MOSTIN SCORES LAKEPORT MIDGET WIN BY INCHES

By Floyd Busby

LAKEPORT, CA., JUNE 5: Eric Mostin scored his first Bay Cities Racing Association Midget win at his hometown track, Lakeport Speedway, escaping the challenges of Thomas Meseraull by mere inches. The finish was so close that Meseraull pulled up to the finish line believing that he was the winner. Mostin was pushed to the line after spinning in the first turn following the checkered flag. Closely rounding out the duo was Tony Hunt.

Cameron Beard jumped into the initial lead from the outside front row starting spot over Cliff Servetti with Mostin's Mike's Fabrication Gaerte/Beast slipping into third.

The only caution flag came out on the fifth lap when Mike Donaldson pulled to the infield in a cloud of dust that the starter thought to be a spin. At this point Pete Davis retired to the pits.

Beard, fighting a failing power steering unit in his Stealth/Gaerte, continued his lead over Servetti's Custom Engine
Stealth/Gaerte. Mostin held third over Tim Joyce, Steve Roza and a charging Meseraull. Meanwhile, Tony Hunt, fresh from the USAC National Sprint Car race in Knoxville, Iowa, the previous evening, moved into fifth by the sixth circuit as he and Meseraull's Bill Ferrari Beast/Brayton Ford displaced Joyce and Roza.

Mostin moved by Servetti on the seventh round to take second then set his sights on leader Beard, taking the lead on the 11th lap as Beard began to fall off the pace with his physically demanding machine. Joyce meanwhile, had moved the Segur Ellis/Wirth Gaerte back around Hunt for fourth, then Hunt came back to pass both Segur and Beard to hold third by the 13th lap.

The front-running trio began systematically pulling away for the remainder of the pack, now led by Beard over Joyce and a gaining Greg Dennett.

On the 20th lap the leaders began lapping several slower cars, including seven-time and three-time champions Floyd Alvis and Glenn Carson, both of whom were down in the handling department.

As the race progressed towards its 35-lap conclusion, Meseraull began putting pressure on Mostin. Hunt's Rosen "Mr Expresso Coffee-Ardente Winery" Beast/Akins Ford tracked the dueling leaders awaiting an opportunity, but Mostin ran flawless, holding both pursuers at bay.

The leading cars remained the same with Alvis droping out on the 33rd round.

Exiting the final turn Meseraull made one final attempt to overhaul Mostin, taking the outside line and achieving superior
acceleration and grip with his car nearly jumping ahead for the win, only to fall short by mere inches as the crowd stood to witness one of the closest BCRA Midget finishes in years. Carrying the final speed rush past the finish line, Mostin became the night's only driver to spin as he entered the first turn.

Upon being pushed back to the finish line for the victory celebration, Mostin jumped from his car and gave the startled
Meseraull a big bearhug of joy. It was not joy for the Ferrari/Meseraull team when they learned that they had not won, but instead were relegated to their fifth second-place finish of the season.

Rookie Michael Hubert III, who placed fifth in the feature behind Dennett, was the fastest qualifier. Rookie Dennett, a two-time BCRA Midget Lite champion, won the trophy dash over Meseraull, Hubert and Hunt. Eddie Abrew took the first heat race over Beard and Alvis with Mostin taking the second eight-lapper ahead of Joyce and Meseraull.

The BCRA Vintage Division had more than a dozen cars on hand and ran two demonstration events, both won by 80-year-old Norm Rapp in the Biaza Offy.

The BCRA Midget next visit the Reno-Fernley Raceway on June 12, then head south on June 19 to the Santa Maria Speedway before making their Friday night appearance at the Watsonville Speedway on June 25. The Midgets return to the Lakeport Speedway for the annual Fourth of July celebration race on July 3.

SUMMARY:

QUAL.: 1. Michael Hubert III, #56 Judy Hubert 12.343; 2. Tony Hunt, #4 Rosen 12.361; 3. Thomas Meseraull, #69 Ferrari 12.377; 4. Greg Dennett, #47 3D Racing 12.400; 5. Jim Silva, #19 Chandler 12.411; 6. Steve Roza, #20 Bob Roza 12.493; 7. Tim Joyce, #99 Segur 12.530; 8. Eric Mostin, #12 Mike Mostin 12.532; 9. Cameron Beard, #1 Beard 12.732; 10. Cliff Servetti, #83 Custom Engine 12.737; 11. Pete Davis, #00 Davis 12.739; 12. Glenn Carson, #26 Bock 12.883; 13. Floyd Alvis, #18 Alvis 12.918; 14. Rob Lindsey, #23X Lindsey 12.923; 15. Eddie Abrew, Abrew 13.141; 16. Mike Donaldson, #87 Stu Donaldson 13.863; 17. Brian Gard, #57 Boghhesani N/T.

TROPHY DASH: Dennett, Meseraull, Hubert, Hunt.
HEAT-1: Abrew, Beard, Alvis, Davis, Gard, Carson, Lindsey, Servetti, Donaldson.
HEAT-2: Mostin, Joyce, Meseraull, Silva, Hunt, Hubert, Dennett, Roza.

MAIN: 1. Eric Mostin, 2. Thomas Meseraull, 3. Tony Hunt, 4. Greg Dennett, 5. Michael Hubert III, 6. Tim Joyce, 7. Cliff Servetti, 8. Steve Roza, 9 Rob Lindsey, 10. Brian Gard, 11. Jim Silva, 12. Eddie Abrew, 13. Cameron Beard, 14. Glenn Carson, 15. Floyd Alvis, 16. Pete Davis, 17. Mike Donaldson.

NOTES:
The close finish was verified by three separate score sheets. Rookies produced the fastest qualifying time, trophy dash win and first heat win. Mostin is a second-year driver. The entire racing format from time trials through the main
event did not have a single spin/yellow flag. Mostin's spin came after the main checkered flag. Hunt was one very busy driver. On Friday night he competed in a USAC National Sprint Car race in Knoxville, Iowa (10th). He showered and changed at a truck stop, flew out of DeMoines with two changes of planes to finally land in Sacramento, then drove the
150-some miles to Lakeport.  Brian Gard's attempt to qualify was thwarted by a disfunctional power steering unit. His crew raced to nearby Kelseyville and removed a unit from the team dirt car in time to install and start at the rear of the first heat race. Glen Carson in the Bock Midget and Frank Goularte in his Daimler powered Vintage Midget each carried checkered flags in formation in a memorial lap for recently deceased four-time BCRA Hardtop champion Leroy Geving.