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My worst scars came at the wheel of a Dart Kart like the one pictured
1965_rupp_dart_kart_a_bone_1544140989f8cbe183b9Go-Cart_03.jpg


We were doing donuts on an abandoned airport strip. There was a thin dusting of sand on the asphalt. When we hit that you could cut it hard and get several rotations. I asked my dad if I could take one more ride. I took off and as I was coming back I tried to send it into a spin where our car was parked. There was no sand there so it hooked up and barrel rolled about 3 times. I didn't get thrown out until maybe one and a half rolls. We had attached a triangular number plate in front of the steering wheel and over the steering column. My feet got hung up on that and it didn't throw me out immediately. I was dragged down the pavement on my back. Dad doctored me up when we got home. He said there wasn't an area much bigger than a quarter that wasn't raw on my back. You could see milky bluish bone at my right elbow.

I took off that day without my helmet. Dad flagged me down and made me put it on. It was all scratched above the forehead when it was over. I don't imagine I'd be posting on RRB today if dad hadn't got me to helmet up that day. No leathers either. Jeans and a t-shirt. I was about 13 years of age.

Karts don't normally roll. The problem was my young mind (or lack thereof) didn't understand physics. The WWII era pavement was very coarse where I chose to cut and the kart just didn't slide. 🤕
 
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Kevin B said:
My worst scars came at the wheel of a Dart Kart like the one pictured
View attachment 245563

We were doing donuts on an abandoned airport strip. There was a thin dusting of sand on the asphalt. When we hit that you could cut it hard and get several rotations. I asked my dad if I could take one more ride. I took off and as I was coming back I tried to send it into a spin where our car was parked. There was no sand there so it hooked up and barrel rolled about 3 times. I didn't get thrown out until maybe one and a half rolls. We had attached a triangular number plate in front of the steering wheel and over the steering column. My feet got hung up on that and it didn't throw me out immediately. I wad dragged down the pavement on my back. Dad doctored me up when we got home. He said there wasn't an area much bigger than a quarter that wasn't raw on my back. You could see milky bluish bone at my right elbow.

I took off that day without my helmet. Dad flagged me down and made me put it on. It was all scratched above the forehead when it was over. I don't imagine I'd be posting on RRB today is dad hadn't got me to helmet up that day. No leathers either. Jeans and a t-shirt. I was about 13 years of age.

Karts don't normally roll. The problem was my young mind (or lack thereof) didn't understand physics. The WWII era pavement was very course where I chose to cut and the kart just didn't slide. 🤕
Click to expand...
You have now Gained "Immortal Status" in the "son of Kradus Garage"
 
Kevin B said:
My worst scars came at the wheel of a Dart Kart like the one pictured
View attachment 245563

We were doing donuts on an abandoned airport strip. There was a thin dusting of sand on the asphalt. When we hit that you could cut it hard and get several rotations. I asked my dad if I could take one more ride. I took off and as I was coming back I tried to send it into a spin where our car was parked. There was no sand there so it hooked up and barrel rolled about 3 times. I didn't get thrown out until maybe one and a half rolls. We had attached a triangular number plate in front of the steering wheel and over the steering column. My feet got hung up on that and it didn't throw me out immediately. I was dragged down the pavement on my back. Dad doctored me up when we got home. He said there wasn't an area much bigger than a quarter that wasn't raw on my back. You could see milky bluish bone at my right elbow.

I took off that day without my helmet. Dad flagged me down and made me put it on. It was all scratched above the forehead when it was over. I don't imagine I'd be posting on RRB today if dad hadn't got me to helmet up that day. No leathers either. Jeans and a t-shirt. I was about 13 years of age.

Karts don't normally roll. The problem was my young mind (or lack thereof) didn't understand physics. The WWII era pavement was very coarse where I chose to cut and the kart just didn't slide. 🤕
Click to expand...
I could see everything you described. Glad you are immortal.

