Today`s Cycle Coverage Volume 1 Issue 22

Inside....
Team Hancock Racing
Speedway GP World Championship
Round 3: Marketa Stadium
3
Signature Hancock: Sitting on Top
CALVMX/ CR High Performance/ AHRMA SoCal Regional Series
Round 4: Perris Raceway
6
Clausen Leaves the Rest in a Pickle at Perris
ACES Appalachian Championship Enduro Series
Round 3: Lost In Lodi Community Group and Athens Motorcycle Club’s Sox Brookhart Memorial Enduro
10
Gaitten Sox It to ’em!
M2X Racing Smokin’ Summer Race Series
Round 1: A.V. Motoplex Motocross Park
13
Mollica Masters M2X Motocross
Gratz Half Mile Revival
16
Robinson, Avery Double at Gratz HM
Rider Profile: Christian Craig
20
Rip ’n’ Roost with Rodney: Rocket of Red
Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway
21
Janniro Again Tops Scratch Main Event
Costa Mesa Speedway
23
The Perfect Edge
S i g na t u r e H a nc o c k :
Sitting on Top
By Greg Hancock
Race photos by Jarek
Pabijan/www.pabijan.com.pl
and courtesy of Team Hancock Racing
I then traveled to Prague, Czech Republic,
for the third round of the GP World Championship
on Friday. With rain floating in the air, it felt like
there might be a possibility for a wet repeat of
Gothenburg, but it stayed away throughout
practice. I had a really good practice and felt fast,
comfortable and smooth, so the stage was set for
me. I just had to stay focused and hit it right from
the first heat.
Hey, everyone! What a great week I
just had!
First of all, I have to make a correction
to last week’s newsletter. I said that Piraterna
were facing Vargarna in the race last Tuesday,
when in fact it was actually Vastervik. It is
what it is, but Piraterna had a great win and
kept our hopes alive for the playoffs. We had a
team practice before the event, and that
proved worthy, as each of us had a much
better home match than the last one. I took
13 points.
Page 3
The rain did come after practice, and it
rained most of the night, but Saturday turned
out just fine. I started with a heat win and then
a second place but won all the rest of heats
after that.
As the top scorer, I had first choice of gate positions for
the semi; I took the favorable gate one and made the most of it,
winning that semi.
Page 4
I then had first choice for the final and took the same gate one. I was really feeling good
and made the start, only to be stopped, because Jason Crump had crashed in the first corner.
In the restart, I made an even better start, which gave me a good run around the first
corner, and then I saw daylight and kept my head down. Jarek Hampel was building speed the
whole race and tried a last run at me in the final corner, but I held my ground and came away
with an awesome win and a total of 23 points on the night. I am now leading the series by six
points over Tomasz Gollob! I’ve got a long way to go still, but I’m sitting in the driver’s seat!
After the GP, I traveled to Rzeszow, Poland, for another league match with Falubaz,
Zielona Gora. We had another great win and I took 12 plus two points. We are still sitting on
top of the league in Poland, and that also feels awesome!
I have a week off now, and then it’s all back on again to get ready for the GP in
Copenhagen.
Thanks again for all your support, and I’m looking
forward to seeing you on top!
1. Greg Hancock; 2. Jaroslaw Hampel; 3. Tomasz
Gollob; 4. Jason Crump; 5. Chris Holder; 6. Nicki
Pedersen; 7. Kenneth Bjerre; 8. Fredrik Lindgren; 9.
Andreas Jonsson; 10. Rune Holta; 11. Emil
Sayfutdinov; 12. Antonio Lindback; 13. Matej Kus;
14. Chris Harris; 15. Artem Laguta; 16. Janusz
Kolodziej.
Page 5
Clausen Leaves
the Rest in a
Pickle at Perris
Story by Steve Caro
Photos by Kathryn Caro
Picture-perfect weather and
an absolutely superb track greeted
the CALVMX/ AHRMA competitors
at round four of the CR High
Performance-sponsored race
series. The track crew at Perris
Raceway outdid themselves,
providing the riders with a
perfectly watered track, which
included the extra bonus of a
lengthened starting straight
leading into a tight left-hand Uturn.
Page 6
The 30-minute-plus-one-lap Ironman
race started off the proceedings, with
defending champion Kyle Winton scoring a
runaway victory in the GP Expert division,
with his fellow Yamaha rider Charlie Hamill
following him home in second. On his CZ,
longtime competitor Charlie Richardson took
an uncontested victory in the Vintage Expert
division for the pre-1975 machines.
The class that symbolizes the original
concept of Vintage racing (pre-1975
machines, stock suspension, etc.) in CALVMX
and AHRMA races is the newly created
Manufacturers Cup Series. Now in its second
year, it has become routine to often see
upward of 20 machines lined up at the
starting gate. At Perris, 17 machines –
representing five European and three
Japanese brands – lined up for the latest
round in the season-long contest for the
championship.
As the first moto began, it was Team
Ossa’s Scott Piddington emerging out of the
first-corner U-turn with the lead, followed by
Honda-mounted Wendell Clark and then
Montesa jockey Jeff Clausen, who upped the
pace and quickly found his way into the lead
by the end of lap one. Behind him, a fourrider battle for second developed over the
next several laps among Piddington, Clark,
and CZ riders Ron Renzulli and Kirk Chapman.
By lap four, Clausen had close to a sixsecond lead over the rest of the field. Behind
him, Renzulli moved up into second, with
Page 7
Chapman a close third. Clausen put his lead to
good use and cruised to the moto win. After a
tight duel, Renzulli took second, followed by
Chapman and a rapidly closing Ryan Carman,
on a Honda.
