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MONSTER ENERGY WORLD SPEEDWAY INVITATIONAL @ INDUSTRY SPEEDWAY –
By Tim Kennedy
INDUSTRY, CA., Dec. 28 – The second annual $36,000 Monster Energy World Speedway Invitational motorcycle race at Industry Speedway on the final Saturday of December was another rousing success at the box office and on the track. It attracted a record crowd of 5,400 according to Industry Hills Expo Center Operations Manager Carol Perez. Racing took place on a well-groomed eighth-mile dirt oval inside the open-sided Grand Arena. An additional 500-seat grandstand outside turn two was added for the 2013 event after the inaugural event on December 29, 2012 attracted more than 5,000 spectators. This year overflow spectators stood outside the backstretch crash-wall and watched action from a closer than normal perspective. Last year a rider from California won; this year a rider from Europe took the feature victory.
Sixteen 500cc speedway bike racers (with two reserves) competed in five rounds of four-lap, four rider races. Riders raced against every other rider and started from all four lanes at least once. Eight racers with the highest point totals following all 20 heat races advanced to a pair of four rider semi-final races. Only the top two finishers in the semis moved into the main event, the 23rd 500cc race of the night. Complimenting the pro riders were speedway bike racing stars of the future. Five juniors on 250cc mounts, five 150cc first division juniors and five150cc second division juniors also raced in a pair of heats and main events for all three junior classes, giving fans 32 races.
Seven noted foreign riders raced against nine pro riders from the United States who were invited to participate by racing director Kelly Inman based upon their 2013 results. Two reserves were young American pros based upon their 2013 season points. Foreigners who raced in the first Monster Invitational but not present this year were: a pair of Swedes—Antonio Lindback and Fredrik Lindgren, plus Tomasz Gollob, from Poland.
FOREIGNERS: Four returning foreigners were: Edward Kennett, 27, and Scott Nicholls, 35, from Great Britain, Hans Andersen, 33, (Denmark), and Maciej Janowski, 22, (Poland). Newcomers to Industry racing this year included: Darcy Ward, 21 (Australia), Chris Harris, 31 (Great Britain), and Patryk Dudek, 21, (Poland).
The nine USA riders included past speedway world champions Billy Hamill, 43, and Greg Hancock, 43; national champions Charlie Venegas, 46, and Billy Janniro, 33; veterans Ryan Fisher, 30, and Ricky Wells, 22, returning from racing in Europe all year, plus California circuit veterans Tyson Burmeister, 29, Gino Manzares, 20, and 500cc rookie sensation Max Ruml, 16. So Cal veterans Jason Ramirez, 21, and Austin Novratil, 18, were the reserves and both were able to compete in at least one heat. Riders were assigned in advance by a pill draw numbers from 1 through 18 for scoring.
HEATS: Nine riders won the 20 heat races. Kennett, Wells, Venegas and Janniro all won three heats. Burmeister, Nicholls and Hancock were two-time winners. Fisher and Ward each won once. Points in each heat were awarded as follows: 3-2-1-0. With a maximum of 15 points possible, Janniro, from Napa, was high-point rider with 13 points (three wins and two seconds). Venegas, Hancock and Burmeister tied for second place at 11 points. Wells placed fifth with 10 points. Foreigners Kennett, Nicholls and Ward tied for sixth with nine points and secured the final starting positions in the semi-final races.
Other point scorers were: Fisher (8 points), Harris, Dudek and Anderson (5 points), Hamill, Manzares and Ruml (4 points), Janowski and Novratil (1 point) and Ramirez (0). Hamill raced in the first three rounds and scored two seconds and a third. He then withdrew because of illness (flu-like symptoms that also prevented his son Kurtis, 15, from racing in the junior 250cc class).
