2021 Avon 12th Annual Vintage Karting Reunion

2021 Avon 12th Annual Vintage Karting Reunion

By Kurt Bogerrman
Photos by Natalie Bogerman & Scott Kneisel

Historic class karts coming around the hairpin

On July 29-31, the Genesee Valley Kart Club hosted the VKA for the 2021 Avon 12th Annual Vintage Karting Reunion. 

I really hadn’t paid much attention to the weather reports as the weekend approached. Work had kept me busy, and I had barely cast my eyes on my Karting accoutrement since the previous event a month earlier. My boss was very kind to let me know on Wednesday afternoon that I was “probably going to get rained out.” At least I’ll still have some time off, I thought to myself. Sure enough, as soon as I dropped the selector lever into “Drive” early Thursday morning, the deluge started. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a wince come across Natalie’s face. She wasn’t sure how I was going to react to this. I said, “What the hell” and proceeded to lug my tiny trailer out of the driveway and disembarked on our 4-hour trek northward.

“On your marks! Get set! … Oh – you’ve gone already…”

This journey was a mixed bag, weatherwise, as we crossed multiple bands of rain, then clear, then rain again, coming down with varying intensity. We encountered some of the heaviest precipitation while we were within a half-hour of our destination, and the sky to the northwest was grim. It was at that point that I began to doubt whether there was going to be an event after all. As we neared the Avon exit, however, the rain subsided, and by the time we arrived at the track, efforts were already underway to squeegee off the track surface. Methods included blowers, dragged gangs of tires, and an amusing new class of entries: “Late-Model SUVs.” I never would have guessed that a GMC could negotiate the hairpin. Things were looking up!

There were a total of 77 entries at this event, and many of them were on site already on Thursday. I’m not sure if my expectations have been skewed by some of the low, Covid-era attendance numbers, but I was struck by the number of early arrivals. I quickly recognized the dayglo tees of Jerry, Marc, and Ben Nagle, who had travelled from NW Ohio and had arrived the night before. I eventually learned that Scott Klingler, Jesse James, Don Renton, and Vinny Rotole had also made pilgrimages from their own Midwestern locales to Central New York.

When the track was finally dry enough to be opened for practice, we took our turns in sessions arranged by basic kart type, i.e., Historic, Rear, and Sidewinder. There was little downtime and plenty of track time. The practice sessions cycled continuously, and this was extended right up to the 6pm noise ordinance cutoff. I’ve said it before: I like Thursday practice days. 

Avon’s banked Monza turn.
Yamaha Limited, Heat one – GO!

Some of us have made it a tradition to get together for a meal on the town if we’re amongst the Thursday crowd. Once the track was closed for the evening, about a dozen of us headed down the road to the popular Italian restaurant, Fratelli’s, for some of their delicious fare. It’s fun to better get to know our karting friends away from the din of the track over good, local food and drink. In hindsight, I consumed too much of that local food and drink. Fried cauliflower chunks, each the size of tennis balls…a portion of chicken parmesan that should have been three meals…so worth it! Or was it? Friday morning came quickly. No time for regrets! Pass the antacids. LOL!

The standard event schedule enumerates morning practice and one heat on Friday afternoon, followed by a more abbreviated practice and two heats on Saturday. Weather forecasts and travel time considerations have prompted us at several recent events to vote on whether we’d prefer to do two heats on Friday and one on Saturday. The modified schedule has become a popular option, and, once again, the majority was in favor of front-loading the schedule.  

Historic class negotiates the Hairpin.

There were 13 classes on the grid schedule, including some combined classes. Historic Rears and Sportsman Rear classes were especially well represented, a growing point of pride in the Northeast. Yamaha participation was strong, of course, with several dual engine entries, as well. A couple of foreign engine duals as well as a couple of four stroke entries were present, too. 

