Jive-Bomber submitted a new blog post: It's 1958: Quarter Midget or a Go Kart? Continue reading the Original Blog Post
That was cool! I love the look of the old quarter midgets but if they are like the rest of us and speed junkies I'd say karts!
My older brother and I had a go-kart in the 70’s and wore a dirt oval into the grass back yard. My son had one he drove like a holy terror on our acreage, going through 2 engines before he got too big to fit in it anymore. He took it on both dirt and our gravel driveway. Maybe someday we will extend the frame so us “adults” can fit in again. So, based on my experiences I vote go kart. They are so simple yet so fun. Of course, maybe if I had a midget, I would feel different.
The quarter midgets are so cool but finding one & purchasing it are two different things, they are expensive where as Karts/go-karts can be found cheap. HRP
Like Denny said you want to be broke? Get into racing! Even at the kid level it ain’t cheap! Unless your going to a parking lot to let them have fun, I will post a pic of my 58 quarter midget
Hot Rod Magazine February 1958 It's full of the little racer's..... Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Jive-Bomber, just do it! Sure, some people go overboard and show up to go go-kart racing with a semi, loaded with extra kart's, parts and a machine shop but you can get involved as deep as you want. I wanted to get my grand kids into go-karts, but living on Long Island it's almost impossible. I can't even fire up a go-kart in my neighborhood with out a visit from the police. You won't regret the chance to bond with your kid's and teach them the in's and out's of racing and mechanical skills.
Dont know about qm racing but today it seams like all the fun went out of karting. No more run what you brung brackets just 5 or 6 classes, and no one shows up at our kart track without trailers that cost more then my car, spare engines ,frames ,and VERY deep pockets.
This is/was my first car dad and I finished in '58. More of a "sidewalk car" than Go-Kart, but still lots of fun for me and later for my younger brother.
Keep it simple......internal combustion......four wheels.......simple frame.....little or no suspension......and a VERY excited child and father......don't overthink it. I am 73yrs. old......my brother raced dirt oval karts in Iowa until he was almost 50yrs. old. Our young nephew started racing at the same time.......we had BIG fun. We were racing in southern Iowa......my dad was 85yrs old.....I was sitting with him on the wooden plank seats on the dirt hillside on a great Saturday night......his son and grandson were both in the same heat race.......he was jumping up and down watching both of them working their way thru traffic !! Priceless. I was invited to run some hot laps in my brothers kart after the feature race......125cc. Yamaha class......after a few laps, I ducked low and caught a pothole.....came up out of the seat and landed back down with my rib cage firmly against the cylinder head of the Yamaha......still took me several hrs. to wipe the smile off my face. Karts can run on ovals or road courses......ovals can be dirt or asphalt......Get a Yamaha kart and go have fun in a simple non-shifter class........CHERISH the time with your kids. Oh.....and keep your eyes open for old vintage quarter midgets......they are works of art.....I have been blessed to have several over the past 15yrs......long gone to fund college and weddings.
My earlier post was not meant to discourage but I can honestly say that even those with the slightest hot rod genes will want to always go faster which is like chasing rabbits, those with the biggest net will be the most successful. I got out of drag racing about 1980 (while I still had a bank account) and went shifterkart racing (125 cc), had twice the fun for half the money. It was the seat time/smiles per dollar ratio that hooked me. We raced on dirt and asphalt, both sprint tracks and full size road courses, Westwood B.C. Seattle and Portland International Raceways, even raced at Laguna Seca in California. We also ran a handful of sanctioned street races in Ontario, Woodburn, and Cottage Grove Oregon, tell me what could be more fun. Just like most forms of racing the lure of higher speeds nearly repeated itself and I contemplated pursuing the 250 class, luckily the old body helped change my mind.
I started racing karts in the mid 60's around the Connecticut, New York and in every New England stateback in those day's. Started in sprint karts and then ran Enduro Karts which were the ones where you layed flat on your back for many years until a good friend dies while racing at the old V.I.R. Virginia International Raceway in Danville, Va. in 1971 I was 23 years old and I decided to sell all of my equipment. In 1984 I went to just watch a kart race with my two sons ages 7 and 5 and I was hooked all over again but this time my 7 year old wanted to try it and I purchased all new karts and engines and we raced once or twice every week for the next 10 years or so running many national events and having fun. When I started racing I.K.F was the association everyone belonged to but in 1971 a few friends of mine decided to from the World Karting Association and everyone on the East Coast joined and we raced with that group for many years. I have owned about 2 dozen different karts over the years along with about five enclosed trailers and many engines. I loved every minute of it and going about 125 mph at the old Bridgehampton Raceway an inch off the ground was a real thrill for sure. Jimbo
my son and his cart . not as interested as I was at his age but he has more distractions and his mom keep his schedule full.
I've posted this photo before. It's 1956 at Gardena Stadium. I wish that tiny little car was hanging in garage rafters somewhere for the last 62 years. It's just too unique to throw in the weekly trash.
do some digging to see how far you have to run to find a track that runs quarter midgets. I grew up on my first cart at 3 1/2 years old. got my boys into it when they were young. tony stewart has a quarter midget track at Eldora speedway. on the big show in the fall he gets about 200 cars there. the kids are serious and so are the parents. ck it out before you jump in. its fun but expensive.
