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Buffalo, N.Y. driver Andy Jankowiak started up front
and finished there at the end of the 40-lap Battle
Of Trenton TQ Midget feature Saturday night in Sun
National Bank Center. Jankowiak was challenged by
any number of racers who made it as far as second
place only to be taken out by accidents or
mechanical problems. Ryan Flores of Mooresville,
N.C., was the eventual runner-up in the Len Sammons
Motorsports Productions (LSRP) event.
 In
the companion 20-lap Lentini Auto Salvage Slingshot
finale, Gary Hieber raced to the win in a rugged
race that saw the Langhorne, Pa., ace move in front
at mid-race, then pull away from the pack.
“I had to be good on all of the restarts,” said
Jankowiak. “There were a couple of times when Teddy
(Ted Christopher) got my rear wheels off the ground
but I held on to it.”
Second place behind Jankowiak was not the place to
be on this night. Kyle Reinhardt was in the hot seat
for the first four laps before he fell back after
Christopher passed him on lap five. Erick Rudolph
then assumed second following a restart by getting
under Christopher but his stay ended abruptly on lap
23 when his car shut off coming down for a restart.
Ryan Flores, close behind, spun and went to the rear
of the field as a result.
This put Jimmy Blewett in second, up from a 25th
place start. Blewett then spun after contact with
Anthony Sesely. Enraged, Blewett slammed into Sesely
under caution, ending his race. Sesely went to the
rear.
Ryan Susice was elevated to second on the next
start, at lap 25. Matt Janisch then gained second
only to be passed by Christopher. Flores, who had
been involved in a lap 23 spin, charged back through
traffic to pass Christopher with six laps left only
to have Christopher take the spot back a circuit
later.
Over the final laps, Jankowiak remained perfect with
Flores a solid and remarkable second, the eleventh
and final time second place changed hands.
Christopher was third, Mike Lichty a quiet fourth
and Janisch fifth.
The welter of mishaps included one serious accident.
On lap 15, Lou Cicconi, Jr., who had spun one lap
earlier, slammed the fourth corner wall, stopping
the race. Cicconi was extricated from his car with
great care and precaution and was transported from
the arena. Cicconi’s injuries were determined not to
be of a serious nature; indeed as he was being
wheeled across the track, Cicconi saluted the
concerned spectators with the classic ‘wave to the
crowd’ who cheered lustily.
(See Cicconi Update Below Race
Finishes At End Of Story)
Hieber’s Slingshot win came in an event that slowed
numerous times by spins.
“Once I had a clear track, the only thing I had to
worry about was lapped traffic,” Hieber said.
Ricky Yetter was the runner-up followed by Kurt
Bettler, Taylor Eccles and Nick Shaw, who thrilled
the fans with his outside groove racing which
brought him all the way to second only to fall back
with a softening tire over the final laps.
Next on the LSRP agenda is the 2015 Pioneer Pole
Building’s Motorsports Racecar & Trade Show January
23-15, 2015 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center,
Oaks, Pa.
The second Indoor Racing event on the LSRP schedule
is set for January 30-31, 2015 with the running of
the NAPA Know How Atlantic City Indoor races inside
historic Boardwalk Hall. TQ Midgets, Champ Karts and
Lentini Auto Salvage Slingshots will be on the
calendar with the TQ Midgets racing in feature
events both nights.
Battle Of Trenton TQ Midget Feature (40 Laps):
1. Andy Jankowiak, 2. Ryan Flores, 3. Ted
Christopher, 4. Mike Lichty,
5. Matt Janisch, 6. John Gambuti, 7. Geoff Sutton,
8. Ryan Susice, 9. Kyle Reinhardt, 10. Carl Medeiros
Jr., 11. Bobby Butler,
12. Pat Bealer, 13. Earl Paules, 14. Zane Zeiner,
15. Tony DiMattia, 16. Anthony Sesely, 17. Jonathan
Reid, 18. Joey Payne,
19. Jimmy Blewett, 20. Erick Rudolph, 21. Ryan
Tidman, 22. Patrick Emerling, 23. Neal Williams, 24.
Lou Cicconi Jr.,
25. Rob Neely, 26. Shawn Nye.
Lentini Auto Salvage Slingshot Feature (20 Laps):
1. Gary Hieber, 2. Ricky Yetter, 3. Kurt Bettler, 4.
Taylor Eccles,
5. Nick Shaw, 6. John Gilroy, 7. Eddie Reeder, 8.
Billy Thornton, 9. Chris Tavarez, 10. Matt Carman,
11. Joe Bodenschatz,
12. Joe Kata, 13. Kyle Herve, 14. Daniel Morgiewicz,
15. Matt Stangle, 16. Matt Langbein, 17. Cody Kline,
18. Kevin VanValkenburg, 19. Paul Hartwig, Jr.
Cicconi Accident
Update:
DRIVER LOU CICCONI RESTING
COMFORTABLY AFTER TRENTON INDOOR RACE THREE QUARTER
MIDGET CRASH; LOWER BACK FRACTURE SUSTAINED
TRENTON, NJ December 21, 2014 . . . Veteran open
cockpit driver Lou Cicconi, Jr., of Lester, Pa., is
resting comfortably Sunday morning following a crash
Saturday in the Len Sammons Motorsports Productions
(LSMP) Three Quarter (TQ) Midget ‘Battle Of Trenton’
feature event last night.
Cicconi sustained a non-displaced fracture of the
first lumbar vertebra (L1) after hitting the Jersey
barrier retaining wall head on, then spinning around
and slamming down on the concrete track surface
wheels first. The car did not overturn. No other
drivers were involved in the crash.
As of Sunday midday, Cicconi remained a patient in
the trauma unit of Capital Health Regional Medical
Center in Trenton.
In the immediate aftermath of the crash, Cicconi
told EMT workers at the scene that he was
experiencing sharp lower back pain.
The EMT team, led by Track Services Coordinator
Warren Alston, employed the use of a newly designed
half-size backboard, designed and built by the
Farmingdale-Howell First Aid Squad, which
immobilized the driver as he remained in the car’s
seat.
Alston directed his team to cut the ‘halo bar’ above
the drivers’ head. Then, the team sheared the metal
head rest support. Next, Alston had his team raise
the front of the car physically to allow the force
of gravity to assist in the extrication which
included the introduction of a full size backboard
under the half size device.
“We took all the precautions,” said Alston. “He was
in pain, we knew it was a back injury and the
extrication was crucial.”
No timetable was known as of Sunday afternoon as to
when Cicconi might be released or whether his
post-trauma treatment would or would not require the
use of a back brace.
Cicconi is scheduled to race in the LSMP Indoor
races at the NAPA Atlantic City Weekend at Boardwalk
Hall January 30-31.
(Update by Steve Barrick) |
