Bartos & custer pace brs at rem

[larrymatt]

BUCKEYE RETRO SERIES (BRS) … REM … Race #9

By Larry Mattingly

BARTOS AND CUSTER PACE RECORD SETTING DAY AT REM

MENTOR, OH… Bud Bartos (Formula One/Indy) and Willy Custer (Can-Am / Gr. 7-68) were the big winners on a record setting day at REM Raceway in Mentor, OH on Sat. March 28 in Buckeye Retro Series (BRS) North competition, as track records were smashed across the board in all classes.

In addition the race was the largest BRS single day turnout this year (43 racers and 99 total entries in three classes), and also marked the largest race ever held at REM on their 155 foot Ogilvie Hill Climb.

FORMULA ONE/INDY RESULTS

QUALIFYING

Ricky Bennardo Jr. celebrated his 40th Birthday in a big way by leading a 35 car field in qualifying by setting a new track record of 4.882, eclipsing the old mark of 4.898. Bud Bartos had a run of 4.967 to take the second spot. Third in line was Dave Simerka (5.028), followed by Tom Lauterbach (5.047) and Mike Peskar (5.0670).

1. Ricky Bennardo Jr. – 4.882 NTR
2. Bud Bartos – 4.967
3. Dave Simerka – 5.028
4. Tom Lauterbach – 5.047
5. Mike Peskar – 5.0670
6. Willy Custer – 5.0675
7. Ron Hershman – 5.107
8. George Katzakis – 5.117
9. Mike Panko – 5.128
10. Marc Picione – 5.130
11. Chris Radisich – 5.132
12. Jeff Lauterbach – 5.135
13. Cap Henry – 5.147
14. Brian McPherson – 5.159
15. Al Rutti – 5.170
16. Greg Fox – 5.176
17. Ross Scharf – 5.212
18. Jay Sabala – 5.229
19. Dan Forbush – 5.237
20. Dan Myers II – 5.2771
21. Dan Ebert – 5.2777
22. Tom Rowell – 5.300
23. Larry Mattingly – 5.307
24. Ken Kanyok – 5.309
25. Bob Stanley Jr – 5.381
26. Kevin Cosgrove – 5.394
27. Rick Bennardo Sr – 5.396
28. Den Krivacek – 5.422
29. Larry Kowicki – 5.526
30. David Krumnow – 5.561
31. Matt Easterday – 5.682
32. Justin Porter – 5.731
33. Phil Bucco – 5.739
34. Eick Easterday – 6.381
35. Dan ‘Pops’ Myers – 6.682

FORMULA ONE/INDY MAINS

D-Main

Rick Bennardo Sr was the early leader in the D-Main, but after Larry Kowicki served his first heat sit-out in the nine-man round robin contest, he quickly took control of the race. Kowicki built up a five lap margin over Bennardo, who finished second, by race end. David Krumnow and Den Krivacek battled for the final podium position, with Krumnow taking third place by a lap. Local REM racer Phil Bucco was fifth, trailed by Dan ‘Pops’ Myers, Matt Easterday, Rick Easterday and Justin Porter, who was an early drop out.

C-Main

In a very competitive C-Main which saw only four-laps separating the top four finishers, Penn-Ohio Series regular Dan Ebert was victorious in his first BRS start of the season. Second place finisher Dan Forbush was able to stay even during the early stages of the race, but Ebert’s consistency in the gutter lanes proved to be the key to his three-lap win. Jay Sabala and Kevin Cosgrove finished in a dead heat for third on the lap counter, with Sabala getting the position on track position. Dan Myers II led the second tier of finishers over Larry Mattingly, Ken Kanyok, Bob Stanley Jr and Tom Rowell, who dropped out in the first heat with mechanical issues.

B-Main

Cap Henry and veteran world wide competitor Chris Radisich had a battle royal in the B-main, with Henry picking up the win by less than a lap when the power went off. Jeff Lauterbach ran a solid race to finish third by three laps over Marc Picione. Greg Fox was next in line as he out lasted Ross Scharf and Al Rutti for the position. Brian McPherson finished eighth, while Mike Panko was a DNF.

