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DILLON RUML – 3RD INDUSTRY SPEEDWAY WINNER – By Tim Kennedy
Industry, CA., Jun. 13 – The third week of Wednesday night speedway racing at Industry Speedway on the Grand Arena eighth-mile dirt track produced the third different feature winner. Dillon Ruml, 19, from Huntington Beach, started his No. 3 500cc Jawa from pole position and led all four laps of the feature. He won by four lengths in front of about 700 spectators on-site and numerous fans watching on the Industry Speedway internet website.
Aaron Fox started his GM-engine No. 46 from the third lane and ran third for two laps. Then he made a lap 3 inside pass in the fourth turn of high-groove rider, second lane starter Charlie Venegas. He fought back on the outside but trailed Fox by a length at the checkered flag. Gate four starter Jimmy Fishback, the feature winner last week, ran a close fourth all the way but trailed Venegas by three lengths.
Ten D-1 riders raced in the three rounds of heats. The two D-1 semi-finals included the top eight riders in heat race points. Fishback and Fox tied at eight points. Ruml had seven points and Tim Gomez was fourth with six points. It took three points to make one of the two semis.
The first semi-final went to outside gate starter Venegas, who led every lap over pole starter Fishback. Gomez and Bobby Schwartz followed in P. 3-4. The second semi went to Ruml flag-to-flag over pole starter Fox. Michael Wells and Russell Green followed.
SIDECARS: With five 1,000cc sidecars present, teams raced clockwise in a pair of heats won by the No. 64 Dillon Osborne/Ashley Gibbons and No. 2 Bryan Motis/Johnny Bach teams. A sidecars last chance race (event 27 of 34) had No. 1 Joe Jones/Tom Summers lead every lap over a close runner-up—the father/son Ace and Kevin Kale team. They purchased their 1,000 Suzuki No. 357 sidecar from Joe Jones after Jones started racing his new sidecar last season. P. 3 Jeff Rowe/Josh Bennett pulled to the infield on lap 3, becoming the only team to miss the feature.
The sidecar feature had No. 2 (Motis/Bach) on the inside with the Nos 64, 357 and 1 rigs in that order alongside outwards to the crash-wall. Only the No. 64 completed the first lap. The other three teams collided leaving the fourth turn and spun together to a halt on the front straight. Paraplegic driver Motis tumbled onto the ground.
INJURY: Motis required medical attention from the track ambulance EMTs. They wheeled him on a gurney to the pits for medical attention. He waved to spectators to acknowledge their encouraging applause. The diagnosis was a possible broken ankle. Motis remained in the pits to watch the final two features. His team later drove him to a local hospital for X-rays.
The sidecar main had a complete restart minus Motis/Bach. Osborne/Gibbons again got the jump and led the opening lap over the new Kale team. On lap 1 third-place Jones/Summers spun out of the fourth turn, swapped ends and stalled in the infield near the starting gate inside pole. A caution flag was not needed.
The sidecar ran continued rapidly with Osborne/Gibbons out front all four laps. They beat the Kale team by five yards. It was only the second speedway sidecar race for the Kales, who have raced 750cc motorcycle engine NMRA-TQ midgets since 2015. Ace said they raced faster this week because he eliminated a gearing problem. They only had second gear June 6 and he had it in the top gear all night this week.
SUPPORT DIVISIONS: Two 500cc support classes raced heats and main events. Former Junior Division front-runner Hayley Perrault, a 20-year old college student from San Juan Capistrano, shot from the second gate and led all four laps in the D-2 (intermediate skill level) main. Followers were Bruce Marteney and Blake Kroncrite, a 23-year old newcomer who won his two heats and the D-3 main a week ago, was promoted to D-2 this week. Veteran Rudy Laurer placed fourth.
All D-3 riders (the 500cc entry level) raced in two heats and a main event. Dennis “the Oz” Osmer, 57, got into speedway bike racing three years ago to accomplish a bucket list item. His next stated goal was “to win a main event so the boyfriend of one of his three daughters would propose to her.” A ring could be on order because Osmer won his first D-3 main at Industry. He led every lap in his two heats and the main and defeated veteran Greg Willis and newcomer David Newsham.
