23 replies to this topic

[DOCinCanton]

I am making this post to see how many racers from NE Ohio are still racing slot cars in 2016-17. Also Gil Pataky responded to a post on the R4 forum about racing with me back in the '60s.

I thought that I would start a thread about racing back in Ohio during the timeframe that I raced. I was not a great slot car racer, but I had a lot of fun racing in Canton (my hometown), Akron, and then the Cleveland area. I found one article in the seven or eight Car Model magazines that I still have. It shows a picture mainly of the Elyria crowd. I was fortunate to get ninth place on a very difficult six-lane track in the basement of the Slot Shop, owned and operated by Donna and Paul Hubble (my favorite couple from the '60s).



In this photo, I am 18 years old. It looks like Gil Pataky is in the middle row on the far left. Gil, is that you?

A nice picture of Donna and Paul Hubble is in bottom right of the page.

[Justin A. Porter]

Speaking as the current caretaker of The Slot Shop's legacy, I can say that we still see Bob Huttinger and Gary Sutorius as regulars who were there in the Winckles St. days before Paul and Donna moved the Slot Shop to Cleveland St. 

[DOCinCanton]

I remember that the Slot Shop was on Cleveland St., also known to me as Rt 20, being an out-of-towner.

[Steve Deiters]

In the early '70s some of the most awesome racing of the "Group 7 era" took place. Limpach, Davis, Bloodworth, Simerka, and many, many others..

[DOCinCanton]

Correct. Dan Bloodworth became the first USRA national champion and Jan Limpach become the first three-time USRA national champion.
 
I mainly recall (my memory is not very good) racing against Jan Limpach, Chris Brown (Tallmadge), Lyle Jenkins, Perry Celaschi (sp?), Jim McElhiney (Akron), Ron Shuur, Gary Cooper, Gary Yosaki, Paul Hubbell, and Gil Pataky, Jr., and John Loesch, Jr & Sr.
 
So this is more centered around 1967-69.

[The Number of]

Shrocks on West Tusc and Cleveland Ave. Quit in 1969, still see Gary Yasaki time to time.

[Bob Kurkowski]

Ron VanWaggen, Mark and Lisa Picone, Team PDQ from Hubbard Ohio - Mel Hammer, 'Gramps' Jerry Wells, Howard Kemory, and John Stracken. Elyria's Jim 'Bando" Bandaski, Mike Peskar, Mark Race, Dave Mickolis, Jim Amoraty, Mike Tysor, Lynn Bobo, Kenny Loric, Gary Fuchs, Jim Donnelly,Terry ? from Cleveland Raceways.  There were also 1/32 racers Don Weiding Sr. and Jr. plus John Darrell.

 

Sorry about the spelling on the names.

 

Bob K.

[YetiSRP]

Coop and I just had lunch at the Olive Garden in Elyria today although he lives in Macedonia (the city, not the country). John Strachan is on temporary hiatus but will be back soon and I just left Bud Bartos' home.

 

The 6six-ane track(s) were on Winckles St and the Cleveland St. location had an orange track upstairs and an original blue King in the basement that hosted the '73 Nats won by Joel Montague. Very disappointed one day to hear; "Oh, we sold the King track."

 

And, Justin, I was a regular at Winckles St. but had a nickname as Bando back then although only Bud's daughter, Jill, gets to 'legally' call me that now. I actually first ran a car, albeit briefly, at the very short-lived Race Palace in Lorain, OH.

 

Larry Vincek's brother, Ron, is a regular.

[YetiSRP]

BTW everyone keeps saying I was from Elyria. Never was but, ironically, am now as of about six weeks ago.

[Dave Reed]

Just to add to the long story of The Slot Shop I have purchased the orange Monarch  and will be picking it up tomorrow. Whatever needs to be done to return it to perfect condition will be done.

[DOCinCanton]

Wow, thats a lot of names from the past.

 

Bill: My home track in Canton was DJs. However, I did race a lot at Shrocks on North Cleveland Ave. So we must have raced against each other. But the last time that I might have raced there might have been around Summer 1968 because I went off to college in September 1968.

