Fast Fridays Speedway

Gold Country Fairgrounds
1273 High Street
Auburn, California

Team Challenge 3
Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, June 23, 2023
Story and Photos by Michael Kirby

Scratch Main Winner Billy Janniro
Michael Kirby Photo

Fast Friday's Motorcycle Speedway in Auburn Ca. continues to be the place to be on Friday nights for the best speedway racing. All summer long David Joiner and his talented crew and riders show up each week and present a great show, fun, family entertainment.

In this seventh week of the 2023 season, current AMA National Speedway Champion Billy Janniro picked up his second Division I scratch main win and was the fastest man of the night. Janniro has consistently qualified for every scratch main event this season and won two.

This week the champ faced Blake Borello, Timmy Dion and Daniel Faria in the night’s finale. Out of lane two Janniro with a good gate and working the inside line, unusual for him mostly preferring the deeper outside dirt, got to the lead avoiding a mishap in turn three in lap one that brought down Borello, Dion and Faria. Referee Steve Lucero calling for a restart but without Borello whose bike sustained enough damage to keep him out of the restart. The restart was almost a carbon copy of the first start with Janniro quick off the line and to the inside in turn one and in front. Janniro continued to gain space on the other riders out of reach for any serious challenge and rode his signature wheelie across the finish line. Dion was second and Faria third.

Louie Mersaroli picked up his first Division I handicap main win of the season. Mersaroli has qualified for every handicap main event except one and finished in the top three of all. Friday night he put it all together for his first handicap main win of the season. Third in his heat race and then first in his semi-final, Mersaroli handicapped on the 30-yard line worked his way around Billy Janniro on the inside and then followed Daniel Faria until he found his hole to pass. He and Blake Borello passed Faria and sprinted to the finish line with Mersaroli firmly in front. Mersaroli was first, Borello second and Faria third.

John Peters was first in the support class main event. Peters, who has gotten quite a few rides lately riding in several divisions, won his heat race to transfer to the support class main event. Handicapped on the 50-yard line, Peters was impressive in the win with a strong challenge from Cody Aker who had a mechanical problem on the last lap and did not finish leaving the race to Peters and Catherine Moore who filled the gap. Peters took the checkered flag; Moore was second and Brian Leventon was third. Cody Aker won the Trophy dash, Peters was second.

Injury and other commitments left only one rider in the Youth 250 division this week. Nick Hohlbein was the only rider in that division and he put on quite impressive one rider exhibition winning the main event unopposed.

In the Youth 150 division again, it was the Rearick brothers, Riley and Wesley going head-to-head. A Rearick brother has won every Youth 150 main event this season except two. This week it was Wesley Rearick that came out on top. Wesley is handicapped on the 50-yard line and Brother Riley is on the 30-yard line. Neck and neck in all their exciting races this week Wesley came out top dog. Riley was second to his brother in their heats and the main event. Matthew Wright was third in the main event.

Team Law Tigers kept their lead over Team M-45 in the third round of the Team Challenge. Coming into this round Team Law Tigers led Team M-45 13-11. Behind strong rides by Law Tigers riders Billy Janniro and Louie Mersaroli who finished first and second in the first race picking up five points. Timmy Dion and Glenn Moore added three more points from the second race and the score ended up with the Law Tigers increasing their lead to 21-15 over M-45. Daniel Faria had a great ride for Team M-45 in the second race winning and picking up three points for M-45. The season long grudge match continues July 7 with round four.

In the Fast Friday's season points race in Division I Broc Nicol leads with 813 points followed closely by Louie Mersaroli with 795 and Billy Janniro with 780 points. John Peters leads Division II with 321 points followed by Aidan McNutt with 240 points. Division III is led by Catherine Moore with 342 points, John Gauthreaux with 303 and Cody Aker with 279 points.

Next week be sure to be at Fast Fridays for the speedway endurance event of the year. Who will be this season's iron man winner of the 25-lap main event? Fast Fridays the place to be on Friday nights.

Results for 6-23-23

Division I Scratch Main Event
1-Billy Janniro, 2-Timmy Dion, 3-Daniel Faria

Division I Handicap Main Event
1-Louie Mersaroli, 2-Blake Borello, 3-Daniel Faria

Support Class Main Event
1-John Peters, 2-Catherine Moore, 3-Brian Leventon

Youth 250 Main Event
1-Nick Hohlbein

Youth 150 Main Event
1-Wesley Rearick, 2-Riley Rearick, 3-Matthew Wright

Team Challenge Series (Round Three)
Team M45-4 Team Law Tigers-8
Total (Rounds One, Two & Three)
M-45-15 Law Tigers-21

Youth 150 Main Event
Michael Kirby Photo

Michael Kirby Photos
	Louie won the Handicap Main event, his second main event win of the season. Mersaroli also won the Scratch Main event in week two.
	John Peters won the support class main event. Peters also leads in the Division II Fast Friday’s season point’s race.
	Riding unopposed this week Nick Hohlbein won the Youth 250 main event.
	Wesley Rearick (50) won the Youth 150 main event. In great races each week with his brother Riley, this week Wesley came out on top.
	Billy Janniro (near) came out on top this week winning the Scratch Main event his second of the season. Janniro shown here in a tight heat race with Daniel Faria.
	Cody Aker won the trophy dash.
	Timmy Dion draws his starting position before the start of the Scratch Main event. Dion drew lane three and finished second.