JUNIORS: All five 250cc riders present raced in a pair of heats won by Slater Lightcap and Jake Isaac. Lightcap, 12, won the feature and led every lap. Alex Martin and his dad Steve drove south from their home in Salinas to race at Industry now that school is on summer recess. He rode his No. 30 to second place with his mom and twin brother Sterling watching at home on the internet according to dad Steve. Andrew Russell and Luke Whitcomb placed third and fourth. Isaac,15, was in P. 2 on lap 3 when he pulled into the infield with an engine failure.
The mini 150cc division also had five riders. Jose Navarette and Owen Williams won the handicapped starting grid 5-lap heat races. Trak Plus 150-mounted Williams, 11, passed leader Levi Leutz on lap 2 and won over Gordon Teufel III, Leutz, and Navarette. Travis Horn, 7, fell in turn three without injury while in third position and pushed his bike to the infield.
PEE-WEES: The 50cc pee-wee class had two riders, including Jenson Horn, four and a half year old brother of 150cc junior Travis Horn. Jenson was making his first racing start on a Suzuki 50. Kensei “Ken” Matsudeira, 7, won the main after leading each lap. Earlier, he rode alongside Jenson and encouraged him in his initial racing try. He followed the youngest speedway rider across the finish line in both heats.
Industry racing on Wednesdays will continue June 20 and the June 27 “Salute to Military” Night”. The track will be dark July 4 to allow everyone to enjoy family gatherings and patriotic activities.
PIT NOTES: Industry Speedway Racing Director Kelly Inman pens a column in the free printed race program that is courtesy of all the loyal speedway racing sponsor ads. This week Kelly answered the question why the D-1 500cc rider count is lower at Industry this season. He explained Max Ruml and Broc Nicol are racing in the U.K British Speedway League. Nor Cal star Luke Becker is racing in Poland and Sweden.
Gage Geist has taken a full-time job with Connor Concrete and is concentrating on that. Brothers Jason and Sammy Ramirez have jobs and have a tough time getting to Industry in So Cal traffic Wednesday nights. Billy Janniro also has to work in Nor Cal, but he has flown south to race at Costa Mesa Speedway on Saturdays. He won the feature there last Saturday. Shawn McConnell has been tied up but also raced last week in Costa Mesa. Tyson Burmeister is recovering from a broken hip he suffered in a first lap, first turn crash with Nicol during the Costa Mesa main two weeks ago. His recovery has been been than his doctors expected.
Two 500cc D-2 riders were moved up this week to D-1 to make it a ten rider field. Chet Kohler scored one point and ranked ninth; Eloy Medellin had no points after three heats and ranked tenth.
The parents of the Horn brothers—Tanner, and pee-wee Jenson, (born December 2013), told me both sons are named for famous racers.
> Travis is named after Travis Pestrana, the 34-year old famous American motorcycle stunt star, motocross and super-cross racer, rally driver for Suburu. and X-Games gold medal winner. He also raced a Ford in 2012-13 as a Nationwide Series stock car driver in 42 races for Roush-Fenway. He also raced a NASCAR Chevy truck three times.
>Jenson is named after the now retired British Formula One driver Jenson Button, 38. who won the F.1 Grand Prix World Championship for Brawn/Mercedes in 2009. From 2000 to 2017 he raced for seven F. 1 teams—Williams, Benetton, Renault, BAR, Honda, Brawn-Mercedes, and McLaren from 2010-2017. His career record is eight poles, 15 F.1 victories, and 50 podium finishes in 306 F.1 starts.
Two rounds of Born Free Stampede Exhibition “races” were held after events 13 and 27 this week as on June 6. The purpose was to promote the Thursday night, June 21 Stampede dirt track program with six classes of motorcycles racing. Gates will open at 4:00 pm and main events are scheduled for 8:00 pm.
Eight 110cc to 120cc mini bikes raced first with a handicapped starting grid. Then nine up to 500cc vintage Harley-Davidson bikes competed for four laps. The yellow plate with black No. 5 won both of his rides. Two numberless helmeted adult riders ran in front of the mini bike events.
One of the mini bikers unintentionally gave grandstand and pit spectators a series of belly laughs during his second heat race. His bike jerked in turn three and threw him off. He held onto the handlebar, climbed back on and it again threw him off at turn four. This time he held on and the upright bike dragged him about ten feet into the infield. He wisely decided to remain there.
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