MORE THAN 200 RACERS IN A.C. BOARDWALK HALL, ACTION CONTINUES TONIGHT

2012 ATLANTIC CITY BOARDWALK HALL INDOOR RACES
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RECORD FIELD OF RACE CARS AT A.C. BOARDWALK HALL, PRODUCES HIGH SPEEDS, TIMEX MORGAN FOUR CAR TEAM TOPS CHART, DRIVER TYLER ROSS UNHURT IN WILD MICRO SPRINT CRASH

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. February 3, 2012 . . . After a record 200-plus entries had filed into cavernous pit area of Boardwalk Hall Thursday, a five hour closed-to-the-public test session allowed competitors an opportunity to shake down their cars before racing begins Friday night.

The practice served as a tune-up for the tenth annual Gamblers Classic tonight (February 3) and Saturday (February 4) inside Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall.

The fastest drivers of all, unofficially, were all members of the same team, headed by owner-driver Timex Morgan, Rochester, N.Y. Morgan and his three teammates, Ryan Flores, Mooresville, N.C., Joey Payne Jr., Fairlawn, N.J., and Erick Rudolph, Ransomville, N.Y., were each clocked repeatedly under the nine-second barrier.

“We’re fast,” Payne, a two time Gamblers Classic winner, beamed. “I think I passed everybody on the track in my group.”

Also under the nine-second barrier were Billy Pauch, Frenchtown, N.J., and Tim Buckwalter, Royersford, Pa. Both are past Gamblers Classic support race winners.

Two other two time former Gamblers Classic race winners, Ted Christopher, Plainville, Ct., and Lou Cicconi Jr., Aston, Pa., were not as fast. Cicconi was aboard an all new specially built TQ Midget prepared by Indianapolis car builder Dan Drinan.

Early in the session, Christopher was confident. “There’s still some adjusting to do on the car,” said Christopher. “I can go faster and was two-tenths father than Louie (Cicconi) already,” Christopher added. In the final practice, ‘TC’ clipped an infield tire barrier, bending his left front suspension, ending his night.

Not surprisingly, Cicconi was not as fast as many of his chief rivals, owing to the fact that his new car had never been raced. “We have some work to do,” Cicconi said.

Each of the four classes in competition this weekend – TQ-Midgets, 600cc Micro Sprints, Champ Karts and Slingshots – had the chance to shake down the equipment in four separate, rotating test sessions.

Stewart Friesen, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. dirt track standout, marveled at the amount of time provided and how many paved track specialists coveted the minutes. “These asphalt drivers just love to practice,” laughed Friesen. “Us dirt track guys are lucky to get five minutes during the racing season,” he added.

Friesen opted out of the first of the four planned practices. “I’ll wait until the track takes more rubber,” said Friesen. Unfortunately for the Canadian, his car blew an engine his first time on the track, requiring an engine change.

In the second 600cc Micro Sprint practice, a spectacular crash saw a car driven by Tyler Ross flip numerous times and carom off the outside guardrail at high speed. Ross was uninjured in the wild crash and was actively seeking a replacement car less than an hour after the wreck.

Despite the high level of experience and talent overall, two competitors used the Thursday test to make their very first laps of racing indoors. They are Shawna Ingraham, Brick, N.J., who is driving a Slingshot for the first time, and Chris Laureigh, Lanoka Harbor, N.J., competing in a Champ Kart in his maiden voyage.

Ingraham, recently named Rookie Of The Year at Wall Stadium for her Sportsman stock car season, had had no illusions of instant success. “I just want to have some fun,” said Ingraham, grand-daughter of long time New Jersey stock car patron Don Ling, Sr.

Laureigh’s son Jonathan, 15, was originally scheduled to drive. “When we got here we found out he’s too young, by just a couple of months, to race. So I’m going to drive it,’ said the elder Laureigh, adding that his most recent race was over a decade ago, in a stock car at Wall Stadium.

One of the bigger surprises on the mechanical side of the ledger was the new car being driven Jon Gambuti, Point Pleasant, N.J. While not in and of itself unusual, the car, owned by Colin Martin, Denver, Pa., was a new Drinan-built machine. Martin is the designer of the Spitfire, a TQ design that has two past Gamblers Classic wins to its credit.

“It was time for a change,” said Martin. “That’s what I thought. But the car has been slow. Gambuti wanted me to go back home and get the old car.”

Each car competing in Boardwalk Hall must pass a pre-race technical inspection with dozens of items checked for legality. The most important of these are safety mandates though competition rules compliance is often the most difficult and contentious phase of the certification.

Inspector George McKelvey was pleasantly surprised at the tech results. “This was one of the smoothest inspection years we have had,” said McKelvey.

A collection of twelve Vintage TQ-Midgets from the 60s, 70s and 80s and many of the drivers who raced them in Boardwalk Hall will be on hand over the weekend, signing autographs Friday and driving in an exhibition race following Fan Fest and preceding the start of racing on Saturday.

Tickets are still available for Friday (Feb. 3) and Saturday night’s events either through the Boardwalk Hall box office or online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Racing begins at 7:30 p.m. tonight (Feb. 3) and at 7:00 p.m. Saturday. On Saturday, a one-hour Fan Fest meet-and-greet-the-drivers session will take place on the floor of Boardwalk Hall.
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RACE RESULT RELEASE BY STEVE BARRICK

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