
Southern California Flat Track Association
Perris Raceway - May 10, 2008
Story and Photos by Fred Windum
Youth
Youth Start: Tristan Wilson (68) leads Nick Gil (981) off the line in the Youth class.
Race 1: Youth: 1.Nick Gil 2.Tristan Wilson
250 Amateur and Open Novice
Race 2 Start: Drake Rainier (39) takes over race 2 ahead of Doug Reyes (17r), Shannon Adams (77) and Terry Danield (23).
Race 2: 250 Amateur: 1 Drake Rainier
Open Novice: 1. Doug Reyes 2. Shannon Adams 3. Terry Daniels
Catch all Race
Race 3: Dennis Kanegae (5), Tristan Wilson (68x), Dan Iha (55i) and Harly Legowski (83) leave the line in Race 3.
Race 3: Four Stroke Men: 1. Dan Iha
Knobby: 1. Dennis Kanegae 2. Michael Wilson
Open Beginner: Harly Legowski
Sportsman: Jim Steet
Vet +35
Race 4 Start: Joe Winston (14), Joel Kath (19v), Joe Steffen (6) and Wes Powell (33) lead the Vet pack into turn one.
Race
4: Vet +35: 1. Joe Winston. 2. Chris Cannon 3. Joel Kath 4. Wes Powell
5. Frank Aragaki 6. Loren Burkman 7. Joe Steffen 8. Jim Steet 9. Craig
Johnson
Classic Vintage
Race 5: Lenny Rodrigues (4r) and Joe Papa (75z) were never much farther apart than this in the brakeless Classic race.
Race 5: Classic Vintage: 1. Lenny Rodriguez 2. Joe Pape
Senior +50
Race 6: Al Steele (3p) leads Bill Wright (146), Jim Steet (12) and Jim Moore (37r) in the +50 Senior race.
Race 6: Senior +50: 1. Al Steele 2. Jim Steet 3. Ron Moore 4. Bill Wright dnf. Gabe Slatten, Mark Ledbetter
Super Senior +60
Race 7: Ed Steffen (16) leads Dave Molitor (22) before "dropping" to third.
Race 7: Super Senior +60: 1. Dave Molitor 2. Allan Girdler 3. "Mr." Ed Steffen
Open Amateur
Drake Roost: Drake Rainier (39) with a big lead in the Open Amateur race.

Race 8: Ray Hensley (20z), Tom Sahli (45f) and Vince Graves (4) race for second in the Open Amateur class.
Open Amateur: 1. Drake Rainier 2. Ray Hensley 3. Vince Graves 4 .Tom Sahli 5. Lew Gleason 6. Bill Wright 7. Gabe Slatten
Pro Race
First Pro start 1: Chris Cannon launches to the front of the Pro race from the second row.

Pro Start 2: Jim Wood (37) heads up the pro start ahead of Alex Wood
(67e),
Joe Winston (14), Jeff Johnson (37r), Wes Powell (33) Frank
Aragaki (19), Kayl Kolkman (45f) and the rest.
Race
8: Open Pro: 1. Jim Wood. 2. Alex Wood 3. Mike Avila 4. Chris Cannon
5. Kayl Kolkman. 6. Joel Kath 7. Joe Winston 8. Brandon Bates 9. Frank
Aragaki 10. Jim Rosa
Pro Dash: Jim Wood (37) starts off with a win in the Pro Dash
ahead of
Kayl Kolkman (45f) Jeff Johnson (37r) and Joe Winston (14)
Pro Dash: 1. Jim Wood 2. Joe Winston 3. Mike Avila 4. Kayl Kolkman 5. Jeff Johnson
Pro Time Trials:
1.Jim Wood 13.37
2. Mike Avila 13.46
3. Joe Winston 13.58
Jeff Johnson 13.58
5. Kayl Kolkman 13.59
6. Alex Wood 13.80
7. Chris Cannon 13.89
8. Joel Kath 13.93
9. Jim Rosa 13.95
10. Wes Powell 14.08
11. Brandon Bates 14.15
12. Frank Aragaki 14.52
Perris Raceway, Southern California Flat Track Association
Results May 10, 2008
Story and Photos by Fred Windum
The Southern California Flat Track association and Perris Raceway
started off another round of racing with bright sunshine and balmy
temperatures as Jimmy Wood came home to take top honors in both the Pro
Dash and the Pro Main while Joe Winston bested the Vets in a night of
fast and exciting racing.
Every now and then the club finds someone with both a stopwatch and the
ability to use it, in this case veteran racer Terry Statum was drafted
to time the Pros as they earned their starting positions for the heat
races. Some of the younger racers were scratching their heads at the
idea of time trials, but the more experienced racers looked forward to
the tension brought on by one fast lap. Wes Powell led off, falling in
tenth when the dust settled. Originally, the top four qualifiers were
going to a trophy dash, but a tie for third spot let Kayl Kolkman slip
in.
