| Perris Raceway – Perris Ca. April 3rd,2011 Round # 2 Article by Jamey Blunt Photos by Janice Blunt Round two of the S.C.F.T.A. at Perris Raceway was held under gray threatening skies that didn't dare rain on this parade. This was a somewhat special day as not only were races scheduled but a memorial of sorts for Wayne Hosaka who passed away on January 16th. Wayne who founded the Flattrack.com website was a racer through and through whose own professional career was cut short in the second race of the Grand National season in 1971 at Ascot Park in Gardena California. In that crash Wayne suffered a broken neck permanently losing most of the feeling in his body from the neck down. Wayne the talented artist, basketball coach, gardener, who played the harmonica, was honored on this day with a parade backward lap and a bell made from a welding tank hung from the side of the announcer's tower to be rung so as to call the riders meeting at all future events.  At intermission after the heat races a backwards lap was held for Wayne Hosaka, founder of Flat Track.Com. With it ending having all the riders lining up along the front straight facing the crowd.  A bell made from a welding tank was hung from the corner of the announcer's tower to be run when calling the riders meeting. This in rememberance of Wayne Hosaka. Once all the heat races were completed, the one hundred eleven riders sorted into their mains, the backward lap finished and the track resurfaced and prepped, it was time for the main events. Kicking things off was something new at Perris, a Dash 4 Cash where the fastest pros from their heat races square off for a four lap sprint lap race. $261 was collected from the pits and bleachers alike for the dash.  #42 Kayl Kolkman shot to the front in the four lap Dash 4 Cash and never looked back. #37 Jimmy Wood tried hard to get past Kolkman but just couldn't quite catch up. Kolkman also lowered the track record in the dash to 14.42/100 seconds besting Henry Wiles record set last year. Riders making it to the dash were David Bush, Jimmy Wood, Kayl Kolkman, Mark Cernicky, Kenny Malaguarnero, and Jeff Evans. Kolkman nailed the start to lead into turn one from the first flash of green from starter Rudy's hand. Wood dropped in behind Kolkman in second with Evans third, Cernicky fourth, and Malaguarnero fifth, with Bush opting not to start. Kolkman had a three bike length gap at the front with Wood going with him as they pulled away from the rest of the field. Lap two saw Kolkman on a perfect track lower the track record to 14.42/100 seconds holding Wood at bay. By lap four and the checkered flag the only change in the order was for fourth where Malaguarnero got past Cernicky. In honor of Wayne Hosaka all the senior classes (50+, 60+, & 70+) would pay money on this day, not to mention all the donated products to be given out or raffled off. Special thanks go out to Alex of Kon Tiki for all his hard work and year after year support and to Mike Ochs from Ochs Oil for all the gallons of VP racing fuel.  On the first trip down the back straight in the Super Senior +60 main event #4 Vince Graves leads with #37 Ron Moore, #96 Jack Alexander, #51 Dennis Kanegae, #15 Freddie Edwards, #26 Donnie Walters, #58 Kevin Stafford, and #81 Don Danner giving chase! The Super Senior +60 was first up of these paying events, former grand national race winner Freddie Edwards made it just ten feet off the line before tasting Tara Firma bringing out a red flag. On the full restart Vince Graves took point over Ron Moore, Tim Thomas, and Edwards. From the start Graves was riding the upper half of the race track leaving a huge door open for anyone fast enough to match his pace to pass through. Which by lap two both Moore and Thomas did dropping Graves to third. On lap three between turns one and two Jack Alexander went down and was unhurt. By this time Dennis Kanegae had recovered from a poor start and was up to sixth behind Donnie Walters and was applying pressure. At the front Moore riding an inside line turned the fastest lap of the race at 15.30/100 seconds as he inched away. With two laps remaining Graves seeing the error of his ways dropped to a low line and his lap times improved to a 15.47/100 second lap. But it was too little too late, as time ran out with Moore taking the win by over three seconds from Thomas, Graves was third, Edwards sore and alone in fourth, and on the final lap Kanegae took fifth away from Walters.  