SteveEvans

Billy Janniro won Victorville Speedway's Spring Classic last night - here is the Main Event, report to follow;

You did go Billy, you rode Brighton and won a heat I recall!

I think the coverage does get better because from recollection at the beginning of the season we didnt know about the TV thing. Later in the year some events have live US commentary and whilst Alex is excellent with the voice over, you cant beat it coming live as the action is occuring.

Posted by Billy Hamill on the US Speedwaybikes forum; Hey; I just wanted to let everybody know I have been granted a Farewell Meeting in England! The date will be March 22 at Wolverhampton Speedway. I feel very lucky to have been granted this race at Wolverhampton as Coventry still own me. A big thank you must go to Chris Van Straatten and Colin Pratt for helping me make this happen! Steve Evans has already offered his help which will be very valuable as he grew up on the Wolves terraces, so thanks Steve! Hope to see you all there! #104 More details will be posted as myself or others involved in the organisation of this event have them. Most likely the main feature will be a 20 heat individual with some GP riders hopefully on show. The support event will be featuring retired riders and will be very special for the local Black Country fans.

Wells was excellent - 6 points in this caliber of field is very impressive. Not only was he in the points but he was well on the pace. I think he'll do fine at Brandon but have to agree had he signed for Wolves he'd be looking at a much higher initial average. Thanks to Mr Shovlar for his excellent opinions of this rider!

2:30 is correct.

This is building up nicely. So nice to see a lot of Cradley fans at the disco on thursday and lots of Bees fans on the friday who are coming. Alan Grahame spun some laps at Brandon last night. Cannot wait till tomorrow!

It's a mystery why F1 would change their points system after the most exciting championship chase in history. I guess they want the top drivers to dice for wins rather than settle for points. In Speedway the system needs changing as for the last few years the title has been decided or been a formality with several rounds to go. Since they went to 16 riders it seems we all know who the winner will be by halfway through. The 16 rider format is fair but the 24 rider format was more unpredictable.

