Story with corrected sidecar finishing order. Sorry I made an error for third and fourth place in the results.
September 26, 2026
Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway
Auburn Ca.
Michael Kirby Story and Photos
It was another night of excellent and exciting championship racing at Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway in Auburn Ca. The season is winding down but the best has been saved for last. Last week it was the final round of the AMA National Speedway Championship and this week the AMA Extreme Sidecar National Champions, the AMA 250cc Youth National Champion and the AMA 150cc Youth National Champion were all crowned after an excellent evening of racing at the Gold Country Fairgrounds.
Nine sidecar teams gathered in Auburn to vie for the national championship. The teams were to race in 12 heat races accumulating points for finishing positions. Three points for a first-place finish, two points for a second-place finish, one point for third-place and zero for a fourth-place finish. The points were added up and the top three teams were seeded into the final. One team would advance out of a “Last Chance Qualifier” to fill the last spot in the national final and have a shot at winning the championship. The winner of the national final would be the national champion. The finishing order of the final would be first, second, third and fourth-place in the national championship.
At the end of the12 heat races Wade Boyd and Eric Lindauer, Rees Todd and Brandon Hendrickson and Kyle Collins and Justin Zmina were seeded in the final as the top scorers coming out of the heats. That left one open for the last chance qualifier winner to fill.
The LCQ race was filled with the fourth through seventh place scorers from the heats. They were Robert and Laurie Curry, Kevin Kale and Jennifer Hernandez, Pierce Brown and Connor Armstrong and James Habben and Rhyss David. Out of the gate it was the Curry’s from tape to tape winning the open spot in the national final. The Curry’s were national champions in 2022 and have been working back to number one. So the stage was set.
Collins and Zmina had been running very fast all night and looked at home on the track scoring perfect scores in the heats except for an exclusion in heat five for jumping over the track tube. They had nine points out of the heats. Todd and Hendrickson also emerged from the heats with nine points, Boyd and Lindauer had eleven heat points and the Curry’s had eleven heat points. All this did not matter as the points got you into the final and the winner of this one race would be the national champions regardless of points.
As the tapes went up Collins and Zmina were in the lead but a crash in the first lap between Boyd and Lindauer and the Curry’s halted the race as red lights around the track went on. All riders were alright but Boyd and Lindauer’s motorcycle was damaged beyond immediate repair and they could not restart. On the restart it was similar start with Collins and Zmina out front a position they held to the finish line and the championship. The Curry’s did their best to try to catch them but fell short and settled for second-place, Todd and Hendrickson took third-place and Boyd and Lindauer were fourth-place.
The new national champs took their victory lap and took their place atop the winner’s podium and excepted their trophies and number one AMA number plates. Holding his number one plate Collins said, “I have been wanting one of these since I was fourteen-years-old.”
In the Youth 250cc national championship the format was the same. Twelve heat races scored 3-2-1-0 with the points adding up to be seeded in a national final with the outcome determining the champion. The top three riders from the heats moved automatically moving into the final, and one last chance heat winner would take the fourth spot.
Jameson Hutchinson, Colton Cooper, Caden Cavirkas and Leeann Emerson were in the last chance qualifier to win the last spot. Hutchinson had little trouble here and won the spot leading all the way. He joined Wesley Rearick, Ryder Schultz and Brandon Kemmerly on the start line for the final and championship race. Remember, points go out the door and the race for the championship is now decided by the winner of this race and will be the new national champion.
From the gate Hutchinson was in command and led all the way from the start to finish line and the checkered flag. Rearick was second-place, third was Kemmerly and Schultz was fourth. Hutchinson took his victory lap and his place on the winner’s podium as the new Youth 250cc national champion.
The Youth 150cc championship was a little different with all the riders in heat races scoring points to get into two semi-finals with the top two riders in each semi-final going into the championship race. Mason Howell, Logan Kerr, Brady Wills and Luke Seeger were seeded into the first semi-final. Howell and Kerr advanced out of their semi-final to the national championship final. Liam Falcon, Zander Schroeder, Chance Farrow and Kaiden Boyd-Bews were in semi-final two with Falcon and Schroeder advancing to the final championship race.
So sitting at the start line was the current Youth 150cc national champion Howell looking for a repeat, Kerr, Falcon and Schroeder. This race went pretty smooth for Howell as he cruised to a first-place finish and a championship. Second-place in the championship was Falcon, third was Kerr and fourth was Schroeder. Howell was thrown in the air by his crew and family then took his place on the winner’s podium with Falcon and Kerr where they received trophies nearly as tall as the boys.
It was another great night of championship racing at Fast Fridays and hats off to the Fast Fridays staff and crew that pulled off a flawless evening of racing. Next up is the last race of the season on October 3. The finale of the season-USA vs. the World. Always a thrilling international meeting.
Fast Fridays Results for 9-26-26
AMA Extreme National Sidecar Championship:
1-Kyle Collins/Justin Zmina
2-Robert Curry/Laurie Curry
3-Rees Todd/Brandon Hendrickson
4-Wade Boyd/Eric Lindauer
2025 Youth 250cc Championship:
1-Jameson Hutchinson, 2-Wesley Rearick, 3-Brandon Kemmerly, 4-Ryder Schultz
2025 Youth 150cc Championship:
1-Mason Howell, 2-Liam Falcon, 3-Logan Kerr, 4-Zander Schroeder
