Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Auburn, California

Fast Friday's Motorcycle Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Southern California's Larsen wins Scratch Main
By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, May 17, 2013

A small contingent of Southern California speedway racers rolled into Auburn and the Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway track at the Gold Country Fairgrounds Friday night in hopes of showing the boys up north just how it's done.

Josh Larsen of Costa Mesa came out on top in the Division I scratch main event, proving to be the fastest man of the evening. Larsen, with a list of speedway racing achievements dating back to 1986 and 1987 when he won the U.S. Junior National Championship two consecutive years, is a seasoned veteran with 27 years of racing experience.

With Billy Janniro absent this week racing in the FIM World Team Cup qualifier in Hungary, he was not able to take his familiar place in the final race of the night. Larsen faced Bart Bast, Charlie Venegas and Aaron Fox, also from Southern California.

Out of the gate, inside in lane one, it was the cagy veteran Venegas that grabbed the inside line and held on. Larsen, out of lane two, was second and worked to get around Venegas on the outside without much success for the first couple of laps.

Fox, hanging back looking for a break, was right on Venegas on the inside and Bast, who started in lane four, trailed behind the group. Venegas protected his position well and with nowhere to go but out and around Larsen made his move and had the power to pass Venegas on the thicker part of the track.

Larsen took the lead and never looked back, taking the checkered flag. Venegas held on for second, Fox was third and Bast was fourth.

The Division I handicap main event was also an exciting race that saw Larsen again in the final lineup. Larsen, seeded on the 50-yard line, faced Tommy Hedden on the 40-yard line, Daniel Faria on the 20-yard line, Ryan Bast off the 10-yard line and SoCal riders Tyson Burmeister on the 40-yard line and Max Ruml on the 30-yard line.

The race was fast and loaded with talent. Bast and Faria were in front battling neck and neck when Bast hit the straightaway wall and went down hard.

Faria was in the lead and started first in the staggered restart. He kept Larsen at bay for the final two laps and picked up his first main event win of the season.

An exciting finish topped the Division II main event. Fast Fridays 2012 Division II track champion Jamison Dilkey caught Auburn 's Michael Achilles at the finish line in what looked to be a photo finish.

Achilles led for most of the race after battling to the front off the 30-yard line and looked to have the race in the bag, but was nipped at the line by Dilkey in the last second.

Dilkey picked up his first main event win of the season, and Achilles finished second and in the money for the second week in a row. Paul Sanburn was third.

Kyle Marsalla was first in the Division III main event followed by Kyle Porteous in second and Lars Kotrlik was third.

Luke Becker again topped the Youth Division I with a win. Colton Hicks and Logan Hedden picked up wins in the Youth Divisions II and III.

Caleb Clinton won the Run What U Brung Division.

More fun is on the way as the Extreme Sidecars Series comes to town at Fast Fridays next week.

Results from Fast Friday's for 5-17-13

Division 1 Scratch Main Event
1-Josh Larsen, 2-Charlie Venegas, 3-Aaron Fox, 4-Bart Bast

Division I Handicap Main Event
1-Daniel Faria, 2-Josh Larsen, 3-Max Ruml

Division II Main Event
1-Jamison Dilkey, 2-Michael Achilles, 3-Paul Sanburn

Division III Main Event
1-Kyle Marsalla, 2-Kyle Porteous, 3-Lars Kotrlik

Youth Division I Main
1-Luke Becker

Run What U Brung
1-Caleb Clinon

150cc Class - Division 2
1st Logan Hedden
2nd Alex Martin

150cc Class - Division 1
1st Colton Hicks
2nd Sterling Martin
3rd Landon Norton

Photos By Michael Kirby

	Southern California's Josh Larsen made the journey north and came away with the Division I Scratch Main event Friday night.
	Luke Becker won the Division I Youth Main event for the second week in a row.
	Daniel Faria picked up his first main event win of the season at Fast Fridays with a victory in the Division I handicap main event.
	The Division I scratch consolation race was won by Auburn's Bob Hicks (808).