By: Ryan Evans Billy “The Kid” Janniro began the defense of his National Championship with a perfect night including a victory in the First Division Main Event at the Town & Country Tire Season Opener at Wheel2Wheel Raceway in Victorville. Janniro entered the main event as top scorer, thus earning the right to pick his starting position first, he chose gate three. “Battling” Buck Blair then selected gate four, “Fast” Eddie Castro chose gate one, which left Tyson Burmeister with gate two. When the tapes went up it was Castro and Burmeister off the line first with Janniro last entering turn one. The champion went deep into turn one and took away the outside line from Blair and swept around Burmeister. Castro tried to cut Janniro off in turn two, but the former Coventry Bees rider made a daringly squeezed through a tiny hole between Castro and the fence and took the lead on the back straight. The diminutive veteran didn’t give up the fight and chased Janniro in hopes of turning the tables. Castro remained within striking distance throughout the race, but was never afforded an opportunity to grab the lead. Janniro was first to the checkered flag, Castro was second, Burmeister finished third, and Blair was fourth. Janniro began his evening with a runaway win in the first heat. Blair claimed his first win in the second heat. “Nasty” Nate Perkins held off Castro to close out the round one with a win. The earned-handicap rounds started with Janniro weaving through the traffic for his second straight victory. Burmeister started in front of Blair and Perkins in the next heat and neither of the established stalwarts could gain any ground on the rising star who claimed an impressive win. Castro came from the back to end the round with a win. The final round of heats began with Blair in the lead, but Janniro used the cushion to get around the Colorado native on the second lap to take the lead and the win. Neil Facchini led the next heat for over three laps before Castro used the ample outside traction in the final corner to steal the win at the line. Jason Ramirez, who was plagued with mechanical failures in his first two races, ran away with the win in the final heat. Ramirez then defeated Bryce Starks and Billy Lyons in a runoff for the final spot in the semis. Janniro left little doubt as to the victor in the first semi, but an epic inside-outside battle for second was brewing behind him. Perkins stuck to the inside while Burmeister was on the high-banked outside line. After a great two-lap battle Perkins seemed to surge ahead for good, but didn’t give up and charged back into contention at the white flag. The battle continued into turn one before Burmeister found more speed exiting turn two and pulled ahead for good to take second and the important transfer spot into the main. Blair got the best gate in the second semi and led Castro all the way to the finish and into the main event. Austin Novratil won both of his heats handily and also claimed a runaway victory in the Second Division Main Event for the second week in a row. “Rattlesnake” Steve Bowen finished second and Rick Fehrman was third. Drew Coates remained unbeaten in 2009 and made his case for promotion into Second Division by winning his heats and the Third Division Main Event. Bubba Vazzana was second, Tim McGrath finished third, Billy Vaughn was fourth, and Tony DeAlmeida finished fifth. Rocco Scopellite was the early leader in the Youth Main Event, but Samuel Ramirez threatened his lead on the second lap. Ramirez almost ended his race early when he bounced off the wall on the back straight, but kept his bike upright and pressed on. Ramirez caught Scopellite on the next lap and used the outside to complete the pass for the lead. Ramirez led the rest of the way to take the win. Scopellite finished second, Maxwell Ruml was third, Erika Lyons finished fourth, and Ryan Vaughn was fifth. Erika Lyons started back in turn three but overcame the handicap to win the Pee Wee Main Event. Gino Scopellite finished second, Summer Fehrman was third, and Dakota Shockley finished fourth. The Season Opener was the first of eleven speedway meetings at Wheel2Wheel Raceway in 2009. The next event will be the Spring Classic on Saturday, April 4 at 6:00 p.m. RESULTS Sidecar Main Event 22 - Dave Alexander/Matt Davis 33 - Joe Petraglovic/Steven Bumpass 1 - Joe Jones/Jimmy Olsen 66 - Gerard Jackson/Dave German (non starter) Pee Wee Main Event 77 - Erika Lyons 7 - Gino Scopellite 8 - Summer Fehrman 34 - Dakota Shockley Youth Main Event 22 - Samuel Ramirez 9 - Rocco Scopellite 356 - Maxwell Ruml 77 - Erika Lyons 127 - Ryan Vaughn Third Division Consolation 124 - Paul Thornton 223n - Michelle Fehrman 231 - Gene Stone 226 - Rick Huspek Third Division Main Event 195 - Drew Coates 274 - Bubba Vazzana 186 - Tim McGrath 181n - Billy Vaughn 157 - Tony DeAlmeida Second Division Main Event 8j - Austin Novratil 177 - Steve Bowen 240n - Rick Fehrman First Division Scoring 1 2 3 T 1 – Billy Janniro 3 3 3 9 13 – Nate Perkins 3 1 2 6 14 – Eddie Castro 2 3 3 8 32 – Billy Lyons 1 1 1 3 39 – Buck Blair 3 2 2 7 41 – John Marquez 0 1 0 1 66 – Jason Ramirez R R 3 3 86 – Neil Facchini 2 R 2 4 184 – Tyson Burmeister 2 3 1 6 245n – Bryce Starks 1 2 F 3 321 – Russell Green 1 2 1 4 Race Results 5: Janniro, Burmeister, Lyons, Ramirez (retired) 6: Blair, Facchini, Starks 7: Perkins, Castro, Green, Marquez 13: Janniro [30], Green [10], Lyons [10], Facchini [20] (retired) 14: Burmeister [20], Blair [30], Perkins [30] 15: Castro [20], Starks [10], Marquez [0], Ramirez [0] (retired) 23: Janniro [30], Blair [20], Burmeister [30], Starks [20] (fell) 24: Castro [30], Facchini [0], Lyons [10] 25: Ramirez [0], Perkins [10], Green [20], Marquez [10] Runoff: Ramirez, Starks, Lyons Semi #1: Janniro, Burmeister, Perkins, Ramirez (fell) Semi #2: Blair, Castro, Facchini, Green (non starter) First Division Consolation 66 - Jason Ramirez 86 - Neil Facchini 13 - Nate Perkins (retired) 321 - Russell Green (non starter) First Division Main Event 1 - Billy Janniro 14 - Eddie Castro 184 - Tyson Burmeister 39 - Buck Blair

Californispoons Steve!

Is everyone ready? This is gonna be good, and those 20 heats in between might be alright too!