One particularly interesting aspect of this event was the surprising number of Dual Engine Rear machines. There were 8! That’s right – Eight! Our guests from the Midwest were well represented in this category, many of those guys fielding seriously race prepped SAE frames. Several of these thoroughbreds had McCulloch motivation while others featured dual West Bent 820 propulsion. Notably, all eight of these karts finished the first heat, which is a special feat in itself! Their oscillating cacophony of pressure pulses, squealing tires, and general sense of barely controlled chaos produced a palette of sight and sound that was a delight to behold. Even with that kind of excitement on tap, we were able to roll through the first two heats without incident, and upon their completion we segued into the Kart Show and the traditional Avon “Pizza and Pop Party”.

Various rear engine karts on deck.

The Kart Show was very well attended with about 60 karts flanking the Start/Finish line. This doesn’t top our previous Avon record, but it was, I believe, very respectable in this Covid era. I always encourage everybody to participate in the Kart Show and get their machines out there for everyone to appreciate, especially visiting spectators. Natalie, my amazingly supportive wife, helps to distribute the kart show entry forms and People’s Choice ballots, and checks in frequently to be sure that I stay on task. I usually end up serving as one of the Kart Show judges, and I typically seek to enlist two others, one of whom who is confident with Rear Engine stuff, and another who is more familiar with the sidewinders. On this occasion I was assisted by Paul Hunter and Skip Owen.

The challenge of picking any type of “Best” kart never gets easier, and there were so many great karts at Avon! It bears mentioning that two of those Dual Engine Rears posed a particular quandary for this trio of Kart Show judges. Both Vinny Rotole and Brian Santee had exceptional, yet philosophically different entries in the Rear Engine Modified class. Vinny’s was a very beautiful, very customized, strikingly red and black SAE. It featured a gorgeous pair of MC101s on Hegar mounts and beautifully embroidered leather upholstery. It was low and wide, with no shortage of hydraulic stopping power at all four corners. Vinny’s kart evoked images of Ferrari, Maserati, or Alpha Romeo.  Brian Santee’s 1965 Rupp Chaparral, on the other hand, was the analog of a COPO Camaro or something from Carol Shelby’s skunkworks. His machine sports dual MC91s and Hurst/Airheart brakes. Its metallic, piney green paint is complimented by the bright chrome of the steering hoop and the various polished aluminum accessories, as well as by that classic, pleated “Deluxe” Rupp upholstery. Both karts were exquisite in their own ways, but, as judges, we erred on the side of “Period Correctness.” Brian’s Rupp was a restored, factory race team muscle car, while Vinny’s was a retro-mod supercar. At least, that’s my excuse and I continue to struggle with it! The complete show results are published elsewhere in this report.

Kart Show on the straightaway. The judges have their hands full!
“I know! Group photo, everyone!”

Saturday’s schedule was much the same as Friday’s and, again, we were able to complete the third heat without incident. The points were tallied, and the trophies and medals were awarded. Those who had long trips ahead of them got to work packing up their trucks and trailers, while others enjoyed some additional open track time.

Instead of repeating the podium results, which are available elsewhere in this issue, I’d rather acknowledge and thank the people whose efforts made this 12th Annual Vintage Karting Reunion possible. Scott Kneisel and Sam Polito are the promoting team for this VKA event and are the vintage liaisons at GVKC. Scott handles the clerical work, forms, class arrangement, and communication. Sam is responsible for the facility and grounds maintenance (track drying!) as well as safety inspections, and also helped out with flagging, as needed. Don Foley was our flagman, and John Salisbury was the First Turn Marshal.  Darla Frederick, out of sight in the timing tower, kept things rolling like a well-oiled machine. Al Gutberlet, the facility owner and GVKC President was courteous and accommodating, as always. VKA National Events Director, Karl Ginter, supplied the trophies. Maria DeFrancisco handled the 50/50 ticket sales. There are certainly others, unnamed here, who are deserving of our recognition and gratitude: the folks in the snack bar, as one example, come to mind. These events don’t organize and execute themselves. 

This event was fun and exciting. The weather turned out to be exceptional and the turnout approached pre-covid numbers. There was a notable variety of karts on hand, and the competition was clean. It was great to meet new folks from out of the region, just as it was fun to see familiar faces. I’m glad I didn’t pay attention to Wednesday’s weather forecast.

