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MAX RUML, 19, WINS INDUSTRY SPEEDWAY MAIN – By Tim Kennedy
Industry, CA., Jun. 22 – The Huntington Beach-based brothers Ruml--Max, 19, and Dillon, 17--topped AMA 500cc Division 1 speedway riders Wednesday night in weekly racing at The Grand presented by Industry Hills Expo Center. More than 1,100 spectators attended in person on a balmy evening. As usual, numerous fans watched the indoor eighth-mile dirt track competition at home via the Internet. All divisions, including sidecars, raced at the covered Grand Arena on Russ Brown Motorcycle Attorneys Night.
Fourteen D-1 riders raced three rounds of four-lap heats. Dillon Ruml was the only perfect rider with three victories for a perfect score of nine points. Brother Max scored a win and a pair of seconds for seven points. Track officials totaled points and it took three points to make one of two semi-final events. The first two finishers in each semi transferred to the top dollar main event, the 43rd race of the busy racing night from 7:30 to 10:10 pm.
The four Division 1 riders drew numbers for their feature starting positions just after 10 pm. The result had Broc Nicol, D. Ruml, Austin Novratil and M. Ruml starting from lanes one through four respectively. The Ruml brothers did a fist bump for luck prior to the start. On the initial start, D. Ruml tumbled to the ground in turn one after contact. He rode back for the restart. On the second green, brother Max fell near the second turn/backstretch crash-wall. He, too, came back for the third start.
On the third start, the field made it to the third turn where third running Novratil fell and slid up the track, well off the groove. He remounted and continued, half a lap back, so the race remained green. Max led every lap and beat pressing Nicol by one length. He waved an arm in victory as he approached the finish line. Brother Dillon finished third, two lengths behind Nicol. Novratil, 21, trailed by half a lap in fourth.
The top three riders ran several celebratory laps and hiked front wheels to salute applauding fans. It was Max's first Industry feature triumph this season and second ever at Industry on his GM bike. He won his only other 500cc D-1 main at The Grand last year on August 12. Of course the teenage speedway star won numerous 500cc D-1 features since 2014 at other tracks in Costa Mesa, Perris Speedway, Rancho Cordova near Sacramento, and Pirate Speedway in San Bernardino.
The D-1 feature field was possibly the youngest ever at Industry with the average age of 19. Round two of the four-race AMA National Speedway Championship Series is scheduled for Saturday, June 25 at the fifth-mile clay Ventura Raceway, so some veterans were absent. Billy Janniro and Aaron Fox were focused on the Ventura event. Charlie Venegas was entered Wednesday, but did not attend because wife Anna's mother was seriously ill. There have been three winners in four 2016 events at Industry—Janniro (two), Nicol and M. Ruml one each.
SEMI-FINALS: In the first semi, Nicol, the 18-year old upset winner over Janniro at Industry last Wednesday, started at gate four. He led all the way over gate one stater D. Ruml. Luke Becker and Bobby Schwartz followed. The same two starting positions yielded P. 1-2 in the second semi for flag-to-flag leader M. Ruml (from the outside) and Novratil (from the pole). Shawn McConnell and Tyson Talkington followed. Becker, 17, won the D-1 consy race over Schwartz.
SIDECARS: The sidecar teams in a seven rig field raced a four-lap main in their usual clockwise direction. From the pole, paralyzed from the waist down driver Bryan Motis and his sidecar swinger Cody Brant led all the way. They narrowly edged the Joe Jones/Tom Summers team. Stuart Glass/Jack Straw finished third. The No. 14 rig of Jeff Rowe/Heather Gledhill spun on lap 1 in the second turn and continued. They were lapped on the third lap and placed fourth. The three team consolation race went to the Jeff Medberry/Niki Davis team.
The Division 2 500cc intermediate skill level field had 12 riders compete for points in two rounds of heats. The top four in points ran their main as event 39. Ex-Navy Sea-bee Davey Shaw led every lap in his two heats and the main. He started from lane one and edged pressing David Lynch in the feature. Bruce Marteney took third from stock car racer Ron Davis on lap 3. Ten D-3 500cc entry level pros ran two preliminary heats with five riders in each. Big Kevin Fike started from pole and led all the way over George Yates, Brent Smith and Steve Brown.
