A Levittown pre-schooler is already an award-winning race car driver
By Jack Firneno
Wire Editor
Bobby Klein is a kid on the go.
The 5-year-old raced from the front door to the table with his trophies. He raced to the couch, where he used Matchbox cars to explain his driving technique. He raced outside to climb in his car, then back inside to get his gear and back out wearing his uniform and helmet.
Later, while playing with a Lego racetrack, he asked, “Can you tell I like racing?”
If you’re not convinced, you can see him zoom around a track in Phoenixville on Wednesday nights or Saturday afternoons. Klein is one of the newest members of the Montgomery County Quarter Midget Racing Club, which features racecar drivers aged 5 through 18. And, he’s already pretty good at it.
Klein’s been racing for around two months — he completed his mandatory six-week training course on May 10 — in his own quarter midget-sized racecar. So far his awards number three first-place, two second-place and four third-place trophies and medals from regional and national races.
When you win a race, Bobby explained, they hand you the checkered flag and let you take a victory lap. “I went a little crazy because I wasn’t used to driving with one hand,” he said about his first win. But, he had it all figured out by the second time he earned the flag. And, he’ll tell you about how he won.
“I was doing my turn,” explained Bobby. His hands slowly and deliberately traced his car’s outward trajectory around a curve, and he spoke with the wide-eyed authority a 5-year-old usually saves for explaining to an adult about his favorite cartoon character for the umpteenth time.
Suddenly, one hand shot in front of the other. “And I went like, ‘Bam!’” he continued, explaining how he got ahead of a competitor.
And, if preschool seems too early to get behind the wheel, it wasn’t soon enough for this new driver. “He’s always liked cars. He used to ask to get in the car just to hear the engine,” said Donna Klein, his mom.
When he was 3, Klein caught his first NASCAR race on television — and he hasn’t missed one since. “We were on our way to Disney World, and we had to pull into a hotel so he could watch a race,” laughed his father, Chuck.
And, Dad remembered the phone call he got from his son when he was 4 years old and at a car show with his mom, where he saw a car just his size. He informed his father he would save up his money to buy his own.
“I told him we’d talk about it,” said Chuck. He was the more apprehensive parent about the sport, he admitted. But, he said, “After seeing his eyes and the smile he has, it’s the best thing in the world for him.”
Chuck and Donna can’t say enough about the amount of safety precautions the league requires: five-point harness systems that must be replaced every few years; a required racing, not motorcycle, helmet; crash cages on the cars and fuel limiters that prevent them from going over 25 mph.
“I knew it was safe, and you could get hurt in any sport,” noted Donna. “We were more worried about his emotional state.”
But, it turned out the parents didn’t have to worry about their son’s sportsmanship — or anyone else’s. “Hands-down, it’s the best organized sport I’ve ever seen. It’s an individual sport, but everybody’s there for everyone,” said Chuck. He recalled times where pit crews — parents, of course — would rush out and help another kid, and all the advice and information he’s gotten even from Bobby’s opponents and their families.
“It’s the only sport where you’ll help out your competitors,” he said.
And, his son shares that attitude. “He’d be disappointed at first when he didn’t win, but we’ve seen him grow so much already,” said Donna. “He expects to win but when he doesn’t he’s still hugging [the winner], taking pictures with them and playing with them after the race.”
For information on Bobby and his racing team, visit www.facebook.com/BK24Racing.
