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Photograph by Jacqueline Ramseyer
Midget Racer: Matthew "IceMan" Vazquez, 11, has been racing since he was 5 years old. He recently won at the California Monza Championships. Vazquez says he eventually wants to move onto NASCAR racing when he gets older.
Boy racer is a champ
By Melissa Matchak
From the day Willow Glen resident Matthew Vazquez first laid eyes on a Quarter Midget race car, he was hooked. In February 1995, Matthew began his training to become an award-winning race car driver. During the first weekend of October, Vazquez, 11, won the California Monza Championship, competing against the best young racers in the state.
"It was intense," Matthew said. "In the first heat, I got in a big wreck and we thought we'd lost because the car was crunched."After repairing the car during the race, Matthew went on to take third place, and then won the main event, making him the champion.
Quarter Midget racing is motorsport racing for kids. A Quarter Midget is a small race car designed for children to drive on small oval race tracks. It is a scaled down version of a Midget-style race car. Quarter Midgets feature full suspension systems and full roll cages. Seatbelts and shoulder harnesses are also mandatory, as safety is a prime consideration in the sport.
Matthew's father, Russell Vazquez, said although the cars the kids drive are over-engineered for safety, he does worry about his son getting injured.
"The kids and the cars go through a safety inspection before the race, and part of their training is how to crash," Vazquez said. "The cars are made to crumble and bend to absorb the shock."
Russell said he and his wife, Anita, have nicknamed Matthew "IceMan" because of his calm demeanor on the track.
"He's always thinking, always analyzing what the other drivers are doing," Russell said. "He's just so cool and calm out there."
Since he first started participating in Quarter Midget racing, Matthew has competed in approximately 25 races per year. The Monza Championship, in which he won three of the four races, earned Matthew his Champions jacket and a trophy 6 feet tall. Matthew also holds the track record and the fastest lap in his class within the local club, Bay Land, in San Jose. The class a racer competes in varies depending on age and type of motor. Matthew's class is the 160 cc Honda motor class, from ages 9 through 14.
Russell and Anita Vazquez are active participants in their son's race car activities. Russell is the training director for the club, and Anita helps with fund-raisers. Russell sets up Matthew's car before each race, and Anita helps keep race times and records of where "IceMan" stands in the races.
"If we could be out there every day, Matthew would," Russell said. "I know he really wants to do this professionally, and I think he'll always be involved in racing in some way."Matthew said he enjoys racing because it brings his family together. He also said he'd like to race professionally, and will move up next year to the next level, Midget race cars.
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Willow Glen, California Since 1992
