USAC Racing Forum

I think it's great you guys are looking at quarter midgets as part of your racing umbrella.  But why are you doing it?  What benefit is it to the clubs to join USAC versus staying with Quarter Midgets of America.  Are they mutually exclusive or will participating in both series be supported? Since quarter midget is for the kids, when we can control the adults, I would hope one of the reasons for the .25 is to provide even more fun and opportunities to the kids.

Thanks

Dennis

Thanks for the note Dennis

Please join our live webcast at 7:00 and 10:00 EST. Just go to the PIT PASS area of the USACRACING website where we will discuss WHY USAC is starting a youth racing series.

Kevin Miller

Is that the one on Oct. 1st ?

I cant wait to hear all about it.

Todd Anderson
www.quartermidgetcentral.com

Kevin,

It may be a good idea to publish something after the webcast for those who don't log on. I can tell you that the mention of USAC and the .25 series Saturday at our track was not received well by the senior members. They think it will be simliar to before when USAC was involved with QMA. It appears that this will be USAC by itself this time and I like the sound of it , but I am afraid it will be a hard sell to the old timers who were unhappy with the way USAC and QMA handled things before.

Many people fear change. But if you never try change it will eventually be the same effect as going backwards as others around you will change and move forward.

                                              Eric

All I have to say is I've been around QM racing since I could walk 40 plus yrs. My little girl is racing now and I'm also one who pushes for speed and more speed every weekend but in my book safety comes first. I've pushed and pushed for some things to change in QMA for safety reasons but nothing ever gets herd from QMA. So all in all in my book its going to take one of our little kids to get killed before QMA will wake up and listen. Last weekend one of the Jr. Honda kids in region 4 was hurt real bad don't know all the details. Our thoughts and prays went out for him this weekend. Right now I've talked to James at USAC and I'm almost an old timer of QM racing and I thinks its time for a change. I've called QMA everyday all day and night for the last couple of weeks and never got an answer so in my book its time for change!!!!

So go USAC YOUNG GUNS in the new era of racing!!!

Whats wrong with the Honda. The rules just need to be tweeked and it would be the cheapest way to go. Who cares if you have a flywheel or key Max timing 20. Stock Tier 3 flywheels are only 18.5. There are other rules with the engine it would be cheaper to machine parts than to buy 20 motors and build from there. So maybe USAC will look at that. Maybe change would be better that way QMA and USAC will come up with a funner, cheaper way to race. It is not Honda's fault they have to meet EPA rules. Thats another topic. A racing Briggs motor as intro motor would not be the way to go. If they keep a Honda class for 400.00 somebody can race. A tire rule would be nice also

Well Mr.Miller theres nothing wrong with the Honda engines right now there is talks with Briggs and also Honda. USAC is trying to work a deal where honda starts building QM engines on the side. Also you have to remember what's QMA is going to do nothing all I've herd is QMA is looking into the briggs motor for the future. So it looks to me QMA and USAC are in the same boat but at least USAC is in talks with Honda right now trying to work a deal out for a cheaper future for the kids.

What track had the injury?  I hope that USAC has a safety director that can demand changes when they see a problem.  Safety should not be VOTED on!!!!!!!

There was no injury to any driver in R4 that I am aware of. Where did that come from?

I know over the years QMA has been trying to increase membership. Well they made thier own bed. Who can possibly afford it. We have 4 independant tracks within a 45 minute drive of each other. Let's see, long pants and long sleeve cotton shirt, No expensive firesuit. A good latest rated Snell helmet. $100 does this not meet the same snell standards as the $300 dollar helmets? Let alone kids grow TOO FAST! Needless to say QMA has pushed out the recreational sport and has left it for people with BIGGER wallets. So why is membership down??

You all bitch about buying a good helmet and a suit for your kid because of cost yet the same people have a 30 foot enclsed trailer. 99% of the Outlaw tracks are a circus no organization at all, heck the one club around here the members have no say they dont even have a monthly meeting there is no tech rules change weekly sometimes hourly. QMA does not have all the answers but at least has some structure and I m sure USAC will be be the same.

