18
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Thursday, November 21, 1968
Above, Bucko Entriken,
Route 5, Lawrence, picks up a 2-second penalty for hitting a pylon in his MGA. At right, Entriken (left) and Duane Bailey, Scranton senior, take an exploratory walk around the course before the start of morning practice.
The driver sits at the gymkhana start line, his engine noisily throbbing. He may be piloting a sleek Jaguar or the family bus but whatever his car, he will compete in one of several classes established to enable all cars to participate on a nearly equal basis. If the driver is female, she may run in a ladies class. As the green flag drops, the driver stands on the gas and heads for the first turn. He is all alone on
the course trying to win a trophy by posting the lowest one-lap time in his class. A gymkhana is not a race so he does not have the hazard of other cars on the course. Nor is he required to have special safety equipment other than seat belts although the car must pass a safety inspection. Helmets often are mandatory, but if they are the sponsoring club will lend him one. Zipping around a corner it seems he is going quite fast, yet chances are he will never shift higher than second gear. The course is small and tight, usually laid out on a large parking lot and marked with rubber pylons. Rounding the final turn the driver knocks one of the pylons flying and adds
Getting her Austin Healey 3000 ready for the gymkhana, Paula Dolbier, Lawrence freshman, makes a minor carburetor adjustment.
flying and adds a penalty of two or more seconds to his time. Then he is done and as the next entrant takes his turn he gets back in line to await his second run of the day.
Gordon Fitch, assistant professor of business administration, powers his Mini Cooper S around a tight corner.
While waiting for their class to run, the owners of two Corvettes and an MGA succumb to the urge to fiddle with their engines while other drivers offer inevitable advice on fuel mixtures and timing settings.
Photos by Robert Entriken Jr.