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POINTS RACE #4 AT OCEAN SPEEDWAY
April 12, 2008 |
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was my last race until June (Points Race #8) and I'll be missing my
friends and the dash & zing of dwarf car racing. So far this
season, I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with this club and I'm grateful
to all its members for making me welcome. Regardless of the
finishes, you're all winners to me. Again, twenty nine dwarf cars came to race - the LARGEST car count of all classes on the program; 12 more than the marquee Golden State sprint cars.This night, we had several visiting cars; the #85 of Doug Martin, the #111 of Al Ghiorso and the #111N of Jon Davis. We hadn't seen any of these cars since our Regional last year. Unfortunately, after a long tow form El Dorado, Doug lost his engine during hot laps. Al was not his usual exuberant self when I saw him; preoccupied with a mechanical problem. BAD rookie, Dave Hall, was out for the first time in his new #99B. HEAT RACES Winners of the four heats were, Dave MOSIER (HEAT 1), Mark BISCARDI (HEAT 2), Ryan AMELN (HEAT 3) and Punky PIRES (HEAT 4). In Heat 1, Dave led the entire race from the pole. John Wear started 4th, moved up to 2nd by mid-race and finished 2nd. Mark Tillinger gave up 2nd and finished 3rd. Mark, John and Duane Daniel were running tight on lap 4, then spread out. Duane finished 4th, about 4 1/2 seconds behind Dave. Al Ghiorso was 5th. Best time = 16.051 sec, Dave Mosier In Heat 2, Mark started at the front and held the lead from lap 1 for the win. Gilbert Toste started 4th, went back to 5th on an early re-start and finsihed 2nd. When Camron Diatte got banged around and left the race, Nick Squatritto took over 3rd and finished 3rd. Joel Osias was a distant 4th and Robert Mesloh was 5th, almost 15 seconds off the pace. Best time = 15.844 sec, Gilbert Toste In Heat 3, Ryan Diatte and Ryan Ameln started on the first row and this race was another Ryan and Ryan show. Diatte pulled out to a substantial lead but spun on lap 3, giving Ameln a similar lead. Diatte was closing but Ameln finished with a lead of about three car lengths. Chris Weaver and Doug Penny exchanged positions to finish 3rd and 4th. Mike Weaver crossed the line 12 seconds behind the leader for 5th. Best time = 16.091 sec, Ryan Diatte In Heat 4, Punky Pires set the pace and led form lap 1 for the win - with his right side door open. Martin Whittingham started 3rd and finished 2nd, about 15 car lengths behind Punky. Al Ghiorso moved up from 6th to finish 3rd. Marty Weisler started on the pole but spun, lost ground and finished 4th. Danny Zuger was 5th. Best time = 16.439 sec, Martin Whittingham A TROPHY DASH lineup was posted on the pit board but the race was cancelled. B MAIN Eleven cars raced twelve laps for six transfers. Robert Mesloh led this entire race, followed by Camron Diatte, Steve Oliveira, Danny Zuger, Mike Weaver and T J Etchinson. Best time = 16.324 sec, Robert Mesloh A MAIN This 20 lap feature was an exciting race. Dave Mosier was quick to take the lead from a 2nd row start and was soon followed by John Wear. John was on a mission, nose-to-tail with Dave and challenging, with Ryan Ameln and Gilbert Toste not far behind. John passed Dave several times but cautions kept putting him back. Finally, on lap 5, he made the pass that stuck. Dave retook the lead late in the race but seemed to lose momentum and was passed by John and Gilbert TOSTE. John and Gilbert opened up a gap between themselves and Dave. Gilbert waited for an opening and, when John moved up a little in turn 4 of the last lap, Gibert made his move. As the two drag raced to the flag, Gilbert had enough to take the win by just 0.041 seconds. What a finish! The next three cars crossed the line within two seconds: Dave Mosier, Ryan Ameln and Punky Pires. Rounding out the top ten finishers were, Ryan Diatte, Mark Tillinger, Duane Daniel, Jon Davis and Martin Whittingham. That was hard and fast racing - awesome! The cars were really hooked up on Tom's magic dirt; six clocked in the 15 second range. Best time = 15.589 sec, John Wear John Wear had best time for this event = 15.589 sec! CONGRATULATIONS TO GILBERT TOSTE, HEAT WINNERS AND TOP FINISHERS. THANKS TO ALL DRIVERS WHO MADE THE SHOW. Punky Pires finally got the monkey off his back. Now, Doug Penny and Steve Oliveira could use a tall glass of good karma. PS I could hear cheers from the grandstand when dwarf cars took the track and Mike Chappel told me that even the sprint car people were impressed with the BAD action. |