Costa Mesa Speedway
Orange County Fairgrounds
Costa Mesa, California
Jack Milne Cup
April 22, 2023 - Costa Mesa
Top photo, story and results by Ryan Evans
The 2023 Jack Milne Cup at the tapes (inside - outside)
Broc Nicol, “Mad” Max Ruml, Austin “All Throttle” Novratil, Billy “The Kid” Janniro.
The finishing order was Janniro, Nicol, Ruml, and Novratil fell.
Multi-time National Champion Billy “The Kid” Janniro overcame an arduous journey just to get to the world famous Costa Mesa Speedway then ran through the card undefeated and captured the prestigious Jack Milne Cup for the third time.
Neither Janniro nor fellow former National Champion Broc Nicol had been defeated prior to the main event. Nicol, who will be competing stateside in 2023, won the draw for first choice of starting position and quickly selecting gate one. Janniro looked at gate four, then took a quick look at gate two, before opting to start next to the wall. Last year’s Jack Milne Cup winner and current National Champion “Mad” Max Ruml then picked gate two which left Austin “All Throttle” Novratil with gate three. Max Ruml was seeking his fourth Jack Milne Cup, Janniro and Novratil were both trying to win it for a third time, while Nicol was hoping to collect the trophy for the first time.
Nicol and Janniro left the starting line together and they entered turn one evenly. They remained that way on the back straight with Nicol hugging the pole while Janniro headed to the outside dirt. Janniro found enough traction as they exited turn four to surge ahead. He dropped down in front of Nicol entering turn one the second time and secured the lead. Meanwhile, Novratil slid off but the race continued with him safely out of harm’s way. Nicol searched for a way past the leader but also had to contend with Max Ruml behind him. Janniro held back every challenge that was thrown at him and led to the checkered flag with Nicol finishing second and Ruml getting third.
The victory was a bright spot for what had been a rough three days for Janniro and his family. They were supposed to return from a Florida vacation on Thursday but flight delays, cancellations, and missed connections left them in Phoenix on Saturday morning and their luggage in Georgia, a state in which they hadn’t been. They rented a van and made the 368-mile journey to the race track. Janniro was clearly tired from his Griswold Family adventure but mustered the energy to find a way to the top of the podium.
As has become customary for the Jack Milne Cup, there weren’t any semis so any mistake during the heat races would be magnified with the only top four racers going directly to the Final.
Former Under 21 National Champion Slater Lightcap the first heat for two laps before Max Ruml charged under him on the back straight and went on to his first victory. Nicol defeated “Fast” Eddie Castro in the second heat. Janniro began his night by defeating Russell Green. Dillon Ruml, who will be racing in Southern California this season, defeated Shawn “Mad Dog” McConnell and Novratil to end round one.
Green made a great start to begin round two and held off Max Ruml for an impressive victory. Nicol defeated Dillon Ruml for his second straight win. Janniro made it two in a row by holding off Castro. Novratil closed out the second round with a resounding victory over Under 21 National Champion Alex Martin.
Max Ruml got back on the winning track and booked his place in the Final with a victory ahead of Bobby “Boogaloo” Schwartz. Nicol remained unbeaten and earned his spot in the Final by beating Martin. Janniro held off Lightcap to match Nicol’s perfect score and also qualify for the Final. Novratil and Dillon Ruml met in the last heat and victory by either would put that rider in the Final. Novratil launched from gate four and roared to the win and his place in the Final.
A three-rider runoff among Castro, Lightcap, and Martin to determine the last two competitors in the Scratch Consolation almost ended in disaster. Martin led the trio on the back straight but Castro and Lightcap came together entering turn three. The contact sent Lightcap straight toward the wall but he dismounted before his bike hit at a high rate of speed. Lightcap was fine but the same could not be said for his now much-shorter machine. The restart had far less drama with Martin leading all the way and Lightcap finishing second.
Green made a from gate four in the Scratch Consolation and kept Dillon Ruml at bay for the victory. Martin finished third and Lightcap was fourth.
A crash in turn one caused a full restart in the Second Division Main. Mark Fillebrown trapped from gate four and led through the first lap. The battle amongst the minor placing's allowed him to establish a comfortable lead. Fillebrown didn’t turn a wheel wrong and led to the finish. Jordan Vanderham was second, Eloy Medellin finished third, and Kevin Fiore was fourth.
David Newsham led all four laps en route to victory in the Third Division Main Event. Tony Rutledge finished second, Alan Bernklau was third, and Tome Settlemire finished fourth.
Kayd Fiore put together four smooth laps and held off Hudson Jones to win the Mini 150 Main Event. Morgan Myers finished third and Maddux Myers was fourth.
