The Gumball Rally, the season opener for Speedway at the Industry Grand Arena at California’s Industry Hills Expo Center, was held February 21-22. Save for a few crashes, the racing over the two-day event was spectacular and surprising.
Story & Photos by Richard T. Haight
Perennial champ Max Ruml did well in the straight heats but couldn’t get to the front in either the handicap heats or the Last Man Out event, which was sponsored by “Storage Wars” star Barry Weiss. In the Last Man Out, competitors vie in a series of one-lap heats in which the last finisher in eliminated. Two “Do or Die” heats follow, along with a two-lap Trophy dash that has the last two riders head-to-head for a winner-take-all $1000 purse.
California Under-21 Speedway champ Slater Lightcap, who is preparing to leave for Europe to join his new team, dispatched Max Ruml, the UK’s Will Cairns, and then Billy Janniro to take the bucks in the Trophy dash.
Next up were the Division 3 racers, with the final consisting of two men and two women, with Catherine Moore taking a convincing win in front of Joe Siller and Erin Ferris.
The Sidecar class was its usual screaming sideways show, with the Ovrid brothers, Emil and David, taking the win over the Kevin Kale/ Jen Hernandez and Ace Kale / Brent Smith.
In Division 2, Eloy Medellin won over Rudy Laurer and David Newsham.
Last and certainly not least was the Division 1 main event. After working their way through the heats, the final brought Max Ruml, Will Cairns, Brady Landon and Slater Lightcap to the line.
The Gumball Rally includes youth classes, and, riding the full 500cc Division 1 class for the first time, 15-year-old phenom Brady Landon took a 180-degree spin less than 100 feet from the gate and took a punch in the chest from a handlebar. But when the gates went up for the re-start, he left the field in his dust for the win. The kid looks to be World Championship material.CN
DIVISION 1 OVERALL (Final 4)
- Brady Landon
- Will Cairns
- Slater Lightcap
- Max Ruml
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