Moto two saw Piddington repeat his
holeshot start and lead the pack out of the first
turn and onto the course. This time, however,
Clausen was glued to his rear fender in second,
with defending Cup champion Norm Himaka, on
a Maico, running in third. Clausen timed his
pass perfectly and took over the point position
as the pack exited turn four. A few turns later,
Clark roared into the second spot, trailed by the
trio of Himaka, Chapman and Renzulli.
Himaka suffered a stalled motor on the
back part of the track on lap three, which
ended his bid for a top moto finish. With
Clausen once again pushing hard out in front,
a four-rider battle developed among Clark,
Chapman, Carmen and Renzulli. Their
positions remained in a constant state of
fluctuation for the next four laps.
At the white flag, Carman had a slight
lead over Chapman for second, with Renzulli
close behind in fourth. At the checkers, it was
Clausen taking his fourth straight overall for
2011, followed by Carman and Chapman.
June 18 will see the 2011 CALVMX/
AHRMA series returning to Perris for round five
and another day of classic motocross. With
seven rounds remaining in the 2011 season,
class championships are still very much up for
the taking in both the Vintage and Post-Vintage
divisions.
One of the youngest CALVMX
members, Nolan Wright, son of longtime
Vintage racer Pete Wright, made his dad
proud by sweeping both motos of the Junior
Post-Vintage Novice division aboard his
Kawasaki. Young Nolan stayed ahead of
several adult members on much larger
machines in a race that combined several
classes.
Three of the fastest 50-year-old racers
were entered in the Over 50 Vintage Expert
division on this day. CZ racers Bill Hagen,
Gary Faxon and Charlie Richardson have
logged thousands of laps – and countless
victories – between them. On this day, it was
Faxon’s turn to shine, as he absconded with
the holeshot in both motos and dominated
both races in commanding style. Richardson
used his 3-2 moto scores to take second
overall, with Hagen rounding out the podium
in third.
1. Charlie Richardson (CZ).
1. John Shore (Hon); 2. Eddy Pierre-Jerome
(Yam).
1. John Grebenstein (Hus).
1. Kyle Winton (Yam); 2. Charlie Hamill (Yam).
1. Nolan Wright (Kaw); 2. Jacob Peabody (Suz).
1. Steve Furman (Hon).
1. Eddy Pierre-Jerome (Yam).
1. Tom Raymer (Yam).
1. Vinnie Di Padova (Hon).
1. Pete Wright (Kaw); 2. Randy Nickel (C-A).
Page 8
1. Jeff Clausen (Mon); 2. Ryan Carman (Hon);
3. Kirk Chapman (CZ); 4. Ron Renzulli (CZ); 5.
Wendell Clark (Hon).
1. Jeff Clausen (Mon); 2. Ryan Carman (Hon);
3. Kirk Chapman (CZ); 4. Scott Piddington
(Oss); 5. Dave Peabody (Suz).
1. Ronald Ratigan (Mai).
1. Craig Furman (Hon); 2. Steve Furman
(Hon); 3. Kent Swanson (Suz).
1. Steve Voznick (Mai).
1. Terry Moody (Kaw); 2. Scott Mays; 3. Tom
Moody (Yam); 4. Jerry Reyes (Hon).
1. Ronald Ratigan (Mai).
1. Steve Gordon (Mai); 2. Jim Trask (Suz).
1. Steve Gordon (Suz); 2. Kevin Rogers (Hon);
3. Erich Haney (Hon).
1. Mike Fry (Hon).
1. Mark Sandzimier (Hon).
1. Ron Renzulli (CZ); 2. Dave Peabody (Suz);
3. John Rittermal (Mai).
1. Terry Moody (Hon).
1. Brian Brown (CZ).
1. Kirk Chapman (CZ); 2. Mark Reeder (CZ); 3.
Scott Piddington (Oss); 4. Phil Hungerford
(CZ); 5. Alex Toth (Hus).
1. Gary Faxon (CZ); 2. Charlie Richardson
(CZ); 3. Bill Hagen (CZ).
1. Paul Grossberg (Yam).
1. Ron Rinden (Hon); 2. Tom Raymer (Yam);
3. Pete Wright (Kaw).
1. Ed Tashjian (Suz).
1. Bill Churchill (Yam); 2. Al Gabriola (Hon).
1. Bob Kelly (Yam).
1. Kevin Rogers (Hon).
1. Mark Sandzimier (Suz).
1. Art Leva (Hon).
1. Hal Voznick (Kaw); 2. Steve Voznick (Kaw).
1. Kyle Winton (Yam).
1. Kyle Winton (Yam).
Page 9
Gaitten Sox It to ’em!
Story and Photos by Steve Wheeler
Mention the word “Lodi” and
many will have that old CCR tune “Lost
in Lodi” tumbling about in their heads.
For this event, a more appropriate tune
would have been “Who’ll Stop The
Rain.” Fortunately, southern Ohio has
been spared the severe storms that
much of the country has suffered,
perhaps because the sun hasn’t shined
enough to provide the thermal energy
needed to generate severe weather.
Nevertheless, this has been one of the
wettest springs on record, and Lodi, like
New Straitsville, would remind everyone
why these events are called enduros.
For race day, the skies actually
cleared as riders began to arrive at
signup at the Richland Township
Volunteer Fire Department in Shade,
Ohio. It was quite an impressive sight
to see the community in full support of
this fundraising event for the fire
department. Saturday’s arrivals found
the prime parking for their campers in
the old school lot, while those who
arrived later were directed into nearby
lots or front yards. The folks of Shade
know what hospitality is, and
throughout the day you would find
volunteers manning concession stands,
checks and road crossings.
While the locals made everyone
feel comfortable, no one felt more so
than KTM support rider Josh Gaitten,
who railed to an impressive score of 11.
