The
race cars of the Can-Am Midget Racing Club are a unique and
exciting breed.
Although we refer to our class as Midgets, they are technically
three quarter Midgets as they are approximately scaled at three
quarters of a true Full
Midget (as run by USAC). They are open wheeled racers with a
wheelbase of about 68”, an overall length of 8 to 9 feet, an
outside width of approximately 53” across the rear wheels, and a
post—race weight of 890 lbs. with driver.
Power comes from 750cc Kawasaki ZX7 motorcycle engines.
In their highly tuned state these fire—breathers put out around 125 horsepower giving the
Midgets a strong power to weight ratio, requiring significant
skills to setup and drive.
As all racing is done on paved oval tracks of 1/4 to ½ mile in
circumference, the cars are built with a left side weight bias and
a larger right rear tire to help maximize left turn cornering
speed. A wing or airfoil approximately 30” square mounted above
the roll cage of the car adds to the down force, also boosting
cornering speed. Qualifying procedures put the highest point
finishers deep in the field for the Feature event, guaranteeing
lots of exciting passes and action
Most
teams transport their Midgets in fully enclosed trailers which
double as portable workshops for maintenance at the track or in the
motel parking
lot. Both the cars and trailers become traveling billboards for our
sponsors.
Car
registration exceeds 30, with over 40 drivers earning some points
for competition annually. The average car count for an event is 24,
with only 24 qualifying for the 25 or 30 lap Feature event, which
makes for very exciting racing in the preliminary races as well as
the Feature’ Pictures and Videos tell the story of Can-Am
Midget competition better than words can possibly do.
|
