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Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Auburn, California
AMA National Speedway Championship Round 2
July 10, 2009 - Fast Fridays
By Ryan Evans
Photos By Michael Kirby
Seven-time National Champion Greg Hancock moved one step closer toward a record-breaking eighth title by winning round two of the AMA/USA Speedway National Championship Series at Fast Fridays Speedway at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn.
Defending National Champion Billy “The Kid” Janniro entered the A Final with a perfect score and earned the right to pick his starting position first. He chose gate one. After taking a long look at gate four, Hancock selected gate two. Under 21 National Champion Ricky Wells picked gate four, which left former National Champion Bart Bast with gate three.
When the tapes went up Janniro blasted into the lead. Hancock went to the outside line, a move a Janniro anticipated, so moved up the race track and pinched the former World Champion along the wall on the bac k straight. Janniro went deep into turn three to take the outside away from Hancock who was undeterred and went even farther outside. Janniro locked up ever so slightly in turn four and Hancock brazenly squeezed through a narrow gap between the leader and the wall to take the lead at the end of lap one. Janniro went on the counterattack and tried every line on the race track in an effort to regain the lead. Hancock was up to every challenge, however, and was first to the checkered flag. Janniro had to settle for second, Bast finished third, and Wells was fourth.
Hancock’s victory earned him 20 Series points to bring his total to 41. Janniro is second in the Series with 37 points. Bast and Wells are tied for third with 26 points each.
Five riders emerged from the Elimination Round with berths into the Nati onal Championship field. Those riders were Greg Hooten, 1992 Youth National Champion Matt Becker, 2003 Youth National Champion Alex Marcucci, Mark Carrillo, and Bryce Starks.
The heats commenced with Tommy Hedden capitalizing on a Tyson Burmeister mistake for his first victory of the evening. Janniro beat Wells in the second race to start his evening on a winning note. Hancock blistered the race track for his first win in race three. Bast ended round one with his first victory.
Hancock began round two by defeating Charlie “The Edge” Venegas for his second straight win. Janniro beat Bast and Hedden in the next race for his second victory. Wells defeated Hooten in race seven for his first win. Former Youth National Champion Bryan Yarrow beat Kenny Ingalls to end the second round.
Janniro started the third round with his third victory in a row. Hedden was leading event 10 when “Fast” Eddie Castro brought him down on the third lap and forced a restart. Hedden won the restart for his second victory. Hancock defeated Bast to match Janniro’s perfect score and set up a showdown in the next round. Venegas held off a persistent Wells to end round three with a victory.
Wells began round four by beating Bast for his second win. Venegas defeated Hedden for his second consecutive win. Becker led event 15 for two laps before Castro went around him on the outside for the lead and the win.
The final race of round four brought Hancock and Janniro, the only evening’s only undefeated riders, to the tapes. Hancoc k exploded from the tapes and took the early lead in the race. Janniro embarked on a relentless pursuit of the leader but couldn’t find a way past. Hancock was leading on lap three when disaster struck. Hancock’s bike dropped a chain in turn two and he hit the ground hard with Janniro narrowly missing him. Hancock was unhurt but was excluded from the restart. Janniro handily defeated Ingalls in the restart for his fourth win of the evening.
After four rounds Janniro had a perfect 12 points; Wells had 10 points; Bast, Hedden, and Hancock each had nine points; and Venegas had eight points.
Yarrow opened the final round of heats with a victory that put him into the B Final. Hancock beat Wells in race 18, but had his chain off again shortly after crossing the finish line.
Janniro got the early lead in the penultimate heat but his insistence on racing the outside allowed Venegas to chip away at his lead with each lap. They were side-by-side on the final lap with Venegas finding enough grip in the final corner to steal the win at the line.
Bast defeated Castro in the final heat to book his place in the A Final.
Starks put together four smooth laps to beat Carrillo, Marcucci, and Nate Perkins in the D Final.
Burmeister held off a continuous challenge from Becker to win the C Final. Hooten finished third, and Ingalls was fourth.
Venegas won the B Final to end his evening with four straight victories. Hidden was second, Yarro w finished third, and Castro was credited with fourth after being excluded for touching the tapes.
The final round of the AMA Racing/USA Speedway National Championship Series is Friday, October 2 at Fast Fridays Speedway.
