The Official Organ Of The Buggy Pilots International
BUGGY BOOGIE SPRANG THANG:
El Mirage Dry Lake,
May 19-22. Four days of incredible Buggy-Fun! El Mirage is
about 40 miles east of Palmdale in the Mojave Desert of
Southern California. Temperatures were moderate in the 80's
and we had wind every day.
Wednesday
began with a steady 10 mph wind at dawn! By 9:30 am I had
clocked over 20 miles on the odometer. Buggy'ers arrived
throughout the day including Darrin & Susan Skinner, Scott
Dyer, Mike Greenholz and Hoy Quan, among others. Scott and
his buddy brought three Manta Twin LandSailers from Las
Vegas. Hoy (who went home each night) brought his
single-handed LandSailer, and with 6-8 Buggys, (Peter Lynn,
Land Lizard & Flexi Buggys) we had a wealth of wind-powered
craft to use.
The oddest
experience wind-wise was on Thursday when we had No Wind All
Day. We had just packed everything when a good 10 mph breeze
came up as the sun went down, so we unpacked the gear and
Buggy'd til nearly 11 pm. The 3/4 moon gave just enough
light to find our way around.
Friday and
Saturday started getting a little more crowded on the lake
bed as motorcycles, quad-runners, land sailers, hot rods,
ultra-lights, auto-gyros and dune buggys came to share the
space.
El Mirage
could easily mean "Much Space". Buggy to your hearts content
and only then plan a turn. Go anywhere in any direction.
Space really builds the confidence level of beginners.
Variety of terrain for all skill and/or excitement levels.
You Gotta
Buggy This Place!
The BUGGY
PILOTS INTERNATIONAL is a loose-knit organization dedicated
to spreading the thrill and glory of Buggy Riding around the
world.
The common
ground of wind-powered traction kiting transcends all
boundries except those of wind, gravity and drag.
Buggy
or Die !
BUGGYS AT WILDWOOD SKC / 94
By Dean Jordan
Arrived at
the fabulous Rio Motel on Thursday afternoon, with buggys on
my mind. Checked into my room then checked out the beach for
buggy conditions. Not today. High tides, soft sand and south
winds blowing right up the beach.
Friday dawned
clear and windy. Hit the Rio's coffee shop for a bite and
some joe. I was just heading out when I bumped into Fritz
Gramkowski and Peter Lynn unloading their gear from Fritz's
van. I've just run into the Buggy Meister-Himself as well as
the US's hottest buggy pilot. This is a good thing! We're
getting pumped!
Before we can
continue, Sue Taft and Lee Sedgwick pull in and start
pulling buggy stuff out of their van. Next comes Bill
Beneker, and before you now it, we're all headed for a
pristine New Jersey beach that appears devoid of people! As
we through the soft sand of the upper beach, a feeling of
excitement begins to build. YOWZA!
Wind checks
indicate an offshore breeze that's blowing 10+ mph. The tide
is near high but going out. The time is 9:30 AM. All this
turns into a blur as the day progresses into a memory of
tires spinning and sand flying. At one point whil ng with
Sue Taft and George Baskette, we saw what looked like a
cartoon Tasmanian Devil spinning up the beach in a swirl of
sand. Alarmed, we scattered like thieves, when someone
shouted "Oh! Hey! It's Peter Lynn! Watch Out Anyway!"
Buggyers
continued to show up throughout the day, including Ray &
Jeannie Merry, John & Ilene Tavolachi, Fran Gramkowski,
George Baskette (who was flying his own quad-bag), Dodd
Gross, David Klein, Lance Wagner, David Brittain, Brian
Vanderslice going fast, Dave & Sherry Arnold, Jeff Burka,
and plenty of new faces making the beach simply lousy with
buggys.
Next two daze
are the ECSKC, which turn out to be one of the best ever,
and by 5 PM each day we're able to get out on the beach and
just ride and race and play. By now the winds have switched
to a perfect 10+ mph onshore that allowed long runs up and
down the beach, though most people seemed to stay fairly
close to home.
