Canadian Speedway Racing Association

Saturday June 7th 2008
A warm evening welcomed the speedway events to the Welland Motorcycle Club track. Speedway was represented with 3 heats and a final race. Terry Rideout, Jeff Orosz, Tim Murray, Aaron Hesmer, Chris Hesmer, Joe Heye, Gary Hesmer, Rob Dixon, John Kehoe and Drew Kehoe produced a great night of racing. Seeing the return to the saddle for Aaron Hesmer following his broken thumb, the anticipation was that the event would match the weather and be a hot one! Heat One: Jeff Orosz flew away from the pack, followed by Aaron Hesmer, Joe Heye, John Kehoe and Drew Kehoe. The battle was between Joe Heye and John Kehoe all race until on lap 3 Joe Heye hooked up and slid out on corner 4, up and ok, he was unable to finish the race! 1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: John - 4: Drew - 5: Joe (DNF) Heat Two: Chris Hesmer and Rob Dixon went side by side into turn 1 with Chris pulling away by corner 2. Terry Rideout pulled a similar move on Gary Hesmer on lap 2 and left Gary Hesmer and Tim Murray to battle out their heat ending positions. 1: Chris - 2: Rob - 3: Terry - 4: Gary - 5: Tim Heat Three: Jeff Orosz again pulls a great start and leads the way, John Kehoe and \|Joe Heye are back at it close racing throughout the race, this adds the fun when John Kehoe also catches up to Jeff Orosz. Terry Rideout's bike seemed to be wobbling and this kept him back from the leading pack, leaving Tim Murray to bring up the rear. 1: Jeff- 2: John - 3: Joe - 4: Terry - 5: Tim Heat 4: Aaron Hesmer missed the gate, but pulled back a good recovery to fly past Chris Hesmer and Rob Dixon on lap 1. Rob looked in trouble on the backstretch and pulled back letting Gary Hesmer and Drew Kehoe through, but then sparked back into life and passed both on lap 3. Drew Kehoe also was out of shape on lap 3 leaving Gary Hesmer to go clearly into 4th place. 1: Aaron - 2: Chris - 3: Rob - 4: Gary - 5: Drew Heat 5: John Kehoe had a cracking start, pulled away strongly, he looked very smooth throughout the race! Chris Hesmer, Terry and Gary all rode close and hard, and on lap 3 Gary Hesmer`s chain can off coming out of turn 4 and he was sent wobbling along the home straight and crashed hard in turn 1 as the chain hit him between the legs!!! The race continued as John Kehoe took a good win and Tim Murray picked up his first points of the night. Gary was up and ok after a few minutes, but has a very beaten up looking engine case! 1: John - 2: Chris - 3: Terry - 4: Tim - 5: Gary (DNF) Heat Six: This race was all Jeff Orosz, from the gate. Drew Kehoe looked to have some mechanical problems as he is lacking power! 1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: Joe - 4: Rob - 5: Drew Final: Aaron Hesmer had a terrible start, wheelie out of the gate nearly hitting the other riders, he got control and did a fantastic move to get from last to second in half a lap, full tilt- all action!!! Jeff pulled away but aaron caught up to him on lap 3, last lap was a nail biter, as Jeff kept a battling Aaron behind to take a well deserved win! Rob Dixon, Chris Hesmer and John Kehoe all were battling their own challenges behind the leading two, but they could do nothing to get by! 1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: - Rob - 4: Chris - 5: John

