Quarter midget racing is a form of automobile racing. The cars are approximately one-quarter (1⁄4) the size of a full-size midget car. The adult-size midget being raced during the start of quarter midget racing used an oval track of one-fifth of a mile in length. The child's quarter midget track is one quarter that length, or 1⁄20 mile (264 feet; 80 m).
An adult-size midget in the 1940s and 1980s could reach 120 mph (190 km/h), while the single-cylinder 7 cu in (110 cc) quarter midget engine could make available a speed of 30 mph (48 km/h) in a rookie class (called novices), or one-quarter the speed of the adult car. Most of the competitive classes run speeds near 45 mph (72 km/h). Current upper-class quarter midgets can exceed 45 miles per hour, but remain safe due to the limited size of the track.[1][2] Quarter midget racecars have four-wheel suspension, unlike go-karts.
The drivers are typically restricted to ages 5 to 16.[1][2] Tracks are typically banked ovals one-twentieth of a mile long, and have surfaces of dirt, concrete, or asphalt.[1]
- ^ a b c Introduction to Quarter Midget Racing, Retrieved January 3, 2007
- ^ a b [1] Todd Golden, "Sunday special: Terre Haute Quarter Midget Association is a Terre Haute fixture", September 17, 2006, Tribune-Star, Terre Haute, Ind. Retrieved January 4, 2007