Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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World Championship ICE Speedway Series VEIIEGAS III VEGAS! Charlie Venegas took the checkered flag and the World ICE Speedway Championship in Las Vegas. Venegas shows the way in the finals. The Edge takes the World Championship Open By AMANDA URSINI PHOTOS BY DAN BUCHER n 28 years , the ICE World Cham pionship Series has been seen by s peedway fans in most o f these Unite d States, including Alaska, as well as mos t Canadian prov ince s. However, until this weekend, the series had never made it to the w o rld's most -- famous an d ex citi ng city - Las Vegas, Nevada! This longtime goal finally became a reality when the first-ever World Champ-ionship O pen thundered into the beau tiful, brand-new O rleans Arena , the perfect venue for ICE Speedway. The racing was spectacular, with all the drama anyone co uld ask for, and no won der, cons idering more than $27,000 in cash and award s was up for gra bs over the weekend - the biggest payoff in spe ed way history ! Fifty game contestants showed up to try to qualify fo r the big-money finals. Only the 12 best speed way riders tra nsferred thro ugh Friday night's qualifying I 48 champ ionship to meet the top four see ded riders based on World Championship points standings. San Bernardino, California's Charlie Venegas was a perfect two for two in his heat races , earning 20 points and a po le starting spot in the main. Fou r riders we re tied with IS points , eac h with a win and a second-place finish in his heats. This necess itated a four-man runoff to see who'd fil l the other two fro nt-row spots . The contestants in this critical race were defending World Champion James Mann from Bolton, England; Kenny Pieper from Denver, Co lorado ; Shawn McConnell fro m Bre a, California; and Ar buck le, Califo rnia's Ted Taylor. Keith "Elvis" Brewer started t he race , and Piepe r fought his way into the early lead com ing out of turns one and two. Going into turn three, you could have throw n a blanket over McConnell, Mann and Pieper; something had to give! Mann got straightened up in the middle of the MARCH 10, 2004 • CYCLE NEWS other two racers , makKenny Pieper (10) leads defending champion ames Mann ing contact (1), Shawn McConnell (19) and Ted Taylor (20) in heat-race action in the Orleans Arena. w ith Pieper, and Mann was launched Vio lent ly into the turn-four out, th e race tempo wasn't quit e as wall pads. He was left lying on the ice , quick as before . Th at d idn't matt er o ne obviously in severe pain. The medical bit to Piepe r, wh o t urned th e wick all crew thought it prudent to tra nsfer Mann the way up for the win. McCo nne ll finto the hospital for further examination. ishe d second, taking the last re maining Not only was Mann's dream of winning front-row main-event spo t , wh ile the LasVegas O pen slipping away, his goal Taylor we nt on to sit o n t he po le for the of winning his second overall World last-chance qualifier. Championship was sudde nly in jeo pardy In the LCQ , Jo hn Grant from an unbelievable turn of events, as, coming Geo rgetown, California, joined Taylor on into Vegas, he seemed a shoo -in for the the front row. Mann's fro nt-row position title. [It was later revealed tha t Mann had was left vacant, as reserve riders can't use suffered thr ee bro ken ribs and reinjured that spot, w hich is determined by points his previously injured shoulder. He will be won . Cary, No rth Caro lina's Ronny returnin g to England fo r shoulder surgery Kemp, Florissant, Colorado 's Cam but says he w ill return to the ICE World Brooks and Corona, California's Charlie Championship Series next winter.] Coolie made up row two . This was the The runoff w as re start ed, with final opportunity for these riders to transPiepe r ta king the early lead. Wit h Mann fer to the biggest money main eve nt ever. 40th Anniversary