I remember it like yesterday, laying on the basement floor with my chin resting on the controller button cause the ribs on the old Aurora contoller started hurting my hands. But I was determined to catch up to the fastback Corvette that was just ahead of me; it was getting closer and closer and the thought of me passing it was so exciting and then "thump" after all that hard work the Corvrtte sails away from me once again as my car sits still on the basement floor. As my bother gives out a hardy laugh, I'm so excited that the few seconds of frustration quickly faded as I got up to retrive my car and place it back on the track. I had no idea at the time that almost thirty some odd years later I would still enjoying this hobby called H.O. Scale slot car racing, it just does not seem that long ago....I guess I've come a long way from HEROES!
Freedom:
After years of living a dysfuctional existance, I finally found a ray of joy when I was finally able to afford my own place..a small one bed room garden apartment in Silver Spring MD. All I had was a bed, TV, my audio equipment and two old Aurora Super G's. Both had been sitting for so long that the tires had dry rotted.
Looking back it has been a long road, but a fruitful and exciting route to travel. When the early nineties hit, I was so wrapped up in stuff that I was practically out of control. 1995 rolled around I made a serious attempt to put my life in order, first by finding a church home and then getting a place of my own. Despite my new found independence, I continued to struggle within my personal life, but the smartest thing I did was to setup my old Tomy track that I had saved. With only one complete wore out SG+ and a G+ with dry rotted tires, I began to enjoy one of the greatest pleasures I have ever known. As I started exploring the surrounding area (Silver Spring MD) at the time I had no car and relied on public transportation. But with my custom recorded tapes and a walkman (I kept a excellent up to date home audio system at all times...but that's a different story...) I really didn't have a problem. I found a Hobby Shop and they had some SG+ and a few accessories. So I was able to recondition several cars and purchased some new ones. Built a huge home track and was in heaven for months until I saw an article in the weekend section of the Washington Post, things where about to change in ways I really was not prepared for.
The Dixie Bar and Grill
Although I had built a huge for lane layout with high banks at home, the article in this particular weekend section caught me by surprise. A guy by the name of Wayne McCreary was inviting H.O. Scale Slot car racers to come down to the Dixie Bar and Grill for a evening of racing. This must be for adults I thought, in a Bar! This I had to see so Sunday rolled around and I was on the train heading to downtown DC, across from the Fords Theater. I found the place, walked in and no track! But the bartender motioned me to go up the stairs. I as I reached the top I found myself in another bar. Still no track, I sat for a few minutes and decided to order some food before I went home because obviously I had come to the wrong place! As I sat eating my food, this chubby guy walks in with a bunch of boxes and asked me if I was here to race, yes I replied, he stated that I would have to move my food to a different location! Puzzled, I moved my things to the bar on the other side of the room and he lowers the track from the ceiling, a two lane Tomy Giant layout.
David
It's been a wonderful time hanging out at the bar on Sunday’s; I've been coming for about 6 weeks and having a blast. On this particular day a different type of guy shows up on the scene. He doesn't have much to say, opens his bag and pulls out a controller with three wires and alligator clips at the end of each wire. Up to this point I've only see the old 60 ohm stock controllers that come with Tomy based track. He proceeds to hook his up, take a car out of his box and blows my ever-loving mind! This dude had that car smoking! It was going around that track so fast that I was having a hard time following it with my eyes. Wayne asked the guy was it stock and he said yes, now I'm looking at my cars going can they do that? Just as smooth he put his gear back in his box and was on his way. I asked him his name and would he be returning next Sunday? He said he would not be back and his name was David Johns. To this day I have never had the chance to thank him for what he showed me!
Craig
Like all good things they come to an end, and the Dixie Bar and Grill was no exception. It was sold and closed. So I'm back to running at my house. Occasionally some of the guys that I met at the bar would come over and run on my track, one of them was a guy named Craig G. Craig was a cool bro who loved all types of music and would drop me off at the subway or run me home if it got too late. One day he came over and told me about some guys racing on Sunday at a place in Landover Mall. Well because of my work schedule at the time I was unable to get there. A few weeks went by and Craig came over and asked why I have not been there? As I tried to explain to him that I'm working on Sunday's, he just flat out called me a "Bitch" and I was afraid of real competition. I didn't know rather to laugh or punch this fool in his face...so I laughed and played it off. Later that night I wondered what I did to provoke this guy, or was this trick to get me to commit myself. Either way he wanted a response and I was duty bound to give him one.
HEROES
One thing was for sure, he was right when he said if I really wanted to get there I would find a way and I did. After catching two busses and the subway, I arrived at Landover Mall. Now to find this place called Heroes. I finally found this place; it's a comic book store with a nice 4 lane Tomy track set up in the middle. There were a lot of guys there and the only one I recognized is Craig, who was glad to see me. The first thing I noticed is that they were all using controllers that looked similar to the one David had at the bar and that these guys were no joke!
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
The cars were flying around the track, some better than others but flying all the same. I'm standing there awe struck and way over my head. But I was gamed and dove right in and fell right off! The cars that I had were no even close to what these guys had. I had to borrow a controller just to get on the track, and then I had to suffer the humility of watching my so called fast cars fall off the track even on the straights. For weeks I was constantly coming in last place, but I kept coming back and the more I stayed with it, the better I got! At that time they were running a rotational series, every Sunday they would run a different class of cars. One Sunday it was GTP then Indy, NASTRUCKS or NASCAR. By the time I was able to participate they were near the end of the GTP series and halfway into the NASCAR run.
