Just picked up this little diamond in the rough. The engine and rear wheels aren't original to the kart, but by the overall looks of it I'm thinking it's fairly old. Any experts guess an era?
No, I'm sorry to say I don't. I neglected to photograph the info on the cart. The photo was taken in 2008 at the Meadowdale Raceway reunion in Carpentersville, Illinois. There was a fellow named Jack Redmer who raced karts at Meadowdale and I believe lived near the track. Maybe he knows (knew) something about the kart. Google his name?
Back in the 60's the FKE class was very popular and most of them ran with the I.K.F. better known as the International Kart Federation which was based in California. They raced on road courses. If you were racing karts in the 60's you had to be a member of the I.K.F. because they really ran the show until around 1971 when a group of guy's that I raced with decided to start the World Karting Association. My friends went to North Canton, Ohio for that first meeting because they were unhappy with the I.K.F. because every month when we all received our magazines everything in the magazine was about karting on the west coast and it was like the east coast and karting was not important to them. I still have boxes full of I.K.F. and W.K.A. magazines and there was another karting newspaper back in the mid 80's that I used to sell at the tracks called Karting News. Jimbo
Well, I was wrong. This is a Barnard Formula Six. Tom Barnard built one for his son, then went into production after receiving interest from other dads. They had four-stroke engines of 75-175cc. A second model had vaguely Lotus-like fiberglass bodywork: A final model had enclosed wheels: Barnard closed its doors in 1971, but another firm supplied parts for several years. The karts were supported by a local club, who obtained national recognition for its formula. As the original cars aged, they were replaced by more conventional karts, still four-stroke powered. The Formula Six Club ran for nearly 40 years, finally winding up operations in 2016. Incidentally, the Barnard Formula Six was designed to fit adults as well as children. Here is some period footage from British Pathe.
I raced a similar Margay kart with a Mac 91B1 for a few years after I stopped racing a Hornet lay down kart with a Mac engine with twin carbs in A Open Lite and A Open Heavy. I had a friend killed racing endurance karts at V.I.R. and that is when I decided to go back racing sprint karts instead. Jim Hill www.nostalgicracingdecals.com
I still have the burn mark on my right forearm from the day back in the 60's when I started to adjust the Tilloson Carb. and my arm touched the expansion chamber for a split second!!! Jimbo
Anyone remember George Horn? He owned Karting Suppy Company located at 205 Michigan Avenue in Patterson, N.J. Back in the early 60's I used to make the trip from Connecticut down to Patterson and I think he was located near the old Gasoline Alley Garages in Patterson were many of the old Indy Car builders were located. Jimbo
Some things just stick in your mind forever such as being about 10 or 11 years old when I saw this kid flying around a school paved play ground area driving a red Simplex Go Kart with a Clinton 490 engine and it was brand new! The kids name was Aldo Espostio and after watching him for about one hour he asked me if I would like to try it!!! I jumped in and was hooked on karting for many racing karts. Kart Racing for me was a wonderful experience and for years I sold a newpaper called National Kart News at all the kart tracks we raced at to help pay the bills for my racing hobby. Jimbo
Do you still race? A lot of guys in their 70's and even 80's still running laps Tk Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I stopped racing karts years ago when my sons started racing karts and my role became building the Briggs engines for the karts. When we racing with the W.K.A. Association we only used 4 cycle Briggs Engines. We sure met a lot of very nice people racing karts over the years. Many of the guys in NASCAR started in karting and I remember Elliot Saddler and Jason Keller from when they were 12 years old. I first met Ricky Rudd and his brother Alvin back in the late 60's at places like Summit Point, WV. and the old V.I.R. in Danville, Virginia. Jimbo
Who were the major manufacturers of the regular single engine, 2 hp, centrifugal clutch types? I had one that I must have put 10,000 miles on. Looked a lot like this one, but mine had Goodyear slicks all the way around.
Not really a go kart. But an old vintage 1/4 midget waiting for restoration. Sent from my SM-G920P using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Im restoring a Sears Orange Crate go cart like in the picture from the Sears catalog. I need a correct 1970's vintage 5hp Briggs and Stratton engine. Seems like a easy find but it hasn't been. The new engine look completely different. Anyone know of a good source?
Bird Engineering right here in Fremont Nebraska made a ton of one wheel drive go karts. Almost every kid in the neighborhood had one. The richer kids had the live axle karts. I have a bunch of great childhood memories about go karts and mini bikes. I'm lucky to be alive. I need one to hang in the garage....My dad never helped me fix them....it was up to me and I think it helped a lot on fixing bigger things as life went on. Gary
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