Look at those beautiful clouds….of smoke!
More Yamaha Limited
Dual Rears on the front straight.
Rodrigo’s Sportsman Rear kart, waiting for action.
No one “needs” a trophy… But they sure are pretty!
TNT Kartways Vintage Olympics

TNT Kartways Vintage Olympics

by Jim Kammueller

Congratulations to TNT Kartways in Taylor, Missouri for celebrating their 60th anniversary this year.  Also a big thank you to track staff for hosting VKA races  (August 5th, 6th and 7th) on its new state-of-the-art racing surface laid down in late 2020. 

Thursday was an open practice day with the driving events beginning after lunch due to some rain delays earlier in the morning.  There were 84 entries with 18 VKA classes represented.  Heat #1 ran on Friday followed by a kart show and a fish fry.

Saturday morning practice was followed by Heat #2 and a tribute to the late Faye “Ladybug” Pierson.  Track owner Terry Traeder began the tribute by reading an article on Faye that summarized her life in Bug kart manufacturing and racing.  Local kart racer Avery Scott closed the memorial service by driving two laps around the TNT track in my 1962 Bug Fly reproduction kart built by Steve Welte. The 3rd and final heat and the awards ceremony followed.  

Saturday was a “warm” day with the air temperature at 90 degrees.  A big thank you to Jeff Miles and staff for all of their hard work, and to Christy Miller who provided the racing photos for this write-up. 

 
Kart show. L to R front row: Donnie Cain, Tom Brabant, Shawn Welte, John Wall Jr., Ludovico Prelogar. L to R rear: Jason Kenney, Cameron Stock, Cody Brookman.

SASW racing action. #113 Tom Day, #632 Gene Lang and #47 Ron Brookman.
Combined Yamaha Limited and Piston Port Heavy racing action.

Yamaha Piston Port action.* TNT
Yamaha Masters racing action. #4 Marty Weston, #9 Denny Scott and #23 David Drewes.
100 CC Classic, Reggie Rowsey, #71.
100 CC Classic, Steve Wager # 74.
Dual Sidewinder/Dual Yamaha/150cc Sidewinder. #15 Ben Hamilton, #17 Daniel Birge and #00 Rodney Fish.
Yamaha Piston Port Light. #23 Peter Vetter, #67 Jerry Fondrey and #3 Ron Funkhouser.
100 CC Sidewinder. Dean Didion #3, Jerry Foundry # 67, Ludovico Prelogar #00 and Jim Rowe # 75.
Yamaha Masters including #59 Lorenzo Dibacco, #23 David Drewes, # 75 Jim Rowe and #4 Marty Weston.
Start of West Bend Sidewinder race. At left Randy Duncaff #68 and Kevin Rice. At right Tom day #113, John Konkle, Steve Welte and Cal Stafford.
Start of combined Yamaha Piston Port Heavy and Limited race. Matt Roberts #4 and Ron Funkhouser #3 in front.
Start of heat 1 Sportsman Sidewinder race. L to R are David Lovell # 23, Dean Didion # 62, Nick Kammueller # 117, Stuart Keller # 41, and Kevin Rice #7. In back are Bill McCornack # 6 and Jim Kammueller #04.
Combined Sportsman rear, 80 CC MAC and Junior Race. Miles Frost and Vince Arconati.
Combined Sportsman rear, 80 CC MAC, and Junior race. Jim Kammueller # 04, Rick Magnuson # 77, Shawn Welte # 6, Vince Arconati # 7, Tom Brabant # 49 and Ralph Potter # 20.
The 4 cycle karts of the Hamilton and Vandermaiden families. Nathan Hamilton #55, Ben Hamilton # 85, Taylor Vandermaiden #V4 and Richard Vandermaiden # 22.
Combined SASW and Over 60 Race. L to R front are Ludovico Prelogar, Tom Day and Ron Brookman.
Lightning-Fast Nelson Ledges Welcomes Vintage Enduro Karters