Sweet Victory
The last race of the GTP series something happened, and I could not tell you what it was, but something was defiantly going on! The week prior to the race I was given an old plastic tire gauge by a racer named P.J. Mance. He said if you want to get better you need one of these! He gave me some tire heights front and rear and some sand paper. (Back then they were running stock SG+'s with original tires that you sanded down) That week I learned how to build a car, do mild tweaks based on the notes I had been taking and ruined 35 sets of tires trying to sand them the right height. When race day rolled around, I was a wreck, scared out of my wits. After a few practice laps my car came to life and actually stuck to the track without getting hot, but it was just missing one tweak that would make it perfect. A fellow racer, Reggie Simms stopped my car looked at it and took it to his bench, two minuets later he said try it now and the car flew! He explains to me about pick up shoe geometry and how it affects the power and handling of my car. P.J. Mance added that I must learn the track and remember to race the track during the competition, even if someone passes me stay focus on the track. That was advice I was about to put to the test. When the power was finally turn off on the track, all scores calculated. I had won my first ever race beating Reggie by one lap. From that point on I was hooked. And by the way I'm still using the same tire gauge that P.J. gave me 8 years ago.
J.L.M. Racing
As the years past I have won several races and I even won a summer Truck series but the winter C.R.L. Championship has just been outside my reach. The closest I've gotten is a 2nd place series finish. But over the course of these years I've done some amazing things. I was able to establish myself as a decent painter, and I created a Tyco program called T.P.P. or Tyco Performance Program that allowed the Tyco to become a formidable contender on Tomy tracks against SG+ cars! That in some circles got me tagged as the "Tyco Kid"! I've become pretty decent with G3 cars but recently with the introduction of the Slottech T1 or Thundercat I have revived the T.P.P. tag (Thundercat Performance Program)
I have also been associated with great racing teams. First as an associate of S & M racing (Simms and Mance) then with C.R.T. (The Capital Racing Team) then was the controversial M.B.R. (Marchazyn Bear Racing). Finally after finding my own footing forming my own team J.L.M. Racing (Jesus Loves Me Racing) that reflects my attitude, experience and dedication to not only myself but to that divine spirit that not only opens doors but makes a way for me to succeed at what I do.
Upping the Ante...
2006-07, was the beginning of a new era for me. I really started to focus more on my engineering concepts and applying them. Merging with already established ideas and bench testing others then using them in competition with surprising sucess. The first area of enhancement was the improvement of the SimmTekk rear end and then first prototype Stage 2 endbell for the G3 chassis. I applied the techniques during the C.R.L. Porsche Cup Winter Racing Series. I also made improvements in my Parma 25 Ohm Plus controller. The end result was out of a 5 race season I won two races and came in 2nd three times and became the overall 2007 C.R.L. Porsche Cup Champion.
1996-2007...
The C.R.L. era had come to a close and it was time to broaden my horizons. I will always cherish my years racing in one of the greatest hardbody racing leagues on the east coast, but the time has come to see how I fair against fellow racers from different states.
They call me E-Cono...
After surviving the "Magnet Wars" and walking away from the C.R.L., I took time off to get an idea of what I wanted to do. To keep my chops up I started building cars for a racer in KY. After examining their leagues rules I was able to design enhancements for his G3 chassis based around my new endbell design the "Stage 2". Compiling the valuable feedback I was getting from him I was able to fine tune the design and watch him win overall championships two seasons running. Now it was time for me to put what I had created to use in competition for myself.
Lexan...I tried, but it does nothing for me...
In an effort to continue to lift my building and driving skills I've dabbled into Super Stock racing that consists of racing a chassis with a flimsy plastic shell on it that you have to paint on the inside instead of the outside and mount it to the chassis using pins inserted into the chassis. I've had decent success running them, but they offer no excitement for me. Some try to call it a pro class, but I would have to disagree Now it the chassis was a Restricted Open (RO) Neo or unlimited then I could understand the use of a lexan body. But for a stock based class it's not fun and it adds an unnecessary expense to the budget mainly the use of silicone over sponge tires that if your lucky can last three races before they start tearing up. Besides how hard can it be to drive a chassis with practically no weight.
Now the exception would be for the Group 6 Series that's run in AHORA in the mid-west. Those guys run a 902 chassis with an independent front end and slip on silicone tires...in a setup like that I would be more inclined to try it with a lexan body...but my heart would still be wanting to put a hardbody on it....
G-Jet Time...
After working in the R&D Department for almost a full year, my team has worked hard to develope the final copy of the "Stage 2" Endbell for our G3 chassis. We no longer have a need for "Twisted" endbells at all. We've also improved the springs for the Close Loop and Lock system. J.L.M Racing is still working on re-building a whole new local hardbody racing scene, but in the interium we are building G-Jets to compete in next years F1 Hardbody Grand Prix in MA. We have already built our entry and we will be working on Team X Factors entry in the coming weeks. They will be running the new BSRT "880" narrow slip on rear tires with matching rear double flange hubs. Currently BSRT is working on a new Front axle assembly for the F1 cars, until then we will run the stock Marcos rims from BSRT.
After all the work I put into my G-jet I found out that the F1 Grand Prix will be held in this year instead of next year. I will not be able to make it so we will prepare for next years run and put the cars in storage for now and focus on the Stage 2 Endbell. So far it's getting wonderful reviews:
Steve Jones of Xfactor Racing in VA says:
"The endbells work great, are they twisted? I was ask that but I figured that they aren't because of how you feel about them, just figured I would ask anyways. I let Vernon try one in his Super Stock, he was very impressed. I am not sure they will work on a custom wind since the comm is smaller and the brushes are larger."
Brian Moefield of Bib Racing in IN says:
Put a new Yo-x Endbell in 902 car on break in box @ 3 v for 24 hours put car on track to test and Beat track record time ran a 3.068 A good super stock is 2.999 on my track. Nice....Going to race on the 15th .We will see what we got ...
End of 2011
As we come to the end of 2011 and I begin to look at what we've accomplished up to this point, I'm proud to say that we have perfected the "Stage 2" endbell, now we have to work suppliers for the parts that we need to continue the manufacturing process.