KTM-mounted Morgan Green (KTM)
dropped 18 points to take second
overall, with Gas Gas rider Robbie Jenks
Page 10
rounding out the top three. With this finish,
Gaitten and Jenks find themselves tied at the
top of the AA and Overall results after three
rounds.
Some 135 riders began their day
pumped up about the prospect of racing on
100-percent-new trail. More than 50 of them
discovered that “new” translates into
“difficult” when you factor in spring rains and
foliage. It was the first section that would be
the downfall for many of them; it was here
that Gaitten served notice that he intended
that his name be the first one etched on one
of Sox’s old bike stands, which would be
presented by Sox’s widow, Jeanie, as the
rotating trophy for this event. Gaitten bested
the other contenders by two points here and
went on to become the third different winner
in as many events in 2011.
The competition in the B division, on the
other hand, would be close all day, with KTMmounted Brad Graves carrying a one- or twopoint lead all day, only to have Gas Gas pilot Zac
Thomas eclipse him by two points in the last
section to card a 38, pulling off a one-point win.
This section also set the tone for
bragging rights in the A ranks, as 2003
Enduro Champion Jeff Anderson made his
first appearance as a competitor in years and
was the only A rider to turn a five. The Hondamounted Anderson went on to drop 20 and
finish fourth overall for the day.
Page 11
As proof of enduros’ uniqueness among
motorsports, Thomas rode the race with his
father, Mark Thomas. His KTM-mounted dad
competed in the Senior B class, and although
the elder Thomas never topped his son’s
scores, he must have done a pretty good job of
pushing Zac along, as the father-and-son team
went on to finish first and fourth overall, with
each winning his respective class.
At day’s end, tired but satisfied
participants and their crews were rewarded
with unique overall awards, raffle prizes,
Point View Cycle gift cards, and certificates
from Scott and EBC. To help with the
community fundraiser, Moose support rider
Todd Ghearing and Moose Racing provided
some much-appreciated merchandise.
Ghearing, who loves the tough runs, was
disappointed to sit out the race due to a
broken foot suffered in a crash while
practicing, but he was there to support his
friends and represent his sponsor.
Josh Gaitten (KTM).
Jeff Anderson (Hon).
Zac Thomas (GG).
1. Josh Gaitten (KTM); 2. Morgan Green (KTM);
3. Robbie Jenks (GG); 4. Rodney Judson (Bet).
1. Travis Bidwell (KTM); 2. Mike Molnar (KTM);
3. Jason Smith (GG).
1. Mark McGrath (KTM); 2. Cary Eberts (KTM);
3.Tyler Chadwell (KTM); 4. Michael Jolly (Hsq);
5. Colin Klier (KTM).
1. Brian Rickard (KTM); 2. John Grimm (Hon); 3.
Robert Heinzerling (KTM).
1. Jeff Anderson (Hon); 2. Brian Sovak (Yam); 3.
Joe Uhrig (KTM); 4. Brian Hollingshead (KTM);
5. Matt Hatten (Kaw).
1. Jeff Johnson (Yam); 2. Lloyd Shaffer (Yam);
3. Doug Rinehart (KTM); 4. David Olive (KTM);
5. Wayne Perdue (KTM).
1. Mark Lederle (KTM); 2. Scott Klamfoth
(KTM); 3. Adam Cadle (Yam); 4. Jim Kalleker
(KTM); 5. Norm Into (Hon).
Page 12
1. Brad Graves (KTM); 2. Dave Moody (KTM).
1. Zac Thomas (GG); 2. Andy Matheny (Hon);
3. Brad Geyer (KTM); 4, Christopher Kight
(Kaw); 5. Jacob Walburn (KTM).
1. Grant Smith (KTM); 2. Ryan Curtiss (KTM);
3. Jeff Best (KTM); 4. Travis Jarvis (KTM); 5.
Kyle Harter (Hon).
1. Tim Antle (Yam); 2. Greg Kalwasinskli
(KTM); 3. Trent Gardner (KTM); 4. Greg Olenic
(GG); 5. James Holter (KTM).
1. Ron Valdman (KTM); 2. Mike Branham
(Hon); 3. Von Brachna (KTM); 4. Mark Best
(KTM); 5. Robert Thaw (KTM).
1. Marvin Popp (KTM).
1. Tom Notestone (Hsq); 2. Timothy Grow
(Hsq).
1. Vinnie Petrella (KTM); 2. Levi Exline (KTM);
3. Kelby Kisor (Hsq).
C: 1. Chuck Freze (KTM); 2. Adam Clark
(KTM); 3. Scott Clay.
1. Mark Thomas (KTM); 2. Neil Brague (KTM);
3. Scott Perrie (KTM); 4. Robert Gorst (KTM);
5. Jim Miller (Yam).
Story by Greg Robertson
Photos by GregRobertsonsRacePhotos.com
Honda-mounted Mark Mollica went 1-1
to top a competitive Lites Beginner class at
the A.V. Motoplex Motocross Park during the
opening round of M2X Racing’s Smokin’
Summer Race Series.
Page 13
When the gate dropped for openingmoto action, it was Matthew Jones getting to
the first turn first. Unfortunately for Jones, he
went down in that first turn, immediately
handing his lead over to Mark Saldibar Jr.
Mollica gated in second place, ahead of Lenin
Lopez, Eli Reinach and Tyler Onyshko.
Saldibar’s reign lasted for a little over a
lap before he encountered problems and was
out of the race. Mollica inherited the top spot
and then held off both Reinach and Lopez for
the remainder of the race to collect the win.
Mike Jackman worked his way up into a fourthplace finish, over Logan Mainella and Mark
Saldibar.
