WHAT IS A SPEEDCAR?
Speedcars, or Midgets as they are also known and named officially in other countries; are an open wheel class compromising of a Chrome Moly tubular frame and depending on configuration, generally a 166ci to 174ci purpose built race engine generating between 320hp to 360hp. They typically weigh 408kg / 900lbs creating a very high power-to-weight ratio.
The technical specifications of Speedcars in Australia is mostly aligned to other major Speedcar racing countries (namely New Zealand and the United States), with some variances in engines and minimum standards in competitor safety. The Speedcars Australia Inc Racing Manual defines specifications for Australian Speedcars, as voted upon by registered car owners annually.
It is the responsibility of each participant (driver, pit crew member or official) to have a copy of, and be familiar with, all relevant rules and regulations, and by competing in any Speedcars Australia Inc. sanctioned race meeting, each participant is deemed to understand and has agreed to comply with and be bound by the rules.
An electronic copy of the current Speedcars Australia Inc Racing Manual can be downloaded in PDF format via our Downloads page.
All Speedcars must be registered with Speedcars Australia Inc, via a local State Speedcar association. Speedcars may only be registered in the State in which the owner resides.
HISTORY OF VICTORIAN SPEEDCARS
The Victorian Speedcar Association Inc has been a vital part of the Australian Speedway racing heritage since 1934.
We take pride in being one of the oldest active motorsport clubs in the world!
Our events feature fast-paced, action-packed racing in the open-wheeled speedway division across Victoria.
We host some of the country's most prestigious events including the Victorian Speedcar Championship, Beasley Family Memorial, the Pro Speedcar Week and the Australian Speedcar Championship in 2026.
Join us this race season and feel the excitement of Speedcar racing!
The first official Speedcar or 'Midget car' event held in Australia was staged at Melbourne's Olympic Park on December 15, 1934 under rules and regulations of the Midget Car Drivers Association whose name was later changed to the Victorian Speedcar Drivers' Association. The Victorian Speedcar Championship was inaugurated in April 1935 and still stands as the second oldest Speedcar race in the world behind the American Thanksgiving Grand Prix held in November 1934.
The Victorian club also organised the first Australian championship however as Speedcar racing spread interstate the official national title is difficult to trace as each rival track and sanctioning body held their own title in each state, this continued even after a national body was formed.
OLYMPIC PARK
The current site of ‘AAMI Park’, one of Victoria’s premier football and rugby Stadiums, is situated within the city’s leading sports precinct nestled between the Yarra River and Melbourne Park, the site has served a myriad of purposes including motorsport. This section of the article is of arcane interest to Victorians only I suspect. But it was interesting to me just how many iterations of motorsport there were in an area many of us know so well. The piece is a truncated version of the AAMI Park site history.
