WHO IS THIS GUY: the inventor of Rope-A-Doper
Dennis has a degree in Laser Technology and has been building his experience since 1988.
His son, Ben, began racing Outlaw Karts in 2020 sparking Dennis' passion for racing.
ROPE-A-DOPER's Beginning
Dennis Fogle has a degree in Laser Technology and since 1988 has been servicing various types of lasers in the 3D Printing industry. His son, Ben, began racing Outlaw Karts in 2020 and Dennis quickly gained a passion for wrenching on the karts. Racing against suspected doped tires and seeing how the tracks managed it got him thinking about a better way of policing it.
After talking to a smart crew chief and learning what the dope actually did to the rubber, Dennis wondered, “What would happen if I hit a doped tire with a particular type of laser light?"
Add his background with laser technology, and he realized the result of using a laser to hit a doped tire should differ compared to hitting an unaltered tire.
Dennis went to his 3D Printing lab with a mid-1990s era laser installed in a machine and started shining laser light at both doped and unaltered tires. His theory proved true and he spent the next few days in the lab. After hours of testing, Dennis verified he could get repeatable results.
Another year and a half of test fixtures and prototypes, finding a current model laser that would work, and performing real time testing at Knoxville Raceway resulted in the Rope-A-Doper as we have it today.