Inaugural Junior Speedway Championships at Industry
By noderel:
Industry, CA. Aug. 17 – The inaugural Junior Speedway Silver Cup Championship for junior riders (age 8-16) took place Saturday from 11:00 am-1:30 pm. Industry Speedway in the Grand Arena of the Industry Hills Expo Center hosted the innovative event. FIM and AMA were the sanctioning bodies. The event for junior riders only was created to give all competitors a legitimate, stand alone championship with level technical standards and post-race inspection for the top three bikes in each division. A stated goal of the event was to prepare juniors for eventual international competition.
An estimated 125 family and friends of competitors plus interested fans sat in the grandstand or watched from the pits. The temperature was in the upper 80s and climbed to the low 90s. A light breeze flowing through the open sides of the covered indoor arena kept everyone comfortable as noted by announcer Steve Graham several times during the midday event. Persons present were able to read a free printed 12-page program with the race lineups and five pages of color photos of all the junior riders.
Three junior championships were determined. Three females raced, one in each division. The Mini 150cc Division 2 field consisted of 12 riders (three from Northern California plus a London resident). The Mini 150cc Division 1 (more experienced) roster had six riders (two from Northern California). Ten 250cc riders (two from Northern California) raced. Twenty-eight junior riders entered and competed. They were able to, practice at the track Friday night from 5:00-9:00 pm and most took advantage of the opportunity.
There were 28 heat races plus three championship final races run in rapid order with two intermissions for track re-grooming. Each rider had four heat races to accumulate points on a 3-2-1-0 basis. After the four heats in each of the three divisions points were totaled. The four riders with the most points in each division advanced to their championship final. Two of the three new champions came from Northern California; one resides in Southern California and races each week at Industry Speedway.
FINALS: The top four Mini 150cc D-2 riders who advanced to the four-lap championship final (race 29) were: high-point rider Sterling Martin (No. 31N) with a perfect 12 points via four heat victories, and Slater Lightcap with 11 points from three wins and a second place. Folsom resident Logan Hedden and London-born Sam Hagon tied with 9-points and also raced. Other 150cc D-2 riders (with points in parenthesis) were: Tristan Britt (7), Sara Cords and Dylan Smith (tied at 6), two-time Industry Speedway 2013 main event winner Alex Martin and Jake Issac (tied at 4), Dryden Leo Grande (3), Dakota Shockley (1) and Travis Hamilton (0).
Lane choice went to riders with the most points. Martin, one of the winning fraternal twins from Salinas, chose the inside lane. Lightcap, an 8-year old from Huntington Beach, picked lane two. Hedden, the 9-year old son of 500cc D-1 rider Bobby Hedden and nephew of Auburn's Tommy Hedden, selected lane three. Hagon, 9, had the outside lane. Lightcap broke the starting gate tape on a false start and was excluded by event rules that are used also in international speedway racing. Martin led all four laps and scored his fifth victory in five races by a full straightaway. Hedden placed second and Hagon third.
The top four Mini 150cc D1 riders (with points in parenthesis) were: Sebastian “Big Daddy” Palmese (a perfect 12 from four heat victories), Courtney Crone (8 points from two wins and a second), Dylan Wagner (7 points after three seconds and a third), and Maverick Molloy (4 points from a second and two thirds). Gino Scopellite, 11, also scored four points but he lost the final starting position after Molloy finished ahead of him in their heat race. Head to head competition is the first tie-breaker. Landon Norton, a 9-year old from Citrus Heights, had one point.
Palmese a 10 year old from Rancho Santa Margarita, picked the inside lane. Crone, a 12-year old from Corona, opted for lane two. Wagner, a 9-year old from Napa, selected lane three, leaving 12-year old Molloy, from Chino Hills, the outside lane. Palmese led all four laps and won by 30-yards. In the closest finish of the day, Crone took second place from Molloy on the final lap in a “photo finish”. She shot to the inside of Molloy leaving the fourth turn on lap 4 and just edged Molloy by inches for runner-up honors. Wagner's No. 199N was fourth on the third lap when he fell in turn four and pushed his bike to the infield.
250 FINAL: Visitor Luke Becker, an impressive 14-year old from Brentwood, made his Industry Speedway racing debut. He won three of his four heats. With a second place in his fourth heat tallied 11-points on his No. 12N GM 250cc. Broc Nicol, from Lomita, was the 2012 Junior National Champion. The 15-year old won three of his four heats and placed third in his third heat for a total of 10 points. He was the only rider to defeat Becker in their fourth rides of the day. Kurtis Hamill, 14-year old son of 500cc champion Billy Hamill, of Carlsbad, also scored 10-points with his pair of wins and two second positions. Huntington Beach's Dillon Ruml, 14, scored 9-points with a win and three seconds. Other 250cc competitors in point order were: Dalton Leedy (6), Hayley Perrault (5), Auburn's Colton Hicks, 11, Gage Geist, 14, and Dryden Gayle, 15 (tied at 3 points), and August 9 Pirate Speedway winner Michael Wells, 12 (0).
Becker chose the inside lane with first selection. Nicol next took the outside lane. Hamill picked lane two, leaving lane three for Ruml. All four 250cc talented juniors were main event winners and the outcome was in doubt. When the gate lifted, Becker shot into the lead immediately at the 1:27 pm start. Ruml fell in the first turn and Nicol went to the outside and fell in turn two. With two riders down rules called for a complete restart. All riders returned to their original positions. At the 1:29 pm restart, Becker again charged to the front. Nicol, Hamill and Ruml followed closely in a tight pack. P. 4 Ruml fell in the first turn on the second lap. He remounted quickly and finished fourth, half a lap in back of winner Becker. Runner-up Nicol was three lengths in back of the winner. Hamill was third, five lengths in back of Nicol.
Following the 250cc main all 28 riders, their families and friends, plus fans went to the podium that was placed on the dirt staging road next to the fourth turn tech building. Race Director Kelly Inman presented huge trophies of five, four and three feet to the top three riders in the three divisions. Photo ops for the top three riders in each divisions were followed by photos of the three division champions on the podium. Confetti rained down on celebrants. Next, all 28 riders posed for a group photo and another with the seven Industry Speedway officials on the pit grandstand.
Inman called the inaugural junior championships event a huge success. He thanked Billy Hamil and Bruce Stjernstrom for making the incredible idea for the event a reality. He thanked Carol Perez of the Industry Hills Expo Center for hosting the first event. He said he expects Industry Speedway to host the second annual Silver Cup Championships in 2014. He praised Billy Hamill for running his junior speedway racing academy and Martin Hagon for the Hagon junior bike that has helped the junior division grow. The 50/50 drawing totaled $240 and the lucky fan winner (Mrs. Perrasult) received $120 cash. She promptly donated half of her windfall winnings ($60) to the winner of the 250cc championship.
Speedway USA awarded $100 cash to the champions. Inman presented to each rider on the podium a pair of Oakley sunglasses and In & Out Burgers gift cards. Other appreciation gifts went to all other competitors as they sat in the pit grandstand for a group photo. The hard luck award went to Slater Lightcap as consolation for his mandatory exclusion from his final event after his tape infraction. By smiles evident after the final race, everyone seemed to enjoy the inaugural juniors only competition and looked forward to a second annual juniors championship event next year. Northern riders, including Becker, who raced for the first time at Industry Speedway said they enjoyed racing on the well-prepared, smooth track.