Art & Inspiration Quarter Midgets from the 50's & 60's

Dean that is a great photo and what memories you have with your racing family.
How many kids could say they had a Kurtis.

If I owned the museum I would turn all the wheels on the cars in the picture full bore into the turn Just sitting there, they would look like they were at speed.

Thanks for posting.

 

a little story taken from cass' website

The car was push started with no clutch, it had a foot throttle to regulate speed, and a switch to kill the engine to stop. Before driving it my father would tape my pants around my ankle to keep my pants from catching on the revolving drive shaft--safety first. Then he would remind me to push on the pedal to go fast and pull on the switch to stop--safety first. Occasionally he would remind me to watch for cars--safety first. Then after a short push with the choke closed and the ignition off, we would turn the ignition on, he would push the car as hard as he could for about fifteen feet and she would fire up every time. At first the engine struggled and protested as black smoke came from the exhaust. Then it would suddenly clear and off I went to the races. The car was capable of 25 to 30 mph but it seemed like 100 or 200. I kept repeating to myself--push the pedal down to go fast--pull on the kill switch to stop--watch for cars--Billy Vukovich watch out--as I would pilot the car from one end of Mason Street to the other. This went on for three or four summers until I outgrew the car. Seems like yesterday.

Now when my grandsons look at the car and ask to drive it, I look at the gas pedal that made it go faster, at the switch you had to pull to make it stop, and at the revolving drive shaft that would spin between their ankles, I tell them "No, it's broke" --safety first

 

Yeah Dean, A Vikingcraft roadster for sure. I'm pretty sure this car has a Don Edmonds connection.

 

I had some prints made from old negatives, looks like it is Bill Scott in the buzz bomb and also in #17 Scotty's car at Whittier in 1961.

 

That is the only picture I've ever seen of my Kurtis after it was sold. I would give anything to know where it went. I know Scotty sold the two cars, and trailer to someone in Vacaville in the early 60's, and they looked exactly as they did when we ran them. John Gunsaulis' dad bought my brother's 92 car and the trailer in Vacaville. John says they missed getting both cars in the deal by about a week. He says my car went somewhere north.

 

Los Alamitos, Memorial day, 1959. This is the 100 lap "Little Indy" race. Danny Caruthers in the #8 roadster. I am just out of the picture, in front of John Kuramoto in the #18 Kurtis. I went on to win the race, which was my last 1/4 midget race. I retired to begin building my street roadster and go drag racing.

 

Wow! Three wide was pretty unusual for 1/4 midgets. I ran a lot of races with #69, Ed Lozinski. Here he is at Corona. In the back.

 

I have been organizing the racing room...

 

I took these shots at a CHHR years ago, any info on this one ?

 

Marty,
I was at that same show a few years ago and I remember that car! I'm not sure who made it (Brommie or Hagerman) But it's a rare dude for sure.
Hard to tell from the picture but the car is all aluminum, and if I remember correctly..... the seller was asking around 10K for the badass little sidewinder.

 

Dusty: My name is Danny Ruth, my father was the maker of Pacemaker 1/4 midgets and my brother Steve and I raced throughout the Southwest from 56 till 60 and we lost all the family pictures (story for another post) If you have any pictures of a orange and white Walborg #1 or the first blue Pacemaker #1 I sure would be WON happy Kid! We also raced the black #88 and #99 at the end of our careers. I would also like pics of the Original Orange Crate Pacemaker Roadster that Jeff Heywood drove for Dad to many wins.
Thx
Danny Ruth

 

Over the last few years I have been gathering parts to recreate both the Pacemaker original model and the roadster models. Dad is 80+and still quite with it and feels he can build the frames from memory and we had a NOS body for a original and the Micro in the rafters for years. While shopping on Ebay a few months back I stumbled upon the Original molds for the original car and a copy mold for the roadster along with a box of the original Grills in the box I put them in some 52 years ago.I ended up with the high bid and got the lot from a guy in Michigan whom said they had crossed many hands in 50 years.
Along with the stuff I got was a mold for what I believe is a Viking Craft roadster due to the sharp radius at the rear where the bumper would be. I plan on building clones of both Pacemaker models and offering kits to Guy's wanting to relive yesteryear. I have the Viking Craft mold available for sale and I still need a Pacemaker roadster tail to complete that model.
Any help would be appreciated!
Danny Ruth
Pacemaker #1

 

There you go Roy. You can build a roadster to go with the car you just got.

 

If the kids are interested in driving anything, give them a chance. Not with your old lump but with a new lump (sarcasm). Kids need to have more fun that that thingie they hold in their hand comunicating with the person next to them. God am I gettin old. Give the kid a go fast pedel....

 

Danny, I found a negative of a #99 Pacemaker from a Labor Day race in 1961 at Whittier. I'll get it printed and post it. It will take about a week.

 

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Turn that volume down, first!! Don't want the music to get you by surprise...


Enjoy.. San Diego's Balboa Stadium.. I own the film but don't know anything about it.

 

Drug this one home last weekend.. A Stevenscraft with functional exhaust pipe! Gauges are fake but curved glass S.W.'s. A little more clean-up and it will be ready for the garage line up.

 

Very Nice, Casper!!!

 

R&M auctions today. Don't know what it sold for yet!
http://www.rmauctions.com/FeatureCars.cfm?SaleCode=AZ13&CarID=r182&fc=0

 

Had this sitting in my attic for last 20 years. Need to find a few parts but its still in great shape. I believe it to be a late 50's Race craft.

I didn't do the pink paint

 

Can't say what make it is, but it is not a Racecraft. Actually, it looks bigger than a 1/4 midget, maybe a micro midget.

 

I'm just about done with my pickup and my back and knees are telling me to find some bench work for my next project........so I'll be starting on this next.

 

wow !!! $14,300.

 

I just picked this one up in the Chicago area - guy said he had it since the 60's and raced it in the area when he was growing up. Any idea what it is? Thanks!

 

Couple of weeks ago a freind was cleaning out his dads garage and found this hiding in the rafters.

 

Looking for a racecraft style body to start a new project. I want to build all the chassis ans suspension from scratch. I just finished a full midget recreation and want to build a smaller copy for my little boy. Any leads would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

I am sure it is a Micro Midget! I rember the grill but not the name.
Dan Ruth
Pacemaker #1

 

I am taking my 1957 Race Craft to the Carl A. Poggeto race in San Bernardino CA. Sat 2-23-13. I ran at the 1958 to 1962 races in Pomona.This picture is from the 1962 race.

 

Hey Dusty,
Glad to see you back and posting !! That picture is Great. My two daughters raced at Pomona several times, not only club races but Ernie Bowes, Kara Hendrick and the Carl A. Poggeto in 2006 or 2007. Tons of law enforcement and Carl's wife was there and gave a speech between the heats and the mains. We went to Pomona our first year (novice class) a couple times and continued racing there until they had their 50th anniversery race (fifty years !!) and then we wnet back down the next month to race the LAST race at Pomona. The city of Pomona took it over (eminent domain) spelling? for their trash transfer yard. A sad day for us. The pits with the painted stalls, the huge rock and the benches looked the same as the early days even when we were there...The good news is that they were able to move that rock to the new facility out at Orange Show Grounds. Have a great time at the race !!!

 

Pomona had an interesting history. It was originaly paved, but there was something strange about the banking. There were a lot of werks and injuries so we quite running there. I guess a lot of other peaple did to. They tore out the pavement and switched to dirt and we went back. After that it was a very popular track. Long after I quite running there it changed to a high bank paved track. This picture is 58 or 59 at Pomona when it was dirt.