|
 Picking
a favorite in any auto race is difficult. Picking
the winner of an Indoor Three Quarter (TQ) Midget
feature event is almost impossible.
Yet three talented drivers, hailing from three
different states, figure to be among the competitors
with a distinct advantage at 1st Mariner Center on
December 8 in Baltimore, Md., December 31 at Dunkin’
Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., and at Boardwalk
Hall in Atlantic City on February, 1-2, 2013.
The three indoor auto racing events are produced by
Len Sammons Motorsports Productions.
Erick Rudolph, of Ransomville, N.Y., won indoors
this past year in Atlantic City.
Mike Tidaback of Little Falls, N.J., is a past
winner in Atlantic City and a past champion of the
outdoor American Three Quarter Midget Racing
Association.
And Ryan Tidman of Levittown, Pa., won the ATQMRA TQ
Midget driving championship in each of the past two
years.
Rudolph, 20, will be driving the same Timex Morgan
owned, Rochester, N.Y. based car he used to dominate
indoor racing last year.
“You can’t stand still in racing and even though the
car was fast last year, we made some changes it that
should make it better,” Rudolph said.
Tidaback, 40. is behind the wheel of the same nearly
decade old TQ he has owned and driven effectively
both indoors and out.
“I’m looking forward to racing in a new building in
Baltimore and to coming back to Atlantic City,”
Tidaback said.
Tidman, 25, struggled indoors with Lenny and Donna
Boyd’s No. 1B TQ, actually failing to transfer into
the main event in one indoor
event last season.
“It was a big disappointment last winter,” Tidman
said.
Yet Tidman clinched the 2012 ATQMRA outdoor driving
championship before the final race of the season had
even started, an indicator of his and his team’s
prowess.
Other TQ drivers who have entered the Indoor aces
are Ted Christopher, Plainville, Ct.; Patrick
Emerling, Orchard Park, N.Y., Ken Andreas, Hamilton,
NJ., Steve Craig, Levittown, Pa., Tony DiMattia,
Malvern, Pa., Paul Lotier, Lebanon, Pa., Erik Musto,
Lockport, N.Y., Shawn Nye, Lancaster, N.Y, Mike
Osite, Brooklyn, N.Y,, Tim Proctor, Hamilton, N.J.,
the Quinones sisters Amanda and Ginny from Indian
Trail, N.C., and Jonathan Reid, Lockport, N.Y.
Entries have been coming in at a steady rate as well
for the Baltimore, Providence. and Atlantic Champ
Kart class.
Heading this list are Glen Meisenhelder, Feeding
Hills, Ma., Ron Midford Jr., Tolland, Ct., Brandon
Ruszek, Wallingford, Ct., and the Sullivan brothers,
Brian and Tom of South Windsor, Ct.
Registration forms, technical rules and race
procedures for both events are available on line at
www.aarn.com or by calling 609-888-3618.
The addition of the Baltimore race to the previous
two events provides TQ drivers and Champ Kart racers
with three major events in three destination cities.
“Baltimore is a great location for an Indoor race,”
said event event organizer Len Sammons.
“It is easily accessible from central Pennsylvania,
Delaware and New Jersey. We expect the event to be
as popular as our Atlantic City and Providence races
have become in its very first year.”
The 1st Mariner Center is near the very popular
Camden Yards and is in the middle of Baltimore’s
trendy Inner Harbor area, a tourist mecca with
dozens of shops, restaurants and attractions.
The host hotel will be the Holiday Inn directly
across the street from the Center.
The Providence race in Dunkin’ Donuts Center is the
fifth Indoor race at that venue promoted by Sammons.
The December 31 scheduling - on New Years Eve - has
provided race teams and their followers with a rare
opportunity to compete against one another, then
party the night away and herald the coming of the
new year.
The Clarion Inn in Seekonk, Mass. will serve as the
host hotel for the Providence Indoor race.
Located less than ten minutes from the Dunkin’
Donuts Center, Clarion guests will enjoy the ease of
parking their vehicles at no charge in a secured
area.
Reservations, available at a reduced nightly rate of
$89.00, may be made by calling l-508-336-7300. With
making reservations, ask for the "Indoor Racing"
special rate.
Entry forms for two-day Boardwalk Hall Indoor Race,
featuring TQ Midgets, Champ Karts and Tobias
Slingshots are now available on line.
The 2013 running at Boardwalk Hall will be the
eleventh event under Len Sammons Motorsports
Productions. Racing indoors in Boardwalk Hall took
place for the first time in 1938.
Title, associate and race sponsorships are being
sought for each of three races. The signing of a
major sponsor for the three event Indoor Race Series
is anticipated. Advertising is also available in the
three event programs.
Information is available by calling the LSMP office
at 609-888-3618 or by visiting the comprehensive
website at motorsports@aarn.com. |
