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BUCK BLAIR WINS BOTH DIVISION 1 FEATURES AT INDUSTRY SPEEDWAY OPENER
-- By Tim Kennedy
Industry, CA., Apr. 11 -- Opening night of a 22-week season of Wednesday night AMA Speedway Motorcycle 500-cc races took place April 11 in front of 750 spectators at the Industry Speedway dirt track in the Industry Hills Expo Center. For the first time at the Grand Arena site the "scratch format" in which all riders start from the starting line was augmented by a "handicap format". Riders start "handicap" races at 10-yard increments based upon their experience/skill level. All 16 Division 1 (expert) riders participated in both scratch and handicap heats, semis and main events.
Buck Blair, from Huntington Beach, won the six-rider, six-lap handicap main after starting 30-yards from the starting line. He made an outside pass in turn four on the fifth lap and won by a yard over the first four laps leader Jimmy Fishback, who started 20-yards from the starting line. Bobby Krips (from the 20-yard line) was third. Shawn McConnell (from the 40) and Shaun Harmatiuk (from the 30) followed. Speedway Cycle star Mike Faria, from Reno, used a borrowed JAWA cycle and also started from the 40, but he fell on lap four and pulled to the infield. Blair also won the four-rider, four-lap scratch feature in the 38th and final race of the evening. Blair started from pole position and engaged track champion Charlie Venegas and Gary Hicks in a close, four-lap duel. Inside-running Hicks took second from outside-running Venegas as he tried to pass inside-running leader Blair on lap three. Hicks trailed by one yard, with Venegas a close third and Harmatiuk, the only rider to make both main events, fourth.
Vince Giamformaggio, of Whittier, led all four laps of the Division 2 scratch main. The Division 3 handicap main went to Phil Harmatiuk, 15-year old Garden Grove resident and brother of the D-1 rider. It was his first D-3 race since moving up from the youth division. Joey Holt won his first youth D-1 four-lap main. Dylan Black took the D-2 youth race. The pee wee main went to newcomer A. Tafoya. Racing begins at 7:00 p.m every Wednesday and conclude by 10:00 p.m. As last year, the races are being streamed on the Internet by the promoter--American Speedway Coalition--at www.XtremeSpeedwayAction.com.
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