Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
1273 High Street
Auburn, California
Extreme Sidecar
Fast Friday's Motorcycle Speedway,
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Venegas turns it on for scratch main victory
By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, September 1, 2017
YouTube Video - by Anthony Bernardi
The weather was hot but the speedway racing at Auburn’s Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway was even hotter. The Gold Country Fairgrounds track was packed with fans wanting to get one last look at the crazy Extreme Sidecars teams and see them ride one more time this season, and those daredevils from Southern California did not disappoint.
On their 1100cc three wheeled chariots they thrilled the crowd for three heat races then a great final main event won by team of Smylie Kinne and Chuck Heider. In an event that is usually dominated by the team of Joe Jones and Tom Summers Kinne and Heider pulled off an upset. “We had gate number one and we got the gate on them, that was the answer right there, luckily we went fast enough they could not get around us,” Kinne said. “Joe (Jones) is the best, that’s why he represents us in Australia in the World Cup.” The Extreme Sidecars have made five visits north this year and have a solid fan base in Auburn.
Charlie Venegas came alive again this week in a burning victory in the scratch main event. Venegas won his first scratch main event of the season two weeks ago handily and repeated the feat this week.
Out of lane one Venegas got an excellent gate and took the inside lane ahead of Billy Janniro, Bryan Yarrow and Bart Bast. But in a-you don’t see that everyday moment, Janniro slid out and went down bringing about a restart. Again, Venegas proving his first great gate was not a fluke he again flew off the start line making the inside and held his ground. Yarrow was the man who gave the best chase but it was just not enough to catch the cagy veteran. Venegas won by a wide margin followed by Yarrow, Bast and Janniro. “Last week I didn’t ride this engine, this is the engine I’ve been preparing for the track championship,” Venegas said. “This all for next week (track championship) always working one hundred and twenty five percent,” he said.
Newcomer to Fast Friday’s this season Samuel Ramirez won the handicap main event. The 18 year-old made the trip up north from Orange count. Ramirez was riding off the 20 yard line won his semi-final and then the main event. Janniro was second and back after a long break from Fast Fridays, Kurtis Hamill was third.
William McCloskey put together a winning ticket in the Division II main event. McCloskey has had one other D-II main event win and three second place finishes so far this season in Division II. McCloskey was undefeated winning his heat race then the main event. Jeremy Estes was second and Shawn Eldredge was third. In only his fifth night racing at Fast Fridays Chance Grove scored his third Division III main event win. Grove, picking up speedway racing very quickly, won his heat race and then stayed ahead of Jake Estes and Casey Cornilsen in that order in the main event for the win.
Friday night was the last night for riders to pick up points to be racing in the Fast Fridays track championship next week on September 8. The top 16 riders in Division I and the top eight riders in Division II and III determined by total season points will race for the track championship. The championship night will run during the Gold Country Fair and will start one hour earlier with racing blasting off at 7pm instead of 8pm.
Anthony Dion followed his first place youth main event win last week with a repeat performance. Dion stayed ahead of Cameron Krezman who was second, Landon Norton who was third and Kyle Cunningham who was fourth for the win, his fifth of the season. Greg Moore topped the field in the youth consolation main event, second was Aidan McNutt, third was Sammy Tetrault and fourth was Chase Kangas.
Keeping it in the Dion family Anthony Dion’s uncle Nick Dion won the trophy dash. Lawrence McNutt was second and Shawn Eldredge was third.
Fast Fridays Results for 9-01-17
Scratch Main Event
1-Charlie Venegas, 2-Bryan Yarrow, 3-Bart Bast, 4-Billy Janniro
Scratch Consolation
1-Tommy Hedden, 2-Russell Green, 3-Daniel Faria
Handicap Main Event
1-Sammy Ramirez, 2-Billy Janniro, 3-Kurtis Hamill, 4-Russell Green, 5-Louie Mersaroli, 6-Dillon Ruml
Handicap Consolation
1-Bryan Yarrow, 2-Bart Bast, 3-Daniel Faria, 4-Tommy Hedden, 5-Charlie Venegas, 6-Jeremy Estes
Division II Main Event
1-William McCloskey, 2-Jeremy Estes, 3-Shawn Eldredge, 4-Mike Achilles, 5-Lawrence McNutt, 6-Rick Shafer
Division II Consolation
1-Nick Dion, 2-Casey Cornilsen, 3-Charles Haines, 4-Brian Leventon
Division III Main Event
1-Chance Grove, 2-Jake Estes, 3-Casey Cornilsen, 4-Peter Pecorilla, 5-Les Veale, 6-Ray Holt Jr.
Division III Consolation
1-Tim Dion, 2-Steven Sagen, 3-Michael Bretzing, 4-Robert Reed
Youth Main Event
1-Anthony Dion, 2-Cameron Krezman, 3-Landon Norton, 4-Kyle Cunningham
Youth Consolation Main
1-Greg Moore, 2-Aidan McNutt, 3-Sammy Tetrault, 4-Chase Kangas
Trophy Dash
1-Nick Dion, 2-Lawrence McNutt, 3-Rick Shafer
Extreme Sidecars
1-Smylie Kinne/Chuck Heider, 2-Jeremy Galein/Eric Hernandez, 3-Joe Jones/Tom Summers, 4-Robert Curry/Lori Curry, 5-Bryan Motis/Johnny Bach
Photos By Michael Kirby
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Grass Valley’s Anthony Dion picked up his fifth youth main event win of the season. |
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Celebrating their wins with the Fast Fridays trophy girls (left-right) Smylie Kinne, Chuck Heider sidecar winners, Charlie Venegas-scratch main event, Anthony Dion-youth main event, Nick Dion-trophy dash and William McCloskey-Division II main event. |
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Foresthill’s Chance Grove catching on to speedway racing quickly, won his third Division III main event of the season. |
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Smylie Kinne and Chuck Heider take a victory lap after winning the Extreme Sidecar main event. |
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Auburn’s William McCloskey won the Division II main event, his second of the season. |
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The sidecar team of Smylie Kinne and Chuck Heider (far left) used the number one gate to their advantage in winning the Extreme Sidecar main event. |
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