Broc Nicol Wins First Scratch Main
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Industry, CA., Jul. 29 – Youth will be served according to a familiar saying. It was Wednesday at Industry Speedway during AMA speedway racing. Broc Nicol, a 17-year old star from Lomita, won his first scratch main event at Industry. He did so in a head-to-head duel with his friend Max Ruml, 18, from Huntington Beach. The two teens flew together last month to race in Europe for Team USA in the World Team Cup Championship. Nicol, the son of Division-1 rider Doug Nicol, has won D-1 features at Perris Raceway and Pirate Speedway in San Bernardino.
Nicol started from the outside next to the plywood wall. Ruml had the inside lane in the featured D-1 main, race 41 of the night. Ruml shot into the lead entering turn one. Nicol powered past him on the outside leaving the second corner and led all four laps by a length over Ruml. Lane three starter Austin Novratil, 20, ran a close third all the way in his second race back from a brief “vacation” earlier this season. Tommy Hedden, a 42-year old veteran from Auburn, was the senior member of the feature field. He started from the second lane and ran fourth every lap.
Novratil trailed by three lengths at the finish. Hedden slowed a bit approaching the checkers when he could not advance. Ruml and Hedden both scored the maximum nine points by winning three heat races. Following the feature, Nicol and Ruml hiked their front wheels and rode in tandem on both straights in celebration. They also performed synchronized donuts on the track near the fourth turn.
The tenth week of season 12 was the annual Bruce Flanders Ugly Hawaiian Shirt Contest Night. Judging took place before D-1 semi-final races. Prizes were awarded to the top three persons in spectator applause and cheering. Industry Speedway officials also wore Hawaiian shirts. The event helped attract more than 900 persons to the mid-week racing place to be. More persons,including father/son 500cc racers Brad and Brayden Sauer, from Bakersfield, watched at home via the Internet.
The D-1 500cc consolation race went to D-1 rookie Dillon Ruml, 16, in a green flag to checkers run from lane three. Russell Green, 23, D-2 regular Mike Dalbey, who was moved up to D-1 by officials, and Braydan Galvin (celebrating his 17th birthday on July 31) finished second through fourth.
A D-1 crash in round two had second place Gage Geist, 16, fall on the backstretch during the second lap. Closely following third place Shawn McConnell hit Geist, who remained on the ground several minutes with a foot injury. McConnell rose and walked to the pits and raced in round three. Two men lifted and carried Geist back to the pits. It was determined he had a broken bone in one of his feet.
Among the missing D-1 veteran riders this week were: five-time 2015 Industry winner Billy Janniro, Aaron Fox, Charlie Venegas, Buck Blair and Neil Facchini. Also moving up to D-1 to complete the 12-rider field was Kurtis Hamill, 16, son of the still recuperating 1996 D-1 National Champion Billy Hamill.
Robert Curry, a 500cc D-2 rider and 1,000cc sidecar driver from Nor Cal, double-dipped again by racing in both divisions. He started the D-2 main in lane two and led the final three laps after first lap leader Rick Richards fell entering turn one. He remounted and finished fourth. Eloy Medellin and Rudy Laurer finished second and third. All 15 D-2 riders present raced for points (4-3-2-1) to determine the feature field.
Curry also won the July 8 Industry D-2 feature. He stopped at the turn four pit gate and motioned for his ex-wife Laurie to join him on his victory lap with the checkered flag. She climbed aboard his Jawa and waved the checkered flag on their slow victory lap. Laurie also became Robert's sidecar swinger for his final two sidecar races after rookie rider Dana Catone, 23, received a hip injury in the first sidecar heat. She was subbing for the No. 31 rig absent swinger David Dent.
Steve “Beach Ball” Brown started from gate two and led all four laps of the 500cc D-3 feature for newer and returning riders. The big man lost 80-pounds in recent years to get back into speedway racing. George Yates, Wade “the Reverend” Whitcomb,and returning Brent Smith finished in P. 2-4 respectively.
Six sidecar teams raced two rounds of heats to put four teams into the feature. High pointers Joe Jones, 35, and swing-man Tom Summers, 51, led all four laps from the pole on their No. 7x 2004 GSXR Suzuki 1,000cc. Second in points Bryan Motis and his “monkey” (swinger) Josh Bennett also transferred directly to the feature on their No. 2 2003 1,000cc Yamaha. Other teams raced in the consi that sent the top two finishing teams to the main event. The No. 12 husband/wife team of Charlie and Niki Davis won over the Curry team on the No. 31. Garcia/Duckett (No. 33) placed third.
Laurie Curry, who was injured two months ago at Costa Mesa Speedway, was pressed into service for the last two races to race with the husband she divorced years ago, but still lives with in Sacramento. In the first S/C heat race Robert got sideways on lap 3 entering the first turn. The closely following No. 33 team of Rick Garcia/Adam Duckett quickly slammed into the exposed hip of Dana Catone. Both rigs pulled into the infield and Catone rolled onto the ground before limping to the pits. She was unable to race again. Laurie, donned leathers and subbed for Catone in the last chance race and feature.
