RAINES WINS 1ST SPEEDWAY CYCLE MAIN @ INDUSTRY AUG. 2011
By noderel:
Industry, CA., Aug. 24, 2011 – Michael Raines, a 23-year old speedway motorcycle racer from Cypress, won the first 500cc Division 1 feature of his two-year career Wednesday night at Industry Speedway in the Grand Arena. The former motocross and arena-cross racer started the five-rider race from lane five and led all four laps to earn the most stunning upset victory in eight years of racing at the track. He defeated past Speedway Cycle 1996 World Champion, four-time U.S. National Champion Billy Hamill by two lengths. Raines was racing in his first feature at Industry and only his fourth main event at any track. He became the sixth winner after 13 of the 14 scheduled Industry Speedway events this year.
Pole starter Hamill, from Carlsbad, was working on a perfect night after winning all three of his heat races and his semi-final race. Raines had won two of his heats and finished third in the other before he finished fourth in one of the two semi-finals for the top ten point riders in a D-1 field of 16. He had to race in the Last Chance race for third and fourth place semi-final riders to earn the final feature starting position. Raines started the LC race from lane two, next to pole starter Charlie Venegas, and led all four laps over pressing Venegas, the leading all-time Industry feature winner and a four-time winner at the track this season.
Raines accepted a suggestion last year to take his motorcycle racing skills to speedway racing. He started in Division 2 for mid-level riders and moved up to D-1 for most skilled riders before his rookie season concluded. This year MXRC came on board to sponsor his No. 63 JAWA. He has made two D-1 features at Inland Motorcycle Speedway in San Bernardino and one at Costa Mesa Speedway prior to his career-best night and Cinderella feature victory at the Industry Hills Expo Center site. Making his first triumph even more memorable was the fact he earned more than $700 for his outstanding performance. He won the usual D-1 winner's $300+ purse, $50 cash from a fan, contingency awards, plus the $286 fan portion of the 50/50 ticket sales cash drawing won by Kevin Ahern, of series sponsor Ahern Rentals (www.Ahernrentals.com). He donated the entire amount to the D-1 winner prior to the race. Raines will be going to England in October to race speedway cycles as a member of the USA team that also will include Eddie Castro and riders from Northern California.
The D-1 feature lined up at the starting gate with Hamill, Mike Faria, Industry Speedway 2011 point leader Jimmy Fishback, Shawn McConnell and Raines in that order from pole to the outside wall. A starting gate touching penalty sent Faria 10-yards back before the first lap. At the 9:40 pm start, Raines shot quickly from lane five and beat pole starter Hamill to the first turn as grandstand fans cheered the pending upset. Hamill, 41, challenged all four laps and finished two lengths back as spectators erupted into cheers for Raines' gutsy performance. McConnell and Fishback followed closely. Fifth place Faria pulled into the pits on lap 3. At the finish, spectators continued applauding and fellow competitors cheered and came onto the track to give the winner high fives as he took his traditional victory lap with the checkered flag.
The sidecar four team main event victory went to driver Joe Jones, of Costa Mesa, and his sidecar swing-man Jimmy Olsen, of Riverside. The main had to be restarted after the Dan Jones and passenger Brandi McElroy rig flipped five yards after the starting gate lifted. The sidecar wheel rode up the wooden crash-wall and flipped them onto the track. They were dazed momentarily. Jones received a leg injury, but they remounted in a few minutes and finished third in the four team race. Two D-1 semi-final races went to Faria over McConnell and Hamill over Fishback in green to checker runs.
Troy “Mad Puppy” McConnell, 24-year old son of D-1 rider Shawn “Mad Dog” McConnell, made his second start at Industry this season and won the Support A (D-2) ;main after leading all four laps. Kip McClain, 48, from Covina, won his fifth Support B (D-3) rookie main at Industry this season. Youth 200cc main events went to Huntington Beach residents Gino Scopellite, 8, and Michael Wells,10. It was the first triumph for Scopellite and third victory for Wells this season. Kurtis Hamill, 12-year old son of D-1 rider Billy Hamill, won the youth 250cc feature over Broc Nicol, 13. The senior Hamill was the only rider able to score a perfect score of 9 by winning all three of his heats. Faria scored 8 and four riders—McConnell, Fishback, Venegas and Raines-- tied at 7 points. It took 5 points to make the semi-final events.
The night was billed as Harley-Davidson Night and six riders raced their street-legal Harley 883s and Sportsters in a heat race and 6-lap feature. Sly “the blue-haired guy” won the feature over a closing Joe “the horny-helmet guy” Pape, a past Harley Night winner at Industry. One rider fell without injury and did not finish. Austin Novratil, a 16-year old D-1 rider from Huntington Beach, won the US Under age 21 National Championship title at Fast Fridays Speedway in Auburn last Friday. He won six of his seven heats and scored 18 points to 17 for fellow So Cal rider Russell Green. The 2010 Junior Division National Champion was interviewed by Industry announcer Bruce Flanders and applauded by fans for his most recent title.
Next Wednesday, August 31 will be the Industry Speedway eighth season finale. It also will be the much anticipated 36th running of the California State Championship. Riders from Northern California such as Billy Janniro and Tommy Hedden will race against the best riders from Southern California. Hamill, Venegas, Fishback, McConnell, Faria, Castro, Bobby Schwartz and of course new fan favorite Raines have entered. Buck Blair also wants to enter the prestigious state title race after sitting out this season because of a new job. About 20 D-1 riders are expected to complete, plus ten D-2 riders and eight D-3 riders.
POINT STANDINGS:
Industry Speedway (prior to August 24 race):
1 No. 25 Jimmy Fishback 382
2 “ 43 Charlie Venegas 334
3 “ 6 Shawn McConnell 254.5
4 “ 11 Bobby Schwartz 193
5 “ 9 Mike Faria 192
6 “ 14 Eddie Castro 187.5
7 “ 41 John Marquez 151
8 “ 46 Aaron Fox 143
9 “ 27 Austin Novratil 142.5
10 “ 104 Billy Hamill 107.5
11 “ 63 Michael Raines 89.5
12 “ 66 Jason Ramirez 86.5
13 “ 48 Tyson Talkington 71
14 “ 126 Rocco Scopellite 48.5
15 “ 178 Eloy Medellin 48