My older brother had a similar looking homade kart with a single seat roll bar welded to the base. Had a Honda 175 twin on the back. I swear that thing would do 50 miles an hour. It went so fast in a second. Gear shifter was welded on to the foot shift for the trans. Clutch was a monster would pop wheelies. I only got to ride it a couple times then my brother sold it to a guy down the canyon.
 
metalchewy said:
That is so cool.

Imagine how many times you would skip on the salt flats if you crashed. If your gear ripped, every abraision and cut would be full of salt. 😲
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I’ve come off at the track at a little over 100 and it is not a fun experience pirouetting down the asphalt with a couple of mm of cow or kangaroo hide separating you from a good cheese grating

I’d still give it a go though 😏
 
100?Yikes!!! That is why I was never a racer.

I went over the handlebars once on the back perimeter road of Hill AFB going about 45.

I was wearing a leather jacket and boots but no gloves. My hands got a little road rash but mostly I took it on the forearms and the boots when I hit the road and I managed not to spin or slide very far.

But that is still far from the scariest thing that ever happened to me on a motorcycle.
 
Ulu said:
100?Yikes!!! That is why I was never a racer.

I went over the handlebars once on the back perimeter road of Hill AFB going about 45.

I was wearing a leather jacket and boots but no gloves. My hands got a little road rash but mostly I took it on the forearms and the boots when I hit the road and I managed not to spin or slide very far.

But that is still far from the scariest thing that ever happened to me on a motorcycle.
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I got into racing, partially for the thrill, but mostly because you’re honestly safer out there than you are on the road. Everyone is wearing protective gear, everyone is going in the same direction, and best of all there are no cars or cross traffic. 🤣

I’ve crashed more things than I can probably recall, but I don’t regret it for an instant
 
Ulu said:
100?Yikes!!! That is why I was never a racer.

I went over the handlebars once on the back perimeter road of Hill AFB going about 45.

I was wearing a leather jacket and boots but no gloves. My hands got a little road rash but mostly I took it on the forearms and the boots when I hit the road and I managed not to spin or slide very far.

But that is still far from the scariest thing that ever happened to me on a motorcycle.
Click to expand...
My brother inlaw used to work at Hill. One of my friends that I grew up with in mantua still does. Knew quite a few people growing up that worked there.

My best friend had the chain came off going down sardine canyon between Mantua and Brigham one morning on our way to school. He probably wrecked at about 45mph on an 83 mongoose BMX. He was picking gravel out of his elbows and side for about a month. It was a crash and slide in the gravel on the shoulder. (We used to pass slower cars in the emergency lane near the bottom of that hill)
 
I was at Hill when they brought in all the B-52’s and the nuclear bombs, but I was only 18 at the time. My dad was stationed there and I was going to college in Logan.

I tried to go down that road one day and found out that the gates were closed because they were bringing in ordinance. I remember later riding my bicycle right up to an ICBM on a lowboy tractor-trailer rig.

Back in those days, if you were an Air Force kid, the guys didn’t care out there as long as you weren’t getting into trouble or getting in the way.

Things changed a bit after they brought in the nuclear weapons.
 
Captain Awesome said:
I got into racing, partially for the thrill, but mostly because you’re honestly safer out there than you are on the road. Everyone is wearing protective gear, everyone is going in the same direction, and best of all there are no cars or cross traffic. 🤣

I’ve crashed more things than I can probably recall, but I don’t regret it for an instant
Click to expand...

I might’ve done the same if I had enough money to get involved, but that never happened when I was a kid. My best fishing buddy did have that, and he has some serious titanium parts in his body to remind him of the adventure.

A lot of people have told me that you are safer on the race track, and I have certainly had my share of scary situations on the street.

But I always remember, when I think about racing, of the old movie Le Mans.

There was an old driver who had never won. He said he was at that point in his life when ever he saw brake lights coming on ahead of him he pushed the pedal down harder.

He had determination that the fear of death could not deny.

Most of the guys you meet in the gasoline world are pretty cool, but you know there’s one in every crowd. One you gotta watch out for.

I know intimately how it works, because I’ve been in situations where that person was me.
 

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