IMI Motorsports Complex
Erie, Colorado

Colorado State Championships
October 4, 1997 - IMI Motorsports Complex
From: Jennifer Susich, fainche@earthlink.net

Great night of racing tonight, folks. We had a several riders come out for the championships that we hadn't seen in awhile. Unfortunately Ron Grace broke his collarbone practicing this week and was unable to participate. We had 14 Division 1 riders, 4 Division 2, and used a championship format for racing, with 5 heats and no main. Division 1 positions were drawn for each race and Division 2 rotated positions.

Division 2 Heat 1
Joe Gawith, who hasn't been to the track in quite some time, got the gate from second position. But David Storie, another returning rider, took over and grabbed first. Chad Mann came up from last to pass Mike Rohr and take third.
1st 07 David Storie
2nd 24 Joe Gawith
3rd 39 Chad Mann
4th 27 Mike Rohr

Division 2 Heat 2
Storie didn't make it out for this race. Mann got the gate from pole and kept the lead.
1st 39 Chad Mann
2nd 24 Joe Gawith
3rd 27 Mike Rohr

Division 2 Heat 3
Rohr lead this race, followed by Mann, Storie and Rohr. Storie took over second on the last lap.
1st 27 Mike Rohr
2nd 07 David Storie
3rd 39 Chad Mann
4th 24 Joe Gawith

Division 2 Heat 4
1st 07 David Storie
2nd 24 Joe Gawith
3rd 39 Chad Mann
4th 27 Mike Rohr

Division 2 Heat 5
Storie got the gate and took the lead from third position. Mann passed Rohr on the inside on the back straight in lap two. Storie crossed the finish line in style, with his front wheel in the air.
1st 07 David Storie
2nd 39 Chad Mann
3rd 27 Mike Rohr
4th 24 Joe Gawith

Speedway Division 2 State Champion Final Results
07 David Storie (11)
39 Chad Mann (8)
24 Joe Gawith (6)
27 Mike Rohr (5)

Division 1 Round 1
1st Race-Jammin' Cam Brooks drew pole, followed by "Thumbs Up" Chuck Johansen (who ended up not making this race due to bike problems), King Kenny Pieper and David "Colorado Cowboy" Pieper, who grabbed the gate. King Kenny pulled out front in turn one, followed by the Cowboy and Jammin' Cam. Cowboy Pieper kept right on King Pieper's tail and took over as King Kenny went wide in turn three.
1st 3 David "Colorado Cowboy" Pieper (Godden)
2nd 11 King Kenny Pieper (Godden)
3rd 10 Jammin' Cam Brooks (GM)

2nd Race-Gene "Dancin' Machine" Petz drew pole, followed by Allen "X-Man" Williams and Calvin "The Calvinator" Harrington. Petz got the gate but Williams soon passed Petz, only for Petz to pass Williams again. But Petz went wide in turn three and Williams slid by for the win.
1st X Allen "X-Man" Williams (GM)
2nd 57 Gene "Dancin' Machine" Petz (JAWA)
3rd 4 Calvin "The Calvinator" Harrington

3rd Race-Rob "Rocket" Ball drew pole, with Scott "Scotty O" Ormiston, Tom "Kamikaze Kid" Kern and Jay "Do or Die" Gruetzmacher next to him. There were two races here: Scotty O and the Rocket battled for first with Scotty in the lead, and half a track later was a battle between Kamikaze and Do or Die.
1st 9 Scott "Scotty O" Ormiston (WL)
2nd 17 Rob "The Rocket" Ball
3rd 14 Jay "Do or Die" Gruetzmacher (WL)
4th 74 Tom "Kamikaze Kid" Kern" (Godden)

4th Race-Don "Batman" Foster drew pole, followed by Conn "Con Man" Harris and Pat "The Rat" Litt on the outside. The Rat got the gate and did nothing but increase his lead the whole race, winning by at least 1/2 the track length.
1st 28 Pat "The Rat" Litt
2nd 5 Don "Batman" Foster (WL)
3rd 21 Conn "The Conn Man" Harris (WL)