Moto two saw Mollica establish an early
lead over Lopez and Onyshko. Mollica
maintained a modest margin over Lopez for
the first half of the race until Lopez upped his
pace and closed to the back fender of Mollica.
Mollica kept Lopez at bay for the duration for
a perfect 1-1 showing on the day. Onyshko
crossed the line in third, followed by Saldibar.
Reinach’s fifth-place finish earned him third in
the final standings, over Jackman and Saldibar. tally of Jones and the 4-4 score of Moore.
It was all Blaine Baker in the first 85cc
Beginner moto, as the Honda rider showed
the rest of the field his back fender upon
exiting turn one and never looked back.
Anthony Montante would go the distance in
second place, ending up with a safe margin
over Joshua Clark and Tristan Gordon.
Moto two was more of the same, as
Baker motored away uncontested for a clean
sweep of the class. Montante and Clark
traded second place back and forth, with
Montante coming out on top on the white-flag
lap to earn the second-place trophy. Austin
Hess went 6-4 for fourth overall, behind Clark
but ahead of the 4-7 score of Gordon.
Jake Broesel timed the dropping of the
gate in the first Moto X Novice moto perfectly
to lead Ryan Davis and Michael Arellano.
Broesel would run out front for a couple of
circuits before stalling his bike in a turn and
falling back to seventh before getting
restarted. Jones took over the top spot and
was soon being pressured by Craig Owen Jr.
Owen was all over Jones and was handed the
lead when Jones overshot a berm on the final
lap. Arellano finished a few seconds back in
second place, followed by Broesel, Adam
Moore and Jones.
Jones redeemed himself by going wire
to wire for the second-moto victory. KTMmounted Owen suffered a bad start but
charged for the entire moto and was
rewarded with a second-place finish, which
was good enough to claim the overall honors
on the day. The 2-3 rides of Arellano earned
him the runner-up honors, ahead of the 6-1
Slade Varola was quite impressive in
the 50cc (Through 6) and 50cc Open classes,
in which he dominated all four motos. Varola
turned great starts into runaway victories.
Scout Swing went 2-2 in the Through 6 class,
with Dilan Reed doing the same in the Open
event. Ricky Negrete used 5-3 and 3-3 finishes
to claim third in both classes.
Page 14
1. Dominic Montante; 2. Luke Jacobs; 3.
Brandon Breed; 4. Conner Styers; 5. Carson
Goeppinger.
1. Slade Varola; 2. Scout Swing; 3. Ricky
Negrete; 4. Riley Broeser; 5. Roger Mueller.
1. Aidan Ferguson; 2. Tristan Mitchell.
1. Dilan Reed.
1. Slade Varola; 2. Dilan Reed; 3. Ricky
Negrete; 4. Seth Lutgen; 5. Luke Waters.
1. Chase Davis; 2. Tristan Mitchell; 3. Lonzel
Francisco; 4. Evan Mabry; 5. Tyler Colvin.
Zach Bierbower had his YZ85 running at
the front of the pack in 85cc (12-13) racing for 1. Christian Hammer; 2. Kyle Dumas; 3. Colby
the first half of moto one until a bobble dropped Stevens; 4. David Dunlop; 5. Anthony
McReynolds.
him to second place, behind Brandon Pozas.
Bierbower would repass Pozas on the
penultimate lap to see the checkers first. Noah 1. David Dunlap; 2. Colby Stevens; 3. Lonzel
Chandler rounded out the top three, over Jarrett Francisco; 4. Christian Hammer; 5. Evan Mabry.
Megla and Randy Engelhardt.
1. Blaine Baker; 2. Anthony Montante; 3.
Joshua Clark; 4. Austin Hess; 5. Tristan Gordon.
1. Brandon Jennings; 2; Christian Hammer; 3.
Daniel Lundin.
1. Brandon Pozas; 2. Noah Chandler; 3. Zach
Bierbower; 4. Randy Engelhardt; 5. Jarrett
Megla.
1. Josh Briggs.
1. Josh Briggs; 2. William Bojorquez; 3. Daniel
Lundin; 4. Randy Engelhardt; 5. Zach
Bierbower.
Bierbower led the opening lap of moto
two but failed to come around for lap two,
which left the door open for Yamaha pilot
Pozas to run away form the pack and secure
the overall on the day with his 2-1 effort.
Chandler went 3-2 for second overall.
1. Mark Mollica; 2. Lenin Lopez; 3. Eli Renach;
4. Mike Jackman; 5. Mark Saldibar.
1. Andrew Richardson; 2. Tanner Sawyer; 3.
Mitch Tiesiau; 4. Race Liberante; 5. Shaun
Seevers.
1. John Milner.
Page 15
1. Tyler Norwoods; 2. Joshua Enriquez; 3.
Taylor Dalusong; 4. Mark Mollica.
1. Cameron Doll; 2. Chad Norris; 3. Robert
Lundin.
1. Craig Owen Jr.; 2. Michael Arellano; 3. Ryan
Jones; 4. Adam Moore; 5. Jake Broesel.
1. Mark Bowen; 2. Dale Clark; 3. Marcus
Myles.
1. Chad Norris; 2. Cameron Doll.
1. Rick Jameson.
1. Brandon Doll.
1. Gary Doll; 2. Mike Prather.
1. Andrew Richardson; 2. Tanner Sawyer; 3.
Steven Lazar; 4. Craig Owen Jr.; 5. Race
Liberante.
1. Tim McBride.
1. Mary Ann Seevers; 2. Joslynn Spieler; 3.
Marissa Caviness.