I think Billy should be untroubled in the team races. Plus guess what? Heat 5 will feature Billy and Greg for Cradley, PK and Sam for Wolves! Wolves do look stronger - with Cradley being gone so long it was much harder to find Heathens riders to fill their spots. All the riders are from the same era but obvioulsy the Grahame's have been gone for over 10 years, whilst all of the Wolves riders were racing 5 years ago. But as far as Wolves trying to give themselves and advantage, the teams were chosen by Billy himself and I helped him track them down, but these were the 8 he originally named.

By Ryan Evans "Nasty" Nate Perkins and Tyson Burmeister both scored impressive main event victories at the 2009 Joker Machine Season Opener at Perris Raceway. Former Youth National Champion Jason Ramirez entered the Scratch Main as the top scorer which earned him the right to first choice of starting position. Ramirez chose gate two and Perkins quickly picked gate one. Northern California's Bryce Starks selected gate four which left Burmeister with gate three. Perkins got the best start, led the field into turn one and down the back straight with his three younger contemporaries in tow. Perkins led at the end of lap one, but Ramirez separated himself from Starks and Burmeister and challenged the leader on the inside entering turn one. Perkins drifted off the inside exiting turn two and Ramirez tried the same inside move going into turn three. The veteran closed the door on the youngster and still led at the midway point of the four-lap race. Ramirez showed Perkins his wheel twice more but was unable to force a mistake. Perkins was first to the checkered flag, Ramirez settled for second, Starks finished third, and Burmeister was fourth. Three rounds of scratch heats began with Gary Hicks scorching the field for the opening victory. Each round featured one wild card rider who would compete in just one heat. The wild card rider for round one was Austin Novratil and he blitzed the field to take the win. Hicks began round two by pulling away to a commanding lead before suffering bike problems on the final lap that cost him the victory and ultimately ended his day. Ramirez benefitted from Hicks's misfortune and scored the win. Perkins held off Starks to end round two with his first win of the day. Starks started the final round by winning a hotly contested four-lap battle with John Marquez. The final heat began with Ramirez and Burmeister battling side-by-side for two laps before Burmeister found more grip on the outside cushion and pulled away for a very impressive heat victory. Burmeister, Starks, and Mike "Spiderman" Bloom lined up on the 20 yard line for the Handicap Main Event with Ramirez behind them. Burmeister used the wide line to secure the lead while Starks gave chase on the inside. Starks felt pressure from Ramirez, and his preoccupation with him allowed Burmeister to lengthen his lead. Burmeister scored the victory, Starks held on for second, Ramirez was third, and Bloom finished fourth. Novratil won his heat, his semi, and capped his perfect day with a dominant victory in the Second Division Main Event. Rudy Laurer was second, Youth National Champion Brad Pappalardo finished third, Bobby Campbell was fourth, Mark Baldwin finished fifth, and Kyle Hicks was sixth. Drew Coates put together four smooth laps to win the Third Division Main Event. Bubba Vazzana was second, Tom Bostic finished third, Billy J. Vaughn was fourth, Tim McGrath finished fifth, and Josh Abbott was sixth. Rocco Scopellite matched his success at the New Years Classic with another victory in the Youth Main Event. Samuel Ramirez finished second, Maxwell Ruml was third, Ryan Vaughn finished fourth, and Hayley Perrault was fifth. Kylie Ayers earned her first trophy with a win in the Pee Wee Main Event. Gino Scopellite finished a very close second, Keelan Venegas was third, and Abby Bostic finished fourth. RESULTS Pee Wee Main Event 17 – Kylie Ayers 7 – Gino Scopellite 43 – Keelan Venegas 15 – Abby Bostic Youth Main Event 9 – Rocco Scopellite 22 – Jason Ramirez 356 – Maxwell Ruml 127 – Ryan Vaughn 0 – Hayley Perreault Third Division Consolation 292 – Mike Schultz 217 – Justin Acselrod 157 – Tony DeAlmeida 226 – Rick Huspek 266 – Jonni Jade Third Division Main Event (restarted) 195 – Drew Coates 274 – Bubba Vazzana 222 – Tom Bostic 181n – Billy J. Vaughn (penalty line) 186 – Tim McGrath 141 – Josh Abbott (penalty line) Second Division Consolation 171 – Kenny Hansen 389 – Ryan Tovatt 326 – Mark Lane 240n – Rick Fehrman 153 – Brad Moreau Second Division Main Event 8j – Austin Novratil 182 – Rudy Laurer 145 – Brad Pappalardo 228 – Bobby Campbell 115 – Mark Baldwin 103 – Kyle Hicks (retired) Handicap Main Event (restarted) 184 – Tyson Burmeister 20 245n – Bryce Starks 20 66 – Jason Ramirez 30 22 – Mike Bloom 20 3 – Gary Hicks 40 (non starter) 182 – Rudy Laurer 10 (non starter) Scratch Heat Scoring 1 2 3 T 3 – Gary Hicks 3 E N 3 8j – Austin Novratil* 3 - - 3 13 – Nate Perkins 2 3 1 6 22 – Mike Bloom 0 2 0 2 41 – John Marquez 0 1 2 3 66 – Jason Ramirez 2 3 2 7 115 – Mark Baldwin* 1 - - 1 145 – Brad Pappalardo* 0 - - 0 184 – Tyson Burmeister 1 1 3 5 245n – Bryce Starks 1 2 3 6 *= Wild Card Race Results 11: Hicks, Perkins, Starks, Bloom 12: Novratil, Ramirez, Burmeister, Marquez 15: Ramirez, Bloom, Marquez, Hicks (engine failure) 16: Perkins, Starks, Burmeister, Pappalardo 23: Starks, Marquez, Baldwin, Hicks (non starter) 24: Burmeister, Ramirez, Perkins, Bloom Scratch Main Event 13 – Nate Perkins 66 – Jason Ramirez 245 – Bryce Starks 184 – Tyson Burmeister Courtesy of Bruce Hamilton, the Scratch & Handicap Mains http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=TIodUw6GRVU http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=A2DVrSPFnSI& feature=channel

