CHRISTIAN BORN AGAIN WITH SANTA MARIA MIDGET WIN

By Floyd Busby

SANTA MARIA, CA., AUG. 7: Jimmy Christian would seem to have been born with an affinity for the Santa Maria Speedway, taking his second Bay Cities Racing Association Midget win of the season on the quarter-mile clay oval.

Christian romped his Riolo Chevy powered Stealth to the 30-lap win on Larry Ulam's heavy track that remained in supreme condition throughout the evening and produced track records in both the Midget and Sprint Car venues.

Christian immediately jumped from his outside second row starting spot to lead the first lap over Cliff Servetti, Shain
Matthews and Tyler Brown. The visiting Brown brought out the caution flag on the second round when he popped a left rear tire and spun on the backstretch. A quick tire change put Brown to the rear for the restart.

Christian again set a blistering pace as Servetti dropped back and Matthews took second in the Walker Esslinger/Stealth.
Seventh-starting Rob Russell charged the Guerrini Gaerte Ford/Stealth into third with point leader Thomas Meseraull piloting the Ferrari Esslinger/Stealth into fourth over Servetti's Custom Engine Pontiac/Ellis. On the third round Meseraull moved by Russell for third.

The second echelon began a battle with Rookies Brian Gard and Greg Dennett sparring with sixth-running veteran Pete Davis. Dennett moved his 3D Racing Wirth Chevy/Beast ahead of Gard on the fourth round.

The quick-paced field remained the same over the next three laps except for Servetti fading to ninth as rookie Michael Hubert III dropped out with a drive line problem. Meseraull, working on Matthews, gained second with a pass into turn-three on the ninth lap as Dennett bested Davis for fifth.

On the eleventh circuit Servetti spun in the fourth turn for the yellow flag. At this point Brown had worked his way from the rear to hold eighth.

Upon the restart Gard and Brown dropped Davis to eighth as Dennett won the challenge for fourth with Russell. For the next half dozen laps Christian held Meseraull at bay as the fiercest fight continued for fifth. Brown worked his way by Dennett for fifth on the 15th circuit then set his sights on Russell, making good his claim on the 17th lap.

On lap 18, just as he was setting up to challenge Matthews for third, Brown's engine expired on the front stretch and he coasted to a stop on the backstretch to bring out the caution flag.

Christian continued his commanding lead over Meseraull at the green with Gard pursuing Dennett for fifth, claiming the spot with an outside pass in turn-four on the 19th round. Russell's multi-lap challenge for third paid off on the 21st lap with an outside pass in turn-four, dropping Matthews to fourth.

Lap 23 saw Garratt Boyden challenge seventh-running Davis. The two made contact, sending Boyden's Esslinger/Beast into a spin and a rearward journey into the turn-one wall with a broken tie rod end from the contact with Davis.
The race resumed with Christian and Meseraull pacing the field at sub-qualifying speeds on the ultra-smooth surface.

Gard challenged Russell, moving his Borghesani Kelseyville Lumber Gaerte Chevy/Beast into third on the 24th circuit.

The field held position for the remainder of the race with Christian taking his second Santa Maria win over Meseraull, Gard, Russell, Matthews, Dennett, Davis, Tim Joyce, Floyd Alvis, Joe Lindsey and Servetti.

The feature began without the talents of visiting fast-qualifier Danny Stratton. Stratton established a new one-lap
Midget track record aboard the Schankman Esslinger/Stealth, only to fall victim of engine miladies during the second heat race. His time of 13.465 bested the nine-year-old record of 13.667 held by J.R. Lawson. The time was also a mere .041 seconds slower that the 360 injected Sprint Car record set the same evening!

Seven-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis revisited the same turn-four section of the track in which he overturned last season. This time the seasoned veteran began a spin while attempting to take back the lead from Michael Hubert III during the second heat race. Garratt Boyden could not avoid Alvis, connecting with the left rear of the Interstate Batteries Esslinger/Stealth, sending it into a roll. His car was immediately hit on the roll cage by Greg Dennett, sending Alvis into a couple of quick snap barrel rolls. It took a while before Alvis was able to extract himself uninjured form the cockpit of the upright car, minus his glasses that had been ejected when his visor opened during the rolls. Fortunately, a member of the
track personnel found the glasses, somewhat bent, on the track. Alvis and his crew mended the car with a new front axle in time to take the green flag in the main event.

Christian came through to win the first heat race over Meseraull and Matthews. Brown won the second eight-lapper over
Russell and Hubert.

The BCRA Midgets take a weekend off before returning to the Reno-Fernley Raceway on August 21. As with the Santa Maria race, the Midgets will be joined by the BCRA Midget Lite division.

SUMMARY:
QUAL.: 1. Danny Stratton, #50 Schakman 13.465 (Record); 2. Brian Gard, #57 Borghesani 13.957; 3. Garratt Boyden, #42 Boyden 13.964; 4. Greg Dennett, #47 3D Racing 14.025; 5. Michael Hubert III, #56 Hubert 14.034; 6. Tyler Brown, #34 Brown 14.136; 7. Rob Russell, #63 Guerrini 14.208; 8. Floyd Alvis, #18 Alvis 14.220; 9. Shain Matthews, #10 Walker 14.410; 10. Thomas Meseraull, #69 Ferrari 14.432; 11. Tim Joyce, #99 Segur 14.448; 12. Jimmy Christian, #16 Christian 14.548; 13. Pete Davis, #00 Davis 14.684; 14. Cliff Servetti, #83 Custom Engine 14.895; 15. Joe Lindsey, #23X Lindsey 16.330; 16. Scott Pierovich, #35 Pierovich N/T.

HEAT-1: Christian, Meseraull, Matthews, Servetti, Davis, Lindsey.
HEAT-2: Brown, Russell, Hubert, Alvis, Stratton, Boyden, Dennett, Gard.

MAIN: Jimmy Christian, Thomas Meseraull, Brian Gard, Rob Russell, Shain Matthews, Greg Dennett, Pete Davis, Tim Joyce, Floyd Alvis, Joe Lindsey, Cliff Servetti, Garratt Boyden, Tyler Brown, Michael Hubert III.