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INDUSTRY SPEEDWAY BIKES MAIN TO JANNIRO – By Tim Kennedy
Industry, CA., Jun. 18 – Nor Cal speedway motorcycle racing champion Billy “the Kid” Janniro, from Napa, drove south for week four of Wednesday night speedway bike racing at Industry Speedway in the Grand Arena at Industry Hills Expo Center. He came, saw and conquered a talented field for his third time at Industry in three trips south. He was absent last Wednesday when 1996 World Champion Billy Hamill won a sensational four-lap feature. This week about 1,000 fans in the grandstands and pits expected outstanding competition from the two Billies and they delivered.
The battling Billies again dueled mano-a-mano for victory in a heat race and the feature. Lane one starter Hamill won the final heat in round three by leading all four laps over outside running Janniro, the lane one starter. His third heat victory gave Hamill first lane choice by virtue of his maximum nine points to eight for Janniro. Both riders won their semi-final races to qualify for the feature. Charlie “the Edge” Venegas tied at eight points and had third lane choice. He took lane two after Janniro selected the outside lane next to the crash-wall. Shawn “Mad Dog” McConnell had the remaining third lane.
Prior to the starting gate tapes lifting, Venegas contacted the tapes with his front wheel. By AMA rules in place for 2014 Industry races, he was excluded from the start. At the official start, Janniro shot into turn one evenly with pole starter Hamill and came out of turn two with the lead on the outside. Hamill applied pressure on the inside all four laps and trailed by a length as Janniro hiked his front wheel crossing the finish line. McConnell, the promoter of Friday speedway bike racing at Pirate Speedway in San Bernardino, placed third, 15 lengths in back of the battling Billies.
The scratch consolation race went to Buck Blair, who led all four laps over 16-year old rookie 500cc Division 1 rider Broc Nicol, of Lomita. Tyson Burmeister and Tyson Talkington followed closely. Blair almost made the feature by running second in the first semi-final until overtaken at the end. Outside-running McConnell nipped Blair by half a wheel length in a photo finish.
Wild sidecar racers turned out a season-high seven of the 1,000cc-powered rigs, including two new teams. They included husband and wife team Robert and Lori Curry, from Sacramento, who raced their No. 31 1,000cc Suzuki at Industry for the first time. An all-female team of driver and sidecar swinger or “monkey” rode the No. 21 1,000 cc. Kawasaki. Joe James and his long-time rider Johnny Glover led all four laps. The No. 007 team of Dual Anderson/David Dent, Bryan Motis/Josh Bennett, and P. 4 Heather Rowe/Dusty Hovanec followed on their The three-team sidecar consolation race went to the No. 1965 of Jeff Rowe and Johnny Bach.
Amazing Ricky Richards, a 37-year old Orange resident, was racing in only his tenth speedway race ever. He won the 500cc Division 3 (for rookies) main last week in his first race night at Industry. Officials moved him up a division this week to the intermediate level--Division 2. All Richards did was lead all four laps in one of his heat races and again in the D-2 feature as a first-time D-2 rider. He rode a used bike that he bought from Cody Racing. His JAWA had a sticking throttle that caused him to be the final rider to enter his starting lane one. He shot into P. 1 and stayed there easily all four laps. Veteran D-2 riders Danny Baker, Harold Hartke and Bruce Marteney placed second through fourth.
The 500cc D-3 main for newer pro riders was a green to checkers ride for Lewis Hughes, a 45-year old Duarte resident. It was his first feature triumph this season after he placed second three times on on his JAWA. Last year he won five mains at various tracks.
“Daring” Dillon Ruml, 15, led all four laps of the Junior Division 250cc feature over runner-up Courtney Crone, 13. Kurtis Hamill fell over backwards at the start and was excluded by AMA rules from the restart.
In Junior 150cc first division competition, Sebastian “Big Daddy” Palmese, 10, started with a 60-yard handicap. He won the five-lap race by leading the final two laps. Early leader Slater Lightcap, 8, and Tristan Britt followed. The D-2 main for mini 150cc riders, who raced as pee-wees on 50cc bikes last year, went to Keelan Venegas, 10. “Lil' Edge” Venegas led all four laps over “Lightning” Luke Whitcomb, 8.
