2021 SHMUC Rapids Spring Race

The Super Hot Modified Unlimited Championship pays a second visit to Rapids International Raceway in the 2021 season. Trucks, Super SHMUC, and Vans raced. Mike Lack entered this event with no wins on the season. You know he would take a win at Rapids, right?

Indyslotcar March Madness at Rapids in Pictures

Indyslotcar March Madness at Rapids in Pictures

March 18th was a fun day in the history of Rapids International Raceway.

For the second time in the tracks illustrious history it hosted two rounds of the Indyslotcar championship. The first race was on the street course, the second race on a purpose built oval using city streets. A fast field turned out for the unusual format of the event that saw a pair of drivers going against each other 1 on 1 in bracket style competition similar to the popular NCAA Tournament bracket. Drivers were seeded based on qualifying and then paired off. The winner moved on to the next round.

Cleaning tires

 Father vs. Son

Pre race video replays of a WTMJ Channel 4 video of the league featuring Phil Cianciola

 

Dan Margetta throws down the challenge to Mike Lack

Mike Lack has won at Rapids 7 times in Indyslotcar competition and has made the final in 13 of 14 races

Starting lineup is announced

Son beat dad

Drivers meeting

Steve Rist wins his second race of the year and second of his career

One trophy was the bracket board

Vintage cars go under the Goodyear bridge that was from Tony Perkins' Chicago Raceway at Grant Park

Son got paid to wear the mask

The final was close

Driver meeting and meal

Starting grid

The news story also featured Ev Kamikawa

Steve gets the trophy from Ev

Steve hoists the trophy and basketball net symbolic of March Madness 

Winner gets interviewed

Until next time...it's not bad being...

In The Pits

Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett

 

Rapids of Old: A Pictoral

So how many versions of Rapids International Raceway have there been?
A lot!
Here are the versions when the tract was located along Bourbon Street between 1998 and 2005.
Version #1 was on 78th Street, so we start with Version 2:



Version 2 had four long straightaways with the famous Corkscrew turn double backing on itself into the Canon Hairpin. A 23 foot long back straight went uphill to the corkscrew. The track also featured a train going around it. The large grandstands were replaced for more camping ground not long after construction. This version lasted for two events, the 1998 Rapids Invitational and the Indyslotcar Grand Prix won by Dan Margetta.

A view from atop the hill over the train tunnel. This was a favorite exhibit spot for the 24th Armored division stationed nearby.
Rusty Wallace oversees construction of the Corkscrew Turn.




Version 3 features the return of the "Carousel" Turn as part of turn 2. The remaining space above the Carousel Turn was parking and train track. An additional board was added to later accommodate the train as it was moved away from the main racing track as the racing track kept expanding.

The track was rebuilt at this time to slide it over to be to the edge of the base board and to be reinforced as cats arrived at the location who liked to pounce on the track. This version lasted two seasons, 1999 and 2000. It featured wins by Ev Kamikawa and John Shea in Indyslotcar and saw the first race of the International Sportscar Federation (ISF)



Several views of the pits. It featured three handmade garages with outdoor railings so fans could stand above the pits. On the back of the buildings the numbers and names of all the drivers killed since 1993 in NASCAR, F1, and Indycar were painted as a tribute.
The garages in the picture above eventually went to Walczy World and presumably have been lost to the demise of that track. The garage building below was rebuilt at Southshore Speedway and is still in use. It featured a large deck on the roof.


F1 and GTP cars of the ISF





One of the features was that turn one could be wrapped around the pits and connected to the straight behind the pits making a long oval (there would eventually be six versions of the Rapids Oval)







A look up the 23 foot long back straightaway


Version 4 featured two small straights. The above drawing isn't quite accurate. As the cars exited tiwn two and went up the short straight they entered the Carousel Turn, not a hairpin.
This is the original drawing. The Carousel Turn was omitted because it wasd thought there wouldn't be enough room. In reality there was enough room. So the cars went through Turn 2 onto the short straight and into the Carousel and back down the second short straight that was right next to the first, before turning to go up the long back straight. This version lasted for 2001 and featured the last Indyslotcar Grand Prix until 2007.


Ev gets loose in the Ferrari F40 coming out of the Goodyear Curves onto the main straight and the finish line.


Ev's Ferrari and Shea's Minolta GTP were frequent winners on the track


Mike Fitzlaff also won often

Ev took the 1999 Indyslotcar race

Jim Iverson won in GTP




Larry Rotter hits the tire barriers in Kodak Korner at the top of the hill. The tires were from previous races and bound together


Contemplating how to set up their cars


Version 5 was the last version. Featuring races from 2002 till the track was moved in the fall of 2005. The inner loops were added and make the fastest lap times over ten seconds. When buildings were added the sight lines were horrible.

 
Version 5 under construction




Now added the buildings



GTP cars going around the second of the inner loops.

Version six would come in 2006 at a new location.
Several more versions have been built. How many versions of Rapids have their been?
Many more than you might think!

Until Next TIme...It's not bad being in the pits...at Rapids
Steve "The Wrench" Ratchett