SpeedZone. In the short years you guys have been open you have shown to be great hosts and extremely great hospitality.

I also would like to thank Mike for letting me stay at his River House (Almost didn't want to go back racing it was so nice ). Brandon for his great work behind the counter and in the booth. Noose, as always, a great job with tech. Great seeing everyone there and meeting some great people as well. Congrats to Matt Bruce for walking out as overall champ again, as he was hard to beat all weekend. Howie was fast in qualifying for Can-Am but my hats off to Edsel for the performance he put on in the A Main.

Looking forward to seeing everyone again soon and hopefully we will see everyone at RetroPalooza at The World Famous Port Jeff Raceway.

(BTW if you thought my one hat was funny, you haven't seen anything from Doug.)

[Noose]

Wanted to start a thread here so folks can keep them in one place.

I will fill mine in AFTER I catch up on some sleep tonight. Whew...

(Derek's earlier "Thank You" has been merged in. Mod)

[Mike K]

Just a few thoughts about the Fall Brawl from my point of view. As soon as I arrived at SpeedZone I noticed how clean and bright the store was, with two great tracks and the amount of stock on hand. Great first impression!

First person I saw was Chris Radisich. Good to see an old friend when you're 3,000 miles from home! Jay Kisling and his crew had the place running like a top first thing Saturday morning. I didn't feel so bad about my arrival at the hotel at 2 AM Saturday morning after I found out that the Friday crowd was still racing at that time!

Now to get something on the track for the GTC-FK race. I had a few choices, but went with my Trujillo-built King track car, as the SpeedZone Engleman was 220 feet of FAST! Ran really well for the first three heats but then bent the car and broke a hinge. I really need to look ahead more!

The racers at the Fall Brawl are cordial, friendly, and fast, too. This was the most closely-matched group of racers in any of the big races I have attended. To have as many as five mains in the same class separated by as little as a half a second is incredible! They all get along well, with the appropriate verbal assaults given throughout the weekend, but when the power comes on they are all business.

The SpeedZone crew of Mike Iles, Jay Kisling, Mikey, and Max were amazing and attentive. Brandon was not only doing duty behind the counter, but was the race director EXTRORDINAIRE to say the least. He kept everyone informed and kept the races on schedule.

Joe Neumeister's organization of the event and the tech line was exemplary. A time was given when tech would be open and tech was closed as soon as all cars were completed. No small task with over thirty entries in each class. While everyone helps everyone in need, I saw no one work harder than Noose to make the event the success that it was. Thanks, Noose!

It's really great that two racers move up from one main to another. It really gives you something to shoot for! Making the E Main podium and the move up in Can-Am was only one of the highlights of my weekend! I especially want to thank Preston, Wes, Noose, and Matt for their help when I stripped a gear after my move up from the E Main to the D Main in Can-Am. I didn't realize I had a PIT CREW!

I cannot begin to thank everyone I met. Everyone was very accepting of a new guy from the Left Coast. I enjoyed meeting each of you and thoroughly enjoyed your company over the weekend. I do have to say that one of the funniest things I saw all weekend was Bruce Baughman qualifying in his John Gorski wig and headband! I have photos that I'll see if I can post. The cast of characters is VERY entertaining!

IRRA™ and SpeedZone – Keep up the great work! Your dedication to the hobby shows because everyone is having FUN! You put on a great event this past weekend! Thanks again for letting me participate.

One more thing, after an hour drive to Newark airport and another 30 minutes to return the car and check the slot car box as baggage, I arrived at the long security check point line. There I saw a familiar face who was the next person in front of me. It was none other than Tony P.!! The line was about thirty minutes wait, but I have to say I really enjoyed comparing the state of East Coast versus West Coast Retro racing in that time. Thanks for sharing, Tony! I enjoyed the talk almost as much as racing with you!

Sorry this got to be so long, but I had a GREAT TIME!

A final Thank You to my good friend Dennis Samson. Had Dennis not told me that he was going to the Brawl event I would not have even considered going. What a loss that would have been to have missed it!

[Chewy]

The Fall Brawl was great. I was only able to race on Saturday but had a great time.

Thank you, Mike and Jay, for lunch, dinner, and a great event. Thank you Wes for the pit help. Thank you for having every part on hand that a Retro racer could have needed that weekend.

I wish I was closer to the track, can't wait for the enduro.

[Noose]

Again, I will get to my stuff later but this is the now famous Bruce Gorski Baughman along with John.

