June 2003 - Inside Line Column - by Floyd Busby

BCRA's regular "stand-alone" Midget season got off to an
excellent start at the Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka. As always,
promoters Rich and Linda Olson were the exemplary hosts at the fine
3/8-mile paved oval. Twenty-two cars were on hand, the best turnout
since returning to the track several years ago.

Travis Johnson indicated his desire to win the championship.
Planning to make all of the BCRA races, Johnson and crew travel all
the way from Tacoma, Washington. His long haul paid off with fast
time. Starting 16th he raced to the win and took the initial lead in
the "BCRA Shasta Marina Resort Pavement Championship Series", the
first round of seven.

Rich Olson makes it a point to stop at each pit and
individually thank the owners and drivers for being at his racing
facility, a gesture very much appreciated by the BCRA travelers.
Johnson then ran the Reno-Fernley program, taking a second in
his heat and a fifth in the feature, but misfortune hit him hard at
the May 31st race at the Stockton "99" Speedway. During hot laps, his
Ed Pink Chevy spun a bearing and he packed up and headed north early.
Travis drives his own chassis, dubbed a "2FAST" and is in business as
a fabricator.

We first met Johnson two years ago when he moved south to be
the fabricator at the Mike McCreary shop in Placerville. He later
moved to the lowlands and worked in Sacramento before returning to
his northern roots. His first appearance with BCRA was the season
opener last year in Eureka where he set a new one-lap track record
that still holds today.

Nobody deserves the fate of breaking so early as he did at
Stockton, especially a nice guy and good competitor like Johnson.
Travis isn't alone in the "bad luck" department. Pleasanton's Pete
Davis has had the monkey on his back all season. At the season
opening BCRA/USAC National at Stockton he hit the wall in hot laps.
At the next National, Madera, he was unable to transfer from a
qualifying semi to the feature. At Eureka he proceeded Johnson's woes
by breaking in hot laps and packing up for the long journey home.
Davis was unable to make the next race at Reno-Fernley. At Stockton
he developed a very rough engine with a disastrous qualifying run. He
got it running and won his heat race, only to blow just after taking
the checkered flag - out for the evening again.

The Redwood Acres Raceway also became a turning point for
hard-working BCRA board member Ken Bonnema. Ken had already lost his
mother over the Stockton opener weekend in March and missed that
race. He dropped out early in the 100-lap National at Madera with
mechanical ills. At "The Acres" he was leading and driving possibly
the best race of his midget driving career. As he was lapping a
slower car, the two made contact, sending Bonnema up and into the
wall, receiving extensive damage to his pavement Esslinger/Edmunds.
The following week, while traveling with his dirt car to the
Reno-Fernley race, he got a very bad case of food poisoning from his
lunch stop in Placerville. When he arrived late to the track he
attempted to qualify and managed to reach the checkered flag. From
that point on he was allocated to the back quarters of his motorhome,
later being driven to the hospital in Sparks where he spent the
night. Such misfortune should have been over at that point, but upon
taking his pavement car to the Edmunds shop in Southern California,
it was found that the damage was even more expensive that first
thought. With a very high repair bill (he could almost have purchased
a new chassis), and a limited racing budget, Ken has indicated that
he is looking very seriously at retiring. I for one hope that he
finds a way to keep going. He is one of the most progressive and hard
working board members that I have seen in years!

This column is being written just prior to the June 7
Lakeport Speedway race. Johnson has indicated that he will be there.
We hope that Davis and Bonnema will be there also.

Following two years of very severe tire wear on the 3/8-mile
Reno-Fernley Raceway surface, this year's first race there was a
turnaround. Because of the wear, the midgets have run 20-lap main
events there the past two years and the tires, right rear in
particular, would not have made it further. This year's race produced
much less tire wear and it is possible that the main event at the
August 23rd race will be extended by five or ten laps.

That Fernley race will also include BCRA's Midget Lite
Division as well and the Vintage Division.

In the Lites, Greg Dennett seems determined to make it three
championship in a row. Following the May 31st race at the Petaluma
Speedway, where he won aboard dad Gary's Honda powered ART, Greg led
the standings with a 36 point margin over Doug Hunting. Former Midget
chauffeur Scott Clark was nine behind Hunting with Sam Corso 21
behind Clark. Bringing up fifth was Greg's brother Todd, who drives
the Suzuki powered Lite for his dad.

Sam Corso is beginning to make waves. Taking his first Midget
Lite feature win at the Antioch Speedway on April 28th, Corso has
been a frontrunner ever since. At Antioch on May 24 he started the
feature up front and faded quickly, but got it together and charged
back up to finish second behind Clark. Clark, who had won several
Midget features, claimed first Lite win.