Ace Kale and Thomas Yergler were victorious in the Sidecar Main Event with Kevin Kale and Tracy Gallagher finishing second, Lawrence McNutt and Michael Wells getting third, and Kevin Holman and Weston Farnsworth coming home fourth.
The Jack Milne Cup honors the 1937 World Speedway Champion who was instrumental in the founding and promotion of Costa Mesa Speedway. He was a fixture at the venue until his passing in 1995. He has been an inspiration to many American speedway racers over the years. The trophy given to the winner is the Queen’s Coronation Cup that Milne was presented when he won his world title at the original Wembley Stadium in London.
The evening raised the curtain on the 53rd season at the iconic venue. The large turnout of spectators was proof that fans were excited for the new season to begin. The racing returns this Saturday with the first Harley Night of the season. In addition to speedway and sidecars, the event will include the always popular street-legal Harley races. It will certainly bring a standing-room-only crowd so spectators are encouraged to arrive early.
RESULTS
Jack Milne Cup Final
14n - Billy Janniro
98 - Broc Nicol
1 - Max Ruml
7 - Austin Novratil
Scratch Consolation
321 - Russell Green
3 - Dillon Ruml
30n - Alex Martin
28 - Slater Lightcap
Sidecar Main Event
357 - Ace Kale/Thomas Yergler
07 - Kevin Kale/Tracy Gallagher
28 - Lawrence McNutt/Michael Wells
11 - Kevin Holman/Weston Farnsworth
Mini 150 Main Event
169 - Kayd Fiore
15 - Hudson Jones
175 - Morgan Myers
175x - Maddux Myers
Junior 250 Main Event
226 - Levi Leutz
Third Division Consolation
299 - Rayson Normandin
373 - Bob Peet
124 - Brad Langston
197 - Ryan Bacarella
Third Division Main Event
111 - David Newsham
113 - Tony Rutledge
69e - Alan Bernklau
115 - Tom Settlemire
Second Division Consolation
327 - Tyler Moszer
275 - Lawrence McNutt
242 - Bruce Marteney
175 - Jake Myers
174 - Pat Hawley (engine failure)
Second Division Consolation
182 - Rudy Laurer
106 - Isaiah Canales
118 - Rohn Zellner
153 - Brad Moreau (fell)
Second Division Main Event (restarted)
168 - Mark Fillebrown
123 - Jordan Vanderham
178 - Eloy Medellin (fell, remounted)
159 - Kevin Fiore (fell, remounted)
First Division Scoring 1 2 3 T
1 – Max Ruml 3 2 3 8
3 – Dillon Ruml 3 2 2 7
6 – Shawn McConnell 2 1 1 4
7 – Austin Novratil 1 3 3 7
11 – Bobby Schwartz 1 0 2 3
14 – Eddie Castro 2 2 1 5
14n – Billy Janniro 3 3 3 9
28 – Slater Lightcap 2 1 2 5
30n – Alex Martin 1 2 2 5
37 – Joey Donaldson 0 0 0 0
98 – Broc Nicol 3 3 3 9
117 – Wilbur Hancock 0 0 0 0
214 – Michael Wells 0 1 0 1
249 – John Wilder 0 0 1 1
290 – Harold Hartke 1 1 0 1
321 – Russell Green 2 3 1 6
Heat Results
1: M.Ruml, Lightcap, Hartke, Wilder
2: Nicol, Castro, Martin, Hancock
3: Janniro, Green, Schwartz, Donaldson
4: D.Ruml, McConnell, Novratil (penalty line), Wells
8: Green, M.Ruml, McConnell, Hancock
9: Nicol, D.Ruml, Lightcap, Donaldson
10: Janniro, Castro, Wells, Wilder
11: Novratil, Martin, Hartke, Schwartz
16: M.Ruml, Schwartz, Wilder, Donaldson
17: Nicol, Martin, McConnell, Wells
18: Janniro, Lightcap, Green, Hartke
19: Novratil, D.Ruml, Castro, Hancock
Runoff (restarted): Martin, Lightcap, Castro
Past Jack Milne Cup Winners
1998 – Bobby Schwartz
1999 – Gary Hicks
2000 – Charlie Venegas
2001 – Gary Hicks
2002 – Scott Brant
2003 – Scott Brant
2004 – Mike Faria
2005 – Mike Faria
2006 – Charlie Venegas
2007 – Mike Faria
2008 – Bobby Schwartz
2009 – Shawn McConnell
2010 – Shawn McConnell
2011 – Mike Faria
2012 – Billy Janniro
2013 – Billy Janniro
2014 – Billy Hamill
2015 – Max Ruml
2016 – Austin Novratil
2017 – Gino Manzares
2018 – Austin Novratil
2019 – Max Ruml
2022 – Max Ruml
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