Industry Racing
The Grand Arena
Industry Hills Expo Center
City of Industry, California
Bruce Flanders Ugly Hawaiian Shirt Nights
July 24, 2019 - Industry Racing
DILLON RUML ENDS WINNING STREAK OF BROTHER MAX – By Tim Kennedy
Industry, CA., Jul. 24 – Dillon Ruml, 20, ended the three main event winning streak of his brother Max at Industry Speedway Wednesday. Max, 22, has won four of the eight Industry features this season; he did not race June 19 because of an injury. Dillon out-dueled high-riding, challenging Max all four laps. Dillon's second Industry 2019 feature victory thrilled almost 600 spectators present and internet fans via live streaming.
The first division 500cc feature lineup from pole to the outside lane was Russell Green, 27, from Roseville, Max, two-time 2019 winner Austin Novratil, and Dillon. At the start Green took the lead on the inside with Max outside. Dillon saw an opening exiting turn two on the first lap and shot between them into the lead in a daring move.
Dillon led all four laps on the inside with outside-running Max, his Garden Grove apartment roommate, pressing for the lead all the way. Dillon edged Max by two-lengths at the finish line. Green trailed Max by three lengths in his most impressive night at Industry this season. Fourth place Novratil pulled into the infield on the final lap.
Max beat Novratil in the first semi-final. Green beat pressing younger brother Dillon in the second semi-final that completed the feature field. Tim Gomez led all four laps over Colton Hicks, 17, from Auburn, in the Division 1 consolation race for third and fourth place semi-finals finishers. Third and fourth were Bob Hicks, 54, and Shawn McConnell, who dropped out on lap 3.
Twelve 500cc Division 1 riders raced three rounds of heat races. The nine heats had five different winners. Only Max won all three of his heats for a perfect score of nine points. Dillon and Green both won two heats for scores of eight points. Novratil and C. Hicks each won one heat. It only took three points to qualify for one of the two semi-finals open to the eight high-point riders during heat racing.
SUPPORT DIVISION:
Gardena resident Rudy Laurer, 62, led every lap of the Division 2 main on his Jawa 897. The past-Industry Division 2 points champion earned his first 500cc Division 2 feature triumph this season. The race ended early under a red flag after third place Kayle LeoGrande fell in turn two. He rose limping and the race was ruled complete. Kevin Fiore and Eloy Medellin, who will turn 50 on July 27, placed second and third.
Kevin Fife led all four laps in the 500cc Division 3 (entry level) main. Brent Smith, Dennis Osmer and Steve Brown followed in that order.
SIDECARS:
Four 1,000cc sidecar teams raced and three teams had female sidecar “swingers” to provide counter-balance during cornering. Dillon Osborne and Ashley Summers won both heats races and the main event. They led all 12 laps during their three races. Only two sidecars started the feature in what essentially became a match race.
The Kevin Holman/Shannen Hennessey team dropped out on lap 4 when the exhaust pipe fell off. The two Kale-family sidecars did not start. Dad Ace Kale (No. 357) and his rider Brent Smith (the 500cc Division 3 rider) had a broken chain. Son Kevin Kale (No. 07) and his rider Tracy Gallagher incurred a broken fuel pump during the first heat, ending their night. Joe Jones, the No. 1 sidecar driver and four-time 2019 sidecar winner at Industry, was not present. He and his family were vacationing at the Colorado River.
JUNIOR DIVISION:
Alex Martin, 14, made his first 2019 visit to Industry memorable. The Salinas resident came south with his father Steve, a 500cc speedway rider to 1991, to get racing laps prior to the AMA/FIM Silver Cup for Junior riders Sunday, August 11. Alex won both 250cc heat races and the main event and led every lap in his three races. Luke Whitcomb, Nor Cal's Greg Moore, and July 10 winner Andrew Russell finished second through fourth.
The five rider 150cc field raced five lap events and used handicapped starts based upon rider experience levels. Two newer riders started at the starting gate, one at the 20-yard line, and two at the 30-yard stripe. Nick Dunn, 13, from Highland, started at the gate and led all five laps over closing 30-yard line starter Levi Leutz, the newly crowned 2019 150cc AMA National Champion. Owen Williams, Jose Navarette and rookie Max Anderson finished third through fifth. No pee-wee division races were run.
