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2000 North American Archive of International Speedway
Message Section
June 25, 2000
From: sboz@vtown.com.au
To: "Internet Speedway Fan Club List"
Subject: Oz GP3 Tips
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 12:04:41 +1000
Hi all,
Just 1 week away from GP round 3 so don't forget to get those =
OZ GP Comp. tips in. I have extended the invitation for newcomers for 1 =
more round. Tipster list will definitely be closed after round 3.
Details of how to enter at the 'Speedway Bikes of Oz' web site. Good =
luck.
Please note new(ish) address for the Site. Old address link is now =
closed.
Cheers,
Peter Henderson
Gold Coast, Queensland
'Speedway Bikes of Oz'
http://plhenderson.tripod.com/index.htm
From: rovers@direct.ca
To: "Internet Speedway Fan Club List"
Subject: Re: Oz GP3 Tips
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 09:12:18 -0700
Hello Peter:
Three weeks till my uk holiday, and I'm thoroughly stoked to see =
speedway for the first time in over 23 years!
Ok, here go my haphazard gp predictions:
2. Wiltshire
5. Adams
8. Crump
11. Sullivan
Cheers,
tim
-----Original Message-----
From: sboz@vtown.com.au sboz@vtown.com.au
To: Internet Speedway Fan Club List
Date: June 24, 2000 7:04 PM
Subject: Oz GP3 Tips
Hi all,
Just 1 week away from GP round 3 so don't forget to get =
those OZ GP Comp. tips in. I have extended the invitation for newcomers =
for 1 more round. Tipster list will definitely be closed after round 3.
Details of how to enter at the 'Speedway Bikes of Oz' web site. Good =
luck.
Please note new(ish) address for the Site. Old address link is now =
closed.
Cheers,
Peter Henderson
Gold Coast, Queensland
'Speedway Bikes of Oz'
http://plhenderson.tripod.com/index.htm
From: Sideways31@aol.com
To: "Internet Speedway Fan Club List"
Subject: Ventura Results - June 23, 2000
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 16:20:29 EDT
Charlie "The Edge" Venegas took advantage of a second chance and captured the
Scratch Main as speedway made its annual visit to Ventura Raceway in
California. It was the second consecutive year that Venegas took top honors
at this venue.
The original start of the six-rider main ended almost as soon as it began as
first there was movement at the start, and then when the tapes went up,
Venegas's front wheel did as well, throwing Charlie to his backside. Due to
the movement at the tapes prior to the start, Venegas was granted a reprieve
and he cashed in on his golden opportunity. Venegas, however, was forced to
seek a new machine and Randy DiFrancesco was quick to oblige.
Venegas trapped the field from his outside starting position and held the
lead as they came off turn two. Dukie Ermolenko and Bobby Schwartz began to
challenge as they went down the back straight. At the close of lap one
Venegas was the leader, Ermolenko second, Schwartz was out of the hunt but
Gary Hicks was now contending. Ermolenko and Hicks remained within striking
distance but weren't able to close ground on Venegas who took the victory.
Ermolenko finished second, 16 year old Ryan Fisher finished third, Eddie
Castro was fourth, Hicks, who began experiencing engine trouble on the last
lap, finished fifth, with Schwartz coming in sixth.
The racing on the 1/5-mile banked oval was superb as the riders used the rare
opportunity to compete on a European-sized track to provide many fast,
action-packed races with a lot of passing and side-by-side duels. Castro was
particularly impressive during the qualifying heats as he came from the back
to earn victories in all three of his races. Ermolenko also won all three of
his heats, but did so in different fashion as he was able to make the start
in all three races and take comparatively easy victories.
The riders competed in three rounds of scratch heats with the top 12 earning
positions in two six-rider semi-finals with the top three in each semi
qualifying for the six-rider main event.
In the first semi-final it was Hicks who took the lead at the outset but
Ermolenko wasn't about to let his unbeaten streak end that easily. The two
waged a battle for four laps with excellent side-by-side racing. Meanwhile
DiFrancesco, sitting in the last transfer spot, was feeling the heat of
Fisher. Hicks was able to hold off Ermolenko for the victory, but
DiFrancesco couldn't hold off Fisher who took third place and a ticket to the
main with a last lap pass.
