Avoiding rodents on track

[Michael Boone]

We have a lot of rabbits at the first of the year ! I'm usually the first to hit the track in the morning and always 2 or 3 running for cover. I've hit a couple they never seem to run the same after !

MB
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If you can't keep up don't worry I'll be coming around again !
KZ 125 Masters
FFSA National race Director
http://www.ask-ancenis.fr/

[John Mulvihill]

Back in the pre-bodywork days I had a buddy on a laydown kart hit a groundhog at approximately 80 mph. The front bumper sliced and diced like a Ronco Bass-a-matic (ancient reference to an early Saturday Night Live). He pitted and immediately lost his lunch.

Another friend got a good sized turtle stuck under her laydown kart lifting the front tires into the air for about 50 yards.

Bryar Motorsport Park was Hell on the fauna.

John
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I bowl overhand..........

[mike clements]

About 25 years ago we had a desert ground squirrel bite into one of the 440volt power lines for the huge lights we have for night racing. This happened during a 10 lap heat race and all the lights went out on our 500ft straight-a-way. In the desert, it is pitch black when that happens. Everyone in the pits saw the squirrel flash like a small explosion, the place went dark and we could hear brakes and tires squealing and karts crashing, etc. Couldn't tell who was hitting who.
We used flashlights to walk out and drag everyone back into the pits. No one was injured and we were able to get the lights working on just the pace lap oval portion of the track. So...
We quickly called it an "Oval Race" night. I can't remember having so much fun racing as we did that night. Two strokes and 4 strokes ran together. All adult classes ran in the same class. Just various heats to get to a main event. The main 30 lap race was won by an open K-78 Komet and I ran second with a stock class Briggs flathead. There were dual Yamahas and all sorts of stuff in the main. The mixture of corner speed vs straight-a-way speed made it very interesting.
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Began kart racing 1959. Made many friends along the way.

[Chris Hurst]

[Tom Luczkowski]

Not really a rodent, but does a goose count? There is a lake next to our track and a goose decided to walk from the infield to the middle of the front stretch right in front of me at 50mph, managed not to hit it but couldn't imagine the mess!

[Tim Doll]

Many years ago at Portland International, a guy pulled into the pits mid-race covered with blood. It took several minutes to calm the panic and find out that he'd hit a critter going down the main straight and the blood wasn't his - he'd pulled in because the he couldn't see for all the blood on his visor .

Back in 1999, I was running a 125 laydown shifter at Road America. On the next to last lap, I was running second, closely pursued by two others when a small furry critter ran across in front of me as I was turning into turn 5. It distracted me enough that I botched the corner and did a little half spin - which prompted my two pursuers to mimic my half spin. All three of us quickly recovered (I think it was the only time I ever spun that kart that I got the clutch in time to avoid stalling it), but I was a bit slower getting going again and it dropped to fourth

Tim
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Standard disclaimer - I'm FREE - No longer affiliated with any organization, I can say whatever I darn well please!.

Everett, Washington

[Evan Fraser]

Not Karting, but definitely a rodent. I volunteered at the Knox Mountain Hill Climb in the interior of BC in the late 2000s. I heard this on the radio and later saw the video of a Lotus Super 7 plowing into the tire wall at turn 5 having purportedly avoided a Rabbit on the track. A later call clarified that it was a Marmot. Either way the car was messed, driver was okay.

Also at Greg Moore Raceway we had a resident Rabbit that lived in the tire bundle under the starter stand. One day it ventured out at the wrong time and apparently got some good air time courtesy of someone's nose cone. Poor guy.

Evan

[Greg Wright]

Probably close to 20 years ago, Road America, a guy in a laydown came out of the kink and found a ground hog sitting right on the line. He chose not to try to dodge it and hit it head on.
The ground hog punched a hole in the nose head first, his body was outside the nose and the head and lots of blood on the inside.
A Champ car driver also at Road America hit a deer and was seriously injured.
About 10 years ago at Summit Point a shifter driver was killed when he hit a deer.
A real long time ago at IRP Gary Bystrom hit a black labrador that wandered onto the track. It slid up the front of the kart and landed on the steering wheel breaking Gary's thumbs.
Saw a guy hit a goose at NCMP at last years Man Cup finale. I hit a chipmunk at Road America once, he flew up and landed in the seat with me deader than dead. I chased some girl around the paddock with the carcass.
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Greg Wright
Rapid Racing Inc.
NKN Columnist & Host "Karting News Live"

I AM INDY!!

"When in doubt, gas it. It won't help but it ends the suspense."

[Robert Finlayson]

In 2011 a competitor hit a turtle at the Route 66 event at Badger Kart Club. It was a pretty small turtle.

I also saw this video on the Corvette forum not too long ago, enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geP0QoecKyg

[joseph hollinger]

[Ray Mcik]

[Randy Mckee]

[Chris Hurst]

[Matthew Shane]

One time at orlando kart center there was a dead bird on the track. Got blood on the front bumper

[Cory Ross]

Last week there was another prairie dog that had a hole right next to the curbing on a fast sweeper. You would be just off the curbing flying by and he would just sit there with his head out of his hole like it was no big deal.