Anthony
Christafulli, Fritz, Dodd and I made a few trips as far up
the beach as we could just to see what was there. Made for
some great high speed runs on the long reach up.
Monday, we
gave lessons and seminars in a marked field that was perfect
for beginners as the sand was very slow and soft. Peter and
Fritz gave repeated demonstrations. Late in the afternoon,
with the winds increasing steadily, John Tavolachi was able
to record a top speed of 32 mph on his cyclo-computer. I
passed him a couple of times, he passed me back. A little
extra weight seems to enable you to hold a better edge. We
were cruisin'.
Tuesday the
winds were still strong and onshore but the buggy population
had thinned out leaving only a few die-hards for a game of
Buggy-Tag in which the person who is "it" has to escape from
the other buggyers. I got away for awhile using objects and
other buggyers as obstacles in my attempts to elude Fritz
and Peter. It was hairy sometimes, but way fun all the time.
They were using Peels and I was using a quad 4.4 so they had
the edge in power, but we were matched well in speed.
Finally
exhausted after five days of intensity, we took one last run
as far down and up the beach as we could go. Wildwood, we
shall return! Thanks Peter, for what you have brought us...
The coolest toy on the face of the planet!
BUGGY TIL YOU
FRY!!!
CHILDS' PLAY:
Bob Childs, from
Boulder Colorado, has announced a Buggy Enduro at the The
Bonneville Salt Flats for September 10-11, 1994. Bonneville
is located on the east side of the Great Salt Lake in Utah.
The event is scheduled for the weekend after Labor Day.
The event is
planned around a 50 mile Enduro (Either 20 x 2 1/2 mile laps
or 10 x 5 mile laps). Built around a triangular course,
there will be Time and Distance Events that will have
incremental stage events. Personal Bests will be established
at 5-10-20-25 mile etc. distances.
Hopefully,
there will be Individual Stage Winners, as well as
time/distance stages for Personal Bests as well as Overall
Winners.
The site is
spectacular. It is a very large space with mountains in the
distance. The surface has a slight crust to it that let the
tires dig in just a bit when hitting a hard turn. Fat Tire
Buggys should do as well as their Skinny Tired brethren.
An Enduro
event is a step in the right direction. I would rather
strive towards a goal surrounded by my friends trying their
best, than try to beat ya'll into the dirt. Head-to-head
racing has its allure, but no rules say we can't enjoy a
variety of formats while we thrash about with our friends.
Encourage
Bobski in this endeavor. There is no reason we must fall
into the "Too much support staff, too many arguments"
competition trap. We can have events that include us all and
encourage our playing together.
Without
support and encouragement it is all too easy to fall back on
the simple-minded, short-sighted ways of the past. This is a
new sport and we get to make up NEW rules on how-to-play and
should use the opportunity wisely.
Start making
plans now to attend. Bob Childs can be reached by phone at
303- 440-6303. Or by post at: It's A Breeze P.O. Box 2282
Boulder Colorado 80306
Photo
{omitted} is Bob and his All-Terrain In-Line Skates. Bob
used the wheels from his daughters scooter mounted to an
aluminum platform.
HOW TO BUGGY: REDUX
The first
rule to learning the Buggy is to begin with a smaller kite
and a medium wind. Work the kite to gain power and/or speed
and learn the little tricks of steering the Buggy to
complement the kites power and turn it into forward motion.
This is the
foundation to build Buggy technique. Power becomes a problem
quickly on the Buggy. There are no mechanical brakes (and
nothing left to squeeze them with?) and flying the kite
behind you gets you yanked out of the Buggy.
Surface is a
consideration as well. Hard-pack like the dry lakes, has low
rolling resistance and a smaller kite could be used than if
Buggy'ing on a beach or a grassy field.
Winds 8-16
mph and a really big (100-200 yds/wide minimum) place. Make
sure there is a clear area downwind in case someone has to
let go of their kite. Don't let someone (or yourself) talk
you into more than you can handle.