Division 1 Round 2
1st Race-Do or Die raced from pole, with The Rat, Kamikaze Kid and the Con Man by his side. Kamikaze Kid got the gate, but The Rat pushed his way through by turn one to take the lead. Kamikaze Kid and Do or Die raced side by side for most of this race until Kamikaze forced his way up front.
1st 28 Pat "The Rat" Litt
2nd 74 Tom "Kamikaze Kid" Kern (Godden)
3rd 14 Jay "Do or Die" Gruetzmacher (WL)
4th 21 Conn "The Conn Man" Harris (WL)

2nd Race-X Man had pole, followed by Jammin' Cam and The Calvinator. Jammin' Cam grabbed the gate and won the race beautifully.
1st 10 Jammin' Cam Brooks
2nd X Allen "X-Man" Williams
3rd 4 Calvin "The Calvinator" Harrington

3rd Race-Scotty O lead from pole, with King Kenny starting second, Batman third and the Rocket on the outside. King Kenny popped a wheelie off the start and there was a cluster of bikes in the first turn, with Scotty O pulling out ahead. King Kenny went wide, pulling up the rear, but in a single burst swept past Batman and the Rocket.
1st 9 Scott "Scotty O" Ormiston
2nd 11 King Kenny Pieper
3rd 17 Rob "The Rocket" Ball
4th 5 Don "Batman" Foster

4th Race-The Dancin' Machine drew pole, with Thumbs Up Chuck and Cowboy Pieper second and third. Thumbs Up grabbed the gate and Dancin' Machine stuck inside to ride second. Cowboy went inside in turn three to pass, only to go down a lap later in turn two. The Dancin' Machine stalled and gave Cowboy a chance.
1st 45 Thumbs Up Chuck Johansen
2nd 3 David "Colorado Cowboy" Pieper
3rd 57 Gene "Dancin' Machine" Petz

Division 1 Round 3
1st Race-Pole held the Rocket, with Jammin' Cam, Cowboy Pieper and The Calvinator ready to race. The Rocket grabbed the gate but the Cowboy pulled ahead. Jammin' Cam went down between turns one and two, and the Calvinator couldn't keep pace with the Rocket and Cowboy, who won by a wheel and went down after the checkered.
1st 3 David "Colorado Cowboy" Pieper
2nd 17 Rob "The Rocket" Ball
3rd 4 Calvin "The Calvinator" Harrington
4th 10 Jammin' Cam Brooks

2nd Race-King Kenny had pole, followed by Scotty O and Kamikaze Kid. The Kid took off like a bat out of hell, but couldn't hold his bike at the high speeds. Luckily, two very experienced riders were on the track with him so he wasn't run over the many times he wobbled and finally wiped out in turn three.
1st 11 King Kenny Pieper
2nd 9 Scott "Scotty O" Ormiston

3rd Race-Do or Die sat on pole, followed by the Con Man, Batman and the Rat. The Rat, of course, grabbed the gate and raced around the track by himself. Do or Die was attempting to catch up, followed by Batman and the Con Man, who wiped out in turn one. Batman passed Do or Die on the outside to snag second.
1st 28 Pat "The Rat" Litt
2nd 5 Don "Batman" Foster
3rd 14 Jay "Do or Die" Gruetzmacher
4th 21 Conn "The Con Man" Harris

4th Race-Pole held Thumbs Up Chuck, with the X Man and the Dancin' Machine close by. The Dancin' Machine got the gate, but Thumbs Up Chuck still came out front. The Dancin' Machine was passed by the X Man in turn three and then went down.
1st 45 Thumbs Up Chuck Johansen (GM)
2nd X Allen "X Man" Williams (GM)
3rd 57 Gene "The Dancin' Machine" Petz (JAWA)

Division 1 Round 4
1st Race-This heat held Scotty O on pole, then the Dancin' Machine, Cowboy Pieper and Thumbs Up Chuck. Scotty O and Cowboy Pieper rode side by side for an entire lap before Scotty O was able to pull away and take first.
1st 9 Scott "Scotty O Ormiston (WL)
2nd 3 David "Colorado Cowboy" Pieper (Godden)
3rd 45 Thumbs Up Chuck Johansen (GM)
4th 57 Gene "Dancin' Machine" Petz (JAWA)

2nd Race-The X Man held pole, then came Batman and the Con Man. Batman got the gate.
1st 5 Don "Batman" Foster (WL)
2nd 21 Conn "The Con Man" Harris (WL)
3rd X Allen "The X Man" Williams (GM)