Former national rider #55 Tom Horton easily spanked the Classic Vintage 500-750 filed. Horton and his beautiful Triumph cruised around the Perris 1/4 mile at 16.03 seconds. Lancaster California's Tom Horton and Jeff Apple from a long racing heritage were so close in lap times that it could have been anyone's race in the Vintage 500-750cc class. Horton's fastest time was a 16.03/100 second lap to Apple's 16.07/100 seconds. Horton read starter Rudy perfectly and led Jack Alexander into turn one. Apple was away in the third place position with number one plate holder for this class Lenny Rodriguez in fourth. Isaiah Canales ran in fifth but was first 250cc machine in this combined field. On the second time into turn three Alexander took a very high line which allowed Apple to pull alongside. They came up the front straight fighting for the second place spot but Alexander chopped off Apple's line and held position into turn one. While behind them and Canales James Kohls and Joe Pape were going at it for fifth and sixth in the 500-750 class. (Remember scored separately) On lap four Apple had to force the issue as Horton was getting away, he couldn't waste any more time trying to get past Alexander. So entering turn one Apple made a hard pass on Alexander to take over at second. At the white flag Apple was closing on Horton who had backed it down not feeling the need to push. Entering turn three for the final time Horton only had a bike length lead and Apple ran it in deep to square up the corner for a strong drive out. But it wasn't to be as Apple came up a bike length short to Horton. Alexander finished third with Rodriguez fourth, Canales fifth (1st 250) Kohls fifth (500-750) and Pape sixth.  #88 Jim Rosa was a half second faster than any of the other Vet 35+ riders. He posted a 15.18/100 second lap on his way to the main event victory. Jim Rosa posted the fastest lap time in the heats for the Vet +35 class. On the start of the main event Rosa and Paul Herman hit turn one side by side. Down the back straight and into turn three Rosa left it turned on just a little longer and established himself as the leader. Herman ran second with John Lundgren third, Art Guilfoil fourth, and Shawn Culp Fifth. Gary Williams who was in sixth made short work of Culp to take away fifth and set his sights on Guilfoil in fourth. By the completion of three laps Wood Carlson who was away in eighth had made a charge and was up to sixth. At the white flag Rosa had a three second cushion over Herman and had turned his fastest lap time of 15.18/100 seconds. By this time as well Lundgren has closed on Herman and Williams and Carlson has advanced past Guilfoil. But Carlson wasn't finished yet as his last lap charge netted him fourth by the stripe making the final tally Rosa, Herman, Lundgren, Carlson, Williams, Guilfoil, and Culp.  #47 Jim Wood topped #16 Joe Steffen in the Senior Vet +50 final. Wood posted a fastest lap on this day of 15.20/100 seconds. Both riders race out of the Mr. Ed's stable. Eleven riders in the Senior Vet +50 class (The second Vet Class to pay Money) had Jim Wood and Joe Steffen enter turn one side by side. Gary Evans ran in third with Jim Ottele fourth, Tom Horton Fifth and Jeff Gonzales sixth. Wood with Steffen glued to his backside began to slowly inch away from the rest of the pack. With three laps complete the front two had over a three second gap from Evans who was struggling to hold off Ottele. At the white flag everything seemed settled as no one seemed to try any harder. Wood came home with the victory and the fastest lap of the race at 15.20/100 seconds with Steffen second, Evans third, Ottele fourth, Horton fifth, and Gonzales sixth.  