CLASSIC KART
RE-ENACTMENTS: VEHICLES AND TALES OF YESTERYEAR

TKART Staff

29 April 2018

Once upon a time in karting... That’s how the story of a different and exciting adventure begins: out on the track, wandering among the classic karts and the people involved in the glorious past of the sport. Listening to old tales still capable of stirring the emotions

The weather was far from perfect: overcast and foggy, but the track in Lonato was all set for an exceptional event, the sort that doesn’t happen very often and, if laziness wins the day and you decide to stay at home, the sort you risk regretting not going to for a long time. The event, in itself, took place some time ago, but the memories are as fresh as if it had happened yesterday and the karts on display, as well as the tales told, will live on forever. That’s because when the "pioneers" of karting return to the track, with their famous, classic vehicles, the emotions are always the same, anywhere and at any time you experience them. The emotions are a mix of melancholy and the joy of seeing each other again; wide-eyed emotions, trying to recognise a chassis, guess a manufacturer or a year of manufacture. Meanwhile, the ears pricked up, you listen to the tales of those who actually used that vehicle, to race, maybe even win and, undoubtedly, give their personal contribution to the collective passion that is still alive to this day.

Some of the names at the event are well known, others don’t ring a bell. Likewise, certain memories appear to be confirmed by history, whereas others don’t seem to coincide perfectly with what the official plaques or the analyses of expert historians recount... At the end of the day, however, it matters little.
The important thing is to try to tell what was seen and heard, enriching emotions experienced "first hand" with the thoughts of karting experts capable of adding anecdotes and other, interesting information.

KORTE RINK’S KART
Chassis: Aucas Kart
Engine: Stihl
Year: 1962

The driver’s name, like that of the chassis, doesn’t ring many bells and the stated year (1962) raises a few doubts. Doubts revealed by Riccardo Perrone, an historic motorsport journalist, karting enthusiast and author of the book Birel: 40 years of karting history and technique: "In my opinion, the chassis is from before the ‘60s. First of all, the tyres are sculpted, apart from, perhaps, the front left one, which is covered in dust: these tyres were used at the very beginning and were taken from industrial forklift trucks.

The seat is made of fibreglass, not upholstered and raised, which goes directly against the theory that states that a seat should be as close as possible to the ground. In addition, the steering column is supported by two tubes that hook onto the sides of the chassis and not, as was commonplace on chassis in the early ‘60s, onto the front crossbar. Along the length of the side you can also see what I think is a silencer, but it was undoubtedly fitted later on; back in those days, engines made an incredible amount of noise".
All very valid points, from a purely historical and technical aspect, but which don’t detract from the charm of a kart that, in an ideal book on the history of karting, can be found on the very first, legendary, pages.

CLASSIC KART RE-ENACTMENTS: VEHICLES AND TALES OF YESTERYEAR

CLASSIC KART
RE-ENACTMENTS: VEHICLES AND TALES OF YESTERYEAR