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Industry, CA., June 17 – Charlie “the Edge” Venegas, the all-time Speedway Cycle main event winner at Industry Speedway, won all five of his races Wednesday night at The Grand Arena in round four of 19 weekly events this season. The San Bernardino resident and 2007 track champion won all three of his heats, the semi-final race and then led all four laps of the five-rider, 500cc Division 1 feature. He started from the inside lane at the starting line tapes. He has won about 34 main events since speedway cycle racing started six years ago at the Industry Hills Expo Center. Gary Hicks, winner of the first three D-1 features this season, had to work in Torrance until 3:30, return his company shredding truck to Ventura and then drive to Industry. He arrived during round three of the heat races, too late to continue his winning streak.
Movie stunt-man Shawn McConnell, the 2008 Industry Speedway track champion and winner of the other semi-final, started second and pressed Venegas all the way. He settled for second, ten-yards back. Buck Blair, winner of the last chance race, started from lane five and finished third. Northern California riders Kenny Ingalls, 22, and Billy Janniro, 28, placed fourth and fifth in the first starts at Industry this season. Janniro was third on lap 3 when he slid to the ground in the third turn and did not finish.
Sacramento-based Danny Faria, the 27-year old son of D-1 champion Mike Faria, won the five-rider, Division 2 main over 14-year old D-2 rookie Joey Holt. Pete Pedersen, from Denmark, made his Industry debut and took third after just buying a new JAWA 500cc cycle locally from Bob Cody. Butch Waymire won his second Division 3 (rookies) main event in two D-3 starts at Industry. He raced in D-2 without success last week. The 53-year old American Airlines B-777 Captain on flights to Tokyo and London has now won two D-3 feature trophies in four weeks of racing. He fell at Costa Mesa in his first race on a JAWA that he bought from D-1 rider Nate Perkins.
SIDECARS: Three of the 1,000cc motorcycle and sidecar teams competed after a crash and blown engine Saturday at Costa Mesa sidelined two of the usual five teams at Industry. Gerard Jackson and Gene Stone won the first heat. Paraplegic Tommy Thornton and swing-man Dave German took the second 4-lap heat race after more experienced team of Dave Alexander and Matt Davis spotted them a 30-yard advantage in both heats. All three teams started from the starting tapes for their main event, run in a clockwise direction. The Thornton/German team won their first Industry feature after leading all 4 laps in a close contest with the Alexander/Davis duo.
Nicky Reimer,10, scored a double. He won the five-rider, 200cc Junior main over Trevor Ruml, 12. Third place Hayley Perrault, 11, fell and her Honda 200cc cycle fell on her leg on lap 2 in the third turn. She was able to limp to the pits after treatment from track-side medical personnel. Reimer then started the pee-wee race 40-yards behind Michael Wells on their smaller 50cc mini cycles and he led all 4 laps for his second trophy of the evening.
Classic Car Night, presented by Trench Shoring Co., had ten 1950s era classic American-made sedans on display inside the main entrance gate. Three open-wheel racing cars were on display as well. Before the third round of D-1 heat races, three drivers took the cars onto the track for demo runs. Sprint car veteran Marc Hart drove the 1959 A. J. Watson-built No. 2 Bob Wilke Leader Card 255 cu. in. Offy champ dirt car that the late Rodger Ward raced on mile dirt tracks on the USAC Championship Trail. Wally Pankratz drove the 2009 USAC Midget No. 25 Rodela Stealth/Ed Pink Toyota that finished second in the last Ventura feature. Two-time USAC Western Midget champion Jerome Rodela drove the 1947 Frank Kurtis-built Offy midget No. 20 that was owned by Johnny Balch and raced by numerous drivers after WWII. Wally said.”it was my first ride”. He said it was the car his racing father Bob Pankratz sat him in the cockpit for a famous photograph. Owner Tom Malloy said he wanted “the old guy to drive the new car and the young guy to drive the old car.” All three cars were on the track simultaneously for 12 to 15 warm-up and hot laps. Plastic cones marked their groove above the speedway cycle groove to avoid tearing up the track used by the cycles. The three cars sent dirt flying in the turns and achieved more speed than one would believe possible on such a small, indoor track. All three cars remained in the infield and the drivers spoke to spectators and showed the cars after the D-1 feature concluded at 9:49 pm. Retired USAC driver Shane Scully and his daughters Brooke, 6, and Hannah, 2, were among the estimated 800 spectators present. Brooke said she will be racing her new quarter-midget soon as she sat in the three race car cockpits to try them on for size. Shane said she wants to be the next Danica Patrick.
Promoter Jeff Immediato announced that next Wednesday will be fan appreciation night at Industry Speedway. D-1 rider McConnell and co-promoter Jason Bonsignore will be starting their new 16-weeks of speedway cycle racing on Friday, June 19 at the National Orange Show site in San Bernardino. Entry is on Arrowhead Ave. through gate 9. Racing at their new Inland Motor Sport Speedway will begin at 8:00 pm and will conclude by 11:00 pm. Speedway Cycle racing also continues on Saturday nights at the Orange County Fairgrounds track in Costa Mesa, giving the southland three active tracks for the exciting, fast-paced and expanding Speedway Cycle racing series. Speedway Cycle racing in northern California is held every Friday night at Fast Fridays Speedway at the fairgrounds in Auburn. D-1 rider Venegas is the promoter of Saturday night racing at his Golden Gate Raceway at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo.
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