Racing community mourns the loss of popular Coopersville engine builder

Racing community mourns the loss of popular Coopersville engine builder

By Steve Kaminski | Skaminsk@mlive.com MLive.com

COOPERSVILLE – Brian Slade was among the crowd that had gathered in Victory Lane Saturday night after Caleb Bisacky won Berlin Raceway’s Super Late Model feature race.

Mr. Slade was the longtime owner of Duratech Racing Engines of Coopersville, and Bisacky was racing with one of his engines.

“He was really happy for Caleb,” said Mr. Slade’s son, Josh Slade, 23. “He went from 100 percent loving a day at the race track to passing the next day.”

Mr. Slade, 59, died unexpectedly Sunday at home. Josh Slade reported that his father died of a burst aorta.

The death has shocked the area racing community. Mr. Slade built engines for the late Ray Baker of Spring Lake for 17 years before opening his own shop in 1989.

Drivers from across West Michigan have raced his engines for more than two decades, including dirt as well as asphalt racers. Clients include Spring Lake’s Jacob Poel, who finished fourth in the national UMP Modified point standings a year ago. Nearly 125 drivers race his engines, including racers in Canada and the Carolinas.

Josh Slade, who races and is an area crew chief, was at Springport Speedway Sunday, and his father was planning to join him. But Josh Slade received a call from his father, who said he wasn’t feeling well.

“My dad went to the hospital because he thought he was having a heart attack,” Josh Slade said. “But he was released after they determined he wasn’t having one. He went home and later died on his couch.

“It was completely unexpected. He didn’t have high cholesterol or high blood pressure. He had no health issues. He was always active. Other than an occasional cold, he was healthy.”

Mr. Slade is survived by his wife, Anne, and children, Josh, Keith, Jodi and Amber. His son-in-law, Billy Shotko (Jodi's husband), races in Berlin’s Modified division. Visitation is scheduled for July 9-10 at Throop Funeral Home in Coopersville, with times to be determined.

Josh Slade said his father fell in love with racing when he was about 8 years old.

“His father took him slot car racing, and after that, he had a love for racing and cars,” Josh Slade said. “He was always at the track, two or three times a week. If one of his drivers was having some sort of trouble, he was always there to give a helping hand.”

While Josh Slade said his family hasn’t decided on the future of Duratech, he does have a plan to honor his dad.

“I’m going to do what he wanted me to do, and that’s to keep racing,” Josh Slade said. “We plan to make T-shirts and stickers, and I plan to be out (at Berlin) July 14. What we want to do is have all the drivers who used his motors take a lap around the track.

“Billy (Shotko’s) son, Evan, has just started go-kart racing. So we think it would be nice if we could have Evan on the track, too.”