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Cool People in Go-Karts from the 1960s
- Thread starter Boink
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Ain't this the truth:
"Man, if I could’ve had anything in the world when I was about nine years old, it would’ve been a go-kart with a 5hp Briggs & Stratton. I never got one, but these cool people did."
Big part of every summer was going down the Cape (Cod) to the go-cart track in Bourne.
"Man, if I could’ve had anything in the world when I was about nine years old, it would’ve been a go-kart with a 5hp Briggs & Stratton. I never got one, but these cool people did."
Big part of every summer was going down the Cape (Cod) to the go-cart track in Bourne.
OP
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Yep... that WAS about the coolest thing on earth (as well as a mini-bike).
Just drove on a local track a week ago (as an ancillary part of a Porsche rally function - I was the navigator). These go-karts where FAST Honda-powered things. After 12 minutes I was EXHAUSTED. I wouldn't be surprised if these things hit 45mph on the straits.
Just drove on a local track a week ago (as an ancillary part of a Porsche rally function - I was the navigator). These go-karts where FAST Honda-powered things. After 12 minutes I was EXHAUSTED. I wouldn't be surprised if these things hit 45mph on the straits.
In my pre-LBC days, we would take our daughter to the nearby mini-amusement park and take her around the go kart track in one of the two-seater carts that were used on the "family tracks". We'd show those 10 and 11 year olds who was boss! (LOL). I had one kid try to block me like it was the last lap of the Daytona 500. I let him swing out right before we got to a curve and then executed a perfect crossover move leaving him in the dust. Age and treachery wins again!
Once we got the Sprite, our daughter suddenly found the go-karts too slow and too boring for her liking. That was fine by me. I get to spend quality time with my daughter with my favorite car and not have wait in line, or pay the price of admission (or per ride) that we had to do at the track. I've heard several people refer to Spridgets as "street legal go-karts", and I'd say that is a pretty fair statement.
Once we got the Sprite, our daughter suddenly found the go-karts too slow and too boring for her liking. That was fine by me. I get to spend quality time with my daughter with my favorite car and not have wait in line, or pay the price of admission (or per ride) that we had to do at the track. I've heard several people refer to Spridgets as "street legal go-karts", and I'd say that is a pretty fair statement.
coldplugs
Darth Vader
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I've been around long enough to have been involved in kart racing in the late 50's & early 60's, although I wasn't one of the "cool people". I had a Bug "Scorpion" made in Azuza CA that ran in class A Super. In those days we had classes like "A Bushing" for low powered 2 strokes like Clintons (5.8 c.i.) and a hotter class for engines like West Bends. "A Super" was for needle bearing engines - almost 100% McCullogh chain saw engines. These were 5.3 c.i. and much hotter than the Clintons etc. I never saw any B&S or other 4 strokes used for racing at that time.
My best "Mac 10" was hotted up to produce 11 hp @ 11,000 rpm. I used mostly a 9-1 gear ratio, with no transmission and no clutch. The kart had a solid rear axle with a single hydraulic disk brake (originally designed as a helicopter rotor brake).
A B-Super kart used 2 Mac 10's and a C-Super used 3. A B-Super kart produced competitive lap times at Lime Rock with E-Production sports cars (e.g. TR-powered Morgans). Faye Pearson, one of the Bug factory drivers (wife of the owner) was supposedly clocked at 90 mph at Nassau in her B-Super Bug. (Mine was probably good for 50 or 60.
We raced on road courses designed for karts - many were identical to each other. I also ran on dirt (~loved~ that) and a couple of 1/4 miles ovals.
I only have 2 photos, shown here.
Above - set up as an A-Super.
Above - B-Super setup. The kart had quick change sprockets (split, so they could be replaced without pulling the axle). These were useful to me especially since I bent so many spinning out into the mud.
My best "Mac 10" was hotted up to produce 11 hp @ 11,000 rpm. I used mostly a 9-1 gear ratio, with no transmission and no clutch. The kart had a solid rear axle with a single hydraulic disk brake (originally designed as a helicopter rotor brake).
A B-Super kart used 2 Mac 10's and a C-Super used 3. A B-Super kart produced competitive lap times at Lime Rock with E-Production sports cars (e.g. TR-powered Morgans). Faye Pearson, one of the Bug factory drivers (wife of the owner) was supposedly clocked at 90 mph at Nassau in her B-Super Bug. (Mine was probably good for 50 or 60.
We raced on road courses designed for karts - many were identical to each other. I also ran on dirt (~loved~ that) and a couple of 1/4 miles ovals.
I only have 2 photos, shown here.
Above - set up as an A-Super.
Above - B-Super setup. The kart had quick change sprockets (split, so they could be replaced without pulling the axle). These were useful to me especially since I bent so many spinning out into the mud.
