Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128228
AMA National Championship Speedway Series Round 1 : Fast Fridays Speedway amill u The reIgnIng champIon looks to have a fIght on hIs hands In 2003 By M. SOBER PHOTOS By GEN MOORE AUBURN, CA, JULY 25 urrent AMA National Speedwa Champion Billy "The Bullet" Hamill survived two restarts to stand on the top step of the podium once again in the first round of the AMA National Speedway Championship presented by Progressive Insurance. Hamill, making his first visit to the Fast Fridays Gold Country Fairgrounds oval since clinching last year's National Championship, put in the fight of his life to come away with the 20-point victory against a very strong, all-European-based-rider Main. "This was one nerve-wracking race tonight," Hamill said. "The track was really tricky, and at certain times of the night certain riders were faster." Three-time Junior Speedway Champion Ryan Fisher, who finished in second place in the main event to collect a valuable 18 Championship points, basically agreed with his Coventry teammate's assessment. "Man, I was going good aU night, and I kept trying and trying, but I couldn't change a thing," Fisher said. "There were too many really fast guys here tonight." Third place went to another Coventry rider and Auburn crowd favorite, "Bronco" Billy Janniro, who had to survive a run-off to make the marquee race and keep his title aspirations alive. Three-time National C Champion Greg Hancock, who won the run-off to make the main, was stuck in lane four and finished in that spot. Of the 16 riders that make up the Championship field, 14 were seeded directly into the program by virtue of their 2002 Championship Series results and current supplemental AMA guidelines. The final two spots had to be earned on race night in the Elimination races. Y2K SRA National Champion Charlie "The Edge" Venegas and 1999 Junior Speedway Champion Eric Carrillo claimed the two top spots, while youngsters Chris Kerr and J.J. Martynse came away with the two reserve positions. _ ......... .............. Southern California points leader Scott "The Dominator" Brant opened up the first round with a win over Venegas, whose mechanical problems forced him onto Bobby Schwartz's back-up bike. Heat number two was predictable, as Hamill picked up the three-point win. Janniro and "Flyin" Mike Faria finished off the round with wins over Bart "Simpson" Bast and Fisher. The 1992 U.S. National Champ, Chris Manchester, opened up the second round with the quickest start but gave the lead away to Bobby Hedden on the third lap and finished second_ Janniro and Fisher met up in heat six, with Janniro claiming the top points ..... 1IIwlt IUldllt " - u.s. N......... _ _pl ...... "..•• *11. ChrlllII8nch 11'1 r lcetllIIrt ... cr-tIe V (rtgIIII .... I ... off In the C willi • •• c wfnnIolg tIgt..-e• e.r................. ............ 40 AUGUST 20. 2003' c u e • eo n e vv s ... after squeezing around the outside coming out of turn two. Hamill kept his streak going in the next heat, taking a point from Faria. Hancock ended the round with a brilliant start to win over pole sitter Brant and "Fast" Eddie Castro. Hancock opened up the middle round like he ended the second, with a perfect gate and three quick points. Faria went textbook in the next ride, leaving Bobby Hedden to second place ahead of an off-form Castro. Fisher followed suit in heat 11 over Bast and Venegas. In heat 12, Brant took a bite out of Janniro's thunder when he outdistanced Janniro. who entertained the crowd with a mental-