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VENEGAS WINS THIRD MAIN @ INDUSTRY SPEEDWAY – By Tim Kennedy
Industry, CA., Jul. 30 – Three AMA speedway bike riders have won the nine main events this season at Industry Speedway; the two Billies (Janniro and Hamill) were absent Wednesday. Four-time winner Janniro remained home in Northern California and two-time winner Hamill was in Poland as team manager for the USA team in Speedway World Team Cup. Charlie “the Edge” Venegas, 47, stepped into the void and won his third 500cc Division One feature this season on his No. 43 Red Line Oil/Borge Development Jawa. About 1,500 persons attended the event in the Grand Arena on Harley-Davidson Night.
Venegas, the most frequent feature winner after 11 years of racing at the site, started from the inside lane. The past track and state champion led all four laps over outside lane starter Austin Novratil, 19, and won by four lengths. They were the only finishers. Third and fourth place Tyson Burmeister, 30, and “Fast” Eddie Castro, 55, collided on the final lap in the first turn and both fell without injury. They did not remount and finish the race with the checkered flag waving.
The scratch consolation race was a flag-to-flag four lap romp for Buck Blair. He was the only rider able to score a perfect nine points by winning all three of his heat races. He ran second (a feature transfer position) in his semi-final race for a lap and a half. Then Castro made a strong outside pass on the backstretch and Blair was relegated to third place. Blair started from the outside in the consy and ran the extreme outside all four laps against the cushion. Rookie 500cc pro Broc Nicol, 16, Shawn McConnell and Tyson Talkington followed at the checkered flag.
You could call week nine at Industry girls night. Three girls won races, including two main events. Rookie 500cc rider Hayley Perrault, a 17-year old San Clemente High School senior, led every lap of the D-2 feature. She rode the same Jawa frame she used as a 250cc rider last season, coupled with a 500cc motor borrowed from injured Kevin (No. 311) Fife. It was her first 500cc victory at Industry. She has won five other 500cc D-2/Support Division features this season. Three came at Pirate Speedway in San Bernardino, one at Costa Mesa and one at the Perris Auto Speedway Long Track Championship event on July 19. She returned to racing after breaking her ankle in March during a practice session at Industry Speedway.
Courtney Crone, 13, won the 250cc consolation race in a three-rider field after she repulsed late race passing attempts by Sammy Ramirez, 14. The first female winner of the balmy 80+ degree evening was rookie pee-wee division rider Rachel Schnakenberg, 8. She led every lap in her heat race and in the five-rider division two pee-wee main event. Levi Lentz placed second.
The 500cc second division main also ended with only two riders upright. Following winner Perrault and Gabe Price in the official results were past D-2 winners Harold Hartke and Eloy Medellin. They fell together on the third lap in turn two. With three laps down the referee by rule called the race complete. It appeared Perrault had a sufficient lead to win if the race had gone the full distance.
The 500cc third division main for newer riders went to past winner Steve “Beachball” Brown. When interviewed he said he had lost 150 pounds in recent years to return to speedway racing. George Yates and Steve Ruby followed. Alex Martino, in his first night of racing speedway, ran every lap for fourth.
Tanner Richey, who fell hard while leading his heat, led every lap in the pee-wee division first division main. Four-time feature winner Travis Horn, 6, finished second. Recent winner Dustin Staggs and Cole Ayers followed.
Gage Geist, 15, led all the way in the Junior main on his 250cc lay-down Jawa. Dillon Ruml, Braydan Galvin and Kurtis Hamill followed. Slater Lightcap, 8, won the mini 150cc first division main over Jake Isaac, of Whittier. “Lightning” Luke Whitcomb, 8, led every lap of the mini 150cc division two main over Keelan “Lil' Edge” Venegas, 10, and Charlie Trana, 7, from Folsom.
Harley Night enabled helmeted Harley owners to ride their street-legal Harleys in a four-lap heat and in an 11-rider main event on the Grand Arena dirt track. Past winner “the horny guy” with the Viking-like horned helmet was not present this year. Fred Sprecher, of Inglewood, rode his No. 199 Harley 883 to victory in both the heat race and Harley main. Support division 500cc rider Chris Wiggins finished second in the heat and main on his Harley.