Hello, As far as quarter midgets are concerned, HAMB has a resident expert in Dean Lowe. Not only did he become a teenage sensation in hot rodding and the drag race scene later on in 1960-62, but before all of that, he was a quarter midget champion. My brother and I were introduced to him at So Cal’s Los Alamitos Quarter Midget Race Track where he was always in a battle with my dad’s friend’s son in the small race car events. My dad asked if we wanted to get into quarter midgets, but we both could not fit into any of the ones in the pits area, including those very cool Kurtis machines. So, we were still into drag racing at the time and continued until we no longer were involved. But for any reason someone wanted to know about quarter midgets, PM Dean Lowe as he would be the "go to guy" for any information. Jnaki Watching those quarter midgets race was like watching the real Indy Cars going around that Indianapolis Race Track, except they were a lot smaller. But, the enthusiasm was just as strong or stronger. Who wouldn’t get all hot and bothered watching your son/daughter race other kids? For us, earlier in 55 or 56, we had our own homemade go karts with a borrowed lawnmower engine. Later on we picked up a used metal frame, commercially made, go-kart, but by then, we were locked into drag racing and had no time to tinker with the frame with wheels. We gave it away to a couple of younger kids in the neighborhood. But, when we saw those quarter midgets, that was something. Little kids racing each other and the older parents getting all excited about the action… what was not to like?
Karts - Vintage karts even more... We're running the old '50s karts up through the 80's. Relatively inexpensive, kids welcome at most events, and a lot less drama than modern karting. Check it out here: www.vkakarting.com or www.vintagekartforum.com There are many events all year long. Feel free to PM me if you want to know more. Here's a couple pictures from this past year's Brodhead Wisconsin vintage kart race....
A article I just run across while flipping through a July 1958 Car Craft "Little Pages" magazine....just thought I would share.... Sent from my QTASUN1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
1958 I was 10, lived in West Allis Wi. near State Fair Park, they raced the 1/4 Midgets on a little dirt track SW part of park, that area has been a parking lot now for many years. I used to ride my bicycle there to watch, got my Mom/Dad there to watch and did my best to get parents to buy one for me, But it was explained to me that they cost $400, too expensive and at 10 years old I had maybe $4, so missed out. In 1983 my son (12 years old) talked to me about Go Kart racing, we had friends from racing involved in Karts, traded one of my old Motorcycles for a good one and we went to Douseman Wi. for 3 years, Kid did very well, we had fun, he turned 16, bought a car, was on the scent/girls, ended his racing till 92. I ended up buying another Kart ln 86 and raced myself as it was a long day at Kart track, I was on a break from driving Midgets, (was still active car owner) fractured my neck and several other serious injuries in 81, was going to retire from racing, BUT the Kart racing relit the fire stronger than ever, Bought/Went winged Sprint Car racing for 5 years, (21 years total racing) Tons of Fun, Tons of money spent, Memories/Priceless. Go Kart racing is well organized, huge fun and inexpensive compared other forms of racing IMO, as we all know, anything that has the letter with R as first letter = $. Speed Costs Money, How Fast Do You Want To Go. On Go Kart subject in 50's/60's did not know/see anything about them, ironically, Stan Fox RIP, his family, Fox Karts and many other enterprises drove my Midget 79/80 with much success, he went on to Indy 500 (6X made race), sadly a bad crash there ended his racing career and he was killed in a highway accident in New Zealand around 2000/1. Involved in racing from baby on till into my 40's walked away from it, loved it, still miss it and was very relieved when my son stopped driving race cars. Racing, the highest of highs and the lowest of lows when a friend gets hurt/disabled/killed.
1955 I was a native of Danville, IL … 1627 Oak St. I had a subscription to Midget Motors, published in Akron, Ohio... I used to drool over the parts , ie- tires , wheels and motors. I liked the King Midget Junior but this is what my Dad and I built... I'm 12 years old in this image
My Dad made mine when I was 5 years old.It used a model t front axle and hubs with 8" tube type wheels and tires, a Model T ruxtel rear end, a Star transmission, and an angle iron frame. when I was about 10, I took the ruxtel rear end apart and put it back together, then I welded a 1940 Ford gear shift arm onto the ruxtel shift lever and had a 2-speed rear end. it had an old 6HP wisconsin air cooled engine . i spent many hours driving and repairing it on my Dad's farm.( in between doing chores and farming) LOL
I say quarter midgets. They have a full cage, and are a good stepping stone to other types of open wheel racing, if they choice to climb the ladder. Owning a racecar-
I had a Kurtis QM. We raced on an asphalt oval in El Cajon CA about '58-60. I still see karts racing at AAA Raceway in Fontana, but haven't heard about any QM racing at all.
Quarter midgets are alive and well, USAC took over a few years back. We have two tracks here in Texas. https://www.facebook.com/usac25