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USA VS, The World Team Speedway Fast Fridays Speedway smallest I've ever seen and everything just happens so fast") showed noticeable improvement from his first effort and grabbed the two secondplace points. Bast and Cook swept the top two spots in heat six, and the USA's lead grew to 23-13. After an epic inside/outside battle with Bobby Hedden, Castagna scored his first win of the meeting, but the Hedden boys took the next two spots to offset the Italian's three-point gain. Hungary got its first win in the next heat, but once again the USA countered with the next two spots, courtesy of Cook and Bast, and after eight heats, the USA was on top 29-19. In heat nine, Carrillo and Castagna, who was subbing for England's David Meldrum after he fell, gave the World team its first sweep of the night, and the overall tally closed to 30-24. In the very next heat, Castagna once again took the checkered flag, but the American squad kept pace as Cook and Bast took the second- and third-place spots, ahead of the suddenly struggling Bardecki. Ermolenko and Bobby Hedden led the USA squad to sweeps the 11th and 12th heats, and at the intermission the American contingent pushed the lead to 43-29. In heat 13, Castagna and Bardecki scored five points and moved the World squad back to within 10 points. That would be the closest the World troops would get the rest of the night, as Bobby Hedden and Bast led the USA team to a 9-3 advantage in heats 14 and 15. Castagna won again in heat 16 to keep pace, but Bast and Cook pushed the lead back up with another four points in the next ride. Schwartz finished off his night's work with a brilliant gate and win in the last heat, leading the USA to a 64-44 tally with only the final two main events left to complete. Ermolenko took the win and the six points in the B main, followed by Carrillo, Tommy Hedden and the poor-starting Bardecki. With only a 14-point swing possible in the A main and the USA ahead by 23 points, Bast's come-frombehind win over the fast-gating Nagy was mere icing on the cake after an outstanding night of racing for the American team, the visiting World squad and everyone lucky enough to be in attendance. As John Cook noted after the race in his SpeedVision interview, "These races are just a joy to be part of for everyone involved, and frankly I can't wait for next year's version." I:IiI STORY BY M. SOBER PHOTOS BY GEN MOORE AUBURN, CA, NOV. 2 uburn track champion Bart "Simpson" Bast continued his 2001 assault on the AMA Speedway motorcycle world, this time taking it out on a highly talented International Speedway team in the first running of the Fast Fridays USA vs. The World Team Speedway event. The World Speedway squad, led by Italy's finest speedway rider, Armando Castagna, and Hungary's Robert Nagy, had trouble adapting to the smaller American oval, and the American team, led by Bast 'and Bobby "The Blaze" Hedden, ran off to a 88-to-59-point victory. Hedden led the scoring through the heats with a nearly perfect 16 points; after which Bast supplied the exclamation point with a come-from-behind victory in the main event over the quickstarting Nagy. Bast's main-event win gave him 24 points on the night. Hedden topped out at 20, while Castagna and Nagy led the World team with 16 and 15 points, respectively. After the well-run and nearly soldout event, Castagna, who is planning to retire at the end of this, his 20th year of speedway racing, had nothing but praise for the American team, the fans and the Gold Country Speedway Stadium. "It's events like these that make me question my decision to retire," Castagna said. "I really like the atmosphere for racing here." The format of the race was virtually the same as the annual North vs. South Civil War of Speedway: Two riders from each team ride in a series of 18 heats, with the standard three points for the win, two for second place, and a single point for third. Bartek Bardecki, who spent the month of August riding in Auburn, got the World squad started off right by winning the first heat, ahead of the USA's John Cook and Bast. Bobby "Boogaloo" Schwartz took the win in the next heat, and combined with Dukie Ermolenko's second-place finish, the USA team had a modest eight-to-four-point lead. Hedden teamed with his brother Tommy to take four of the six points in heat three to put the USA up 12 to six. Former Junior Champion Eric Carrino, subbing for England's Andy Smith, helped out the World cause with a second-place finish. Cleverly dubbed "The Bay Area Bavarian" by announcer Mike Rooney, Carrillo made a good showing throughout the night, helping the World squad with 13 solid points. In the fourth heat, Bardecki got his second win, and the score stood at 15 to nine in favor of the USA. In heat five, Bobby Hedden took his second straight win. Nagy (who noted afterward that "this track is the A 36 NOVEMBER 28, 2001 • cue Fast Fridays Speedway Aubum, Califamia Results: November 2, 2001 O/A: 1. USA (88) II. Bart Bast (24 points); 2. Bobby Hedden (20); 3. Dukie Ermolenko (14); 4. Bobby Schwartz (11); 5. John Cook (I I); 6. Tommy Hedden (811; 2. WORLD (59) (1. Annando Castagna (16): 2. Robert Nagy (15); 3. Eric CarrUio (13); 4. Bartek Bardecki (9); 5. Joachim Kugelmann (5); 6. David Meldrum (I»). I • n • _ lIS