1. Tony Baxter.
1. Susan Baxter.
Robinson, Avery Double
Story and Photos by Len and Ben Breech
After having trouble completing – or
even getting to – races in April and May, Baer
Racing Products got a nice, sunny afternoon
on which to host the second annual Gratz Half
Mile Revival at the pea-gravel half mile on the
Gratz Fairgrounds. And National number 44,
Brandon Robinson, scored a pair of hardearned, come-from-behind wins on his Action
Motorsports/ Arai/ Powerbar/ Motion Prosponsored Honda. Tristan Avery scored a pair
of 250cc wins, grabbing the lead at the start
of the 250 B final and pulling away, while in
the 250cc Sportsman contest he had to track
down the Expert-rated Miller brothers for the
win.
at Gratz HM
Shawn Baer led Raun Wood, Cory Texter,
Robinson, Jason Isennock and Evan Baer at the
start of the Open A final. Wood drifted high in
turn two on the second lap, dropping several
spots. On the fourth lap, the red flag came out
for a rider who had slid down in the first turn.
The order stayed the same off the restart, with
Robinson getting by both Shawn Baer and
Texter a few laps later as they entered turn
three and held on for the win.
The 450 Sportsman contest was harder,
as Robinson fell in turn one on the first start,
earning himself a back-row slot for the restart.
Shawn again led the start, over Wood, Hayden
Avery, Evan and Cory Strickler. Avery started
getting swallowed up by the National numbers
as they started swapping spots. Wood took the
point down the back straight on the fourth lap,
with Robinson working his way into third at
about the same time. Robinson got by Shawn
Baer a lap later, and on the final lap he got a
great drive out of turn two to take the lead from
Wood down the back straight.
Page 16
Many of the same riders returned to do
battle in the 250 Sportsman class, with the
addition of few Expert riders, most notably Roy
and Brody Miller. Roy led Brody, Avery, Gauthier
and Tudor out of the second turn. Avery took
second down the back straight on the second
lap and then got by Roy for the lead on the
next lap. Tudor had taken fourth on the second
lap. With Avery pulling away, Roy held off a
tightly bunched group to the end.
With the track getting dusty, the Over 30
class left the line with Raun Wood leading Kevin
Varnes, Tom McGrane, Roy Miller and Ken
Robinson wasn’t able to slice his way to Yoder. Varnes moved up to challenge Wood by
the front in the Open Twin final, as Texter put the fourth lap, with Miller taking third at about
the same time. After two laps of swapping first
his RLT Racing/ Lancaster H-D-sponsored XR
in front of Tim Eades, Robinson, Strickler and back and forth, Varnes took command on the
the Baers. Robinson got by Eades on the third back stretch on lap six.
lap and pressured Texter for the lead to the
end as they gapped the others.
For Avery, the 250 B win was a walk in
the park, as he led Tyler Tudor, Dalton
Gauthier, Kevin Bills and Ryan Varnes. By the
third lap, Varnes had taken fourth, while Avery
was pulling away. In the closing laps, Gauthier
moved up to pressure Tudor for second, but
he came up short.
Rich Mellinger grabbed the Over 40
lead from Dallas Baer, Mike Mester, Scott
Mullen and Brett Friedel. While Mellinger and
Dallas pulled away, the next three battled
closely for third. Mester dropped out just past
halfway, and Friedel took third on the
following lap.
Page 17
lap for a downed rider in turn one. The order
remained the same off the restart, with
Cunningham taking second on the fifth lap.
Over the remainder of the race, Trout started
pulling away.
Cameron Smith grabbed the 85 (7-11)
lead from Brandon Price, Kyle McGrane,
Trevor Williams and Zack Kolsovsky. While
Price was spectacularly trying to make the
edge of what little cushion there was work for
him, Smith was putting distance on the
others. McGrane used his steady line to close
the gap on Price, taking second late in the
race.
While there were several brothers
competing against one another, there were a
few brother-in-laws also battling. Usually the
closest battle is between Kevin Varnes and Roy
Miller, but on this day, it was the one between
National number holder Robert Crabbe and Mike
Mester in the Over 50 class. Mester led, with
Crabbe, Ray Jenkins, Jim Chapman and Bob
Cazillo following. The lead three stayed close at
first, but Mester and Crabbe gradually put some
distance on Jenkins. Jay Maher used the middle
of the track to take fifth on the sixth lap. Crabbe
finally found the opening he needed and took
the lead entering turn three on the final lap.
1. Matt Scibek (Cob); 2. Tyler Scott (KTM).
1. Tyler Scott (Yam); 2. Logan McGrane
(Yam); 3. Riley Winsett (Yam).
1. Robert Wheatley (Con); 2. Jonathan
Price (Con); 3. Matt Scibek (Con).
1. Brandon Price (KTM); 2. Trevor Williams
(Kaw); 3. Damon Ream (Kaw); 4. Dustin
Otto (Suz); 5. Robert Wheatley (KTM).
The Open B contest had Matt Trout
leading Richard Pfanders, Jason Cunningham,
Becca Zafia and Jeremiah Tyeryar. The front trio
pulled some distance on the others, but that was
negated when the red flag came out on the third
1. Cameron Smith (Suz); 2. Kyle McGrane
(Yam); 3. Brandon Price (Suz); 4. Trevor
Williams (Yam); 5.Zack Kolsovsky (Yam); 6.
John Winsett III (Yam).
1. Bobby Otto (Yam).
Page 18
1. Connor Groff (Yam); 2. Tyler Rylee (Hon).
1. Garrett Ford (Hon).
1. Tristan Avery (Hon); 2. Tyler Tudor (Hon);
3. Dalton Gauthier (Hus); 4. Ryan Varnes
(Suz); 5. Kevin Bills (Hon); 6. Ken Kolsovsky
(Kaw); 7. Brian Nuse (Kaw); 8. Dylan Winsett
(Suz); 9. Jeff Hughes (Yam); 10. Colin
Cunningham (Hon).
