Fast Fridays Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Auburn, California

Champion Challenge Championship
Friday August 28, 1998 - Fast Fridays Speedway
By: Gary Roberts and RC Jones

From RC Jones

Hooray, Gary Roberts is back and will be posting another smashing report shortly. Gary was due in Auburn last week but his terrible work masters precluded his arrival.

Last nights racing was good, but sometimes scary. Early heat races were marred with crashes, however there were no noticeable injuries. About midway through the evening the track was perfect and some of the fastest heats were run. Towards the end the track became pretty slick and a little dry, the riders were still fast as ever but passing was at a minimum.

Best race was the Handicap Consolation. Matt Becker and Chad Felicio put on a fierce battle the entire race swapping positions many times. Behind then not able to challenge to two leaders were Bob Hedden, Billy Janniro, Pat Linn and Jim Sisemore, you could have thrown a blanket over those four for the entire race. The Handicap Main was the second best race with Ian Ferris barley holding of the hard charging Tommy Hedden for the win. This was another tight race with lots of wheel to wheel racing.

Mike Faria made it back tonight, taking the scratch main from the pole position with Charlie Venegas giving a gallant chase. With his 3rd place in the scratch and 4th place in the Handicap Main event, Bart Bast wraps up the Northern California Points Championship and all of the accolades that goes with it. This is Bart's 9th Northern California Championship, winning 8 in a row, a remarkable feat... Bart's father Harlan Bast Sr picked up his second in a row Division II Points Championship with his ride in the Division II Main event.

Northern California Points Championship
As of August 21st 1998
1. 2463 Bart Bast
2. 2183 Mike Faria
3. 2004 Jimmy Sisemore
4. 1710 Bobby Hedden
5. 1558 Billy Janniro
6. 1504 Tommy Hedden
7. 1060 Charlie Venegas
8. 1058 Robert Curry
9. 960.5 Bob Hicks
10. 904.5 Pat Linn
11. 828 Chad Felicio
12. 769 Ian Ferris
13. 500 Louis Kossuth
14. 479 Matt Becker
15. 424.5 Vance Felicio
16. 271 Randy DiFrancesco
17. 224 Rich Marcucci

Last night was also the Champion Challenge Championship. During the season there were 5 rounds of elimination and tonight was the Championship.

Qualifiers for the Championship were:
Bart Bast (pole)
Pat Linn
Chad Felicio
Tommy Hedden
Jimmy Sisemore
As the tapes went up for the first one lap race Jimmy Sisemore's chain disintegrated ending his challenge with a thud. In the second round Chad Felicio was eliminated. In the third round Bart Bast and Tom Hedden (pole) simply outclassed Pat Linn.

In the final round (two laps) Bast and Hedden (pole) made it exciting with Bart working the outside for a lap then diving to the inside to pass Hedden for the win.

From Gary Roberts

The final night of Northern California's AMA points scoring. More superlative racing on a perfectly prepared track. Mike Faria had lead the first division points for most of the season, but due to an absence for a broken collar bone injury in the last month, Bart Bast managed to overtake Mike and win the points championship again. This left Mike in second place.

This week was Mike's return to racing after his injury and he show no ill effects winning the Scratch Main from the gate.

Bart's dad, Harlan won the Second Division points championship.

Scratch Main
1. Mike Faria
2. Charlie Venegas
3. Bart Bast
4. Jimmy Sisemore

Scratch Consolation
1. Billy Janniro
2. Bob Hicks
3. Pat Linn
4. Matt Becker

Handicap Main
1. Ian Ferris
2. Tommy Hedden
3. Mike Faria
4. Bart Bast
5. Charlie Venegas
6. Rich Marcucci

Handicap Consolation
1. Matt Becker
2. Chad Felicio
3. Bobby Hedden
4. Jimmy Sisemore
5. Pat Linn
6. Billy Janniro
Probably the best race of the night. Matt Becker and Chad Felicio swapped the lead several times and were never more that half a bike apart throughout the race.

Division 2 Main
1. Gary Moranville
2. Shawn Eldridge
3. Harlan Bast Snr.
4. George Snodgrass
5. Bobby Chipman
6. Dennis Cassidy

Division 2 Consolation
1. Bill Newby
2. Steve Arena
3. Dave Booth
4. Tom Adams
5. Mark Hitchcock
6. Rachalle Kerr

Division 3 Main
1. Tom Odekirk
2. Don Chipman
3. Harry Bradwell
4. Geno Bellino
5. Brian Bauer
6. Joe Whiting

Division 3 Consolation
1. Ivan Sevart
2. Richard Sandow
3. Les Veal
4. Billy Dixon
5. Bill Warnock
6. Mike Douglas

Junior Division 1
1. Eric Carrillo
2. Bryan Yarrow
3. JJ Martynse
4. Donny Robinson
5. Chris Kerr

Junior Division 2
1. Matt Browne
2. JT Mabry
3. Jay Heidt
4. Anthony Martinez
5. Jon Curry

Junior Division 3
1. Mark Carrillo
2. Ray Linn
3. Amanda English
4. Alex Marcucci
5. Greg Hooten

September 4 is the Auburn track championship, then there's the AMA National on September 25.