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Bertrand
Builds for a Promising Future with NEMA |
Suffield, CT: Over the last few years a trend has emerged in motorsports. Many call it the
changing of the guard. Young drivers have burst onto the scene to give the wily veterans a
run for their money. Nowhere has this phenomenon been more evident than in the
Northeastern Midget Association, where a fiery young contingent of drivers, who are a
force to be reckoned with every week, have helped bring resurgence to the popularity of
Midget racing.
Suffield, CT native, Tim Bertrand, now of Waltham, MA, was among the first young guns to
take to Midget racing in New England. A tremendously successful go-kart racer as a kid,
Bertrand found instant success as a Micro Sprint driver on the dirt surfaces of New
England and Pennsylvania. A multi-time Micro Sprint champ, Bertrand, at the age of 23,
made the shift from dirt track racing to asphalt in 2001, tackling the Northeastern Midget
Association.
Adding to the already-difficult Rookie learning curve, Bertrand was cutting his teeth in a
radical chassis designed by Lou Cicconi and Danny Drinan. The team ran only a limited
schedule during 2001; taking away a wealth of knowledge that would help them become more
competitive in the coming season.
In 2002, they did become more competitive. On several nights the florescent #47 was in the
thick of the best battles. They suffered through their share of mechanical woes but
Bertrand and crew also enjoyed a handful of great runs including a win at the Waterford
Speedbowl on June 15, 2002 that pitted Bertand against fellow young lion Bobby Santos III
in a nail-biting charge to the checkers. The tables were turned in September when Santos
III came out on top of a similar battle with Betrand at the prestigious Boston Louie
Seymour Memorial Classic.
“During the 2002 season we really started to learn the workings of our car,”
said Bertrand. “Now that we have a good handle on it we are focusing our efforts on
building a maintenance program that will help us be consistent and competitive every
week.”
The original car has been restored to like-new condition and with a maintenance program in
place the goals that Bertrand and crew have set are well within reach.
“We have set some very realistic goals for the Midget for the upcoming season,”
said a very confident driver. “We want to build consistency with our engine and
maintenance programs that in turn will allow us to finish every week. We have set our
sites on the top-five in points and we firmly expect to win a few more races this
season.”
The new engine and maintenance programs have required a few investments this winter.
Bertrand wanted to add a second car to his racing stable, identical to the one that was
bought from Cicconi and had been running for two seasons. A difficult task considering
that the original is a one-of-a-kind creation. Not to be deterred, Bertrand convinced
Drinan to build him not only a new car but a chassis jig as well. Currently the new car is
being assembled in the Suffield, CT shop and should see action during the 2004 season.
Another new acquisition is a second motor; a brand-new, top-of-the-line Esslinger motor,
equal to the one that Sammy Swindell ran at the Chili Bowl recently.
With this arsenal at his disposal and his practical experience, a very prepared Tim
Bertrand is poised to live up to his young gun status.
During the 2003 season, Bertrand will shed his neophyte label for that of cagey veteran as
he will return to action in his Micro Sprint when the NEMA schedule permits. Look for more
information on Tim Bertrand’s 2003 plans in the coming weeks. |
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