Bob's Bio

I have finally relented to many requests to talk about about how the Vintage Karts web site came to be. OK - so what's up with this guy who started the Vintage Karts web site anyway?!  I have already told part of the story in the lead-in article Karting Turns 50 , but here's the rest of the story.

I have loved those early karts since the first time I saw an ad for a Go Kart (400) kit for $129.95. It was maybe 1958 - I was 10. I didn't have $129.95, but I did have 25 cents and sent in for the catalog.  I did also avidly read car magazines back then and totally devoured any articles or ads having to do with karts. Early Bugs were very appealing to me. I even coaxed my dad to drive me cross town to New England Speed Equipment in early 1960 and savored the thrill of actually sitting on a real kart.  (Something about a metallic blue Bug with a bright yellow MC5 still grabs me to this day.) I did know every kart, every engine, and by 1961, pretty much knew how 2 strokes worked - at least in principle, through magazine articles though I never had actually worked on one. I rememeber that in 9th grade (1961-62) I sketched designs for karts during all my classes (but still managed to ace Algebra). I do think this interest in karts - and cars - had a lot to do with my eventual career direction (Mechanical Engineering). Still, no hands-on involvement with karts.

To make a long story short, the early karting "craze" sort of came and went (with the kart glut of late 1962). In fact, I would come to own a real car (a 1957 ford, purchased in 1964 at age 16) long before I'd ever own a kart.

Over the decades I remained interested in karting, though at some distance, never quite participating. In the early 70's for example I visited a kart shop in Massachusetts and took note of the design evolution that had already taken place. Circumstances were not right for me at that time of my life, however, to get involved with the sport.  In 1976, while living in Brazil, I attended a few local kart races (in Caxias do Sul, RS, for those of you familiar with Brazil) and visited a local shop that sold Mini and Parilla brand stuff  if I remember right. Still didnt jump into the game though. In the 80's I bought a few books on karting and took keen interest in the design evolution still proceeding. In fact, Bug was at that time selling, as a fun kart, a model   that very much resembled early 60's racing Wasps. In my heart, that was the kind of kart I really wanted to race, but buying one would be no ticket to racing. And the modern stuff, while impressive, didnt grab me in the same way.

One day in 1994, my wife Carlene and I ventured up to Loudon to watch some kart races and walk around the pit areas and we had a chance to talk to a lot of folks. I was very impressed by the level of design sophistication of the modern machinery to say the least. And the participants with truck, trailers, etc., virtual machine shops - to support their racing. Very impressive technically, but perhaps, more than ever, a sport I was not likely to jump into. I was also impressed during that visit by the friendliness of particpants and their willlingness to talk about their karts, explain the classes of racing, and so forth. One family even invited me up on top of their trailer for better viewing of the races. This was a great bunch of people. Still, the sport wasn't quite for me.

It was common for me around that time (early-mid 90's) to doodle drawings of kart designs on restaurant napkins, though these karts generally took the form of vintage karts (or in some cases cartoonish V-8 powered vintage karts and crazy stuff like that). So, in 1996, when I ventured into the brave new world of the internet and sought to teach myself web design, there was no question as to what topic I would first write about. I found that my early keenness and avid reading about karts as a kid provided a fairly vivid historical perspective and that, with a little research to supplement, I indeed came to be somewhat of an expert on the historical aspect of karting. I had not, however, up to that time, ever actually owned or even driven a kart except for the amusement park stuff. It wouldn't be until 1998, in fact, when I would own my first kart - a Rupp Grand Prix/MC91 that I found via a referal from (the now late) Don Boberick. It took a little bit to get the kart up and running and Carl Billington came over to help with that. We actually have video tape somewhere in the house of carl doing donuts with that kart in my backyard.

   
                    1965 Rupp purchased in 1998; R1 at Cuddy, 2001.

My first race would not be until 2001, at Cuddebackville, in an R1 (MC6 powered that first year) that Carl, Neil Goguen and Paul Bronnes built up for me. (The low power of the MC6, understeering nature of the R1, and my relartive inexperience teamed up to make for a less than impressive appearance to say the least, but it was a thrill actually be racing an early 60's kart on a track!!!

During these past almost-10 years since I started writing about vintage karts, I have made lots of friends - many just via email whom I never even met in person - others at the track, or those who have helped me immensely setting up my karts (like Gary Emilio), letting me practice or race on theirs (like Chris Sahagian). And while it is nice to read the various thank yous that people post in message boards or in emails, indeed it is I who owes LOTS of thanks to all those who helped get me involved in the sport and all of you who have supported the web site, participated in the sport and have helped make it grow.
      

Bob DiNozzi

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