Off the line in the dash, Jimmy Wood grabbed the lead with an
uncharacteristic start hounded by Kayl Kolkman, Joe Winston, Jeff
Johnson, and Mike Avila. Kolkman took a high line through one and two
that cost him, dropping to the back of the pack as Wood pulled away.
Joe Winston to held off young Mike Avila, running with the pros to hone
his skills. Johnson fell in fourth with Kolkman a close fifth. While
Kolkman made a pass on Johnson with a lap remaining, it didn't matter
much. Only the winner took the cash prize, and Jimmy Wood had a solid
lead. Joe Winston held off Mike Avila for second ahead of Kayl Kolkman
and Jeff Johnson.
Tristan Wilson took off ahead of Nick Gil to lead the Youth race. Track
time has been paying off as Wilson has picked up the pace since the
season started back in February. Rookie Nick Gil took over on the third
lap to lead to the finish, Wilson's little Honda no match for the two
stroke KTM.
Race two combined 250 Amateur and Open Novice. Perris regular Drake
Rainier launched off the line ahead of Doug Reyes, Shannon Adams and
Terry Daniels and never looked back. Reyes, riding Chris Cannon's Pro
bike, had a good run in second. Shannon Adams ran smooth for third,
besting Daniels in fifth.
Two classes have all but disappeared from the track; Bomber (or '70s
Singles) and Adult Mini. Dan Iha has been the loyal rider in the Adult
Mini class, while Mike Wilson and Dennis Kanegae chose to enter the
knobby class on their minis. They were tossed in with Open Beginner
Harly Legowski, her first race on her new 400 Yamaha, and Jim Steet
filled the field with his framer Honda. Kanegae took off to an easy
lead, leaving Iha to dice with Wilson for second, Legowski running a
solid fourth. Steet's vintage XL Honda stopped with a rattle and
clatter. Wilson held a low line, closing in on leader Kanegae. Iha
tried to get back around the outside, leaving an opening for Legowski
to slip through. Iha tightened up his line to block. Who wants to get
beat by a girl? Wait a few more races…
Vet race. Why do they call it the Vet race? Only four of the Vets in
the main didn't enter the Pro race! Still, if it was motocross, 35
years old is, what, super senior? And nowhere near as fast! A
determined Joe Winston launched off the line ahead of Wes Powell, Joel
Kath and Joe Steffen. Chris Cannon made quick work of Joe Steffen and
Joel Kath, pulling in behind Powell. Roadracer Frank Aragaki made his
way past Joe Steffen for fifth as Loren Burkman began to pick up the
pace behind Steffen. Powell was dropped yet another spot when Kath
pushed past inside turn three. Aragaki then began to press "Doc" Powell
for fourth. Winston ran fast out front while Cannon tried in vain to
catch up. At the checkered flag, Winston took a decisive win over
Cannon, Kath, Powell and Aragaki. Burkman nabbed sixth ahead of
Steffen, Jim Steet and Craig Johnson.
The usual suspects showed up, sans brakes, for the Classic race. Joe
Pape and Lenny Rodriguez have had a friendly Harley/Triumph rivalry
going on for quite a while now. Regardless of who shows up to race,
they are each always striving to best the other. This was Lenny's night
on the Triumph with a holeshot and a lead that Pape's Harley couldn't
make up with horsepower, reminiscent of the bygone years when the big
V-twins fought with the lightweight British-built bikes. Legend is that
Trackmaster based their race frame geometry on a stock Triumph frame.
In the Senior class, the riders must be 50 or older. Luckily, the bikes
have no such restriction. The oldest bike on the track was a TT500,
ridden by Jim Steet. Al Steele led the race to turn one on his Buell
(yes, Buell) Blast ahead of '07 Senior champ Bill Wright, Steet and Jim
Moore. Steet pushed up the inside at the halfway mark to take second in
turn one, pulling the same stunt on the leader a lap later. As we see
all too often, the speed carried him wide and Steele cam right back up
the inside to take the lead back in turn three. Moore, normally a Super
Senior, passed Wright for third. Steele held on to the lead, Steet a
close second, with Moore closing in third and Wright fourth.
Super Senior had a light turnout, but the racing was as fierce as ever.
Dave Molitor jumped out front ahead of Ed Steffen and Allan Girdler.
Molitor pulled a slight lead, but Steffen closed in and took the lead
away coming out of turn four on lap five when Molitor slid wide off the
pole, only to toss it away in turn three on the last lap. Molitor
missed Steffen and went on to win, with Girdler nabbing second. Steffen
was up quickly and credited with third.