Get
comfortable with the kite before jumping on the Buggy. If
the kite crashes, get off the Buggy and set it pointed
downwind. Now relaunch the kite and remount your Buggy.
Trying to launch while seated without setting the Buggy to
go (in relation to the wind and the kite) can also get you
boosted out of the Buggy sideways.
Don't expect
to do all the tricks the first time out. Take the time to
become firmly grounded in basic control techniques. Both of
the kite and of the Buggy. Maintain your equipment in good
repair.
Add power a
bit at a time. Larger kites are better in lighter winds.
Shorter lines for quicker kite response. Practice and Learn!
Windborne Kites
We offer a complete selection of top-brand Buggys and
Power Kites.
Complete Accessories and Parts.
Call or Write for our Retail Kitealog (R)
585 Cannery Row #105
Monterey, California 93940
Toll-Free # 1-800-234-1033
Fax # 408-373-0688
Shop # 408-373-7422
FRENCH "TRANSAQUITAINE"
Our friend
Julian Wolfe-Patrick from France sends along a report of a
90 km run along the Bordeaux coast. The beach faces the
Atlantic Ocean and runs south from the mouth of the Gironde
River to Cap Ferret. (All you kids who slept through y
class, go get your atlas now.)
For the
metric-ly challenged, 90 kilometers is almost 55 miles.
Julian reported lots of wind with gusts up to 120 k/h (70+
mph - That's nearly hurricane strength, folks!) Most of
their Buggy'ing was done with a Q-2 in a bit less wind than
tjhat. Or perhaps they did go down and back in under 2
hours.
Put this site
on your "Someday I'm Gonna Go There To Buggy" list.
BUGGY BOOGIE SUMMER SIZZLE THANG:
We are going
to El Mirage Dry Lake to play in the desert just before the
Berkeley SKC. Dates for the BBSST are July 27-29, 1994.
Pilots who are planning their trips to Berkeley can come
early, on Tuesday, meet up in San Francisco and leave that
evening. We share the costs of a mini-van, buy our own food
and motel rooms (with showers, nice beds, etc.) are about
$33 /nite.
Directions
are available by fax for the map-less. If you are not coming
to Berkeley, consider flying into Los Angeles as it is only
2-3 hours from LAX to El Mirage. 5+ hours from Las Vegas. It
is a free country.
VIDEO BUGGY:
The long
awaited MTV-Sports segment that was filmed last January at
the 1st. Buggy Boogie Thang finally premiered over the
Easter Weekend. By now, I have also seen at least one rerun.
The clip shows much Buggy activity and includes
interviewwith Noted Buggy Persons. Both of whom got their
names mis-spelled.
For those of
you who missed the ESPN-2 segment that aired only a week
after the event, I offer to put together a tape of both
pieces as well as the best of my personal collection,
together with the best of what YOU send me!
The ONLY way
to get one of these compilations is to send me whatever
Buggy footage you have (In either VHS or 8mm) and a blank
high quality VHS tape. The deadline is August 1, 1994. I
will have the finished tapes in time for AKA-Wildwood 9
This is not
an offer to sell. I offer to share and to permit the
activities of each of us to be viewed by the larger Buggy
community. To get, one must give.
THE BEST OF THE BUGGYS:
The Buggy
World is starting to grow and one of the best benefits of
this growth are the choices now available to Buggy Buyers.
There are many pretenders to the throne of Best Buggy
Designer but the guy there now has some huge shoes and
anyone wanting to try to fill them has their work cut out.
Peter Lynn,
from Ashburton New Zealand, started his research into Buggy
designs in 1989 and had the first commercial Buggy on the
market in 1992. Peter's Buggys are noted for their
stability, efficiency, light weight and attention to detail.
To achieve the overall lightness using stainless steel,
Peter builds up strength in components until things stop
breaking.
Upgrades in
1994 include a higher grade steel in the rear axle and front
forks for greater stiffness without weight or cost
increases.