RESULTS
Elimination Race 1: Matt Becker, Greg Hooten, Bryce Starks, J.T. Mabry
Elimination Race 2: Mark Carrillo, Alex Marcucci, Devin Defreece, John Houston (fell, remounted)
Elimination Race 3: Marcucci,=2 0Hooten, Starks, Defreece (fell, remounted)
Elimination Race 4: Hooten, Becker, Marcucci, Carrillo (fell, remounted)
Qualifying Heat Scoring 1 2 3 4 5 T
1 – Billy Janniro 3 3 3 3 2 14*
2 – Bart Bast 3 2 2 2 3 12
3 – Bryan Yarrow 0 3 1 0 3 7
5 – Ricky Wells 2 3 2 3 2 12
6 – Charlie Venegas T 2 3 3 3 11
7 – Kenny Ingalls 0 2 0 2 1 5
8 – Tommy Hedden 3 1 3 2 1 10
10 – Nate Perkins 1 T 1 1 F 3
14 – Eddie Castro 1 1 Fx 3 2 7
15 – Greg Hancock 3 3 3 Fx 3 12
18 – Alex Marcucci 1 0 1 1 1 4
19 – Tyson Burmeister 1 0 2 0 2 5
20 – Mark Carrillo 2 0 1 0 0 3
21 – Matt Becker 2 1 0 2 1 6
23 – Bryce Starks 0 1 2 1 0 4
24 – Greg Hooten 2 2 0 1 F 5
27 – Devin DeFreece (R) 0 0 - - - 0
*Billy Janniro earned one bonus Series point as top scorer in the Qualifying Heats
Race Results
1: (restarted) Hedden, Becker, Burmeister, Ingalls
2: Janniro, Wells, Castro, Yarrow
3: Hancock, Hooten, Perkins, Starks (fell, remounted)
4: Bast, Carrillo, Marcucci, Defreece, Venegas (tape exclusion)
5: Hancock, Venegas, Castro, Burmeister
6: Janniro, Bast, Hedden, Defreece, Perkins (tape exclusion)
7: Wells, Hooten, Becker, Marcucci
8: Yarrow, Ingalls, Starks, Carrillo
9: Janniro, Burmeister, Carrillo, Hooten
10: (restarted) Hedden, Starks, Marcucci, Castro (fell, excluded)
11: Hancock, Bast, Yarrow, Becker
12: Venegas, Wells, Perkins, Ingalls
13: Wells, Bast, Starks, Burmeister
14: Venegas, Hedden, Hooten, Yarrow
15: (restarted) Castro, Becker, Perkins, Carrillo (fell, remounted)
16: (restarted) janniro, Ingalls, Marcucci, Hancock (fell, excluded)
17: Yarrow, Burmeister, Marcucci, Perkins (fell)
18: Hancock, Wells, Hedden, Carrillo
19: Venegas, Janniro, Becker, Starks
20: Bast, Castro, Ingalls, Hooten (fell)
D Final (restarted)
23 – Bryce Starks
20 – Mark Carrillo
18 – Alex Marcucci
10 – Nate Perkins
C Final
19 – Tyson Burmeister
21 – Matt Becker
24 – Greg Hooten
7 – Kenny Ingalls
B Final
6 – Charlie Venegas
8 – Tommy Hedden
3 – Bryan Yarrow
14 – Eddie Castro (tape exclusion)
A Final
15 – Greg Hancock
1 – Billy Janniro
2 – Bart Bast
5 – Ricky Wells
National Championship Standings 1 2 T
15 – Greg Hancock 21 20 41
1 – Billy Janniro 18 19 37
2 – Bart Bast 10 16 26
5 – Ricky Wells 12 14 26
7 – Kenny Ingalls 16 5 21
6 – Charlie Venegas 8 12 20
14 – Eddie Castro 9 9 18
3 – Bryan Yarrow 5 10 15
8 – Tommy Hedden 3 11 14
23 – Gary Hicks 14 - 14
9 – Jimmy Fishback 11 - 11
19 – Tyson Burmeister 0 8 8
21 – Matt Becker - 7 7
21 – Shawn McConnell 7 - 7
24 – Greg Hooten - 6 6
13 – Bobby Schwartz 6 - 6
23 – Bryce Starks - 4 4
11 – Buck Blair 4 - 4
20 – Mark Carrillo - 3 3
18 – Alex Marcucci 0 2 2
10 – Nate Perkins 1 1 2
4 – Mike Faria 2 - 2
Photos By Michael Kirby
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Seven-time U.S. national champion Greg Hancock overcame a broken chain and a crash Friday night to win the main event, taking a big step toward his record eighth national title. The third and final round of the AMA National Speedway Championship Series is Oct. 2 in Auburn. |
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Billy Janniro, right, congratulates Greg Hancock after his victory Friday. |
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