Hamill Wins 7th Industry Speedway Feature
By noderel:
Industry, CA., Jul. 31 – Billy “the Bullet” Hamill, of Carlsbad, did it again Wednesday at the Industry Hills Expo Center Industry Speedway in front of about 1,200 spectators. He won his seventh 500cc Division 1 speedway motorcycle main event in week nine and is a perfect seven for seven in Industry features this season. He missed two races while in Europe as team manager for Team USA in World Team Cup competition. Charlie “the Edge” Venegas won the two Industry main events while Hamill was in Europe.
Venegas had first lane choice and picked the inside lane. With second lane choice Hamill selected the outside lane, setting up a repeat of the last Industry feature when the two speedway bike racing champions started the main from the same lanes. This time Junior Division star and current D-1 rookie sensation Max Ruml, 16, took lane two. Veteran Shawn McConnell, 54, was left with the less popular third lane. Last week Venegas raced deep into the first turn on the initial lap and lane four starter Hamill arced under everyone in the first turn to grab the lead. Hamill then led all four circuits.
This week Venegas reached turn one first and used a lower line. Hamill seized the opportunity from the outside lane to power past all three rivals on the outside. He had the lead exiting turn two with McConnell, Venegas and Ruml dueling behind him. Starting the final lap Hamill led McConnell by four lengths. Suddenly McConnell pulled to the outside in the first turn with a flat back tire and did not finish. Venegas placed second, ten yards behind Hamill, with Ruml a length in back of Venegas.
Buck Blair led every lap of the consolation race for third and fourth finishers in the pair of semi-final races. Semi-finals riders were the eight high-point riders after three rounds of heat races. Venegas and Hamill won the two semis. Tim Gomez, Mike Faria and Tyson Talkington finished the consy behind Blair in that order.
Braden Sauer, 16-year old son of D-1 rider Brad Sauer, from Bakersfield, moved from the 250cc Junior ranks this season to the 500cc Division 2 and has impressed immediately. He led all four laps after starting from the second lane. It was his second D-2 feature victory this month at Industry. Veterans Danny Baker, Eloy Medellin and Chris Jones followed.
Starting from the 20-yard line, Chris Wiggins, 30, won his second consecutive 500cc D-3 main for newer riders. The five lap race had seven starters. Dan Eddy led the first three laps, but he drifted high in the fourth turn on lap 4. Alert Wiggins passed him on the inside and remained in front during the final two laps. Eddy placed second. Wade Whitcomb, Steve Brown, Tony De Almeida, Rick Carlisle and Rick Howard finished in P. 3-7 respectively.
Kurtis Hamill, 14, started from lane four and led all four laps of the Juniors 250cc main. He held off pressing Broc Nicol, the most recent winner, all the way. Third through fifth were Dillon Ruml, Dalton Leedy and Michael Wells. The Hamill father/son feature winning duo posed together for the second time this season in Industry Speedway post-race winners photos.
Sebastian “Big Daddy” Palmese, 9, led all four laps in the mini 150cc D-1 main. Courtney Crone, 12, had a nasty-looking fall on the opening lap in the first turn after wheel contact with Palmese. She restarted ten yards from the starting gate and finished a close second, with Gino Scopellite third.
The seven rider mini 150cc D-2 five lap main event became a back-to-back one-two finish for the Martin fraternal twins, age 8, from Salinas. Alex (No. 30) led every lap and won his second P. 1 trophy in a row. He started from the 10-yard line and his twin Sterling (No. 31) started 20-yards from the gate based upon past success. Alex used one line and Sterling preferred a different part of the track. They ran first and second most of the race and Alex won by ten yards. Last week Sterling was half a length behind Alex and gaining rapidly when their near photo-finish came. Alex gave his first place trophy to his disappointed twin according to their father, Steve, a former speedway bike racer to 1993. The twins named Industry Speedway their favorite track.
The 50cc pee-wee class had five riders and produced another feature victory for speedy newcomer Jake Kahl, 6, who is now two for two in Industry main events. The race had the worst crash of the night. Frequent winner Luke Whitcomb, 7, and first-time racer Steven Altinawi, 6, from San Pedro, collided on the final lap in the third turn. Both youngsters fell hard and reclined on the ground stunned for several minutes. Altinawi suffered a “road rash” discolored bruise on a forearm. Whitcomb, who was away at camp and did not race last week, limped to the pits and complained of an ankle injury. A transport ambulance was called in but “Lightning” Luke's mother drove him to a hospital near their home in Orange County. His father Wade (D-3 rider) and 6-year old brother remained at the track.
A special 500cc D-2 “Last Man Out Challenge Race” eliminated the last rider after each of the first two laps. Then a two lap sprint for the two remaining riders determined which rider would receive all the money. On the initial lap P. 3 Ron Davis fell in turn four. P. 4 Carl Gazafy avoided the fallen Davis but hit his bike and fell also. Davis did not restart. Gazafy was third after lap two and went to the infield. Chris Jones led every lap but drifted high in turn four coming to the checkered flag. Eloy Medellin passed him on the inside for “a photo finish” that was replayed on the large color screen outside the third turn. Both riders thought they had won, but the referee call at the finish line went to Medellin. He took the victory lap with the checkered flag.
NOTES: Max Ruml was the only rider to score a perfect nine points by winning all three of his heat races. Venegas and Hamill both scored eight points with two wins and a second place. In heat race round two Venegas beat Hamill to hand the Industry ace his first loss in any heat, semi or feature. Announcer Bruce Flanders said it has been about 50 races since Hamill has lost a race at Industry. Ruml handed Venegas his only heat race loss this week when they met in the third round.
The 50/50 drawing total this week was $904, with half of that amount going to three D-1 feature riders and $452 going to the lucky spectator with the winning ticket stub. ... CRA sprint car winning driver Steve Howard was back in the grandstand watching after missing weeks because of a health problem. ... Aaron Fox did not race this week after incurring an engine problem last Saturday at the Long Track National event at Perris Auto Speedway. He hopes to have his No. 46 bike back on track Saturday. ... Michael Raines was in the pits with his left arm in a sling following a crash at Industry two weeks ago broke his collarbone.
We are now in the busy, hectic month of speedway bike racing in Southern California. Industry Speedway has three races in eight days. Joining the regular Wednesday night events will be a Saturday,m August 3 special, first-time event at Industry. The third round of the 2013 U.S National Championship qualifying races will be one of four rounds at four tracks. Two rounds have been held (at Rancho Cordova on May 16 and Costa Mesa on June 8). Top riders from Northern California such as Billy Janniro, Tommy Hedden, Brian Yarrow and others are expected at Industry August 3. Round four will be held six nights later on Friday, August 9 at Pirate Speedway in San Bernardino. Industry Speedway will have a special youth speedway motorcycle racing special engagement on Saturday, August 17 from 11 am to 2 pm.