Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Auburn, California
Janniro back with scratch main event win
By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, May 25, 2012
Back after a week's absence from the Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway current USA National champion Billy Janniro was back at Auburn's Gold Country Fairgrounds riding flawlessly in the Division I scratch program. In a night that threatened rain all night Janniro was undefeated in the scratch program and capped the evening as the fastest man of the night with a commanding win in the scratch main event. Janniro faced Bob Hicks who had an excellent night battling his way into the final race with a first and second place finish in his scratch heat races. Hicks drew lane three and lined up next to Janniro who was sitting in lane two. Also making the nights finale was Bryan Yarrow who sat in the outside slot in lane four and Alex Marcucci who drew the inside lane one. Off the line Janniro is rarely beaten and Friday night was no different as "The Kid" was first to the inside on turn one, a position Janniro held and never relinquished. Yarrow gave chase, and hoping for a mistake made a few threatening moves from at times a tight bike length behind Janniro. The mistake never came and Yarrow could not slip by the skilled champion on the inside or power around Janniro on the outside. Yarrow had to settle for second place, Hicks was third and Marcucci was fourth.
In the Division I handicap program Janniro has struggled riding off the 60 yard line so far this season, and Friday night it was Bob Hicks that took the checkered flag in the handicap main event. Hicks worked his way into the handicap main with first and third place finishes in his heat races and rode well finishing ahead of Tommy Hedden in second and Bart Bast who was third. Bast leads all the Division I riders in the 2012 Fast Fridays points race after two meeting with 308, followed by Hedden with 234 points and Hicks with 173.
Friday night Fast Fridays staged the first round of the five round Challenge Elimination Series. Five riders face off in single lap scratch starts with the last place finisher eliminated. The winner after the four scratch races is entered into Challenge Elimination Championship on August 31. Friday's installment pitted Billy Janniro, Bob Hicks, Alex Marcucci, Tommy Hedden and Bryan Yarrow on the start line. Janniro and Hedden were in the final two lap finale and Hedden was able to beat Janniro in an exciting race and will move on to the championship round.
The Division II main event was won by Chris Casey in a close finish. Casey trailed Paul Sanburn and made a last second move at the finish passing Sanburn for the trophy. Sanburn finished second and Danny Turner was third. The main event was delayed by an unsettling crash when Fast Fridays track darling Rachalle Kerr went down on the second lap. Kerr hit hard and was attended to by emergency technicians leaving the track in an ambulance as fans cheered for her. Derik Denzin leads all Division II riders in the 2012 points race with 63 followed by Danner Turner with 59 points.
The Division III main event was won by Jamison Dilkey for the second week in a row. Colton Duncan finished second, and Nick Dion was third. Paul Sanburn leads the Division III points race with 63 just ahead of Kevin Smith with 58 points.
Luke Becker finished first in the Youth A main event and David Mersaroli was second. Amador Osorio was the winner of the Youth B main event.
Results from Fast Friday's for 5-25-12
Division 1 Scratch Main Event
1-Billy Janniro, 2-Bryan Yarrow, 3-Bob Hicks, 4-Alex Marcucci
Division I Handicap Main Event
1-Bob Hicks, 2-Tommy Hedden, 3-Bart Bast
Division II Main Event
1-Chris Casey, 2-Paul Sanburn, 3-Danny Turner
Division III Main Event
1-Jamison Dilkey, 2-Colton Duncan, 3-Nick Dion
Youth A Main
1-Luke Becker, 2-David Mersaroli, 3-Jeremy Faria
Youth B Main
1-Amador Osorio
Challenge Elimination Series (Round One)
1-Tommy Hedden, 2-Billy Janniro, 3-Bryan Yarrow, 4-Bob Hicks, 5-Alex Marcucci
Photos By Michael Kirby
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