Speedway bike 500cc star Max Ruml, 22, was perfection in motion Wednesday night at Industry Speedway in the Grand Arena. He won all three of his heat races, his semi-final and the main event. He led all 20 laps of his five rides on his GM-powered No. 5. However, his brother Dillon, 20, almost stole the feature from him with a sensational ride aboard his No. 3 Jawa. He rocketed on the outside from fourth place on lap 1 to a “photo finish” runner-up result.

Dillon, the 2018 AMA California State Speedway Champion, fell short by half a wheel-length of winning his second consecutive feature at Industry. The finish was so close Dillon walked from the pits to the finish line to question the announced result. Assured Max won by inches, he accepted the verdict and walked away knowing at least they kept the hardware and P. 1 money in the family. Max became the third winner in the first three weeks of the season. Austin Novratil won the season opener May 29.

Twelve 500cc first division riders raced three rounds of heat races. Max was the only rider who scored a perfect nine points entering the two semi-final races for the eight high-point riders. Only the top two finishers in each semi advanced to the main event. In the first semi, Max started from the inside lane and beat brother Dillon, the outside lane starter. Outside starter Aaron Fox led every lap in the second semi and edged pole starter Gino Manzares.

FEATURE: Unlike last week, Max selected lane one instead of lane four in the feature. Lanes two through four starters this week were Manzares, Fox and D. Ruml. The four riders completed the first lap in a tight pack in their starting order. Dillon began his strong outside ride on lap 2 and powered to second spot. Fox also passed Manzares for third on lap 2. The finish order remained the same, but Dillon thrilled an estimated 500 spectators with his impressive charge on the final lap that almost nipped his brother.

The scratch consolation race for D-1 third and fourth place riders in the two semi-finals went to Tim Gomez in a close duel with Shawn McConnell, who made his first start at Industry since May 30, 2018. D-1 500cc rookies Sebastian Palmese, 15, and Jake Isaac, 16, followed. It took three points to make the top eight in points after the heat races.

SIDECARS: Five 1,000cc sidecar teams were present. They raced two heats, a last chance consy and main event. Joe Jones and his sidecar “swinger” Josh Flammia won the feature after leading all four laps. Dillon Osborne/Ashley Gibbons ran second. Ace Kale/Barry Nobles finished third in the event that only started three sidecars. Nobles was the second of two Harley-Davidson Hooligan 6-lap exhibition racers recruited to serve as rookie sidecar swingers when the regular occupant was not present.

SUPPORT MAINS: Kayle LesGrande, a 42-year old tattoo artist/speedway veteran from Grand Terrace, led all the way on his Jawa 889-8 in the 500cc D-2 feature. It was his first race at Industry this season. Eloy Medellin, David Lynch and Rudy Laurer trailed at the checkers. Laurer won two heat races contested by eight D-2 competitors.

There were seven D-3 500cc riders present. Brent Smith led all the way in the D-3 main for newer riders. He beat first-time Industry racer Tyler Moszer, 26, from Huntington Beach, who won his first heat on his JRM. Moszer fell on lap 1 of the main, re-started from the penalty 20-yard line, but he could not catch Smith. George Yates and Jake Myers placed third and fourth.

JUNIORS: Two 250cc riders—Slater Lightcap, 13, and Wilbur Hancock, 14—raced this week. They exchanged the lead each lap of their first heat with each rider leading two laps. Hancock won both heat races using the inside and outside runner Lightcap won the main event after leading every lap. Hancock trailed by half a straight after brushing the infield piping and slowing to avoid disqualification for entering the infield. No pee-wee races were run with Joe Jones' son the only rider present.

Six mini 150cc riders raced with handicapped starts in 5-lap heats and main event. Two riders started at the gate, two at the 20-yard line, and one from the 30-yard stripe based upon past success. Twenty-yard line starters Jose Navarette and Levi Leutz won the heats and Navarette captured the feature. Lap 1 leader Ryder Schulz, 7, led lap 1 and was in second place on lap 3 when she fell in turn two. P. 3 Owen Williams, the most recent feature winner, hit the downed bike and flipped over it. Both youngster were soon able to walk back to the pits, but the race was called complete after three laps.

CRASHES: The first D-1 semi-final had a nasty-looking crash on the first lap. The bikes of Gomez and D. Ruml came together entering the third turn and both riders fell hard. Gomez landed next to his bike in mid-track and Ruml tumbled towards turn four as his bike slid to the turn four plywood crashwall. Both riders walked away with no significant injuries and made the complete restart.

SIDECAR FLIP: Three sidecars with the lowest heat race point totals started the last chance race. Only two main event starting spots were available for the first two finishers. Entering the first turn in the usual clockwise direction used by sidecars, the No. 07 rig hit the back of the No. 11. The impact caused the No. 07 of Kevin Kale/Jen Hernandez to flip once in mid-track. Driver Kale and swinger Hernandez were dumped onto the track. Both arose quickly with sore arms. Hospital visits for X-rays were likely later.

