Thanks SKUSA Mountain Region

[Ron Rudolph]

Cris, Curt, A.J. and crew for your hard work.

The Colorado Karting community is very fortunate in having
the dedication you all have put forth in bringing SKUSA back
into Colorado. I for one recall back in the day and if history
repeats its self, there will be a great future for Karting in our
state with SKUSA.

The Jims,The Brads,The Cooks, and yes the gang @ Action
Karting and now the principles over @ PPKRC all had or
have a vision. To make an investment in providing all of
Colorado Karting-Racing venues that will bring dividends to
them no matter in what form that might be. ( I’m confident that
gross profit is not always the goal).

In short what I’m trying to convey is that the last couple of
years have been a trying and difficult Journey in Karting here
in Colorado. From a dividing of joint ventures to the most
important – the passing of life.

How do we respond to this?

Safety should be number one……….
Perhaps a Certified Safety Board? http://www.usarm.org/about.php

I feel its up to us “The Colorado Karting Community” !
The worse silence is hearing the wind blow threw an Apex without the sound of a kart engine.

:peace Out….

[Ian]

Great post! :clap:

Ian

[[email protected]]

Ron, you are right on the money! I’ve waited for someone else to broach this topic, someone you all know, so I could paraphrase thought I’ve privately shared with a few karters already.

Most of you don’t know me…. so as a qualifier to my opinions below….. I’ve been involved with racing on a variety of levels since 1963, and karting since 1976. I’ve competed in hundreds of kart races, have driven hundreds of thousands of miles chasing photographs I need to buy bread, have summited nearly two hundred alpine mountains, and have trekked over 10,000 miles through remote wilderness. I have witnessed loss of life in all these pursuits, and thought endlessly to avoid those situations. In essence, I have lived a life full of risk, and beyond some rib injuries in karting have avoided injury in all these endeavors. Lucky, Yes — but not entirely. Risk can be mitigated through preparation, logical thought, and calculated assumption of worst-case scenarios — i.e., assuming the worst in every second of every moment. Mountaineers know this, because they wouldn’t survive without it.

Here’s five things I suggest to best honor those we’ve lost, and those we still have:
1 — Join forces to address all safety issues and procedures, and design and publish safety guidelines that are consistent in every event, regardless of circuit, management, club officiation, track employees, or other factors unique to each event. This is not to imply any safety shortcomings exist, but rather to think ahead and mitigate hazard.

2 — Form a “Colorado Karting Council,” or “Colorado Kart Drivers Association,” wherein drivers, and any willing parties, from all areas of Colorado and beyond, put their heads together and enforce the aforementioned safety standards that all track owners and clubs must abide by, through intensive study of every circuit for potential points of danger. This could be accomplished with a group “walk-around” at each track each Autumn, so track owners would have time to effect upgrades, and then again each Spring — and any other time necessary. This group would then have the power to intervene on the spot at any event, and create recommendations to make each track as safe as possible. Every major motor racing series has this, and for good reason. Sir Jackie Stewart started the trend in the early ’70s — so even Formula One took a quarter century to do this. Niki Lauda gave away the 1976 World Championship over valid safety concerns.

3 — The track owners must come together for the good of everyone. They provide our playgrounds, and are role models for the kids. My guess is that plenty of karting parents have already had to explain to their kids that they must respect their on-track competitors, get along with them, be fair each and every time, etc. This must be a hard sell to a child who sees that the track owner adults can’t do this, yet they’re being expected to do what adults seemingly cannot.

4 — Hold a “Taybor-Vito Memorial Race” — at a circuit determined through a coin toss — wherein every possible Colorado karter turns out, with entry fee proceeds (or a portion at least), raffles, sales of donated items — including non-karting items, et al, to raise as much money as possible for the Duncan family — and/or for #5 below. Invite all media possible. This could be an annual event.

5 — Form a “Colorado Karting Foundation” that raises money for injured karters, etc. Or at the very least forms a prepared group to act quickly should any tragedy arise. Let’s face it, no matter what we do, racing will still be potentially dangerous.

Some of these things will requite implementation beyond what I can offer. But what I can offer is artwork, copy writing, design, and much more. I’m an idea guy. Together, we likely have all the resources we need to accomplish these tasks, but it won’t be easy. We ourselves are in recovery mode in many areas since my wife became disabled, and so I am limited somewhat in my time.

One thing I do know first-hand is that the best response to any recovery — and moving forward — is helping others dealing with similar pain…. together. Turn tragedy into goodwill, for the betterment of us all, as racers and as people, and for the sport we love. We can’t possibly expect the track owners to think of everything, that’s up to the racers. They are only one, we are hundreds.

I can think of no better ways to honor little Taybor Duncan, Rich Vito, and every karter young and old who competes beneath our flags.

Thank You, and Happy Racing.

[stacey cook]

Ron and Eric,

Great posts!

[Mike Jansen]

Thanks for the post about safety and other items but I personally, out of respect of the parties involved say NO to a memorial race. People mourn and honour in their own ways. Each and every time we strap on our helmets could be that “last time” and we understand and take that risk. When it’s your time, it’s your time. From a personal point of view my First Father, Eugene Paul Beresik was killed in Vietnam doing what he loved doing, flying an F-105. I personally don’t want nor need a public day to honour his memory. May 31st will always hold a personal and private day to me in my own special way.

