|
JANNIRO WINS INDUSTRY SPEEDWAY BIKE SEASON OPENER – By Tim Kennedy
Industry, CA., Jun. 1 – To be the best you have to beat the best. That axiom proved true again Wednesday night at the one-eighth mile dirt Industry Speedway in the Industry Hills Expo Center. Billy Janniro was unstoppable in the AMA Speedway bike series series opener at the covered arena. The six-time AMA US National Speedway Champion (including the last three years), four-time US National champion, and four-time California State Champion, rode his new 500cc Jawa. More than, 1,600 persons attended.
The second annual Connor Penhall Memorial Cup event carried a season-high $12,000 purse raised by contributions from Penhall family and friends, IHEC, and traditional speedway racing corporate sponsors. Janniro, a 35-year old professional speedway bike racer from Napa, won the inaugural event in 2015. He again took home the lion's share of the purse and a coveted, unique Troy Lee Designs painted helmet trophy.
Event grand marshal was retired speedway rider Dennis Sigalos. The long-time Penhall family friend, fellow speedway champion, and offshore power boat racer. He competed for decades with Bruce Penhall, the 1980-81 US National Speedway National Champion and 1981-82 World Speedway Champion. The Penhall family attended and track announcer Bruce Flanders interviewed Bruce during an intermission.
The event honored the speedway racer who was killed on April 5, 2012 while working on an I-10 Freeway construction project in Baldwin Park. An intoxicated driver went through barriers and struck him, inflicting fatal injuries. Speedway rider (No. 81) Penhall, the 21-year old son of speedway champion Bruce Penhall, worked for his family construction firm that has been re-named Connor Concrete Cutting & Coring to honor him.
The initial night in the 14-weeks of Wednesday night speedway races from June through August had expert Division I riders, plus 250cc and 150cc Junior Division riders. Division II and III support riders, pee-wees and sidecars will return in upcoming weeks. A solid field of 16 D-I veterans and younger riders compiled points on a 3-2-1-0 basis during five rounds of four-lap heat races, semi-finals and a four-lap feature. The final race—event 37—started shortly after 10:10 pm.
Max Ruml, 19, Janniro, Charlie Venegas, 49, and Austin Novratil, 21, started in lanes one through four respectively. When the green light appearance and the starting line tapes shot up, Janniro beat Novratil, Ruml and Venegas into turn one. He led all four laps. The running order was unchanged to the checkered flag waved by track-side starter Tom Fox. Janniro beat Novratil's Jawa by four lengths. Ruml's 500cc GM trailed the runner-up by two lengths, with Venegas' Jawa another two lengths back. All four riders took celebratory cool-off laps and hiked their front wheels on the straights for appreciative spectators.
During the five rounds of heat races, M. Ruml scored the most points—14 out of a possible 15. He won four heats and finished second to Novratil in round five. Janniro and Novratil tallied 13 points. Luke Becker, from Brentwood, was next with 10 points. It took eight points to make one of the two semi-final races that advanced the top two finishers in each semi to the main event.
M. Ruml won the first semi over Venegas. Younger brother Dillon Ruml, 17, edged Becker, 17, for third. Janniro also led all the way in the second semi and beat Novratil and Broc Nicol. Gino Manzares fell in the first turn on lap 1 and was excluded from the restart by referee Steve Lucero per event rules.
JUNIORS: The Junior Division 250cc main event was a dominant victory for Sebastian “Big Daddy” Palmese, 12, over Yucapia resident Sara Cords, 16, and Michael Wells. Kyle Cunningham, 12, from Auburn, dropped out on lap 1 with engine failure. Palmese, from Rancho Santa Margarita, was the 2015 250cc Junior California State Champion. He also won the 2013-14 AMA 150ccYouth National Championship.
The Junior 150cc was split into first division (more experienced 150cc riders) and second division (newer junior division riders). Salinas resident Sterling Martin, 11, shot from lane three into the lead at the start and led all four laps. His ex-No. 31 bike now carries No. 1 as the Junior 150cc national champion.
“Lightning” Luke Whitcomb, 10, started his No. 27 from lane two and ran second all four laps. Alex Martin, Sterling's twin-brother, rode his ex-No. 30 bike, now carrying No. 2 for his 2015 national ranking, from the outside lane to a close third place. Slater Lightcap came from the pole to place fourth on his ex-No. 28 that now carries No. 3 for his 2015 national ranking.
The second division Junior 150cc feature went to Sammy Waddell, 9, from Vallejo. He led every lap. Dakota Shockley, Travis Horn and Andrew Russell followed. It was Waddell's first victory at Industry Speedway. Despite school still being in session, eight junior riders came south to race. Two juniors rode south with Janniro, including his nephew Dylan Wagner.
Several single and two-rider falls occurred. A three rider “get-off” took place on lap 2 entering the third turn in event eight. Dalton Leedy, Kurtis Hamill and Sammy Ramirez fell/or laid down their bikes to avoid the downed second place rider. Only Gage Geist did not fall; he led all four laps of the restarted heat race. All dis-mounters walked to the pits.
Two off-road pro buggies—No. 1 and No. 78 Lucas Oil—staged a demonstration run after the first three rounds and before the track was re-groomed. They ran several quick laps counter clockwise and clockwise. A 1957 Chevy-bodied drag racing car also made an appearance.
Expert heat race victories went to nine of the 16 riders and one reserve rider who raced. Rick Richards, replaced Neil Facchini after round two following Facchini's engine problem. Four-time heat victors were: M. Ruml, Janniro and Novratil. Manzares won three times. Solo heat winners were: Nicol, Geist, Becker, Venegas and D. Ruml.
Next Wednesday, June 8 at Industry Speedway will have a regular speedway racing program with D-1 experts, second and third division support 500cc riders, juniors and pee-wees. Sidecars will race periodically at Industry as well.
|
