AUBURN, CA

Billy Janniro (14, above) did not let much dust settle on his boots from last week's Division One Scratch main event and Challenge Elimination Series losses; instead, he picked up another Division One Scratch main-event win and grabbed the last spot in the Challenge Elimination Series championship.

After a near-photo finish in the Division One Scratch main event last week, which Janniro narrowly lost to Bryan Yarrow and which fans are still talking about a week later, Janniro was back in familiar form on Friday night at Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway at the Gold Country Fairgrounds in Auburn, California.

In the Scratch main-event finale of the night's fastest riders, Janniro drew lane two, next to Auburn's Tommy Hedden in lane one, Auburn's Bart Bast in lane three, and Charlie Venegas in the outside lane four. When the tapes went up, it was Bast who got inside in turn one, leaving Hedden and Janniro battling against each other just outside of him. Janniro edged Hedden outside and then set his sights on Bast, who was holding steady on the inside. Janniro got higher in the deeper part of the track and was able to power around Bast and take the checkered flag. Bast finished second, Venegas was third, and Hedden was fourth.

"After the races last week, we weren't happy - everybody thought I won, but really, at the end of the day, it really doesn't matter: That was last week and this is this week," said Janniro. "It was a close call. That's racing."

Friday night's win brings Janniro's numbers to a season-leading nine first-place finishes in 12 Division One Scratch main events this season, having lost only once apiece to Bast, Yarrow and Scott Brant.

Janniro's fifth-round Challenge Elimination Series win puts him in the mix for the Challenge Elimination Series Championship on September 3, racing against series round winners Venegas, Hedden, Yarrow and Brant.

Alex Marcucci, the 2003 Junior National Speedway Champion, found his way to the winners' podium for the first time this season by topping the Division One handicap main event. Always knocking at the door in Division One, the 24-year-old Nevada City resident, riding off the 10-yard line, held off Bast, who finished second, and J.J. Martynse, who finished third, with an impressive win.

Auburn's own Billy Parino (281, above) took top honors in Division Two racing for the first time Friday night at Fast Fridays. Parino had raced impressively in Division Three, placing in the top three nine times and finishing first three times. Parino raced off the 40-yard line in Division Three and won his first D-2 race riding off the start line. Auburn's Mike Achilles finished second and Richard Fehrman finished third.

Division Three was won by John Williams. Auburn's Glenn Scott was second and Greg Lovlien was third.

Robert Mellor won the popular Run What U Brung contest. P.J. Byrne took the Youth A main, and Ryan Vaughn topped the Youth B main.

Last week's Fast Fridays Speedway report mistakenly listed Tori Hubbert as competing in Division Three; Hubbert races competitively in Division Two.

Results

D-1 SCR MAIN: 1. Billy Janniro; 2. Bart Bast; 3. Charlie Venegas; 4. Tommy Hedden.

D-1 HDCP MAIN: 1. Alex Marcucci; 2. Bart Bast; 3. J.J. Martynse.

D-2 MAIN: 1. Billy Parino; 2. Mike Achilles; 3. Richard Fehrman.

D-3 MAIN: 1. John Williams; 2. Glenn Scott; 3. Greg Lovlien.

YTH A MAIN: 1. P.J. Byrne.

YTH B MAIN: 1. Ryan Vaughn.

RUN WHAT U BRUNG: 1. Robert Mellor.

ELIMINATION CHALLENGE RD 5: 1. Billy Janniro.