The driveway of the Dickinson family was full—five karts perched on lifts with three kids and two dads at work. The Dickinson and Pagano families were getting ready for a day of kart racing, a sport the fathers and sons share from start to finish. The East Hampton families of Carl Dickinson Sr., 45, his son, Carl Jr. 13, and Jeff Pagano, 55, and his sons, Mike, 13, and Daley, 9, were preparing for another Sunday of racing at a road course at Nassau Coliseum. It’s a sport that, in spite of the age differences between the fathers and sons, they can equally participate in. The five are members of the Long Island Karting Association (LIKA), and Pagano described the openwheel karts as the Little League of Formula 1 racing.
The families met when Carl Jr. and Mike played Little League baseball together about four years ago. The two families got involved in kart racing last year.
Mike Pagano said he had been bugging his dad for a while about wanting to get involved in kart racing, but he kept putting him off.
“When Mike kept bothering me, I realized that the reason that I was saying ‘no’ was because my dad said ‘no,’” Jeff said.
Since he was a teen, Jeff had been involved in various types of racing, including racing Corvettes, and Formula Fords and Chryslers. His father kept trying to put the kibosh on his dreams to race until Jeff decided he was going to do it behind his father’s back. After years of Jeff telling Mike that the racing was not to be, he finally caved and they quickly bought their first kart on eBay.
The Dickinson family got involved not long after Jeff and his kids took interest, and it’s been a family experience like no other for the five.
The season runs from April to November with 17 Sundays of racing being held, most of which are in the spring and fall to keep drivers from having to spend too much time behind the wheel during the busy days of summer.
The day begins at 6 a.m. for the two-hour drive to the coliseum with the five karts—which weigh about 250 pounds each—in a pair of trailers. Once they arrive at the track, the families set up their trailers and a tent and get ready for a long day of racing that lasts 13 to 15 hours before the group returns to East Hampton. Even the Paganos’ dog, Blue, takes on the long days out at the track with the crowd.
The karts race on a temporary road course set up in the parking lot with cones and plastic barriers. Each driver gets three, 10-lap practice sessions and then three, 10-lap races, so everyone is guaranteed a minimum of 60 laps. The trips to Uniondale are the only time the drivers get behind the wheel of their karts because the vehicles are not approved for road use.
Spending so much time at the track, bonds are formed. But when it’s time to race, it’s time to race. Carl Jr. and Mike race head-to-head in the same class.
“We’re all friends, but when we race, we’re serious,” Mike said. “It’s clean racing. Even though we are friends, we don’t let each other win.”
Junior novice Daley’s kart travels between 35 and 40 mph, while Mike and Carl Jr.’s junior sportsman karts race at speeds approaching 60 mph. Dickinson is a sportsman novice, while Pagano competes in the HPV division, both with karts that speed to about 65 mph. All five have found success, winning trophies in their respective divisions.
“It’s really awesome,” Carl Jr said of getting out on the track.
“The inside temperature is like 120 degrees, but you don’t care because you are having so much fun,” added Mike. “It’s a lot more physical than you think.”
Drivers wear full fire suits and are protected from head to toe with safety gear, including boots, gloves, chest protectors and helmets. On the center of the wheel, is a digital display that monitors speed, RPMs and other statistics. Drivers are not permitted to use radios to communicate, which helps create an even track for all competitors.
All of the work on the karts has to be done by the drivers, with most of it being done by the dads. Dickinson admits that he had minimal knowledge about mechanics when he started, but that it’s a learning process and he relies on Pagano, who has plenty of experience with cars. “It’s a labor of love,” Dickinson said. “You have to enjoy it.”
“If you know anything about how a lawn mower works, you can do it,” added Pagano. “It could be as simple as putting the kart in the back of a pickup or as much as a 40-foot trailer with AC and Directv.”
The boys like to talk about the sport, the competition and the speed the most and hesitant to show their softer sides when it comes to spending quality time with their dads. After a bit of prodding, the three admit enjoying their time together, quality time they will appreciate more as they grow older.
“It’s kind of nice because we get to race and be with Dad,” Daley said. Carl Jr. added with a laugh, “It’s fun because we get to sit in the trailer and they do everything for you.”
Mike was quick to jump in that the boys pull their weight with the work done on the karts.
For the dads, it’s all about the time spent together.
“They give us more than we give them,” Jeff said. “The dads get a lot out of it. We get back the time together. We’re all playing the same game and are all after the same goal. It makes the ride home interesting. You find yourself talking about the same terms, the same events. You have eye-to-eye conversation.”
Dickinson agreed, “It’s fantastic. This is something that we do together. If something goes wrong, we have to work together to fix it. It’s hands-on instead of just sitting in the bleachers,” he said.
As the boys get older and college appears on the horizon, the fathers say they look forward to continuing to race in the summer months.
“Karting is an equalizer for families with a flair for competition,” said LIKA President Charles Janosick, who races with his son, Ken. “My family karted and we traveled. Some families stay local. But there are times when you wish your family grows up and heads in the right direction and makes good choices in life as they grow, especially in their teen and formative years,” he said. “The families that I see racing all seem to make good choices as they grow together. Some people may joke and call it bonding. I sometimes refer to karting as the Little League of motorsports. It is a place for people both young and old to get their basic driver training but is also a fun activity that will allow a grandfather, daughter and grandson to compete equally with each other in the very same activity. You can’t do that in baseball or football.”
There is talk of a track being developed in Yaphank, an idea the Pagano and Dickinson families support, even though it is still in the early stages.
While that would be a pleasant cut on travel time for the pair of East Hampton families, they have no plans to let the distance get in the way of the love they share.
From left, Mike, Daley and Jeff Pagano, along with Carl Dickinson Sr. and his son, Carl Jr. in the East Hampton driveway of the Dickinson family home. All five share the love of kart racing, a sport that brings the fathers and sons together. Carl Jr. races in car #18 while Mike drives #19 and Daley is in #8.
Carl Dickinson Sr. and his son, Carl Jr., work on Carl Jr.’s kart in preparation for a race.