|
Stockton Practice Session
San Joaquin County Fairgrounds
1658 S Airport Way
Stockton, CA 95206
Stockton Practice Session:
On Sunday March 30, 2003 history was made at the
Fairgrounds in Stockton, CA when we tried out a new race track. The purpose
of the exercise was to find out how many riders were interested in making it
to Stockton to participate and the suitability of the track surface. There
was a good turn out of around 50 Speedway riders, mostly from Northern
California, but also included some from So Cal, some from Reno, NV, and
practically everywhere in between. The surface was clay, which some riders
liked, others would have preferred DG. The main track at the facility is
banked and fairly large, probably approaching 1/4 mile, but we used a small
200 metre track down on the infield. Between the track we used and the large
track was a sizeable step down, which caused problems for a couple of
riders. Which is worse, a crash wall or a two-foot embankment, with a big
hole behind it? More than one rider found that its difficult to land a
flying Speedway bike gracefully.
The format was basically an open practice, with riders going out in groups
of 3-6. There was an interesting match race towards the end, with Bryan and
Duane Yarrow. Duane openly admits that son Bryan is now the better rider.
The weather was hot, in fact too hot for this ex-Brit. No nice March winds
and rain. While standing around for 5 hours taking pictures I got a healthy
dose of sunburn. I felt fortunate that I did not have to wear heavy leathers
or exert any energy.
Thanks must go to Charlie Venegas who did a good job of organizing the
session, and to Dave Joiner for track preparation. Charlie is exploring the
business of possibly running Speedway in Stockton on Thursday nights.
Everyone asked Charlie why it would be Thursday, not Saturday. The reason is
because the facility already has a commitment to car racing on Saturdays.
Another concern was the limited season capacity for spectators. Charlie
would like to put down DG, on the clay. So there are a number of things that
Charlie has to address with the Fairgrounds.
As to if and when any decisions are made, this site will keep everyone informed.
Gary Roberts
|
|
|
|
Bryan Yarrow, one of the first riders out, making it look easy. |
Rick Shafer retired at the end of the 2001 season, but is thinking of coming back |
Vince Bertolucci |
Local rider Craig Boone. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scott Brant came up from Los Angeles to check the new track out. |
Devon Defreece |
Youth rider Danny Easley. |
Youth rider Tim Gomez made the long trek up from Hesperia, in the So Cal high desert. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Auburn promoter Dave Joiner practicing for a career change? |
Chris Kerr on his newly acquired Shurtech machine. |
Youth rider JT Mabry. |
Veteran Rich Marcucci looking at the camera. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
71 year old Rich Mignano. |
This is what happened to riders who went too wide. |
Even organizer Charlie Venegas ran a few laps. |
Duane Yarrow |
Looking North West and Looking North East
|