Saturday June 14th 2008
Another warm evening welcomed the speedway events to the Welland Motorcycle Club track. Speedway was represented with 2 heats and 2 final races. Terry Rideout, Jeff Orosz, Tim Murray, Aaron Hesmer, Chris Hesmer, Joe Heye, Gary Hesmer, Rob Dixon, John Kehoe and produced a great night of racing. With the absence of Drew Kehoe due to mechanical problems, the field was spread into heats of 4/5 riders. Round 1 - Heat One: Jeff Orosz had a great start, leaving Aaron Hesmer battling it out with Chris Hesmer. Aaron passed on lap 2 and flew after Jeff orosz, close racing with Jeff Orosz playing cat and mouse with Aaron Hesmer. The last lap was a cracker as they pounded the track hard and Jeff took the heat by half a bike length - Superb! 1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: Chris - 4: Gary - 5: Terry Round 1 - Heat Two: The start produced a first corner so close, you could have touched them all with a sheet of newspaper!!! John Kehoe pulled out to the front and held this well to the end. Joe Heye spent all race fending off a charging Rob Dixon, while Tim Murray came up the rear to complete the heat 1: John - 2: Joe - 3: Rob - 4: Tim Round 2 - Heat One: John Kehoe made a terrible start, whereas Terry Rideout made a scorcher! Aaron Hesmer again showed his Welland knowledge and flew passed Terry to take the lead. He grew this every lap as the battle ensued behind him. Terry Rideout slid out and suffered mechanical failure and left Joe Heye and John Kehoe to race hard. John Kehoe was making good ground until lap 3 when he lost some grip coming out of turn 4 on lap 3, leaving Joe to pull away! 1: Aaron- 2: Joe - 3: John - 4: Terry (DNF) Round 2 - Heat Two: Chris Hesmer made a great start and cut ahead of Jeff Orosz to take the lead on lap 1. Rob Dixon got right behind Jeff and looked very fast. Jeff got alot of momentum around the 3/4 bend and took the outside line to take Chris on lap 2. He held this to win comfortably. Gary Hesmer who finished in last place looked uncomfortable on the bike. 1: Jeff - 2: Chris - 3: Rob - 4: Gary "B" Main Final Terry Rideout had last pick of the gates and took the outside. What a great idea! He flew out of the gate like a rocket and kept both Gary Hesmer and Rob Dixon to fight between themselves behind him. Gary pushed Terry hard on the last lap and was only a bike length away from the win! 1: Terry - 2: Gary - 3: Rob - 4: Tim "A" Main Final This was poised to be a great race and we were not disappointed! From the gate Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer, John Kehoe, Joe Heye and Chris Hesmer were all side by side, with Jeff gaining the front spot coming out of turn 2. Aaron Hesmer pushed away from John Kehoe who kept both the battling Joe heye and Chris Hesmer behind him. Aaron Hesmer went on a great battle to dive up and under Jeff Orosz, not giving him an inch! Jeff Orosz did all he could and kept Aaron behind him by a wheel at the finish! WOW!!! 1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: - John - 4: Joe - 5: Chris

