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Perris RacewayPerris, CaliforniaAMA Speedway National Best Pairs Championship NICOL AND BECKER LAND AMA NATIONAL PAIRS IN A LAST LAP NAIL BITER. Perris Raceway, 1 Feb 2020. 2020 Wolverhampton Wolves team mates Broc Nicol and Luke Becker landed the 2020 AMA Speedway National Best Pairs title after a gripping final went down to the very last lap. The final race featured four of Americas very best riders who put on a team racing clinic to showcase this unique Pairs race format Stateside. The competition featured seven two rider teams and utilized a format similar to the Speedway of Nations World Championship, which winners Nicol and Becker starred in for USA last season. Each team had six heats, racing each opponent one time. Heats scored on a traditional 3,2,1,0 basis, with the top two teams making the final. Though the high scoring team got gate choice for the final, the scoreboard reset with the last race deciding the outcome of the event. The final scored 4,3,2,0 this taking any tie out of the equation and having a clear winner. Heat 1 was a tied 3-3 affair, Gino Manzares leading home opponents Austin Novratil and Tim Gomez. Manzares partner Aaron Fox being excluded for a rare tapes offense. The powerhouse due of Billy Janniro and defending Pairs Champion Max Ruml got a maximum 5-1 in heat two over the rookie team of Jake Isaac and Sara Cords. Heat three saw Becker and Nicol respond with their own 5-1 over the NorCal mentor and student duo of Blake Borello and Chris Kerr. Heat 4 saw Manzares win his second of the evening, but team mate Fox again did not finish, this time a bike failure restricting them to another 3-3 over the veteran duo of Eddie Castro and Brad Sauer. Heat 5 saw Novratil and Gomez score a maximum 5-1 over Cords and Isaac. Heat six had the big guns out with the Nicol / Becker team against Janniro and Ruml. The Wolves duo both made lightening fast starts and scored a big 5-1 over arguably their biggest title rivals. Round 2 was rounded out with a Borello / Kerr 5-1 over Sauer, whilst Castro was booted for a tape’s offense. Scores after round 2: Becker / Nicol 10+2, Novratil / Gomez 8+2, Janniro / Ruml 6+1, Borello / Kerr 6+1, Manzares / Fox 6, Castro / Sauer 4+1. Cords / Isaac 2. Round three started with Manzares staying perfect with his third win, Fox joining him for maximum points over the rookie team of Isaac and Cords, the latter retiring with bike failure. Heat 9 saw Janniro and Ruml bounce back with a 5-1 over Novratil and Gomez. Next up the leaders Nicol and Becker stayed perfect with a maximum win over Castro and Sauer. Heat 11 had Manzares take his fourth win, with Fox again in tow, ahead of Borello and Kerr. Austin Novratil in his typical showman style blew the event wide open with a big win in heat 12 over leaders Nicol and Becker. Borello and Kerr scored a maximum 5-1 in heat 13 over rookies of Cords and Isaac but the event saw Cords make a stunning move out of turn two to pass former Wolves star Kerr. Kerr fought back and the rode outside line to make his move on lap three to reclaim second place. Ruml and Janniro put the pressure back on the leaders with a 5-1 over Castro and Sauer in 14 to wrap out round 4. Scores after round 4: Becker / Nicol 18+4, Janniro / Ruml 16+3, Manzares / Fox 16+2, Novratil / Gomez 12+2, Borello / Kerr 12+2, Castro / Sauer 6+1, Cords / Isaac 4. Getting into the business end of the meeting, Heat 15 was another big one. Manzares to this point had won all four rides but next up were the leaders of Becker and Nicol. Manzares once more showed he meant business, inflicting the second defeat in a row on the now favorites. To make matters worse, Becker’s bike failed, enabling a 4-2 to Manzares and Fox. Novratil won his second in a row leading home Kerr and Borello for a 3-3 tie in heat 16. Heat 17 saw a vintage Castro ride, heading home the impressive duo of Cords and Isaac. Heat 18 was crucial, being the last ride for Manzares and Fox, they needed a points advantage over Janniro and Ruml to stay in contention but it was their rival duo of Billy and Max who had stellar rides to get a big 5-1 and move into a one-point lead. Novratil won heat 19 with Castro making a pass on Gomez late in the race to break their 5-1. Becker and Nicol bounced back to form with a 5-1 over Cords. This meant Janniro and Ruml needed a heat 21 5-1 over Borello and Kerr to lead the score sheet after the heats, a feat they duly pulled off. Scores after round 6, conclusion of heats: The one-point advantage gave Janniro and Ruml gate preference in the winner take all final. The 4,3,2,0 format essentially meant that the team whose rider got last place in the final would be runner up. From the inside Janniro made a superb start from Nicol whilst Ruml and Becker were bumping elbows in turn 1, Ruml coming out on top. Nicol made an inside dive for the lead on the back straight out of turn 2, with Becker planning to move out of last place and displacing Ruml. On the back stretch of lap two Becker briefly went inside of Ruml for third but a combination of Ruml’s blistering outside response and Janniro slowing down a touch to inhibit Becker as positions were held. It stayed this way until turn 1 of lap four when Ruml, in third place, lost grip and slid off the bike, thus promoting Becker to third and suddenly the result swinging the other away. Ruml got up unhurt and was as ever very gracious despite being so close to a deserved third consecutive title. Meantime the Wolves 2020 duo celebrated a hard-fought win. It was very much a Wolverhampton Wolves past and present reunion as trophies were presented. The winning duo received their ‘Bobby Schwartz Pairs Trophies’ from the man himself, two-time World Pairs Champion and Wolves 1985 Captain. Also, in attendance were Wolves all time greatest rider and 1993 World Champ Sam Ermolenko, and his brother Charles, who was a league winner with the club in 1991. As well as the AMA Pairs several other classes raced in both Pairs and Individual action. Their results will be covered in a separate report. The next Perris action is in 4 weeks on leap day February 29th, featuring round 1 of the ever-popular team racing league series. AMA Speedway National Best Pairs Championship Final Result Gino Manzares - 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 1 (16)
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