Track Clean Up Day?
Moderator: Rob Voska
- Dan Flanders
- Posts: 256
- Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2007 3:12 am
- Vintage Karting items owned: Pimped out Yerf-Dog with 22" spinners
- User Agreement: Yes
- Location: South of the Sweet Tea Line
Track Clean Up Day?
Georgia only has one surviving asphalt kart track in the whole state (Barnesville). I had talked to some folks that had run one near Lexington, GA back in the early 60's, but no one could remember exactly where it was. Anyway, I went looking for a long-lost track and this is what I found. http://youtube.com/watch?v=y_T3E0dAjhs
I was probably 10 miles away from where it was 'supposed' to be, but none the less it is still there. Lots of pine needle and tree growth, but the all in all I think the black-top is in decent shape under all the deposition. Does anyone out there remember running at this track? Terry Armstrong found a reference to 1978 WKA Regional Race being held there...
Just another cool aspect of vintage karting...Besides paint, chrome and metal-work you can also throw in a little archeology.
Dan
I was probably 10 miles away from where it was 'supposed' to be, but none the less it is still there. Lots of pine needle and tree growth, but the all in all I think the black-top is in decent shape under all the deposition. Does anyone out there remember running at this track? Terry Armstrong found a reference to 1978 WKA Regional Race being held there...
Just another cool aspect of vintage karting...Besides paint, chrome and metal-work you can also throw in a little archeology.
Dan
-
- Posts: 47
- Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2007 7:42 pm
- Vintage Karting items owned: Lots of Fox Karts!!!
- Location: Ft Walton Bch. Fla
Re: Track Clean Up Day?
Did you find the fellows from deliverance living near that old track?
Great video
Ernie
Great video
Ernie
- Dan Flanders
- Posts: 256
- Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2007 3:12 am
- Vintage Karting items owned: Pimped out Yerf-Dog with 22" spinners
- User Agreement: Yes
- Location: South of the Sweet Tea Line
Re: Track Clean Up Day?
Very funny Ernie.... Believe me I know the opening pluck of 'Dueling Banjos' by heart (I was a white water raft guide for 10 years) and would have tore-ass out of there by the second note.
It definitely felt remote, even though its maybe 10 minutes to town from the track. It is next to a big granite quarry with 0 neighbors so I don't think noise would be an issue. I am going to track down the owner and see if I can get permission to clean it up enough to take some laps.
Dan
It definitely felt remote, even though its maybe 10 minutes to town from the track. It is next to a big granite quarry with 0 neighbors so I don't think noise would be an issue. I am going to track down the owner and see if I can get permission to clean it up enough to take some laps.
Dan
-
- Posts: 47
- Joined: Fri Jun 15, 2007 7:42 pm
- Vintage Karting items owned: Lots of Fox Karts!!!
- Location: Ft Walton Bch. Fla
Re: Track Clean Up Day?
Dan:
Keep me posted on the progress of getting the track up and running. We guys down south here need a place to run.
Ernie
Keep me posted on the progress of getting the track up and running. We guys down south here need a place to run.
Ernie
Re: Track Clean Up Day?
It's no wonder all the old karts have bent front axles.
There's TREES right next to the track!
There's TREES right next to the track!
-
- Posts: 671
- Joined: Wed Nov 28, 2007 12:05 am
- Vintage Karting items owned: gk800 -r1 -gilson excalibar -rupp concept dual,concept,Cheetah ll, panther -Bug
- User Agreement: Yes
- Location: new haven ct.
Re: Track Clean Up Day?
wow , i guess you'll have to convert one of the kart motors back to a saw for a while.
i hope you pull off the permission thing looks like a cool track.
dave
i hope you pull off the permission thing looks like a cool track.
dave
-
- Posts: 40
- Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 12:31 pm
- Vintage Karting items owned: (2) 63 Bug Wasps, Mc9 & West Bend 500 . 72 Bug Stinger, Mc49E.
- User Agreement: Yes
Re: Track Clean Up Day?
Dan,
Thanks for the lap! Kind of like the original Nurburgring in Germany, lots of natural hazards that separated the brave from the foolish !
Map says it's 44.5 miles from my door (1 hour). What kind of tools would we need to uncover the track? If you can get permission, might come down in 2 weeks.
Maybe we can recruit some others?
Terry
Thanks for the lap! Kind of like the original Nurburgring in Germany, lots of natural hazards that separated the brave from the foolish !
Map says it's 44.5 miles from my door (1 hour). What kind of tools would we need to uncover the track? If you can get permission, might come down in 2 weeks.
Maybe we can recruit some others?
Terry
- Dan Flanders
- Posts: 256
- Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2007 3:12 am
- Vintage Karting items owned: Pimped out Yerf-Dog with 22" spinners
- User Agreement: Yes
- Location: South of the Sweet Tea Line
Re: Track Clean Up Day?
Natural hazards are an understatement...
