Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

After 5 years of research and developing, Midget Car Owner Mike Minarik of Denver, Colorado is in the process of building the first and only Titanium Midget.

The plans are to have the car ready for the 2012 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, with PJ Jones as driver.

Throughout the weeks leading up to the Chili Bowl, I'll be releasing photo's on the process.

The chassis weights between 70-75 pounds.

If you have any questions about the Titanium Midget Ti-1, please feel to contact me through here or email me at freebird_motorsports@comcast and I'll relay the message to Mike.

Thanks,

Don Holbrook
Freebird Motorsports Marketing
www.freebirdmotorsports.smugmug.com

This thing will be a work of art, spent some time around mike at chili bowl last year and his craftsman ship and attention to detail is 2nd to none.
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Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

So what grade of Titanium was used? What size tubing was used?

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Beautiful. I have read about welding Ti That is no easy task. Kids don't try this at home. I can not imagine how many man hours went into all those welds. You don't have to worry about track side repair welds. Hope he has spare chassis for the Chili bowl that is a rough little joint.


My money will still be on that old man in the Spike, He wasn't even out of breath last year after chasing Jr around the whole race.

THAT THING WILL REALLY BE PRETTY WITH A COAT OF PAINT!

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Beautiful car! The wheel and front end are slick… One question from a building standpoint how was the frame welded up? I know ti requires a completely purged environment was this done in a booth or with an aerospace company?

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

I can just see a welder with his scuba gear on inside an argon filled booth and wiggling around that thing to weld it. I have seen a few ti o2 sensor bungs welded in MC pipes by filling tube and using plenty of shielding gas They were not this pretty. It is neat you weld it and its looks pretty then you start hearing ping-ping-ping and the thing falls off.

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

That is nothing shy of a work of art....period...I do question the usability of the steering wheel in a dirt open wheel application...I personally move my hands around on the wheel quite a bit in a dirt midget, and many of the in car cameras I see show the driver doing the same..The steering wheel in the pics is probably the nicest looking cockpit component I have ever seen but I would be surprised if we see it in the car beyond Monday hotlaps

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Two dumb questions - Is it legal anywhere else beside the Chili Bowl?

What kind of return on investment is possible with this car?

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

I think they the better word would be "unobtanium". just wait around for the "triple x" knock-off to get over here.

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Must have been the challange, I suppose, the cost alone would not be worth the weight saved, plus, one bad or questionable weld, and the deal is done. As far as welding, it's about the same proceedure as used on some aluminum, or stainless welding that has to be certified, takes a lot of argon, and you don't have to be in it, you just run it thru the pipe, or tubing you're welding, and when you're done, the inside looks just like the outside, no burned edges inside. If you're flowing say 18-20 CFM on the outside, you need to run at least that much thru the inside. It's been a long time since I've done it, and with the improvements in tech and equipment, I'm sure it has gotten easier, but I wouldn't look for any such chassis for sale, anywhere soon. Does look nice, and who would want to paint it, anyway? Bob!:)

I don't wanna steal Mike's thunder so I won't share how he handled the welding portion of it, ingenious. Integrity either in engineering or weld quality won't be an issue, if you get a chance to talk to him in person be sure and take it. Great dude.
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Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Midget racers, Midget minds

That thing ought to be cost effective

does it have a rev limiter???????????

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Yes , it's pretty and a work of art, but remember this ; They all look good and fast in the garage, but the true test is at the track. That is where you find out if it's as fast as it looks. I guess we'll all find out at the Chili Bowl.

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Is there any "ROI" on any race car. I just keep my "junk" instead of being insulted.:5:

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

With all respect and this certainly sells tickets, but, really, this is going in the opposite direction :13: of where midget racing should be going.

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

It is about time the chassis price has caught up with the price of the engines. They used to say the chassis was the cheapest thing on the race car not so now. Maybe the chassis builders can make some money now. Those ss bumpers sure look out of place on that car.:44:

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

What does a typical midget chassis weigh? Curious as to what the weight savings is...

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

about 150 lbs best of my recolection.

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

This is very true. It is a shame that the biggest midget race is not used as a tool to increase midget racing overall. It does not do the sport any good to have a car that only races one week a year.

What we need is 250+ car racing at the Chilli Bowl and then those same 250+ cars racing at midget races through out the year.

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

"for get it cain't afford it.":13:

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Heck..it's the Chilli bowl...put Sammy's square tanks [and aero parts ]on it ..one of those Aussie v8's and Kyle Larson at the wheel and give us something to talk about

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Or....PJ could just go on a diet!

Are all of the other components going to be made out of titanium as well?
Its certainly cool to look at, but I cringe thinking about the cost.