PIT NOTES:
> The annual Bruce Flanders Ugly Hawaiian Shirt Contest attracted 21 entrants this year. At least one female was in the contestant line along the main walkway in front of the announcer's booth during an intermission for track prep. Announcer Terry Clanton asked for applause by fans to determine the winner. Fans chose the bearded man in a green Hawaiian shirt.
> INJURED RIDERS: Richard Perkins, 58, from Carson City, NV, is still hospitalized in Pomona. He crashed hard through the plywood crash-wall at the second turn last Wednesday. The two-riders down crash on July 17 also involved Mike Miller (No. 323) during event 15, a 500cc Division 2 heat race. Perkins (No. 151n) received a broken leg (tibia) and five broken ribs. He underwent two surgeries to repair the damage. ... Michael Wells, 18, from Huntington Beach, had surgery to repair a broken ankle. He also received a chipped knee bone according to racing director Kelly Inman. Michael crashed hard at the start/finish line wall during event 23 (a 500cc Division 1 heat). That impact disabled the starting gate and forced officials to use the red (get read to start) and green (go) lights for the rest of the night.
> Seen in the grandstand this week were: Industry speedway regular and El Monte resident Walt Hauser, who fielded the No. 78 CRA 410 ci sprint car at Ascot for the late Bob Meli. Also present was speedway fans/Orange County residents Rodney Bornhop and his friend Tom Dye. They both raced mini-stock cars in the early days at Irwindale Speedway, which opened in 1999. Rodney raced his No. 7 Datsun 510 and Tom raced his No. 00 Toyota Celica. Tom said he attended speedway races indoors at The Forum in Inglewood & at the Long Beach Arena during the 1960s.
> Anna Venegas, wife of past Division 1 Industry track champion Charlie “the Edge” Venegas, is a scorer at Industry. She said Charlie is not able to race Wednesday nights currently because he gets home from work too late. Charlie has won a Division 1 scratch main event this season in Auburn on June 19. Their son Keelan, 15, has not raced anywhere since the 2018 Gumball Rally event at Industry on March 11, 2018. Keelan is now into high school sports at Cajon High School in San Bernardino. He plays tennis and baseball. His positions are shortstop and second base.
> Alex Martin had only raced four times this season (all in Auburn). He made his fifth outing and first 2019 start at Industry Wednesday and dominated the 250cc division. His dad Steve said Alex and his twin brother Sterling went on a vacation trip in late June/early July to Africa with their mother. Dad stayed home and worked. With his impressive showing at Industry July 24, look for Alex to be a strong contender for the 2019 250cc Silver Cup first place trophy.
> On Friday, July 19 Fast Fridays Speedway in Auburn again hosted the annual North vs. South Division 1 team championship event. The South won 77 to 61. South team members were Max and Dillon Ruml, Austin Novratil, Aaron Fox, Gino Manzares, and Sammy Ramirez. North team members were Billy Janniro, Bryan Yarrow, Russell Green, Tommy Hedden, Bart Bast, and Charlie Venegas. High point riders for each team were M. Ruml with 20 and Janniro with 22.
> 500cc Division 2 rider Tom Settlemire is a painter from Bakersfield and in his late 50s. He brought his long-idle No. 115 Jawa to Industry July 24 and raced in one heat before the bike gave up for the night. ... Aaron Fox (No. 46) did not race this week because he blew his engine in his last race—the North vs. South event in Auburn.
> This week competitors ran 32 races from 7:44 to 9:43 pm with three five-minute breaks to allow the IHEC tractor time to re-groom the dirt track. It was the earliest conclusion this season at Industry. The temperature was 101 degrees at 2 pm and still 96 at 6:30 pm. However, it was cool at the tree-shaded, indoor Grand Arena, There was a nice evening breeze at race time. It was still 76-degrees at 10 pm.
> Wednesday, July 31 will be the popular annual Industry Speedway Legends & Heroes Night. There will no racing Wednesday, August 7 at Industry because 500cc Division 1 riders will be preparing for the Saturday, August 10 second of three rounds of the 2019 AMA National Championship. About 30 Junior 250cc and 150cc riders will race for donated cash and prizes Sunday afternoon from noon to 3:00 pm. It is the seventh annual AMA/FIM Silver Cup, which originated in 2013 at Industry Speedway.
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