15-Year-Old BCRA Rookie Golobic Snags Ukiah Speedway Triumph June 9

By Robert Haugh

Overtaking early leader David Prickett on lap two, Fremont’s Shane Golobic never looked back, leading 29 laps en route to claiming his first DMS Race Products BCRA Midget feature victory on Saturday, piloting the Walker Motorsports #10 Bay Muffler Beast/Esslinger.

Starting fourth on the grid, the 15-year-old BCRA rookie fended off Ridgefield, Washington native Paul Zimmerly’s valiant last-lap challenge for the win in his fourth career Midget feature start. Going into Turn One on the last lap, Zimmerly made contact with Golobic, shunting his DMS Race Products #11d Beast/Esslinger to a fine second-place podium finish.

In claiming the feature, 15-year-old Golobic becomes one of the youngest BCRA feature winners ever, becoming the fourth teenager to win a BCRA main event in 2007.

Golobic quickly jumped ahead of polesitter Prickett and 7-time BCRA champion Floyd Alvis, snagging the lead and never looking back, holding off strong charges on the top and bottom lines by Zimmerly, Justin Melton and Levi Roberts.

Starting in the sixth row, Zimmerly and Justin Grant, piloting his #30 Beast/Esslinger were on a mission early, running nose-to-tail, passing cars gingerly on the outside, awing the Ukiah race fans who hadn’t seen the BCRA Midgets in nearly a decade.

In trying to overtake two-time reigning BCRA champion John Sarale in his #32 Stealth/Riolo Chevy half-way through the race, Zimmerly and Grant looked to the inside line. Zimmerly squeaked by, however, the 16-year-old BCRA points leader was not as fortunate, making contact with Sarale, turning his car backwards on the front stretch and relegating him to the back of the pack. The pass of Sarale was one of very few passes made on the inside during the entire race.

After the brief caution for Grant’s tangle with Sarale, Zimmerly quickly moved into second, passing Colorado’s Levi Roberts driving the Terry Caves #2c Lightning/Mopar and David Prickett in the #15 Neverlift Motorsports Hawk/Van Dyne, gaining on Golobic’s Bay Muffler mount.

Rebounding from the tangle with Sarale, Grant moved back into the Top Five, working his way through slower traffic, once again passing cars hugging the outside rim of the tight ¼-mile bullring Ukiah Speedway, delighting the Ukiah fans.

Golobic masterfully chauffeured the Walker Motorsports #10 Bay Muffler Beast/Esslinger at every restart, jolting ahead of his pursuers.

After moving into fifth place with eight laps remaining, Grant drove hard into Turn Three while battling Prickett for fourth, spinning in oil dry and ending his evening.

Following Golobic to the checkers in the tightly contested 30-lap DMS Race Products BCRA Midget feature was Zimmerly, Roberts, Prickett and Michael Binswanger in his #63 Beast/Mopar rounding out the Top Five.

In one of his best efforts thus far, Sacramento’s Ralphie “The Racer” Cortez managed to rebound from spinning into the dirt with Travis Berryhill early in the race, climbing back, capturing sixth aboard the #31 Shores-Cortez Special Beast/Sesco-Mopar. Cortez earlier qualified for his first Trophy Dash, setting the fourth fastest time of the 16 BCRA Midget entries.

Rounding out the Top Ten was local racer Gary Dickenson of Santa Rosa, piloting his #8 Stealth/Pontiac, Berryhill in his #11 Stealth/Esslinger, 7-time BCRA champion “Ageless Wonder” Floyd Alvis in his #18 Champion Automotive Stealth/Van Dyne and Flower Mound Texas’ Justin Melton behind-the-wheel of the #11d DMS Race Products Beast/Esslinger.

Melton was running third late in the race when a water line broke on the #11d DMS Race Products Beast/Esslinger.

Melton claimed Heat 2 over Dickenson, Zimmerly, Mostin and Grant.

Prickett claimed the abbreviated Heat 1 over Sarale, Alvis, Lindsey and Golobic after three laps, when Laura Poorter climbed the right rear of Bill Lindsey in Jim Fowler’s #61 Beast/Esslinger. Poorter was attempting an outside pass down the front stretch, when contact sent the #60 Western Speed Gerhardt/Esslinger tumbling off turn one, destroying the car. Poorter climbed from the car, and was transferred to a local hospital for a mandatory check up.

Zimmerly claimed the winner’s laurels in the Trophy Dash, fending off first-time dash contender Cortez, Roberts and Grant.

Grant captured a new non-winged Midget track record in qualifying, blistering around the ¼-mile paved oval at 12:180, nearly two-tenths father than second-place qualifier Roberts.

Berryhill battled mechanical gremlins all evening, suffering a broken U-joint in Heat 1 but managed to make repairs and still compete in the main event.

Mike Donaldson experienced rear brake rotor problems in the #87 Stu Donaldson Stealth/Gaerte, scratching after qualifying.

Last weekend’s Lakeport feature winner Eric Mostin scratched the Mike Mostin #12 Beast/Mopar after breaking a rocker arm in Heat 2.

BCRA rookie Kevin Morris, who was resting third in the DMS Race Products BCRA Midget series points was absent from the event, having college final exam commitments.

The 2007 DMS Race Products Midgets take a two-week hiatus from racing, retuning to dirt action on June 23rd at John Padjen’s gorgeous ¼-mile Placerville Speedway at the El Dorado County Fairgrounds in the Sierra Nevada Foothills.

Visit www.bcraracing.com for more information on the BCRA Midgets.

Summary:

Feature
1. Shane Golobic
2. Paul Zimmerly
3. Levi Roberts
4. David Prickett
5. Michael Binswanger
6. Ralph Cortez
7. Gary Dickenson
8. Travis Berryhill
9. Floyd Alvis
10. Justin Melton
11. John Sarale
12. Justin Grant
13. Bill Lindsey


Heat 2
1. Justin Melton
2. Gary Dickenson
3. Paul Zimmerly
4. Eric Mostin
5. Justin Grant
6. Ralph Cortez
7. Michael Binswanger

Heat 1
1. David Prickett
2. John Sarale
3. Floyd Alvis
4. Bill Lindsey
5. Shane Golobic
5. Travis Berryhill
6. Laura Poorter (flipped, third lap)

Dash
1. Paul Zimmerly
2. Ralph Cortez
3. Levi Roberts
4. Justin Grant

Qualifying
1. Justin Grant, 12:180, New Track Record
2. Levi Roberts, 12:337
3. Paul Zimmerly, 12:414
4. Ralph Cortez, 12:420
5. Gary Dickenson, 12:443
6. Eric Mostin, 12:478
7. Justin Melton, 12:498
8. Michael Binswanger, 12:532
9. John Sarale, 12:546
10. Travis Berryhill, 12:578
11. Laura Poorter, 12:647
12. Shane Golobic, 12:696
13. Mike Donaldson, 12:871
14. Bill Lindsey, 12:952
15. Floyd Alvis, 12:977
16. David Prickett, 13:086