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Industry RacingThe Grand Industry Hills Expo Center California State Championship 43rd Annual California State Speedway Championships
It was a wonderful evening. The brutal Southern California summer heat had finally retreated to a comfortable 80 degrees. Not that it matters much as “The Grand” is a fully covered arena so sun and rain have to work real hard to make an impact. Isolated from Mother Nature it’s a kind of race island located just 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles. There is lots of parking, good seating, and real time video with replays. It’s got all the modern bells and whistles you expect from a first class facility. Food, sure that’s covered. Mexican, hamburgers,dogs, ice cream,popcorn, candy and more are all plentiful. Of course there areas ever all full service bars. One inside the track area so you can order and socialize without ever missing a race and the other outside in case you want to sit under the stars and watch the action from several high-definition big screen monitors.
Like all events at Industry Racing they start with a riders parade. Always popular it allows fans to see their favorites riders without their helmets on. Fans come down to the crash wall and high five with them and others just cheer. Some bring signs or banners. It was followed by the National Anthem that was perfectly sung by Sandi Johnson Weidler. From there it got serious. Fellow riders who moments before were buddies and laughing now competitors for the glory and the gold.
The racing was spectacular. No ambulance trips, it went like it should. There were a few surprises. After winning his first heat in round one fan favorite Austin Novratil was out for the night with mechanical issues. A big loss for him and his fans.
Then there was Boogaloo Bobby Schwartz. Several times they knocked him down but each time he got back up and raced harder. Bobby was in the middle of the pack several times and never let up. The crowd cheered and gave Bobby Schwartz a standing ovation when the 62-year-old finished first in his Round Five heat. Nights end Schwartz had a respectable eight points.
Five rounds later it was crunch time. Heat 32 was the decider on who would win the title. The field, points leader Billy Janniro with 15, Aaron Fox 13, Dillon Ruml 13 and Dillon’s brother Max Ruml 12.Then it happened and it was one for the record book. Everyone’s favorite, the man with the most points in the 2018 AMA National Championship Series got taken to school by the youngster Dillon Ruml. With a last lap pass that brought the house to its feet Dillon made a Cinderella story ending and won the 43rd Annual California State Speedway championship.
It shouldn’t be a complete shock as Dillon Ruml has won more main events at Industry in 2018 then any other racer. Improving weekly his confidence is sky high. He’s a formidable foe who can and has beat the field. Still I don’t believe there was anyone there that was more surprised than Dillon Ruml himself. Congratulations “Pickle” you are The new California State number One.
I believe that the 2nd person to be most shocked with Dillon’s move and win was the second place finisher Billy Janniro. After all the five time and defending California State Champion was the crowd favorite and considered the man to beat. His night had gone perfectly. Billy had won every heat and was high scorer. In this title naming showdown he had the pole. A perfect start Janniro got the gate, then led in lap 1, 2 and 3. Suddenly on lap 4 the youngster pulled a rabbit out of his hat and clinched the title with an inside pass. To make matters worse Billy was startled and only his years of experience and body strength keep him from crashing. Still Billy Janniro showed what it means to be the National Champion. He recovered and held second. Billy Janniro then shook hands and hugged his successor and gave a shout of congratulations.
Can’t not mention the 150cc and 250cc juniors. A good field that shows a lot of promise Owen Williams won the Mini 150cc and Landon Norton the 250cc win. Thank you all and to the many volunteers and sponsors that support the Junior program.
And so it was. A perfect night of racing to end the season for Industry Racing. It was nice to see Costa Mesa promoter Brad Oxley and so many others from my extended speedway family. Thank you all for supporting Southern California Speedway racing. Congrats Kelly Inman and crew on another successful season. More info on Industry Racing at: Facebook Industry Racing Want to remind all the Costa Mesa still has five nights of racing. The finally will be the 50th U.S National Speedway Championship on October 6 and the Harley Night Finals and Sidecar Nationals the following week. More info at Costa Mesa Speedway See all 288 pictures at: facebook.com/speedwayzar/media set Howie Zechner Here are the top four finishers from each class for all you pencil pushers. Mini 150 Main Event(restarted) Junior 250 Main Event California State Championship Semi 1 California State Championship Semi 2 California State Championship Final
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