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Nicol Claims California State Speedway Championship S outhern California's extended summer heat made for a comfortable evening and an un- usually large crowd for the 49th California State Speedway Cham- pionship at Industry Grand Arena, October 24. There were plenty of thrills and spills Saturday night, with more than the usual number of crashes, but when it was all over, Broc Nicol had wrapped up another championship with a near-perfect performance. Despite being one of the fast- est riders all season, Nicol has had more than his share of bad luck. Two blown engines in one night and a runaway victory that slipped away following a couple of questionable calls at another event made it seem as though the old saying, "If he didn't have bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all," were written just for him. The event attracted a strong field of riders, although one no- table name was missing: multi- time State and National Cham- pion Max Ruml. Ruml was involved in a nasty two-rider crash at Costa Mesa two weeks earlier. Despite the incident, he managed to stay on his feet and went on to win the event. However, a more thorough medical examination a couple of days later revealed a torn ACL, fractured ribs and plenty of bruises. Among Nicol's toughest chal- lengers was the recently returned Slater Lightcap, who spent sever- al months racing in Poland before joining Britain's Poole Pirates and helping the team capture the SGB Championship earlier this month. Nicol and Lightcap each re- corded four three-point heat wins, but neither went undefeated. Lightcap failed to score in one heat, while Nicol managed to pick up the single point he needed to finish as the night's top scorer. Nearly all the leading contend- ers won at least one heat, keep- ing the outcome in doubt head- ing into the final rounds. Following the two semifinals, the final lineup was set: Nicol, Lightcap, multi-time State Cham- pion Billy "The Kid" Janniro and Austin Novratil. When the tapes went up, Nicol and Lightcap quickly separated themselves from the field, with Nicol winning another California State Championship. Lightcap fin- ished second, followed by Novratil. Janniro, still sore from an earlier crash, couldn't match the leaders' pace and finished fourth. Richard T. Haight Final 1. Broc Nicol 2. Slater Lightcap 3. Austin Novratil 4. Billy Janniro WIND IN THE P36 (Above) Broc Nicol won the California State Speedway Championship at Industry Grand Arena. (Left) Nicol (center) celebrates Saturday night's podium with Slater Lightcap (left) and Austin Novratil. PHOTOS: RICHARD T. HAIGHT