COSTA MESA, CA

It was Harley Night at Costa Mesa Speedway, and it was the perfect night for "Gorgeous Gary" Hicks to have his "a-ha!" moment. Hicks has been in the hunt all season, only to have the fickle finger of Fate trip him up when it came to the big race. It was three rounds of Scratch racing, with the top 10 advancing to two semifinals. Three riders were perfect on the night: Hicks, "Fast Eddie" Castro, and Jimmy "Li'l Animal" Fishback. A perfect scenario for some explosive semis.

The first semi had Castro on the pole, with Fishback in two and Charlie "The Edge" Venegas in three. On the outside were Tyson Burmeister and Doug "The Destroyer" Nicol. Two riders with perfect scores on the night were going heads up.

They loaded in, and it was a clean start. Venegas read the tapes perfectly and was out on top and going away. Fishback and Castro were out second and third, dealing with each other and trying to catch Venegas, but Venegas was clearly in control and he was on his way to the main, having rained on both Fishback's and Castro's parades. Fishback came away with second, and he would get another chance at Venegas in the main. Castro and Burmeister headed to the pits to get ready for the last-chance qualifier.

The second semi had Hicks on the pole, with "Flyin' Mike" Faria in two and Bobby "Boogaloo" Schwartz in three. On out, it was Shawn "Mad Dog" McConnell and "Battlin' Buck" Blair. It was another good start, and Hicks, working on that perfect score, was out fast, with Faria and Blair trying to chase him down. It was not to be, and Hicks and Faria were headed to the main, while McConnell and Blair were headed to the last-chance.

Castro drew the pole for the LCQ, with McConnell in two and Burmeister and Blair in three and four, respectively. It was McConnell off first, but it only took the gutsy Burmeister one lap to run him down, take over the lead, and become the final rider in the main.

They rolled to the line for choice of start position for the main event. The pole went to Hicks, with Fishback in two, Venegas in three, Faria in four and Burmeister in five. They loaded in, the light went green, and the tapes came up. Hicks got a "Speedway 101" start and was gone! Venegas was in hot pursuit, with Fishback looking for anything to get him in the mix. Burmeister, always in it to win it, was looking for any racing room he could find as he and Faria battled. The only one above the fray and totally focused on a mistake-free ride was Hicks, and the guy who has been a bridesmaid many times came up with the gold ring. It was a night of five winning rides - the equivalent of pitching a perfect game. Venegas was second, and on back it was Fishback, Burmeister and Faria.

John Stunkard was one ecstatic guy when he took the checkered flag, making him the top dog in the Support main. Rudy Laurer did his best to make that not happen but had to settle for second. Geoff Herkner, Ryan Tovatt and Damon Barry rounded out the field.

Support B honors went to new rider Aaron Fox, who went wire to wire. Norman Graham, Mike Salyer, Jake Myers and Mike Boyle followed him home.

The crazy Sidecar guys were on hand, and they never fail to entertain. The number-one team of Joe Jones & Jimmy Olsen is still the one to beat, and they made that very evident as they, too, had a perfect score on the night, even if they had to come from behind to do it. They always find a way to get it done. Gerald Jackson & Dave German were second, with Scott & Sean Driggers third and Brian Motis & Loren Thurston fourth.

Results

SCR MAIN: 1. Gary Hicks (JAWA/CZ); 2. Charlie Venegas (JAWA/CZ); 3. Jimmy Fishback (JAWA/CZ);4. Tyson Burmeister (JAWA/CZ); 5. Mike Faria (JAWA/CZ).

SUP MAIN: 1. John Stunkard (JAWA/CZ); 2. Rudy Laurer (JAWA/CZ); 3.Geoff Herkner (JAWA/CZ); 4. Ryan Tovatt (JAWA/CZ); 5. Damon Barry (JAWA/CZ).

SUP B MAIN: 1. Aaron Fox (JAWA/CZ); 2. Norman Graham (JAWA/CZ); 3. Mike Salyer (JAWA/CZ); 4. Jake Myers (JAWA/CZ); 5. Mike Boyle (JAWA/CZ).

SDCR MAIN: 1. Joe Jones/Jimmy Olsen (Yamaha); 2. Gerald Jackson/Dave German (Yamaha); 3. Scott Driggers/Sean Driggers (Suzuki); 4. Brian Motis/Loren Thurston (Yamaha).