64 replies to this topic

[tonyp]

Jax,
 
Cape Oaks was long gone when we were running at a regular basis at Elmsford.

[NY Nick]

I raced there once with the North/East USRA, had a great time.

 

Did Lou have that track redone at some point?

[John Streisguth]

IIRC, I think Hasse refinished it in the '90s, and recountoured the sharpest corners.  Maybe took the esses out coming up to the lead-on?  I know I saw the track before and after, that's what I remember.

[trailerkeith]

Yes, Hasse did reconfigure some of the turns and tried to tame some of the esses after the driver's straight. Both turns after the bank were widened but that was still when they were in under the bowling alley in their original spot. The tracks moved twice after to their final spot about a block south of where they were for years. I assisted in those rebuilds in the early 90's for Elmsford's 25th at the time. 

[Michael Jr.]

Nuvolari.jpg

 

Hawthorne.jpg

 

DePortago.jpg

 

Deportago2.jpg

 

I used to work at the Elmsford Raceway when I was a teenager. Lou and Barbra DelRosario will be missed!! As far as the rracks are concerned, I contacted Michael DelRosario (he still runs ERI Associates) and told me that the last landlord they had threw them out!

 

So I have an idea to have them remade (the Nuvolari at least, and possibly the Deportago (that was the small one in the back of the original location.) The Hawthorn was the figure 8 track. So far the only person I've been able to contact who might be able to help remake them is Gary Gerding, of Gerding Fast Track fame, however he doesn't want to make any tracks that long anymore. I can commission him to remake the other two though.

 

Is anyone here interested in investing in slot car racing Icons? Let's rebuild history!!!   

 

What became of this? Are those tracks lost? Will there be others built to look like them?

[Michael Jr.]

Of all the track we raced on in the pro era, Elmsford was the worst. The 220 launched on the lower lanes from the beginning. Lou would reply it’s character when people complained.

By the time we ran retro most lanes were launch ramps and the slot was so warn out In the deadman on green you deployed 9 out of 10 times no matter how slow you went.

Even though I won my biggest race there I’m Glad to know it was chopped up instead of sold to someone who did not know.




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  I'm late reading and catching up but....the tracks of Elmsford are destroyed?

[Tim Neja]

That little DePortago would make a great 4 lane home track!!   Sad their all gone!

[Half Fast]

  I'm late reading and catching up but... the tracks of Elmsford are destroyed?

 

All gone to landfill.

 

Such is life.

[Michael Jr.]

It's so hard to hear about that when there are tracks selling still. To think one only had to get a truck and go get them... hard to comprehend and accept. So much history and even if they weren't perfect tracks... gone to trash.... I'm really bothered by that.

[Half Fast]

Doug Bauer of Port Jeff Raceway tried to broker the sale of the two smaller tracks, when he went to Elmsford to inspect them, he found that they had already been trashed by the landlord.

[NY Nick]

I may be wrong but is the whip that he has setup now came from Elmsford?

[old & gray]

The Whip came from Rapid Raceway in Plainville, CT. They bought it new.

[NY Nick]

I am wrong. Thanks.

[Steve Ogilvie]

I built a replica of the Hawthorne track that Lou put in to a raceway in CT; do not remember where. When he moved out of the original location I built two tracks for there to go along with the Engelmens. Lou and Barbara were great to me over the years and Michael was a big help, too.

 

Being a part of Elmsford was incredible for me, having grown up reading magazine articles and living so far away.

[Cheater]

I believe Lou's second raceway was in Stamford, CT.