Costa Mesa Speedway

Orange County Fairgrounds
Costa Mesa, California

U.S. National Sidecar Speedway Championship
October 7, 2017 - Costa Mesa
Report by Ryan Evans

2017 Sidecar National Championship - Costa Mesa, CA, USA - October 7, 2017

Joe Jones and Tom Summers won five of six races, including the National Championship Final, to win the 2017 Sidecar National Championship at the world famous Costa Mesa Speedway.

Joe Jones and Summers wisely selected gate one with their first choice of starting position. This gave them the advantage as they held the lead as the field hit turn one. They maintained control through lap one with Team JJR teammates Bryan Motis and Josh Bennett in hot pursuit. Motis and Bennett remained within striking distance throughout the race but couldn’t get close enough to force a mistake. Joe Jones and Summers were first to the checkered flag, Motis and Bach finished second, Dillon Osborne and Ashley Gibbons were third, and Jeff Rowe and Josh Bennett finished fourth.

For Joe Jones, it was his thirteenth title piloting a sidecar and the second with Summers. The duo won the championship in 2015 but a scary crash and subsequent injury kept Summers off the machine last year and Joe Jones won the title with Dave German.

The evening commenced with Kevin Holman and Blake Cronkrite scoring an upset victory over Stuart Glass and Jack Straw. Motis and Bach won event two ahead of Jeremy Galein and Eric Hernandez. Joe Jones and Summers beat Osborne and Gibbons to end round one.

Round two started with Rowe and Bennett narrowly defeating Dan Jones and Chris Jones with a pass at the finish line. Joe Jones and Summers made it two wins in a row with a victory ahead of Motis and Bach. Osborne and Gibbons beat James “Smylie” Kinne and David Bernardo to finish the second round.

The third round opened with Rowe and Bennett winning their second straight race with Robert Curry and Johnny Glover serving as their victims. Joe Jones made it three consecutive victories by beating Motis and Bach again. Osborne and Gibbons ended round three with a victory over Glass and Straw for their second straight win.

Round four began with Motis and Bach getting their second victory by beating Glass and Shaw. In the next race, Joe Jones and Summers were penalized for causing a red flag. Osborne and Gibbons were the biggest benefactors by winning their third straight race with Rowe and Bennett getting second, and Joe Jones and Summers getting third for their only defeat of the night. Galein and Hernandez beat Holman and Cronkrite to finish the fourth round with a win.

The last round of heats started with Motis and Bach booking their place in the Final by beating Kinne and Bernardo. Joe Jones and Summers secured first starting position in the Final with their fourth victory while Osborne and Gibbons were second to earn a spot directly in the Final. Rowe and Bennett closed out the heats with their third win in four races after missing a restart in their first race.

Rowe and Bennett kept up their momentum by winning the Last Chance Race to get themselves into the Final. It was their fourth win of the night, topped only by the eventual champions. Glass and Straw finished second, Curry and Glover were third, and Holman and Cronkrite finished fourth.

Eight First Division speedway racers competed in an exhibition consisting of three rounds of heat races, a consolation, and a main event.

Broc Nicol, one week removed from his amazing National Championship victory, started the heats with a win over Dillon Ruml and Austin Novratil. Gino Manzares beat Gage Geist and Shawn “Mad Dog” McConnell in the other heat in round one.

Round two saw Manzares give Nicol his only defeat in the first race while Novratil defeated Dillon Ruml in the other heat.

The final round of heats began with Nicol getting his second victory, this one ahead of Novratil and McConnell. Dillon Ruml beat his brother, Max Ruml and Gino Manzares to close out the heats.
Gage Geist was victorious in the Speedway Exhibition Consolation. “Mad” Max Ruml was second, McConnell finished third, and Bobby “Boogaloo” Schwartz was fourth.

Nicol started from gate one and jumped into the lead of the Speedway Exhibition Main Event. Leading the posse behind him was Dillon Ruml with Novratil and Manzares in tow. The group chased the leader throughout the race but weren’t able to make him flinch. Nicol put together four smooth laps and backed up last week’s championship victory with a main event win this week. Dillon Ruml had to settle for second, Novratil was third, and Manzares finished fourth.

This was the last event on the 2017 Costa Mesa Speedway calendar. The 50th season of speedway at the world-famous venue is tentatively slated to start in May 2018.