The pee-wee division main for 50cc riders (ages 5+) went to Cole Ayers, 8, over three weeks in a row winner Travis Horn, who started with a 60 yard handicap. Horn, who had a cheering section of his friends in the grandstand, was a fast-closing third on lap 4 of four. Race-long leader Rachel Schnakenberg, 8, was being pressed by Ayers at turn two when she fell and collected Ayers, who also fell. Horn edged past the fallen duo on the inside. By rule, the race was declared complete and the finishing order reverted to the lap 3 order. Ayers was deemed a blameless so he was declared the winner. Horn took second in a seven rider field.
PIT NOTES: The 50/50 raffle total this week was $976 with the spectator holding the winning ticket receiving $488. The other half went to the 500cc D-1 feature riders. ... Max Ruml, a winning 16-year old 500cc D-1 rider, raced in his first two heats and finished first and second for five points. He then withdrew from further competition because he was ill with flu-like symptoms. He remained in the pits and watched his younger brother Dillon win the Junior 250cc main.
Veteran open-wheel drivers present this week were sprint car drivers Steve Howard and Mike English, plus midget driver Jerome Rodela and his 4-year old daughter. She rooted for the pee-wees and the female riders of course. ... Next Wednesday, June 25 will be Salute the Military Night at Industry and flags will be distributed. Wednesday, July 2 will be dark for the July 4 weekend. AMA Speedway National Championship Series round two will be Saturday, June 28 at Ventura Raceway.
The four-week season-high sidecar field of seven teams (14 persons) had three females in their contingent. Heather Bennett, 34, is the sister of Josh Bennett, 37, and both are swingers or monkeys. Heather, in her first full season, rides with No. 44 Honda V-twin 1,000cc driver Jeff Medberry. He works as a service adviser at Laidlaw Harley-Davidson adjacent to the I-10 freeway in Baldwin Park. Josh rides in the sidecar of the No. 2 Yamaha 1,000cc driven by paraplegic Bryan Motis. Lori Curry rides on the No. 31 Suzuki 1,000cc driven by her husband Robert Curry. His nickname is “the Iceman” for his many victories while ice racing in hockey arenas. That is a sport in which Charlie Venegas also excels. The new No. 21 Kawasaki 1,000cc was an all-female team. Ex-sidecar rider Heather Rowe is new to driving a sidecar. She is a tall, tattooed blonde wife of No. 1965 sidecar driven by her husband Jeff Rowe, who was born in 1965. Newcomer sidecar rider Ducky Hovanec, a diminutive brunette proudly said, “I'm the monkey.”
Junior D-1 mini 150cc star Sebastian “Big Daddy” Palmese, 10, will be traveling to England to race match races on 140cc bikes from July 6 to August 3. He will use a British bike and race against three British Junior riders. His paternal grandfather and other family members will fly to France and go to Italy as well. He will race at the Eastborne, Lakewood and Wolverhampton tracks in Great Britain. ... Sebastian and 500cc D-1 rider Buck Blair competed Wednesday in a pair of 150cc challenge or match races at Industry. Sebastian won the first two one lap races after they each started on the inside one time. Blair looked like an adult riding a pony on his borrowed Palmese 150cc bike. Their third and final race was a two-lap race. Blair led lap one. Sebastian closed in on lap 2 but he fell over the handlebars in the second turn without injury. The match ended at that point.
Billy Hamill's Speedway Academy will take place at Industry Speedway this Saturday-Sunday, June 21-22. His sponsor Hagon Shocks is backing the training sessions. On Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm mini and junior riders ages 8 through 15 will be trained for $50 per rider. They must have motorcycle experience. The adult speedway academy on Saturday will be held from 3 to 6 pm for five riders at $200 per rider. The fee includes bike, boots & steel shoe, fuel, oil and instruction. On Sunday from 10 am to 4 pm the $250 per rider session is open to six riders and includes instruction only for riders who want to improve their skills and results. Riders must supply their own safety gear.
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