Dirty Racing
Dirty Racing
(Swamp Buggy Racing in Naples, Florida)
(as first published by Airboating Magazine March/April 2018 issue)
By Patti Powers
Swamp buggies come in all shapes and sizes. One might envision plain seats postured well above a rudimentary steel frame with only the basic equipment, all supported by huge thick rubber tires. And while you might see these traditional machines in front of Florida’s tourist traps or deep within the State’s woods and swamps, you will not see them at today’s swamp buggy races.
Originating on Florida’s west coast in Naples, gateway to the Everglades, Florida’s swamp buggy races have evolved over almost seven decades. Except for the jeep-type buggies, the simple framed buggies of the past are no longer. Today’s racing buggies look like something that might have been fashioned for a post-apocalyptic time-period.
Designed for racing, the cockpits on these monster machines are situated ahead of tall disc-like front wheels that literally slice through the water and mud sending it in a circular motion. Powerful racing engines are protected inside cylinder-shaped bodies. Paddle treads on the back wheels help move the buggies forward over a water filled seven-eighths of a mile track. When the buggies reach the “sippy hole,” a five to six-foot depression in the track, the ski type devices under the body near the front wheels help keep the crafts from sinking into the thick mud.
These fierce machines are not to be outdone by the good old “jeeps.” Stripped down to just the essentials, these old-school buggies are a sight when moving in a line across the track. When they reach the sippy hole, the jeeps seem to float through it.
Both men and women participate in this sport and for many, the art of the race has been passed down from prior generations. Not all the adrenaline junkies maneuvering these buggies around the track will finish the race, but the one thing they will all take away is mud!
The almost century old tradition of swamp buggy racing is kept alive at Florida Sports Park, located in Naples, Florida, in the same city where the sport originated. If you want to experience the sport of dirty racing, check the event schedule on the Florida Sports Park’s Facebook page “@thefloridasportspark”.
Don't forget to "Like" us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FloridaCrackerPhotography/.
Read More(Swamp Buggy Racing in Naples, Florida)
(as first published by Airboating Magazine March/April 2018 issue)
By Patti Powers
Swamp buggies come in all shapes and sizes. One might envision plain seats postured well above a rudimentary steel frame with only the basic equipment, all supported by huge thick rubber tires. And while you might see these traditional machines in front of Florida’s tourist traps or deep within the State’s woods and swamps, you will not see them at today’s swamp buggy races.
Originating on Florida’s west coast in Naples, gateway to the Everglades, Florida’s swamp buggy races have evolved over almost seven decades. Except for the jeep-type buggies, the simple framed buggies of the past are no longer. Today’s racing buggies look like something that might have been fashioned for a post-apocalyptic time-period.
Designed for racing, the cockpits on these monster machines are situated ahead of tall disc-like front wheels that literally slice through the water and mud sending it in a circular motion. Powerful racing engines are protected inside cylinder-shaped bodies. Paddle treads on the back wheels help move the buggies forward over a water filled seven-eighths of a mile track. When the buggies reach the “sippy hole,” a five to six-foot depression in the track, the ski type devices under the body near the front wheels help keep the crafts from sinking into the thick mud.
These fierce machines are not to be outdone by the good old “jeeps.” Stripped down to just the essentials, these old-school buggies are a sight when moving in a line across the track. When they reach the sippy hole, the jeeps seem to float through it.
Both men and women participate in this sport and for many, the art of the race has been passed down from prior generations. Not all the adrenaline junkies maneuvering these buggies around the track will finish the race, but the one thing they will all take away is mud!
The almost century old tradition of swamp buggy racing is kept alive at Florida Sports Park, located in Naples, Florida, in the same city where the sport originated. If you want to experience the sport of dirty racing, check the event schedule on the Florida Sports Park’s Facebook page “@thefloridasportspark”.
Don't forget to "Like" us on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/FloridaCrackerPhotography/.
