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Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
1273 High Street
Auburn, California
Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
AMA Youth Speedway National Championship & Sidecar National Championship
By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, August 28, 2021
Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway presented a very ambitious program on the first week of their Saturday night racing events at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn Ca. The Extreme Sidecar team of Joe Jones and Tom Summers won the 2021 AMA Speedway Sidecar National Championship, Alex Martin took top honors winning the 2021 AMA 250 Youth Speedway National Championship and Nick Hohlbein repeated his last years national championship winning the 2021 AMA 150 Youth Speedway National Championship.
Saturday’s AMA Speedway Sidecar National Championship is only the second time the American Motorcycle Association has sanctioned this type of racing. The first sanctioned event was in 2019 and 2020 was canceled because of Covid. The team of Joe Jones and Josh Flammia won the first event. The team of Joe Jones and Tom Summers were undefeated for the night Saturday the only team to make that claim winning this years championship.
The format was 20 heats with 14 teams scoring points for each finishing position, three points for first place, two for second, one for third and zero for a fourth place finish. The top two heat race finishers when transferred right into the sidecar final event. The next four top scorers moved into a Last Chance heat with the top two finishers able to move into the championship final. With the top scoring teams of Jones/Summers with 15 points and the team of Dillon Osborne and Jamie Morabito with 13 points waiting in the final round the Last Chance heat was a battle to fill the other two slots. The team of Robert Curry and Laurie Curry finished the do or die race just ahead of the team of James Kinne and Josh Bustos. Both transferred to the final with Jones/Summers and Osborne/Morabito.
For the final Jones/Summers got lucky and drew lane one, Osborne/Morabito were in lane two, Kinne/Bustos sat in third and way out in four was Curry/Curry. From the gate Jones took Summers out front through turn one and all the way to the checkered flag. The real fight was for second, third and fourth. Osborne and Morabito were the closest to catch Jones/Summers and made attempts but Jones/Summers were just invincible making it a perfect 18 point night and taking home the championship. Osborne/Morabito were second, Kinne/Bustos were third and Curry/Curry fourth. The sidecar program was very exciting with riders falling off the bikes, nose to nose bumping heat races and even a blown smokey motor. The Jones/Summers team now gets to hold onto the trophy until next year.
Sixteen year old Alex Martin who started racing in 2010 made it all work winning the 2021 AMA 250 Youth Speedway National Championship. Martin finished second last year behind Wilbur Hancock and battled a tough group of riders this season. Six riders filled out the field this year, three heats each, a Last Chance heat and final was the format. Scoring the same as the sidecars, three, two, one and zero for finishing positions. Martin dropped just one point in his heat finishing second to Slater Lightcap in one heat. Martin transferred right to the final along with Lightcap and Charlie Trana all dropping just one point in their heats. That left Levi Leutz, Chase Kangas and Catherine Moore to fight it out for the final spot in the Last Chance heat. Leutz gave it his all and won the race to advance to the final. In the final championship race Martin drew lane one, Lightcap was in two, Trana in three and Leutz was in four. Martin got a good gate and was leading when on the second lap Lightcap went down and Trana slid into him forcing a restart. This time the battle was familiar with Martin and Trana going at it but Martin led all the way and took the checkered flag. Trana was second, Lightcap third and Leutz fourth. “There was a lot of pressure on me all season long, I had to go all out, you have to bump elbows if you want to be national champion,” said Martin.
Nick Hohlbein has worn the number one AMA plate all season and he repeated his victory last year winning the 2021 AMA 150 Youth Speedway Championship this year. The 150’s had eight riders and rode three heats each also. Scoring was the same as the 250’s, three, two, one and zero for finishing order. Hohlbein was perfect all night with three first place finishes and nine points in his heats and of course winning the final also. Kensei Matsudaira finished second in the heats with seven points to move directly to the final also. Darren Armbruster and Brady Landon had great races in the last chance to transfer to the main. Armbruster was first and Landon second in a very good race.
Hohlbein got a good gate out of lane one, followed hotly by Armbruster and right behind him was Matsudaira. Hohlbein does not wear the number one plate for nothing and his experience carried him all the way to the finish line. Armbruster was second, Matsudaira was third and Landon fourth. This is the last year for Hohlbein as he will age out of the 150’s and be in the Youth 250 division next year. “I have been working four years of this and it feels better than last year,” said Hohlbein. “I am so happy to go out on top.”
Fast Fridays Results for 8-27-21
AMA 250 Youth Speedway National Championship
1-Alex Martin, 2-Charlie Trana, 3-Slater Lightcap
AMA 150 Youth Speedway National Championship
1-Nick Hohlbein, 2-Darren Armbruster, 3-Kensei Matsudaira
AMA Speedway Sidecar National Championship
Extreme Sidecars
1-Joe Jones/Tom Summers, 2-Dillon Osborne/Jamie Morabito, 3-Smylie Kinne/Josh Bustos
Other Youth Riders:
150cc
8 - Brady Landon 6 points
13 - Jameson Hutchinson 3 points
50 - Wesley Rearick 3 points
23 - Kaytie Kangas 1 point
119 - Caden Cavrikas 0 points
250cc
226 - Levi Leutz 5 points
123 - Catherine Moore 2 points
21 - Chase Kangas 2 points
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