Drake Rainier took off out front of the Open Amateurs to lead Bill
Wright, Lew Gleason, Ray Hensley, Tom Sahli and Vince Graves falling in
behind. Hensley muscled past Gleason for third while Graves railed the
pole to move up to fourth as they came around at the end of lap one.
Tom Sahli followed Graves past Gleason for fifth. Sahli then motored
past Graves to take fourth as Hensley got a drive onto the front
straight, passing Wright, and tried to close the gap on the leader.
Hensley's no slouch, old enough for the Vet class, but not quite ready
for that leap. Wright slid off the groove in turn four, letting Sahli
and Graves through. Graves began to close on Sahli, knowing the inside
line was the only way by on his little 150 Honda. Gleason picked up the
throttle and passed Wright for fifth. Rainier cruised to the win ahead
of Hensley, while Graves picked off Sahli with a lap to go, leaving
Gleason fifth and Wright sixth.
Chris Cannon got the jump on the pros from the second row, leaving just
a bit before the light. Three riders went down in the first turn, so
even without the eager leaver the race would have to restart. With
Cannon now sitting on the penalty line, the race got under way cleanly,
with Jim Wood, Alex Wood, Joe Winston and Jeff Johnson leading the pack
heading into turn one. Jim Wood took command of the race, putting a gap
between himself and cousin Alex Wood, taking second ahead of Mike
Avila. Johnson held fourth, trailed by Joel Kath, Kayl Kolkman, Joe
Winston, Jim Rosa, Brandon Bates and Frank Aragaki. Even from the
penalty line, Cannon was charging, jetting past the back of the field
to force his way up to fourth ahead of Johnson and Kolkman. With the
top four now settled in, the rest of the field shuffled; Rosa and
Johnson dropping back, Kolkman moving up to fall in behind Cannon. Jim
Wood left the rest of the pros behind, Alex Wood fending off Avila's
run. Cannon kept a solid fourth ahead of Kolkman, trying different
lines around the track in a vain attempt to move up. The final lap had
Jim Wood out front with the win, Alex Wood second ahead of Mike Avila,
while Cannon held onto fourth ahead of Kolkman. Joel Kath put in
another consistent ride for fifth, followed by Winston, Bated, Aragaki
and Rosa.
Next race will be Friday, June 13th, the night before Gene Romero's
West Coast Flat Track Series hits the banking at Perris Auto Speedway.
Friday's program will feature a full range of bikes and talent, from
the Youth classes through the Pro race, which should be even more
interesting with the addition of new blood from Romero's series.
SCFTA will also be running in conjunction with the Ventura Vintage
Outlaw Motorcycle races at Ventura Fairgrounds Saturday June 28, 2008
& Saturday September 27, 2008. While only a few classes are listed
for the event, all entries will be accepted and scored according to
current SCFTA class points in their respective races. For more
information, go to http://www.southerncaliforniaflattrack.com/ .

Remaining events for 2008:
JUNE
Saturday
7 Practice 3pm-9pm
Sunday
8 Speedway Race
FRIDAY 13 SCFTA RACE #5
Gates Open @ 2pm Practice @ 4pm Racing @ 5pm
Saturday
21 Practice 3pm-9pm
JULY
Saturday
12 Practice
3pm-9pm
Sunday
13 Speedway Race
Saturday
19 Practice
3pm-9pm
Saturday 26 SCFTA RACE #6
Gates Open @ 2pm Practice @ 4pm Racing @ 5pm
AUGUST
Saturday
9 Practice 3pm-9pm
Sunday
10 Speedway Race
Saturday 16 SCFTA RACE #7
Gates Open @ 2pm Practice @ 4pm Racing @ 5 pm
Saturday
30 Practice
3pm-9pm
SEPTEMBER
Saturday 6 SCFTA RACE #8
Gates Open @ 2pm Practice @ 4pm Racing @ 5pm
Saturday 13 Practice 3pm-9pm
Saturday 27 Practice 3pm-9pm
Sunday 28 Speedway Race
OCTOBER
Saturday 4 Practice 3pm-9pm
Saturday 11 Practice 3pm-9pm
Sunday 12 Speedway Race
Friday 24 SCFTA RACE # 9
Gates Open @ 2pm Practice @ 4pm Racing @ 5pm
NOVEMBER
Saturday 8 Practice 3pm-9pm
Saturday 15 Practice 3pm-9pm
Sunday 16 Speedway Race
Saturday 22 SCFTA RACE #10
Gates Open @ 2pm Practice @ 4pm Racing@ 5pm
DECEMBER
Saturday 6 Practice 9am-3pm
Saturday 20 Practice 9am-3pm AWARDS For 2008 SCFTA Racing Season 4pm-8pm
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