1. Tristan Avery (Hon); 2. Roy Miller (Suz); 3.
Tyler Tudor (Hon); 4. Brody Miller (Suz); 5.
Dalton Gauthier (Hsq); 6. Tyler Phillips (Kaw);
7. Jason Nuss (Hon); 8. Jeff Hughes (Yam); 9.
Kevin Bills (Hon); 10. Colin Cunningham
(Hon).
1. Joe Gathercole (Hon); 2. Matt Trout (Suz);
3. Tyler Phillips (Suz); 4. Steve Lerch (KTM);
5. Tom Goodford (Hon); 6. Darren Phillips
(Kaw); 7. Ace Phillips (Hon).
1. Brandon Robinson (Hon); 2. Raun Wood
(Hon); 3. Shawn Baer (Kaw); 4. Jason
Isennock (Hon); 5. Evan Baer (Kaw); 6.
Haden Avery (Hon); 7. Eric Stump (Hon); 8.
John Long (Suz); 9. Sam Wiggins (Hon); 10.
Cory Strickler (Yam); 11. Austin Luczak
(Hon); 12. Tyler Phillips (Kaw).
1. Warren Diem (Yam); 2. Jim Chapman
(Yam); 3. Aaron Humphrey (Yam); 4. Jerry
Alexander (Yam); 5. Greg Lerch (Yam); 6.
Bob Cazillo (Yam); 7. Grady Henderson (Yam).
1. Brandon Robinson (Hon); 2. Shawn Baer
(Kaw); 3. Cory Texter (Rtx); 4. Jason
Isennock (Hon); 5. Raun Wood (Hon); 6. Rick
Winsett (Rtx); 7. Cory Strickler (Yam); 8. Tom
McGrane Jr. (Rtx); 9. Eric Stump (Hon); 10.
Haden Avery (Hon); 11. Evan Baer (Kaw); 12.
Sam Wiggins (Hon).
Page 19
1. Matt Trout (Suz); 2. Jason Cunningham
(Hon); 3. Richard Pfanders (Hon); 4. Becca
Zafia (Hon); 5. Jeremiah Tyeryar (Rtx); 6.
Curtis Fisk (Rtx); 7. Anthony Crabbe (Suz); 8.
Justin Johnson (Hon); 9. Kristina Mester
(Hon).
1. Cory Texter (H-D); 2. Brandon Robinson
(H-D); 3. Tim Eades (H-D); 4. Cory Strickler
(H-D); 5. Shawn Baer (Kaw); 6. Evan Baer
(Kaw); 7. Mitch Harvat (Yam).
1. Kevin Varnes (Rtx); 2. Raun Wood (Hon);
3. Roy Miller (Rtx); 4. Tom McGrane Jr. (Rtx);
5. Ken Yoder (Suz); 6. Rick Winsett Jr. (Rtx);
7. Ace Phillips (Hon); 8. Jerry Alexander
(Rtx); 9. Richard Pfanders (Hon); 10. Brody
Miller (Suz).
1. Rich Mellinger (Rtx); 2. Dallas Baer (Rtx);
3. Brett Friedel (Kaw); 4. Scott Mullen (Hon);
5. Ray Jenkins (Hon); 6. Darren Phillips
(Kaw); 7. George MacNeill (KTM); 8. Rob
Cazillo (Suz); 9. Cliff Diem (Suz); 10. Tom
Goodford (Hon).
1. Robert Crabbe (Suz); 2. Mike Mester
(Hon); 3. Ray Jenkins (Hon); 4. Jim Chapman
(Rtx); 5. Joe Maher (W-R); 6. Don Mullen Sr.
(Hon); 7. Bill Allen (Yam); 8. George MacNeill
(KTM); 9. Mike Persa (Tri); 10. Cliff Diem
(Suz).
1. Bill Allen (Yam); 2. Jim Chapman (Yam); 3.
Jeff Hogan (Tri); 4. Joe Maher (Tri); 5. Tom
Scibek (Yam); 6. William Burns (H-D).
1. Landon Myers (Hon); 2. Mike Kline (Suz);
3. Dane Delancey (Yam); 4. Cody Wompler
(Yam); 5. Brandon Bailey (Hon).
1. Matt Lawrence (Yam).
Story and Photos by Rodney Rutherford
Christian Craig has had his share of
hurdles. His dad, former AMA Pro racer Mike
Craig, pulled Christian out of racing to train for
several months in the middle of his Amateur
career. That break paid off when he returned to
the starting gate, as he soon reached the elite
level of the Amateur circuit with several top
finishes at major events.
After sustaining a severe back injury in a
tragic accident in November of 2009 while
training for Supercross, Christian made a
courageous recovery and was back in the fray
for the 2011 Supercross season. Then someone
crashed into him while he was leading a heat
race in the Supercross Lites West class at round
three in Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium, injuring
his leg.
After taking six weeks off to heal, he was
soon geared up and is now focusing on the 2011
Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship
Series, in the 450 class. Marching into the USGP
MX1 class (450), he was intending to use the
race against some of the top ranked World GP
motocrossers in the World as a practice session
for the Outdoors series. Riding in ninth for most
of moto one, the young scrapper moved up
to eighth on the last lap. After getting off to
a slow start in moto two, he managed a
13th after he once again moved up a spot
on the white-flag lap, for 10th overall – not
bad for a “warm-up” race.
Then it was onward to the AMA
Outdoors series. At the first round in
Hangtown, in Placerville, California, he once
again shook the field with a 10th overall (via
a 14-10 tally) in his first Pro AMA Outdoor
race.