Every rider in the Vintage 250 & 360 2-Stroke class is FAST! But on this day Jim Wood was the fastest of the fast! #75 Ryan Gifford, #47 Jim Wood, #55 Tom Horton, #6 Joe Steffen, & #12e Jeff Lessley. Jeff Lessley from Delano California on his rare Champion Framed Hodaka led the 250 – 360 2 stroke expert class through turns one and two. But by the completion of the first lap class champion form 2010 Jim Wood took over at the front. Ryan Gifford (The only 360cc machine in the race) ran in third with Tom Horton fourth and Joe Steffen fifth. On the exit from turn two for the third time Lessley tagged Wood's rear wheel which warranted a look from Wood. With this Wood picked up his pace and the front two dropped Gifford like he was tied to a post. By lap four Horton dropped out of the race as Steffen was getting some extra wind. Wood went on to the victory followed by Lessley, Gifford, and Steffen. Danny Perkins was the only rider in the Bomber class to break into the fifteen second barrier. Tom Horton had the quickest reflexes off the line but Perkins had taken over by turn two and never looked back. His fastest lap of 15.74/100 seconds was untouchable, at least on this day. Horton was in second with David McNeeley third, Jimmy Lundgren fourth, John Lundgren fifth, Jeff Gonzales sixth, and Keith Speir seventh. Two and a half laps in Perkins was stretching out his lead while Horton and McNeeley were fighting over second. The Brothers Lundgren were also going at it for the fourth place position. At the end of four laps McNeeley was into second and Horton was under attack from Jimmy Lundgren. Then entering turn three Jimmy Lundgren shot past Horton for third while Gonzales who had caught fire made the pass stick on John Lundgren for fifth. A lap later Horton had faded way back and Gonzales was up to fourth, with Jimmy Lundgren locked in on McNeeley. At the white flag Jimmy Lundgren made a push down the back straight and with the mistake from McNeeley going wide in turn three he secured second position. This made the final finishing order Perkins, Jim Lundgren, McNeeley, Gonzales, and John Lundgren. From the outside of the front row David Reinhard got a flyer of a start that starter Rudy let go with David McNeeley in second and Nick Gil in third in the Open Amateur final. On the second trip down the back straight Gil took second away from McNeeley while Paul Herman settled in at Fourth with Austin Williams fifth. In a drag race up the front straightaway on the third lap Gil took the lead away from Reinhard and posted a 15.52/100 second lap the next time around. On lap four with Herman closing McNeeley went wide between turns one and two letting Herman slip past for the third place position, at the front Gil with a clear track was gone and Herman and McNeeley were closing fast on Reinhard. Out of turn four for the final time Herman and McNeeley tangled but neither went down making the finishing order Gil, Reinhard, Herman, McNeeley and a distant Williams.  National #37 Jimmy Wood had something to prove in Round two's Pro Main Event. Wood secured the lead by lap two of the twenty lap final and lowered the track recored to 14.34/100 seconds on lap three on his way to winning the main.  After losing the Dash 4 Cash to Kolkman Jimmy Wood knew he had to get a good start or at least not let Kolkman get away in the twenty lap pro main event. Off the line Kolkman led with Wood right beside him down the back shoot. Entering turn three Wood inched ahead and led the first lap across the stripe. Kayl Kolkman stayed by the side of Wood applying pressure but Wood held tough and his line. It was a battle of wills and finesse worthy of any chess match. Lap three saw Wood clear at the front for his first full clean lap and he lowered the track record (that Kolkman just set in the dash) to 14.34/100 seconds! At this point third place Jeff Evans was already a full straight back of the front two. In fourth ran Kenny Malaguarnero with David Bush fifth and Robert Bush sixth. At the half way point Wood only had a four bike length gap over Kolkman as they were approaching lappers. Also by lap ten Malaguarnero had