CycleKart Pictures

A big weekend for the AMCK: A second track is underway! The Corso Valenzuela winds around the Casa Bates' beautiful grounds. A gorgeous and pastoral track, with what look to be some tricky bits when it gets smoothed up and running faster. David brought his Alfa P3 down and will be keeping it at Falling Pines now. This will give him the opportunity to just motor down in the new Healy when he wants to, rather than having to carry his C-Kart in the Exploder. This also will allow the Mysonas to come down in one car again...admittedly a strange concept for most of us.

Peter and Chip Bates did the lion's share of the digging, David and Mike spent most of the time dragging the course with the Mule. It got a thorough wringing out over the weekend and is ready for a fluids change (all five gearboxes and the engine...) It did well over the weekend though. Peter, Chip, and David also started work on the rock wall to hold up the wicked little turn above the tennis court. This is looking very pretty, but is also going to be a bit of a challenge to drive. Slow and steady for the first few times. The back stretch is fairly quick already, and very senic past the wine cave, but the northeast downhill curve and after-bit still need shaping. This is the only spot the Mule got in any trouble: The harrow added too much drag and pulled the rear wheels down the slope. I probably should have disconnected the rear-steering, as trying to turn uphill just steers the rear downhill. It worked out eventually. The progress on that section was pretty amazing, as it had just been a grassy slope before and is now the beginnings of a road! The whole course came quite a ways in two days. Brandt Bates took his car around for the initial lap, and was soon followed by the rest. It's not speedy yet, but you can begin to get a look at how it's going to be.

Driving over from Falling Pines to the Corso V. is a very fun run. Van drove her Maser, Peter drove the Mini-Magnette, and David his P3. I drove the Mule (which is fun on dirt but not so much on pavement—four-wheel-steering and no differentials or suspension), but borrowed Van's car for the trip back. Van and I have doen a fair amount of driving on the roads around Jack's Peak before, but no one ever really understood when we said it was the most fun way to use the CycleKarts. Now they're beginning to get the idea, I think. Driving these on the road is tremedous fun. On Sunday David and I drove C-K's, but Peter drove the Buffy over. He's torn: It's a hard choice as to which is more fun. More testing is required. David found the envelope's edge on the way over, sliding around a reverse-camber turn with both inside wheels off the ground! I only got part of it on video below, more's the pity. Now he knows where that edge is!

I think a multiple car run down and back on Old Coast Road may well be the most fun so far. We could load four cars on the big trailer, pile us in the Exploder, fit Brandt's car, Chip and himself in their Exploder, park at the north end and do a down-and-back run along the dirt road. Van and I are going to do some mileage tests, as we have no idea of the range of our cars. I noticed we used perhaps a quater-tank over the weekend in her car, which does not bode well. We can't have gone more than six or seven miles. We may need to carry suplemental fuel sacks for Old Coast Road.

All in all: A fun weekend!