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WIMSA
c/o Tim Frerichs- Pres.
(920) 794-1704
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The History of WIMSA!
In 1992, a handful of racer's started bringing their small, winged,
open-wheeled cars to dirt tracks in east central and southeastern
Wisconsin. As exhibition racers, informally organized and without the
benefit of even modest fan recognition they started to intrigue crowds
and impress promotors with their precise brand of open wheel
competition. Although few in number the racing was large on excitement
and more tracks agreed to make room on their schedules for a chance to see what this show
was about.
Time passed as driver and fan interest grew in this class. Becoming
regulars at area tracks was just around the corner. By 1995 the mini- sprints were
regulars running at the Calumet County Fairgrounds in Chilton and at the Kenosha County
Fair- grounds in Wilmot. The Wilmot fans were used to seeing big-time sprint car action
and the mini-sprints were to a lesser degree an extension of the open wheel racing concept
promoted at the 1/3 mile oval.
At Calumet County, fans were used to seeing stock-bodied and modified racing. The mini's
created a new sensation with a unique level of speed and competition on the tight,
semi-banked 1/4 mile. Chilton has proved to be a challenge yet it's ideally suited to the
power and size of these cars. For the year 2000, Chilton remains the Friday night home
base for WIMSA.
The series has appeared over time at various 1/4 and 1/3 mile venues
attracting drivers from a variety of racing backgrounds. The series
offers an opportunity for a racer to get the feel of open wheel dirt
racing without the expense of "learning" in a 360 or 410 sprint car or
midget. In fact, a WIMSA mini-sprint is based on a midget chassis and
powered by a maximum 1,200 cc motorcycle engine. Top and front wings are used to create
downforce and hold the cars down while cornering at high speed. The similarity to an
Outlaw sprint car is intentional as many drivers aspire to this level.
Drivers advancing from the mini-sprint experience to larger venues have
the solid experience to compete at higher levels. Ex-WIMSA drivers are appearing in series
throughout the state and beyond. Last year in the
IRA Sprint Car Series, Ty Bartz and Wayne Modjeski vied for Rookie of the Year honors.
John Haeni competes regularly in this series with a
good ammount of success. Ryan Matthews competes in the Mid- American truck series. Former
WIMSA series champion Tom Bartz now competes in the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association
and a handful of drivers have ventured in and out of 360 sprints, Eastern Modifieds and
SCCA road racing series.
The drivers competing this year are as talented as any year previous.
Series champions Scott Uttech and Scott Sippel, Mike Emme, Mike
Kertcher, Bob Reichert and Jeff Harder are only a few that will turn up
the wick and raise the competitive bar for the veterans and rookies
during the 37 event WIMSA series season.
From a modest beginning in 1992, the 1999 season saw a total of 71
different drivers take the green flag and the 2000 season is shaping up
to see even greater driver participation. For a taste of great open
wheel competition and possibly what's to come for many other racing
series WIMSA mini-sprints can be seen this year at Chilton, Wilmot,
Hales Corners, Powercom Park and tenative dates at Plymouth, Angell Park and the Sunnyview
Speedzone in Oshkosh. |
