ATQMRA Celebrity Roast of Alan Mollet

www.ATQMRA.com

The following were provided courtesy of Ed Malik

ATQMRA Roast of Alan Mollot Roast Well Done

The ATQMRA gathered at Lenny and Donna Boyd’s Ocean Aire Facility to roast one of the ATQMRA’s all time greats Alan Mollot.  The backdrop for the roast was what could be described as a museum of modern and vintage aircraft housed at the Ocean Aire Facility including WWII bombers and military aircraft to modern helicopters and prop planes. 

The Roast Panel was comprised of a who’s who of the ATQMRA from the 60s through present day.  Roasters represented countless feature wins no less that 7 ATQMRA driving championships and a few years of officiating the organization.

The Voice of the ATQMRA for so many years Bob Marlow opened the roast. Bob conveyed countless stories from Alan’s career helping to fill in many of the blanks during Mollot’s career.    Marlow pointed out the fact that Alan’s career spanned nearly 40 years in racing but during that time Mollot had only two cars.  He detailed many of Alan’s efforts to help his fellow racer and enumerated many of the drivers who achieved success in the famed 51 car.

He was followed by the incomparable Johnny Coy Jr. who won countless races in the famous Mollot 51 and shared stories of his years racing with Alan.  Coy told hilarious stories from his family’s travels across North America with Mollet making it pretty clear that you want to keep Alan from operating a boat under all circumstances. 

Blu Metz followed Coy and brought a flare from recent years to the festivities.  Metz offered the Bob Tidaback story behind the story of how Alan became known as Mr. TQ.

Joey Payne Jr. who won countless TQ Midget, full midget, and Supermodified races and Championships across the years both indoors and out has had an involvement with Mollot from every perspective.  He was a fan of the Mollot 51 when Black jack Bertling dominated during the 70s with Mollot’s roadster.  He and his father were competitors of Mollot’s and joined forces to win a Championship for Colin Martin with the 26 Spitfire.  Joey conveyed hilarious stories from his years competing with and from being teamed up with the legendary Mollot.   

Mike Osite a fellow New Yorker who started in TQ midget racing at about the same time as Alan used his dry sense of humor to have the crowd roaring with laughter with his stories from his years racing with Mollot.  Osite captured a win in the “pavement only” independent front end 51 Lindblad Badger at the now shuttered lake Moc-A-Tec Speedway

Roast host Lenny Boyd was next up and detailed his relationship with Alan and their years traveling to the races together winning races and championships.  One particular trip to Florida with a rented motor home was the thing of legend.    

The legendary “Black” Jack Bertling was the final roaster before Mollot had his opportunity to get even with those who roasted him.  Jack and Alan worked together to dominate the TQ midget scene during the 70s both indoors and out.  Bertling talked about a race he won in the roadster 51 with a blown engine and a spark plug wire that fell into his lap during the waning laps of the race. 

The John Wherle 02 and the Audie Boyd 43 were prominently displayed to offer cars from the earlier era of Mollot’s career. 

Each of the roasters shared stories from times spent with Mollet during their careers in racing and offered some good natured ribbing of the man known affectionately as Mr. TQ.  Mollet was revered by everyone for his ability to tune a race car to perfection and for the quality race cars each of the drivers who raced his cars were provided. 

At the roast’s conclusion roast organizer Gary Mondschein presented Alan’s Wife Terri was presented with a beautiful bouquet of flowers for putting up with Alan all these years.  Alan was presented with a collection of vintage midget race cars and a diorama to display the cars by the ATQMRA’s biggest fan Robert Noll. 

Mondschein’s wish was to present Mollet with a trophy depicting the fickle finger of fate but being unable to find such an award to commemorate the celebrity roasts of the 70s Mollot was presented a trophy topped with a king and scepter to commemorate the evenings festivities..

Also on hand at the roast were Crazy George Ratichak, Mike Tidaback, Wayne Laucius both of whom raced for Alan, Glen Halbing.  Halbing credited Mollet with helping him earn his first TQ midget win at Wall Stadium.  After moving on from TQ midget racing Halbing’s need for speed is being quenched racing powerboats, winning a world Championship in 2009.  He credits his time racing TQ midgets with teaching him the feel necessary to dominate in boat racing

Saturday March 20^th, 2010 at 6:00 PM the ATQMRA will host its first Celebrity Roast to honor one of the all time most successful TQ midget car owners Alan Mollet.  The roast will take place at Lenny and Donna Boyd’s Ocean Aire near Tom’s River NJ.  Dinner will be served and Tickets will be available at the ATQMRA and Dimension Design booths at the three day Motorsports 2010 for $20.00.  Earl Krause will emcee the event with roasters representing Mollet’s entire career as an ATQMRA owner back to the 1960s.  Fans, car owners, and members of the media   are encouraged to attend to get a behind the scenes look at one of the greatest ATQMRA car owners of all time. 

Alan’s ATQMRA career spans five decades beginning with his first TQ midget race at Atlantic City’s convention hall where the late great Sonny Sanders delivered a feature victory in Mollet’s first outing as a car owner in the late 60s.  He has authored ten ATQRMA season championships with 4 in the 70s, 1 in the 80s, 3 in the 90’s and two in the first decade of the new millennium in addition to indoor success in Niagara Falls and Atlantic City.  Alan has continually raised the bar in TQ midget racing and helped his competitors find ways to go fast.  Ironically All of Alan’s success as a car owner across five decades has been accomplished with two cars.  His present 51 Badger and the roadster he campaigned in the 70s. 