3rd Race-Jammin' Cam was on pole, then Do or Die, The Rat and The Rocket. Do or Die got the gate and there was a battle between him and The Rat. In lap three The Rat pulled out front.
1st 28 Pat "The Rat" Litt
2nd 14 Jay "Do or Die' Gruetzmacher (WL)
3rd 17 Rob "The Rocket" Ball
4th 10 Jammin' Cam Brooks (GM)

4th Race-Pole was drawn by King Kenny, with Kamikaze Kid and The Calvinator following. Kamikaze biffed it after turn one in lap two and the Calvinator was at least a half-track behind the King.
1st 11 King Kenny Pieper (Godden)
2nd 4 Calvin "The Calvinator" Harrington
3rd 74 Tom "Kamikaze Kid" Kern (Godden)

Division 1 Round 5
1st Race-This final heat posed #1 in points, Pat "The Rat" Litt, on pole, versus Rob "The Rocket" Ball, Calvin "The Calvinator" Harrington and Scott "Scotty O" Ormiston, who had second place points. Scotty O got the gate, but The Rocket got the tape and there was a restart and Scotty O lost his great lead. But he got the gate again. The Rat passed on the outside of turn one and blew Scotty's concentration. The Rocket finished his night by rolling in turn three.
1st 28 Pat "The Rat" Litt
2nd 9 Scott "Scotty O" Ormiston (WL)
3rd 4 Calvin "The Calvinator" Harrington
4th 17 Rob "The Rocket" Ball

2nd Race-This race placed the Pieper brothers, who were tied for third, against each other and Jay "Do or Die" Gruetzmacher. David "Colorado Cowboy" Pieper had pole and King Kenny Pieper got the gate. All three held tight through turn one. Cowboy went wide in lap two, turn one and the King took the checkered with a wheelie. This win tied the King and Scotty O for second, causing a match race.
1st 11 King Kenny Pieper (Godden)
2nd 3 David "Colorado Cowboy" Pieper (Godden)
3rd 14 Jay "Do or Die" Gruetzmacher (WL)

3rd Race-Conn "The Con Man" Harris had pole, with Jammin' Cam Brooks, Gene "The Dancin' Machine" Petz and Don "Batman" Foster lined up jointly. Jammin' Cam got the gate, but The Dancin' Machine went inside to take the lead. He then went wide and Batman took advantage by slipping inside to take first.
1st 5 Don "Batman" Foster (WL)
2nd 57 Gene "The Dancin' Machine" Petz (JAWA)
3rd 21 Conn "The Con Man" Harris (WL)
4th 10 Jammin' Cam Brooks

4th Race-This final heat race placed Allen "X Man" Williams on pole, next to Thumbs Up Chuck Johansen and Tom "Kamikaze Kid" Kern. Thumbs Up got the gate and took the checkered with his front tire air borne.
1st 45 Thumbs Up Chuck Johansen (GM)
2nd 74 Tom "Kamikaze Kid" Kern (Godden)
3rd X Allen "X Man" Williams (GM)

King Kenny/Scotty O Match Race
Scotty O was having bike problems and ended up borrowing the X Man's. King Kenny drew pole. Unfortunately, the borrowed bike threw off Scotty O, and after putting up a great fight went down in turn one of lap two.

Speedway Division 1 State Champion Final Results:
1st 28 Pat "The Rat" Litt (15)
2nd 11 King Kenny Pieper (13) Godden
3rd 9 Scott "Scotty O" Ormiston (13) WL
4th 3 David "Colorado Cowboy" Pieper (12) Godden
5th 5 Don "Batman" Foster (10) WL
45 Thumbs Up Chuck Johansen (10) GM
6th X Allen "X Man" Williams (9) GM
7th 14 Jay "Do or Die" Gruetzmacher (7) WL
74 Tom "Kamikaze Kid" Kern (7) Godden
8th 4 Calvin "The Calvinator" Harrington (6)
57 Gene "The Dancin' Machine" Petz (6) JAWA
9th 21 Conn "The Con Man" Harris (4) WL
17 Rob "The Rocket" Ball (4)
10 Jammin' Cam Brooks (4) GM