Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
1273 High Street
Auburn, California
Challenge Series
Fast Friday's Motorcycle Speedway,
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Janniro Doubles Again
By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, July 8, 2016
YouTube Video - by Anthony Bernardi
The champion did it again. Reigning AMA National Speedway champion Billy Janniro doubled up again at Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn Friday night. It is the second time this season Janniro won both the handicap and scratch main events. Janniro's totals along with the two doubles now sits at six scratch main event wins and two handicap main event wins for the season. Obviously, Janniro can be beat but if he’s on, determined and mistake free he’s always going to be the man to beat in any race. He also leads the AMA National Speedway championship series this season after two rounds with a near perfect score.
In the scratch main event it was pretty much business as usual. Janniro drew lane one, Bart Bast drew lane two, Bryan Yarrow was in three and Luke Becker in four. From the gate Janniro led into turn one and just widened his lead with each lap. Bast gave chase, nipped at his heels, showed promise but without a Janniro mistake was unable to pass. Becker and Yarrow fell in line behind Bast and that was the order of the finish. Janniro wheeled across the finish line, which seems to have become his signature move, followed by Bast, Becker and Yarrow.
The handicap main event was a little different story. Janniro is handicapped heavily on the sixty yard line in the handicap program. No other rider starts that deep. Janniro has six laps to make up long yardage, weave through lower yardage riders and win. In Friday night’s handicap main event race, Gage Geist took a nasty tumble sliding across the track which caused a staggered line restart. With two laps to go Janniro was behind Jamison Dilkey who was doing an excellent job of staying ahead of him. Within feet of the finish line Janniro bursts ahead and with the crowd on their feet wheeled across the finish line inches ahead of Dilkey. “I just go for the holes that nobody else is going for and hopefully I can get the drive, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t,” Janniro said. Dilkey settled for second and Daniel Faria was third.
Division II rider Michael Achilles had quite a night. Achilles won his heat race and transferred to the main event. Riding off the 40 yard line, Achilles and the cagy Matt King were battling it out for the entire race after working their way to the lead. Achilles managed to stay ahead of King and remain mistake free to take the checkered flag, his first main event win of the season. Achilles is the current point’s leader in Division II and for sure held onto his points lead. King was second and Shawn Eldredge was third. “So far it’s been a pretty good season for me, battling it out for second and third each week, it feels good to finally win,” Achilles said. Achilles also won the Trophy Dash keeping his record perfect for the night, three races-three wins.
Division III was topped by Eddie Luke. Both Division III heat races were run together and Luke came out on top to transfer where he kept the party going with a win in the main event also having a perfect night. Casey Cornilsen couldn’t find a way to beat Luke in both races and finished second to Luke in the heat race and the main event. Ray Holt Jr. Jr. was third in the main event.
Again, Colton Hicks showed why he’s the current AMA Youth National Champion. Hicks, also is heavily handicapped starting off the 60 yard line with his closest competitor starting off the 20 yard line. He managed to make up lots of yardage and win his heat race and the Youth 250 A main event. Hicks has four main event wins and numerous second place finishes this season. Cameron Krezman was second and Kyle Cunningham was third. Aidan McNutt won the Youth 250 B main event. The win was his third main event win of the season. The Youth 150 A main event won by Auburn’s Landon Collins, his third trip to the winner’s podium this season. Sammy Waddill again found himself getting a few kisses from the trophy girls at the end of the night with another win in the Youth 150 B main event. That makes five main event wins and three in a row for the young speedster.
Luke Becker proving he has lighting fast reflexes getting off the line fought for and won the fourth of five spots in the Challenge Elimination Series with a win in round four Friday night. Becker topped Tommy Hedden in the final two lap race and Broc Nicol and Bryan Yarrow in the one lap races. Good gates and no mistakes are the key to wins here. Becker will join Charlie Venegas, Billy Janniro and Daniel Faria in the championship round on September 2.
In what seems to be a two man Run What U Brung program Shawn Eldredge got over on Matt King Friday night. Last week it was King’s turn in the winner’s circle and Eldredge second. It is exciting to see these two classy riders going at it each week in the Run What U Brung program. “I don’t care what it is, speedway or flat track, when it comes to Matt (King) I think I have a target on my back,” Eldredge said. “Some people you like to beat and I think I’m that guy for him.”
Fast Fridays Results for 7-8-16 (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-Billy Janniro, 2-Bart Bast, 3-Luke Becker, 4-Bryan Yarrow
Scratch Consolation
1-Charlie Venegas, 2-Russell Green, 3-Gage Geist, 4-Tommy Hedden
Handicap Main Event
1-Billy Janniro, 2-Jamison Dilkey, 3-Daniel Faria, 4-Bart Bast, 5-Luke Becker, 6-Gage Geist
Handicap Consolation
1-PJ Byrne,
2-Tommy Hedden, 3-Bryan Yarrow, Others Order Unknown-David Mersaroli, Russell Green, Broc Nicol
Division II Main Event
1-Michael Achilles, 2-Matt King, 3-Shawn Eldredge, 4-Charles Haines, 5-Lawrence McNutt, 6-Jon Curry
Division II Consolation
1-Jeremy Estes, 2-William McCloskey, 3-John Peters
Division III Main Event
1-Eddie Luke, 2-Casey Cornilsen, 3-Ray Holt Jr., 4-Cameron Beck, 5-Mac Henderson, 6-John Williams, 7-Les Veale
Youth 250 D-1 Main Event
1-Colton Hicks, 2-Cameron Krezman, 3-Kyle Cunningham, 4-Blu VanderBroeder
Youth 250 D-2 Main Event
1-Aidan McNutt, 2-Sammy Tetrault, 3-Gregory Moore
Youth 150 D-1 Main Event
1-Landon Collins, 2-Charlie Trana, 3-Alex Martin, 4-Sterling Martin, 5-Enzo Sorani
Youth 150 D-2 Main Event
1-Sammy Waddill, 2-Gavin Geist, 3-Colton Nelson
Run What U Brung
1-Shawn Eldredge, 2-Matt King, 3-Nick Dion, 4-Bryan Yarrow
Trophy Dash
1-Michael Achilles, 2-Matt King, 3-Charlie Haines
Challenge Elimination Series (Round Four)
1-Luke Becker, 2-Tommy Hedden, 3-Broc Nicol, 4-Bryan Yarrow
Photos By Michael Kirby
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