EVERETT – The nifty little cars are built for speed on a flat track, but now their owners have a mighty steep hill to climb.
After nearly 35 years at Paine Field, the Washington Quarter Midget Association (WQMRA) will be forced to move this coming fall.
Dan Bates / The Herald
The upcoming season starts in late March. When the racing concludes in October, federal airport regulations and Snohomish County’s plans to develop property that includes the group’s track will mark the end of WQMRA’s presence at Paine Field.
To soften the impact, after working for more than a year to find an alternative site for the club, the Snohomish County Council last September granted the WQMRA the use of six acres at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe. The site is on the fairgrounds’ west parking lot overflow area.
In the long-term the 20-year lease agreement, situated in close proximity to Evergreen Speedway, provides the quarter-midget racing club with a tremendous opportunity to market the sport in a way that has not been possible, tucked away and out of the public eye at Paine Field.
“Our sport’s always been hidden,” WQMRA board member at-large Ben Gardner said. “With our new location, we’ll have more exposure.”
That’s the good news.
But, in the short-term, the immediate problem confronting WQMRA is that the cost of building a new track and other support facilities in Monroe is estimated to be at least $400,000.
That figure – which includes the cost of building a track, a tower, fences, food-service facilities, restrooms, bleachers and a scale house for weighing cars and drivers – is about $360,000 more than the group has available.
“We’re trying to climb Mount Everest and we’re struggling quite honestly,” Gardner said. “Our biggest goal right now is to try to raise money to pay for this project.”
Toward that end, the group is seeking corporate and small-business sponsorships, as well as new members, to help make its dream of building a new track become a reality by the spring of 2006.
Last Friday, two local companies stepped forward and pledged $15,000 to support the project, Gardner said.
“That’s very huge for us,” Gardner said at WQMRA’s annual car show at the Everett Mall last weekend. “We are actively looking for more of those types of sponsors.”
With some 68 families – including about 90 drivers ages 5 to 16 – WQMRA is already the largest among the six clubs in Oregon, Washington and British Columbia that comprise Region Nine of the National Quarter Midget Racing Association.
Gardner and other officials insist there is plenty of room for more in the family-friendly organization that bills itself as “The Little League of Motorsports.”
“That’s a challenge we’d love to have,” Gardner said.
The cars on display at last weekend’s mall show drew considerable interest. By midday Sunday an estimated 50 people had signed up for the club’s “Ride Day,” event on April 23.
“Ride Day” is an annual opportunity to introduce aspiring young drivers to the sport. They receive safety instruction and get the chance to drive a few easy laps under close supervision. Each year the introductory experience leads a fair number of the participants joining the club.
“You just can’t get a full appreciation for this sport until you come out and see it,” Gardner said.
The quarter-scale sprint cars are slightly smaller than go-karts and safety is first and foremost. They are fully suspended, with four-cycle, single-cylinder engines.
The cars have roll bars and other safety features that provide ample protection for the young drivers who run at speeds ranging from 20-45 mph, depending on age and experience.
“The only kids who have ever got hurt at one of our races either wrecked their bicycle or fell off of the swingset,” Gardner said with a laugh.
Club membership cost $185 per year. Cars range in price from around $2,000 up to $6,000 or more.
Expensive, yes, but at the lower end that’s comparable to the rising costs of other select youth sports.
And, because kids outgrow their cars and move up to a bigger unit – there are about a dozen classes in quarter-midget racing – there are always opportunities to buy a quality pre-owned car.
“The used race car market is very strong,” board member at-large Shawn Fitzpatrick said.
On a typical racing weekend, families show up at the track in RV’s on Friday night. Saturday’s are spent practicing and getting cars ready for Sunday’s racing.
About half of the drivers are girls.
Denise Smutny, racing director for WQMRA said her daughter Kerstin, 14, is entering her eighth season and was hooked the first time she raced. “She jumped out of the car and said ‘Mom, I’ve got to do this for the rest of my life,’” Smutny recalled.
In addition to seeking sponsorships and new members, WQMRA is selling commemorative bricks, ranging from $100 to $500, to individuals and businesses. The $500 bricks will be laid on the start/finish line at the new track.
The bricks seem appropriate.
Said Gardner: “We’re building this one piece at a time.”
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