It’s 1958: Quarter Midget or a Go Kart?

My kids are getting old enough to start racing now, and after a few fun minibike weekends, I’m thinking about getting them into something with 4 wheels… When I look back at what kids were racing in the late 50s, there were two paths: Quarter Midgets on dirt ovals, or the new-fangled Go-Karts on asphalt. Midgets just look so much more stylish to me- Like miniature Indy cars, complete with suspension and track noses. Go-Karts on the other hand were cutting-edge racers for speed junkies (mostly adults) that became the gateway drug for sports cars and Formula One. Which type of little racer would you get your kids into, and why? Dashing looks on dirt, or holy terror on tarmac?

I was lucky enough to find some nice footage from both forms of racing that year, just to help you decide…