Recollections of some youthful days at Chasewater
by Andrew Wood
As young lads, my brother and I were very fortunate to be given a Trokart
Clinton A490 - all of 2½ bhp and single wheel drive. We drove the thing
mercilessly and really got the bug for racing but we were too young at that time.
Soon, though I became old enough (16?) and managed to get hold of a Class 4 Fastakart 9E Villiers
from a local who retired from racing. So I began my limited and largely unsuccessful racing career.
Although our local track was Darley Moor (near Ashbourne) I first remember going to Chasewater
for practice sessions during the week. I think we must have run the Trokart there for light
amusement but I cannot be certain. Eventually, my brother reached the grand old age of 14 when
he was able to start as a Junior. Unlike today, the category was roughly equivalent to 100 National
and we acquired a well used (and bent) Tecno Parilla S13A/C (rotary valve) that was alleged
to have been run at one time by the late Chris Lambert.
It was frighteningly fast for a 14 year old after the Trokart and ate the Fastakart for breakfast.
We put in quite a lot of time at Chasewater then, although did not make too many races as we were
both still at school. We had all the usual woes, getting the jetting right, losing the chain etc etc.
There was one occasion, when little bro was leading his heat, but at the end of the straight back
towards the paddock, he went straight on, through the bales and wound up perched atop the earth
bank in the middle. It transpired that the feed pipe to the chain oiler, from the reservoir mounted
on the seat back, had fractured and on every right hand bend was spraying oil all over the disc
brake. He did say that he thought the brakes were a bit funny but did not bother to slow down!
If I remember correctly, we had barely one or perhaps two seasons from the Tecno before the RAC
decided that juniors should run slower karts and we had to invest in new kit. This time, it was a
Blow Gemini with a Montesa M100S reed valve motor fresh from the box. There were a number of good
juniors that my brother enjoyed dicing with. One I recall was called Alan Kerry and he was usually
the one to beat. Also, a lad called Stephen Line with whom I have recently been re-introduced via
the vintage karting website. He is living and working in California and is active in the US vintage
karting scene!
I think it was in the Blow that we had one of our most unnerving experiences. All of a sudden, on
left hand bends the kart would rear up onto two wheels yet was perfect around right handers. This
was very disconcerting as it felt as though it was going to flip over (and might well have done) but
it transpired that the frame had cracked so on left handers the parts pulled apart causing serious
frame flex, but on right handers the parts were pushed together and handling remained normal.
One meeting we often made was the first Sunday in November. It would have been towards the end of the
1960s and this particular day was foggy, damp and very unpleasant. However, it was the occasion of me
winning one of my very few karting trophies. I was, as usual, running well back on the grid throughout
my heats and the finals and all the muck thrown up by others had rendered first my conventional visor
and then my trendy 'turbo-visor' (do you remember those rotating devices?) completely useless for a
spectacles wearer like myself. So, I had finished up racing with no visor at all, which these days is
probably a disqualification offence!
At the prize giving at the end of the day, a special award was announced for he with the dirtiest face
at the meeting - guess who? It seems my beard had collected more oil rubber, carbon and muck than any
clean shaven karter and no one could figure out how I could see through my glasses! I still have that
trophy - and here it is, freshly polished for the occasion! (Probably the only time I have ever
cleaned it!!)
