PERRIS, CA

It was quite a night at the Perris Auto Speedway, as the riders got a taste of some real speed when they put the skinny bikes on the half-mile oval. "Battlin' Buck" Blair had his mojo going, as he dominated to take the win in the Long Track Spring Classic.

After a moment of silence in tribute to Kelly Moran, it was time to go racing: three rounds of Scratch racing, with the top 12 in points moving on to the semifinals. There would be no last-chance qualifier on this night. The top three would move on to the main event, with the final three going to the consolation race.

The first semi had Kelly Kerrigan, a Northern California rider, on the pole, with Tommy Hedden in gate two and reigning National champ Billy Janniro in three. On out, it was Jimmy "Lil' Animal" Fishback, "Fast Eddie" Castro and Michael Hull. Fishback read the gate perfectly and was gone, with Janniro giving chase and Hedden hoping to make an MXRC sandwich for Fishback and his sponsor. He got his wish, as they freight-trained around and finished as they had started. The three were headed for the main, while Castro, Hull and Kerrigan got ready for the Consi.

The second semi had Jason Ramirez on the pole, with Austin Novratil, a Junior graduate, in two, and Doug Nicol in three. On the outside were Blair, Tyson Burmeister and Neil Facchini. Unfortunately, Facchini was unable to make the call. They loaded in, and it was Blair who timed the gate to perfection, exploding into the lead. Nicol was out second but was only able to go two laps before he was sidelined with bike problems. Burmeister was more than happy to take over the second spot, and he gave a very good account of himself, holding off a very hard-charging Ramirez, who came from behind to overtake Novratil for the final transfer spot to the main. Novratil, Nicol and Facchini were headed to the Consi.

Novratil drew the pole for the Consi, with Hull in two, Kerrigan in three and Castro in four. Nicol and Facchini were unable to make the call. This was going to be an interesting race: Novratil, the Junior rider, was going up against one of the best veterans around, Castro. They loaded in, the gate came up, and it was the kid, Novratil, out on top, with Castro chasing him. It took two laps for Castro to run down the youngster, and as the white flag came out, Castro took control of the race and brought it home. Novratil was second, with Hull third and Kerrigan rounding out the field with fourth.

The riders rolled to the line and picked their spots for the richest race of the night. Janniro was on the pole, with Ramirez in two and Fishback in three. Hedden lined up next to his teammate in four, and Burmeister, also an MXRC rider, took gate five. Blair was on the far outside. Once the interviews were over, it was time to get down to it. They loaded in, the light went green, and the tapes came up.

Janniro was out on top, but Blair got to the corner first and started putting some daylight between himself and the rest of the field. Janniro certainly tried, but he also had to contend with a very hungry Fishback, who was trying to get himself within striking distance. Hedden was running fourth, and even though Fishback was a teammate, all bets were off and it was every man for himself. The caliber of the riders was plain to see, as no one made a mistake, and they finished in that order. The Long Track Spring Classic victory belonged to Blair.

The sidecars were on hand, and they are a favorite of the spectators. Fours teams lined up for the main event. Scott & Casey Driggers drew the pole, with Joe Jones & Jimmy Olsen in two, Brian Motis & Brandy McElroy in three, and Kevin Brown & Matt Davis in four. The start went to the Driggers, but Jones & Olsen were making the moves on them. The Driggers weren't having any of that and held their line, going wire to wire. Jones & Olsen made it a drag race to the checkered flag, but the Driggers prevailed. On back, it was Brown & Matt Davis third and Motis & McElroy fourth.

Tyson Talkington got the bragging rights in the Division Two main, as he topped Rick Fehrman, Rick Fritch and Dylan Black.

Division Three honors went to Tim McGrath. Following him home were Mike Fuson, T-Rod Rodquejo and Rocco Scopellite.

Results

SCR CONSI: 1. Eddie Castro (JAWA/CZ); 2. Austin Novratil (JAWA/CZ); 3. Michael Hull (JAWA/CZ); 4. Kelly Kerrigan (JAWA/CZ); 5. Doug Nicol (JAWA/CZ).

SCR MAIN: 1. Buck Blair (JAWA/CZ); 2. Billy Janniro (JAWA/CZ); 3. Jimmy Fishback (JAWA/CZ); 4. Tommy Hedden (JAWA/CZ); 5. Jason Ramirez (JAWA/CZ).

D-2 CONSI: 1. Joey Holt (JAWA/CZ); 2. Bruce Marteney (JAWA/CZ); 3. Jeff Remington (JAWA/CZ); 4. Mike Boyle (JAWA/CZ).

D-2 MAIN: 1. Tyson Talkington (JAWA/CZ); 2. Rick Fehrman (JAWA/CZ); 3. Rick Fritch (JAWA/CZ); 4. Dylan Black (JAWA/CZ).

D-3 CONSI: 1. Mike Wiley (JAWA/CZ); 2. Todd Silicato (JAWA/CZ); 3. Brian Starr (JAWA/CZ); 4. Mike Salyer (JAWA/CZ); 5. Paul Thorton (JAWA/CZ).

D-3 MAIN: 1. Tim McGrath (JAWA/CZ); 2. Mike Fuson (JAWA/CZ); 3. T-Rod Rodquejo (JAWA/CZ); 4. Rocco Scopellite (JAWA/CZ).

SDCR MAIN: 1. Scott Driggers/Casey Driggers (Yamaha); 2. Joe Jones/Jimmy Olsen (Yamaha); 3. Kevin Brown/Matt Davis (Yamaha); 4. Brian Motis/Brandy McElroy (Yamaha).