The red flag was being waved at turn one because the overturned No. 07 was still on the track. Upon seeing the red flag as he neared the starting line to complete lap 1, driver Kevin Holman (No. 11) made a sharp right turn into the infield just past the starting line. That surprise move ejected his rookie swinger Shannen Hennessey onto the infield dirt. She hit the ground with her helmet and lost consciousness for a few minutes. With EMTs and a gurney at the scene,she arose in about five minutes and walked to the pits with assistance. Following the races she said she did not recall the crash.

PIT NOTES:

   > D-1 rider Gino Manzares (No. 24) missed the June 5 Industry race because he was in Las Vegas preparing for his MMA fight Friday, June 7 at the Green Valley Ranch Resort in Henderson, NV. Gino, 25, won his match via submission with a chokehold in 53 seconds of the firsst round. He said he has about 14 bouts and has an official record of two wins and one loss. Gino has UFC Gym sponsorship on his racing leathers and coaches UFC students.

   > Austin Novratil did not go to Scotland to race last week because he received an email advising him not to come. Reportedly, So Cal speedway D-1 racer Broc Nicol, who is racing again this year in Europe, got the ride. This week at Industry Novratil finished second in his first round heat but something was amiss with his engine and he scratched for the evening. D-2 rider Eloy Medellin took Novratil's place in D-1 races as a reserve. Novratil said it was his older GM engine not his Marcel Gerhard-designed, Swiss manufactured GTR engine that he used to win the Connor Penhall Memorial Cup main on May 29.

   > Joe Jones will be working in the Perris Auto Speedway (PAS) pits Saturday, June 15 as a pitman for his racing buddy Tyson Talkington. D-1 veteran Talkington sold his No. 48 speedway bike and now ranks third in PASSCAR super stock car point stanidngs. Joe said his sidecar group has about 18 sidecars currently. He wants at least 12 to be present for the annual Sidecar National race. This year it will be in Auburn as usual on Saturday, September 28.

   > Sidecar teams this week included three females. Ashley Gibbons, 26, from Costa Mesa, is a five-year sidecar veteran. Jen Hernandez, 42, made her Industry debut and has raced at two other tracks. Shannen “Shan” Hennessey, 25, is from San Clemente and works at a motorcycle shop. SC driver Kevin Holman came into the shop to buy something and told her about sidecars. She joined his team. Shannen is the proud owner of a racy Yamaha R-1 street motorcycle and shows photos of it in her smart phone. She made her sidecar debut June 1 at Costa Mesa and said she cracked two ribs. She said she loves sidecar racing. Her fourth SC ride and second at Industry was June 12 and she again was involved in a crash.

  > Father/son sidecar drivers Ace and Kevin Kale have had various sidecar swingers this year. Ace did not have a SC rider June 12 so Joe Jones, the leader of the sidecar group, recruited two of the nine Harley-Davidson hooligan racers present to take the No. 357 swinger rides. Stewart (No. 100) Armas rode in the event 18 heat. Barry (No. 95) Nobles was the swinger in the next heat (event 27), plus the LCR (event 30) and the main event (event 36). The two SC rookies performed admirably in their role of leaning out of the SC to act as a counter-balancer in the turns. Ace and Kevin were planning to race their NMRA 750cc TQ-midgets June 15 at Santa Maria Speedway.

   > Tyler Moszer, 26, made his Industry deubt June 12 and looked very competitive on his No. 327 JRM bike. He led all four laps and won his first heat and won his second heat with a last lap pass. He fell on lap 1 in turn two during the main and had to re-start 20-yards from the starting gate. He passed two riders and finished second. His advancement to D-2 seems imminent.

  > Bobby Schwartz is still hurting (shoulder) following his fourth turn fall on Industry's opening night. He said he might take time off from racing to recover.

   > Travis Horn, 11, raced a vintage bike in the Born Free Stampede (at Industry Thur. June 20 3:00-10:00 pm) exhibition races Wednesday. He finished third and fifth in two 6-lap exhibition races in nine bike fields of adults and his smaller vintage bike had less ccs than the Harleys. Travis wants to race flat track 85cc bikes.> Industry PA announcer Bruce Flanders was not present Wednesday and missed his third event in a row. His brother Paul said he has not been feeling well. Hot weather and his COPD are not compatible.

   > Absentees this week included D-1 500cc rider Colton Hicks, who went camping with friends instead of traveling south from Nor Cal to race at Industry against his dad Bob (No. 808). Junior 250cc rider Jake Whitcomb, 13, and his family were overseas according to fellow 250cc rider Slater Lightcap.

   > 250cc Junior rider Wilbur Hancock, 14, said his dad Greg (4-time World Speedway Champion) was in the pits with him. He said chemotherapy treatment for his mom Jennie appears to be successful. Greg is not racing abroad in 2019 and is remaining in California to be with Jennie and support her during her battle with cancer.