Id like to see how well the car could do, in the hands of a more relevant driver. No offence to PJ and all, but surely he has to be rusty when it comes to running a midget.
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Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

I wonder if the powers to be will let this car actually run? I believe there is talk they will not allow the NZ built V8 Synergy engine back? Perhaps they are starting to introduce some rules to this race??

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Seems to me like the Chili Bowl is kinda of like the "Ole Kentucky Derby" if you want to make any money you bet on the jockey.

This does not take anything away from the car but thank God the powers that be have seen fit to impose a Minimum weight limit in most of the midget series on car and driver weight. All you need is a skinny jockey. Guess Sammy needs to load up and go to "Weight Watchers" with me if he is going to beat that young punk kid.:44:

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

First off, yes this chassis is a work of art and I congratulate the welder. However, I think this chassis is completely going in the wrong direction and there is no way I would drive that chassis. Now keep in mind I am making some assumptions here, but I am an engineer for an aerospace company and I have experience working with aircraft quality Titanium, I know for certain that the titanium used here is not that quality or it would cost as much as an Indycar chassis. Looking at the picture I can only assume that the tubing is the same size, I cannot verify the wall thickness.

Now look at it this way. Assume two a square bars, a steel one and titanium one, that are 2”X 2” and 4” in length. These bars would have an area of 4 sq in. and a volume of 16 cu in. That would make the steel bar come in at 4.5lbs and the Titanium 2.6 lbs., good so far. Now lets apply a 100,000 lb force to the bars and using the F/A formula the bars will see a pressure/stress of 25 ksi. The steel material yields at 164 ksi and the Titanium at 80 ksi (assume the highest grade reasonably priced). That means the steel has a margin of safety of 85% and the Titanium 68%. So if you want the titanium bar to have the same safety as the steel the bar it would need an area of 8.2 sq in and given the same length a volume of 32.8 cu in. Now the titanium bar weighs 5.3 lbs.

Now titanium is great to use in low loading/non-safety critical parts. But think of this, when you see a 4130 steel chassis hit the wall, it bends and sometimes breaks thus a high loading condition. Do you want to hit that wall with a tin can? To put this in perspective, think of what Shane Hmiels car would have looked like if it was made from titanium. Also, it will be fun setting it up, that chassis going to have a lot more flex.

Give me the heavy cheaper steel chassis.

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Always got to have a "Spoil Sport". How do they get away with Ti rods and valves. Once knew a guy that had Ti susp springs.

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Well I am assuming that the loads applied to those parts are low. Plus if a rod or valve breaks, you are just out a motor. Not safety critical parts. The majority of the use for titanium in the aerospace industry is mainly brackets. Now, I have no idea on the springs.

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

I am a very good friend of Mike's, the owner, designer & fabricator of this car...if you have any doubts in what he has done with this car, please feel free to call him, he will tell you every single detail of it & the way he laid it out, why & how...he is the most talented craftsman I have ever seen & his thought process & attention to detail are unmatched. You will not see anything else that is even relatively close to as nice as this car is. And that steering wheel is just for show, built only to have on the car while sitting on stands for people to look at

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

I am darn glad that there is a venue for outside the box thinking and engineering exercises. Were it
not for the graphics one could hardly distinguish any sprint, midget or champ car from another.

With such brilliant chassis weight savings perhaps
they might consider this little fella for the driver:

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

just think if you could get the " Sammy Swindell" version with audio control and mute, You could market the robot as having lifelike expressions also ;)

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Looks like too much grass really screws up his sensors.
Do they make him in Ti?:10:

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Is it true that he has to tie the chassis down at night in the garage, or else it will be up at the ceiling in the morning ?

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

What exactly was the reasoning for not allowing the Synergy V8 cars back? Ray Boyles enters a car with V8 engine every year. I would love to see those two cars back with Pickens and Mosen in them again.

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Boyles car is a V6 ford SHO engine....I would imagine that the synergy V-8 is illegal for the same reason the ECOTEC spec engine is illegal....dual overhead cam....

Yes, thats right...a $10,000 265 horsepower spec engine is illegal at the chilibowl...because of the DOHC...my car owner was heartbroken to learn this last week after having put a RRE ecotec in his sons car.

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Nah, old wives tail, it's Ti, not Hel! Bob:)

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Well I'll take it as a compliment. Emmet's not afraid of a Ti Chassis but my litte EFI engine just terrifies him!:5:

Everybody thats going - have a good time down there, it's still one of the best weeks of racing anywhere....

:32:

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Does this mean I cant run my Offy?:14:

Re: Mike Minarik Titanium Midget
 

Any one know what the rules are on SOHC engines @ the CB or for that matter any rules @ the CB LOLLLL !!!!!!