Next was round two at Freestone,
and little did he or his camp know what was
about to take place in the energy-sapping
humidity of the West Texas town of
Wortham. When the gate dropped for moto
one, Christian took the lead and was holding
back some of the best racers in the world –
Ryan Dungey, Christophe Pourcel, Chad
Reed, Ryan Villopoto, and the rest of the
horde of speedy Pros. He did so for eight
glorious laps, earning considerable
confidence as well as the respect of his
fellow competitors. He eventually finished
fifth in the 16-lap moto. Checking the
transponder beam at 10th in moto two’s first
lap, he moved up two spots before passing
the checkers for an eighth in moto two and
seventh overall.
Page 20
Though he is pleased with his
consistent top-10 finishes, Christian is not
resting on his laurels; he is composed and
staying within his experience and not pushing
it, but is just reaching the goals he has set for
himself. He is currently seventh in points in
the 450 class. Having kept tabs on him since
2004, this reporter is ecstatic over Christian’s
performance, and is looking forward to seeing
this youngster reaching the top step of the
podium in years to come, because he is on
fire!
Christian Craig is sponsored by Troy
Lee Designs, Lucas Oil, Red Bull, American
Honda, Adidas, Verizon Wireless, PPG,
SillyBrandz Global, BioLytical Labs, Dunlop,
McQueen Racing, VQ OrthoCare, Shock
Doctor, Skullcandy, Renthal, Alpinestars, Pro
Circuit, Primm MX Collection, Couts Heating &
Cooling, Selle Italia, N-Style, VP Racing Fuels,
ODI, DID, Rossignol, Pacific Collision Centers,
Muc-Off, Kasey Kahne, Elrod Racing, New Era,
Leatt, Cycra, Hammerhead, Hinson, Light
Speed, Moto Tassinari, Twin Air, Talon, QTM,
and EPIC Action Camera, and their support is
much appreciated.
J A N N I R O A G A I N T OP S
S CR A T CH M A I N E V E N T
Story and Photos by Michael Kirby
Billy Janniro again proved he is the man
to beat at Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway,
taking the Division One Scratch main-event
victory. Janniro has been the fastest man of
the night at three of the four meetings so far
Again, the final race of the night shaped
this season at Auburn’s Gold Country
up to be a two-man battle fought in the inside
Fairgrounds track.
lane between Janniro and Auburn’s own Bart
Bast. Bast won the Scratch main on opening
night and has finished second to Janniro each
week since.
Janniro drew lane four, but getting an
excellent gate start, he was still able to beat all
the other riders to the inside lane, just ahead of
J.T. Mabry, who came out of lane one. Bast
soon passed Mabry and again found himself in
a familiar position: just off Janniro’s rear wheel,
trying to find a way past the 2010 USA National
Speedway Champion. Janniro again skillfully
held Bast just inches behind him for the final
three laps to take the checkered flag yet again
this week in a thrilling two-man duel. Bast
finished second and Mabry was third. Charlie
Venegas, who rolled in lane two at the start
line, was disqualified.
Page 21
Division Two competition is really
heating
up this season, with several riders
Longtime Division One veteran rider
turning it up a notch or two. Racing from the
Devin Defreece ended a too-long winner’s10-yard line this week, Ryan Bast, who had
podium drought by topping the Handicap main
event. The Benicia resident earned his first main- won the Division Two main event two weeks
before, proved to be the man to beat in this
event win since 2008.
division, beating Auburn’s Mike Achilles, who
had won the previous week’s Division Two
main event. Bast has been perfect so far this
year, winning the main event each week he’s
competed. Richard Fuhrman, who is always
in the running and can win on any night, was
third.
Division Three was won by Tyler
Warren. Chris Casey finished second and Billy
Vaughn was third. Warren now has three out
four wins in Division Three main events this
season.
David Marsaroli won the Youth A main
event, and Luke Becker captured the Youth B
main-event victory.
The fans who braved the unseasonal
weather got in on a great night of speedway
“I got a new bike this year,” said Defreece. racing at Fast Fridays. Next Friday night,
watch for the return of the Sidecar series,
“I’m not really doing much different, except I
and on Saturday there will be a special
came to race this year.”
speedway racing program at Folsom’s Dan
Defreece outlasted Bobby Hedden, who
Russell Arena, including a second edition of
finished second, and Bryce Starks, who took
sidecar action.
third. Hedden is semiretired and only rides a
couple of times each year after he was seriously
injured racing several years ago; he celebrated
his 40th birthday by getting back on a speedway
bike. He hasn’t lost much off his game, and he
rode impressively.
Page 22
1. Billy Janniro; 2. Bart Bast; 3. J.T. Mabry; 4.
Charlie Venegas.
1. Tyler Warren; 2. Chris Casey; 3. Billy
Vaughn.
1. Devin Defreece; 2. Bobby Hedden; 3. Bryce
Starks.
1. David Marsaroli.
1. Ryan Bast; 2. Mike Achilles; 3. Richard
Fehrman.
1. Luke Becker.
In the first round of heat racing, vets
Jimmy “Li’l Animal” Fishback, “Flyin’ Mike” Faria
and Venegas took three out of the four heats
By Elaine Jones
with wire-to-wire rides. “Fast Eddy” Castro had
Photos by Jim Thorn
to work for his win with a come-from-behind
photo finish at the checkered flag, taking it by
Charlie “The Edge” Venegas was perfect the width of a tire over John Marquez. Dale
Facchini, in his first ride of the season, took
at Costa Mesa Speedway on Saturday, on a
advantage of Shawn “Mad Dog” McConnell’s
night that saw the rookies take it to the
veterans. Add in the crazy FMX guys, and the bike problems to win his heat.