[Cris Schureman]

Ron:
You are welcome and Thanks for all of your support. You and Fly’n Ryan are the kind of guys we appreciate more than words can express. Anyone out there that wants to witness firsthand what Karting is supposed to be- hang out with the Rudolph’s for a day at the track.

Safety
SKUSA (nationally) is designing a safety training program for Track Personnel. Anyone that works a SKUSA National or Regional event will be required to learn and live the safety mandates from this program. There are several well respected people from all corners of racing participating in putting this program together.

Thanks for all the support
Cris

[[email protected]]

Mike:

Thanks, and I’m sorry to hear about your Father. I thoroughly respect his service and your way of remembering him.

My suggestion would certainly have to be approved by the families involved. Everyone handles these things differently, and some welcome the honor of remembrance. Totally the families’ call, though, and they might well decide based on what their lost family member would want. Just an idea on my part, and one way to turn something bad into something good.

[[email protected]]

Cris:

That’s fantastic, and a step forward. I hope these standards can bridge to other clubs as well.

Racers have enough to study at the track already. A standardized set of guidelines would be far easier for everyone to absorb, and to follow.

[Mike Jansen]

@[email protected] wrote:

Mike:

Thanks, and I’m sorry to hear about your Father. I thoroughly respect his service and your way of remembering him.

My suggestion would certainly have to be approved by the families involved. Everyone handles these things differently, and some welcome the honor of remembrance. Totally the families’ call, though, and they might well decide based on what their lost family member would want. Just an idea on my part, and one way to turn something bad into something good.

Thanks for the nice words. And you’re spot on. MY FEELINGS and THOUGHTS are just that and asking the families if they’d like that is the correct call. If they want it, great. If they don’t, great. It’s a difficult call and I know everyone means well.

[Butler Cox]

These are indeed fine posts.

I’d like to comment from the perspective of a newbie who returned to kart racing only three months ago (prior kart racing was early 1960s: Pro-Oval and Endurol), one who has again become addicted (as the Cooks will attest), and as someone who has had some track safety experience with Watkins Glen, Lime Rock, CT and other places.

The past year in Colorado Karting presents all of us with an opportunity that we shouldn’t lose, or we may lose pieces of something we value highly.

In that regard, I heartily agree with Ron Rudolph’s and EW’s points #1 & 2 emphasizing safety and a safe future. As a karter for a long time to come (God willing & the Creek don’t rise), I hope safety guidelines/policies/rules/whatever you want to call it are going to happen. Not because I value my old hide, but because I’ve seen karting struggle with ups and downs since the 50s in the States and to me it has always seemed a sport that ought to be much more popular.

Successful karting, as in any sport, is about marketing, and safety (internally amongst the participants and externally as perceived by the public) is one slice of marketing.

Ever since the late 50s there’s been lots of talk about the future of American kart racing. If it
is to ever experience broader and more sustainable growth, I think safety (as well as perceived safety) has to be a cornerstone…not just at a few places, but at all venues and with all participants. This is not mean’t to slight any one place or group, it’s just that everyone in the sport has to row in the same direction with pretty much the same oars or we all lose something.

IMO, kart racing is a healthy, indeed great learning experience for any age, and certainly a very worthwhile venue in which to teach kids worthy values. Shouldn’t we value that worth and grow it the best way we can?

Any motorsport can be dangerous, but the negativity that can result from the danger can be
mitigated so the sport can grow and develop into something better. EW’s remark about Sir Jackie Stewart is spot on for F1 and his example has helped set the development pace for other forms of racing. The France family, Bruton Smith and others (including many, small local track owners) did similarly for stock car racing. On a personal note, I can recall how tragedy at Watkins Glen galvanized the town, the racers, the racing organizations in F1 and sports cars. In short, the entire sport. The result? You see it on TV every season.

I realize that by now probably several concepts are being bandied about. Well, how about we begin pinning down the beginning somehow? As EW says, sensible guidelines can be a start.

Isn’t a Colorado Karting Association (for lack of another or better same for the moment) a good start? An organization by, of, and for kart racers, track owners, kart shops, kart vendors, more. A something where all interests can work out the kinks. A something that works in the interests of all pieces of our sport.

Maybe it’s time in Colorado for a framework for the sport. I’m not one who wants over-organization, paralysis-by-committee, over-regulation, but I was pretty deeply involved with the sport of professional skiing and saw how a fractious bunch of pretty neat people in time hammered out something that grew hugely from what it was in the 50s. From the outside looking in, Colorado Karting has similarities to skiing and ski racing/freestyle in that regard for amateurs as well as aspiring pros.

I’ll be glad to help any way I can and have some business/sports/marketing experience to bring to the table.

It’d be pretty cool to look back 8 years from now when I celebrate my 80th birthday with my 14 year-old-grandson after a season of seriously safe and sane, but still wild and woolly racing on a statewide circuit in a popular sport and safe sport, especially one my skeptical wife would enjoy watching.

It can be done. It should be done. We owe it to those who’ve gone before. The wind in the apex would be unfortunate.

[[email protected]]

Butler, yours in an even finer post. Hopefully we can all learn from your experience.

Using any comparison of motocross and karting since the ’60s, in any era, only one has seen huge growth…. and the other deserves it.

[Butler Cox]

Roger that.

[Author]

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