Saturday June 21st 2008
With the forecast of rain coming toward Welland later in the evening, the events were pushed quickly through the night by referee John Franic. A field of 10 riders Terry Rideout, Jeff Orosz, Tim Murray, Aaron Hesmer, Chris Hesmer, Joe Heye, Katalin Davis, Rob Dixon, John Kehoe and the return to the track for a vacationing Jon Bennett produced a great night of racing. Speedway was represented with 2 heats and 2 final races. The night's events were mixed with some great racing, run-off qualifications and gate position toss ups. Round 1 - Heat One: Chris Hesmer and John Kehoe came out the gate side by side, with John Kehoe hitting the front into corner one, Chris Hesmer quickly pulled around the outside and pulled ahead of John Kehoe. With Joe Heye close behind, Joe Kehoe had a race on hand from both directions. Jon Bennett and Katalin Davis had their own battle behind the leading pack. John Bennett slide off on corner 2 and left Katalin Davis to grab a good comfortable 4th place. The battle was up front with Chris Hesmer covering the track to keep John Kehoe behind him. Joe Heye laid back like a lion on his prey for any mistakes and he got this on lap 3 John Kehoe was forced out wide and Joe Heye nipped under him only to hit a grip less piece of track and John Kehoe came around to grab 2nd place behind the fast looking Chris Hesmer. 1: Chris - 2: John- 3: Joe - 4: Katalin - 5: Jon B Round 1 - Heat Two: The on-track battle of the titans continued with Aaron Hesmer and Jeff Orosz taking to the track for heat 2. The start was a close one, with Aaron Hesmer putting all his weight back onto the driving rear wheel to pulled along side Jeff Orosz into the first bend. Jeff Orosz pulled away coming out of turn 2 and led a strong race throughout keeping Aaron Hesmer behind him. Rob Dixon and Terry Rideout enjoyed their own battle for 3rd and 4th place with Rob Dixon celebrating ahead of Terry Rideout and Tim Murray. 1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: Rob - 4: Terry - 5: Tim Round 2 - Heat One: The battled continued for round 2 for the Hesmer/Orosz battle! Aaron Hesmer didn't get a good start and Jeff Orosz capitalized on this. Gaining a good lead by the middle of lap one, he was soon feeling the heat though with Aaron Hesmer all over him for the remainder of the race! Also the Dixon/Rideout duel was played out behind the two front runners. Close racing until Rob Dixon pulled away to grab 3rd place on lap 3. Jon Bennett showing some tiredness after his recent huge bike trip followed up the rear. 1: Jeff- 2: Aaron - 3: Rob - 4: Terry - 5: Jon B Round 2 - Heat Two: A tremendous start by both Chris Hesmer and John Kehoe saw them also continue their battle from heat 1. Side by side action around turn 1 with Chris Hesmer pulling ahead. They both battled hard to use all of the track to find that grip to gain that extra inch. Great racing! Joe Heye also joined in on lap 3 giving John Kehoe some pressure, but it was not to be! Katalin Davis and Tim Murray also enjoyed a good race behind the leaders, with Katalin Davis grabbing 4th place ahead of Tim Murray. 1: Chris - 2: John - 3: Joe - 4: Katalin - 5: Tim "A" Final Qualification Run-off Both Joe Heye and Rob Dixon finished their heat on the same points and needed to race off in a 2-lap qualifier. Unfortunately, it was run just after a soaking from that track staff and this led to a very quick and easy win for Joe Heye to qualify for the main "A" final. "B" Main Final Rob Dixon took to the gate a man looking to win. Having lost his place in the run-off qualification. He took the gate along side Terry Rideout and shoulder to shoulder they came out of the gate and then Rob Dixon took off and took a smooth comfortable win! The rest of the race was basically from the gate. 1: Rob - 2: Terry - 3: Tim - 4: Jon B - 5: Katalin For the first time in 2008, we had a tie on points for gate pick selection in the main "A" final. Which led to a coin toss in the pits for Chris Hesmer & Jeff Orosz (Chris won) and Aaron Hesmer & John Kehoe (Aaron won) So the selection was: 1st pick - Chris Hesmer - 2nd pick - Jeff Orosz - 3rd Pick - Aaron Hesmer - 4th pick - John Kehoe - 5th Pick - Joe Heye "A" Main Final The tension was high as they took to the start line, everyone expected a repeat of the past weeks final with Aaron Hesmer and Jeff Orosz to dominate the final, but to our great surprise, Chris Hesmer had a flyer and took a good first turn to take the lead. Chased hard by his Brother Aaron Hesmer, Chris Hesmer lost his lead on lap 2, this left Jeff Orosz to battle hard with Chris Hesmer to gain a 2nd place on lap 3, but it was too late to catch the flying Aaron Hesmer who took the checkered flag with his infamous finger wiggle to his fans as he crossed the line. Joe Heye and John Kehoe simply were unable to do anything to catch these 3 riders! 1: Aaron - 2: Jeff - 3: - Chris - 4: Joe - 5: John

Saturday June 28th 2008 (Cancelled Rain Logged Track)