RESULTS

Sidecar National Championship Final
1 – Joe Jones/Tom Summers
4 – Bryan Motis/Johnny Bach
64 – Dillon Osborne/Ashley Gibbons
1965 – Jeff Rowe/Josh Bennett

Last Chance Race
1965 – Jeff Rowe/Josh Bennett
911 – Stuart Glass/Jack Straw
31 – Robert Curry/Johnny Glover
11 – Kevin Holman/Blake Cronkrite

Speedway Exhibition Main Event
1 – Broc Nicol
3 – Dillon Ruml
7 – Austin Novratil
24 – Gino Manzares

Speedway Exhibition Consolation
10 – Gage Geist
5 – Max Ruml
6 – Shawn McConnell
11 – Bobby Schwartz

Sidecar National Championship Heat Scoring 1 2 3 4 5 T
1 – Joe Jones/Tom Summers 3 3 3 1 3 13
4 – Bryan Motis/Johnny Bach 3 2 2 3 3 13
7 – Dan Jones/Chris Jones X 2 0 E N 2
11 – Kevin Holman/Blake Cronkrite 3 1 1 2 X 7
12 – Jeremy Galein/Eric Hernandez 2 0 1 3 R 6
31 – Robert Curry/Johnny Glover 1 1 2 1 2 7
64 – Dillon Osborne/Ashley Gibbons 2 3 3 3 2 13
74 – James Kinne/David Bernardo X 2 1 X 2 5
81 – Dan Rapaport/Jacob Serrano 0 0 0 R 1 1
911 – Stuart Glass/Jack Straw 2 1 2 2 1 8
1965 – Jeff Rowe/Josh Bennett Nr 3 3 2 3 11

Sidecar National Championship Race Results
1: (restarted) Holman/Cronkrite (penalty line), Glass/Straw (penalty line), Kinne/Bernardo (excluded), Rowe/Bennett (non starter, restart)
2: Motis/Bach, Galein/Hernandez, D. Jones/C. Jones
3: J. Jones/Summers, Osborne/Gibbons, Curry/Glover, Rapaport/Serrano
6: (restarted) J. Rowe/Bennett, D. Jones/C. Jones, Curry/Glover, Rapaport/Serrano
7: (restarted) J. Jones/Summers, Motis/Bach, Holman/Cronkrite
8: Osborne/Gibbons, Kinne/Bernardo, Glass/Straw, Galein/Hernandez
11: Rowe/Bennett, Curry/Glover, Holman/Cronkrite
12: J. Jones/Summers, Motis/Bach, Kinne/Bernardo, D. Jones/C. Jones
13: Osborne/Gibbons, Glass/Straw, Galein/Hernandez, Rapaport/Serrano
14: Motis/Bach, Glass/Straw, Curry/Glover, Kinne/Bernardo (excluded)
15: (restarted twice) Osborne/Gibbons, Rowe/Bennett, J. Jones/Summers (penalty line)
16: Galein/Hernandez, Holman/Cronkrite, D. Jones/C. Jones (engine failure), Rapaport/Serrano (retired)
19: Motis/Bach, Kinne/Bernardo, Rapaport/Serrano
20: J. Jones/Summers, Osborne/Gibbons, Glass/Straw, D. Jones/C. Jones (non starter)
21: Rowe/Bennett, Curry/Glover, Holman/Cronkrite, Galein/Hernandez (retired)

Speedway Exhibition Scoring 1 2 3 T
1 – Broc Nicol 3 2 3 8
3 – Dillon Ruml 2 2 3 7
5 – Max Ruml 0 1 2 3
6 – Shawn McConnell 1 0 1 2
7 – Austin Novratil 1 3 2 6
10 – Gage Geist 2 1 0 3
11 – Bobby Schwartz 0 0 0 0
24 – Gino Manzares 3 3 1 7

Speedway Race Results
4: Nicol, D. Ruml, Novratil, M. Ruml
5: Manzares, Geist, McConnell, Schwartz
9: Manzares, Nicol, M. Ruml, McConnell
10: Novratil, D. Ruml, Geist, Schwartz
17: Nicol, Novratil, McConnell, Schwartz
18: D. Ruml, M. Ruml, Manzares, Geist

Past Sidecar National Champions
2016 – Joe Jones/Dave German
2015 – Joe Jones/Tom Summers
2014 – Bryan Motis/Josh Bennett
2013 – Joe Jones/Johnny Glover
2012 – Joe Jones/Johnny Glover
2011 – Joe Jones/Jimmy Olsen
2010 – Joe Jones/Jimmy Olsen
2009 – Joe Jones/Jimmy Olsen
2008 – Joe Jones/Jimmy Olsen
2007 – Joe Jones/Jimmy Olsen
2006 – Joe Jones/Brandi McElroy
2005 – Joe Jones/Brandi McElroy
2004 – Joe Jones/Brandi McElroy
2003 – Mike Fontaine/Scott McElroy
2002 – Dan Jones/Chris Jones
2001 – Bill Matherson/Dale Leeder
2000 – Bill Matherson/Dale Leeder
1999 – Stuart Glass/Deion Stokes
1998 – Bob Brayton/Parke Weaver
1997 – Peter Lewis/Jamie Macy
1996 – Dirk Gardner/Doug Lynch
1995 – Dean Steele/Dwayne King
1994 – Dirk Gardner/Doug Lynch
1993 – Kenny McIntyre/Les Ketchum
1992 – Randy McIntyre/Robert Dent
1991 – Randy McIntyre/Robert Fox
1990 – Steve Stanton/Tom Tufts

Ryan Evans