Go-karts at Nui Dat DPR/TV/1390

Australian soldiers in South Vietnam have gone go-karting in their leisure time. The red, choking dust that rises every time a vehicle moves at the 1st Australian Task Force Base, Nui Dat, is not always associated with work done by members of 106th Field Workshops. They have created their own dustmakers...four fast and entertaining go-karts that the soldiers race and maintain in their spare time. The members of the 106 Go-Kart Club built their karts from scrap metal from the workshops in their off duty periods. Power for the fast racers is provided by 500 cc motors salvaged from dumps and rebuilt with care over a period of months. These motors - usually used to power KVA generators - now drive the karts round the workshop track at speeds up to 35 mph. The karts are sturdily built with strong roll bars to protect drivers who wear steel helmets during races. The record for the 2/10ths of a mile track is 21 seconds, established during a close race at one of the club's meetings. The races draw many spectators who are prepared to brave the dust to make the most of their leisure time. Also identified: 7145 Craftsman (Cfn) Roly Koops of Darwin, NT; 58862 Corporal Alexander Serge (Alex) Makedonez of Townsville, Qld; 6709599 Cfn Peter Martin Cowling of Georgetown, Tas; 342949 Sergeant Stephen Roger (Steve) Pearman of Seymour, Vic.