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Perris RacewayPerris, CaliforniaSalute to America Night MANZARES UNBEATEN AT SALUTE TO AMERICA Gino Manzares put himself firmly in the shop window for a much desired European return by being unbeaten in 6 outings at the ‘Salute to America’ Night at Perris Raceway, CA on September 14th. The event began with a patriotic parade as riders in vehicles were led around the track by a 1940s World War 2 tank. After an emotional tribute to track owner and builder Freddie Edwards, who passed away the prior week, racing got underway. 12 riders were in the first division. Three rounds of heats eliminated four riders with the remaining eight featuring in Semi Finals to qualify for the Main event. After the heats were completed, both Manzares and Austin Novratil were on an unbeaten 9 points. Aaron Fox and Russell Green were next with 7 each, whilst former World 250cc contender Sebastian Palmese scored consistent second places to end on 6. Tim Gomez and Eddie Castro were close behind on five, with John Marquez, in his first speedway race in over five years, scoring three points. It must be noted that Marquez showed remarkable pace considering his time off the bike and in his first heat briefly challenged Fox for the lead of the race. Semi 1 saw Manzares win his fourth race of the night with Green coming in second place, eliminating Marquez and Palmese. Semi two saw Novratil throw down the gauntlet to Manzares, also with his fourth win with Fox having to come from third place for the second transfer from Gomez and Castro. The C Final saw Jake Isaac get the win from Robbie Sauer with Sara Cords in third place. Cords endured a tough night in first division but elected to move up to challenge herself having previously won division two by a country mile. Gomez completed an impressive night by winning the B Main. The A Final saw Novratil take gate 2 and Manzares gate 4. Third choice Fox chose gate one leaving Green with three. Manzares made a tremendous start and with huge conviction, he took the outside line to lead from Novratil coming out of two. Fox meanwhile was locked in a close battle for third, edging inside of Green to make the pass. Novratil, in his typical all action style, did not give up and closed the gap to the lead. He got close and mounted an inside dive going into turn 3 on the last lap but Manzares closed to door to score a popular victory. As an encore, Manzares also won the final ‘Last of the Mohican's’ Last Man Out Elimination Challenge from Green and Gomez. Manzares joins Ruml brothers Max and Dillon along with Novratil in the 2019 Grand final in the October race. Outside of division 1 there was some fast and furious racing. 10 riders raced in Division two, with the top 5 going to the final. Heat winners were Rohn Zellner (2), Lawrence McNutt and Sammy Tetrault. Brent Smith won the B Main with Kayle LeoGrande leading home Zellner and McNutt in the A Main. Division Three had seven entries. Dennis Osmer, Jon Curry and Andy Dix all won heats with Mark Fillebrown winning the 7 rider Main event. Wilbur Hancock and Slater Lightcap each took a 250 heat each with Hancock winning the decider. National Champion Levi Leutz took a clean sweep in the 150s, something Madden Smith repeated in the Pee Wee class. Father and son Robert Curry & Jon Curry won the first Sidecar race with National Champion Joe Jones, grooming in a new passenger Alfonso Marroquin, taking heat two and the final. Josh Sleigh took a clean sweep in all three Hooligan races. Track owner Donna Edwards paid tribute to her late husband to the fans, describing the venue as ‘Freddie’s dream’ and paying tribute to Greg Hancock for inspiring their growing interest in speedway. Racing will continue at the venue with track staff personally trained by Freddie during his illness providing another excellent racing strip. Whilst the summer tracks in California are winding down or have already completed their seasons, Perris is coming alive to keep fans and riders sane during the otherwise 7 month off season. There are three more events in 2019, the next being the ‘Nick Varner Cup’ on October 19th, paying tribute to the junior rider who passed away after a tragic 2011 Moto X accident at only age 11. Newly added on November 16th is the return of the AMA Under 21 National Championship. The event also features AMA National Long Track Championships for the 250 and 150 Junior classes, and West Coast Championships for Divisions 2 and 3. Then the year ends with the FIM American Final on December 7th, which once more will act as a Qualifier for the American representation in the 2020 World Championship rounds. 2020 proposed early dates as of now are Jan 11, Feb 1, March 14, April 4 and April 25. Results Division 1 Main B Main C Main Last of the Mohican's Last Man Out Division 2 Main Division 2 B Main Division 3 Main 250 Junior 150 Mini Pee Wee Sidecar
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