Historic moment: Remembering microd racing
By Jorge Batlle
Village Historian
Microds, a combination of micro meaning small and rods from the word hotrod, is a small car.
Microds were the creation of Edwin “Bob” Robinson who lived on East Lake Street in the village of Skaneateles. In 1954 Robinson wanted to create a car for his summer visitor, a Fresh Air child from New York City.
He wanted the car to be a “woodshed” project using plywood and old lawnmower engines.
The basic design was simple enough for a child nine to 13 years old to build.
They are 6.5 feet long, 37 inches wide, 50 inch wheelbase, 12 inch pneumatic tires, frame and body of wood bolts and screws.
They are powered by a four cycle one to two horsepower single cylinder gas engine. They can reach speeds of 18 to 20 miles per hour.
In 1955 with over 26 cars having been made, they took to the streets and sidewalks of the village.
Safety became a big concern. Other places were then used such as the school parking lot and the school’s running track.
The parking lot did not work out as there was a shallow embankment on one side that drew the little buggies like a magnet.
The running track’s straightaways were so long and the turns were so easy that the fastest car simply took the lead and the race was over.
Also on such a large track the cars looked like they were hardly moving.
Mayor Stewart Smith and the village board were approached to allow racing in a section of a vacant, treed area of Austin Park.
Robinson laid out a one tenth mile (550 foot) oval dirt track.
A.S. Wikstrom Company donated the time and machines to make the track,
Local auto garages contributed old motor oil used for dust control. Later the track was paved and maintained by Dougherty Construction Company.
The track is where Allyn Pavilion is now located.
Supervised races were held twice a week, 7 p.m. Wednesday evenings and 2 p.m. Saturday afternoons, during the summer months.
There was no charge to the audience. Some events attracted 1,600 enthusiasts.
Each racer wore a hard hat for protection.
Fortunately there were no serious accidents during the years of racing.
Races consisted of five heats of eight laps each.
The elimination round was 12 laps and the feature race was 25 laps.
Microd racing created considerable interest in neighboring communities.
They developed their own Microd programs.
In 1955, Skaneateles racers were invited to race at the New York State Fair. Twenty cars got to race in front of the grandstand.
Every racer got a trophy and they were a hit.
The National magazine Look ran a photo feature in the fall 1955 issue, putting Skaneateles on the map.
In the late 19502 two classes of Microds were established, the MR-1 and the MR-2.
The latter was a faster car for drivers 14 to 17 years old.
Popularity locally began to decline in the early 1960s and the last race was held in 1964,
The reason for the decline can only be guessed at.
Some blame the over participation by adults who wanted the sport to be more competitive.
Some say that the addition of roll bars and other safety equipment took much of the fun out of it.
IN 1969 the old deteriorated track was removed.
The New York State Microd Association was formed in 1956.
They standardized the rules, developed a plan for book and motor specs and provided insurance to drivers.
Today, they also coordinate the appearances of clubs at the State Fair.
Eight Microd racing clubs exist today in Upstate New York.
