Landon Bags Gumball Rally Division 1 Win
T
he Gumball Rally, the sea-
son opener for Speedway
at the Industry Grand Arena at
California's Industry Hills Expo
Center, was held February 21-22.
Save for a few crashes, the rac-
ing over the two-day event was
spectacular and surprising.
Perennial champ Max Ruml
did well in the straight heats
but couldn't get to the front in
either the handicap heats or the
Last Man Out event, which was
sponsored by "Storage Wars"
star Barry Weiss. In the Last Man
Out, competitors vie in a series
of one-lap heats in which the last
finisher in eliminated. Two "Do
or Die" heats follow, along with a
two-lap Trophy dash that has the
last two riders head-to-head for
a winner-take-all $1000 purse.
California Under-21 Speedway
champ Slater Lightcap, who is
preparing to leave for Europe to
join his new team, dispatched
Max Ruml, the UK's Will Cairns,
and then Billy Janniro to take the
bucks in the Trophy dash.
Next up were the Division 3
racers, with the final consisting
of two men and two women,
with Catherine Moore taking a
convincing win in front of Joe
Siller and Erin Ferris.
The Sidecar class was its
usual screaming sideways show,
with the Ovrid brothers, Emil and
David, taking the win over the
Kevin Kale/ Jen Hernandez and
Ace Kale / Brent Smith.
In Division 2, Eloy Medellin
won over Rudy Laurer and David
Newsham.
Last and certainly not least
was the Division 1 main event.
After working their way through
the heats, the final brought Max
Ruml, Will Cairns, Brady Landon
and Slater Lightcap to the line.
The Gumball Rally includes
youth classes, and, riding the full
500cc Division 1 class for the
first time, 15-year-old phenom
Brady Landon took a 180-degree
spin less than 100 feet from the
gate and took a punch in the
chest from a handlebar. But when
the gates went up for the re-start,
he left the field in his dust for the
win. The kid looks to be World
Championship material.
Richard T. Haight
DIVISION 1 OVERALL (Final 4)
1. Brady Landon
2. Will Cairns
3. Slater Lightcap
4. Max Ruml
WIND
IN THE
P56
Fifteen-year-old speedway
phenom Brady Landon
won the Division 1 class at
the annual Gumball Rally.
PHOTO: RICHARD T. HAIGHT
