GARD SCORES FIRST WIN IN BCRA MIDGETS AT REDWOOD ACRES

By Floyd Busby

EUREKA, CA., MAY 22: Rookie standout Brian Gard scored his first career Midget win at the Redwood Acres Raceway in Eureka at the annual Bay Cities Racing Association event.

Scheduled to start the 30-lap feature on the outside of the second row, circumstances moved him to the front when Pete Davis experienced mechanical problems in his Esslinger/Beast after being pushed off for the event.

Gard, driving the Borghesani Kelseyville Lumber Gaerte Chevy Beast, immediately jumped into the lead on the 3/8-mile paved oval. Pole starter Jim Silva held the Chandler Chevy V4/Stealth in second over WMRA pilot Brian Olson and Thomas Meseraull.

Meseraull, the evening's fastest qualifier in the Ferrari Brayton Ford/Beast, led rookie Greg Dennett and visiting Tony Hunt. Meseraull displaced Olson's FPA Ford/Shefchik Ellis for third on the second round, then worked on Silva, gaining second on the fifth circuit.

Gard continued his lead, circulating the oval in below-qualifying speeds as the tight field battled for position. Hunt, aboard the Rosen "Mr. Expresso Coffee" Brayton Ford/Beast, dispatched Silva on the 14th lap to hold fourth. One lap later the caution flag was unfurled when Eddie Abrew struck the front straight wall while exiting the turn.

On the 22nd lap ninth-running Rob Lindsey moved his Gaerte/Beast under Glenn Carson's Bock Esslinger/Stealth through turns three and four. The two mounts made contact with both spinning. Rob's father, Joe Lindsey, was unable to avoid the stalled Bock machine and made contact, relegating Carson to the infield and a DNF.

Gard continued his dominance over the quick field to the checkered flag over Meseraull, Olson, Hunt and Silva. On the final lap Cameron Beard's Gaerte/Stealth nipped Dennett's Wirth Chevy/Beast at the line for sixth with Eric Mostin bringing up eighth over Michael Hubert III, Floyd Alvis, Cliff Servetti and Steve Roza.

Rookie Hubert, with one feature win to his credit, was relegated from third starting to the rear for the start when a loose
fitting caused the track to be sprayed with oil, creating a half hour of cleanup by the track crew.

Meseraull's top qualifying time nipped Hunt's time by 7/1000's of a second over the 19-car field.

Dennett, a two-time BCRA Midget Lite champion, drove to his first Midget trophy dash win. Olson placed second over Meseraull and Hunt.

Joe Lindsey scored the first heat win over Steve Roza and Cliff Servetti with Silva taking the second 10-lapper ahead of Gard and Rob Lindsey.

The BCRA Midgets take the Memorial Day weekend off and return to racing on June 5 at the Lakeport Speedway.

SUMMARY:
QUAL.: 1. Thomas Meseraull, #69 Ferrari 15.195; 2. Tony Hunt, #4 Rosen 15.202; 3. Brian Olson Shefchik 15.370; 4. Greg Dennett, #47 Dennett 15.377; 5. Brian Gard, #57 Borghesani 15.387; 6. Michael Hubert III, #56 Hubert 15.391; 7. Pete Davis, #00 Davis 15.641; 8. Jim Silva, #19 Chandler 15.647; 9. Rob Lindsey, #23 Lindsey 15.667; 10. Cameron Beard, #1 Beard 15.679; 11. Eric Mostin, #12 Mostin 15.775; 12. Glenn Carson, #26 Bock 15.789; 13. Floyd Alvis, #18 Alvis 15.893; 14. Eddie Abrew, #25 Abrew 16.004; 15. Steve Roza, #20 Roza 16.061; 16. Cliff Servetti, #83 Servetti 16.340; 17. Joe Lindsey, #23X Lindsey 16.421; 18. Rick Faeth, #91 Faeth 17.146; 19. Tim Joyce, #99 Segur N/T.

DASH: Dennett, Olson, Meseraull, Hunt.

HEAT-1: J. Lindsey, Roza, Servetti, Carson, Mostin, Alvis, Beard, Faeth, Abrew.
HEAT-2: Silva, Gard, R. Lindsey, Davis, Meseraull, Dennett, Hunt, Olson, Hubert.

MAIN: 1. Brian Gard, 2. Thomas Meseraull, 3. Brian Olson, 4. Tony Hunt, 5. Jim Silva, 6. Cameron Beard, 7. Greg Dennett, 8. Eric Mostin, 9. Michael Hubert III, 10. Floyd Alvis, 11. Rob Lindsey, 12. Cliff Servetti, 13. Steve Roza, 14. Joe Lindsey, 15. Rick Faeth, 16. Glenn Carson, 17. Eddie Abrew, 18. Tim Joyce, 19. Pete Davis (NS).

NOTES: This was Meseraull's fourth second-place finish this season. Tony Hunt had flown in from New Jersey where is was working with BMW on performance testing. He was then to flay to Indiana to qualify for the Little 500 at Anderson. The Hubert team purchased the former John Harkrader Gaerte Chevy/Beast the previous evening and had to start from zero on setup, etc. Olson broke a hub in the first round of practice and was able to secure a new one from Servetti. Servetti arrived very late and was in pain all evening following extensive jaw reconstruction from a 30-plus year-old injury sustained in Vietnam where he received two Purple Hearts. Silva's Chandler Chevy V4/Stealth was run over by a push truck during practice and the team scrambled to have the right rear shock hangers straightened and welded in time to qualify. During the course of the evening the car owner point lead changed three times - from Hubert's #56, to Davis' #00 and finally to Ferrari's #69. In the trophy dash all four of Dennett's leading laps were in the high 14-second bracket, below the top qualifying time.