On this Independence Day it is time to celebrate the ingenuity that makes this country great. This endurance racing kart was built and driven by Duffy Livingstone, a man considered the father of the modern Go Kart. Like so many other forms of mechanized mayhem that later become motorsport, karting started with castaways and discarded junk combined with a crazy idea. Before … [Read more...]
Skid Plate Racing Rules the Oval
Skid Plate racing rules are straightforward. Any 1980 or newer four or six-banger front wheel drive car with a 90-inch or longer wheelbase is OK. No secret reinforcements or buttressing allowed. No added weight. Hitting the buffet a few times to add weight to the driver before the race is OK. A Skid Plate Race car must be stock at its core. If you are going to run a V6, two of … [Read more...]
King Water Truck
From the form following function department comes this '50s-vintage REX water truck. Some said it may be a 1958 model. The mighty REX ruled to water the track surface at Petaluma Speedway for some forty years before getting dethroned just one short year ago. The Cummins diesel under the hood finally breathed its last. The REX not only has a Cummins engine, but also sports a … [Read more...]
Enduro Dirt Mayhem
The rules spelled out to the drivers and crew before the running of the Crash Nationals were simple. No drinking of any alcohol, and don't leave any junk in the pits. This junk included destroyed cars. The race? 200 laps. No breaks. No yellow flags. Fire - was the only thing that would get you and your car towed off the dirt oval. Breaking down in the middle of turn three meant … [Read more...]
Buck a Lap Fast Track
Dateline 1971. Malcom Bricklin had just left Subaru. The question was what to do with a heap of leftover Subaru 360s, unwanted in part thanks to a Consumer Reports article that blurbed the diminutive runabout as the most unsafe car in America. If you were Malcolm Bricklin, you got on the horn with Bruce Meyers of Meyers Manx dune buggy fame and had him fab up some racy-looking … [Read more...]