By all accounts, dirt track go-kart racing returned in a successful way on Saturday to the Bartholomew County 4-H Fairgrounds when 63 racers participated in the re-opening of the track that had been idle to go-karts since 2012.
The Columbus Speedway Go-Kart Racing promotes the events at the fairgrounds located just south of Columbus.
The newly reconfigured track and the turnout of racers was pleasing to promoters Tim Smith and Tim Reed, whose endless hours of preparation paid off handsomely.
Both Smith and Reed who reside in Columbus were kept extremely busy on Saturday Night.
“I was mostly on the other side of the track from the pit area working to make sure the track was well-kept,” said Smith, who had nothing but compliments for the drivers and fans who braved the heat to watch racing return to the fairgrounds track. “We had drivers from Kentucky, Ohio and Northern Indiana that came to race with us. Of course, there was some local racers there as well. There were a lot of people that I visited with that used to race here and it was great rehashing old times. Everything went great. It seemed everybody had a good time. We started the features by 8:30 p.m. We don’t want to keep people there all night. I don’t think it could have been ran any better or any quicker than it was.”
Smith also said that the feedback on social media has been all positive.
“Everything on social media so far has been all good,” he said. “I believe as the season goes on and continuing next year, the interest will continue to grow. I know there are several racers dusting off their equipment and plan to come race with us in the future. We want to make it fun and an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.”
Reed also was enthusiastically impressed with how things went.
“I felt everything went very well,” he said. “The entire staff worked together very well. We have some people that have worked the races before, but we had some first-time help also and they picked up things quickly. I also want to thank the Lions Club for their help with the concessions.”
Tony Ogle of Columbus, who served as the chief starter and photographer for the event, appreciated the great turnout of drivers and fans, as well.
“It was great to see go-kart racing back at the fairgrounds,” he said. “For the first night out, everything went extremely well. To get over 60 karts on just a few weeks’ notice is impressive.”
Ogle and his family have a long history of racing in their blood. Tony’s father Ken “Hillbilly” Ogle was a veteran race car driver who is in both Twin Cities Raceway Park’s and Brownstown Speedway’s Halls of Fame. He was the 1967 track champion at Twin Cities. Tony is a longtime racer, as well.
The winners from Saturday were Nick Welch (410 Class), Kayla Roell (Junior 2 Class), Case Smith (Junior 3 Class), Corey Vanover (340 Class), James Fraze (Vintage Class), Kyle Thayer (380 Class), Scott Roccia (Flathead Class), Aaron Fields (RWB Class) and Jake Roell (Rookie Class).
Racing will continue Saturday night at the fairgrounds. Gates will open at 3 p.m., practice is scheduled for 4 p.m. and the drivers meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Pit admission is $15, and grandstand admission is free.
For more information on this weekends’ events, contact Smith at 812-350-4354 or Reed at 812-603-8704.