A-Main

Bud Bartos finally got his open-wheel program back on track by dominating the A-Main and picking up the overall Formula One/Indy car victory in the process. Bartos turned 277 laps to turn back Ricky Bennardo Jr and Mike Peskar by five laps. Bartos also shattered the former BRS track record of 273 laps by four circuits. Bennardo and Peskar both registered 272 laps, with Bennardo getting the position by four track sections. Tom Lauterbach and Willy Custer were three laps further back in fourth and fifth, followed by: Dave Simerka, Ron Hershman and George Katzakis.

FORMULA ONE/INDY OVERALL FINISH

1. Bud Bartos – 277 NTR
2. Cap Henry – 273
3. Ricky Bennardo Jr -272+17
4. Chris Radisich – 272+13.5
5. Mike Peskar – 272+13
6. Tom Lauterbach – 269+15
7. Willy Custer – 269+6
8. Jeff Lauterbach – 267
9. Dave Simerka – 266+13
10. Ron Hershman – 266+5
11. Marc Picione – 264
12. Greg Fox – 263
13. Ross Scharf – 262
14. Al Rutti – 261
15. George Katzakis – 255
16. Dan Ebert – 254
17. Larry Kowicki = 252
18. Dan Forbush – 251
19. Jay Sabals – 250+15
20. Kevin Cosgrove – 250+7
21. Brian McPherson – 248
22. Rick Bennardo Sr – 247
23. Dan Myers II – 245
24. Larry Mattingly – 243
25. Ken Kanyok – 240
26. Bob Stanley Jr – 239+16
27. David Krumnow – 239+10
28. Den Krivacek – 238
29. Phil Bucco – 227
30. Dan ‘Pops’ Myers – 214
31. Matt Easterday – 203
32. Rick Easterday – 158
33. Mike Panko – 152
34. Justin Porter – 65
35. Tom Rowell – 0


CAN-AM RESULTS

QUALIFYING

Willy Custer topped a 42-car field in Can-Am time trials by setting a new track record of 4.724. Three other drivers, Ron Hershman (4.732), Ricky Bennardo Jr (4.741) and Bud Bartos (4.754) also were under the former BRS track standard of 4.816. Mike Peskar rounded out the top-five qualifiers with a run of 4.863.

1. Willy Custer – 4.724 NTR
2. Ron Hershman – 4.732
3. Ricky Bennardo Jr – 4.741
4. Bud Bartos – 4.754
5. Mike Panko – 4.863
6. Tom Lauterbach – 4.879
7. Dave Simerka – 4.911
8. Greg Fox – 4.915
9. Marc Picione – 4.934
10. Chris Radisich – 4.940
11. Al Rutti – 4.972
12. Jeff Lauterbach – 4.980
13. Bob Stanley Jr – 5.016
14. Brian McPherson – 5.051
15. Larry Kowicki – 5.052
16. Cap Henry – 5.085
17. George Katzakis – 5.095
18. Dan Myers II – 5.105
19. Mike Panko – 5.114
20. Dave Gardiner – 5.124
21. Ross Scharf – 5.149
22. Mark Gardiner – 5.181
23. Den Krivacek – 5.192
24. Ken Kanyok – 5.196
25. Dan Ebert – 5.231
26. Larry Mattingly – 5.241
27. Tom Rowell – 5.249
28. Dan Forbush – 5.269
29. Rick Bennardo Sr – 5.299
30. Jay Sabala – 5.300
31. Kevin Cosgrove – 5.382
32. Matt Easterday – 5.414
33. Joe Gerencser – 5.417
34. Phil Bucco – 5.450
35. Greg Krumnow – 5.576
36. Justin Porter – 5.654
37. Dan ‘Pops’ Myers – 5.829
38. Race Gardiner – 5.909
39. Craig Sharfenburg – 6.027
40. Aaron Haehn – 6.229
41. Rick Easterday – 6.270
42. Mark Proppe – NT

CAN-AM MAINS

E-Main

The E-main turned out to be a two-man race between Justin Porter, a 1/32 scale plastic car guru from Hot Wheels Haven, and REM wing car regular Joe Gerenscer. Both driver traded the top spot back and forth during the 10-man round robin race, and came up tied with 241 laps. Porter earned his first BRS victory plaque, edging out Gerenscer for the win by track position. Greg Krumnow finished three laps in back of the front running duo to finish third, followed closely by Mark Proppe and Phil Bucco, who were one lap further back. Race Gardiner was sixth, trailed by: Craig Sharfenburg, Aaron Haehn, Dan ‘Pops’ Myers, and Rick Easterday.

