Originally Posted by
SteveL
Bob, I always knew that you were the unofficial custodian of R/C history but this takes it to a new level. Good on you for doing this!
Probably the biggest mistake I ever made in my 57 years was selling RACEtech Motor Sports to Bolink back in 1998. I remember the day that Bob & Steve Rule arrived to pick everything up and wondering what I was going to do with the rest of my life. Oh, if only knew then what I know now. I've miss it dearly and just this past weekend, ran into a racer that I had not seen in years at a new carpet track and telling him about how that short four years was the most enjoyable time in my working carrer. Oh, how many times my wife would call at 11:00PM and ask if I was ever coming home.
Amazing how time flies when you really love what you are doing. Do you happen to have a G-Force 1/10 scale oval car in the collection by chance? I would gladly send you the Pontiac body that was used in all of the marketing shots that has never seen a track if you do.
I will have to stop back a few times to share some of the more historic events that I can recall and encounters with some of the industry greats. I've been in and out of R/C since '88 and got to meet some of the best people on earth. This thread is bringing back some great memories.
-Going to my first ROAR off road Nats in Detroit in '89 and watching Jim Dieter take a 6 cell pack of red Sanyo's, dead short them and throw 'em in a bucket of water. Had been racing all of 9 months and my first qualifier had me standing next to Gil Jr. & Jay Halsey. Talk about being intimidated.
-First Cleveland Indoor Champs in '89 showing up Friday morning at 3:00AM only to be if the FIRST qualifier having never seen the track! Oh, and it was the "U" qualifier at that. Thought I did pretty well taking 3rd in the "K" main. Those were the days!
-TQ'ing 1/10 scale Stock On Road Nats in St. Petersburg, FL around '94 or '95, only to blow the car apart in the first corner of the Main! Damn those were fast! But boy they were fun!
I don't think I have anything left in the shop of any historical value, but will make sure to send it to you if I do. Did you ever get that Delta Super Spyder of mine restored? Keep up the good work!
Steve LaFara
St. Louis, MO
Third in the K main at the 89 indoor champs?... I mighta been
in that main, was it mod? That'd be funny wouldn't it.
I remember one of those classes, for whatever reason, taking a HUGE beating. Don't remember the circumstances, but I remember bumping 4-5 times.
I recall that delta being pretty clean to begin with
. Mostly I accumulate parts until I have everything to do something. then do it. about a week ago i was organizing a box of junk and found all the rest of the parts for the enduro car I was building for one of the Thunderdrome events. I never got to go
.. Built the car, was ready to go, and something came up business wise and I had to bail at the last minute. Only thing holding me back on starting the restoration on that car is that I'm not 100% sure what front end was on it. I'm 95% confident it was associated block, but there's 5% of me thinks it was a Cheetah beam. I think I'll build it as the block.
i don't know that I have the G-force. Over the last 60-90 days I started looking at oval cars. A class unto themselves. Most people, truly, have no idea how many 1/10 and 1/12 pan cars there actually were. there were hundreds.
I just picked up what I think is the Racetech nitro pan car that I'm gonna restore. I talked to Rick Jordany yesterday and a lot of the Bolink history is tough. After it closed it basically was sold and that was that. Hard to get information. Rick believes he can date most kits back to the finish date on the bodys that were included, so we can get that ironed out when the time comes.
If you have photos of the cars, that would help a LOT. Just PM me and I'll get you my address. love to see the body you have.
I think I have most of Andys original bodys from ads (or a lot of them) and some Bolink and a lot of Associateds. Bodys frustrate me. take up a lot of room and hide the coolest part of the car... THE CAR!
But, gotta have 'em.
keep in touch.
-Bob