Standard Fat
Tire Buggy is best on most surfaces except pavement simply
because the Fat Tires can wear out so quickly. Especially if
inflation pressures are allowed to slip down below 25 psi or
so. On other surfaces, like grass fields, sof s can increase
ride comfort and actually aid in side grip.
The Peter
Lynn Buggy offers both Fat and Skinny Tire versions with the
STB approx. $100 more due to the costs of building 16"
spoked wheels and hubs.
The standard
P.L. Buggy design is built up from stainless steel
components that all bolt together. Rear axle, seat tubes,
down-tube, forks and head-piece are all easily removed for
repair or replacement. The nylon web seat holds the pilot
and allows body shifts for control. The use of webbing for
the seat also drains any water that would accumulate in a
solid seat.
Peter is
always working on his designs, evolving them into more
refined expressions. The Buggy is the focus of a few
modifications including an extended rear axle and extended
frame with steering linkage designed for greater high speed
stability.
The stability
gain offered by increasing the wheel-base and track of the
PL Buggy are off-set by the loss of quick-turn ability and
the rather ungainly size of the wide-track, long-nose
cruiser. Especially when packing it.
An 8" wide
front tire has also received attention in the search for
better Buggy-ability on softer sand. Putting that big a tire
on the front means an even wider front fork to accommodate
it.
The new 8"
wide tires demanded a new wheel as well so Peter designed a
two-piece model that bolts together and can be nestled in
the carry bag. The wide rear tires may be fitted to standard
PL Buggys without the extended axle.
These
modifications are for research. Costs are great and
quantities are low. Peter often funds research by selling
his proto-types after festivals.
Interested
parties may contact him directly.
BUGGY SITES:
In our
continuing search for those totally awesome Buggy-able sites
world-wide, we are considering a scouting trip to N.W.
Nevada because of reports of some huge spaces there.
The
organizers behind the next AKA convention in 1995 to be held
in Tulsa Oklahoma have approached us about a potential site
just north of Enid called the Great Salt Plains.
Idea is to
have another Buggy Boogie in conjunction with the annual
gathering. Steve Rogers has been dispatched to check out the
location, but we haven't heard anything from him yet. Hint,
hint!
WORLD CUP 94 BUGGY FRANCE:
This year the
World Cup Team Championships are in Le Touquet, France.
Sept. 9-11, 1994. The location on the Channel coast between
Calais and Dieppe put it in the middle of some of the best
Buggy beaches in the area and amid a wealth of simply super
festivals in Europe.
Bristol IKF is Sept.
3-4 at Ashton Court with buggy space. The World Cup is the
next weekend in Le Touquet. The giant bi-annual Dieppe IKF
runs from Sept. 10-18, and the Gwithian Sport Kite Classic
at St. Ives Bay on the Cornish coast is Sept 17-25. Oh! To
be a Buggy-Bum!
FLEXI BUGGY:
Flexifoil
Intn'l contracted Peter Lynn to design a Buggy for their
market. Peter did a great job with a stainless steel version
sporting an angled rear axle that provides the pilot a more
secure seating position and improved balance without
sacrificing all the great light-weight features that have
defined this type of vehicle.
The Flexi
Buggy front pegs are in a higher position on the forks than
other versions, but these forks are his most elegant yet.
Two positions on the center tube for length adjustments make
it suitable for shorter pilots as well as normal sorts.
The higher
frame sides keep the pilot more securely in the Buggys snug
seat. The mesh bottom of the seat aids drainage.
The Flexi
Buggy exhibits high quality welding on the stainless steel
frame, as one expects when dealing with a top Buggy
manufacturer. The same high quality is evident with the rest
of the components. Fat Tires are standard. Be sure to
include the carry bag, as this Buggy is made to GO!
THE LIZARD COMETH:
Highly Strung
Kites in Melbourne, Australia, obviously inspired by Peter
Lynn and his original buggy design, have engineered their
stainless steel Land Lizard with many different and
interesting features.