Racing wise as a team we have scored very well this year. Steve (Xfactor) winning runs in MASCAR and Tri-State including his 2 record setting runs have really place him on the map as being a serious contender in the Lexan arena. I've spent a good bulk of the year in the shop working on endbell and Oil issues, but when I've ventured out I have scored very well. Starting with the participation in the Wizzard "The Series" race at White Rock taking 2nd Podium in Super Stock with a G3, to the "Black Friday" event in Michigan taking 5th Podium overal last year to taking 2nd Podium in this years ECRS Modified race at White Rock being one of two drivers who turned over 400 laps in a 5 min heat on the Viper is quite a feat.
Looking forward to 2012, I'm hoping to get back to more Hardbody racing especially using the 902 Chassis in a semi-stock and GT form. What I would like to propose is two classes for the local racing.A semi-stock class for the 902 called Group 5. Group 5 will consist of a 902 with an Independent front end and Slip on rear tires on a double flange rim. Everything else about the chassis would be stock. The Group 6 Class will be an adoptation of the AHORA class for the 902 chassis. It's basically a 902 in SS trim (all the bells and whistles with C4 traction and motor magnets) with slip on tires and a Lexan Body. My Team mate Steve approves of the concept. So in 2012, we will start our marketing push.
2012
The year has been very productive so far. We had a very warm winter here on the East Coast especially around the Washington DC Metro area and our shop has been buzzing. So far we have been connecting the racers in NC and MA discussing the possibility of a chassis set up that can be shared via all three respective areas with the hope of creating a type of racing that can be done on a regional basis So far the 902 in a semi-stock set up that allows for independent front ends and double flange rear hubs with slip on silicone tires and running stock armatures to help keep costs down. We are working on a Hardbody clash in NC and MA called the IMZA Challenge featuring classic A/FX IMZA styled Hardbodys. Were looking toward running the race on the new "Purple Mile" that currently under construction in MA. We are also looking at participating in the "Enduro" down in NC and the NC Racers. We are also sending a J.L.M Racing Group 6 902 to participate in the April 14th Group 6 racing in AZ. We have drive Mike S. who is willing to drive her in the race. Looking forward to seeing how or car stack up against the AZ competition. Team Xfactor at the Pit Stop in VA have been putting the screws to the MASCAR races in Modified and Super Stock Lexan classes posting several fist podiums this season.
The 2013 Nationals
The Nationals had the a Hardbody Class for ceramic bonded magnet cars. Although there was a lot of politics involved the class was run with 25 racers attending which was s good turn out. I passed on the event with the hope that the Len-Jet Series that's being proposed for hardbody racing in MA takes root and run on a regular basis.
As the summer progresses I'm looking to start a local program in my neighborhood in my church for kids and young adults as well as adults who are young at heart.. I will keep you posted on the progress.
The Second Dance
(Excerpts from a letter I wrote to my Mom)
It's time to get real busy. Wendell's past issues will be resolved as time goes on and finally closed. Yobear's time begins today...NOW! And that joy resides on a track kicking ass, having fun and getting P-A-I-D! I have not been sitting in a corner rolling my thumbs, on the contrary, I've been re-creating myself in the worst possible way. The Tech Bench!
Now let's recap what we have crafted for upcoming competition.
The Stage 2 Endbell:
The Stage 2 Endbell is a custom rebuilt endbell unit using new carbon brushes that are thicker, wider and taller than the standard brushes on the market now. The endbell is also adjusted to maintain contact with the commutator throughout the life of the brush material maintaining full tension in the process.
The C.L.L. System:
The Close Loop Lock System (C.L.L.S.) was not created by J.L.M Racing, it's been adopted from the Tomy SRT platform to work in the G3 chassis. It not only reduces the possibility of a lost pickup shoe spring, it also provides better contact with the pickup shoe hanger. Thus helping to improve conductivity. Adding to the J.L.M bend in the hanger to better secure the pickup shoe itself creates a "Closed Loop" that's actually locked into place.
Non-Detergent Lubrication:
Another area looked at was lubrication. We found that a nice cocktail of of oils specifically designed for electrical motors works better than oils designed for internal combustion engines. A mixture of a light Paraffin oil, designed to penetrate the pores in brass bushings, combined with a heavier non-detergent synthetic oil that's designed to stay in place and not gum up works very well.
The Xfactor Influence:
Working with Steve "Xfactor" Jones also yielded another friction reducing idea. Reducing the rotation friction caused by the front axle by installing an "Implant". He also showed me how to stiffen my pickup shoe springs through heat treatments
The "Light" Paint Job:
To round up all this great information is the airbrushing technique that I use to paint durable multi-coat paint jobs, including clear coats that add very little weight to the body. Couple that with my current Hardbody mounting techniques and we have a serious combination that should make us a contender...
This is Phase one of the the Dance....see you on the track...
The Second Round
The circumstances surrounding my family has changed and despite the painful outcome of losing my mother after a lengthy illness, I've given the opportunity to return to the hard body slot racing scene full time. My goal is to fully deploy the new systems we have been working on during our down time. The Stage 2 End bell has already proved effective in different testing venues in the west and south. The C.L.L. System (The Close Loop Lock), and the new X-Friction release for the front end has also proven effective. We recently warmed up the chassis, as the sat dormant all summer. The sounded excellent, surprisingly none of the required oiling. That tells us that the new Oil mixture has been effective in penetrating the bushing and staying in place with very little splatter. Mind you we only use less than a full drop in all the lubrication spots.
One of the developments that has gained traction is the shortage of stock G type armatures. Even though we did not consider this during our down time, we were able to acquire close to 60 brand new stock 6 ohm armatures. There are sources that are offering stock armatures from anywhere between $8.00 to $14.00. Now we have a source for our armatures and with the current situation, we are going to purchase a bulk quantity from our supplier while they have a good supply. We will also gather slightly used SRT chassis. Doing this will allow us to maintain a decent supply of armatures and other parts at a low cost.
