Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Auburn, California

Fast Friday's Motorcycle Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Venegas takes scratch main event at Fast Fridays
By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, August 23, 2013

Billy Janniro had another great night of racing but the big prize of the evening Friday night at Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway in Auburn eluded him. Janniro pulled off victories in the Division I handicap main event and he also took top honors in the Challenge Elimination Series Championship, but the Division I scratch main event belonged to Charlie Venegas this week. It was third scratch main event win of the season at Fast Fridays for Venegas.

Venegas faced a great line-up of talented riders that included Bart Bast, Bryan Yarrow and Bob Hicks to win the title of the fastest man of the night. Venegas wore wearing a borrowed riding suit from Janniro which hung loosely on his body and bagged at his ankles. He got out of his gate first and led a tight three man contest that consisted of Bast and Yarrow right on his tail. But Venegas held his lead all the way on the inside of the track and took the checkered flag. "I had an awesome gate, again concentrating on making the start," Venegas said. "The bike just launched, straight out and again it was just my night." The race was hard fought for second and third with Bryan Yarrow finishing second and Bast was third. Hicks finished fourth.

A fall in his first scratch heat race had kept Janniro from transferring in the scratch program but he owned the rest of the evening in Division I. In the handicap program Janniro picked up another main event win extracting every ounce of power from his bike for the six laps. Riding with his front wheel off the track on most of the straightaways Janniro managed to stay ahead of Bast who finished second, Hicks who was third and Marcucci who finished fourth.

Janniro also picked up first place in the Challenge Elimination Series Championship. The contest was the final in a series of five special races throughout the season which then put all the winners from each week together for the series championship. Janniro faced weekly winners Bryan Yarrow, Tommy Hedden, Bob Hicks and Charlie Venegas in the one lap races when starts are everything. Hicks went down first, followed by Hedden, then Venegas and that left a final square off with Yarrow. Janniro was making good starts all night and he led Yarrow tape to tape in the final two lap race to win the championship. It was the conclusion of a very exciting season series that netted Janniro a handsome championship payday.

Division II is really getting exciting. There are many riders filling this division hungry for wins and any night can produce a different winner. Friday night it was one of the Marsaroli brothers that took home the trophy. David Mersaroli, fresh off a super showing in last weeks in the Under 21 National Championships, won the DII main event. Kyle Marsalla was second and Michael Achilles was third. Placerville's olive oil maker Kurt Kornchuk won his first Division III main event after several season second place finishes beating Lawrence McNutt and Dorian Jewett who finished second and third.

The Youth B 150cc main event was won by Auburn's Daniel Casey, Dylan Wagner won the Youth A 150cc main event, and Victor Alvarado won the Youth B 250cc main. Luke Becker, fresh off an impressive win in the AMA/FIM Junior Silver Cup last Saturday in Southern California, won the Youth A 250cc main event. Lawrence McNutt won the Run What U Brung event.

Fast Fridays Results for 8-23-13

Division I Scratch Main Event
1-Charlie Venegas, 2-Bryan Yarrow, 3-Bart Bast, 4-Bob Hicks

Division I Handicap Main Event
1-Billy Janniro, 2-Bart Bast, 3-Bob Hicks

Division II Main Event
1-David Mersaroli, 2-Kyle Marsalla, 3-Michael Achilles

Division III Main Event
1-Kurt Kornchuk, 2-Lawrence McNutt, 3-Dorian Jewett

Youth A 250cc Main Event
1-Luke Becker, 2-Colton Hicks, 3-Chase Guerrero

Youth B 250cc Main Event
1-Victor Alvarado, 2-Jeremiah Barrow

Youth B 150cc
1-Daniel Casey, 2-Alex Martin, 3-Greg Moore

Youth A 150cc
1-Dylan Wagner, 2-Sterling Martin, 3-Landon Norton, 4-Kyle Cunningham

Run What U Brung
1-Lawrence McNutt

Photos By Michael Kirby

	Auburn's Daniel Casey picked up his first Youth 150cc main event win of the season.
	After numerous second place finishes in Division III Placerville's Kurt Kornchuk won the main event Friday night at Fast Fridays.
	Charlie Venegas (left) starts the scratch semi-final against Bryan Yarrow (right). Venegas went on to win his third Division I scratch main event of the 2013 Fast Fridays season later in the evening.
	Billy Janniro (left) goes into turn two against Bryan Yarrow (right) during one of the Challenge Elimination Championship races. Janniro won that contest and also won the handicap main event.