Midget18 (Offline)
#11
8/2/14 9:06 AM
Yep we do travel that far to race... We travel to PA and eastern Ohio...
BrianBSU23 (Offline)
#13
8/2/14 3:21 PM
Dad,
There is currently no engine limit size or rules to prevent this engine, and it would be legal.
We are under the stance as long as the car looks like a traditional Midget from top to bottom along with drives, races, and performs like a traditional Midget should, it would be legal (Not to fast to obsolete the current Midget engine platforms nor to slow to be a safety issue)
Our platform is built upon the foundation to be able to compete in a Midget as economically as possible and give racers the opportunity to get laps and seat time. We also realize there is no such thing as a cheap way to go racing, but we are doing our best to keep costs down (such as turning away product sponsorship money they necessitate a specific brand or part).
The Liguori's and many others have really supported us through this learning curve with the Midgets, and we appreciate everyone's support fan and teamwise. We are in this for the long haul and will do whatever we can to provide great Midget racing for many more years.
3 Likes:
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DOK (Offline)
#15
8/2/14 6:20 PM
First off my name is Don O’Keefe Jr. I say this 1st because before I go into any thoughts, ideas, or whatever, I’m not hiding behind a screen name.
Many thanks to Harold, Brian, and all the folks at Montpelier Motor Speedway that have put forth the effort and dedication to make this midget class happen, let alone the great weekly shows thru the season. You have made every effort to interact, notify, and include those who wish to make midget racing happen at Montpelier.
Your rules are inclusive, not exclusive. Dam what a concept, open tire, upright mini sprints, national midgets, Volkswagen, Yamaha, Fontana, Chevy, tall ,short, young, old (like me), male, female, bring your dam car and run. I sit week in and week out looking at some of these posts and wonder why the hell someone can’t just say Thank You for giving us a place to race when we are able too.
Sadly these days it’s easier to jump on the old message board and tell you that you can make everything better if you do this for me because I can’t afford it or for the betterment of the sport you need to do this because everyone else has their head up their rears. I mean honestly Dad have you forgotten about the Ford Focus Fiasco? The Eco Tec Experiment? The supposed Honda (actually there were some guys on the west coast that had a Honda that kicked some butt) motor? Montpelier as of now says bring it, run it, and we’ll go from there. I have 2 midgets we run when we can, one has a 20 year old Fontana in it, and the other has a 14 year old Esslinger. They both run well enough for this 57 year old and the few other drivers that have been behind the wheel. Buy that motor you’re looking at, build it run it and enjoy the process, be a leader and show us how it’s done. Any form of open wheel racing these days is expensive period! But if you want to try this, Montpelier is the perfect place for you to go.
Last week I wasn’t able to run due to issues that I had. Maybe I should have gotten on IOW and suggested you cancel the show because I couldn’t attend. But in all honesty I was happy that 14 cars (plus all the other classes) were able to run despite the lousy weather. I was looking forward to being there tonight, but since Mother Nature once again stepped in. I will say Thank You to all at Montpelier.
Don O’Keefe Jr.
Midgets #0k, 8ok
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BrianBSU23 (Offline)
#17
8/2/14 9:29 PM
Don,
Your post and compliments are much appreciated!
Dad,
I've already fielded a call about a 410 in Midget. Actually, it wouldn't perform, drive, appear like a traditional Midget.
We allow for a variety of powerplants, but it will never be run to that extreme. The speeds the midgets ran last week was about as fast as aMidget needs to go on a 1/4 mile.
I' ve talked with Dad a bunch of times. I know he likes what we are doing. He is just promoting discussion.
Our deal will hopefully never fail because we have a very supportive group of car owners behind us. I believe our two 14 car fields were both weather related (along with some hard crashes the night before). I had 22 cars confirmed for tonight until we were rained out.
I think our mission initially was to provide Midget racing economically as we could (and again we know its not cheap), provide seat time for the future and even current stars, and to give Indiana Midget owners somewhere local to race.
We have this nowhere near we want it, but as long as the Midgets continue to put on outstanding racing and fans are willing to put down the $12 to see it we are going to do the best we can to keep providing it for years to come and grow it everyway we can.
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Ken Bonnema (Offline)
#19
8/3/14 1:20 PM
First, I would like to echo DOK'S sentiments and thank Brian and his people for giving local racers a great place to race their Midgets. I have no doubt that this class will grow and down the road Montpelier will be running B mains. It never ceases to amaze me how many folks want to dummy down Midget Racing. Midgets are an elite form of Motorsports. It is where Tony Stewart and the boys go to play. As such, on any given night you will likely run into a team or teams that have far more funding, ect. than than you. (us). I am not a big Newt Gingrich person but I once saw a video where he started out by saying..." Complete this sentence, If you cannot afford to buy a house......." The obvious answer is Don't buy a house, right?? When I was 18, I was working 3 jobs so I could race. I had an Early Model Stock Car budget, but I wanted more so I scraped $1500.00 up and bought an old, outdated Supermodified an went racin' at San Jose Speedway. My first motor was a bored out 322 buick that blew on the main straight at Clovis. In '74, I bought a used but fresh LT-1 from Lloyd Beard and started running the NASCAR circut in central Ca. I never came close to making a Main at San Jose. Lots of B and C races (remember them??) It never once crossed my mind to try to dummy down this great class. I knew what I was getting into when I went there and was just thrilled to be racing at what was then, the fastest paved 1/3 mile in the world.Since then, far to many classes have sprouted up so everybody can get a trophy. Today, there are many lower cost classes of Midget type cars. The IRS is a great series but if ya live in Indiana ya gotta tow to get to 'em. IMHO, T.Q.'s are the best bang for the buck. There are several groups out here with decent car counts and they cost far less to run........as long as you don't crash, because then you are buying Midget parts to fix it. If I was in a position to go racing, I would would buy a Midget for somewhere between 8K and 12.5K and go race at Montpelier. It's a place where you can just race your car and not have all the ******** that U$@C offers. BTW, I am also a HUGE fan of POWRi. They also do things right. Remember, you can make a small fortune in racing, just start with a large one......
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