A LITTLE MORE LOSI HISTORY

[FasterLouder]

The 'other' Team Losi/Allen Losi stuff just keeps comin'!
Check these out...I may have to take back the remark about 'LSD' not being THAT LSD,after looking at the Losi Airbourne ad!
LOVE that Variflex ad!

[Bongo Fury]

Thanks for the posts 'Mr. Louder' Cool stuff.

I was aware of the skateboard connection, just not the details. Seems I remember guys joking about Gil Junior being the kid that wouldn't amount to anything, just ribbing of course. Think, not sure, that I read a Pops interview somewhere that implied that Losi RC would never have happened without the Variflex profits.

Must have been quite a family to grow up in, wonder what Christmas was like?

[RC10resto]

Must have been quite a family to grow up in, wonder what Christmas was like?

Well I remember seeing Jr's Acura NSX in the parking lot of "The Ranch Pit Shop" (1991-92?).

So yes, Christmas must have been good

[FasterLouder]

80's Pro Jeff Grosso,has been doing segments called 'Love Letters To Skateboarding'.
And he just did one with Allen Losi!
Some really cool Losi history,right there.
You can watch it here... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhAVkQb0QhQ&feature=related

[chrisisacoolguy]

Tony Hawk honed his chops at the infamous Del Mar. I had no idea it was connected to R/C's Team Losi. wow

[Diamond Dave]

That video was the shizz, I so remember some of those decks growing up. Makes me wish I still had a few of them.

Broken bones and all, I loved it!!

[FasterLouder]

Anyone seen the new documentary Stacy Peralta made called 'The Bones Brigade-An Autobiography'?
I've had it for three days.
I've watched it eight times.
It's KILLER.

[FasterLouder]

Del Mar Skate Ranch was an incredible park.
That was Tony Hawk's home park and it was also Gator's home park.
Gator ruled Del Mar.Until the..unpleasantness with raping and murdering that poor girl happened.
Great doco called 'Stoked-The Rise & Fall Of Gator' explains it all,highly recommended.

[treystoys]

Wow, this thread occupied 6 hours of my life today!! From researching old skate videos, looking at ads, and the last 1:36 watching 'Stoked-The Rise & Fall Of Gator' I know this is an older thread, but it brought me back. A week away from my 40th birthday, I fall into the skater/RC racer group. I started skating about 30 years back, stopped in my early 20s then picked it back up again in my late 20s. I have given it up years now except to show my kids that daddies not exactly like everyone else's dad. Sure bikes, softball and all that stuff, but I am "special" lol right up until they say "look at my dad!!" and as if on cue I fall flat on my behind lol and go on to nurse my road rashed butt for a week or more. I am pretty sure that my RC stuff is the safer way to stay young

Trey

[Racer_X]

Resurrecting a post from the dead!

Del Mar came after The Ranch...Colton Ranch Skateboard Park. Allen skated and Gil bought an RC car. They actually had a track that they built next to the park (both are LONG gone now). As I recall, people were complaining about the noise and the Losi's were kind of getting out of skating and they bought Thorpe's RC Raceway (yes, John Thorpe although it had already changed hands once and was now called Vehle's Pit Shop). Combine the Ranch and Pit Shop and you get: Ranch Pit Shop! Allen did race RC for awhile...and Gil Jr did skateboard before RC, but eventually Allen went back to skating. He has a Facebook page with a bunch of vintage skateboard pictures https://www.facebook.com/allen.losi/photos?source_ref=pb_friends_tl

[FasterLouder]

Resurrecting a post from the dead!

Del Mar came after The Ranch...Colton Ranch Skateboard Park. Allen skated and Gil bought an RC car. They actually had a track that they built next to the park (both are LONG gone now). As I recall, people were complaining about the noise and the Losi's were kind of getting out of skating and they bought Thorpe's RC Raceway (yes, John Thorpe although it had already changed hands once and was now called Vehle's Pit Shop). Combine the Ranch and Pit Shop and you get: Ranch Pit Shop! Allen did race RC for awhile...and Gil Jr did skateboard before RC, but eventually Allen went back to skating. He has a Facebook page with a bunch of vintage skateboard pictures https://www.facebook.com/allen.losi/photos?source_ref=pb_friends_tl

Right on. You just schooled me!

Info about the Losi's businesses are hard to come by, because of all the bickering and harm it eventually did to the family.
I don't blame them for wanting their privacy.
Alan got in a right mess with Variflex, if you watch an episode of Jeff Grosso's (RIP) Loveletters To Skateboarding, he details his struggles with Variflex and his health woes, unfortunately.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhAVkQb0QhQ&pp=ygUJYWxhbiBsb3Np

He also has a few episodes on this podcast...Though a "sore Loser" is the last thing I'd ever call Alan!

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSoreLosersShow/videos

I'm happy people are finding this interesting and thanks for the props I've received.

Hope everybody is happy and well!

[Lowgear]

I had no idea about Variflex skateboards connection to Losi, wow! I remember them being all over back in the day but only after becoming 'toy grade.' Skateboarding became very popular here in the northeast for a time in what feels like the very early '90s? Anyway, I took an interest in it to the point my father built me a small plywood half pipe in the backyard. It culminated into my parents bringing me to a skate shop where I ultimately picked out a Santa Cruz Kendall Wolf board. I ended up not being coordinated enough for it to hold my interest for very long. As a result, my friends and I began using our boards for luging down the steep neighborhood streets.

Good memories!

[Dangeruss]

Whoa, haven't thought about Santa Cruz or Vision in a while. Gators were rad! Wouldn't have seen the thread if not for Lowgears post kicking it up in recent topics.

With regards to Racer_X's post...Chain of ownership for The Ranch Pit Shop in Pomona went Thorp Raceway (John Thorp '77-'78) --> Valee Raceway (Owner info N/A '78-'79) --> Pit Shop (Joe Lynch & Joe Terror '79-81) --> Ranch Pit Shop (Losi '81-'98) The Del-Mar Ranch Pit Shop was opened in '83, but still looking for the exact date of its closure.

A work in progress as I fill in the last couple gaps but...the R/C side of the Ranch Pit Shop history:
www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=48992

[limestang]

Who in the Losi Family started making high performance yo yo’s? They were nice as I remember.

- limestang

[HS-YZ250]

Pretty sure I had this skateboard as a kid, some years before RC. So losi has been part of my life for a while.