displaced Evans for third but he was a full straight behind the leaders. Baring an incident the race was between Wood and Kolkman. By lap fifteen Wood was a litter better through traffic than Kolkman and had extended his lead to two seconds. At the checkered flag Wood had lapped up to fifth place and had a three second cushion over Kolkman. Malaguarnero was secure in third with Evans fourth and David Bush fifth. After the race Wood had this to say, "It was an awesome weekend coming here racing, I do a lot of testing here and I gotta thank Jeremy from Race Tech who dialed me in right before the main. He made a bunch of changes and it was great right off the bat so it was good, it was fun. Can't wait to go to De Quoin and give it a go at the national." Round three of the S.C.F.T.A. is scheduled for Saturday the 16th of April on this newly established ¼ mile oval at a facility that started way back in 1957 by Gerry and Grace Burton.  #53 Alyissa Flores picked up her first victory of the year in the youth 65cc class. (#17 Noah Bush, #95 Clayton Williams, #54 Frank Flores, #7x Grant Holmes)  #151 Billy Katkov was the class of the field in the men's 4-stroke final. His 16.45/100 second lap time was more than a full second faster than anyone elses. April 3, 2011 Youth 50 cc 1. Grant Holmes Porterville 2. Ava Bush Valencia Youth 85 1. Clayton Williams 2. Moncia Gil Riverside 3. Jaycee Hesperia Youth 65cc 1. Alyissa Flores Sylmar 2. Frank Flores Sylmar 3. Grant Holmes Porterville 4. Noah Bush Valencia 5. Clayton Williams Bakersfield Super Senior + 60 1. Ron Moore 2. Tim Thomas Chandler AZ 3. Vince Graves Palm Springs 4. Freddie Edwards Riverside 5. Dennis Kanegae Riverside 6. Donnie Walters Riverside 7. Kevin Stafford Viola Ill 8. Sal Peluso San Deigo 9. Don Danner San Deigo 10. Jack Alexander Bakersfield Men’s 4 Stroke 1. Billy Katkov Fountain Valley 2. Mark Cernicky Costa Mesa 3. Ian Folds Senior Novice 1. Corey Bauman Los Angeles 2. Larkin Wight Lucerne Valley 3. Fred Berger Bakersfield 4. Shane Van Sickle Leona Valley 5. Craig Sprecher Inglewood Classic Vintage 500-750 1. Tom Horton Lancaster 2. Jeff Apple 3. Jack Alexander Bakersfield 4. Lenny Rodriguez Palmdale 5. James Kohl santa Paula 6. Joe Pape Culver City Classic Vintage 250 1 Isaiah Canales Bakersfield Open Novice 1. Nick Ottele Redlands 2. Emmy Bush Acton 3. Roy Stafford Pinon Hills 4. Corey Bauman Los Angles 5. Tom Sahli Tujunga Senior Vets + 50 1. James Wood Redlands 2. Joe Steffen San Jacinto 3. Gary Evans Murrieta 4. Jim Ottele Redlands 5. Tom Horton Lancaster 6. Jeff Gonzales Tul;are 7. Larry Earhart Panarama city Vets 35+ 1. Jim Rosa, Hesperia 2. Paul Herman Grand Terrace 3. John Lundgren Simi Valley 4. Woody Carlson Spring Valley 5. Gary Williams Bakerfield 6. Art Gilfold San Bernardino 7. Shawn Culp Scottsdale AZ Vintage 250 2stk Novice 1. Steele Fredrich Corona 2. Michael Fritz Garden Grove 3. Joe Pape Culver City 4. Shane Van Sickle Leone Valley 5. 199 ? 360 vintage 2stk Novice 1. Monte Roberts El Cajon 2. Rick Logan Vintage 250 2 stk Expert 1. James Wood Redland 2. Jeff Lessley Delano 3. Joe Steffen San Jacinto 4. Tom Horton Lancanster Vintage 360 2 stk Expert 1. Ryan Gifford Knobby 1. John Rudder Auga Dulce 2. Richard Hanson Corona 3. Ryan Reed Orange Bomber 1. Danny Perkins Rancho Santa Marg. 2. Jim Lundgren Santa clarita 3. David McNeeley Chula Vista 4. Jeff Gonzales Tulare 5. John Lundgren simi Valley 6. Brad Rudy Long Beach 7. Keith Speir Bakersfield 8. Tom Horton Lancaster 9. Shawn Culp Scottsdale Az Premier Senior + 70 1. Ron Moore 2. Peter Torojan San Juan Cap. 3. Allan Gridler Rainbow Vintage 750 1Tom Horton Lancaster 2/ Steve Craft Bakersfield 2. Jeff Apple Open Amateur 1. Nick Gil Riverside 2. David Reinhard Mentone 3. Paul Herman Grand Terrace 4. David Mc Neeley Chula Vista 5. Austin Williams Bakersfield 6. Harley Legowski Orange 7. Jim Lundgren Santa Clarita Pro Main 1. Jimmy Wood Redlands 2. Kayl Kolkman Ventura 3. Kenny Malaguarnero Lakeside 4. Jeff Evans Agoura 5. David Bush Valencia 6. Robert Bush Acton 7. Branden Rothell Madera 8. Mark Cernicky Costa Mesa  |