Another new development is the new classes that are being proposed in the area. MASCAR is not running a C4 Group 6 type class this season. They are running slipon's with Lexan body's. Although we are not a big fan of Lexan, this class is something we wanted to explore if we ever visited the guys in Arizona. Also there is word that the guys in NC will be considering a similar path alone with some type of Hard body class. The guys in MA are considering a Winter National Series that will feature hard body racing so that’s something to look forward too. The HOPRA Nationals will be in Indiana 2014 and I see that Moe Moefield is really involved in the arrangements.
We have begun to preparing hard body’s in our different race team color schemes. We are also adding some extra GT class body's We are looking forward to Second Round of J.L.M Racing at the Pit Stop DC.
Gone Racing
Heading down South to get my groove on with the MASCAR guys, see ya when I get back (December 13, 2013)
....The Saga continues......
Freedom:
After years of living a dysfuctional existance, I finally found a ray of joy when I was finally able to afford my own place..a small one bed room garden apartment in Silver Spring MD. All I had was a bed, TV, my audio equipment and two old Aurora Super G's. Both had been sitting for so long that the tires had dry rotted.
Looking back it has been a long road, but a fruitful and exciting route to travel. When the early nineties hit, I was so wrapped up in stuff that I was practically out of control. 1995 rolled around I made a serious attempt to put my life in order, first by finding a church home and then getting a place of my own. Despite my new found independence, I continued to struggle within my personal life, but the smartest thing I did was to setup my old Tomy track that I had saved. With only one complete wore out SG+ and a G+ with dry rotted tires, I began to enjoy one of the greatest pleasures I have ever known. As I started exploring the surrounding area (Silver Spring MD) at the time I had no car and relied on public transportation. But with my custom recorded tapes and a walkman (I kept a excellent up to date home audio system at all times...but that's a different story...) I really didn't have a problem. I found a Hobby Shop and they had some SG+ and a few accessories. So I was able to recondition several cars and purchased some new ones. Built a huge home track and was in heaven for months until I saw an article in the weekend section of the Washington Post, things where about to change in ways I really was not prepared for.
The Dixie Bar and Grill
Although I had built a huge for lane layout with high banks at home, the article in this particular weekend section caught me by surprise. A guy by the name of Wayne McCreary was inviting H.O. Scale Slot car racers to come down to the Dixie Bar and Grill for a evening of racing. This must be for adults I thought, in a Bar! This I had to see so Sunday rolled around and I was on the train heading to downtown DC, across from the Fords Theater. I found the place, walked in and no track! But the bartender motioned me to go up the stairs. I as I reached the top I found myself in another bar. Still no track, I sat for a few minutes and decided to order some food before I went home because obviously I had come to the wrong place! As I sat eating my food, this chubby guy walks in with a bunch of boxes and asked me if I was here to race, yes I replied, he stated that I would have to move my food to a different location! Puzzled, I moved my things to the bar on the other side of the room and he lowers the track from the ceiling, a two lane Tomy Giant layout.
David
It's been a wonderful time hanging out at the bar on Sunday’s; I've been coming for about 6 weeks and having a blast. On this particular day a different type of guy shows up on the scene. He doesn't have much to say, opens his bag and pulls out a controller with three wires and alligator clips at the end of each wire. Up to this point I've only see the old 60 ohm stock controllers that come with Tomy based track. He proceeds to hook his up, take a car out of his box and blows my ever-loving mind! This dude had that car smoking! It was going around that track so fast that I was having a hard time following it with my eyes. Wayne asked the guy was it stock and he said yes, now I'm looking at my cars going can they do that? Just as smooth he put his gear back in his box and was on his way. I asked him his name and would he be returning next Sunday? He said he would not be back and his name was David Johns. To this day I have never had the chance to thank him for what he showed me!
Craig
Like all good things they come to an end, and the Dixie Bar and Grill was no exception. It was sold and closed. So I'm back to running at my house. Occasionally some of the guys that I met at the bar would come over and run on my track, one of them was a guy named Craig G. Craig was a cool bro who loved all types of music and would drop me off at the subway or run me home if it got too late. One day he came over and told me about some guys racing on Sunday at a place in Landover Mall. Well because of my work schedule at the time I was unable to get there. A few weeks went by and Craig came over and asked why I have not been there? As I tried to explain to him that I'm working on Sunday's, he just flat out called me a "Bitch" and I was afraid of real competition. I didn't know rather to laugh or punch this fool in his face...so I laughed and played it off. Later that night I wondered what I did to provoke this guy, or was this trick to get me to commit myself. Either way he wanted a response and I was duty bound to give him one.
HEROES
One thing was for sure, he was right when he said if I really wanted to get there I would find a way and I did. After catching two busses and the subway, I arrived at Landover Mall. Now to find this place called Heroes. I finally found this place; it's a comic book store with a nice 4 lane Tomy track set up in the middle. There were a lot of guys there and the only one I recognized is Craig, who was glad to see me. The first thing I noticed is that they were all using controllers that looked similar to the one David had at the bar and that these guys were no joke!
WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD
The cars were flying around the track, some better than others but flying all the same. I'm standing there awe struck and way over my head. But I was gamed and dove right in and fell right off! The cars that I had were no even close to what these guys had. I had to borrow a controller just to get on the track, and then I had to suffer the humility of watching my so called fast cars fall off the track even on the straights. For weeks I was constantly coming in last place, but I kept coming back and the more I stayed with it, the better I got! At that time they were running a rotational series, every Sunday they would run a different class of cars. One Sunday it was GTP then Indy, NASTRUCKS or NASCAR. By the time I was able to participate they were near the end of the GTP series and halfway into the NASCAR run.