As Mike mentioned above, when Bruce was called to qualifying in the F1 race we didn't see him but then he comes out of the bathroom in this attire and the place went into hysterics.

It was one of the great highlights of the good times for the weekend.

[John Streisguth]

LOL... that has to be the funniest thing I have ever seen at a slot car race. Great that you got a shot of John Gorski and his illegitimate son. LOL.

Thanks to the SpeedZone crew for putting on a great show once again, Noose for doing all the tech work and keeping an eye on things that he does at nearly EVERY race he attends , thanks to EVERYONE for letting me get in at the tail end of GTC qualifying (I honestly was not aware the classes were being teched and qualified together...), Tony and Dennis for sharing so much knowledge of the chassis theory and construction, and whoever went dumpster diving to find the missing motors belonging to myself and Roger Ruggieri (can't thank them nearly enough).

Once again, tight racing mixed with great camaraderie. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Ron and Randy, very sorry you guys weren't able to attend. Hopefully next year!

[gascarnut]

I also want to thank the SpeedZone crew - Mike, Jay, Brandon, Mikey and Max, Wes, Frank, Ed and everyone else who worked their tails off to make this such a fun event. Thanks too to Noose as always for his tireless efforts at the tech table (even though he bounced me TWICE) and to those who helped him do that job.

But the biggest thanks go to all the Retro East racers for the fantastic welcome that you all gave to us "left coasters". As Mike said, we had a great time and felt welcome from the moment we walked in until the moment we had to leave. The atmosphere was one of friendly competition all weekend, lots of laughs and antics, lots of excellent racing all down the field, truly an event to remember and a great motivation to return next time.

[Cheater]

Bounced you twice!?!?

Noose, you bad boy... LOL!!

[Hipsticker]

Well, I have to say THIS was the best race I've ever been to and probably will be for some time. Words cannot explain the event. It was magical.

Thanks to the SpeedZone staff for having the greatest slot raceway, in my opinion, the world. It is everything and more of what a raceway should be.

Thank you Mike Isles for letting me stay over at the riverhouse to nap and shower, you are one class act, man.
Jay Kisling thank you for your support and coaching me along, putting up with my weirdness without actually smacking me.
Wes, you saved my day TWICE ,thank you so much for keeping my ride alive!
Brandon, you are one mature kid. I know of no other boy that can do all you do in a day, you will be very successful in life my, friend.
Thank you to all the racers that have helped me over the last season giving me advice, coaching, and and general good vibes to help me get my first big win.I think you guys were as happy as me when the track shut off after eight heats... Jesus, it sure feels good to get a win and plaque...LOL. I hope now I can get more speed to keep up with you pro guys. I think it will be a while... This was the greatest weekend I ever had and I'm glad it happened at SpeedZone! I can't wait to go back.

It was great to meet the Tony P., and Dennis Samson, chassis builders... both men are very approachable and probably answered a million questions over the four days. These are two very smart cats. Pleasure to meet you both.

Thanks to my pit neighbor, Ed, for being a hoot to be around and we had a lot of laughs over the weekend. Hope to pit with you again someday.

Your fan,

HIP

[JerseyJohn]

WOW, What an exciting, competitive and fun weekend. Thank you,thank you, thank you. This was racing at its best!!!

First off, Thanks to Mike, Max, Mikey, Jay, and Wes for hosting a great event. You have all put in a great effort and it showed by all of the happy racers. You guys set the gold standard for hosting and operating a great track as proven by the 30+ racers you get on a Monday evening.

Brandon, You were an awesome race director and helped make the weekend a great success. We are all proud of you..

Bruce, my partner in crime, you sick puppy. I rather prefer you as a blond buddy LOL. Man, you ran great and are a cool bud, even if you keep out-qualifying me!!!

Noose, Don Vito, as always my friend, you're organizational skills make it happen. You are one of the constants that we depend on. You hard work make our series so successful.. Long Live Retro East

Dennis Samson and Mike Kravitz... It was great to finally meet Dennis and his bud Mike. You guys were fun. It was an honor to have you both. Dennis, in spite of racing, you were so unselfish with your time helping and teaching anyone who asked. It was so cool to pit near you. Mike ,we shared a few races together, great driving and nice move-up. If there is any more in Cali like the two of you, please bring them.

Wes, always willing to fix anyone's busted car in a second. Having you there makes it better for us all. Thanks, cut man!!!!

Congrats to all of the podium winners, Especially my buds Bruce and Dave " Double D " Damott our new Team Bullet member, and all of the other racers gave us the greatest show on earth.