D-Main

Dan Forbush was the early pacesetter in the D-main, leading the first three segments, until giving way to Dan Ebert in the fourth heat. Ebert managed to maintain a comfortable two lap margin over Rick Bennardo Sr, who had moved into second, for the remainder of the contest to pick up his second win of the day. Jay Sabala nailed down third over early leader Forbush by two laps. Forbush settled for forth, nipping Kevin Cosgrove by track position. Tom Rowell finished sixth ahead of Larry Mattingly and Matt Easterday.

C-Main

Mike Panko stood on the top rung of the C-main podium in a race that saw the top three finishers only separated by two laps at the conclusion of the contest. Panko, George Katzakis and Ross Scharf were hooked up in a tight battle through the first six heats, with only a single lap separating the trio. Scharf dropped out after the sixth heat, moving Mark Gardiner into contention. Gardiner managed two 34-lap efforts in the final two segments to pull even with Panko at the finish, but lost out on track position. Katzakis was forced to settle for third, two laps off the pace. Ken Kanyok had a good run to finish fourth in front of: Den Krivacek, Dan Myers II, Dave Gardiner and Scharf.

B-Main

Cap Henry turned in a solid effort to defeat former New Zealand resident Chris Radisich by two laps in the B-Main. Henry and Radisich swapped the lead back and forth thru the first six heats, and were deadlocked entering the seventh segment. Henry then proceeded to slam the door shut, turning 35 laps on blue compared to 33 laps for Radisich on the green lane. Both drivers turned 35 laps during the final heat. Marc Picione finished six laps back to garner third place. Jeff Lauterbach was next in line, followed by: Larry Kowicki, Bob Stanley Jr, Al Rutti and Brian McPherson.

A-Main

Willy Custer dominated the A-main, which unbelievably saw no less than four drivers shatter the former BRS track record of 279 laps. Custer, who never trailed in the race from the drop of the green finished with 290 laps…breaking the record by 11-laps. The race was far from easy for Custer, however, as Bud Bartos kept the pressure on throughout the entire eight heats and only finished three laps down. Rick Bennardo Jr ended up with 285 laps, while Ron Hershman tallied 283 laps to finish fourth. Dave Simerka, Mike Peskar, Greg Fox, and Tom Lauterbach finished fifth through eighth in the round down.

CAN-AM OVERALL FINISH

1. Willy Custer – 290 NTR
2. Bud Bartos – 287
3. Rick Bennardo Jr – 285
4. Ron Hershman – 283
5. Cap Henry – 279
6. Dave Simerka – 277+18
7. Mike Peskar – 277+17
8. Chris Radisich – 277+13
9. Greg Fox – 275
10. Tom Lauterbach – 272
11. Marc Picione – 271
12. Jeff Lauterbach – 269
13. Larry Kowicki – 266+21
14. Bob Stanley Jr – 266+20
15. Al Rutti – 266+11
16. Mike Panko – 263+19
17. Mark Gardiner – 263+3
18. George Katzakis – 261+13
19. Brian McPherson – 261+3
20. Dan Ebert – 260
21. Rick Bennardo Sr – 258
22. Ken Kanyok – 251
23. Den Krivacek – 249+23
24. Jay Sabala – 249+2
25. Dan Myers II – 248
26. Dan Forbush – 247+17
27. Kevin Cosgrove – 247+6
28. Tom Rowell – 246
29. Justin Porter – 241+22
30. Joe Gerenscer – 241+4
31. Larry Mattingly – 238+14
32. Greg Krumnow – 238+8
33. Dave Gardiner – 238+1
34. Phil Bucco – 237+12
35. Mark Proppe - 237
36. Race Gardiner – 235
37. Craig Sharfenburg – 234
38. Matt Easterday – 232
39. Ross Scharf – 214
40. Aaron Haehn – 206
41. Dan ‘Pops’ Myers – 203
42. Rick Easterday - 188


GROUP 7-68

The inaugural outing for the all new Gr. 7-68 class created by the Retro ElecTric Racing Organization (RETRO) proved to be an overwhelming success, attracting 22 entries. The new class features the low cost, sealed, non-rebuildable Pro Slot 4002FK motor with a spec eight tooth pinion, and low down force 1968 or earlier Can-Am and World Sports Car Coupe body styles.

