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JANNIRO WINS @ INDUSTRY IN THRILLER – By Tim Kennedy
Industry, CA., Jun. 8 – Professional speedway bike racer Billy “the Kid” Janniro won again in the second week of a 14-week Industry Racing season on Bert's Mega Mall Night. The 35-year old northern Californian and reigning AMA Speedway National Champion rode his 500cc Jawa to a thrilling, come from behind victory Wednesday night in the Grand Arena at Industry Hills Expo Center.
The personable, fan-friendly rider flew to Edinburgh, Scotland after his last victory to compete in the speedway testimonial race honoring his friend Ryan Fisher for ten years racing speedway in Europe. He said he didn't fare well in Edinburgh, but had to honor his long-time friend. Janniro flew back to Los Angeles International Airport and arrived Wednesday. The Jawa he keeps in southern California to race at Industry and Costa Mesa was waiting for him.
However, Janniro's route to the scratch main event victory was not trouble-free. A16 rider field of experts raced in three rounds of heats. Janniro won his first and third round four-lap races. His round two race ended before the start when a carburetor problem sent him to the infield before the start. Janniro repaired the mechanical problem in the pits and rode the same Jawa to victory in round three. He then finished second to Max Ruml in the first of two semi-final races that advanced the first two finishers in each semi to the feature.
Janniro's six points tied for third place among the eight riders who transferred to the two semi-finals. It took five points to make a semi-final after 12 division one heats. Seven different riders won heat races. Max Ruml was perfect with three victories for the maximum nine points. Aaron Fox scored eight points with a second place and two wins in his three heats. Fox won the second semi-final over Dillon Ruml.
Four riders tied for third place in heat race points. Janniro, Broc Nicol, D. Ruml and Tyson Talkington all scored six points. Shawn McConnell and Auburn resident Bob Hicks scored five points to tie for seventh in points and also transfer to a semi-final. Janniro, Fox and D. Ruml won two heats. Nicol, Austin Novratil and Talkington each won one heat.
FEATURE: The four-lap feature lined up at 9:50 pm with M. Ruml on pole. Younger brother Dillon was alongside in lane two. Janniro was in lane three and Fox occupied lane four next to the crash-wall. After a reconnaissance lap to check track conditions, the green light came on and the starting tapes lifted. Fox used his outside angle to grab the lead entering the first turn.
Fox led the first lap narrowly over Janniro with the brothers Ruml--Max and Dillon--following several lengths back. On lap two Janniro raced past Fox on the outside at turn two and on the backstretch with sheer determination and led the final three laps. Fox fought back, but Janniro maintained a half-length victory margin at the checkered flag. M. Ruml was two lengths back and Dillon was another length back in fourth. The thrilling 47th race of the night sent the almost 900 spectators to their cars or motorcycles in the parking lot smiling and talking about the competition.
SIDECARS: The first of seven sidecar nights at Industry had eight of the 1,000cc Suzuki, Yamaha and Harley rigs race in two heats, a consolation race and a four-lap feature (event 45). The sidecar feature equaled or exceeded the exciting first division bike main. National sidecar champion Joe Jones and his swing-man Tom Summers led the first three laps and three-quarters of the final lap. Then paraplegic driver Brian Motis and his new sidecar swinger Cody Brant darted to the inside in the final turn and narrowly beat the Jones/Summers team to the finish line. P. 3 was James Kinne/Dana Catone; P. 4 was Jeff Rowe/Heather Gledhill.
A scratch consolation race (event 46) for third and fourth finishers in the two semi-finals was hotly contested. Bob Hicks rode his No. 808 Jawa from lane one into the lead and kept it out front despite pressure from “Mad-dog” McConnell. Talkington and Nicol finished in P. 3-4. The sidecar consolation race (event 44) went to Stuart Glass/Jack Straw over Kevin Holman/Josh Bennett, Adam Duckett/Kimberly Bailey, and a new sidecar duo Dillon Osborne/Ashley Gibbons.
The 500cc Second Division main for intermediate skill level veterans started five riders. Rick Richards led all four laps over pressing ex-Navy sea-bee Davey Shaw. Harold Hartke, Brad Moreau and Ron Davis followed.
