August 02, 2024
Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway
Auburn Ca.
Michael Kirby Story and Photos
The cooler temperatures that settled into Auburn Ca. this week and the great racing program that Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway presented brought a near capacity crowd to the Gold Country Fairgrounds and the “Tricky Dirt Oval.” On the track was the fourth meeting of the season for the Extreme Sidecars along with a full speedway racing program. The hot weather that had kept some Fast Friday’s fans away were lured back by cooler weather and exciting racing that the Extreme Sidecars showcase, and it was as exciting as it gets. Five sidecar teams showed up to test their skills including two national champion teams. The teams that came to race were Joe Jones and Tom Summers, Robert and Laurie Curry, Smylie Kinne and Michael McGovern, Wade Boyd and Eric Lindauer and Jason Fritze and Tiffiny Lippien.
Current AMA Extreme Sidecar National Champions Joe Jones and Tom Summers made a statement that they would be seriously defending their championship crown on Saturday August 31 when the 2024 AMA Extreme Sidecar National Championship rolls into Auburn. Jones and Summers won all their heat races and the sidecar main event in the final sidecar racing event at Fast Fridays before the championship. Gearing up for the championship and facing serious challengers, Jones and Summers left no doubt that they would be the team to beat on three wheels and retain their championship. Winning all their heat races and the main event, they were challenged but it was clear that they had it under control making few if any mistakes on the track. In the main event Jones and Summers got out ahead and held the lead but was pushed a little by the team of Wade Boyd and Eric Lindauer who worked their way on the inside of the track trying to pass but had to settle for second place. Smiley Kinne and Michael McGovern finished third in the main. Great racing by all the sidecar teams.
Also gearing up for the second round of the 2024 AMA National Speedway Championship most of the Division I speedway riders were heading down to Industry Hills Racing in City of Industry in Southern California for the second round of the AMA National Speedway Championship series on Saturday August 3. Billy Janniro who sits in second place one point behind Broc Nicol after the first round was tuning up at Fast Fridays and picked up another scratch main event win. The win was his seventh scratch main event of the season at Fast Friday’s and he leads all Division I riders in Fast Friday’s season points. Broc Nicol who leads the national championship race after round one chased Janniro for two laps then swung wide and left open the door for Blake Borello who rode a great race to fall into second place. Slater Lightcap filled in at third just ahead of Nicol.
Veteran speedway rider Bart Bast, coming off his second scratch main event win of the season last week won the handicap main event, his first handicap main event of the season. Bast was second in his heat race, third in his semi-final then riding off the 20-yard-line took the handicap main event. Bast led for most of the race while Timmy Dion, Broc Nicol and Danny Faria jockeyed for second place. Dion made a great move on the inside of the track in the last quarter lap of the race to pass Faria near the finish line for second place, Faria finished third. Bast is second in Fast Friday’s track points behind Janniro.
Tisiah Prout continues to get better each week and more comfortable on the winner’s podium as he picked up another win in the Support Class main event. This makes four support class main event wins for the season and two in a row. Prout was perfect for the night winning his heat race and the main event. Not bad for a rider that is in his first season, he’s catching on fast. John Peters was second and Catherine Moore was third.
Brady Landon won the Youth 250 main event again, his second of the season and two in row. Landon took some time off from racing at Fast Fridays to race in Sweden where he won the FIM SGP4 Speedway Youth World Championship. The experience he picked up overseas has greatly improved his skills and it showed Friday night. Current AMA Youth 250 champion Darren Armbruster was second and Jameson Hutchinson was third.
Continuing his streak, Riley Rearick won his 13th Youth 150 main event of the season. Rearick has still yet to lose a Youth 150 main event this season so far. Up from Southern California with his father sidecar driver Joe Jones, Hudson Jones was able to give Rearick a challenge and was close several times for a win, but Rearick handled it like the skilled rider he has become and won all his heat races and the main event. Jones was second and Gavin Evans Seeley was third in the main event.
Next week the Fast Friday’s season points race comes to an end, it is the last week for riders to score season points. Riders receive points throughout the season for finishing positions in the races and receive a share of the purse at the points race finish. As of last week July 26, Billy Janniro leads Division I with 1544, followed by Bart Bast with 1322 and Charlie Trana with 1258 points. In the Support Class Catherine Moore leads with 555 points, Antonia Coffman is in second place with 495 followed really close by Brian Leventon with 493 points. The riders have one more week to add to their totals. Also, the Law Tigers vs. the IFC Financial Team Challenge will end their six round grudge match in a final night of team racing.
Results for 8-2-24
Division I Scratch Main Event
1-Billy Janniro, 2-Blake Borello, 3-Slater Lightcap 4-Broc Nicol
Division I Handicap Main Event
1-Bart Bast, 2-Timmy Dion, 3-Daniel Faria
Support Class Main Event
1-Tisiah Prout, 2-John Peters, 3-Catherine Moore
Support Class Consolation
1-LC Veale, 2-Ray Holt Jr., 3-Brendan Hendrickson
Youth 250 Main Event
1-Brady Landon, 2-Darren Armbruster, 3-Jameson Hutchinson
Youth 150 Main Event
1-Riley Rearick, 2-Hudson Jones, 3-Gavin Evans Seeley
Extreme Sidecars Main Event (Round Four)
1-Joe Jones/Tom Summers, 2-Wade Boyd/Eric Lindauer, 3-Smiley Kinne/Michael McGovern