Venegas got a great start in the second semi and Castro was put in the
familiar position of coming from behind. The diminutive rider pressured
Venegas all four laps, but he, too, was unable to remain unbeaten. Schwartz,
despite pressure from Andy Northrup, was able to take the last spot in the
main event with a third place.
Northrup and DiFrancesco gated together in the Consolation, but "The
Enforcer" was the leader as they came off turn two. DiFrancesco gave
Northrup everything he had but was unable to get by. Northrup took the
victory, DiFrancesco was second, and Mark Adams was third.
The Support Main had to be restarted when Chad Newlee went down in turn four
and Gerry Duttweiler had to lay the bike down to avoid him. Newlee was put
on the penalty line for the restart. On the restart, Mark Hitchcock and
Billy Lyons were battling for the lead on lap one when Lyons went down in
turn three. The rest of the field managed to avoid him and the race
continued. Hitchcock seemed destined for victory when "Gnarly" Bill
McCarley, who had recovered from a bad start to get into second place, began
to apply pressure. On the final bend Hitchcock drifted wide and McCarley
kept his bike on the chalk and was able to steal a victory at the line.
Speedway was held at Ventura on Tuesday Nights from 1972 until 1987 and was
known as the "Commotion by the Ocean". Harry Oxley was the original promoter
of Ventura and the track was a carbon copy of Costa Mesa. He eventually
turned over the reigns and the track went through more than one promoter
before Jim Naylor took control. Over the years the track steadily got bigger
and bigger until it reached its current 1/5-mile in length. The experience
that some younger riders got on the bigger track provided a springboard for a
jump to the British Leagues. Riders such as Lance King, Steve Lucero, Rick
Miller, Robert Pfetzing, and Sam Ermolenko were just a few who used their big
track experience to go to England. This was only the second speedway race at
Ventura since the 1994 American Final, (won by Greg Hancock) and just the
third speedway race held at the facility since regular speedway action ceased
after the 1987 season.
RESULTS
Qualifying Rounds 1 2 3 T
3 - Gary Hicks 1 3 4 8
6 - Shawn McConnell (scratch)
8 - Gary Ackroyd (scratch)
11 - Bobby Schwartz 4 3 3 10
12 - Randy DiFrancesco 3 4 1 8
14 - Eddie Castro 4 4 4 12
15 - Dukie Ermolenko 4 4 4 12
19 - Richard Jones 2 1 N 3
23 - Robbie Sauer 2 2 2 6
36 - Ryan Fisher 4 3 4 11
43 - Charlie Venegas E 4 3 7
47 - Johnny Walker 2 1 1 4
56 - Jim Estes 3 3 3 9
119 - Brad Sauer 1 2 2 5
130 - Chris Manchester E N N 0
166 - Andy Northrup 2 2 3 7
189 - Danny Perkins (scratch)
216 - Kitt Nay 1 1 1 3
223 - Mark Adams 3 2 2 7
243 - Sean McDougall 3 1 2 6
Race Results
1: Ermolenko, Adams, Northrup, B.Sauer (fell, remounted)
2: Schwartz, Estes, R.Sauer, Manchester (engine failure)
3: Castro, DiFrancesco, Jones, Nay, Venegas (engine failure)
4: Fisher, McDougall, Walker, Hicks (engine failure)
10: DiFrancesco, Fisher, R.Sauer, McDougall
11: Ermolenko, Schwartz, B.Sauer, Jones (fell)
12: Venegas, Estes, Northrup, Walker
13: Castro, Hicks, Adams, Nay (fell, remounted), Manchester (non-starter)
19: Castro, Northrup, McDougall, Jones (non-starter)
20: Fisher, Schwartz, B.Sauer, Walker, Manchester (non-starter)
21: Ermolenko, Venegas, Adams, DiFrancesco
22: Hicks, Estes, R.Sauer, Nay
Semi-Final #1: Hicks, Ermolenko, Fisher, DiFrancesco, R.Sauer, Adams
Semi-Final #2: Venegas, Castro, Schwartz, Northrup, Estes, McDougall
Support Main Event (restart)
120 - Bill McCarley
177 - Mark Hitchcock
200 - Gerry Duttweiler
197 - Greg Starcevic
123 - Chad Newlee (penalty line)
321 - Billy Lyons (fell)
Scratch Consolation
166 - Andy Northrup
12 - Randy DiFrancesco
223 - Mark Adams
23 - Robbie Sauer
243 - Sean McDougall
56 - Jim Estes (non-starter)
Scratch Main (restart)
43 - Charlie Venegas
15 - Dukie Ermolenko
36 - Ryan Fisher
14 - Eddie Castro
3 - Gary Hicks
11 - Bobby Schwartz
Ryan Evans
sideways31@aol.com
From: Sideways31@aol.com
To: "Internet Speedway Fan Club List"
Subject: Costa Mesa Results - June 24, 2000
Date: Sun, 25 Jun 2000 18:00:50 EDT
Charlie "The Edge" Venegas continued his dominance in Southern California by
winning the annual 14-rider 25 Lap Classic at Costa Mesa.