Newcomer Chet Kohler led all four laps of the Third Division main for newer riders. Tom Bryant, Brent Smith and Kevin Fife finished second through fourth respectively. Eight D-3 riders and 11 D-2 riders joined the 16 D-1 riders for a field of 35 riders on 500cc Jawa and GM bikes.
JUNIORS: The Junior Division again showed the ranks of younger racers is impressive. There were five 250cc riders. The 150cc division was split into four D-1 (more experienced) and five D-2 (less experienced) 150cc racers. The 50cc pee-wee division for age 5 and older had six riders for their season opener.
The 250cc main was another close contest. Auburn resident Colton Hicks, 14, rode his GM bike and led all four laps out front as he did in the second heat. Pressing Sebastian Palmese, 12, a past champion as well, was a close runner-up. Jake Isaac, Michael Wells and Skylar Schnakenberg, who celebrated her 17th birthday June 2, followed. Hicks won the 2015 AMA/FIM 250cc Youth National Championship last August at the annual Industry Racing Silver Cup youth divisions only Sunday afternoon event.
Slater Lightcap, 10, was out front all four laps of the 150cc D-1 main. Dakota Shockley, Luke Whitcomb and Keelan Venegas followed closely. Travis Horn, 8, took the 150cc D-2 main over Rachel Schnakenberg, 10, Jose Navarette and Cole Ayers. The race ended early after two laps because a red flag halted action. Second place Andrew Russell fell hard at the second corner in a solo crash. He was slow to rise. After a few minutes he walked to the pits without serious injuries.
The 50cc Pee-wee Division experienced an infusion of new riders this week. Three speedway bike newcomers from age 5 to 9 came from the Perris Speedway short track where they raced off-road bikes. Pee-wee graduate (to 150cc) Travis Horn and his family got them interested in speedway and all three youngsters were competitive. Kristian Daniels, Jr., 7, rode his Honda CRF 50cc to victory in his first main at Industry. He took the lead on lap 3 of 4 and beat early leader Levi Leutz. Newcomer Owen Williams, 9, Gavin Dryfka, and newcomer Ken Matsudaira, 5, finished in P. 3-5.
FOOTNOTE; Next Wednesday (June 15) will be the Industry Racing annual “Legends Night” with about 30 speedway racing legends present. They will sit behind tables in the front courtyard to sign autographs for fans prior to the first race at 7:30 pm. All divisions but sidecars will race. Spectators will receive the 2016 Industry lapel pin free at the main entrance.
Casey Donholt, from Port Crane, N. Y., raced his No. 97e Jawa competitively June 8 at Industry. He finished third and had close fourth finishes twice in his heats and scored one point. He was the 2013 New York State Speedway Champion. ... Open-wheel auto racers present at Industry included Jerome Rodela, Wally Pankratz, and CRA sprint car veteran Jerry Hudson. They all attended the first two weeks of 2016 Industry speedway racing.
Janniro flew home Wednesday night to Nor Cal to be with his wife and daughter Gracie, 6. He planned to race at Fast Fridays Raceway in Auburn Friday, June 10 and at Costa Mesa Saturday, June 11. ... Charlie “the Edge” Venegas, who keeps a Jawa in Auburn, also has the same three track schedule. Charlie missed transferring to a semi-final with a pair of seconds and four points. The referee sent him back to the pits before the start of event two in round one for having his front wheel touch the starting gate tapes. Charlie said another rider anticipated the start and touched the gate first.
The Hicks family came south from their home in Auburn to race at Industry Wednesday and Costa Mesa Friday. They will miss the Friday race in Auburn to get two races in So Cal and a brief vacation. Dad Bob, 51, scored a pair of seconds and a third in the 500cc D-1 heats for five points. He placed third in a semi-final and then won the consy. Son Colton, 14, had a night-long duel with Industry 250cc star Sebastian Palmese. In the first heat Colton was in P. 1 on lap 1 when he fell; he pushed his No. 1 to the infield. Palmese (No. 18) led all four laps. Colton won heat two and the main for an impressive evening as an Industry visitor.
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