The circuit racer that went to Bonneville
We couldn’t resist this pic shared by Rod Authority in the USA, of the famous racer Rex Mays prepping for a speed run at Bonneville in his speedway midget racer.
In 1949 he set a new record for midget race cars of 147.307mph (237km/h). Okay, so a lot of road cars will easily do that and more, but have a look at the size of the car and keep in mind this was on salt.
Given it was probably about as stable as a rat on speed, it would have been a hair-raising experience.
Midget racers at the time were restricted to 140 cubic inch engines (2.3lt) and one of the most popular options was a Ford 60. That is a 136ci (2.2lt) flathead V8 that promised 60 horses.
Mays, unfortunately, was killed in a speedway crash later that year.