To Yoda, Chassis God, Super GEEK, and Evil Bucks King, Tony P., seeing you there was a big high for many. We miss you tons. It was great having you back in your real home. All I need is six numbers and you will be back for good. LOL .You still got it, brother.

Well, that's it, Next road trip is the R4. see you all and stay safe.

Jersey " Big Finger" John

[tonyp]

There are too many people to thank, I just want to say you guys made me feel like I was home again for those four days. Thank you!

[Howie Ursaner]

Thank you to every single person involved with this race and all of my very special Retro East friends.

Special thanks to Mike Iles, Jay, and Noose. Great job.

This was an event that you had to be at to understand what happened. It was a test of human endurance as much as anything. It had amazing highs and ferocious competition.

Fourteen-year-old year old Brandon race-directed the entire event with military precision. You had to see it to believe it.

The Can-Am qualifying got crazy and everyone was so into it.

Seeing old friends, including Bob Emott who made a special appearance on Saturday. So great to spend some time around Tony P and racing Edsel.

The Engleman track was fabulous and fast. It makes you feel like you are racing missiles and everyone should try racing on it. And the Jersey Devil flat track was super-challenging and fun. Mt Holly, NJ, where it is located is a beautiful little town and the raceway is so clean and organized it is a pleasure to go there. I am so glad that i was there,

My best chance to win was in Can-Am after I had a TQ and new track record and I had a great start in blue with a nice lead . Purple and black were not good for me as I got collected twice and was running in seventh, a hopeless four laps back and it stayed that way for most of the race. I drove my *** off and at the end to my amazement I moved into second one lap behind Eddie Sohl, the leader. Congrats, Eddie.

[Noose]

Boy, where to start...

Of course I have to thank Mike Iles and Jay Kisling for holding this event that has turned out to be one heck of a fun time!

The tracks were in perfect condition so there was no guessing as to the tires that needed to be used. There was plenty of stock of everything on hand for anyone that needed even the oddest item. Thanks to all of the sponsors for their donations and I have listed them all in the race report on it's own thread.

To all my Retro East buds, good job in showing that this is one tough place to race. I heard more than once what a large contingent of good racers we have in this area and that is the truth.

Everyone should be especially thankful to Brandon Millinghausen as that kid is awesome at race directing! In one day he handled nine mains by himself and was never at a loss for words. LOL A true professional even at his young age.

It was great to meet Mike Kravitz and to see my bud Dennis Samson again. Wow... haven't seen him since the R4/1! Special thanks to Wes for helping me out, too. He is the best pit crew guy to have around for sure.

I wish I could have mingled some more but I was kinda busy and glad I got a chance to at least sit down somewhat on Saturday night and chit chat.

To my bud Tony P thanks for making the trip up and our great discussions all weekend. Tony and I were roomies and pit mates and actually lived to remember the weekend. LOL

Thanks guys for a great weekend.

[slotracer43]

What an awesome event!! Had a blast racing on Friday and into the early morning hours of Saturday!

Thanks to Mike, Jay, and Wes for all your help and advice in getting my cars ready for the event. Also, thanks for all the hard work you put in to make SpeedZone such a great place to race. Speed Zone is second to none!

to Brandon for doing the race directing, and working the counter; you always do an awesome job.

And thanks to Noose for your work in teching, and making sure the event runs smoothly.

Finally, thanks to everyone who voted for my car in Stock Car. It was certainly a suprise to win that.

Noose, if you need any of my custom Sharpie-colored driver figures for your bodies just send me a PM.

Adam C

[slotcarone]

Thanks to the SpeedZone crew for a great event!!!

Thanks to Noose for his tireless work teching and overseeing things in general and for the awesome race report!!

It was nice to meet and learn from Dennis Samson and to see Tony P after a few years in FL.

For me the highlight of the event was after three poor performances in the other races, was finally getting it together and qualifying for a sit-out in the Can-Am A Main. What could be better than racing with my heroes and legends from when we were all kids? Finishing a lap behind The Sohl Man and about six feet behind Howiewood is like a win for me!!

Looking forward to doing it again!!

One last thank you goes out to the vendors and manufacturers who donated race prizes.

[Matt Bruce]

I have to agree with Howie in that this was a race weekend of endurance. A lot of racing.

Thanks to Mike and the SpeedZone crew for all their hard work in putting on this race. It was the best atmosphere at a slot race I have ever been apart of. The addition of our friends, Mike K. and Dennis Samson, to the race along with Tony P made it extra special.