Sweet Victory
The last race of the GTP series something happened, and I could not tell you what it was, but something was defiantly going on! The week prior to the race I was given an old plastic tire gauge by a racer named P.J. Mance. He said if you want to get better you need one of these! He gave me some tire heights front and rear and some sand paper. (Back then they were running stock SG+'s with original tires that you sanded down) That week I learned how to build a car, do mild tweaks based on the notes I had been taking and ruined 35 sets of tires trying to sand them the right height. When race day rolled around, I was a wreck, scared out of my wits. After a few practice laps my car came to life and actually stuck to the track without getting hot, but it was just missing one tweak that would make it perfect. A fellow racer, Reggie Simms stopped my car looked at it and took it to his bench, two minuets later he said try it now and the car flew! He explains to me about pick up shoe geometry and how it affects the power and handling of my car. P.J. Mance added that I must learn the track and remember to race the track during the competition, even if someone passes me stay focus on the track. That was advice I was about to put to the test. When the power was finally turn off on the track, all scores calculated. I had won my first ever race beating Reggie by one lap. From that point on I was hooked. And by the way I'm still using the same tire gauge that P.J. gave me 8 years ago.
J.L.M. Racing
As the years past I have won several races and I even won a summer Truck series but the winter C.R.L. Championship has just been outside my reach. The closest I've gotten is a 2nd place series finish. But over the course of these years I've done some amazing things. I was able to establish myself as a decent painter, and I created a Tyco program called T.P.P. or Tyco Performance Program that allowed the Tyco to become a formidable contender on Tomy tracks against SG+ cars! That in some circles got me tagged as the "Tyco Kid"! I've become pretty decent with G3 cars but recently with the introduction of the Slottech T1 or Thundercat I have revived the T.P.P. tag (Thundercat Performance Program)
I have also been associated with great racing teams. First as an associate of S & M racing (Simms and Mance) then with C.R.T. (The Capital Racing Team) then was the controversial M.B.R. (Marchazyn Bear Racing). Finally after finding my own footing forming my own team J.L.M. Racing (Jesus Loves Me Racing) that reflects my attitude, experience and dedication to not only myself but to that divine spirit that not only opens doors but makes a way for me to succeed at what I do.
Upping the Ante...
2006-07, was the beginning of a new era for me. I really started to focus more on my engineering concepts and applying them. Merging with already established ideas and bench testing others then using them in competition with surprising sucess. The first area of enhancement was the improvement of the SimmTekk rear end and then first prototype Stage 2 endbell for the G3 chassis. I applied the techniques during the C.R.L. Porsche Cup Winter Racing Series. I also made improvements in my Parma 25 Ohm Plus controller. The end result was out of a 5 race season I won two races and came in 2nd three times and became the overall 2007 C.R.L. Porsche Cup Champion.
1996-2007...
The C.R.L. era had come to a close and it was time to broaden my horizons. I will always cherish my years racing in one of the greatest hardbody racing leagues on the east coast, but the time has come to see how I fair against fellow racers from different states.
They call me E-Cono...
After surviving the "Magnet Wars" and walking away from the C.R.L., I took time off to get an idea of what I wanted to do. To keep my chops up I started building cars for a racer in KY. After examining their leagues rules I was able to design enhancements for his G3 chassis based around my new endbell design the "Stage 2". Compiling the valuable feedback I was getting from him I was able to fine tune the design and watch him win overall championships two seasons running. Now it was time for me to put what I had created to use in competition for myself.
Lexan...I tried, but it does nothing for me...
In an effort to continue to lift my building and driving skills I've dabbled into Super Stock racing that consists of racing a chassis with a flimsy plastic shell on it that you have to paint on the inside instead of the outside and mount it to the chassis using pins inserted into the chassis. I've had decent success running them, but they offer no excitement for me. Some try to call it a pro class, but I would have to disagree Now it the chassis was a Restricted Open (RO) Neo or unlimited then I could understand the use of a lexan body. But for a stock based class it's not fun and it adds an unnecessary expense to the budget mainly the use of silicone over sponge tires that if your lucky can last three races before they start tearing up. Besides how hard can it be to drive a chassis with practically no weight.
Now the exception would be for the Group 6 Series that's run in AHORA in the mid-west. Those guys run a 902 chassis with an independent front end and slip on silicone tires...in a setup like that I would be more inclined to try it with a lexan body...but my heart would still be wanting to put a hardbody on it....
G-Jet Time...
After working in the R&D Department for almost a full year, my team has worked hard to develope the final copy of the "Stage 2" Endbell for our G3 chassis. We no longer have a need for "Twisted" endbells at all. We've also improved the springs for the Close Loop and Lock system. J.L.M Racing is still working on re-building a whole new local hardbody racing scene, but in the interium we are building G-Jets to compete in next years F1 Hardbody Grand Prix in MA. We have already built our entry and we will be working on Team X Factors entry in the coming weeks. They will be running the new BSRT "880" narrow slip on rear tires with matching rear double flange hubs. Currently BSRT is working on a new Front axle assembly for the F1 cars, until then we will run the stock Marcos rims from BSRT.
After all the work I put into my G-jet I found out that the F1 Grand Prix will be held in this year instead of next year. I will not be able to make it so we will prepare for next years run and put the cars in storage for now and focus on the Stage 2 Endbell. So far it's getting wonderful reviews:
Steve Jones of Xfactor Racing in VA says:
"The endbells work great, are they twisted? I was ask that but I figured that they aren't because of how you feel about them, just figured I would ask anyways. I let Vernon try one in his Super Stock, he was very impressed. I am not sure they will work on a custom wind since the comm is smaller and the brushes are larger."
Brian Moefield of Bib Racing in IN says:
Put a new Yo-x Endbell in 902 car on break in box @ 3 v for 24 hours put car on track to test and Beat track record time ran a 3.068 A good super stock is 2.999 on my track. Nice....Going to race on the 15th .We will see what we got ...
End of 2011
As we come to the end of 2011 and I begin to look at what we've accomplished up to this point, I'm proud to say that we have perfected the "Stage 2" endbell, now we have to work suppliers for the parts that we need to continue the manufacturing process.