` The large,
square down-tube keeps frame flex to a minimum. The wide
seat fits bigger butted people, while the seat
rails/down-tube connection is adjustable along its length
and accommodates longer or shorter legged riders with a
custom fit. The twin-tube front forks resist flexing even
under strenuous pushing.
The
lizard-green wide-web seat is comfortable and secure. The
whole thing feels strong and rugged. The Lizard runs well
and is balanced and easy to control. The bright red
heavy-duty vinyl carry bag is very handy and durable.
BUGGY BOOGIE DOWN-UNDER:
The World Cup
Team Sport Kite Championships are going to Australia in
November 1995. Timed to take advantage of the group of
interested kiters together down-under, we are planning a
multi-day Buggy-Safari Thang to Lake Tyrrell.
Located in
the north-west of Victoria, this dry salt-lake is remotely
located. The nearest pub is 4-5 miles away. We are planning
to share a travelbus for transportation with camping on the
lake bed. We do our own cooking and spend the days on the
Buggy!
The nearby
town where the pub is located does have a couple of room for
the dainty, but this is not rural USA. This is the outback
of Australia. The bush!
Contact me
for more information or to get on the "interested" list.
KTA FLORIDA BUGGY JAN/1995:
The Kite
Trade Assoc. is meeting in Orlando, Florida in January 1995.
Immediately after the trade show closes, interested
Buggy'ers are invited to join the local Buggy community for
a Buggy Boogie.
Dean Jordan
and Mike Simmons are scouting the both Florida coastlines
for a suitable site. More details as they are firmed up.
LATE NEWS FLASH:
Ray Merry at
Cobra Kites has the new SkyTiger quad-lined parafoil for
traction kiting. Conventional in design and rigging, it is
built tough with 1 oz. ripstop nylon and uses equal-length
lines. Good power and control. Available in three sizes: 20
s/m, 40 s/m, 60 s/m. (windwiz note: Typo alert!!! The 3
listed sizes should be 18 sq ft, 26 sq ft, and 40 sq ft. Can
you imagine a kite w/ 60 sq meters??)
Quad-Trac
parafoils are the newest entry on the Buggy-Traction
Power-Kite scene. Ted Dougherty from the old Quadrifoil fame
is the builder and rigger and these new bags are reported
fast and efficient. This is a boot-straps operation and
product is C.O.D.
Peter Lynn
has yet another modification of his Original Buggy in the
marketplace. The Flexi Buggy was his first commercial
contract for a buggy design. Now another has appeared also
imported by Cobra Kites. Wholesale price is reported to y
the current street price of the Original Buggy and its
progeny. More as I get it.
NEED BUGGY PARTS?
I have
acquired a supply of Peter Lynn Buggy parts including axles,
bolts, forks, wheels, tires, tubes etc. Great prices!
Call me M-W-F
at Windborne Kites.
BUGGY POWER IN JOLLY AULD...
Mick & Mike
(The Spider folks) have closed The Welsh Sport Kite Centre
to concentrate on the production of their quality Modulus
kite system. The Original Modulus is a foil system with
zip-together sections. All Buggy pilots will apprecia bility
to change the size of your kite during a Buggy run. Without
a trip back to base camp or worse... back home, or even
worse... another trip to the kite store. The Modulus system
packs into the rear axle-mounted "Buggy Bag". Complete with
short lines & handles.
By changing
the width in half-metre intervals, the short-cord/
wide-aspect design of the Modulus gives great performance in
a size-range from 1 s/m to 5.8 s/m. The "Mod-Pod" is an
ultra-light option that extends the size to 6.8 s/m and adds
some 150' light lines. They offer a smaller version (without
the rear-axle bag) called The 38 Special. Size-range from 1
s/m to 3.8 s/m. They are also building three other
non-zipper foils, the BB 2, the BB 3, and the BB 3.5. All
include lines & handles.