Saturday July 5th 2008
Welland welcomed two new riders to it's event on a hot beautiful summer's night. Gary Moody and Mike Hammond joined Jon Bennett and Tim Murray in the Division 2 portion of the night's program. The Division 1 riders were represented by Aaron Hesmer, Rob Dixon, Terry Rideout, Jeff Orosz, Katalin Davis and Joe Heye. Drew Kehoe was sadly forced out of the action with a mechanical problem that was not able to be resolved by tapes-up!!! With 2 heats and a final race poised to entertain the crowd for both divisions, CMA referee Ian March and assistants, David and Emily Hensby kept the the night's excitement going for all the racing classes. Round 1 - Heat One: (Division 2) Tim Murray, Jon Bennett, Mike hammond all flew away from the start with the new rider, Gary Moody sensibly staying behind them. Tim Murray led well into turn 1, leaving Jon Bennett and Mike hammond to battle it out, but Mike Hammond ended up crashing hard into the straw bale barrier coming out of turn 2. The race was restarted after Mike Hammond was checked over and he restarted from 10 yards. The restart was a replica with Tim Murray pulling ahead. Jon Bennett spent the time chasing Tim Murray Hard and keeping Mike Hammond behind him, then the action all changed with Tim Murray going wide coming out of turn 2 letting Jon Bennett to scoop smartly under him, and Mike hammond suffered a wayward chain, leaving him at the side of the track. Gary Moody successfully gained 2 points in his first ever ride!! 1: Jon B- 2: Tim - 3: - Gary 4: - Mike (DNF) Round 1 - Heat Two: (Division 1) Terry Rideout had a flying start and out gated Aaron Hesmer, Katalin Davis and Joe Heye. Aaron Hesmer got himself into the groove very quickly and took a good lead coming out of turn 3 and never looked back. Terry Rideout spent the next 2 laps holding off Joe Heye and made an error coming out of turn 2 and both Joe Heye and Katalin Davis took advantage and flew by! 1: Aaron - 2: Joe - 3: - Katalin 4: - Terry Round 1 - Heat Three: (Division 1) Jeff Orosz and Rob Dixon took to the track minus the withdrawn Drew Kehoe. The race was from the gate as Jeff Orosz comfortably led the stylish looking Rob Dixon. 1: Jeff- 2: Rob Round 2 - Heat One: (Division 2) This race began where the other left off, with Tim Murray taking a great start leading both Jon Bennett and Mike Hammond and the sensible riding Gary Moody. The riders all enjoyed some close racing with Tim Murray successfully holding off the charging Jon Bennett. Mike Hammond completed his first race and looked very fast and composed as he tussled with Jon Bennett for the last 2 laps. 1: Tim - 2: Jon B - 3: Mike - 4: Gary Round 2 - Heat Two: (Division 1) Terry Rideout, Katalin Davis and Rob Dixon all had a good start, but Rob Dixon looked very comfortable as he took the lead to the end. Terry Rideout and Katalin Davis took the chance to have a few laps side by side, but Terry Rideout stretched a good second placed finish. 1: Rob - 2: Terry - 3: - Katalin Round 2 - Heat Three: (Division 1) VIDEO BELOW............ The crowd had been waiting for this race! Jeff Orosz and Aaron Hesmer lined up side by side at the tapes with Joe Heye. From the gate they all flew into turn one. Jeff Orosz squeezed out Aaron Hesmer as he did the same to Joe Heye. Jeff Orosz covered every line in front of the severely charging Aaron Hesmer, then on lap 2 as they both came out of turn 2, they came together and bumped leaving the crowd gasping as Aaron Hesmer went careering towards the straw bale barrier and he somehow rode on this and the boards to gain control. Joe Heye took advantage and raced past to grab second place as Aaron Hesmer looked a bit shaken up as he finished in third place. 1: Jeff - 2: Joe - 3: - Aaron "Division 2" Main Final Jon Bennett continued his winning form as Tim Murray pushed him hard from the gate. Mike Hammond and Gary Moody both complete the race in that order to round of a great night of racing for the Division 2 riders! 1: Jon B- 2: Tim- 3: Mike - 4: Gary "Division 1 " Main Final With Katalin Davis just 1 point off the 5 rider qualification for the final race. She was left to watch Aaron Hesmer, Jeff Orosz, Rob Dixon, Terry Rideout and Joe Heye to battle it out! The stage was set for a cracker and that's what we got! Jeff orosz chose the outside gate and he was right, as he pulled ahead of the pack. Aaron Hesmer pushed really hard and gave the crowd a great display of racing! He sadly was unable to penetrate Jeff Orosz's control and racing line. Joe Heye, Terry Rideout and Rob Dixon all completed the race from the gate. 1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: - Joe - 4: Terry - 5: Rob

