Fast Fridays Speedway

Gold Country Fairgrounds
1273 High Street
Auburn, California

Speedway in Auburn
Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
Bast and Cunningham win second mains
By Michael Kirby (Story & Photos)
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, June 18, 2021

The temperature in Auburn Ca. was hot and hovered around 106 degrees on Friday but Friday night at the Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway the racing was even hotter. In week four of the 2021 season Bart Bast and Kyle Cunningham picked up their second main event wins, Bast in the scratch main event and Cunningham in the handicap main event.

Bast has been off to a great start this season winning the scratch main event two weeks ago and Friday night. Bast was lucky in the draw and sat in lane one for the finale of the night featuring the four fastest men of the evening. In lane two was 10 time AMA National Speedway Champion Billy Janniro, in three was Blake Borello and in four was Russell Green. Each of these talented riders was equally able to take the checkered flag.

Bast got a fantastic gate and got inside on turn one and gained the lead but Janniro and Borello were racing close together a bike length or so behind both with their sights on taking Bast. Bast’s forty plus years of racing experience and his steady no mistake style of racing carried him to the finish line first. Janniro won the battle with Borello and finished second, Borello was third and Green was fourth. “The track has not lent itself to a lot of passing this season so you have got to commit to the inside lane,” said Bast.

Kyle Cunningham continued to make great progress in Division I, winning his second main event this season in the handicap program. Cunningham currently races off the 20 yard line and may see himself checking out the dirt around the 30 yard line soon with this week’s win. Pressured heavily by Rheten Todd for most of the race and it looked real close until Todd spun out and was out of the running. Louie Mersaroli took up the chase but Cunningham was able to take the win. Mersaroli was second and Russell Green third.

Rees Todd seems to own Division II winning the main event three weeks in a row, losing only in week one when he was second to Greg Moore. Todd keeps gaining handicap yardage and continues to win, soon to be back on the 20 yard line exploring the terrain there. Dylan Wagner was third. Jeff Powell was first in the Division III main event, his first win so far this season. Tim Rott was second and Jack Meyer was third.

Charlie Trana won the Youth 250 main event. Trana raced against Catherine Moore the only other rider in that division this week. Moore hung in there with a gallant crowd cheering effort but Trana was unbeatable. Moore was second.

Nick Hohlbein took the Youth 150 main event. Hohlbein and Darren Armbruster are the guys to beat in the Youth 150 division. Both Hohlbein and Armbruster have won two main events each, Hohlbein in week two and week four and Armbruster in week one and week three. Friday night these competitors raced tough, Armbruster winning one of their heats and Hohlbein winning a heat and the main. Armbruster, running hard in the main against Hohlbein fell and was out of the running leaving Hohlbein an open ticket to the finish line. Wesley Rearick was second and William Hennefer was third.

The SOS Team Challenge returned for the second round of team racing. Coming into the round with Team CHP in the driver’s seat with 11 points and Team SOS with 7 points, Team SOS was able to tie the score by the end of the round. Behind a stellar performance in race three Team SOS riders Rheten Todd and Will McCloskey scored a one-two win picking up five points and leaving the round with Team SOS scoring 11 points and Team CHP scoring 7 points. After two rounds the score now sits tied at 18-18. Round three is on July 9 as the challenge continues.

Fast Fridays Results for 06-18-21

Scratch Main Event
1-Bart Bast, 2-Blake Borello, 3-Billy Janniro, 4-Russell Green

Handicap Main Event
1-Kyle Cunningham, 2-Louie Mersaroli, 3-Russell Green

Division II Main Event
1-Rees Todd, 2-Kyle Cunningham, 3-Dylan Wagner

Division III Main Event
1-Jeff Powell, 2-Tim Rott, 3-Jack Meyer

Youth 250 Main Event
1-Charlie Trana, 2-Catherine Moore

Youth 150 Main Event
1-Nick Hohlbein, 2-Wesley Rearick, 3-William Hennefer

	Timmy Dion and Blake Borello
	The start of a Youth 150 heat race Friday night. (Left-Right) William Hennefer, Nick Hohlbein and Darren Armbruster line up. Hohlbein ended up the winner of the main event.
	Bart Bast
	Charlie Trana breezed to the Youth 250 main event win at Fast Friday’s Friday night.
	Kyle Cunningham leads the way in a restart in the handicap program Friday night. Cunningham pulled off his second handicap main event win of the season.
	Nick Hohlbein was the winner of the Youth 150 main event. It was his second main event win of the 2021 season.
	Jeff Powell was the main event winner in the Division III Friday night.
	Charlie Venegas (left) and Daniel Faria (right) compete in the Team SOS Challenge Friday night. After the second round Team SOS evened the score with Team CHP 18-18.
	Bart Bast (right) leaves the start line in the Scratch Main Event Friday night. Bast, out of lane one took his second scratch main event win of the season.
	Rees Todd celebrates his third Division II main event this season.