A new member of Clark's crew was very apparent. Bill
Montgomery, the owner of the 600cc Midget and full Midget that Clark
had run before selling them and retiring, was turning the wrenches on
Clark's Suzuki/ART. Montgomery is the author of the widely
distributed and acclaimed publication "Kurtis-Kraft Midget - A
Genealogy of Speed". The book gives a history of the Frank Kurtis
Midget manufacturing enterprise with details on the history of each
car built. Naturally, even after a number of years of research, some
of the cars could not be accounted for. After publication, as the
book began to circulate, people began contacting Bill with
information on the "lost" cars. Bill is currently working on a second
Kurtis book - can't wait to read it!

Cliff Servetti and a number of racing friends have produced a
special plaque. It will be presented to car owner and board member
George Chandler at the June 7 Lakeport race, commemorating his track
record at that facility. The time of 11.935 by driver Jim Silva will
probably never be beaten. The newly mandated harder right rear tires
are expected to keep times down fractionally.

At the Stockton Midget race on May 31, several "first-time"
entries were present. Rusty Lomier was there with his son John. Rusty
was a BCRA Midget driver in 1980 through 82. John, with a background
in quarter-midgets, currently runs a Grand American Modified at the
Madera Speedway. Proceeding the Stockton race Rusty was talking with
his good friend and Madera operator Rick Gerhardt. Up in the rafters
of Gerhardt's shop sat one of the original six Hyder Hawk Midgets.

Well, as it turned out they brought the Hyder to earth and Rusty
prepared it for John to drive. The Pontiac powered Hyder Hawk is of a
technical design that was dominant in its day, but is no longer
considered competitive. But, this was a great way for John to take
his "rookie" drive and he competed at Stockton, qualifying, taking
third in his heat, but dropping out after 13 laps in the feature with
drive line problems. Rusty was so stoked, that he planned to run the
next two pavement races, Lakeport and Shasta Speedway. It was good to
see Rusty involved with BCRA again.

Stu Donaldson is known in racing on two fronts. He owns and
drives a vintage Midget with BCRA and also drives an XKE Jag in
vintage road races. Now Stu has appeared with a Midget for his son
Mike to drive. Its an older Kane chassis with a Chevy II for the BCRA
Division-2. Unfortunately, the team had nothing but teething problems
and didn't get past the warmup sessions.

Perhaps the "happiest camper" over the past two Midget races
is Cameron Beard. Cameron placed second in points in the early years
of the BCRA Midget Lite Division and had been a regular campaigner
for most of that series. Last year he made the switch to a full
Midget, purchasing a car from the Northwest, but became depressed
with the venture having experienced engine problems throughout the
season. He sold the Midget and went back to the Midget Lites, winning
this season's opener at the Twin Cities Speedway in Marysville. But,
the full Midget bug was still biting, so he purchased a VanDyne
Edmunds from the southland and made his first appearance at
Reno-Fernley. There he won his heat race and ran in the feature as
high as second, finishing fourth behind Rob Russell, Glenn Carson and
Floyd Alvis with a grin ear-to-ear. At Stockton, setting up the
changeover car for pavement, the beginning was rough, but he made
adjustments and began finding his way. He won the fast car heat race
and then started tenth in the feature and took a well deserved third
behind Marc DeBeaumont and Robbie Flock.

USAC's four-time Western States champion Robbie Flock drove
the BCRA Walker Racing Esslinger/Stealth at Stockton. Flock took fast
time and placed second in the feature after a very good run from
16th. This marked the first time that I had the opportunity to speak
at length with Robbie and found him very open and friendly - hope he
returns.

Also spoke to longtime BCRA member car owner and driver
Marshall Matthews. Marshall renews his membership every year, but had
not been seen around the track in quite some time. I was saddened to
see that he is quite incapacitated with Lou Gerig's Disease. Bound to
a motorized wheelchair, Marshall and his son made trips around the
pits visiting with old friends. He communicates by writing on a
marker-pen board on his lap and is very accomplished at the chore.
Marshall was active with BCRA in the days of the VW engine domination
and he owned and drove a VW. He is a very successful businessman,
operating a sizeable auto body shop on the Peninsula. He is a lover
of vintage cars, both racing and street, and has an extensive
collection. Some of his cars have appeared at the Laguna Seca
Raceway's vintage weekend in the past. His trusty 'ol VW Midget, the
last time I saw it, was mounted on the wall like a piece of art. A
grand gentleman - All members of BCRA wish him the very best.