I'm sorry but if you want your child to race in jeans and a long sleeve shirt and a Snell (not fire rated) helmet then you should go race BMX bicycles. These kids have gasoline engines and fuel tanks located inches behind the drivers compartment. Fuel coming into contact with a hot exhaust is enough to ignite it, so why would you want to take a chance? An entry level fire suit is less than $100 and you can get a fire rated helmet for $250 or less depending on the size of your child's head.

If money is the real obstacle, and you're not bolting new tires on the car, towing the car in a large enclosed trailer, eating Outback after every race day drop me an email and I will sell you the items you need to keep your kid safe at my dealer cost. david@freemanracing.com

As parents we should take every precaution to keep our kids safe. Rules shouldn't have to exist to ensure we do so. Unfortunately, sometimes things get in the way of our better judgement. Becasuse of that...I say thank God for rules.

Seipy,

I do not want to be critical of your opinion. But, here is a scenario I want you to think about: your kid is involved in a multi car crash that breaks the carb(happened to David).  A fire breaks out.
You are standing in the handlers area.  Can you get to the car and get your kid out in under 10 seconds?  Even with a SFI 2a/5 suit you only have 9 seconds before a second degree burn.  This is not a recreational sport.  FIRES do occasionally happen in QM racing.  We had a fire at our club last month in the hot chute.  The dirt Grands had a fire in Jr. Stock.  Check out this link http://www.harliwhite.com/ and see how you feel about this situation. I agree that QMA has gotten expensive.  But we can lower the cost with tires and a new motor platform not safety.

Thank you, Tyson. You certainly put that a little more eloquently than I.

In the crash Tyson is referring to our carb was broken in half by the rear axle. Fuel poured from it. Fortunately, the car stayed on all four tires and nothing happened to ignite the fuel. A close call? I don't know, but it is certainly something to think about.

I know we are not the first team that has ever had this happen to them, and we will not be the last. This could potentially happen a hundred more times with the same exact result as we experienced. No harm, no foul, right? The fact is that it could have turned out differently. It only takes the right set of circumstances.

The point of all this is that we can't be lackadaisical when it comes to safety. A small pile up that happens dozens of times each race day could go from your run of the mill crash to a horrific accident in the blink of an eye. We all need to keep that in mind.


 

If there is such an intrest in safety why are the cars allowed to make wheel to wheel contact? If lhe left side nerf was outside the track width launches would be eliminated. The only answer I ever get is that this is "open wheel" racing by god. I guess that is where the line is drawn on safety.

The wheel to wheel contact is not the real problem. I think most people would agree that leaning outside of a perfectly good roll cage and not even being able to see the front of the car is. Look at the kids who lean out and most will have scratches on the helmet from the track. We have been very lucky so far. If not addressed we can't be lucky for ever.  :o

Okay okay!! You point is proven about the firesuit. But let me defend myself a bit. Quite a few Kart tracks around our area. None require firesuits. We raced 1/4 midgets how long before firesuits came around. Here is my primary concern. In Eastern PA we probably have more QM than most states have. Within an hour drive 4 "Outlaw" tracks and 4 QMA tracks. None of the outlaw tracks require firesuits. I was president of WEQMRA for 2 years and VP for 2 years. I am VP for 2009. Most of our members and other members of the outlaw tracks are "Recreational" racers if that makes sense. Not many of us have alot of $$ but are there for the fun and friendship between the kids and parents. How am I to tell them, not that we have decided, That the 2009 season is going to cost an additional $500 to $600 because we have joined USAC? $250 Helmet, $100 firesuit, $50 Gloves, $75 USAC membership. Any suggestions?? The only plan of attack I could possibly have is wait for a year to present the USAC package. For an end of year package for the kids get each of them a firesuit and gloves. USAC any response on how to handle this??

Dave,

I won't argue with you for a moment that safety equipment is expensive. $500 or $600 when you are racing on a tight budget is no doubt daunting.

Your club members have a choice to join USAC or join QMA or stay as an independent. Making the choice to join one of the national sanctioning bodies will come with a responsibility to follow a set of rules; including the use of certain pieces of safety equipment.