Saturday July 19th 2008 (Cancelled Rain Logged Track)

Saturday July 26th 2008
The night looked to be spoiled once again, as thunderstorms rolled over the track a few hours prior to tapes-up. But under a watchful eye of the track staff and organizers, the storms passed and left a terrific race night to take place! With Aaron Hesmer in the USA National event, the night was poised for Jeff Orosz to extend his current points lead. The night was a superb display of speedway from both Division 1 and Division 2 riders especially from the amazingly fast and focused Chris Hesmer. Sadly, the night was dampened not by the weather, but a freak accident that Jon Bennett experienced, with him slamming hard in a high side crash on turn 1 in a heat race. Round 1 - Heat One: (Division 2) The Division 2 riders consisted of returning sensation Glen Brown, Tim Murray, Jon Bennett, Gary Moody and Mike Hammond. The heat began with Jon Bennett taking a firm hold on corner 1 and pulling away by corner 2. But with Glen Brown in third spot behind Tim Murray the race began. Glen Brown passed Tim Murray on a the second lap over the start/finish line and then set about Jon Bennett. Mike Hammond was finding his bike set-up not to his liking and pulled back away from the pack until Tim Murray made a few errors, upon which he capitalized and took a good third place spot, and Gary Moody was left to push his bike back to the pits after a mechanical problem on lap 4. The fast Glen Brown did a fantastic swoop under Jon Bennett on lap 4 to take a well deserved checkered flag in his first returning heat ride for many years! 1st: Glen - 2nd: Jon - 3rd: Mike - 4th: Tim - 5th: Gary (DNF) Round 1 - Heat Two: (Division 1) Jeff Orosz, Chris Hesmer, Rob Dixon, Terry Rideout and veteran Fred legault took to the track for their first race of the night. The gate was fast and Jeff Orosz took the lead into turn 1. Chris Hesmer, Terry Rideout, Fred Legault and Rob Dixon were side by side, when Chris Hesmer pulled away and left Fred Legault with Terry Rideout pushing him hard. Rob Dixon dropped back slightly for two laps but then found his groove and gave Terry Rideout a real race for the last lap! Chris Hesmer and Jeff Orosz rode a picture perfect race for the fans! They pushed hard with Jeff Orosz holding the ducking and diving Chris Hesmer to take the first win of this Division for the night. 1st: Jeff - 2nd: Chris - 3rd: Fred - 4th: Terry - 5th: Rob Round 2 - Heat One: (Division 2) Tim Murray took a flying start, the big guy really got the weight onto the back wheel and flew ahead of the pack into turn 1. Mike Hammond got his bike gremlins out of the way and pushed passed Tim Murray, but as Jon Bennett turned into turn 1 on lap 2, his bike lost the grip of the surface and the bike hooked up badly and Jon took a very nasty looking tumble as he high-sided over the bike. His left leg was trapped under the bike and sadly for Jon, his night was over as he was attended to by the ambulance. The race was bought back to the start for the re-run. RE-RUN: Glen Brown was again the highlight of the race! He was slow out of the gate with Gary Moody, but as Mike Hammond and Tim Murray fought out the lead, he coolly blasted by them both to take a very commanding lead to the end! 1st: Glen - 2nd: Mike - 3rd: Tim - 4th: Gary - 5th: Jon (DNF) Round 2 - Heat Two: (Division 1) A tremendous start by both Chris Hesmer and Jeff Orosz saw them also continue their battle from heat 1. Side by side action around turn 1 with Chris Hesmer pulling ahead. They both battled hard to use all of the track to find that grip to gain that extra inch. Rob Dixon kept the aggressive Terry Rideout behind him somehow! Fred Legault took the final place looking very cool and composed behind the action ahead. Chris Hesmer rode a perfect race holding Jeff Orosz off for all four laps. Great display by all 5 riders why speedway is the best sport in the world! 1st: Chris - 2nd: Jeff - 3rd: Rob - 4th: Terry - 5th: Fred "Division 2 " Main Final Glen Brown showed that he has lost none of his skills and passion! he dominated this race from his first lap sweep of Tim Murray, Mike Hammond and Gary Moody! Mike Hammond slid off on lap 2 on turn 4, but was able to resume his race and was left to chase Gary Moody to take him on the line for third place! 1st: Glen - 2nd: Tim - 3rd: Mike - 4th: Gary "Division 1 " Main Final The air was thick with anticipation for this final! Chris Hesmer with the first gate pick took the outside gate and Jeff Orosz, the inside. Terry Rideout, Rob Dixon and Fred Legault all lined up along side each other and the tapes flew! Jeff Orosz took a slight lead into turn 1 as Chris Hesmer lost some slight grip as he positioned himself behind Jeff Orosz. Fred Legault also had a superb start, he took the third place position and did a fantastic job of holding back both Terry Rideout and Rob Dixon. The race was into two races, with Fred Legault having to defend his position while chasing the diving and dodging Chris Hesmer. Jeff Orosz was used to having Aaron Hesmer all over him in past weeks, but Chris Hesmer is different. His knowledge and experience of the track pushed both Jeff Orosz and Chris Hesmer to the very edge of their limits. It was a fantastic battle of wits and courage as they flew shoulder to shoulder into the last turn, the crowd was on it's feet as Jeff Orosz held his line coming out of turn 4, pushing Chris out with nowhere to go but to take a very rewarding second place. This race was greeted by the biggest cheer of the season by everyone!! Absolutely Brilliant!!! 1st: Jeff - 2nd: Chris - 3rd: Fred - 4th: Terry - 5th: Rob