Bob Marlow will serve as a the roaster that encompasses Mollet’s entire career having been involved with the TQ midgets at the long closed but never forgotten Pinebrook Speedway that was built by his late father.  Marlow remained active in TQ racing through the 70s and 80s as “The Voice” of the ATQMRA and announced races during the 90s in to the new millennium when his schedule would permit allowing him to bear witness to the entirety of Mollet’s success.

Alan worked with countless top drivers beginning with the legendary Sanders going on to win consecutive championships with Jack Bertling in 1976 and 77’ and the 78’ and 79’ Championships with a host of drivers.  “Black” Jack Bertling will be flying in from his North Carolina home to roast his long time friend and car owner Mollet.  Together they made an almost unbeatable combination through the 70s at Atlantic City. 

Johnny Coy Jr. certainly has countless stories of racing with Alan throughout the years that he can draw from to “Roast” his friend Alan.  He was one of the early winners in Alan’s Lindblad Badger and raced it through the 80s with both his father the legendary Johnny Coy Sr. and brother Joey having success in that same Badger. 

“Roast” host Lenny Boyd won the ATQMRA Championship in the light Blue Manhattan Transfer Jeans 51 in 1987.  Together they won indoors and out and compiled tremendous a record of success together.  Boyd’s long friendship with Mollet and many years of racing together that continues into the new decade should provide some entertaining roasting from Boyd who has made the transition from elite driver to car owner in the TQ midget ranks.      

Bob Berry is another transplanted New Jersian who will return to Jersey from his North Carolina home to “Roast” Alan.  Berry was a driver and car owner through the 70s and ATQMRA president in the 80s and fielded cars for his son Bob Jr in the 90s and 00’s.  His experience and perspective will surely make for some good natured ribbing to honor the legendary Mollet.

Joe Payne Jr. is another of the Northeast’s greats who has turned a wheel for Mollet and competed against Mollets badger through the 80s 90s 00s and will race that same Badger in the Gambler’s Classic in the first TQ race of 2010.  Payne and Mollet combined to deliver the 2006 car owner’s championship to Colin Martin and followed that up with a Gambler’s Classic victory in 07 in the potent Spitfire 26.  Payne has a unique perspective growing up in the 70s watching his father Joe Sr. compete with Alan, racing against him in the 80s and 90s then racing for him in the new Millennium and beyond.      

Beginning in 1992 Don Adams went from driving for himself to racing that Badger for Alan.  They were successful together very quickly and won the 1993, 94, and 95 Championships together.  Their success served as a springboard for Adams to go on to win a total of 11 Driving Titles with the ATQMRA and a Car owner’s Championship in the 52 Badger, one of five that he and Alan built together.  Working together they delivered the 2003 championship to Mollet’s long time employer Joe Zuzzalo.  They continue to share racing success in the 09 season with Adams winning the TQ Classic at Oswego Speedway in that 51 Badger.  Three decades of racing as both a competitor and as his driver should give Adams with his dry sense of humor many funny stories to “Roast” his friend Alan.

Mollet has helped countless drivers achieve success in TQ midget racing.  He worked with Mike and Bob Tidaback and their Badger to help Tidaback win 3 driving Championships and 4 car owner championships.  When the “New” Badgers made their debut Mollet working with Adams and BJ MacDonald (who won numerous races for Alan) delivered victories to Glenn Halbing and Bobby Watkins Jr. that lead to Watkin’s 2007 driving title.  Russ Bailey had success in the 51 Gamma Badger.  The legendary “Liquid” Lou Cicconi won at Chemung Speedrome in the 51 Badger in 09.  The agesless Mike Osite had his turn at the wheel of the Mollet Badger on the dirt track at Lake Moc-A-Tec Speedway and took the car to victory.  Ryan Tidman helped deliver Mollet’s most recent Championship in 07 in the same 51 Badger Mollet Co-owned with BJ MacDonald.  Alan continues to work with Frank Fischer in the Spitfire 26 car that Fischer raced to multiple wins in 09.        

The “Roast” was conceived by Long Time ATQMRA supporter Gary Mondschein in similar fashion to the Dean Martin celebrity roasts from the 70s to honor one of the greats from the ATQMRA.  Mondschein has coordinated numerous very popular “Roasts” with the ARDC midget organization and is bringing the same flair to the TQ ranks with the help and support of the roast committee of Blu Metz, Andrea Cumens, Lenny and Donna Boyd. 

Memorabilia celebrating the history of the ATQMRA will be on hand.  Everyone is encouraged to bring along programs videos pictures, old cars and or parts that represent the history of the ATQMRA.  

Lenny and Donna Boyd will host the event in one of the beautiful Ocean Aire hangars where they house vintage and modern aircraft ranging from WWII bombers to corporate jets.  They will have a variety of planes on display during the “Roast.”  Ocean Aire is located on the grounds of the RJ Miller Air Park in Berkeley Township near Tom’s River NJ.  DJ Joey Metro from Metro Entertainment will provide musical accompaniment for the evening. The event will have a Saturday March 21^st 1pm Snow Date

Tickets will be available at both the ATQMRA and Dimension Design booths at the three day Motorsports 2010 Presented by StreetBlaze 100 Race Car & Trade Show being presented at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA, January 22nd thru January 24^th for $20.00.  Food drinks and entertainment will be part of the festivities.    

See you there

Blu Metz

ATQMRA PR Director

Directions to Robert J. Miller Airpark - Ocean  Aire