Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Auburn, California

Janniro Perfect in Fast Friday’s Scratch Main
By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, MAY 28, 2010

Repeating his performance on May 14th, Billy Janniro scored his second double win of the season at Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn Friday night.  Winning the handicap main and his fourth scratch main event of the season Janniro continued to be the man to beat, racing impressively despite hard challenges from some of Fast Friday’s best riders.

In the handicap program, Janniro racing from the 60-yard line and prevailed to win in a crash marred handicap main that saw several top riders uncharacteristically hitting dirt.  In the first lap Devin Defreece, Bart Bast and Janniro all went down, in the restart two laps later Alex Marcucci and Kelly Kerrigan tangled going down in turn one.  Unshaken by the missteps Janniro held off an aggressive challenge by Scott Brant to take the flag.  Brant finished second, Bast was third and Defreece was fourth.

In the fourth week of exciting racing action at Fast Friday’s Janniro, with a target on his back, continued his winning streak in the scratch program, unbeatable so far this season.  Racing against a talented field in the scratch main Janniro drew lane three, with Auburn’s Bart Bast in outside lane four, Scott Brant in lane two and Auburn’s Tommy Hedden in the inside lane one.  Having to fight a little for his familiar groove inside on turn one, Janniro locked in and worked the inside and middle ground of the track to fend off again a pesky Brant, looking for his first scratch main event win of the 2010 season at Fast Friday’s.  Not enough, but showing prowess racing skills, Brant took second, Bast was third and Hedden fourth in the exciting finale.  “The bike working really well, the track was awesome again tonight, and making those starts just makes everything a lot easier,” said Janniro.

Brant is fast becoming another force for Janniro to deal with as he gets familiar with the track, and the two put on quite a show in the scratch semi, as they raced side-by-side inches apart around the track with Janniro nudging just a wheel length ahead to take the victory at the finish line, with cheering crowd approval.  Brant finished the night second to Janniro in both main events.  “That was a really good race, it’s fun when you can trust someone like that, I trust Scott and I think he can trust me, great racing,” said Janniro.

Colfax’s Thomas Reich in only his second night riding in Division 2 took top honors.  Up from the youth program this year Reich seems to find a way to winner’s podium each week.  Auburn’s Cody Cicciarelli was second, and Danny Turner was third.  Chris Popanz took first in Division 3, Billy Parino was second and Greg Vaughn was third.  Youth Division was won by Auburn’s Tanner Kane followed by ?
As of May 21st Bart Bast is sitting on top of the Fast Friday’s Division 1 points standings with 407, followed closely by Billy Janniro at 393, Danny Turner is on top in Division 2 with 181 and Billy Parino heads Division 3 at 158.

Results

Division 1 Scratch Main Event
1-Billy Janniro, 2-Scott Brant, 3-Bart Bast, 4-Tommy Hedden

Division I Handicap Main Event
1-Billy Janniro, 2-Scott Brant, 3-Bart Bast

Division II Main Event
1-Thomas Reich, 2- Cody Ciciarelli, 3- Danny Turner

Division III Main Event
1- Chris Popanz, 2- Billy Parino, 3-Billy Vaughn

Division I Youth
Tyler Warren, 2- PJ Byrne

Photo by Michael Kirby

Billy Janniro gets off the 60-yard line in a handicap heat race. Janniro, for the second time in the 2010 season at Fast Friday’s, won both the handicap and scratch main events. Janniro continues to dominate the scratch main event, unbeatable this season in four meetings.