Monday, August 30, 1982
Daily Nebraskan
Page 13
Kart&Putt brings the thrill of Indy to Lincoln
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A little league
By C. Scott Thompson
You strap on your hel
met as you carefully inspect
your vehicle, driving gloves
securely fastened. As the
engine revs, the smell of gas
and burning rubber seeps
into your pores. You mount
the driver's seat. There's
a sweaty anticipation of
acceleration. Your asbestos
suit itches. Sweat rolls off
your face. But you don't
care because you are one
with your car and every nut
and bolt in it responds al
most instinctively.
Is it Daytona? Monaco's
Grand Prix? The Indy 500?
Mailbu? Kart & Putt?
Kart & Putt?
Located just past the
Interstate 80 overpass on
Cornhusker Highway, Kart
& Putt is the city's newest
speedway. It offers a dirt
bike course, a dirt track for
amateur racing and a paved
tiack for those who need
to rent their wheels.
A $1.75 for five minutes
may sound a little steep,
but five minutes on a figure
eight track is about all you
need to get that quasi-NAS-CAR
feeling you're after.
Not having my own go
cart, I opted for the rental
model that was equipped
with a five horsepower Hon
da engine and capable of
speeds to 30 mph-plus.
However, according to
owner Lee Bring, all rental
models are fitted with go
vernors that restrict the ve-
Staff Photo by Dave Bentz
Mario Andretti takes the comer at Kart & Putt.
gine for around $1,300,"
he said.
The dimensions of the
racing-class go carts are sub
stantially different than the
rental ones I tested. Bring
said he's clocked drivers on
his track hitting top speeds
of more than 60 mph.
That's 60 mph at 6 inches
off the ground. Imagine
passing a station wagon on
1-80 in a go cart.
Bring opened Kart &
Putt about two months ago.
As the name might sug
gest, there's also a miniature
golf course available for the
more pedestrian. Bring also
has installed a couple of vid
eo games for those extend
ed pit stops.
So the next time you feel
like playing Monaco Speed
way on Capitol Parkway
and for the grit of oil fumes
and squealing rubber, re
member Kart & Putt is
closer to Lincoln than Daytona.
hide's top crusing speeds.
On test laps I was clocked
at speeds reaching 13 mph,
and at 6 inches from the
ground, it was quite a thrill.
All rental models have
low-torque, one-speed trans
missions. Side framing
provides plenty of protec
tion for the accident-leary
and there's plenty of tires
around the track sides, to
restrict those would-be off
track enthusiasts.
I test drove the track
solo, but Bring said as many
as 10 drivers can race simul
taneously. Bring's dirt track
is reserved for those hard
core go gart drivers who
have their own set of
wheels.
"A lot of guys are get
ting into go cart racing,"
Bring said, "because for the
money it'd cost you to buy
a stock engine, you can get
a complete go cart." And of
the thrills and spills, Bring
said, "well, they're just the
same."
Bring supervises all of the
racing to minimize wipe
outs, but admitted they've
"had some pretty good
spills." He went on to say,
however, that accidents on
the paved rental track are
rare.
What's it cost to own
your own set of thrills on
wheels?
Well, it may look like
something you messed
around with in grade school,
but Bring had a model for
sale in his office that
goes for $800 without an
engine.
Bring said the engine you
put in the frame is the de
cisive factor in the cost
of a go cart. "You can get
a pretty good frame and en-
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tr 1
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