My father and I built this in 1956 in Rochester NY.  It was a wonderful time together, and learning experience for me.  In those days there were no organized events that I knew of.  I drove it around the streets and school yards and had a great time. I am glad there is so much activity with the little cars today. I made a couple alterations, but stuck to the design 99%.  I added “duels”, sort of, by using a threaded galvanized pipe coming from the B&S engine and branching out.  It probably restricted the exhaust, but without a muffler maybe it was a wash. The only other thing I did was with the brakes.  The original plans called for a foot pedal, cable and rubber belt going over the top of a pulley connected to the drive shaft.  I noticed that it stopped much better in reverse, so I brought the belt under then over the pulley, and it would screech to a stop. I gave the car white wall tires, and a hood ornament I turned on a lathe in the basement.  Remember this was the “50s and loud cars/white walls etc. were in fashion, along with that golf hat (probably not) that I am sporting.

Team Member "Bud" Aurand

I raced MR-2's for about three years.  Two years second in points but many, many nights the fastest microd in time, heats, semi and feature. The problem was that the darn slower ones were in my way, I'd lean on them and I'd get a black flag...shades of Dale E.

I still remember one night at Ithaca/Dryden stock car track where I couldn't afford different pulleys so I ran what I had and lapped the field. That was in my first year ('58 I think) and it gave me the confidence to keep making my car faster and faster.

Another time we went to the track at Syrcause - the state fair.  It was one or our few times on ashpalt.  In practice I cut my best friend - John Dorsey - off and flipped myself over, the one and only time in all the years I spent on tracks.  No rollbars, no cages, just tuck and roll.

Some of the most fun times I had were during these years and as a teen; building my own car from scratch, tuning it myself, repairing everything all on my own a teenager and beating the others that had dads that were; car dealers (Denny Planck), dads that owned equipment dealers (Bob Jones) and (a guy I can't remember name) whose father worked at or owned Kellog Auto. I was protested a few times, but always was legal.  It really taught me the meaning of hard work paying off.

Later I was sponsored and raced karts in several states and finally built record holding sprint cars while I lived in Wisconsin.  Gave up race cars in the late 70's  I am sure it helped lead me to my engineering career and even today I still have dirt under my nails as I work on my "other projects.

The old Homer track is gone and most memories of what I have left of that area what remains, but it will live in me forever.

Team Members: My Dad, Allen Sherwood and brother Lee

Accomplishments You'd Like to Share: Beating my brother at the Season Championship race in Syracuse during state fair week, our most anticipated race of the year. I'm always reminded that it was because half the pack crashed but that's no consequence... I still beat him!!!

Racing microds was the most fun and exciting thing I did as a kid. It brought our family closer together, something we could really enjoy doing as a family and a reason why three generations of my family are enjoying it now. I just hope my kids will have as many fond memories as I do.

Jim Piedmont (mid- 1950’s) 

I was hunting some past images & long since gone family; & by chance I stumbled on to the Mic-Rod photo. I my self never had one; I was born in Syracuse.

 Migrated from Jamesville to the south side on to Salina St. 5400 block; the house is still there. I think around 1953; I was five years of age then: although I left at 17 on my own & lived in CA near most of my life; closing in on 60 myself now, it's not like I would ever forget the Mic-Rod days.

It was across the street from me was Warren Bruno. His father built one & I would go to the racetrack with them at the NY State Fair Grounds. It made for a great weekend back in those days.

I believe we were 7 years old when the Mic Rod thing happened for Warren. Just lucky for sure it was having a friend like Warren then. End result, I did get a considerable amount of time behind the wheel driving it myself.

Outstanding features I'll never forget: cable pull for the steering at the wheels & we used an old fan belt for braking drag on the axel drive shaft & then some old Briggs Stratton engine & 

Plywood body. It was fun & life was a whole different then for us as kids back then.

I congratulate you & those who have maintained the activity to this day. It's a wonderful thing what you are doing for those children. No doubt there lives will be a whole lot fuller because of you & others who have kept it alive to this day.

The old picture is just like how I recall it, what they looked like, rough.