Experience Prevails at Industry
Grand Speedway
A
lthough we often see youth
succeed, Saturday night,
March 21, at the Industry Grand
Speedway, proved that experi-
ence can still matter.
After a scorching hot day in
Southern California, the slightly
cooler night at the Industry
Grand Arena was a relief for both
riders and spectators as the
SoCal speedway season kicked
off with a crash-filled start on
Saturday.
A few young phenoms have
been making waves over the
past year or two, and one or
more are likely to become
future World Champions. Re
-
cent California Under-21 Cham-
pion Slater Lightcap, a frequent
contender, has just left to join a
top team in Poland. Levi Leutz
has been dominating the Junior
classes, and 15-year-old Brady
Landon won the main event on
his first ride with the full-size
500cc bikes, winning easily. Will
wonders never cease? In the
last month, young Paige News
-
ham won a Division Three main,
Kayla Yaakov finished third in the
Daytona 200—the first woman
to make a podium at the pres-
tigious event—and Paige again
proved she belongs by winning
the Division Three Consolation
main.
The youth squad, Landon and
Leutz, both won their first two
heats, leaving multi-time champ
Max Ruml with second-place
finishes. And Russell Green was
also not to be denied, going
three for three in his heat races.
It was a bit of a crashfest,
though, as two riders decided to
take out parts of the crash wall,
including Leutz. Everyone even
-
tually walked away, and Leutz
won the handicap main over
Jordan Vanderham and Justin
Almon.
All of them made it through
the night's program and ad
-
vanced to the two semi-mains,
with Landon, Green, Austin
Novratil and Ruml moving on
to the final. Novratil had been
on fire all night, going three for
three in his heats, but took a
hard hit from the turn-two wall
before deciding to call it a night.
That left us with a three-rider
main event. In Speedway, the
start can mean everything, and it
was never truer than on Satur
-
day. Ruml drew the pole position
but converted the start into a
strong lead, holding off Green
and giving Landon his first seri-
ous defeat of the season.
Richard T. Haight
Division 1 Main
1. Max Ruml
2. Russel Green
3. Brady Landon
Division 2 Main
1. Eloy Medellin Jr
2. Harold Hartke
3. David Newsham
Division 3 Main
1. Joe Siller
2. Spencer Peet
3. Jeff Semmig
VOLUME ISSUE MARCH , P33
Winner Eloy Medelin Jr leads
Harold Hartke in the Division Two
main at Industry Speedway.
PHOTO: RICHARD T. HAIGHT
