Brooktown's Martin and Hill second in Cruiser main

The Brooktown Racing team of Kevin Martin and Dave Hill finished second in the Perris Auto Speedway’s Cruiser division main event September 22.

The second-place finish came despite their 1984 Lincoln Town Car leaving the track on a tow truck following the heat race. The crews of several Cruiser cars provided assistance to ready the car for the main event. “Without them, we couldn’t have done it,” Martin said.

The Cruiser division involves two drivers; one controls the steering wheel while the other operates the gas pedal. Martin normally drives with his wife, Debi, while Hill is a member of their crew. Debi Martin is the manager of the Miramar U-Haul store and Hill is a mobile mechanic for U-Haul. Debi Martin injured herself working with a U-Haul truck in August, and what was thought to be a muscle pull when she missed the August 25 race turned out to be a torn shoulder ligament which kept her from entering the car September 22, so Hill once again took the gas.

Martin and Hill won the August 25 race after taking the lead from Molly Mann and Shannon Anfensen in the fifth lap of the 12-lap main event. Martin and Hill approached Mann and Anfensen early in the following lap, and after Mann and Anfensen temporarily lost control of their car Martin and Hill tapped the leaders. Mann and Anfensen spun while Martin and Hill stayed in forward motion and took over the lead.

Martin and Hill began the September 22 heat race on the inside of the second row with Mann and Anfensen immediately behind them. After the first lap Martin and Hill were third while Mann and Anfensen were fourth. The cars crossed the finish line in that order, but just before they reached the finish line Mann and Anfensen hit Martin and Hill.

“I think they just happened to tap me a little bit and just turned me around,” Martin said.

The car was facing backwards with its rear against the hay bales when it came to a stop. “That one hurt,” Hill said.

The Town Car’s bumper was torn off on the right front end, a bar came loose, the radiator and battery were both dislodged, and a short-circuit on the dashboard had to be fixed before the car could move under its own power.

The Brooktown Racing team of Jim Ramsey and Mike Lackey helped Martin and Hill with the Town Car prior to the main event, as did Brooktown Racing crew members Linda Costello, Roy Costello, and Debbie Nowell. Wayne Ricciardi, the crew chief for Tom and Jeff Gillum, performed considerable work on the Town Car and crew members from the team of Lee and Mike Rhodes joined the Gillum crew members in helping with the car. Fallbrook resident Brian Tully, who drives a Street Stock at Perris, offered spare parts if needed.

“Glad we could get the boys from Fallbrook up and running. It was all worth it,” said Tom Gillum.

The track, which had experimented with lining up the Cruisers diagonally against the infield crash wall to begin the main event August 25, repeated the diagonal start September 22. The Gillum brothers started sixth while Martin and Hill were last among the seven Cruisers in the main event. “It was okay for us. We just popped up to where we wanted to be. We went right up high,” Martin said.

The water truck wetted the corners of the half-mile dirt oval prior to the Cruiser main event. Martin and Hill believe a wet track is to their advantage since it neutralizes the power of larger engines. “Everybody’s got a fair chance at it,” Hill said.

“I drive better on a wet track,” Martin said. “And Dave’s excellent.”

After the first lap the Gillum brothers were in the lead and Martin and Hill were second. Those two cars maintained their positions for the rest of the race. “I don’t think we were going to catch the Gillum boys unless they made a mistake,” Martin said.

The Gillums not only won the race but also clinched the 2007 season championship. “We’ve been doing this together now for three years, so hopefully we’ve gotten it down, we’ve gotten it right,” Tom Gillum said.

The main event was not without difficulty for Martin and Hill. “We had to let off the gas just to let the tires catch up,” Martin said.

The top two cars were also the only vehicles which finished the race on the lead lap. The Gillums first experienced lapped traffic in the eighth lap while Martin and Hill lapped their first car on the ninth circuit.

After lapping the Rhodes car, Martin and Hill passed Mann and Anfensen coming out of turn four on the ninth lap. The sides of the cars made contact with each other, although Martin and Hill continued their forward motion.

“I don’t have a problem with them. I just go out and race,” Martin said of Mann and Hill, who made their racing debut June 16.

In the tenth lap the car of Donny Fengler and Phil Holmes fishtailed as it was being lapped by the Brooktown Racing automobile, and the two vehicles made contact. Martin and Hill kept going, although Fengler and Holmes spun. “I was not sure we were going to come out of that one,” Martin said.

Martin and Hill are sponsored by U-Haul, Costello’s Auto Repair, Fast, Fight Club, Quality Clutch, and Village News. If weather permits, the Cruisers’ final race of the season will take place November 10.