Your argument that "other tracks race without the equipment" or that "we raced for ever without this equipment" just doesn't sit well with me. NASCAR drivers used to race with shoulder belts, open face helmets, no head and neck restraints, but that has all changed. Why? Unfortunately, many of the changes that have taken place at the professional level are the result of tragedy. Do you want to wait for a tragedy to make a change. The fact of the matter is that everytime we strap our kids into these cars we are putting them into a high risk situation. You can't deny that. They go fast, they crash hard, they have a tendency to flip, they have gasoline engines and fuel tanks, etc. There is always the risk of fire, of broken bones, of a head/neck injury... The tools to keep our kids safe are available. You just have to use them.

If I were in your position; First, I would do everything in my power to ensure that my kids had the safety equipment required by the sanctioning bodies. Then, I would put together a presentation to the club talking about safety. I would talk about the risk of fire. I would tell the story of the young girl and her family that never thought a fire would happen in her racecar until... Once I had established a strong case for the importance of proper safety equipment I would open the floor to the members for ideas about what we could do to ensure that every club member, no matter their financial situation, could have the equipment needed to keep them safe. Can we hold a fundraiser(s), car washes, bake sales, candy bar sales? Can we get donations/discounts from equipment manufacturers? Can we contact local race team owners for support, donation of used equipment?  Can we put together a profile about the club, the fun we have, the value our kids get from racing, etc and send it to professional racing organizations, the local fire department(s), driver foundations? Have a raffle. Contact the local news organizations and see if they'll publicize your fundraising efforts.

At the end of the day, if you agree that the equipment is needed, first, do everything in your power to protect your own kids, then, find a way to help everyone get the equipment they need.

I hope you don't take my comments the wrong way. I am not trying to be critical of you or any members of your club. I am just expressing my opinions and hoping that something I share may help in some way.

Best wishes,

David Freeman
www.freemanracing.com

Just to fill you in about saftey and firesuits this year alone we have had 2 cars catch on fire at are track 1 was mine and the other was region RDs car I am glad they we put out and no harm done but it could have been worse. These cars were not junk they were front runners service and check out all the time but something with the new keyway or timing is making them backfire and burn extra fuel in carbs the dust net got gas on them and caught fire. With racing today if you can not afford  atleast a 2nd  hand fire suit and saftey equiptment  you most likely cant afford the gas to get to the track think about your kids is the any amount of money you wouldnt spend to keep them safe. I have used equiptment for 10cents on the dollar if you need some. I will send them and you can pay me when ever you get the money. concerned racer.

We are all recreational racers but would let your kids ride a 4 wheeler without a helmet, would you let them play football without a cup lol  or shoulder pads  baseball batting without a helmet no so if you need saftey equiptment I am sure there is away we can help you get some. ;D

I am sorry but if you you can not afford safety equipment I would recomend finding another sport or hobby how can you put a price on the well being of your child. In any race team wether 1/4 or big cars when you look at what you need the safety items come first after that then you can redo your engine, buy new tires, fancy shocks , oh yes and the one that gets me the most the big fancy enclosed trailer!!

HOW MANY KIDS ACTUALLY GET HURT AND HOW BAD IN QMA RACING EVERY YEAR. IT IS A PRETTY SAFE SPORT COMPARED TO BASEBALL FOOTBALL BASKETBALL SOCCER LACROSS HOCKEY AND ANY OTHER FORM OF KIDS SPORTS. SOME HOW SOME WAY SOMEBODY WILL GET HURT DOING JUST ABOUT ANYTHING IN LIFE. SO WHY JOINING USAC IS EVAN CLOSE TO BEING ABOUT SAFETY. SO LETS LOOK AT PROS AND CONS ON WICH YOU WANT TO RACE USAC OR QMA THEY BOTH HAVE GOOD POINTS AND BAD.

I have seen more injuries the 2nd half of this season than the previous 3 years combined!  This includes kids being knocked unconscious which is a very scary sight.  Safety should be 1st on any organizations list of things to address.

As for some sort of head/neck restraint, I feel that they should be mandatory in the faster classes, B, A, WF and Half.

The days of less injuries in QM has come to an end, it has been alot different this year and its time to make some changes for the kids safety!