The Modulus
system is the worlds first complete quad-line foil system
designed for traction. All Buggy pilots will want one. More
affordable are the video tapes of the Gwithian Kite Festival
complete with Buggy races and power kiting demon s you will
have to see to believe! Eric Wolff is the distributor for
the Modulus system in N. America. (312-327-6814) 3530 N.
Fremont, Chicago, IL 60657. Tell him you heard about it in
Buggy Newz.
WHERE TO BUGGY:
The more we
learn about the Buggy, the more obvious it becomes that Kite
Festivals are not the venue we are looking for. A few
specific locations have room for all the kiters and extra
space for Buggy Races. Some of the Oregon Beaches come to
mind. But most are simply too small to allow Buggy Racing
and a Kite Festival to happen at the same time.
Kite
Festivals are for kite flyers and Buggy Events need the open
space. So we must share. As we have been scheduling Buggy
events around other festivals, like the week before
AKA-Wildwood 94.
As Buggy'ers
we need to know what is appropriate for Kite Festivals who
want some Buggy Action to help draw their crowd. Festival
demos are no place for beginners! Or for lessons! The risks
are simply to severe where inexperience is combined with
curious crowds.
The game
becomes one of finding places where we can Buggy without
interfering with others and still allow the sport to grow
and absorb more users.
ADVERTISING? SUBSCRIPTIONS?
Recently,
manufacturers and distributors have started approaching me
to advertise in Buggy Newz. Pay me money to run their ad in
this rag! Astounding! I am momentarily amused.
Ultimately,
it raises the question of the intent here with Buggy Newz,
and the effect money has on the priorities and the clarity
of purpose.
I do not
choose to _sell_ any advertising at this time. I do run ads
for products or services which I feel are of interest to the
Buggy Community. I will use my discretion, not fees, to
determine what advertising I run in Buggy Newz.
I will retain
my independence and ability to say what I want about
anything I want. I want to write Buggy Newz without having
to worry about pissing off an advertiser. I want you to have
a newsletter filled with the sport, not the business
I started
Buggy Newz in the spring of 1993 to aid in the creation of a
"buggy community" and provide access to others who buggy,
because it is more fun in bunches. I did not start this as a
business, but the costs and work involved influenc . I have
not offered "subscriptions" as such, but an opportunity
interested Buggy'ers to contribute towards the expenses
involved in this endeavor.
I received a
letter recently from a couple of disgruntled guys in Idaho
who had sent $10 and were tired of waiting for a copy of
Buggy Newz. They wanted their money back (They got it). They
questioned my intent (Was it publishing or fraud? They also
threatened my reputation if I did not respond immediately.
(Needed the $10 to buy kite lines. Or was it KiteLines?)
First, allow
me to apologize for getting Buggy Newz 2.1 out so late.
Between the middle of January and the end of April, the
Windborne Kitealog (The business side of my life) was my
first priority and the timely writing and mailing of Buggy
Newz 2.1 suffered.
I write and
publish Buggy Newz when I can, because I want to. The Buggy
has excited me and judging by my mail, many others as well.
Buggy Newz exists to help communication between Buggy'ers
around the world. The bond is between Buggy'ers tween
publisher and subscriber. Take what comes. Contribute. Help
or get out of the way.
Feel free to
correct me if I'm wrong.
ICE BUGGY - The Thermos Bottle of Sports:
{photo of Dominique on Buggy w/Peel on frozen lake
omitted}
What's that
you say? How does the Ice Buggy compare to an insulated jug?
Remember the old ad? "Keeps the hot things hot and the cold
things cold!"
Well, the Ice
Buggy is plenty hot when it comes to performance. The drop
in rolling resistance is largely responsible for the
potential of 6-8 times the speed of the wind. The standard
rolling Kite Buggy is limited to 3-4 time the speed of the
wind on hard-pack ground.
As for the
cold... The net seat does little to protect one's bum from
its proximity to all that ice. Insulation at this critical
point is welcome. The same iced lake does tend to chill the
winds as well, so bundle up!
