New Champion Speedway

Results July 22, 2000
Warren Diem IS BACK,
and Wins The Main Event!

Comments by: Kim Gregory

THE BEST night of racing I have ever seen!

I have ever seen such tight, side by side action! There were at least 10 heats that would have passed as a Main Event with the talent and action they contained.

The track was wet and gummy on the outside when we arrived, but after a couple of heats, the track had a beautiful racing surface that was thirty feet wide! Turn one/two developed a slightly more slippery section near the pipe that put many of the top riders through a 360 degree turn at some point in the night. The start was planned at an early 7pm due to the length of the program, but problems with the PA system delayed it to 8pm. The final main was run at 12:15 a.m.

Heartbreak of the night was a crash 10 feet before the checkered flag between Dave Oakden and his dad Howie Oakden. Howie had been within a couple of feet of his son right from the start, and hooked up on the final turn, lifting his front wheel suddenly into Dave on the outside, sending them both very hard into the front fence. They both managed to walk back to the pits after a long exam by the ambulance attendants. They left the meeting to get themselves to the hospital for stitches.

The stands could use some more people. With this kind of show, the stands should be OVERFLOWING! The amazing rider turnout shows that Speedway is growing faster in New York than anywhere else in the country. From Quebec, Micheal LeMay took the Division Two final, Nick Fafard took second behind Diem in the Division One, and Guy Fafard, Gaetan Carignan, Gary Hesmer, and Kim Gregory filled in the Canadian entries in the show. The LEGENDS of SPEEDWAY included some old timers that had not appeared before at the NEW Champion Speedway, and some did some match racing for the crowd.

Report From: Jason Bonsignore kabons64@hotmail.com

Great racing again at Owego with 50 riders present. The crowd size was solid and track conditions good for passing. There were many former names in attendence as it was the Legends Night. Things are going well this season with it growing with every race. It is starting to resemble the old days again. East Coast Speedway is back on the map. Our junior program is now up and running as well with 4 riders using small scale hondas. The next race is the August 12th Pairs Championship with Josh Larsen expected to compete as will former National ICE Champion, Track Champion, N.Y. State Champion and US Open finalist George Lazor. Congrats to Team South for winning the Civil War. It is good to see Bobby "Boogaloo" Schwartz doing so well. Good luck to Duke and Charlie at Berdoo.