The Harley main (event 38 of 40) produced the only serious injury of the night. One finishing rider slowed entering the first turn with the checkered flag being waved. The front wheel of Freddie Orozco's Harley hit the back wheel of the slowing Harley. The impact sent Orozco, the original Industry Speedway promoter in 2004-05, airborne. The Riverside resident landed hard on his shoulder and his helmet hit the ground. He lost consciousness for several minutes as EMT staff came to his aid. He walked to the infield with assistance and remained there under observation. With a possible concussion and collarbone injury, LA County Fire Department paramedics were called and they treated him in the infield. Orozco was transported by AMB Ambulance on a stretcher to a nearby hospital. He gave a thumbs up while wearing a neck collar before leaving the track after watching the final race.
Another annual Harley Night event was a Laidlaw Harley-Davidson Cup Employee Challenge Race for employees of the large Harley dealership adjacent to Interstate 10 in Baldwin Park. Laidlaw has been a long-time sponsor of speedway bike racing at Industry. Nine Laidlaw employees, including two named Laidlaw, rode various size small motorcycles in a four-lap contest that was race 11 of the night. Unofficially the winner was Ty McPherson.
PIT NOTES: The large Harley Night crowd produced a whopping 50/50 drawing collection of $1,268, with $634 added to the riders purse and $634 going to the lucky fan with the winning ticket. .. Back It In Photos photographer Jim “JT” was absent again this week from the infield. He recently suffered a minor stroke reportedly. ... Shawn “Mad Dog” McConnell was back racing this week after incurring five or six blown motors. He finished all his races this week fortunately.
Industry Speedway will be dark with no racing on Wednesday nights, August 6 and 13. Round three of the 2014 AMA US National Speedway Championship will be held Saturday night, August 9 at Industry. That is a must-see event. Janniro won round one in Costa Mesa and round two at Ventura Raceway on Saturday, June 28. Fourteen bib numbers have been drawn and posted at Industry for the 14 highest riders in series points after two rounds. Two numbers without rider names were reserved for two of the designated alternate riders who race their way into the final 16 eligible riders during preliminary races August 9. Round four of the four event series will be held at Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway in Auburn on Friday, September 19.
Open-wheel auto racing veterans present at Industry July 30 included: Steve Howard, Mike English, Jerome Rodela and his “almost four” daughter Kendall, Plastic Express car owner Junior Kurtz, Wally Pankratz, and Jeff Heywood. Sprint car/midget veteran Heywood attended the recent British GP in Cardiff, Wales and saw his long-time friend Greg Hancock win that Speedway World Championship round seven of 12 events.
Pankratz is the auto racing tutor for 250cc rider Courtney Crone, 13, of Chino Hills. Winners /champions Wally and Jerome were at Irwindale Speedway Thursday night, July 31 for the 4 to 9 pm open practice session for all classes on both the half land third-miles. Temperature was 88 at the start and dropped to 79 after 8:30. Stock cars on track included late models, S2 cars, SRL stocks, plus modifieds, legend cars and two Ford Focus midgets. Courtney had her first experience on the Irwindale paved third-mile and looked fast and smooth. Wally gave her feedback after each run of ten laps. Wally and Jerome were pleased with her progress on pavement as she prepares for a September race at the Madera Speedway paved third-mile. She drove Wally's school paved car-- a black and gold number 98 Edmunds Autoreserach chassis with a Zetek Ford Focus engine. Jerome also assisted soon to be 12-year old West Covina resident Joel Rayborne in his No. 2u Ford Focus midget. Jerome even took laps on the third-mile in the 2u midget to help set up the chassis for the rookie.
Last week at Kings Lynn, north of London, Team USA in the Speedway World Team Cup Series finished a commendable second to home team Great Britain. Italy was third and Australia fourth. Industry regular Gino Manzares scored nine points, including a P. 2 ahead of World Championship point leader Tai Woffingdon in his opening ride. Second year 500cc rider Max Ruml, of Huntington Beach, tallied four points. Team captain Greg Hancock told the young USA riders to race big name European riders as just numbers and not big names in the sport.
The series moved on to Bydgoszcz, Poland for the next round on July 31 at 17,000 seat Polonia Stadium. Competing teams were: USA, Czech Republic, Australia and Sweden. USA Team manager Billy Hamill has Greg Hancock as the most experienced rider and team captain. Ricky Wells, Aaron Fox, Manzares and Ruml are the other US riders. Australia, according to the Internet, won the July 31 round to advance to the finals against GB, Poland and Denmark. USA riders are expected to return for the August 9 Industry race. On Sunday afternoon, August 10 the second annual AMA Silver Cup Championship for Junior Division riders ONLY will be held at Industry Speedway. Many riders from Northern and Southern California will compete. Admission is free. Racing in the covered, open-sided Grand Arena during a warm, sunny mid-day offers a unique perspective of racing at the site.
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