Racing wise as a team we have scored very well this year. Steve (Xfactor) winning runs in MASCAR and Tri-State including his 2 record setting runs have really place him on the map as being a serious contender in the Lexan arena. I've spent a good bulk of the year in the shop working on endbell and Oil issues, but when I've ventured out I have scored very well. Starting with the participation in the Wizzard "The Series" race at White Rock taking 2nd Podium in Super Stock with a G3, to the "Black Friday" event in Michigan taking 5th Podium overal last year to taking 2nd Podium in this years ECRS Modified race at White Rock being one of two drivers who turned over 400 laps in a 5 min heat on the Viper is quite a feat.
Looking forward to 2012, I'm hoping to get back to more Hardbody racing especially using the 902 Chassis in a semi-stock and GT form. What I would like to propose is two classes for the local racing.A semi-stock class for the 902 called Group 5. Group 5 will consist of a 902 with an Independent front end and Slip on rear tires on a double flange rim. Everything else about the chassis would be stock. The Group 6 Class will be an adoptation of the AHORA class for the 902 chassis. It's basically a 902 in SS trim (all the bells and whistles with C4 traction and motor magnets) with slip on tires and a Lexan Body. My Team mate Steve approves of the concept. So in 2012, we will start our marketing push.
2012
The year has been very productive so far. We had a very warm winter here on the East Coast especially around the Washington DC Metro area and our shop has been buzzing. So far we have been connecting the racers in NC and MA discussing the possibility of a chassis set up that can be shared via all three respective areas with the hope of creating a type of racing that can be done on a regional basis So far the 902 in a semi-stock set up that allows for independent front ends and double flange rear hubs with slip on silicone tires and running stock armatures to help keep costs down. We are working on a Hardbody clash in NC and MA called the IMZA Challenge featuring classic A/FX IMZA styled Hardbodys. Were looking toward running the race on the new "Purple Mile" that currently under construction in MA. We are also looking at participating in the "Enduro" down in NC and the NC Racers. We are also sending a J.L.M Racing Group 6 902 to participate in the April 14th Group 6 racing in AZ. We have drive Mike S. who is willing to drive her in the race. Looking forward to seeing how or car stack up against the AZ competition. Team Xfactor at the Pit Stop in VA have been putting the screws to the MASCAR races in Modified and Super Stock Lexan classes posting several fist podiums this season.
The 2013 Nationals
The Nationals had the a Hardbody Class for ceramic bonded magnet cars. Although there was a lot of politics involved the class was run with 25 racers attending which was s good turn out. I passed on the event with the hope that the Len-Jet Series that's being proposed for hardbody racing in MA takes root and run on a regular basis.
As the summer progresses I'm looking to start a local program in my neighborhood in my church for kids and young adults as well as adults who are young at heart.. I will keep you posted on the progress.
The Second Dance
(Excerpts from a letter I wrote to my Mom)
It's time to get real busy. Wendell's past issues will be resolved as time goes on and finally closed. Yobear's time begins today...NOW! And that joy resides on a track kicking ass, having fun and getting P-A-I-D! I have not been sitting in a corner rolling my thumbs, on the contrary, I've been re-creating myself in the worst possible way. The Tech Bench!
Now let's recap what we have crafted for upcoming competition.
The Stage 2 Endbell:
The Stage 2 Endbell is a custom rebuilt endbell unit using new carbon brushes that are thicker, wider and taller than the standard brushes on the market now. The endbell is also adjusted to maintain contact with the commutator throughout the life of the brush material maintaining full tension in the process.
The C.L.L. System:
The Close Loop Lock System (C.L.L.S.) was not created by J.L.M Racing, it's been adopted from the Tomy SRT platform to work in the G3 chassis. It not only reduces the possibility of a lost pickup shoe spring, it also provides better contact with the pickup shoe hanger. Thus helping to improve conductivity. Adding to the J.L.M bend in the hanger to better secure the pickup shoe itself creates a "Closed Loop" that's actually locked into place.
Non-Detergent Lubrication:
Another area looked at was lubrication. We found that a nice cocktail of of oils specifically designed for electrical motors works better than oils designed for internal combustion engines. A mixture of a light Paraffin oil, designed to penetrate the pores in brass bushings, combined with a heavier non-detergent synthetic oil that's designed to stay in place and not gum up works very well.
The Xfactor Influence:
Working with Steve "Xfactor" Jones also yielded another friction reducing idea. Reducing the rotation friction caused by the front axle by installing an "Implant". He also showed me how to stiffen my pickup shoe springs through heat treatments
The "Light" Paint Job:
To round up all this great information is the airbrushing technique that I use to paint durable multi-coat paint jobs, including clear coats that add very little weight to the body. Couple that with my current Hardbody mounting techniques and we have a serious combination that should make us a contender...
This is Phase one of the the Dance....see you on the track...
The Second Round
The circumstances surrounding my family has changed and despite the painful outcome of losing my mother after a lengthy illness, I've given the opportunity to return to the hard body slot racing scene full time. My goal is to fully deploy the new systems we have been working on during our down time. The Stage 2 End bell has already proved effective in different testing venues in the west and south. The C.L.L. System (The Close Loop Lock), and the new X-Friction release for the front end has also proven effective. We recently warmed up the chassis, as the sat dormant all summer. The sounded excellent, surprisingly none of the required oiling. That tells us that the new Oil mixture has been effective in penetrating the bushing and staying in place with very little splatter. Mind you we only use less than a full drop in all the lubrication spots.
One of the developments that has gained traction is the shortage of stock G type armatures. Even though we did not consider this during our down time, we were able to acquire close to 60 brand new stock 6 ohm armatures. There are sources that are offering stock armatures from anywhere between $8.00 to $14.00. Now we have a source for our armatures and with the current situation, we are going to purchase a bulk quantity from our supplier while they have a good supply. We will also gather slightly used SRT chassis. Doing this will allow us to maintain a decent supply of armatures and other parts at a low cost.