Kitt Nay led America's longest speedway race from the beginning by getting to
turn one ahead of Brad Sauer and Doug Greyson who started alongside Nay at
the tapes. Defending Auburn 25 lap winner Ryan Fisher was unable to
duplicate his success here as he fell entering turn three on lap two. The
race was allowed to continue and Nay lengthened his lead. The real story was
Venegas who started alongside National Champion and defending 25 Lap Champion
Brad Oxley on the 70 yard line. Venegas was somehow able to get through the
crowded field and was fourth after just two laps. He quickly climbed to
second and applied the pressure on Nay. Venegas passed Nay on lap six and
looked like he was going to run away with the race. Venegas wisely slowed
his pace to conserve energy for the marathon race. That strategy had to be
scrapped after several laps as Dukie Ermolenko passed Nay and immediately
began to close on Venegas who was now having to contend with a speedway
rarity, lapped traffic.
Chaos began when Mark Adams fell coming out of turn two on the tenth lap and
with the field spread out the cornerworkers were unable to safely retrieve
the bike. After two laps with the bike on the track Brad Sauer and Brad
Oxley fell in turn four. The race was finally red-flagged and, after several
minutes of sorting through what had to be a scorekeeping nightmare, it was
determined that Sauer was the cause of the crash, 12 laps had been completed,
and the staggered restart with the 11 remaining riders would take place with
the positions determined by the riders' positions at the time of the
incident.
The restart should've provided excitement because, despite the handicaps,
this race was far from over considering the amount of laps left and the fact
that Oxley had won this event four times. Venegas quickly put all of those
notions to rest as he jumped to a comfortable lead and was never challenged
for the rest of the race. Ermolenko had to take comfort in holding second
ahead of Oxley, Randy DiFrancesco finished fourth, Jim Estes finished fifth,
and Bobby Schwartz, after a self-imposed 80-yard handicap, finished sixth.
Three rounds of scratch heats were used to determine the 14-rider main event.
The original program called for a 20-rider field with five-rider heats.
However, four riders were unable to compete so the traditional four-rider
scratch heats were used and due to the smaller field only two riders would be
eliminated.
A lot of new decomposed granite and a wet track caused the riders to ride
cautiously through round one. Schwartz, Oxley, Venegas, and Fisher were
victorious in the opening round.
The track began to shape up after the first round and the opening race of the
second round provided a showdown between first round winners Schwartz and
Fisher. It was the wise veteran who took the victory over the young lion
with a great start and a superb job of holding Fisher at bay. Estes took the
gate over Oxley in the next race, but Oxley was determined to not drop a
point. His determination didn't prove to be fruitful as Estes put in a
strong four laps to get the victory. Venegas joined Schwartz among the ranks
of the unbeaten with an easy victory. Ermolenko got his first three-point
tally after a great battle with Andy Northrup to close round two.
Schwartz made it three for three by beating Northrup to open round three.
Oxley held off Fisher for four laps to get his second victory in three races.
DiFrancesco put a stop to Venegas's unbeaten streak after getting a good
start. Ermolenko closed out the qualifying heats with a victory over Estes.