Lightning-Fast Nelson Ledges Welcomes Vintage Enduro Karters

By John Copeland, VKA Enduro Director
Photos by Turn 13 and John Copeland

Tucked away in eastern Ohio Amish country, Nelson Ledges Road Course has  been a favorite of sports car club racers since 1958. But since 2019 this hidden gem has been added to the AKRA Road Race Series, hosted by Dart Kart Club and Vintage Enduro Karters enjoyed it once again in 2021. Coming off the historic 942-entry triumph at Mid Ohio just a month earlier, Nelson Ledges was the perfect counterpoint; a more traditional club-type racetrack, a more laid-back atmosphere, and less pressure on the organizers with closer to 300 entries.  Mind you, 300 entries would mark a successful road race event at any venue, and it was a good fit for the 2 mile, 7 turn Nelson Ledges.

Mike Schlager’s Twin B-Bomb Mean Machine

The track layout is all about speed, with long, sweeping, high-speed turns taken flat-out and only two (or one!) braking points. Many of the participants, including yours truly, thought it might be the most physically demanding track they had raced on. While most of the Midwest sweltered in a mid-summer heat wave, the tempering effects of breezes off Lake Erie made for more pleasant temperatures. But it also brought some rain off and on Saturday. The folks from Dart kart did their usual stellar job and managed to get all the Saturday races in by combining and shortening them. Sunday, predicted to be the worst weather of the weekend, turned out to be the best, with clear skies and comfortable temps.

Vintage Piston Port Saturday was part of the 10-class combined race that was first off the grid on Saturday. Eight Vintage Piston Ports were entered and they spread out pretty quickly with Ben Eberhart in the lead, followed by Arthur McKinney and John Copeland. With dozens of karts of varying speeds on the track; TAGs and L0206’s, sit-ups and laydowns, there was never a shortage of people to race with. At the end of the 20 minute Vintage event the winner was Eberhart, McKinney, and Copeland , followed by Fred Stoll and Greg Hartley.

Fred Stoll in his super-quick Vintage Twin

Vintage Open Saturday was a seven-kart field and was another multi-class combined race. Fred Stoll took out whatever frustration he had from the Piston Port race by blistering the field by more than 2 ½ seconds per lap. Ben Eberhart climbed out of his winning Piston Port machine just long enough to pour in some fuel and took it right back to the grid to trail Stoll in 2nd.  Arthur McKinney also tried back-to-back races, but retired after only 3 laps. That left Ben Eberhart’s father Duane in 3rd place, followed by John Konkle and Greg Hartley.

Mike Schlager practiced his Chaparrel with twin Mc 101’s, but raced his Mean Machine

The weather forecast for Sunday was for rain all day, but it turned out to be clear skies and warmer; a beautiful day for racing. Vintage Piston Port Sunday gridded the same 8 contestants as Saturday’s race, with largely the same results. Ben Eberhart was even faster than the day before and lapped all but 2nd place. Arthur McKinney was in the runner-up spot once again, with John Copeland rounding out the top three. Chuck Brewer edged Fred Stoll for 4th, leaving Greg Hartley 6th. Compared to the Saturday race, the track seems almost deserted with only 19 karts in the combined 8 classes taking the green, but the clearer track made for faster laps.

The 5th race on Sunday was another repeat of Saturday’s Vintage Open event, with 6 entries. Once again Fred Stoll was the class of the field, winning by 40 seconds. Ben Eberhart repeated in the runner-up spot, again running the Piston Port Yamaha he had won with just an hour earlier. Listening from the pit wall as Eberhart’s clutch slowly self-destructed was painful, but it hung on until the checker. Phil Reuter, back in a laydown kart for the first time in several years, adapted quickly and claimed 3rd ahead of John Konkle and Greg Hartley.

John Copeland in Vintage Piston Port

The 5th race also featured the only Vintage Twin as Mike Schlager hustled his Dart Mean Machine twin B-Bomb ride to everyone’s delight. Schlager’s laps, in the 1:22’s, are a tribute to his devotion to showcasing truly period-correct Vintage machine.

