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Industry, CA., Jun. 2 – Billy Janniro, a 29-year old resident of San Pablo, continued his red-hot 2010 speedway cycle racing season Wednesday night at the Industry Speedway dirt track. He won the season-opener at The Grand Arena of the Industry Hills Expo Center and added to his growing 2010 feature victory total. The 2008 AMA U. S. National Champion and 2004 SRA U.S. National Champion has raced in recent years for speedway cycle teams in England. He began May by winning four main events (three scratch and one handicap) at the Gold Country Fairgrounds Fast Friday Speedway in Auburn. Jeff and Madison Immediato, promoting at Industry for the third year, attracted a strong field of 19 Division 1 riders on the 500cc alcohol-fueled bikes with no brakes. They present up to 40 or more four-lap races from 7:00 to 10:00 pm each race night from June through September.
As one of three riders who scored 11 out of 12 possible points in the three rounds of D-1 heat races, Janniro won a coin toss and selected the pole position in the line of five main event riders. Charlie Venegas, Mike Faria, Buck Blair and Tommy Hedden started alongside. Hedden, from Auburn, won the last chance race for his fifth spot. Janniro got the hole shot entering the crowded first turn and led all four laps. He edged Industry Speedway past track champion and all-time feature winner Venegas by three lengths. Blair, Hedden and Faria followed in close order. Janniro hiked his front wheel as he crossed the finish line and did wheelies on the backstretch in celebration.
Tyson Talkington led all four laps to win his first 500cc Division 2 main event at Industry. Newcomer Kevin Wybenga, of Whittier, won the four-lap 500cc Division 3 main for rookies after winning both of his D-3 heat races earlier on his first night of racing at the track. Janniro and Venegas won the two scratch semi-mains that advanced the first two finishers in each semi to the feature. In a field of six 1,000cc sidecar rigs, Costa Mesa residents Joe Jones and sidecar rider Jimmy Olsen led all four laps in a field of four. A final lap incident in the third corner resulted in sidecar riders of the second and third place teams being dumped onto the track. They were able to walk away after a few minutes on the ground. Sidecar teams raced in a clockwise direction. Cycle riders raced counter-clockwise.
Rocco Scopellite won the four-rider 250cc Junior Division main event for riders under age 16. Dillon Ruml also led all four laps in a three-rider Junior race for under 200cc cycles. Tristan Britt, a 7-year old newcomer from Huntington Beach, won his first 50cc mini cycle race for pee-wees. Fellow pee-wee newcomer Alyssa Smith, 8, of Lakewood, finished second with coaching from her father Tom Smith, the 2006 Outlaw Figure 8 track champion at Irwindale.
Spectators in the estimated crowd of 550 included well-known midget and sprint car drivers Wally Pankratz, Jerome Rodela and Steve Howard. Following the National Anthem, promoter Immediato presented trophies and prize money to 2009 Industry Speedway high-point riders as follows: D-3 – Dewayne Stark, D-2 – Joey Holt, D-1 - P. 1- Gary Hicks, P. 2 Jimmy Fishback, P. 3 Charlie Venegas, P. 4 Mike Faria and P. 5 Shawn McConnell. Southern California speedway cycle racing continues on Friday nights at the Inland Motor Speedway at the Orange Show Fairgrounds in San Bernardino, plus the regular Costa Mesa Speedway action at the Orange County Fairgrounds. Industry Speedway speedway cycle racing will continue each Wednesday night and Fast Fridays Speedway in Auburn presents races every Friday night. Numerous north-state speedway riders call that track their home base. Promoter Venegas will renew his Vallejo Speedway Saturday night speedway cycle racing events in July.
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