16 is the 500cc age over here. I will repost the links later. Message me off forum and I will gladly give you details on coming over.

I'm really pleased fans from both sides are relishing the Wolves Cradley event. I just get the feeling its going to be quite intense and any Wolves fans that do not realize this yet will feel the old vibes once they arrive on the 22nd and see the Cradley fans in their old spot. I'm also very happy that a whole new generation of fans of who were either very young or not yet supporters from the old days will get to experience this. What started off as a celebration day is actually going to be quite a serious affair IMO, as who knows when such a match will ever happen again and the bragging rights to the winning team could last a very long time. I'm feeling it as I write this. Wolves Vs Cradley - ohhhh yeaaaaahhhhhh!!! I've got three Americans on my flight who claim to be Heathens fans. If its a free bar on the plane I have a feeling things may get interesting as we cross the Atlantic.

We couldn't track down the track specialists of Gert Handberg & Scott Smith...

If you ask Steve Graham nicely he will teach you all the art of yellow and red flag waving, all the way from Victorville Speedway. California.

Senior Speedway? These riders are quite young for American Speedway!!! We need all Wolves fans there as we can't have the enemy take over our place can we? SG did you ever go to a Wolves Cradley match as a kid? The word to describe them was brutal. If you won, you would literally be walking on air, floating back to your car! If you lost your next few days were miserable. It reallly did mean that much and at this point in time doing this mini match with the riders who lived through those classic wars is as good as it gets. I have spent many an hour reminising with Billy about these days. It's only when those days are gone you truly appreciate how good and intense they were. Prediction - Wolves 17 - Cradley 13.

Yes, but there will be plenty of Wolves fans too! I also here there is a 20 heat individual with GP stars supporting the Wolves / Cradley showdown?!?!?

I land lunch time on the 19th. Fly out afternoon of the 28th.

Is it 'Prison Love' night at the Brandon opener or something??!?! I might stay home and watch the telly.

You obviously never saw them last year! Will you wager that if your mates are indeed not bigger you will join the Chris Kerr fan club? We are from Los Angeles not San Fran.

And he has his larger mates with him!

I'm fine on Silver Bee's opinion, its his opinion and his right. Being mates with SCB I'm sure is enough to make him or anyone anti Dream Team, Chris Kerr or Barack Obama. I will say that the other Americans flying in with me are on the big side, so I cannot be responsible for their actions on March 20th...

If you want his autograph SB just PM me off thread.