And so the AKRA/Dart Kart wrapped up another outstanding weekend of road racing. The AKRA Road Race circus moves on to Summit Point Raceway in August, and then the much anticipated mega-event at Pittsburgh International Race Complex, featuring the first-ever Vintage Enduro Kart Celebration in late September. Road Race karting is enjoying a much-needed resurgence as karters rediscover the unique sensation the laydown, high-speed racing brings.

John Konkle talks to another karter about the joys of Vintage Karting
Greg Hartley made the most of his return to Enduro Racing
Ben Eberhart was faster than many of the modern karts
The Brodhead Historics

The Brodhead Historics

Sugar River Raceway, Brodhead, Wisconsin
July 8 – 10, 2021

By Bill McCornack
Photos by Haley Morrall

Sportsman Sidewinder class – Vern Bergman #58 & Shawn Moore #88

Once again, the gods smiled on The Brodhead Historics and brought us perfect weather.  It was overcast, but the temps were in the low 70s all three days. It was so pleasant in the park-like atmosphere of a track with five enormous trees in the circuit. 

We had 93 class entries and began practice on Thursday. Friday morning brought more practice until the heats began at noon.  We had two rounds of competitive heats. The Kart Show was held at 4:00 p.m. There were also special awards, the 50/50 raffle (which brought in a $530 donation to the VKA) and a catered dinner of beef and BBQ chicken at 6:30.

Saturday, we ran the last round of heats.  Awards were given out and everyone was on their way home about noon.

Junior Class – Jadon Morrall leading Miles Frost

Four VKA board members attended:  Gary Wlodarsky (President from Ohio), Deo Curts (Membership from Illinois) John Copeland (Enduro Director from Indiana) and yours truly (Midwest Coordinator from Wisconsin). 

A special “Thank You” needs to be given to all the volunteers and staff and particularly to Mike and Joann Morrall who handled registration and safety inspections in addition to kart show set-up.  They also served beer and wine during the kart show and so much more.  Events like these can’t be successful without volunteers. Thank you for making our event run so smoothly.

Sugar River Raceway’s historic past includes the 1965 IKF Nationals, WKA’s first National in 1972 and WKA’s Nationals again in 1981.

And we can’t forget that this track was Danica Patrick’s training ground for her racing career.  If you haven’t already seen it, check out the You Tube video, “Danica Patrick and the Ladies of Sugar River Raceway.”

Chef Jim Donovan (Max - Torque clutches) cooking for the Troops
Drivers & Pit crews
Longest Distance Traveled" award : Richard Sohn (Texas)
Outstanding Vintage Karter award : Jerry Nagel (Ohio)
Oldest Driver" award : Gene Paulus (Wisconsin) 79 yrs. old"
People Choice award : Chuck Meyers (IL) Rupp Grand Prix / Maico engines (German)
Yamaha Limited class - #8 Troy Cozad & Steve Lovett (Yamaha Piston Port class in rear)"
Sugar River Raceway's patio for fine dining"
Marty Weston (red) & Jim Ryder (yellow) celebrating their wins with Champagne in Yamaha Masters classes - Lt. & Hvy.
Book1
Chestertown Summary

Chestertown Summary

By Rolf Hill

After covering New Castle (without a kart), I was glad to get back on the track.  Nicholson is close enough so I could commute each day.  It’s an easy drive over the iconic Chesapeake Bay Bridge … when there aren’t any jumpers like last year.

It was a small but enthusiastic crowd.  Classes were combined into five groups.  As with New Castle, the weather was “iffy” for Saturday.  A good decision was made to adjust the schedule to allow two Heats to be run on Friday. 

As is customary at VKA events in the NE, the participants gathered at a local restaurant to enjoy Maryland crabs and other seafood.  The gathering was organized by the track manager, Joe Weisner, at the iconic Harbor Shack in Rock Hall.  It is on the water and was a fun time for all.  All 24 people enjoyed the seafood menu and socializing that is always plentiful when vintage karts start bench racing. 

The Nicholson staff provided seamless flow of both Heats followed by a very well attended Kart Show.  The Show was organized and managed by Natalie and Kurt Bogerman with assistance from judges John Wolkiewicz, Sr. and Bruce Ristow.  

CHESTERTOWN Demonstration Heat Results