The Vintage Kart Reunion, a one-off meeting, was held in splendid spring weather on Friday May 6 and Saturday May 7, 2022, at the kart, quarter midget and off-road motorcycle complex located within a California State Park near Rancho Cordova in northern California. (by Frank Weir)
The event was promoted by Dean Seavers ably assisted by Vince Hughes, Keith CoBen, Michel Edick and Tom Thorin. Unfortunately Tom was unable to be present at the venue due to health issues; he did however produce the pieces that make the kart show trophies special. The organising group was collectively known as the United Vintage Karters of America or UVKA for short, an administration with no dues, no committee meetings and where everyone is a president!
Over 100 karts attended the meeting; some ran on the track, others were just there for the kart show and a number of them just remained in truck beds they arrived in.
The festivities began for some folks attending the event on the Thursday evening at the headquarters of Terry Ives Industries in the nearby city of Granite Bay before the Friday morning event launch. Incidentally Ives Industries provided engine parts and assembled the McCulloch motor for the raffle kart.
Friday was specifically given over to open track time, meeting up with old friends and getting to know new folks. Many took advantage to see what was on offer on the display tables at the parts swap meet and to look over the first karts that had been displayed in a large marque specifically to house the kart show. That evening, at what was billed as ‘Munch and Mingle’, the Vintage Kart Club of America provided refreshments hosted by Karen CoBen in the attractive corporate hospitality area attached to the circuit where movies of the 1961 and 1966 International Karting Federation’s Nationals as well as Louie Figone’s home movies of west coast karting from the sixties decade were shown on a huge flat screen television.
Saturday saw the continuation of the kart show with more arrivals. Participants were encouraged to display their records of their restoration work and so demonstrate their presentation skills. One particular kart, a Pruett Lancer, owned and restored by Rennie Goldberg, was accompanied by a large folder detailing the work needed to make the kart better than new; it deservedly won an award. Other karts in the show were enhanced on their stands by the presence of major trophies that they had help their drivers win back in the day.
Such was the detailed organisation for the kart show that packages were made available containing five pages of guidelines that allowed entrants to determine which category their kart fitted best. Owners not requiring their kart to be formally assessed by the judges were still permitted to have their kart eligible for the People’s Choice award. Dick Florey and Mark Bray took on the demanding task of selecting the kart show winners in the sidewinder category; Vince Hughes and Dean Seavers assessed the rear engine karts, not an easy task for the four dedicated voulenteers.
Saturday lunch was provided free of charge to all by the generosity of Steve Terry a past president of the Vintage Kart Club of America. Vince Hughes ably assisted by Dean Kanocz and Tom Wilms worked their magic in the outdoor kitchen and the inline waiting was orderly controlled by a number of the ladies present and a black Labrador called Barney.
The swap meet at the reunion weekend was important to those folks on the ‘look-out’ for parts to finish an old kart restoration or vintage engine rebuild. There were many tables offering such wares. One interesting item displayed by Vince Hughes was a rare 1964 Go Power bench dynamometer for checking engine performance.
Created by: cggiuliano Published: 18 May 2022 Author: Vroomkart International Columns: Legendary kart