Six Junior 250cc riders, including three from Nor Cal, raced a pair of heats and a feature. Auburn resident Kyle Cunningham, 11, led all four laps on his Jawa. It was his first feature victory at Industry. Jake Isaac, 13, Auburns's Colton Hicks, 13, Michael Wells, 14, first-time Industry racer Richie VanderMeeden, 11, from Auburn, followed. Sebastian Palmese, 11, fell on lap 4 and did not finish.
The mini 150cc main also had six riders with three from Nor Cal. Northerners “Speedway” Charlie Trana, 7, and ten-year old twins Sterling and Alex Martin, from Salinas, finished 1-2-3. London, England resident Sam Hagon, 10, made his 2015 Industry debut and finished fourth. Andrew Russell, 10, and Rachel Schnakenberg, 9, completed the field.
Seven pee-wees ran two heats and a main. All of the tykes started at the gate except for six-time Industry pee-wee 2015 winner Travis Horn, 7. He started 40-yards from the gate this week instead of 50-yards back. He has not won since July 8, hence the ten-yard concession this week. Yamaha 50cc-rider Jose Navarette, 6, led all four laps and won his second consecutive P. 1 trophy. Horn was a fast-closing runner-up. July 1 winner Levi Leutz, 6, Richard Stephens, 9, and Conner Salazar, 7, followed. July 15 winner Cole Ayers, 9, fell on lap 2 and did not finish. Youngest rider Gavin Dyfka, 4, did not start.
PIT NOTES: Industry Speedway will be dark next Wednesday, August 5 to enable riders to get their equipment ready for round three of four in the battle for the 2015 AMA Speedway National Championship. It will take place at Industry Speedway on Saturday, August 8. The top three in points after round one at Costa Mesa and round two in Ventura are: B. Janniro-36 points; M. Ruml-32, and B. Nicol-30. The top 14 in points after August 8 will be in the 16 rider round four at Auburn. ... On Sunday afternoon, August 9 at noon will be the third annual AMA/FIM Youth Silver Cup Championship for 250cc and 150cc riders. Parking and admission are free of charge.
On July 29 Industry announcer Bruce Flanders interviewed generous Steve Summers, who donated $400 to the sidecar teams. He said he was a sidecar racing “monkey” (or swing-man) at Ascot Park in the 1960s. ... Among the Industry spectators this week were fans of stock cars at Irwindale Speedway and sprint cars at The PAS. Jack Crone and his speedway bike/midget/sprint car racing daughter Courtney, 14, watched from the grandstand. ... Sara Cords, 15, was the July 15 Junior 250cc feature winner at Industry and a July 22 fall victim, was in the pits this week.
Kurtis Hamill returned to racing this week for the first time since January after recovering from a broken wrist. In his first night as a D-1 rider he scored points in all three heats. His solo points in each heat gave him three total, tying for seventh place with two other riders in a 12-rider field. Eight riders made the two semi-finals, but Kurtis ranked ninth by the head-to-head tie-breaking system.
Bob Richards (No. 108c) finished fourth in both of his rides in his first racing at Industry. The Colorado Springs, CO rider, 50, is deaf. ... Dave Clark (No. 60e), a D-1 rider from upstate New York, was entered but did not appear after racing at Industry July 22.
The annual north vs. south speedway team racing event took place Friday, July 24 at Fast Fridays Speedway in Auburn. The south won 70 points to 65 scored by north riders. The north has won every year since 2011 and led 15-8. South team riders (with points scored in parenthesis) were: Aaron Fox (19), Max Ruml (16), Shawn McConnell (11), Broc Nicol (11), Charlie Venegas (7) and Dillon Ruml (6). North team riders were: Bart Bast (20), Billy Janniro (18), Tommy Hedden (16), Bob Hicks (9), Tyler Warren (1) and Luke Becker (1).
Last Saturday, July 25 was the first So Cal Oval Karting and caged Speedway Sprints races at Industry Speedway. Racing, with 37 events, took place from 1:00-5:58 pm in front of 106 in the grandstands and more than 100 in the pits. A nice breeze through the open sides of covered The Grand Arena on a hot 90-degree afternoon made it comfortable for fans. Promoters were Mike Nigh and John Aden, promoter of W2W Speedway in Victorville.
Kart classes included Junior, KT100A, KT100B, F200s, Senior 4-cycle Karts, and Open Karts. Many karts used YOA Racing air-cooled, 100cc engines built in La Mirada. ... Speedway Sprints used Jawa 500cc motorcycle engines. Classes included Intermediate Speedway Sprints, 500s, and Restrictor Speedway Sprints. Several girls raced in the large field in both groups. D-1 500cc speedway bike veteran Buck Blair and his 14-year old nephew James raced the No. 39 Speedway Sprint and were competitive.