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FIRST PRESIDENT’s RECOLLECTION BY MARC PARKER
Email from Marc Parker: I other vintage karters in
noted in the Feb/Mar issue of the area that I knew of
VKA FirsTurn that you are who were running their
looking for historical karts, but soon I
information on the VKA. As discovered Phil Pfhau's kart shop
one of the founders I can provide "World of Wheels." Phil was a
you with the following great help to me in setting up my
information: karts and he was a major leader
in kart racing in the North
I started collecting old kart parts West. I believe that his father
in the mid '90s, primarily the was a Bug kart distributor in the
karts, engines and parts of late late '50s in Salem, OR and Phil
50's and early 60's. I collected was a racer from then to present
most brands of karts, including day. He referred me to a dry-
the ones that I used to drool over cleaning business owner who
as a kid like the Rathmann had a large collection of karts
Xterminator, Fox, GoKart, and and parts. I bought everything
of course the Rupp. As a kid I he had including Fox, GoKart,
started on the Simplex with a Hornet, Rupp, and a huge
WB580, then an AlaKart with number of engines and
MC6, and lastly a Bantam A- accessories.
Bomb with MC-7 & 8. My
brother ran a McCulloch Kart Around this time, I was
with MC-20. I raced from 1959 communicating with many
to 1963 at a small track in vintage karters all over the US
Medina New York and and I found one commonality;
"Kartsville" in Batavia NY. The they all had running karts, but it
Batavia track was very seemed that there was no
successful and many regional organized racing. One of my
karting events were held there. contacts was Carl
Many notable participants Billington. We spoke several
included Faye Pierson. times about having to run our
karts with no one else on the
In the late '90s and early 2000s I track. Carl went about
had restored several karts and organizing a race at Sugar Hill
ran them at Pat's Acres in Speedway in New
Portland, OR. There were no Hampshire. With the date set, I
©
VKA FIRSTURN -17- Jun/Jul 2020
MMXX No. 4
