Kaskarre Karting in South Africa, 1970
High school in South Africa in the ’60-’70s was as boring as it gets, so creative entertainment was the order of the day.
Sanctions and a very conservative government meant that kids grew up in an isolated society. We didn’t get TV until 1975 and the only way we could listen to rock ’n roll was to tune in to Lourenço Marques (LM) radio that broadcast on shortwave from Mozambique.
Boredom means innovation to stay entertained and building kaskarre (soapbox cars) wasn’t good enough. We had to go faster, which meant hooking up with one of the few kids who owned a motorbike. At sixteen you could ride a small bike up to 50 cc, but Dawie Lombard had a 90cc Honda–illegal for him to own and ride, so acquired with the help of his cousin.
These photos were taken in 1970 when I was in my final year of high school in Boksburg. I was behind my fancy Pentax Spotmatic, so no photos of me, although I had as much fun as the rest of the gang both towing and getting towed. We all lived in a subdivision called Cinderella. Roads were being cut for adjacent Sunward Park, which meant perfectly plowed dirt roads with no traffic in sight. Ideal for towing our kaskar behind the Honda. Speeds were high and hence spills plenty.
At some point we got tired of the dirt roads and made the trek to the mine dumps, created by the gold mines that covered the land. Some were made of gravel, but the dried out slime dumps were perfectly flat, dusty and offered a clean canvas to paint drift marks on.
Leonard Meiring towning Deon van der Merwe.
Tinus de Bruin in the slide of his life on a slime dump in Boksburg, South Africa.
Dawie Lombard on his 90cc Honda doing towing duty.
Deon vd Merwe loving it.
Leonard Meiring towing Tinus de Bruin on top of a slime dump.
The slime dump gang with the mine and a large gravel dump in the background.
When the wheels come off…
You can be sure they’ll come off again.
When Dawie crashed (reenacted)…
The best tool available to bend the footrest back was an axe.
Pieter de Bruin ready to launch on the Boksburg mine dump.
Tinus de Bruin hanging on for dear life.
Name lost to a fading memory.
One of the locals getting a ride.
Pretty cool cart we put together.
Pieter de Bruin is a classic drift sequence.
What the heck, traffic cops were rare in South Africa back then.
Kaskarre Karting in South Africa, 1970
-
- ACVWSA Junkie
- Posts: 15031
- Joined: Sun Sep 18, 2005 5:54 pm
- What model do you have?: Oil on the driveway
- Location: Wilderness
- Has thanked: 231 times
- Been thanked: 233 times
- Contact:
Kaskarre Karting in South Africa, 1970
Interesting article found on line
- retrovan
- Donor
- Posts: 8709
- Joined: Mon Feb 07, 2011 8:51 pm
- What model do you have?: 52T1,68FB,72Bay,75FL
- Location: Eich! no, in Jefferys Bay
- Has thanked: 421 times
- Been thanked: 539 times
- Contact:
Re: Kaskarre Karting in South Africa, 1970
Still remember the old license disk and 3dr party disks on the window of the car.
Yes we too had fun by scrambling with standard road bikes, thats probably where these scramblers and motor X came from.
Did mine on a Bridgestone bike, ..Yes they made bikes before tyres.
Thanks Pine
Herman
Yes we too had fun by scrambling with standard road bikes, thats probably where these scramblers and motor X came from.
Did mine on a Bridgestone bike, ..Yes they made bikes before tyres.
Thanks Pine
Herman
1952 Split Beetle 1835cc
1968 Fastback 2Lt.type4
1972 Low Light Bay Panel Van 2Lt type 4
1975 Fleetline Panel Van 1914cc
2020 MeFusco Beetle Truck 2Lt type 4
1972 FT Hahn SP 1776 cc
1968 Fastback 2Lt.type4
1972 Low Light Bay Panel Van 2Lt type 4
1975 Fleetline Panel Van 1914cc
2020 MeFusco Beetle Truck 2Lt type 4
1972 FT Hahn SP 1776 cc
- V6 Capri
- Oil Stain
- Posts: 195
- Joined: Sun Sep 23, 2018 9:06 pm
- What model do you have?: 1972
- Location: East Rand
- Has thanked: 7 times
- Been thanked: 29 times
Re: Kaskarre Karting in South Africa, 1970
Epic!! Love the pictures!
1964 Ford Anglia 997cc
1972 Ford Capri 3L GT
1994 Escort Cosworth (replica)
1996 Escort 2L Zetec
2016 VW Touran 1.6TDi
1971 Baywindow project
1972 Ford Capri 3L GT
1994 Escort Cosworth (replica)
1996 Escort 2L Zetec
2016 VW Touran 1.6TDi
1971 Baywindow project
- fig
- Bus Driver
- Posts: 12214
- Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 10:08 pm
- What model do you have?: Type 2
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/258896479219/
- Location: Where life is cheap and death is free
- Has thanked: 287 times
- Been thanked: 321 times
- Contact:
Re: Kaskarre Karting in South Africa, 1970
Awesome post and pics!
I know those mine dumps well. I used to spend my Sundays in the Boksburg mine dumps on my XT500 in the 1980s.
I know those mine dumps well. I used to spend my Sundays in the Boksburg mine dumps on my XT500 in the 1980s.
fig
Kaapse Kombi Kult
"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." -- Henry Ford
Kaapse Kombi Kult
"Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right." -- Henry Ford
-
- Crankshaft
- Posts: 767
- Joined: Wed May 28, 2014 7:18 pm
- What model do you have?: 69 Baja bug, Sand R
- Location: JHB South
- Has thanked: 78 times
- Been thanked: 37 times
Re: Kaskarre Karting in South Africa, 1970
Aahhh what memories.
we got board with the old pram wheels and used bearings as wheels..
Used to start halfway up Nugget hill with the go carts and drift down past the Tank that stood at the bottom of Nugget Hill way past Catholic Catheadral.
the good old days
we got board with the old pram wheels and used bearings as wheels..
Used to start halfway up Nugget hill with the go carts and drift down past the Tank that stood at the bottom of Nugget Hill way past Catholic Catheadral.
the good old days