Taylor and I are going out there tomorrow evening to take a closer, more critical look at it. I'll bring a shovel and do a couple of test digs to see what the macadam looks like at various points.
I also need to head over to the tax assessors office and figure out who owns it and try to secure permission before we start sinking a bunch of time and energy into it. Nothing says get the hell off my property like small arms fire, better safe than sorry in my book although there are no signs posted and no gates barring entrance, it simply looks abandoned.
I figure if we are going to do it right, we'll need the requisite VW micro-bus with shovels, rakes and implements of destruction before we head out. If all goes well, we may have access to a sweet little tractor with bucket and scraper attachments that would sure make things a lot easier. Definitely would be bring shovels, rake, chain saw, leaf-blower etc.
I'll take the camera and post more pictures tomorrow evening.
Dan
Taylor and I are going out there tomorrow evening to take a closer, more critical look at it. I'll bring a shovel and do a couple of test digs to see what the macadam looks like at various points.
I also need to head over to the tax assessors office and figure out who owns it and try to secure permission before we start sinking a bunch of time and energy into it. Nothing says get the hell off my property like small arms fire, better safe than sorry in my book although there are no signs posted and no gates barring entrance, it simply looks abandoned.
I figure if we are going to do it right, we'll need the requisite VW micro-bus with shovels, rakes and implements of destruction before we head out. If all goes well, we may have access to a sweet little tractor with bucket and scraper attachments that would sure make things a lot easier. Definitely would be bring shovels, rake, chain saw, leaf-blower etc.
I'll take the camera and post more pictures tomorrow evening.
Dan
-
- Posts: 55
- Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2007 11:53 am
- Vintage Karting items owned: Dart A-Bone, HumBug, Macs and a Blender, Panthers.
Re: Track Clean Up Day?
Looks like a perfect job for someone who has a little Bobcat and attachements. Even if the trees were all cut, the stump removal would be no small task. Buy a case of dynamite
Not often you find something like that, how did you locate it?
Not often you find something like that, how did you locate it?
- Dan Flanders
- Posts: 256
- Joined: Sat Jun 16, 2007 3:12 am
- Vintage Karting items owned: Pimped out Yerf-Dog with 22" spinners
- User Agreement: Yes
- Location: South of the Sweet Tea Line
Re: Track Clean Up Day?
Sorry for the delay....
I headed back for a closer look at the track. There are a couple sections that are a little rough, with cracking pavement and buckles from tree roots. However, it is in remarkably good shape for having sat idle for nearly 30 years, especially here in the south with the rain, heat and vegatative growth. The major issue is just clearing away the pine needles and the accumulated dirt and plant growth. Definitely no small undertaking, but I think the track surface is sound. We'll see how this pans out, I am not going to get my hopes up too high. Next step will be a trip to the assessors office to find out who owns the property.
Jay, to answer your question, I heard stories about the track from Michael Jackson who had run back there in the early 60's. All he could remember is that it was waaaaay out in the country somewhere. The president of the kart club down at Barnesville had identified a possible location using Google Map. I took a drive out to where the track was "supposed" to be. Luckily, the house next to field was having a garage sale so I pulled up in the driveway go out and asked a very confused young lady "Do you have an old go kart track out in your field?" Definitely not a great pick up line because she went straight to get her dad.
Luckily, her dad (5th generation in the county) remembered where it was a gave me directions. Despite his excellent directions, it was still difficult to find. It was hidden, literally off the side of a side road. Once I knew where it was, I was able to find it on the satellite view of Google Earth, kart tracks tend to have a very distinct shape once you know what you are looking for.
Dan
<Click for larger view>
I headed back for a closer look at the track. There are a couple sections that are a little rough, with cracking pavement and buckles from tree roots. However, it is in remarkably good shape for having sat idle for nearly 30 years, especially here in the south with the rain, heat and vegatative growth. The major issue is just clearing away the pine needles and the accumulated dirt and plant growth. Definitely no small undertaking, but I think the track surface is sound. We'll see how this pans out, I am not going to get my hopes up too high. Next step will be a trip to the assessors office to find out who owns the property.
Jay, to answer your question, I heard stories about the track from Michael Jackson who had run back there in the early 60's. All he could remember is that it was waaaaay out in the country somewhere. The president of the kart club down at Barnesville had identified a possible location using Google Map. I took a drive out to where the track was "supposed" to be. Luckily, the house next to field was having a garage sale so I pulled up in the driveway go out and asked a very confused young lady "Do you have an old go kart track out in your field?" Definitely not a great pick up line because she went straight to get her dad.
Luckily, her dad (5th generation in the county) remembered where it was a gave me directions. Despite his excellent directions, it was still difficult to find. It was hidden, literally off the side of a side road. Once I knew where it was, I was able to find it on the satellite view of Google Earth, kart tracks tend to have a very distinct shape once you know what you are looking for.
Dan
<Click for larger view>