12-28-2019, 07:54 PM
(This post was last modified: 12-28-2019, 08:04 PM by ted johnson.)
Hey, Blaine. I lived in Titusville in those days, and was married back then. We used to jump on I-95 and cruise up to the speedway to watch the kart races. Lots of fast folks and fast karts used to go there each year. I ran there in situp a couple times in the eighties, but broke something both times. I remember the McDonalds bunch, the Margay crowd and dozens of others. Of course, Chuck West from Longwood was always there. You mentioned the Melbourne paper. The Times was the older paper, the Florida Today was also in print. I was born in Melbourne, grew up in West Melbourne, where Pop had his mower shop. We sold and raced Bug and Go kart from our small kart sales shop. In the early sixties, until I quit karts in '64, we raced at the Rockledge FL track, about 25 miles North of Melbourne. All the Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center karters raced there. I tried to get a Rockledge pic to attach. A few of the guys cominugh the infield turn. I cant get pix to attach any more. We also raced at the old Eau Gallie Speedway just North of Melbourne. It was owned by Indy driver Al Keller. Al ended up with the Homelite racing team. We even did exhibition races during intermission at the Eau Gallie track on Saturday nights amid the stock car races. It was a challenge weaving in and out of the haybags in a B Super direct drive kart!
My avatar above is our front yard in West Melbourne in '61. My pal, Charlie Craibe still owns the Bug Scorpion that's sitting in front of the rest. Ted
***************
Added later, follow-up: Ted sent me the photos by eMail. I'm adding Ted's description with the photos sent. Scott Elkes
"Here's a couple pix from Rockledge, Florida's Shriner track. The first pic is several of the bunch coming through the infield turn. The second is on my pal, Charrlie Craibe on the Bug Scorpion he bought from my Pop in '62, and which he still has. That must be a very early pic, as the kart is still orange. Charlie painted it a maroon color and mounted dual 82 PP engines pretty early on. Thanks, Scott. Ted"
Picture 1...
charliepix 040.jpeg (Size: 545.44 KB / Downloads: 20)
Picture 2...
charliepix 051.jpeg (Size: 505.61 KB / Downloads: 15)
My avatar above is our front yard in West Melbourne in '61. My pal, Charlie Craibe still owns the Bug Scorpion that's sitting in front of the rest. Ted
***************
Added later, follow-up: Ted sent me the photos by eMail. I'm adding Ted's description with the photos sent. Scott Elkes
"Here's a couple pix from Rockledge, Florida's Shriner track. The first pic is several of the bunch coming through the infield turn. The second is on my pal, Charrlie Craibe on the Bug Scorpion he bought from my Pop in '62, and which he still has. That must be a very early pic, as the kart is still orange. Charlie painted it a maroon color and mounted dual 82 PP engines pretty early on. Thanks, Scott. Ted"
Picture 1...
charliepix 040.jpeg (Size: 545.44 KB / Downloads: 20)
Picture 2...
charliepix 051.jpeg (Size: 505.61 KB / Downloads: 15)