Willy Custer edged Cap Henry by just five track sections to place himself in the history book as the first ever winner in the new division. Bud Bartos was one lap back in third, followed by Greg Fox and Mike Peskar. A total of only six laps separated the first eight finishers.

GR. 7-68 OVERALL FINISH

1. Willy Custer – 188+11
2. Cap Henry – 188+6
3. Bud Bartos – 187
4. Greg Fox – 186
5. Mike Peskar – 185+22
6. Chris Radisich – 185+2
7. Dave Simerka – 183
8. Ron Hershman – 182
9. Brian McPherson – 179
10. Ross Scharf – 175
11. Dan Ebert - 172
12. Bob Stanley Jr – 171
13. Mark Gardiner – 170
14. Jay Sabala – 168
15. Dan Myers II – 166
16. Dave Gardiner – 165
17. Justin Porter – 158
18. Ken Kanyok – 155
19. Larry Mattingly -153+15
20. Greg Krumnow – 153+7
21. Dan ‘Pops’ Myers – 137
22. Race Gardiner – 136

REM RECAP …

There is something about the BRS and snow, as major storms have impacted the last five scheduled races in the series.. This time a major storm coming off of Lake Erie hit the Mentor area in mid-afternoon, and left virtually every racer with a nasty ride home …REM Raceway owner Ray McGlone and track manager Brian McPherson were happy campers as they achieved their goal of attracting over 40 racers to their facility. The pair are looking forward to their first ‘major’ race on Nov. 1, when the BRS presents its Inaugural National Hill Climb Championships as part of the RETRO National Championship Series. … ‘Unca’ Bob Dempsey was on hand Friday preparing for the race, but had to return home to Toledo on Saturday morning when he realized that he forgot to pack his medication for an ailing back … Two other racers scheduled to be in attendance were Michigan racers Mike ‘Raisin’ Garrett and Bob Foster, however, Raisin was unable to shake a flu bug and was forced to cancel the trip … Ross Scharf of High Banks Raceway in Barberton, OH announced that he has bought a 155 foot Chris Dadds-built King track and an oval in Virginia to go along with his recently purchased reverse Engleman track. Current plans have Dadds evaluating both the King and Engleman tracks regarding possible upgrades … Retro racing keeps attracting new racers, as Tom Rowell, Joe Gerenscer, Phil Bucco, Mark Proppe, and Aaron Haehn tried their luck at REM … Penn-Ohio Series regulars Dan Ebert and Bob Stanley Jr played ‘visiting fireman’ by racing with BRS last weekend … There was a great deal of interest in the body choices for the new Group 7-68 class as styles are restricted to 1968 and older Can-Am and World Sports Car Coupe models. Meaning, of course, no Ti-22 models that rule the roost in the Can-Am class are legal in the new class. Popular body choices for the first race included the Lola T-160, Porsche 908 Spyder, and the Lola T-70 Spyder … Everyone was impressed with the performance level of the new Pro Slot 4002 FK motors used in the new Gr. 7-68 class. No failures were reported among the 22 entries… Based on the enthusiasm shown for the first race BRS officials have announced that the class will be added to the schedule for the 2014-15 BRS season … BRS would like to send its condolences to racers Ron Smith and Bob Foster, who lost their wives in the week prior to the All Star & Invitational race.

NEXT RACE

BRS South … Race #10

Sat. Apr. 12, 2014

T/R Motorplex, Miamisburg, Ohio
155 foot Gerding G-11 Super Speedway King

[KVAN]

Congrats to the podium winners and all the rest of the racers for a great event. Looks like an awesome race day, thanks for the report Larry.

I enjoy receiving your BRS reports via e-mail. Keep up the good work!