Southern California’s extended summer heat made for a comfortable evening and an unusually large crowd for the 49th California State Speedway Championship at Industry Grand Arena, October 24. There were plenty of thrills and spills Saturday night, with more than the usual number of crashes, but when it was all over, Broc Nicol had wrapped up another championship with a near-perfect performance.
Story & Photos by Richard T. Haight
Despite being one of the fastest riders all season, Nicol has had more than his share of bad luck. Two blown engines in one night and a runaway victory that slipped away following a couple of questionable calls at another event made it seem as though the old saying, “If he didn’t have bad luck, he wouldn’t have any luck at all,” were written just for him.
The event attracted a strong field of riders, although one notable name was missing: multi-time State and National Champion Max Ruml.
Ruml was involved in a nasty two-rider crash at Costa Mesa two weeks earlier. Despite the incident, he managed to stay on his feet and went on to win the event. However, a more thorough medical examination a couple of days later revealed a torn ACL, fractured ribs and plenty of bruises.
Among Nicol’s toughest challengers was the recently returned Slater Lightcap, who spent several months racing in Poland before joining Britain’s Poole Pirates and helping the team capture the SGB Championship earlier this month.
Nicol and Lightcap each recorded four three-point heat wins, but neither went undefeated. Lightcap failed to score in one heat, while Nicol managed to pick up the single point he needed to finish as the night’s top scorer.
Nearly all the leading contenders won at least one heat, keeping the outcome in doubt heading into the final rounds.
Following the two semifinals, the final lineup was set: Nicol, Lightcap, multi-time State Champion Billy “The Kid” Janniro and Austin Novratil.
When the tapes went up, Nicol and Lightcap quickly separated themselves from the field, with Nicol winning another California State Championship. Lightcap finished second, followed by Novratil.
Janniro, still sore from an earlier crash, couldn’t match the leaders’ pace and finished fourth.CN
