Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Auburn, California

Janniro again on Top at Fast Friday’s
By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)
Auburn, California, USA, July 17, 2009

Charlie Venegas and Mark Carrillo both had perfect nights and found their way to the winner s podium Friday night at Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn after another great night of motorcycle speedway racing action. The weather was hot in at the Auburn track and so was the motorcycle racing.

Venegas has been working with his bike set-up all season and seems to have found the winning combination with a new he motor he s run for just two weeks. Having a great showing at last weeks second round of the USA/AMA National Championships in Auburn, and winning the Scratch Main Event Friday night the speedway veteran showed he s never a rider to be overlooked, and can win on any night. We re finally getting it together with the equipment, moving bikes from down south, and getting the combination right," said Venegas. It s a long season, I had a great night, and I never count myself out." Winning all of his scratch heat races "The Edge" got a great start out of lane two in the scratch main as he lined up alongside Bart Bast in lane one, Tommy Hedden in lane three and Chad Felicio against the wall in lane 4. Working the middle and outside of the track, and fine tuning his riding style for the Auburn track, Venegas worried he might have overshot his line but was far enough ahead of second place finisher Bast to recover and hold on for the win. Auburn s Hedden finished third and Felicio fourth.

Absent from the scratch main event was current AMA/USA 2008 National Champion Billy Janniro, who since returning to weekly racing in America this year, has worked his way into seven scratch main events, winning six at Fast Friday s this season. Janniro seemed to suffer from mechanical difficulties with his bike all night, and twice un-characteristically went down in tight traffic, as all riders battled for the same ground out of turn one in the scratch semifinal.

Twenty-two year old Grass Valley resident Mark Carrillo, from the familiar speedway racing Carrillo family, seems to have also put together the winning combination as he won the Handicap Main Event. Returning this season to speedway racing after some time off, Carrillo racing from the zero line, held off all back yardage riders to hold onto a very impressive win. Carrillo won all of his handicap heat races and the main as he capped a great night of racing with the Handicap Main Event win. “It feels real good to get off the 0 line finally, I m bringing back the Carrillo name," said Carrillo. Auburn s Bart Bast finished second and Charlie Venegas finished third.

The Challenge Elimination Series Round 4 was one by Auburns Tommy Hedden who now qualified for the final Challenge Elimination Series Championship to be held at Fast Friday s on September 4th. Hedden will join four other series winners to square off in the championship. The challenge elimination pits six riders on the start line as one lap is run with the last place finisher being eliminated. This continues until just two riders are left in a final two-lap run-off, with the winner grabbing a spot in the final championship.

Auburns Cody Ciciarelli won the Division I Youth Main Event this week. The fifteen-year- old led Thomas Reich who finished second and Amber Felicio finished third. This is the fourth time Ciciarelli has stood on the winner s podium this year and second week in row Ciciarelli has topped the Youth Main Event.

Sean Billenstein, who placed ahead of Daniel Faria in second, won the Division II Main Event and Danny Turner placed third. Division III was won by Chris Wilkes, Billy Parino was second and Dustin Berdollt was third.

Results

Division I Scratch Main Event
1-Charlie Venegas, 2-Bart Bast, 3-Tommy Hedden, 4-Chad Felicio

Division I Handicap Main Event
1-Mark Carrillo, 2-Bart Bast, 3-Charlie Venegas

Division I Youth Main Event
1-Cody Ciciarelli, 2-Thomas Reich, 3-Amber Felicio

Division II Main Event
1-Sean Billenstein, 2-Daniel Faria, 3-Danny Turner

Division III Main Event
1-Chris Wilkes, 2-Billy Parino, 3-Dustin Berdollt

Division II Youth Main Event
1-PJ Bryne, 2-Gage Geist, 3-Ryan Vaughn

Photos By Michael Kirby

	Charlie Venegas put it all together for his first Scratch Main Event win of the year at Fast Friday's.
	Mark Carrillo took top honors in the Handicap Main Event.
	Cody Ciciarelli won the Youth Main Event.
	Tommy Hedden (R) gets inside of Greg Hooten (C) and Billy Janniro (L). Hedden won the fourth round of the Elimination Challenge Series.
	Charlie Venegas, first place in the scratch main event and third in the handicap main event.
	Auburn's Bart Bast in action Friday night at Fast Friday's. Bast always a tough competitor finished second in the Scratch & Handicap Main Events.
	Billy Janniro