The second round had all vets in the
fans got exactly what they wanted: great
winners’
circle. “Dukie” Ermolenko, on a brandracing, finished off with quite a show!
new bike that hadn’t even been on a track until
the first round of this night, got things sorted
out really quickly and had a go-out-on-top-anddon’t-look-back ride as he led things off in the
second round. After a restart, Fishback got the
gate he was looking for in the next heat and let
the rest of the field try to catch him as he put
another win in the points column. Doug “The
Enforcer” Nicol came out of retirement last
season, and he showed everyone he’s still got it
by getting the gate on Faria and holding him off
to the checkers. “Nasty Nate” Perkins showed
everyone he had come to compete as he
bettered his third-place finish in the first round
with a win in the second. Venegas finished out
It was an all-Scratch program: three
the round with another wire-to-wire ride.
rounds, with the top 10 advancing to two
So far, Venegas and Fishback were both
semifinals. The top two from each semi would perfect on the night.
transfer directly to the main event, with third
Rookie Michael Raines started off the
and fourth getting one more shot in the last- third round and had a beautiful ride and the
chance qualifier, the winner of which becoming right time; he had already logged two seconds
the final man in the main.
on the night, and this win ensured him a spot in
Page 23
the semis. Ermolenko was dialed in, and
another winning ride was his – and now
everyone knew he would be a serious
contender.
The third heat of this round pitted
Fishback against Faria; the gate came up, and
it was Fishback out on top, but not for long,
as Faria made a move on the inside and got
by as they came around on lap two. Fishback
tried, but no matter how hard he pushed, he
couldn’t rattle Faria, and he would have to
settle for second. Both were headed to the
semis.
Austin Novratil had experienced bike
problems in the first heat, and then got
second in his second heat. He put it all
together in his final ride to come up with a
win, and the rookie would have to see if it
would be enough to make it through.
The final heat of the night saw Venegas
again go perfect, even though Nicol
hammered on him. He was the last man
standing with a perfect score.
There was a six-way points tie for the
last two spots in the semis. There would be
two run-offs, with the top dog in each making
it through.
The first run-off saw Marquez, Novratil
and Josh Abbott face off. Novratil saved the
best for last, and he was on his way to the
semi.
Dale Facchini, Jason Ramirez and Neil
Facchini made up the second run-off. Dale ran
into trouble off the line, and his night was
done. His brother Neil took over for the family
and brought it home to become the final rider
in the semis.
The first semi had Faria on the pole,
with Fishback in two and Perkins in three. On
the outside, it was Ermolenko and Novratil.
They loaded in, and the start was clean, with
Faria and Fishback in a rematch. Faria was
running on top and Fishback was hoping for a
payback from the heat race, but he couldn’t
find a chink in Faria’s armor. They would finish
one and two and move on to the main.
Perkins and Ermolenko would get one more
shot in the LCQ.
The second semi had Venegas on the
pole, with Nicol in two, Raines in three, and
Castro and Neil Facchini on the outside. The
first try at a go saw Neil go down and the red
flag come out. They loaded in again, with Neil
on the penalty line.
This time it was a good start, with
Venegas and Nicol running one and two. Castro
was on the move, though, and on the white-flag
lap he got Nicol for second. Before they got
back around on the final lap, both Raines and
Neil had gotten by Nicol, so one was left to
wonder if the bike or the rider had experienced
some kind of problem that didn’t seem evident
to anyone watching. Nicol’s night was over.
Raines and Facchini would face off in the LCQ.
Everyone expected to see a showdown
between Perkins and Ermolenko in the lastchance, but that was not the case, as Perkins
got out on top and never looked back.
Ermolenko appeared to be on cruise control and
content with fourth. Perkins would be the last
rider in the main.
They rolled to the line for choice of start
positions for the main. Venegas had first choice
and surprised everyone when he chose gate
two, commenting that gate one was not the
prime start position, at least on this night. Faria
was more than happy to take the pole. Fishback
was in three, with Castro and Perkins in four
and five. They loaded in, the light went green,
and the tapes came up!
Venegas exploded off the line, with Faria
right by him. But you can’t count Perkins out; he
muscled his way into third. They ran in that
order until the white-flag lap, when a puff of
white smoke shot from Perkins’ engine; he was
done. Fishback moved into third but could get
no further. Venegas had his first win at Costa
Mesa this season. On back, it was Faria,
Fishback and Castro.
Page 24
Brad Moreau got lead off the line in the
Support B main, but it was open to debate,
and there were three other guys doing the
debating. Moreau held the lead for two laps,
Rohn Zellner keeps a very low profile in and then Mike Salyer got into the fray, taking
the pits, but watch out when he gets on the
over the front-running spot when Moreau
track! Like Venegas, Zellner was perfect on the zigged when he should have zagged. Moving
night, right down to taking the win in the
into second was Tim McGrath, followed by
Support main. Just as he had done all night,
Mike Boyle. With one lap to go, it was still
he went wire to wire. Following him home
Salyer, McGrath and Boyle. They finished in
were Ryan Tovatt, Harold Hartke and Damon
that order.
“Don’t Look Back” Barry.
1. Rohn Zellner (Jaw); 2. Ryan Tovatt (Jaw);
3. Harold Hartke (Jaw); 4. Damon Barry
(Jaw).
1. Mike Salyer (Jaw); 2. Tim McGrath (Jaw);
3. Mike Boyle (Jaw); 4. Brad Moreau (Jaw).
1. Charlie Venegas (Jaw); 2. Mike Faria (Jaw);
3. Jimmy Fishback (Jaw); 4. Eddy Castro
(Jaw); 5. Nate Perkins (Jaw).
Page 25