Thanks to Steve Levitsky for the Tony P spec car, Mac for the Tony P Stock Car, and Mike Iles for the last minute Samson F1. Tony won the Constructors title, which was awesome, but driving that wounded Samson F1 car home first was a great moment for Dennis as well. Thanks to both of these men dedication to the hobby and for building such great cars for us all to drive.

Hats off to a great drive by Ed in Can-Am, Mike in Stock Car, Jay in Coupe, and what I consider the highlight, Hip winning a very popular FK race.

For those who couldn't be there this round, make it a point to get here for round 3. As many will attest, you won't be dissappointed. Special thanks goes out to Noose for all his tireless effort in promoting retro here in the east and abroad. A outstanding race report yet again, Noose.

Both Sharon and I are very happy to have such great friendships with all of you. The racing is good, but it's the people that makes retro so great. There was no better representation of that than at the Brawl. Everyone having fun, helping each other, making new racers feel right at home, cheering for Howie to break 5 seconds, everyone shaking Hips hand after his win, helping Mike K make a move-up, Bruce wanting to be Gorski for just a moment.

Above all, the magic that happens when we all get together for a long race weekend. That's what it's about.

[NJ SpeedZone]

The entire SpeedZone family would like to thank all the racers that attended the Fall Brawl and all of the event sponsors helped out. We would like to especially thank the guys that came from a distance. Dennis Samson and Mike Kravitz both from California, Howie Ursaner from Wisconsin, Tony P from Florida, and we can’t forget the guys from Long Island, New York, and North Jersey. Their trips to SpeedZone often take as long as it would to fly to the west coast.

I personally would like to thank Noose. Without all his efforts for not only this event but also the IRRA™. Without Noose all of Retro slot racing would not be the great success it is.

I can’t possibly explain how awesome it was to have as many of the Retro slot car fathers in our place at the same time. In attendance we had Tony P, Dennis Samson, Howie Ursaner, Bob Emott, Roger Ruggieri, Noose, Mike Katz, John Gorski, and Ed Sohl. These guys all raced together in the '60s and most of them raced right here in New Jersey...

That’s right... Bob Emott was in the house. He even purchased a couple of Retro kits, one JK and one R-Geo. I can’t wait to see his creations.

It’s a real shame that Rande Marshall and Ron Hershman had to cancel at the last minute. I think they would have had a great time and the other racers would have enjoyed racing and talking to both of them. I personally was looking forward to picking both of their brains.

For me the weekend was just incredible. My biggest highlight was talking to both Dennis Samson and Tony P at the pit party on Saturday night about their slot car theories. It’s funny how similar their theories are but how different the cars they build look. One other thing that I thought was really neat was once Dennis arrived and got settled in, he began building one of his famous flat track chassis. I couldn’t believe it. I guess when you’re a builder you build. He worked on it in his spare time. He even messed it up twice. How about that, even the great builder’s mess up! He just about had it completed by Sunday afternoon. Tony and Dennis helped the other racers all weekend. I don’t think there was a time when their irons weren’t hot and ready.

Oh and lets not forget Howie singing on the PA at 1:30 AM... "Cause what's troubling you is the nature of my game"... Howie, you're AWESOME!!

Lastly, I would like to thank our staff and helpers Jay, Brandon, Wes, Mike M, Sharron, Max, and Mikey. These adults and kids worked tirelessly for the weeks up to and the week of the Brawl. I would especially like to thank Brandon for an awesome effort. This fourteen-year-old was just incredible the entire weekend. He not only ran all the races he also ran most everything else.

We all are looking forward to next year!!!!

Our Sponsors: Parma, Tom Thumb Hobbies, Precision Slot Car Products, Noose Custom Bodies, Team Epic, Difalco, O/S Bodies, Stevens International, Shirley MacNeir, Eagle, ERI, Chicagoland Raceway, Protrack, Pro Slot, Bryan Warmack, JK Products, and FSF.

Thanks again,

Mike Iles and the SpeedZone crew

[Mike Mankin]

And for all those that did not attend here is a clip of what you missed that is pretty good
http://animoto.com/p...campaign=player
or you can go onto the Speedzone Facebook page and scroll down a little bit and find it there
http://www.facebook....114365705315249

[JerseyJohn]

Mike Im sure you know by now what an awesome event The ZONE family hosted. It was great to see our west coast buddys Dennis and Mike make the trip..
Although I must say I was personally disappointed though, not seeing any of the Midwest pose out here. I know you Retro East guys have done several R4 and Sano races for the past several years....Maybe they think Route 80 is only a One way west .LOL Maybe next year....