EDIT: A name of a fellow racer who used to race at Shrock's on Cleveland Ave was Fred Van Horn. He had a very scary fast '67 Corvette. Took me out for a ride one night and scared the crap out of me. Fred must have laid rubber for 50 yards.

 

I remember Gramps, never knew his real name. A true story about Gramps is that prior to one of the biggest races at Parma, he bought a pro built car out of the showcase at Parma. He practiced with it a little. The car was a total rocket. Gramps had some trouble keeping it in the slot. There were several pros there at the time. One of them asked to test drive Gramps car. The pro (I can't recall who that was) turned faster laps with Gramps car than he could turn with his own car.

 

True story; I was there and watched it unfold!!! Pretty funny.

[YetiSRP]

Jerry 'Gramps' Wells.

[YetiSRP]

The orange track is finding some kind of home??? Say whhhaaattt???
 
I won the first race on that orange once it was set up and I think the last one before it 'migrated.' Helped tear it down for Chuck Holt and a gang of us loaded it up on a truck.
 
You have just got to keep us posted on your progress. Well, as least me.

[Mach9]

Just to add to the long story of The Slot Shop I have purchased the orange Monarch and will be picking it up tomorrow... Whatever needs to be done to return it to perfect condition will be done..

Always good to hear about an orange receiving some TLC!!!

Is that the one some had for sale on Facebook a few weeks ago?

[Dave Reed]

Yes, it is the same track..

[YetiSRP]

Larry Harper, formerly Speedway Slots.

[YetiSRP]

And just as an added note, I don't know who remembers but, not only were the original Slot Shop tracks six-lane but, as far as I know, they were the only tracks where you had lane choices of pink and brown.

[Justin A. Porter]

Didn't mean to leave you out, Bandes. LOL. Was trying to add folks I didn't think were as obvious as yourself or Jan or Bud.

[Steve Deiters]

I remember "Gramps." He said, "Just call me Gramps." Always had a cigar as I recall. 

Nice man/nice racer.

[Mbloes]

Steve, I was just reading an article by you on Dougherty's 4wd 1/32 scratchbuild.
 
But what I really want to know is, are you still as handsome a guy as that photo in CM?

[Steve Deiters]

Yes, but the Dorian Grey portrait in my attic is looking a little worse for the wear. LOL.

[elvis44102]

I'm still alive and well. I am in the middle, front row of the picture, between Limpach and Brewer. I was all of 12 years old. Thank you for posting this picture.

 

The Elyria track had a series of small bumps that confounded all the Cleveland racers, and Mr Hubble took them out in an effort to get a regular series of races in the Metro area (not sure if this is before or after)

 

Reading the race report i see i was neck and neck with with Jan till the end, which was a story that would repeat for years, nobody knew they would call the race Dan Bloodworth won some sort of Nationals event at the time but Parma had crazy power with about 160 entries, during qualifying i believe the battery chargers were on past 12volts or something because between the overglued track and the power one motor after another blew..i was second fastest qualifier with a 27/28 wind and bloodworth won with my backup car.

 

At the time of the photo, Jan, Gary Brewer, and Dave Wendal (Mouse) constantly ate DOTS candy from the vending machine....and as an aside to no-longer (Bando), his nickname before that was the Ruskit kid as he came in with a Ruskit pre-built car, and I'm not sure here, but perhaps a Ruskit controller, while we used COX controllers, but that would precede this picture and make Bando ahead of the curve

 

John Wisneski

[elvis44102]

I just found this thread again and nobody mentioned a list of people in the photo bottom row Jan Limpach, john wisneski, Gary brewer.

 

Middle row Gil Pataky jr, "mouse" Dave wendal, Geoff (from north Royalton raceway)  top row mackelhany, loesch, cooper, dougherty

 

In this time frame mouse, gary brewer and jan limpach hung out together as they all only lived a few blocks apart and a few years later I dated a girl who's last boyfriend was Gary Brewers younger brother. Lol small world

[Carl Holbrook]

That was Terry Miklavic (I may have spelled that wrong) who owned Cleveland Raceway on Lake Shore Blvd. I was a pro from that track and ran the facility for about 6 months while Terry was out sick. Fun times!