Fast Fridays Speedway

Gold Country Fairgrounds
1273 High Street
Auburn, California

Speedway Challenge Series
Fast Friday's Motorcycle Speedway, Gold Country Fairgrounds
Venegas Wins the Scratch Main Event
By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, June 3, 2016

If you attend races at Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway in Auburn often you know that a special family relationship exists at the speedway. Three weeks ago a rider and part of the Fast Friday’s family lost his battle with cancer. Kyle Marsalla, a regular rider with his brother Eddie at Fast Fridays, could not race last season as he battled cancer. Friday night his speedway family remembered him with a special racing night opening. His brother Eddie took a few ceremonial reverse laps to remember his brother as fans, family, friends and riders lined the outside of the track to open the night. Balloons in his race colors and his number 324 were released into the night sky. Kyle is gone but his speedway family will not forget him and his nights racing at Fast Fridays.

Veteran rider Charlie Venegas, a well recognized name and mainstay in speedway racing for close to 30 years picked up his first main event win of the season when he was able to keep Bryan Yarrow under control in the scratch main event Friday night. On a warm night at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn Venegas who was second in his scratch heat, first in his scratch semi, drew lane one for the main. He faced Yarrow, Bart Bast and Luke Becker. Bast got a little jump on the tapes and disqualified for the roll. That left Venegas with one less rider to deal with and he got to the inside line on the restart in turn one and kept Yarrow at bay by moving in and out. Becker followed Yarrow but was never in play. Yarrow dogged Venegas trying to pass but Venegas years of experience in this position prevailed and he took the checkered flag. Yarrow was second and Becker third. “It’s always there for me to go out and have a good night, tonight things seemed to be going pretty well, I made both the mains,” Venegas said.

Absent from Friday night’s action at Fast Fridays was national champion Billy Janniro, who is racing in Edinburgh Scotland this week. Though Janniro would have had a present in the scratch main event as he usually does, Venegas was on fire Friday night, and with the same draw on this night Venegas would have been very difficult to beat.

Eighteen year-old Dalton Leedy, who made the trip from Riverside to race at Fast Fridays, had a fantastic night. Leedy, who began his speedway career in the youth divisions in 2010, won the handicap main event, was second in the Division II main event and won the trophy dash. In the handicap main event, Leedy, riding off the start line beat Auburn’s Louie Mersaroli to finish line. Leedy was second in his handicap heat race and first in his handicap semi-final to get to the handicap main event. He grabbed the checkered flag, Mersaroli off the 20 yard line was second, Bart Bast handicapped on the 50 yard line was third and Luke Becker was fourth. “The handicap main event was tough with all those guys coming up behind me, the bike set-up was good and everything worked out great,” Leedy said. “It’s my first main event of the season.”

Both Dalton Leedy and Matt King were second in their Division II heat races, but it was King who prevailed in the Division II main event when both met. King outlasted the younger Leedy in the main with Leedy pulling in second. Michael Achilles who has a lock on the third place slot in Division II was number three for the fourth time this season in the main event. Newcomer Eddie Luke of Elk Grove who only began speedway racing late in the 2015 season at Fast Fridays won his first main event in Division III. Luke pulled ahead of Ray Holt Jr. Jr. last week’s Division III winner for the win. Holt was second, and Peter Pecorilla was third.

Anthony Dion took the Youth A 250cc main event. Dion, a member of the Dion racing family at Fast Fridays, beat Landon Norton who was second and Cameron Krezman who finished third. In the Youth B 250cc main event Gregory Moore was first for the second time this season, SOS team riders Aidan McNutt and Sammy Tetrault in that order were second and third. The Youth 150cc B main event was won again by Sammy Waddill who also won in week one. Waddill stayed ahead of Gavin Geist who finished second and Chase Kangas in third.

Round three of the Challenge Elimination Series netted Daniel Faria a spot in the Challenge Elimination Series Championship on September 2 at Fast Fridays. He joins Charlie Venegas, and Billy Janniro and the winners of the upcoming rounds four and five in the championship round. Faria and Kurtis Hamill were the final two riders for the final two lap race and Faria had it from the gate. Also in the challenge were Bryce Starks, Luke Becker and Bryan Yarrow. Dominic Colindres again picked up the win in the Run What U Brung main event by a wide margin. Colindres considerable flat track skills are evident as he outdistanced the other riders.
Next week is a sure not to miss week at Fast Fridays, as the Extreme Sidecars roll into the Gold Country Fairgrounds. Rained out on May 20 the sidecar fast racing three-wheeled action is exciting and the sidecar teams are Fast Fridays fan favorites.

Fast Fridays Results for 6-3-16 (Editor: Please note that results are not official as the promoter is responslble for those, we do attempt to be correct as we can. Some results below have been added by speedwaybikes.com)

Scratch Main Event
1-Charlie Venegas, 2-Bryan Yarrow, 3-Luke Becker, 4-Bart Bast

Scratch Consolation
1-Gage Geist, 2-Russell Green, 3-Tommy Hedden, 4-Daniel Faria (fell)

Handicap Main Event
1-Dalton Leedy, 2-Louie Mersaroli, 3-Bart Bast, 4-Luke Becker, 5-Charlie Venegas, 6-Daniel Faria

Handicap Consolation
1-Gage Geist, 2-Ryan Bast, 3-Russell Green, 4-Shawn Eldridge, 5-Eddie Marsalla, 6-Bryan Yarrow

Division II Main Event
1-Matt King, 2-Dalton Leedy, 3-Mike Achilles, 4-Eddie Marsalla, 5-Charlie Haines, 6-Will McCloskey

Division II Consolation
1-Nick Dion, 2-Shawn Eldridge, 3-Lawrence McNutt, 4-Brian Leventon, 5-John Peters

Division III Main Event
1-Eddie Luke, 2-Ray Holt Jr. Jr., 3-Peter Pecorilla, (others) -Cameron Beck (fell), Casey Cornilsen (fell), Jeremy Estes (ef)

Division III Consolation
1-Hunter Morris, 2-Harlan Bast, 3-Les Veale, 4-Tim Dion (fell), 5-John Williams (ef)

Youth 250 A Main Event
1-Anthony Dion, 2-Landon Norton, 3-Cameron Krezman, 4-Blu VanderBroeder, 5-Logan Hedden

Youth 250 B Main Event
1-Gregory Moore, 2-Aidan McNutt, 3-Sammy Tetrault

Youth 150 B Main Event
1-Sammy Waddill, 2-Gavin Geist, 3-Chase Kangas

Run What U Brung
1-Dominic Colindres

Challenge Elimination (Round 3)
1-Daniel Faria, 2-Kurtis Hamill, 3-Bryce Starks, 4-Luke Becker, 5-Bryan Yarrow

Photos By Michael Kirby

	Charlie Venegas won his first scratch main event of the 2016 season. A veteran rider of nearly 30 years experience, Venegas pulled off a victory and was named the “fastest man” of the evening.
	Dalton Leedy leads Russell Green coming out of turn three in a handicap heat race. Leedy won the handicap main event, was second in the Division II main event and won the trophy dash.
	(left-right) Landon Norton, Cameron Krezman and Anthony Dion get close in the Youth A 250cc main event. Dion was first, Norton second and Krezman was third.
	Lining up for the scratch main event (left-right) Bryan Yarrow, Bart Bast, Luke Becker and Charlie Venegas. Venegas won the evening’s finale.
	Sammy “The Bullet” Waddill smiles on the winner’s podium accepting his trophy for winning the Youth B 150cc main event Friday night.