The Support Main Event was also a marathon race as a 10-rider field competed
in a 12 lap race. Johnny Lupo led the field into turn one followed by Pat
Dwyer. Shawn Harmatiuk, celebrating his 17th birthday, quickly dispatched
Dwyer and set out after Lupo. Lupo held the youngster off for six laps but
drifted wide on lap seven and Harmatiuk seized the lead. Harmatiuk began to
pull away until Dave Delbridge fell in turn two and forced a restart. It was
announced that 9 laps were complete leaving only 3 laps to go on the
staggered restart. Harmatiuk and Lupo lined up next to each other at the
tapes and as they entered turn one Lupo went down forcing a second restart.
Harmatiuk was now by himself at the tapes and was uncontested as he led the
field into turn one. Joe Winston quickly raced to second and began to apply
pressure to the young rider. The pressure continued through lap 11, but as
they came off turn four no white flag came out. Winston continued to stalk
Harmatiuk and as they finally took the white flag he was planted on his back
tire. Despite the extra lap, Harmatiuk remained cool under the pressure and
took the win for the biggest victory of his young career and probably his
best birthday present. Winston was second, Bentley Barrett was third,
multi-time Support 12-lap winner Randy Skinner was fourth, and Billy Lyons
was sixth.
RESULTS
Qualifying Scores 1 2 3 T
1 - Brad Oxley 3 2 3 8
3 - Gary Hicks (scratch)
6 - Shawn McConnell (scratch)
8 - Gary Ackroyd (scratch)
11 - Bobby Schwartz 3 3 3 9
12 - Randy DiFrancesco 2 1 3 6
15 - Dukie Ermolenko 2 3 3 8
19 - Richard Jones (scratch)
23 - Robbie Sauer 0 0 0 0
36 - Ryan Fisher 3 2 2 7
43 - Charlie Venegas 3 3 2 8
47 - Johnny Walker 1 1 1 3
56 - Jim Estes 1 3 2 6
57 - Bryan Thompson 2 0 0 2
119 - Brad Sauer 0 0 0 0
166 - Andy Northrup 2 2 2 6
216 - Kitt Nay 1 1 Fx 2
223 - Mark Adams 1 2 1 4
230 - Doug Greyson R 0 1 1
243 - Sean McDougall F F F 0
Race Results
1: Schwartz, DiFrancesco, Adams, Greyson (retired)
2: Oxley, Northrup, Walker, B.Sauer
3: Venegas, Ermolenko, Nay, McDougall (fell)
4: Fisher, Thompson, Estes, R.Sauer
8: Schwartz, Fisher, Walker, Greyson
9: Estes, Oxley, Nay, B.Sauer
10: Venegas, Adams, R.Sauer (retired), McDougall (fell)
11: Ermolenko, Northrup, DiFrancesco, Thompson
16 (restart): Schwartz, Northrup, McDougall (fell), Nay (fell, excluded)
17: Oxley, Fisher, Adams, Thompson
18: DiFrancesco, Venegas, Greyson, R.Sauer
19: Ermolenko, Estes, Walker, B.Sauer
12-Lap Support Main
139 - Shawn Harmatiuk 10
314 - Joe Winston 50
300 - Bentley Barrett 40
383 - Randy Skinner 50
321 - Billy Lyons 40
120 - Bill McCarley 30
200 - Gerry Duttweiler 30
161 - Hector Quevado 20
231 - Pat Dwyer 0
125 - Johnny Lupo 0
338 - Dave Delbridge 30
316 - John DeFries 50 (fell, remounted) (retired)
25-Lap Classic Main Event
43 - Charlie Venegas 70
15 - Dukie Ermolenko 40
1 - Brad Oxley 70
12 - Randy DiFrancesco 50
56 - Jim Estes 30
11 - Bobby Schwartz 50 (started from the 80)
166 - Andy Northrup 50
57 - Bryan Thompson 10
216 - Kitt Nay 0
47 - Johnny Walker 10
230 - Doug Greyson 0
119 - Brad Sauer 0 (fell, excluded)
223 - Mark Adams 20 (fell)
36 - Ryan Fisher 40
FORMER WINNERS
1990 - Bobby Schwartz (16 laps @ Glen Helen)
1991 - Chris Manchester (20 laps)
1992 - Chris Manchester
1993 - Lance King
1994 - Gary Hicks
1995 - Brad Oxley
1996 - Brad Oxley
1997 - Brad Oxley
1998 - Shawn McConnell
1999 - Brad Oxley
Ryan Evans
sideways31@aol.com
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