Fast Fridays Speedway

Gold Country Fairgrounds
1273 High Street
Auburn, California

Sidecars Round 3
Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, July 5, 2024
Story and Photos by Michael Kirby

The weather was hot, but the racing was even hotter for week nine of the 2024 season at Fast Friday's Motorcycle Speedway in Auburn Ca. With temperatures breaking 108 degrees during the day it cooled off nicely as race time was near and the track shaded by the pine trees at the Gold Country Fairgrounds made it perfect for racing.

The highlight of the night was the return of the Extreme Sidecars for the third round of their five appearances at Fast Fridays including the AMA Extreme Sidecar National Championship on August 31. Five teams of two riders each made the trip to Auburn to test their skills on the “tricky dirt oval” at Fast Friday's. These three-wheeled 1000cc chariots carry two riders-one driving the motorcycle and one rider hanging off the back and swinging off the side to balance the bike in the turns. It is really something to see and die-hard sidecar fans at Fast Friday's just go wild for this form of speedway racing.

The team of Joe Jones and Johnny Glover won the sidecar main event. Jones and Glover won three of the four races in the sidecar program including the main event. The team of Wade Boyd and Eric Lindauer were second, and the team of Emil and Edward Ovrid were third. The main event took three starts to kick it off, the first two were called back for restarts by referee Steve Lucero when tight bunching of the teams in turn one resulted in one of the sidecars forced into the track infield. The third start was a keeper and Jones and Glover who started on the outside lane of the track got the best gate and led from the beginning. Jones is the current AMA National Extreme Sidecar champion and his experience driving a sidecar goes back years and it showed in the main event. Boyd and Lindauer gave chase and tried to catch Jones and Glover but fell short and settled for second place. The Ovrid team slid in for third place. It was bump and go racing for the whole race as machines and drivers did their best to maneuver on the track showcasing their racing skills.

A couple of firsts in the sidecar program, riding on the back of the sidecar Peter Konrad piloted was Ava Arguello who checked off a bucket list dream of racing on a sidecar. An ardent speedway fan coming to Fast Friday's each week for years Arguello got the opportunity to ride a sidecar and she took it saying, “It was everything I thought it would be.” Also, riding on the back of sidecar #47 piloted by Jason Fritze was Tiffiny Leppien also taking her first ride on the back of a sidecar. Lippien usually works taking tickets at the Fast Friday’s entrance, traded in her apron for a back seat ride on a sidecar.

Billy Janniro picked up another scratch main event win making it his fifth scratch main event win of the season. Janniro had another perfect night winning his heat, semi-final and then the main event races. Blake Borello rode a great race and nearly caught Janniro at the end of the race in lap four but had to settle for second place. Alex Martin was third. Janniro leads all Division I riders in Fast Friday's season points as of last week with 1135 points followed by Bart Bast with 964 and Charlie Trana with 935 points.
In his first time this season racing at Fast Friday's Justin Almon won the handicap main event. Almon is from Southern California and made the trip north worthwhile for his season debut Friday night. Almon was fresh off a win last Saturday night at City of Industry where he won the handicap main event there also. He currently starts on the 20-yard line but will be seeing the 30-yard line the next time he visits Fast Friday's. Alex Martin was second and Daniel Faria was third.

Mike Newnham won his first main event this season in the Support Class. Newnham proudly wears his Uncle Dean Newnham's leathers and sports his 365 number as he races each week honoring his uncle. Dean Newnham was a racer each week at Fast Friday's and sadly passed away last December at age 60. Antonio Coffman was second and Larry Staggs was third.

Jameson Hutchinson won his second Youth 250 main event in a row and three for the season at Fast Friday's. With 2023 AMA Youth 250 national champion Darren Armbruster not racing at Fast Friday's for the last two weeks the door is open for a few of the other Youth 250 racers to show what they have. Caden Cavrikas was second and Wesley Rearick was third.

Riley Rearick who continued his winning streak at Fast Friday's won his ninth Youth 150 main event of the season and still has yet to lose a main event or even a heat race this season. A strong rider from Southern California Hudson Jones, son of sidecar driver Joe Jones, presented Rearick a real challenge this week but even handicapped on the 70-yard line Rearick was able to catch Jones on the last lap of the main event for the win. Jones had fallen in a tight heat race earlier with Rearick and had to ride a borrowed bike for the main event. After nine weeks Rearick's Youth 150 streak is still intact. Gavin Evans Seeley was second and Zander Schroeder was third.

The racing action fires up again at Fast Friday's next Friday night when the rivalry continues with round four of the Team Challenge. The score is Team Law Tigers 23 and Team IFC 23 in the season long grudge match, and it is wide open for either team to pull ahead. It should be a great night of racing along with the regular program. “The Place to be on Friday Nights.”

Results for 7-5-24

Division I Scratch Main Event
1-Billy Janniro, 2-Blake Borello, 3-Alex Martin 4-Broc Nicol (DNF)

Division I Handicap Main Event
1-Justin Almon, 2-Alex Martin, 3-Daniel Faria

Support Class Main Event
1-Mike Newnham, 2-Antonio Coffman, 3-Larry Staggs

Support Class Consolation
1-John Peters, 2-LC Veale, 3-Giovanni Tonti

Youth 250 Main Event
1-Jameson Hutchinson, 2-Caden Cavrikas, 3-Wesley Rearick

Youth 150 Main Event
1-Riley Rearick, 2-Gavin Evans Seeley, 3-Zander Schroeder

Extreme Sidecars Main Event (Round Three)
1-Joe Jones/Johnny Glover, 2-Wade Boyd/Eric Lindauer, 3-Peter Konrad/Ava Arguello