Oakland Valley Speedway

305 Oakland Valley Road
Cuddebackville, New York 12729

Speedway
East Coast Speedway
Oakland Valley Speedway, New York
November 2, 2019
From Voytek Dojka and Mateusz Kozanecki

Speedway. Polish flag in the machine park and flying Brian Hollenbeck. The first race took place in Cuddebackville.

Pole Voytek Dojka and Briton Richard Thrift organized their first competition in American Cuddebackville on November 2nd. Brian Hollenbeck won the Mitas Gold Tire Trophy.

Until recently, speedway on the east coast of the USA was limited to just one track - Champion Speedway in Owego, which was reactivated in 1997 by a former hockey player and now promoter Jason Bonsignore. During the 2019 season, racing began again at Action Park in Greene, and on November 2, another place appeared on the speedway map in the USA.

Pole Voytek Dojka together with Briton Richard Thrift organized the Mitas Golden Tire Trophy meeting at the Oakland Valley Speedway facility in Cuddebackville, New York. Both intend to promote racing in a new style to introduce a bit of freshness to the American speedway.

They managed to reach their goal on November 2, when 12 competitors arrived in Cuddebackville, divided into three groups - Division I, Support and Junior. In each of them, the main round took place first, followed by the final run. In addition, two semi-finals were raced in Division I.

- The track is fast (321 meters long - MK), faster than those on which our riders usually race. We had some reservations, but luckily there were no falls or injuries. The surface was very well prepared, although it was the first speedway competition in the history of this facility - said Voytek Dojka in an interview with WP SportoweFakty. - The races were fast, with a lot of overtaking. There were at least three effective lines on the track,” added Richard Thrift.

Brian Hollenbeck, who felt very good at the new facility, won the Division I, Johnny Oakden was second, followed by Dave Oakden. Interestingly, Jerry Beauford gave him a place in the final. Spencer Portararo was unlucky - he was second in the main round, he won in the semi-final, but in the final he fell and left the track.

- Jerry Beauford at the end of the competition stated that Dave Oakden and his family were very involved in the sport which is why he gave him a place in the race as a sign of gratitude. It is also worth emphasizing the attitude of Joel Farewell, who made the fifth best time, although he is a junior (he rode a smaller displacement motorcycle - MK) - explained Richard Thrift.

- Brian Hollenbeck has the nickname "Flying Hollenbeck". He really spread his wings on this track. In one of the races he set a new track record previously held by a flat tracker - added Voytek Dojka.

The organizers are satisfied with the first competition on the new track and are already beginning to think about the upcoming season. Their plans go beyond the state of New York, in the future they would like for speedway to appear at the Wachusett Valley Riders Club in Winchendon, Massachusetts, as well as in several other places that they are not revealing at the moment.

- Not all riders managed to make it to the track, but those who were able to did a great job and really stood up to the challenge. It was a new competition format for them and we all learned something new together. The event was successful, and we are pleased. We were happy to also see Polish speedway fans at the track. The next season promises to be very interesting - ended Voytek Dojka.

(written by Mateusz Kozanecki)

Division I:
1. Brian Hollenbeck - 11+3+3 (3,3,3,2) - 1st in the final
2. Johnny Oakden - 6+2+2 (2,1,3,0) - 2nd in the final
3. Dave Oakden - 3+1+1 (1,1,1,0) - 3rd in the final
4. Spencer Portararo - 10+3+u (3,2,2,3) - DNF in the final
5. Jerry Beauford - 6+2 (0,3,2,1)
6. Dalton Oakden - 3+1 (1,0,0,2)
7. Pat Cliff - 7+0 (2,2,3,0)
8. Mason Higley - 2+0 (0,0,1,1)

Heats:
1. Hollenbeck, Cliff, Dav. Oakden, Beauford
2. Portararo, J. Oakden, Dal. Oakden, Higley
3. Hollenbeck, Portararo, Dav. Oakden, Dal. Oakden
4. Beauford, Cliff, J. Oakden, Higley
5. Hollenbeck, Portararo, Dav. Oakden, Dal. Oakden
6. J. Oakden, Beauford, Higley, Dav. Oakden
7. Cliff, Dal. Oakden, Higley, J. Oakden
8. Portararo, Hollenbeck, Beauford, Cliff
Semi 1. Portararo, J. Oakden, Dav. Oakden, Cliff
Semi 2. Hollenbeck, Beauford, Dal. Oakden, Higley
Final. Hollenbeck, J. Oakden, Dav. Oakden, Portararo

Support group:
1. Mason Higley - 12+3 (3,3,3,3) - 1st in the final
2. Dale Robinson - 8+2 (2,2,2,2) - 2nd in the final
3. Cole Layton - 4+1 (1,1,1,1) - 3rd in the final
Heats breakdown:
1. Higley, Robinson, Layton
2. Higley, Robinson, Layton
3. Higley, Robinson, Layton
4. Higley, Robinson, Layton
Final. Higley, Robinson, Layton

Juniors:
1. Joel Farewell - 12+3 (3,3,3,3) - 1st in the final
2. Brianna Hursh - 8+2 (2,2,2,2) - 2nd in the final
Heats breakdown:
1. Farewell, Hursh
2. Farewell, Hursh
3. Farewell, Hursh
4. Farewell, Hursh
Final. Farewell, Hursh