Another new development is the new classes that are being proposed in the area. MASCAR is not running a C4 Group 6 type class this season. They are running slipon's with Lexan body's. Although we are not a big fan of Lexan, this class is something we wanted to explore if we ever visited the guys in Arizona. Also there is word that the guys in NC will be considering a similar path alone with some type of Hard body class. The guys in MA are considering a Winter National Series that will feature hard body racing so that’s something to look forward too. The HOPRA Nationals will be in Indiana 2014 and I see that Moe Moefield is really involved in the arrangements.
We have begun to preparing hard body’s in our different race team color schemes. We are also adding some extra GT class body's We are looking forward to Second Round of J.L.M Racing at the Pit Stop DC.
Gone Racing
Heading down South to get my groove on with the MASCAR guys, see ya when I get back (December 13, 2013)
....The Saga continues......
The New Frontier
For most of my racing years, I've taken a lot of pride in knowing that I was able to prove my point. When I asked the group I was racing with at the time could I run Tyco's, they laughed at me at stated “Yeah you can run them, but you're not going to win any thing” The first season afterward, they were correct, but I scored enough 2nd place and 3rd place podiums for them to take notice. The next season, and I had proven my point and placed a Tyco, several times in the winners circle.
The same goes with my hard body work, the list of my accomplishments goes on. One of the proudest moments of my racing career was to get a certain manufacture to acknowledge my racing (driving) ability with a resister controller. Those where some great moments.
Just as the seasons change, so has racing. Technology has yielded, new chassis, magnets and track manufactures. Working hard to incorporate, understand and apply these emerging technologies really keep you on your toes. It's a must especially when it comes to competition. We have worked so hard to increase our chassis performance. From the Stage 2 end bell, better lubricants, the Close Loop and Lock System to friction reducing components. The chassis building itself has produced great results for our team.
The problem that we are no having to deal with is control! The cars are fast, but uncontrollable!, squeeze the trigger on our controller and it's like you just crossed two wires
During the C4 race, I just could not get the car to settle down, so Tom Bowman offered the use of the Jerry Smoyer designed OS3 3T Pro electronic controller, and all hell opened up
I quickly set it up and my Super Stock, and she settled down and became manageable.
The OS 3 Controller is very easy to set up and use. It's light weight and well put together. All the electronics are well concealed under and silver nickel backing The trigger feels like my Parma Turbo and it has no bulk too it.
The car responded well to the settings and ran the track like a Jack Rabbit. I'm sold, and I will be retiring my trusty standby resister controllers, placing them in the museum. They are long over due.
Hold up! Wait a min.:
Then I consulted the man who practically help me build my controllers and he asked a simple question, "When was the last time you maintenance your guns?" I had no answer. He said before you make the final decision to close the chapter, they deserve one last shot after you work on them a bit....they earned that right don't you think....
Yeah he had a good point.....
For most of my racing years, I've taken a lot of pride in knowing that I was able to prove my point. When I asked the group I was racing with at the time could I run Tyco's, they laughed at me at stated “Yeah you can run them, but you're not going to win any thing” The first season afterward, they were correct, but I scored enough 2nd place and 3rd place podiums for them to take notice. The next season, and I had proven my point and placed a Tyco, several times in the winners circle.
The same goes with my hard body work, the list of my accomplishments goes on. One of the proudest moments of my racing career was to get a certain manufacture to acknowledge my racing (driving) ability with a resister controller. Those where some great moments.
Just as the seasons change, so has racing. Technology has yielded, new chassis, magnets and track manufactures. Working hard to incorporate, understand and apply these emerging technologies really keep you on your toes. It's a must especially when it comes to competition. We have worked so hard to increase our chassis performance. From the Stage 2 end bell, better lubricants, the Close Loop and Lock System to friction reducing components. The chassis building itself has produced great results for our team.
The problem that we are no having to deal with is control! The cars are fast, but uncontrollable!, squeeze the trigger on our controller and it's like you just crossed two wires
During the C4 race, I just could not get the car to settle down, so Tom Bowman offered the use of the Jerry Smoyer designed OS3 3T Pro electronic controller, and all hell opened up
I quickly set it up and my Super Stock, and she settled down and became manageable.
The OS 3 Controller is very easy to set up and use. It's light weight and well put together. All the electronics are well concealed under and silver nickel backing The trigger feels like my Parma Turbo and it has no bulk too it.
The car responded well to the settings and ran the track like a Jack Rabbit. I'm sold, and I will be retiring my trusty standby resister controllers, placing them in the museum. They are long over due.
Hold up! Wait a min.:
Then I consulted the man who practically help me build my controllers and he asked a simple question, "When was the last time you maintenance your guns?" I had no answer. He said before you make the final decision to close the chapter, they deserve one last shot after you work on them a bit....they earned that right don't you think....
Yeah he had a good point.....
Winter 2014/2015 Season:
There have been some new developments since the last time we have posted. I'm still working on getting my new controller, but I also have started a Non Profit Organization dedicated to exposing local are kids and adults to Hardbody S. Scale Slot Car Racing. DC Coalition for Community Empowerment, has been tasked with re-introducing the art of slot car racing to those who know and to those who have never heard of it before. It's a lot of work and the information needed to understand how to operate a Non Profit is mind blowing, but it's going to to work it to see Hardbody Slot Car racing being represented in the proper light.
I will still get out and race down south from time to time this season, but establishing the Coalition is front and center.
2015..Has arrived
The New Year has arrived with a bang! And with that we see new components coming on the market. VSR as ell as HC Slots introduced a version of the C4 and P10 magnets for the G3 platform. Now with the help of the owner of Slottech, VSR has released the new VSR Viper-1! A modified G3 chassis and the of course the slot boards are raving. Their first chassis is a "Medium" and already folks are trying their best to say this is the successor the the G3, Even though that remains to be seen, especially in competition. Another problem is they only released a Medium, thus the chassis is not qualified to be used in C4/Group 6 competition. Another class that the chassis may not fair well is the G-Jet and Brass Jet classes. Although impressive, the jury is still out on this one.