Saturday June 7th 2008

A warm evening welcomed the speedway events to the Welland Motorcycle Club track. Speedway was represented with 3 heats and a final race.

Terry Rideout, Jeff Orosz, Tim Murray, Aaron Hesmer, Chris Hesmer, Joe Heye, Gary Hesmer, Rob Dixon, John Kehoe and Drew Kehoe produced a great night of racing.

Seeing the return to the saddle for Aaron Hesmer following his broken thumb, the anticipation was that the event would match the weather and be a hot one!

Heat One:

Jeff Orosz flew away from the pack, followed by Aaron Hesmer, Joe Heye, John Kehoe and Drew Kehoe. The battle was between Joe Heye and John Kehoe all race until on lap 3 Joe Heye hooked up and slid out on corner 4, up and ok, he was unable to finish the race!

1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: John - 4: Drew - 5: Joe (DNF)

Heat Two:

Chris Hesmer and Rob Dixon went side by side into turn 1 with Chris pulling away by corner 2. Terry Rideout pulled a similar move on Gary Hesmer on lap 2 and left Gary Hesmer and Tim Murray to battle out their heat ending positions.

1: Chris - 2: Rob - 3: Terry - 4: Gary - 5: Tim

Heat Three:

Jeff Orosz again pulls a great start and leads the way, John Kehoe and |Joe Heye are back at it close racing throughout the race, this adds the fun when John Kehoe also catches up to Jeff Orosz. Terry Rideout's bike seemed to be wobbling and this kept him back from the leading pack, leaving Tim Murray to bring up the rear.