SEMIS: The two critical semi-final races to set the main event field positioned the first, fourth, sixth and seventh in heat points in the first race. Qualifiers two, three, five and eight in heat points ran in the second semi-final. Janniro led the first semi all four laps from the inside lane and Nicholls ran a close second from the outside lane. Kennett took third from Hancock on the third lap. In the second semi, Venegas shot from lane one and led all four laps. Lane four starter Ward ran second all the way to earn the final feature berth. Wells and Burmeister placed third and fourth.
The main event lineup had Janniro, Venegas, Nicholls and Ward in lanes one through four respectively. Janniro shot into the lead immediately when the starting gate tapes lifted. Entering the third turn on the initial lap, second place Ward made contact with Janniro's bike. Janniro fell; his bike flipped several times at speed and punched a hole in the wooden crash-wall. Ward also fell. Fourth place Nicholls laid his bike onto the ground to avoid contact with Janniro and Ward. Third place Venegas, on the inside, rode past the crash and was the only rider to complete the first lap as the red flag appeared quickly. The three downed riders rose quickly without injury.
RESTART: Janniro's primary bike was damaged too severely to continue, so he used his backup bike for the restart. By rule, Ward was excluded from the restart for causing the crash. Following an eight minute red flag, Nicholls raced into the lead on the outside in the second turn on the opening lap. He kept his No. 7 bike out front all four laps and won by ten yards. Venegas took second position from Janniro on lap 3 with an inside pass entering the third turn. Janniro slowed a bit on the final lap and hiked his front wheel as he crossed the finish line in P. 3—the final podium position. Janniro, the winner of the inaugural Monster Invitational last December, sprayed champagne from the third place step on the podium this year. Later Janniro said, “My backup ride wasn't as strong (as the crashed bike) gearing wise.”
Winner Nicholls, from Suffolk, England, stated via the infield microphone, “Thanks for inviting me over again this year. I was pretty nervous. It kept me sharp, but tense. I feel for Billy (Janniro) because he was the dominant rider, but that's racing. I benefited from the misfortune of others.” Runner-up Venegas told the crowd, “It was pretty close. It was a gnarly ride. Scott (Nicholls) did an awesome job. I got under Billy in the third turn. Hope to see you all back in 2014.”
JUNIORS: Dillon Ruml, 14, led all four laps of the 250cc feature after starting from lane two. The Huntington Beach resident was tossed into the air several times by his brother Max and fellow 500cc rider Manzares during a joyful celebration in the third turn. Broc Nicol, 15, Nor Cal's Luke Becker, 14, Hayley Perrault, 16, and Dalton Leddy, 16, followed. Nicol won both 250cc heat races over Ruml. Nicol and Perrault will advance to more powerful 500cc competition in 2014.
The 150cc D-1 feature went to frequent youth division winner Sebastian “Big Daddy” Palmese, 10. Great Britain resident Tom Brennan, 11, Courtney Crone, 12, Great Britain's Jason Edwards, 11 and Maverick Molloy, 11, followed. Palmese and Crone won the two heat races. Tristan Britt, 10, was the 150cc D-1 reserve.
Junior 150cc D-2 main event winner Sterling Martin, a 9-year old twin from Salinas, won the four-lap main by a straight-away over Folsom's Logan Hedden, 10, Wilbur Hancock, 8, and Slater Lightcap, 8. Sam Hagon, an 8-year old from London, did not start after experiencing motor problems at the starting gate in his heats. Martin also won his two heat races by a straight-away on his No. 31 with his sponsor/adviser Bubba Shobert, the 1985-86-87 AMA Flat Track national champion from Texas, in attendance. Alex Martin, Sterling's twin and a 2013 Junior 150cc main event winner at Industry Speedway on his No. 30, was a reserve at the Monster Invitational, but he did not race.
2014 SEASON: The 11th annual season of exciting speedway bike racing will begin on Wednesday night, May 28 and will feature the 2014 California State Speedway Championship event on Wednesday, August 27. Fifteen race dates will include the second annual AMA Youth Silver Cup Championship on Sunday afternoon, August 3. The track website is www.IndustryRacing.com.
