Niagara Raceway
Netherby Road / Townline Tunnel
Welland, Ontario, Canada

1999 Season Opener
June 12, 1999 Niagara Raceway
By: Duncan Luke. luke99@idirect.com

Chris Hesmer takes the Final!

The season opener at Welland was marked by a controversy over who should have the right to use the number 1 plate for this season with both Chris Hesmer and John Kehoe claiming it as theirs. In previous years this has been awarded to the winner of the National Championship. Currently this is Hesmer. Kehoe on the other hand, was the winner of a season long CMA championship covering all meetings other than the short-track National and believes that he is entitled to the #1 plate at meetings which are part of this series. So for this meeting both rode with the #1 plate and the matter is being referred to the CMA for clarification. Stay tuned for the result.

This added spice to the evening's racing and Chris won the battle of the #1's defeating John both times they met including the all important final. Rider of the night however was '97 National champ Jeff Orosz. He won both his heat races and after missing the gate badly in the final came from dead last to second place by powering his way around the outside.

OFFICIAL RACE RESULTS June 12, 1999 Niagara Raceway By Duncan Luke. luke99@idirect.com See the 1999 CSRA Cumulative Pointscorers
DIVISION 1							Qualifying scores
Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th							1	2	3	Total
1	31	68	19	62					31	Jeff Orosz		4	4		8
2	1H	1K	8	3	37				1H	Chris Hesmer		4	3		7
4	31	1H	8	3	37				1K	John Kehoe		3	4		7
5	1K	68	19	62					68	Fred Legault		3	3		6
									8	John Mercier		2	2		4
Consol.	37	19	8	62	-		3 DNF e/t		19	Andy Harris		2	2		4
									3	Glen Brown		1	1		2
FINAL	1H	31	1K	68	37				62	Joanne Edwards		1	1		2
									37	Gary Hesmer		0	0		0
DIVISION 2							RESULTS
Heat	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th							1	2	3	Total
3	60	12	81	-			9 DNF		60	Ryan Rainville		3	2	3	8
6	81	60	12				9 DNS		81	John Dmytrow		1	3	2	6
8	60	81	12				9 DNS		12	Aaron Hesmer		2	1	1	4
									96	Jan Pawelec		0			0

It was nostalgia time in D2 with John Dmytrow putting in his first appearance on a Canadian track since 1994. However John claims this was a one-off event and he is not making a comeback. No fairy tale ending to his return as, despite a race win, he had to settle for second place on the night behind the fast moving Ryan Rainville. D2 racing provided it's share of excitement when Jan Pawelec went wide around turn one, could not make the turn, and roared off the track at the turn two entrance. He finally got his bike down in the pits run-off area. Fortunately none the worse for his exploits it did put an end to his night's racing.

E-mail: crash81@cgocable.net

Notes by Kim Gregory
Gary Hesmer had a night plagued with clutch problems, but managed to make the main event where it gave out completely. His cousin, Chris Hesmer won the event ( current Canada Speedway Champion and Number One plate holder ), followed by Jeff Orosz (1997 Canadian Champion), then John Kehoe ( 1996 Canadian Champion, and current Long Track Champion - also running a Number One plate), Freddy Legault, Gary Hesmer. Andy Harris and John Mercier missed making the main event.