Quarter Midget Racer Safety

The incredible growth of youth motorsports, has been fueled by the combination of family fun, future career opportunities and the advances in personal safety equipment.


Quarter Midget Race Suits are now specifically tailored to properly fit the young racer. A wide range of pricing, colors, style, design and protection levels are now available. All Quarter Midget Race Suits, Race Jackets and/or Race Pants should have an SFI 3.2A/1 or 3.2A/5 patch affixed to a visible part of the garment. This certifies that the manufacturer has submitted random samples for independent testing.


Quarter Midget Helmets, that meet either the SFI 24.1 or the Snell SA2010 testing standards are also being produced by multiple manufacturers. The SFI 24.1 Helmets are Youth specific, as the shell is smaller than the adult models. This results in a reduction in weight, which can be very beneficial to the safety of extremely small racers. If the child's head size is too large for the Youth sized racing helmets, there are abundant X-Small and Small Adult sized helmets, which should have the Snell SA2010 sticker located on the helmet.


Quarter Midget Head and Neck Restraints have become increasingly popular. While many think it may be an unnecessary expense due to the relatively low speeds, the head and neck restraint is proven to prevent injuries at any speed. Also, if the young racer shows talent and desire, they may someday decide to progress to full size race cars, so there is no awkward transition in adapting to a head and neck restraint system.


Quarter Midget Nomex Gloves are available in single or double layer fire resistant materials. Some companies offer a one size fits all "Junior" racing glove, while other companies have multiple sizing from 7 X-Small on up.


Quarter Midget Racing Shoes are only offered by a handful of companies, namely Ultra Shield and RaceQuip, starting at Size 1. The advantages of a purpose built racing shoe, versus a pair of athletic shoes are, fire resistant materials and a thin sole. The fire resistant advantages are obvious, but the thinner shoe sole should help the driver acquire a better "feel" of the throttle and brake pedals, the lighter weight of the racing shoe should also help reduce fatigue.


Quarter Midget Arm Restraints are required by most tracks and sanctioning bodies. Rollovers are actually common in Quarter Midget racing, the restraints contain the drivers arms inside the cockpit area.


http://www.racedaysafety.com/youth-equipment.html