The Saga Continues.....
There have been some new developments since the last time we have posted. I'm still working on getting my new controller, but I also have started a Non Profit Organization dedicated to exposing local are kids and adults to Hardbody S. Scale Slot Car Racing. DC Coalition for Community Empowerment, has been tasked with re-introducing the art of slot car racing to those who know and to those who have never heard of it before. It's a lot of work and the information needed to understand how to operate a Non Profit is mind blowing, but it's going to to work it to see Hardbody Slot Car racing being represented in the proper light.
I will still get out and race down south from time to time this season, but establishing the Coalition is front and center.
2015..Has arrived
The New Year has arrived with a bang! And with that we see new components coming on the market. VSR as ell as HC Slots introduced a version of the C4 and P10 magnets for the G3 platform. Now with the help of the owner of Slottech, VSR has released the new VSR Viper-1! A modified G3 chassis and the of course the slot boards are raving. Their first chassis is a "Medium" and already folks are trying their best to say this is the successor the the G3, Even though that remains to be seen, especially in competition. Another problem is they only released a Medium, thus the chassis is not qualified to be used in C4/Group 6 competition. Another class that the chassis may not fair well is the G-Jet and Brass Jet classes. Although impressive, the jury is still out on this one.
The Saga Continues.....
As the winter racing season has finally come, we at J.L.M Racing have had a very event filled summer. In the shop we added some new building techniques to to our repertoire and it has spawned some serious fruit. We sent cars to the racers in Green Bay WI, to test and use in racing. Our first car was a Super Stock Life Like with slip on's to compete against against the Neo magnet/3 ohm armed Life Like built by Bob "Neo" Colleran, despite the cars handling and power, our SS LL was only a full second behind it on all three teats (Held on different tracks).
Then we created a SG+N that was used in the Red, White and Blue series held at the Thunder Valley Raceway in Green Bay. Our chassis featured double dots traction magnets and slip on's with a stock front end and a old school NASCAR body. our chassis went undefeated and won the series. We are looking forward to testing our new set up's in the upcoming MASCAR season. They discontinued the Brass Jet series, so we will focus on the C4 class which has been updated to use slip on's only and the standard Super Stock Class running traditional Lexan. We are looking forward to the season. The Saga Continues.... |
2015/2016 Winter Racing Season:
|
The C4 Run at the House of Payne, Powhatan Va!
November 21, 2015
It a warm November day and I took a little trip into the country. After finding the Home of David Payne we proceeded to get set up. We had to work fast because we were seriously late. Relaying on some old date I collected back in my days of the C.R.L., I used a set up that I ran at the Ware International during the first Porsche Cup Race in 2007. The only change I made was running the on this track in LDF, something I did not do at the race back in the day. Although I took second podium, my car was sluggish and ran hot.
Although not perfect I picked and excellent starting point, my car seattled in very well.
The class reguires us to run Round Robin style, so I started in the Red inside gutter lane. I did quite well being the first heat, then the Yellow outside lane and I was about 8th overall. Then I hit the Blue Power Lane and people started staring. Instead of running a Lexan Body, I ran a hardbody. I used the body that I created in my "Glob to Bob" body series on my Facebook Sport Page. It weighed 4.2 grams, it has just become a blurr! The car was taking no prisoners, and since I filmed the run I was totally stunned when I saw peoples expressions and the comments that were being kicked near the camera's mic....
She picked up some serious laps in that lane with no deslots nor wrecks thanks to sure handed marshals. People took notice! We ended out in the White power lane running along side my friend Steve Jones from Richmond VA. Out of 13 Racers, we took 4th podium.
Although not perfect I picked and excellent starting point, my car seattled in very well.
The class reguires us to run Round Robin style, so I started in the Red inside gutter lane. I did quite well being the first heat, then the Yellow outside lane and I was about 8th overall. Then I hit the Blue Power Lane and people started staring. Instead of running a Lexan Body, I ran a hardbody. I used the body that I created in my "Glob to Bob" body series on my Facebook Sport Page. It weighed 4.2 grams, it has just become a blurr! The car was taking no prisoners, and since I filmed the run I was totally stunned when I saw peoples expressions and the comments that were being kicked near the camera's mic....
She picked up some serious laps in that lane with no deslots nor wrecks thanks to sure handed marshals. People took notice! We ended out in the White power lane running along side my friend Steve Jones from Richmond VA. Out of 13 Racers, we took 4th podium.
S.H.O.R.S.
For 1/64th Scale Hardbody Racing
With the creation of our Non Profit, DC Coalition for Community Empowerment, we needed a program that was STEM based. Thanks to a mutual friend in Lexington Kentucky, Paul Shoemaker, we are going to take the build methods of J.L.M Racing and create a curriculum. On the other side of the coin, we have joined forces with DASH Motorsports, A/FX Racing and Scale Engineering and re-created the S.H.O.R.S. Series (Society of H.O.Racing Sportsmen). Since Hardbody Slot Car Racing is not being represented by the National Org., we have decided to create a series of racing events to promote Hardbody 1/64 Scale Inline Racing.
We have partnered with facilities/track owners in Texas, Chicago, Wisconsin and Westminster MD, to host S.H.O.R.S. based events. Or formal kick off date has not been set, but it will take place in the summer of 2017 in Lubbock Texas.
So far we have three classes. C4, all cars with run Bonded Ceramic magnets, stock armatures, Classic back in the day SG+ class with stock front axles and ceramic motor magnets and double dot traction magnets, Brass Jet, based on the G-Jet principle, the only differences is, so set tire sizes, independent front ends and 6 ohm armatures run on 12 volts. Our STEM Class is sponsored by A/FX and it features stock Mega G+ chassis. The Brass Jet Class is sponsored by DASH Motorsports and will feature DASH Camaro Bodies.
We do this in the honor and the memory of Tony Porcelli of Slottech Racing. More information to come, so stay tuned...