Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Auburn, California

Fast Friday's Motorcycle Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Hedden picks up Scratch Main win
By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, May 24, 2013

Auburn's Tommy Hedden stroked his way into the winner's circle Friday night at the Fast Friday's Motorcycle Speedway in Auburn for the first time this season. Hedden, a steady show in the Division I handicap and scratch main events at Fast Friday's put it all together and on a slick track in the night's finale held off a hard charging Bart Bast to pick up the scratch main event win. Hedden drew lane two and faced Auburn's Bryce Starks out of lane one, Bart Bast in lane three and way out in lane four Charlie Venegas.

At the start Starks got the best gate taking the lead but Venegas rolled tearing down the tapes and was penalized a few yards for the error. In the restart it was Hedden that got inside first to turn one with Bast following closely at Hedden's rear wheel and Starks needing to go outside. Bast waited for the mistake that never came and Hedden led from start to finish." The track was slick tonight, but we switched things up on the bike a little to accommodate the fast track," said Hedden. Bast was second, Starks third and Venegas fourth.

Veteran speedway rider Charlie Venegas again found himself at the top of the handicap main event in Fast Fridays week three. Venegas picked up a win in the handicap main in week one and held off Auburn's Bob Hicks to repeat Friday night. Venegas and Hicks each racing off the 50-yard line in the handicap program had a great race but it was Venegas that pulled off the win. Bart Bast was third.

In the Division I Fast Fridays season track point's race after last week Bast is first with 256 points and Hedden has 211 points. In third is Venegas with 204 followed closely by Hicks with 203.

The Extreme Sidecars made their first of six season appearances at Fast Friday's with an always exciting, crowd favorite racing show. The sidecars thrilled a near capacity Fast Friday's crowd at the Gold Country Fairgrounds. Joe Jones and teammate Johnny Glover took the sidecar main event, the team of Duel Anderson and Chuck Heider were second and Bryan Motis and Dave German were third. The sidecars return on June 14 for round two of the series.

Bryan Yarrow won the Challenge Elimination Series Round 1 beating Alex Marcucci in the final two-lap race to put his name in the championship to be held August 23 against four other upcoming elimination series winners.

Division II was won by Kyle Marsalla who in just one year of speedway racing and after winning the Division III main event last week moved up a division and grabbed the Division II main event this week. Marsalla won his Division II heat race to transfer to the main. Second was Kevin Chapman and third was Colton Duncan. Auburn's Michael Achilles leads Division II in season track points with 112 followed by Jamison Dilkey with 90. Kyle Porteous who finished second last week won the Division III main event and also leads Division III in season points with 114. John Peters was second and Lawrence McNutt finished third.

Seemingly unstoppable in the Youth A 250cc division, Luke Becker picked up his third main event win of the season. Becker also won the Trophy Dash on his 250cc bike racing against a field of 500cc bikes in a exciting race. Colton Hicks, starting half a track from the start line again won the Youth B 150cc main event. Robert Curry won the Run What U Brung main event.

Results from Fast Friday's for 05-24-13

Division 1 Scratch Main Event
1-Tommy Hedden, 2-Bart Bast, 3-Bryce Starks, 4-Charlie Venegas

Division I Handicap Main Event
1-Charlie Venegas, 2-Bob Hicks, 3-Bart Bast, 4-Billy Janniro

Division II Main Event
1-Kyle Marsalla, 2-Kevin Chapman, 3-Colton Duncan, 4-Michael Achilles

Division III Main Event
1-Kyle Porteous, 2-John Peters, 3-Lawrence McNutt

Youth Division A 250cc Main
1-Luke Becker

Youth Division B 150cc Main
1-Colton Hicks 2-Dylan Wagner 3-Landon Norton

Run What U Brung
1-Robert Curry

Photos By Michael Kirby

	Charlie Venegas continues to have a winning season picking up his second of three Division I handicap main event wins at Fast Friday's so far this season.
	Luke Becker, a consistent winner in the Youth A 250cc division this season went up against the big boys on his 250cc and picked up the win in the Trophy Dash Friday night.
	The team of Joe Jones and Johnny Glover won the Extreme Sidecar Series main event opener. The sidecars will appear five more time at Fast Fridays in Auburn this season.
	Riders Bart Bast (L), Tommy Hedden (C), and Bryce Starks (R) line up for the last race of the night. Hedden won the Division I scratch main event picking up his first main event win of the season. Also in the main event was Charlie Venegas.