The
over-steer tendency of the Buggy works wonderfully on the
ground. Steer the front wheel and the rear end slides
around. Very smooth, very controllable. Ice would seem to
provide the opposite reaction to steering inputs. The
heavier rear blades would cut into the ice and not slide
sideways until well after the front end broke loose.
The change in
weight/traction bias seems to be addressed by tilting the
rear blades. A bit of weight shift, cut the front blade, and
power up the kite as the back end slips around and off you
go across the frozen expanse.
These options
are available in small numbers to interested parties.
Requires sub-zero temperatures, large bodies of frozen
water, and cold winter winds. Don't forget your mittens.
BUGGY PILOTS OF AMERICA
Cloisonne Pins
Silver on Black
$ 6 each
Paint The Sky Kites
Portland, Oregon
503-222-5096
Fax: 503-222-5034
BUILDING TECHNIQUE:
It never
fails. I hear from a new buggy'er interested in better tires
for traction or more kite for power or something different
to do more. We talk it out and come up with several
directions to look in for solutions and then months later
gain that everything is fine and they did or didn't get that
thing and besides there is no problem and the great traction
dilemma has been solved.
The answer?
Better technique. Learning the importance of front wheel
position to gain speed from the power. Practice and learn.
Practice and learn.
WIPI-CAT: Air-filled, Wind-powered!
{great WIPI-CAT photo omitted}
I don't know
who sent this to me, but the Wipi-Cat looks like it could
really be a gas! An air-inflated catamaran hull supports the
pilot astride rather than inside, and the curved
dual-surface wing is also inflated.
The two hulls
have a keel-like design underneath that eliminate the
rudder. The 6.5 sq/m wing with an inflatable framework "is
insubmersible and will leap from the water as soon as look
at you." (From their pamphlet)
The WIPI-CAT
is sold with complete equipment (in (including paddles, air
pump & carry bag) and is ready to sail! WIPI-CAT 80 route de
Brest 29000 QUIMPER France Tel: 98 90 12 49 Fax: 98 90 40 79
PARAKARTING?
Mick Parson
from Wales has started the PKA (Para-Karting Assoc.). They
have allied with the Land Sailing establishment in Great
Britain. Stated purpose is to acquire insurance and access
to permitted land sailing sites.
Most large
sites in Europe have already been accessed by the
land-sailing establishment and this alliance will give
Traction-Kiters a schedule of race dates and the beginning
of our standard racing rules.
Their
presentation of current rules makes it clear that racing is
the sole activity. Most of us use our Buggys more often for
recreation than racing. Still, they have begun something for
which there is interest. A standardization of International
Buggy Rules will allow us all to play together.
I have not
seen their by-laws so I don't know if membership gives
voting rights. They have already made the rules and you must
play by theirs or go elsewhere. They invite membership
world-wide. Their racing schedule includes only sites in
Britain however. Not many pro-Buggy teams on the
international circuit. Yet.
Their only
real blooper is the mis-guided attempt to rename our sport
"Para-Karting". Peter named them Buggys and that is surely
good enough for me! Check your dictionary for "para".
"Karts" is misspelled. We fly Kites! "Buggy" honors George
Pocock and his original 1823 "char-volant". Are they trying
to change history? Is it a plot?
CHAIN THE GATE:
The Bureau of
Land Management announced they have placed a chain and lock
on the gate to Ivanpah Dry Lake to curtail the motor
vehicles that drive on the lakebed. Ivanpah Dry Lake, only
45 minutes from Las Vegas at the Cal/Nev state line, has two
large resort/casinos at the top end of the lake (for
convenience) and is restricted to wind-powered craft only.
Permits (and
the combination) are available through the Needles BLM
office at P.O.Box 888 Needles, CA 92363-0888 or at
619-326-3896. Contact guy is Jim Foote.
Roger Ripstop says: "SAFETY FIRST!"
Buggy Pilots International
c/o Windborne Kites
585 Cannery Row #105
Monterey, California 93940