PIT NOTES: Grand Marshal was Mike Bast, 55, from Meadows Vista (near Auburn). He won seven US National (1971-73-75-76-77-78-79) and six California State Championships (1973-76-77-78-79-83), a US Open Championship (1979) and an American Final Championship at Long Beach Veterans Stadium. His youngest grandchild celebrated her 23rd birthday in the audience. Announcer Bruce Flanders interviewed Bast over the track PA system. ... Terry “Ike” Clanton, the Costa Mesa Speedway track announcer, served as infield PA announcer. He did winner interviews after heat 500cc race from the track exit gate at the third turn.
Mike Miller sang his usual stirring rendition of the National Anthem following the rider parade introductions prior to the first race at 7:30 pm. ...Racing was viewed on Livestream.com by persons unable to attend in person. ... Commercials for the Industry race started on the morning of Thursday, December 26 on radio stations KLOS (95.5 fm) and on 100.3 fm. DJ Joe Benson , a confirmed “motor-head”, gave his endorsement as well. ... Private practice from 6:00-9:00 pm Friday was available for all riders, including Juniors, and many took part.
The Monster Energy Invitational event was AMA/FIM sanctioned and used a Grand Prix format commonly used abroad. ... So Cal's Aaron Fox was scheduled to race his 500cc bike in the
Monster Invitational. However, recent surgery on his broken collarbone sidelined him. He loaned his two engines to foreigners Hans Andersen and Patryk Dudek. Fox has signed a contract to race in Great Britain in 2014. ... The record 50/50 collection total was $2,156 and pro riders received $1.078. The lucky spectator winning ticket holder (H. Jordan) also received $1,078 and donated $200 to the feature winner.
The large crowd included retired motorcycle racers Sammy Tanner, Sonny Nutter, plus Mike Faria and many other veteran speedway bike racers. Danny Thompson, son of the late Mickey Thompson, announced his intention to reach 450 mph on the salt flats in 2014. Open wheel racers such as Jimmy Voitel and Jeff Heywood also spectated. ... While temperatures in the east were frigid, temps at Industry Speedway December 28 were in the low 60s prior to the first race ay 7:30 and 50 degrees when racing concluded at 10:17 pm.
The 22-page color race program sold for $4.00 and featured sensational Aussie Darcy Ward in action on the cover. Foreign riders race speedway bikes on much larger tracks than the Industry Speedway “bullring”, but they acquitted themselves well. Foreigners normally race on tracks two or three times larger than the Industry Speedway eighth-mile. Two of the seven visitors made the four rider feature. Nicholls won after the first Monster Invitational last year had four USA riders in the main event.
Ward had a lead-swapping duel with Janniro in their fourth round heat race and were in a dead heat at the end of lap 1. Their main event rematch was eagerly anticipated by the large, enthusiastic crowd. They were running 1-2 when “the crash” occurred in turn three. Ward flew into So Cal Friday and arrived about 9:00 pm. He obviously did not suffer from jet lag. He should be among the invitees to the 2014 Monster Invitational in 2014. He proved his sportsmanship after the main event by walking from the pits to talk to Janniro and apologize for causing their crash. They embraced and smiled as they agreed it was just a racing deal.
Speedway bike racing is known as the first form of organized motorcycle racing. It originated in Australia during the 1920s. Speedway bikes are 4-valve, single cylinder, carburetor fed 500cc motors that run on methanol. Engines are capable of turning 12,000 rpm and have 75-80 horsepower. Frequent rebuilds are common for top runners because of the brutal abuse they receive under close racing conditions. They have no brakes and weigh 170 pounds. A dry clutch, single speed with direct drive (no transmission) gets power to the ground quickly. It holds about three-quarters of a quart of oil and recirculates oil with an oil pump. JAWA and GM are common brands in the USA. California is the hotbed of speedway bike racing in the USA with speedways in northern and southern parts of the state. New York, Indiana and Ohio also have active tracks that host speedway bike racing.
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