Let me show you how I spent my teenage years with extensive hands-on experience in mechanics and engines.

Youthful days

I’ve always been passionate about motorsport, a passion I partly inherited from my father who took me to some rally events when I was 8 years old. This passion was further enhanced by one of my best friends, Michele, who has always been very keen on motorsport.

I remember we were at a summer camp in my town when I handed Michele a piece of paper and a pen, asking: “Please, can you illustrate how a chainsaw’s engine works?”.

Many years later, when we were 14 years old and the era of mopeds began, that passion exploded. My parents bought me a second-hand Beta Ark 50cc, which immediately got its exhaust swapped, even before reaching home, thanks to Michele once again.

We started regular meetings in the afternoons and spent whole days together during the summer in a small district called Castellani, where Michele and Nicola (who is now my wedding witness) used to live. They both had multiple motorbikes and similar gear, as well as well-equipped garages. Silvio and Giulio were part of the crew too, and I truly believe this group of five best friends was the starting point of a flourishing team.

I remember spending a lot of time fixing (and breaking) our mopeds or Silvio’s Piaggio Ape (an amazing vehicle), and we learned how those engines work by actually working on them. I think this is a very important part:

We learned by doing; no one taught us how to do it.

Of course, our afternoons weren’t only focused on mechanics, and we weren’t just a group of five people. There were other friends, and we also had an intensive rhythm of parties together, but that’s a story for another time.

Go-kart project

It’s hard to remember exactly how it all started, but I think the idea was born in the summer of 2011 when my grandfather gifted me an old Piaggio Vespa engine (you should know that in Italy, when Vespas were cheap, many were scrapped, and their engines were repurposed for homemade winches). Silvio and I were there that day. The engine was supposed to be either 125cc or 150cc; we still don’t know for sure, but this mystery adds to the magic of the story.

We took the engine to Castellani, and somehow, an old hay cart appeared from Nicola’s warehouse. That’s when the magic began.

The Vespa's engine mounted in the kart's chassis

We placed the engine in the middle of the hay cart and started brainstorming how to turn these two pieces into a homemade go-kart. It’s important to remember that we were all just 14 years old with no experience in this kind of project. The design was very naive, never drawn out, and was created on-the-go by connecting the pieces as we went along.

Other vital parts were gifted by my grandfather from an old Fiat 500: the seat, the steering box, and the steering wheel. The dream was now starting to take shape.

Fiat 500 seat positioned and kart being shaped

The main skill needed for this project (besides passion and creativity, which were definitely essential) was soldering, and none of us were skilled at it. Michele’s father showed us the basics, but there was one detail that always fascinated me: one day, Roberto, a friend of ours who lived in Castellani, said, “if you temper it with oil, the soldering will be more flexible; if you temper it with water, the soldering will be more rigid”. That piece of advice was, and still is, something like an axiom for me and always makes me smile.

We were fortunate that Michele, Giulio, and Silvio went on vacation to Puglia for a week or two that summer, which meant we had to put the kart project on hold. I say we were lucky because Michele’s father, who was definitely more skilled in welding techniques, reinforced the structure where it was needed and perhaps prevented it from collapsing (as happened with the wheels on the first run; they gave out, and the kart flopped to the ground as if it were exhausted).

We were young, and as mentioned before, there was no written plan, everything was done on the fly. Measurements were taken in real-time: someone would sit in the seat, and pieces of steel were welded or cut to the right size. That’s a quick concept of ergonomics. We were aware of the risks, and we were lucky nothing serious happened, but don’t try this at home.

Kart's testing

We were eager for results, and the garage was rarely tidy except before we left. We often had lunch and dinner at Michele’s or Nicola’s (I take this opportunity to thank both of them and their parents for their hospitality and patience during that time), so it was a full day of work with short breaks.

Usually, after dinner, we would meet with other friends at Castellani to watch a film together, have a party, or just spend the evening there.

It really was the good ol’ days.

Giacomo, Michele’s brother, and Andrea, Nicola’s brother, were always with us. We spent a lot of time together, but since they were 5 years younger than us, they couldn’t offer technical help, just plenty of fun and good company.

Technical details

Converting the Vespa’s controls to fit the kart structure was fascinating: the throttle, brake, and clutch were easily adapted into a car-like setup with three pedals, while the gear shift turned into a beautifully crafted sequential-like lever. The starter was placed near the seat and was used for both starting and shutting down the engine (poor engine…).

Pedals in the front, gear shift, starter and "roll-saving" wheels on the side

Notice that gear shift knob, just like the finest Maybach trim.

As seen in previous pictures, the engine was mounted in the same position as in the original Vespa, slightly off-center. This became an issue when we realised that the kart’s center of gravity was not balanced, making left turns different from right turns and risking flips. To address this, we came up with a rather naive solution: adding two smaller wheels on both sides! Additionally, a roll bar was installed around the driver’s seat, which saved us on many occasions.

The naked chassis during the last painting and some of us

A rear suspension ensured that the structure could handle bumps and holes in the road; this suspension came also from a Vespa.

Testing field

The playground where we tested and had a lot of fun with the kart was literally a field. At Castellani, there’s a large private grass field in front of Nicola’s house, and it was perfect for us.

It’s now clear why the suspension was necessary, isn’t it?

We circled that field many times, with one or two laps each driver, and I think we became quite familiar with car controls well before starting driving school (four years in advance).

Carnival 2013

In our town, there was a traditional carnival parade around the center, and we participated with our group, our kart, and some motorbikes. The theme was “Women and cars, joys and sorrows”.

Our takeaway

First and foremost, an amazing group of people came together and friendships were hardly welded during this experience, which is the most important outcome. We still meet very frequently (even though some of us now live far from home, we do our best to stay connected). I personally consider Michele, Nicola, Giulio, and Silvio to be my best friends.

As a second major takeaway, we learned a lot of techniques and improved our DIY skills (at least for what was possible at that age). Some of us now work in the mechanical industry, and I still consider them to be the best in the field, not only for their skills but also for the passion they bring to their work.

We were incredibly fortunate to have met and come together in a place where such experiences were possible. Nowadays, such opportunities seem to be more limited, with fewer outdoor experiences and less friendly neighbors. However, I encourage every young person to let their creativity take precedence over comfort and to experiment — safely — by creating meaningful experiences.

The article concludes with a photo of the latest version of the kart, featuring sponge padding on the roll bar, a Fiat Uno seat, a five-point harness, and a small addition: a DIY action camera mounted on top.