Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Auburn, CA

Challenge Championship
Fast Fridays
August 23, 2002
From Gary Roberts

Like last week, the track was good and the crowd was large.

Someone told me the size of the crowd was due to some guys on motocross bikes who were jumping off a ramp onto a platform. They seemed quite good at what they were doing, but I had to assume that they could not ride Speedway, or they would be doing that. So I'm afraid I saw them as just a distraction from what I really came to see. People were Ooow Awing in the crowd, which again made me think some of these people are really easily entertained. Here they were at a Speedway event that included a couple of National Champions, making noises of affirmation about this stuff?

Moving right along . . .

Scratch Main
1. Bobby Hedden
2. Bart Bast
3. Scott Brant
4. Mike Faria
Bobby Hedden and Bart Bast got the gate and Faria started his outside campaign, with no success. I assume the track was too good on the inside.

Scratch Consolation
1. Chad Felicio
2. Tommy Hedden
3. JJ Martynse
Bryan Yarrow was a non starter. He suffered an apparent dislocated shoulder during the semifinal. If this is indeed the case, it will be a sad end to a great season for Bryan. He was to have been a contender in the Auburn track championship next week. I learned last night that Eric Carrillo broke his wrist last week in the Auburn round of the AMA National Championship, so will be a non-starter in next week's Auburn Track Championship.

Handicap Main
1. Ian Essary
2. Greg Hooten
3. Bobby Hedden
4. Mike Faria
5. Matt Browne
6. Billy Hiles

Handicap Consolation
1. Bart Bast
2. Bart Bardecki
3. Scott Brant
4. Tom Hedden
5. Chris Kerr
6. Robert Mellor

Division 2 Main
1. Rachalle Kerr
2. Jon Curry
3. David Baker
4. Devon Defreece
5. Bill Warnock
6. Chris Olney
Popular Rachalle Kerr has ridden smoothly and consistently all year. In recent months she has got much faster and this win was the result.

Division 2 Consolation
1. Richard Christian
2. Mike Browne
3. Harlan Bast
4. Shawn Eldridge
5. Bill Hermant
6. Brian Leventon
Well, I was wrong. I stated at the beginning of the season that Richard Christian would end the year in Division One. I guess it will be next year now.

Division 3 Main
1. Rick Gutzke
2. Kelly McBane
3. John Deatherage
4. Dennis Chandler
5. Bruce Baker
6. Treggan Mullenix
7. Steve Lewotsky
8. Andre Dorosh
Andre Dorosh took down Steve Lewotsky, and I expected the race to be stopped, but it seemed to continue.

Division 3 Consolation
1. Brian Ballard
2. Greg Chacon
3. Jason Botsford
4. Lee Sharp
5. David Lee
6. Matt Peterson
7. Kevin Fereira
8. Mr. Stevenson
This race was a brutal affair It started at least 3 times.

Youths Division 1
1. Mark Carrillo
2. Danny Easley
3. Alex Marcucci
4. TJ Fowler
5. JT Mabry
6. Paul Johnson

Youths Division 2
1. Hunter Morris
2. Ricky Felicio
3. Bruce Bast
4. Jay Ricketts
5. Mitchell Johnson
6. Tom Fuhrman
7. Ricky Adams

Youths Division 3
1. Bryce Olney
2. Tori Hubbert
3. Ronnie Woodsford

Next week is the Auburn Track Championship plus the Youth National Championship. The track championship is always a good event, although this year, late injuries have resulted in disappointments for a couple of riders. This year the format of the Youth National has changed from the 3 separate events, one for each division, to a 16 rider championship. It is again wide open this year, with Fowler, Carrillo and Easley all having had a good season and each capable of winning the event. Don't overlook Justin Boyle and Tim Gomez from down south either. This is the annual opportunity to look into American Speedway's crystal ball, at who to expect to see riding in the British Elite League in 7 or 8 years time.

Gary Roberts - gary_rob@ix.netcom.com