JUNIORS: Sebastian Palmese, 12, started 30-yards from the starting line tapes, yet won the five lap 250cc feature. Runner-up Sara Cords, 16, and P. 3 Jake Isaac both remounted after nasty-looking falls and finished. Skylar Schnakenberg, 17, stayed upright all night and finished fourth.
The mini 150cc D-1 main had five veteran riders and used handicapped starting lines of 0, 20 and 30 based on riders' past success. Past pee-wee champion “Lightning” Luke Whitcomb, 10, enjoyed his most successful night. He started at the starting gate and led every lap in his two heat races and also in the main event. It was his second D-1 150cc feature victory at Industry. (His first triumph in the top 150 group was on July 23 last year.)
Whitcomb rode his No. 27 to three feature victories in Perris this season. He also scored four 150cc D-1 main event triumphs at Perris and Costa Mesa last year. In 2014 he won numerous 150cc D-2 level mains. The personable youngster with an outstanding smile stated in his bio that his goal is to become a world champion speedway rider. He has shown winning ability at every level so far. He is the son of 500cc D-2 rider (No. 227) Wade Whitcomb, of Anaheim, a Baptist minister, and his wife Gina.
The Junior D-2 for newer 150cc riders had a field of five. Travis Horn, 7, won after starting 10-yards from the starting gate where his four rivals started. Jose Navarette and Andrew Russell, the two heat winners, ran one-two until Horn's No. 25 caught them and whipped past quickly to lead laps 4 and 5. It was his second consecutive 150cc D-2 victory at Industry.
PEE-WEES: The field of five pee-wee 50cc riders (ages 5 to 9) raced two heats and a 4-lap main with all riders at the starting gate. Kristian Daniel, Jr., 7, continued his domination on a Honda 50 by leading every lap in all three races. The speedway rookie showed flawless control and won his third consecutive Industry main. Levi Leutz, Owen Williams, Connor Salazar, and Ken Matsudaira finished second through fifth. Rookie Matsudaira, 5, fell hard on the first lap, causing a red flag. He showed toughness by climbing back on his bike and joining the restart.
Round five of the 14 week Industry Racing 2016 schedule on June 29 will feature all divisions. It will be the annual “Salute to our Military Night” and American flags will be give to fans. The rider intro parade will begin at 7:15 and the first race at 7:30 pm as usual.
PIT NOTES: Former CRA sprint car owner/driver Tom Patton, his brother and friends attended speedway racing at The Grand this week. He said long-time CRA and WoO sprint car owner Larry Woodward will be undergoing hip replacement surgery in July at the Loma Linda facility near Temecula. Tom said he wants to buy photos of his No. 70 racing at Bakersfield's Mesa Marin track.
The June 22 free pre-printed lineups program was given free to incoming fans and participants at the pit gate. The color cover had an excellent action photo of June 15 feature winner Broc Nicol on his No. 4 Hagon Shocks bike. ... D-1 pro Charlie Venegas and his 12-year old son Keelan, a D-1 150cc veteran, were absent and missed. Their usual pit spot near the pit board was left vacant. ... D-3 500cc rider George Yates had with him in the pits his cute 3-year old toy Pomeranian in an open carrying basket.
With school now out for summer, the Martin twins, Alex and Sterling, were present at Industry for the second time this season. Alex is older by a minute. Dad Steve, a retired 500cc speedway racer, drove the family south on I-5 and arrived about 2:30. The twins will be entering sixth grade in September. They were outgrowing their colorful speedway leathers (Alex No. 30 and Sterling No. 31), so Steve bought his talented twins new colorful leathers from Poland. They should not outgrow them for years. The new attire carries their new AMA Junior Division national numbers with Sterling No. 1 and Alex No. 2.
Slater Lightcap now has his AMA Junior No. 3 on his leathers and 150cc bike. Handicapped starts for their heats and feature were tough for the trio this week. Slater was at the 20-yard line and the Martin twins at the 30-yard line. Luke Whitcome and Dakota Shockley started at the starting gate. “Lightning” Luke showed his rapidly improving skill level by winning all three races. The best the trio could do was place second, third and fourth. ... Officials make readjustments each week. For example, D-3 rookie 500cc rider Chet Kohler, 28, won the June 8 and 15 Industry D-3 mains. So officials moved him up from D-3 to D-2 this week. He finished second and third in his heats, but missed the D-2 feature.
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