Fast Fridays Speedway

Gold Country Fairgrounds
1273 High Street
Auburn, California

33rd North vs. South Challenge
Fast Friday’s Motorcycle Speedway
Gold Country Fairgrounds
AUBURN, CALIFORNIA, July 19, 2024
Story and Photos by Michael Kirby

The North vs. South Challenge is one of the most prestige events in American motorcycle speedway racing and is one of the longest running annual team racing event in modern motorcycle speedway history. It began in 1991 at Fast Fridays Motorcycle Speedway in Auburn Ca. and continues today with the 33rd running. The race brings the best riders from Southern California to challenge the hometown boys in Northern California in the best of team racing.

Six riders from each team race in 18 scratch heat races accumulating points, three for a first-place finish, two for a second-place finish, one for third place and zero for fourth place finish. Riders then choose team members to go into two main events where points increase and double in the final A main.

The North Team in this year’s match-up included eleven-time AMA National Speedway Champion Billy Janniro and veteran speedway rider Bart Bast who has raced in all 33 North vs. South events except one when he was out with injury. Rounding out the north squad was Blake Borello, Charlie Trana, Danny Faria and Louie Mersaroli. The South Team included Broc Nicol and Alex Martin who both recently returned to the USA after racing in Europe, Chris Kerr, Russell Green, Timmy Dion and Greg Moore.

Coming into this year's event the North was looking to avenge their loss last year to the South. The strong South Team last year defeated the North 77-62 and this year the North won 75-64 Friday night in front of enthusiastic Fast Friday's crowd. With the win this season the North holds a commanding lead over the South in the series win-loss record and the overall tally now sits at 21 wins for the North to 12 wins for the South.

The racing was actually very close throughout the evening, ties and just a few points difference for most of the night. At the end of the first three heats the north started off with a bang with wins by Bart Bast, Blake Borello and Danny Faria and second place finishes by Billy Janniro and Charlie Trana and Timmy Dion add one point with a third-place finish. The south was only able to tally five points in the first set of heats and the score rested at 13-5 with the north leading. Things got a little more interesting in heats 4-6 as the south added 10 points to the north's eight points and caught up some to bring the score 21-15 with the north still leading the south. Broc Nicol and Alex Martin had first place finishes for the south, Chris Kerr added a second place finish, Greg Moore and Russell Green added one point each with third place finishes. Bast chipped in another first place finish and three more points for the north.

Heats seven through nine is when things really got close and interesting. The south increased their score with strong first place finish rides from Nicol, Martin and Green with a south rider winning each of the heats and picking up three points each. The north was only able to pick up second place finishes from Bast and Borello and third place finishes from Trana, Faria and Greg Moore to add to the north score. After nine heats the score was tied at 27-27.

Heats 10 through 12 kept the night interesting and close. In heat 10 Nicol bagged another first-place finish for the south and Kerr added one with a second-place finish. The north answered back with two points from a second-place finish from Janniro. Heat 11 brought the score to another tie at 33-33 with Borello adding another first-place win and Trana a third-place finish for the north. The south had a second-place finish from Martin. In heat 12 one of the few mishaps of evening Louie Mersaroli of the north fell in turn one and could not restart. Green and Dion had a one-two punch with first and second place finishes for the south and the south took the lead 38-34 after 12 heats. The north could only manage one point in heat 12.

After heat 13 with the north down 43-35 the north was able to utilize the joker rule which states that one time during the meeting each team down by more than six points can insert a rider to race a heat race and accumulate double points. At this point the north brought in Janniro to try to pick-up some bonus points. This was a wise move for the north and Janniro won heat 14 picking up six points and with a second-place finish by Mersaroli brought the score to within one point of the south at 44-43. Janniro also added another three points in heat 15 and with two more points from Bast the north pulled ahead 48-45 going into the final round of heats.

The north squad held its lead through heats 16-18 and before the bonus main events the north led the south 59-52, but with the scoring increased in the A and B main events anything can happen.

In the A and B main events the teams picked two riders each from their teams to go into the mains. In the B main event the north chose Borello and Trana, the south sent Kerr and Green to the start line. Scoring also increased for this race. In turn one Kerr and Green got tangled and fell and referee Steve Lucero called for a restart. Borello and Trana had one-two finishes for the north and Green was third and Kerr fourth. The score after the B main was the north leading 66-55 and a long shot for the south to come back for the win.

Rolling out to the start line for the night's finale was Janniro and Bast for the north and Nicol and Martin for the South. Scoring now doubled. Nicol had a great race winning the main, Janniro was second, Bast third and Martin fourth. Each team scored nine points each leaving the final score for the 2024 North vs. South Challenge at 75-64 and a win for the north. Janniro was the overall high scorer with 23 and Nicol was the high scorer for the south with 21.

Along with this exciting night of team racing the program included Youth 150, Youth 250 races and of course the peewees.

North vs. South Challenge Results 7-19-24
North 75 South 64

North 75
Billy Janniro 2 2 0 2 3 3+3 (Joker) 3 5-23
Bart Bast 3 3 2 0 2 1 4-15
Blake Borello 3 0 2 3 1 2 4-15
Charlie Trana-2 1 1 1 0 3 3-11
Louie Mersaroli 0 2 0 0 2 2-6
Daniel Faria 3 0 1 1 0-5

South 64
Broc Nicol 0 3 3 3 3 3 6-21
Alex Martin 1 3 3 2 1 2 3-15
Russell Green 2 1 3 3 0 1 2-12
Chris Kerr 1 2 2 1 2 1 1-10
Timmy Dion 1 0 0 2 1 0-4
Greg Moore 0 1 1 0 0 0-2

Michael Kirby Photos
	The North Team celebrate their win Friday night at the 33rd North vs. South Challenge which they won. Team members with Fast Friday trophy girls are (L-R) Charlie Trana, Louie Mersaroli, Danny Faria, Billy Janniro (kneeling), Bart Bast and Blake Borello.
	The start of the A main and final event of the evening. (L-R) Billy Janniro, Broc Nicol, Bart Bast and Alex Martin. Nicol riding for the south won the race.
	All the racers in the North vs. South are very skilled Division I riders. The races were all scratch rides and the racing gets tight is turn one. Shown here Blake Borello (27) and Alex Martin (30) get a little close.
	Broc Nicol was the high scorer for the South with 21 points.
	Billy Janniro was the overall scorer in this season's North vs. South Challenge. Janniro scored 23 points for the north team.
	The 2024 North vs. South Challenge teams. (L-R) South- Broc Nicol, Chris Kerr, Greg Moore, Alex Martin, Russell Green, Timmy Dion, Fast Friday's owner David Joiner North-Danny Faria, Billy Janniro, Charlie Trana, Louie Mersaroli, Blake Borello and not pictured Bart Bast.
	Fast Friday's Referee Steve Lucero holds the official coin that will be flipped for starting gate positions. The north won the toss and gate position choice.
	Good Friend and longtime speedway racing advocate, fan and former promoter, Mr. Good Guy Rich VanderMeeden sports an original North-South Challenge shirt from 1991 the year the event first started.