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By Robert Haugh
Surging past West Coast Midget veteran Robby Flock on lap 21, Manhattan Beach’s
Garrett Hansen surged to the winner’s circle manning the #70 Hansen’s Welding
Beast/Fontana Saturday at the slick 1/3-mile Santa Maria Speedway, claiming top
honors in the BCRA/USAC-Western States co-sanctioned event.
Taking advantage of lapped traffic, Hansen managed to shuffle around Flock en
route to leading the final ten laps of the fast-paced race that had only one
caution period. Hansen outpaced Flock in the #19w Mike Sala Stealth/Bob Wirth
Mopar, Josh Lakatos in the #4, USAC-Western States points leader Johnny
Rodriguez in the Mitchell Motorsports #87 AutoResearch/Esslinger and Chris Rahe
aboard the #3c.
An enticing battle transpired during the final ten laps for the Top five
positions with Rodriguez scooting by Rahe on the last lap to capture 4th.
Flock, signed in under BCRA and USAC was the highest-placing BCRA-registered
mount, taking second in the #19w Mike Sala Stealth/Bob Wirth Mopar. Sala would
be dominating the BCRA dirt owner points if he had been fielding a solo Midget.
In three dirt races in 2007, Flock has chauffeured the always-strong Sala
entries to two second-place runs and a victory.
After starting outside Row 7 in the feature, 16-year-old BCRA points leader
Justin Grant was quickly getting around a number of cars, having catapulted to
7th place by the third circuit, passing on the high line of the multi-groove
track.
As former USAC-WS champion and fast-timer Jerome Rodela spun avoiding another
car on lap 4, Grant slid into Rodela with nowhere to go, making heavy contact.
Grant kept the car idling, however the rear end separated from the contact
ending his evening prematurely in the #17 Thurston Spike/Esslinger.
After the race, Grant said that Dave Thurston had the perfect car and he could
drive it as hard as he wanted. He said he was really comfortable and could trust
the car to hold when he drove it hard. “It was a shame I got into Jerome,
because this car was going forward,” said Grant after the race.
Coming home in sixth was Clovis’ Brian Gard wheeling the Mark Borghesani #57
Spike/Brayton Ford. Gard won the BCRA season opener at King’s Speedway in March.
Rounding out the top Ten were Quinton Crye aboard the #15x, 16-year-old Michael
Faccinto in the Scelzi Motorsports #41, Randi Pankratz in father Wally’s #8
Edmunds/Esslinger and Blake Miller aboard the #7r.
With several of BCRA’s top pointsmen suffering mechanical woes, 20-year-old BCRA
rookie Kevin Morris was the highest-placing BCRA regular, churning in a
13th-place run aboard father Del’s #17k Spike/Esslinger mount.
Following closely in 14th was Midget hardcharger Shannon McQueen aboard her #7
TCR/Esslinger and 7-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis aboard the #18 Champion
Automotive Stealth/Esslinger claiming 15th. McQueen had most recently won her
first Midget feature at Madera the week prior.
Third-place BCRA pointsman David Prickett experienced engine woes late in the
race, dropping his #15 Neverlift Motorsports Stealth/Arias toward the rear of
the finishing order.
Battling unknown fuel system gremlins all evening, Steve Roza also settled for a
disappointing run, dropping out of the feature early aboard Bob Roza’s #20
Beast/Esslinger.
Rounding out the BCRA entrants’ mechanical woes was Ralph Cortez, also settling
for a points day, taking the green flag after experiencing rear end oiling
problems in the #31 Cortez/Walker Motorsports Stealth/Esslinger.
Alamo’s Scott Pierovich claimed Heat 1 in the Lance Pierovich Spike/Mopar ahead
of Quinton Crye, Michael Faccinto, Danny Ebberts and Ralph Cortez.
Second-generation racer C.J. Sarna captured Heat 2 over Justin Grant, Floyd
Alvis, David Prickett and Jared Little. Morris was forced into competing in Heat
2 because when he was being pushed off for the first heat race the push truck
ran over his right rear and bent his shock.
Fast-timer Jerome Rodela claimed Heat 3 over Chris Rahe, Garrett Hansen, Robby
Flock and Josh Lakatos.
Former USAC-Western States champion Jerome Rodela topped the clocks nearly
breaking into the-13-second bracket, catapulting around the slick 1/3-mile oval
with a time of 14.086.
The 2007 DMS Race Products BCRA Midget series takes a three-week hiatus before
returning back to action at the 3/8-mile King’s Speedway in Hanford on August 4,
beginning a month-long stretch of Dirt races. Following the Hanford bout, BCRA
treks to the ¼-mile Placerville Speedway on August 11, then to the 3/8-mile
Petaluma Speedway on August 18 and back to King’s Speedway on August 25. Visit
www.bcraracing.com for additional information.
Summary:
Feature, 30 Laps
1. Garrett Hansen
2. Robby Flock
3. Josh Lakatos
4. Johnny Rodriguez
5. Chris Rahe
6. Brian Gard
7. Quinton Crye
8. Michael Faccinto
9. Randi Pankratz
10. Blake Miller
11. Scott Pierovich
12. Danny Ebberts
13. Kevin Morris
14. Shannon McQueen
15. Floyd Alvis
16. C.J. Sarna
17. Jared Little
18. Doug DeWitt
19. David Prickett
20. Jimmy Voitel
21. Jerome Rodela
22. Justin Grant
23. Steve Roza
24. Ralph Cortez
25. Dave Stoltz, DNS
Heat 1:
1. Pierovich
2. Crye
3. Faccinto
4. Ebberts
5. Cortez
6. DeWitt
Heat 2:
1. Sarna
2. Grant
3. Alvis
4. Prickett
5. Little
6. Morris (was scheduled for Heat 1)
7. Voitel
8. Stoltz
Heat 3:
1. Rodela
2. Rahe
3. Hansen
4. Flock
5. Lakatos
6. Rodriguez
7. Pankratz
8. McQueen
9. Gard
10. Miller
11. Roza (was scheduled for Heat 1)
Qualifying:
1. 25, Jerome Rodela, 14.086
2. 70, Garrett Hansen, 14.215
3. 3c, Chris Rahe, 14.251
4. 4, Josh Lakatos, 14.328
5. 87, Johnny Rodriguez, 14.355
6. 7r, Blake Miller, 14.360
7. 19w, Robby Flock, 14.390
8. 7, Shannon McQueen, 14.427
9. 8, Randi Pankratz, 14.525
10. 57, Brian Gard, 14.530
11. 15x, Quinton Crye, 14.530
12. 18, Floyd Alvis, 14.552
13. 41, Michael Faccinto, 14.623
14. 20, C.J. Sarna, 14.630
15. 35, Scott Pierovich, 14.672
16. 17, Justin Grant, 14.674
17. 5, Danny Ebberts, 14.826
18. 15, David Prickett, 14.877
19. 11d, Doug DeWitt, 14.895
20. 77, Dave Stoltz, 15.017
21. 31, Ralph Cortez, 15.043
22. 21, Jimmy Voitel, 15.067
23. 17k, Kevin Morris, 15.188
24. 23, Jared Little, 15.278
25. 20x, Steve Roza, 17.047
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