1: Jeff- 2: John - 3: Joe - 4: Terry - 5: Tim

Heat 4:

Aaron Hesmer missed the gate, but pulled back a good recovery to fly past Chris Hesmer and Rob Dixon on lap 1. Rob looked in trouble on the backstretch and pulled back letting Gary Hesmer and Drew Kehoe through, but then sparked back into life and passed both on lap 3. Drew Kehoe also was out of shape on lap 3 leaving Gary Hesmer to go clearly into 4th place.

1: Aaron - 2: Chris - 3: Rob - 4: Gary - 5: Drew

Heat 5:

John Kehoe had a cracking start, pulled away strongly, he looked very smooth throughout the race! Chris Hesmer, Terry and Gary all rode close and hard, and on lap 3 Gary Hesmer`s chain can off coming out of turn 4 and he was sent wobbling along the home straight and crashed hard in turn 1 as the chain hit him between the legs!!! The race continued as John Kehoe took a good win and Tim Murray picked up his first points of the night. Gary was up and ok after a few minutes, but has a very beaten up looking engine case!

1: John - 2: Chris - 3: Terry - 4: Tim - 5: Gary (DNF)

Heat Six:

This race was all Jeff Orosz, from the gate. Drew Kehoe looked to have some mechanical problems as he is lacking power!

1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: Joe - 4: Rob - 5: Drew

Final:

Aaron Hesmer had a terrible start, wheelie out of the gate nearly hitting the other riders, he got control and did a fantastic move to get from last to second in half a lap, full tilt- all action!!! Jeff pulled away but aaron caught up to him on lap 3, last lap was a nail biter, as Jeff kept a battling Aaron behind to take a well deserved win! Rob Dixon, Chris Hesmer and John Kehoe all were battling their own challenges behind the leading two, but they could do nothing to get by!

1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: - Rob - 4: Chris - 5: John

Saturday June 14th 2008

Another warm evening welcomed the speedway events to the Welland Motorcycle Club track. Speedway was represented with 2 heats and 2 final races.

Terry Rideout, Jeff Orosz, Tim Murray, Aaron Hesmer, Chris Hesmer, Joe Heye, Gary Hesmer, Rob Dixon, John Kehoe and produced a great night of racing.

With the absence of Drew Kehoe due to mechanical problems, the field was spread into heats of 4/5 riders.

Round 1 - Heat One:

Jeff Orosz had a great start, leaving Aaron Hesmer battling it out with Chris Hesmer. Aaron passed on lap 2 and flew after Jeff orosz, close racing with Jeff Orosz playing cat and mouse with Aaron Hesmer. The last lap was a cracker as they pounded the track hard and Jeff took the heat by half a bike length - Superb!

1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: Chris - 4: Gary - 5: Terry

Round 1 - Heat Two:

The start produced a first corner so close, you could have touched them all with a sheet of newspaper!!! John Kehoe pulled out to the front and held this well to the end. Joe Heye spent all race fending off a charging Rob Dixon, while Tim Murray came up the rear to complete the heat

1: John - 2: Joe - 3: Rob - 4: Tim

Round 2 - Heat One:

John Kehoe made a terrible start, whereas Terry Rideout made a scorcher! Aaron Hesmer again showed his Welland knowledge and flew passed Terry to take the lead. He grew this every lap as the battle ensued behind him. Terry Rideout slid out and suffered mechanical failure and left Joe Heye and John Kehoe to race hard. John Kehoe was making good ground until lap 3 when he lost some grip coming out of turn 4 on lap 3, leaving Joe to pull away!

1: Aaron- 2: Joe - 3: John - 4: Terry (DNF)

Round 2 - Heat Two:

Chris Hesmer made a great start and cut ahead of Jeff Orosz to take the lead on lap 1. Rob Dixon got right behind Jeff and looked very fast. Jeff got alot of momentum around the 3/4 bend and took the outside line to take Chris on lap 2. He held this to win comfortably. Gary Hesmer who finished in last place looked uncomfortable on the bike.

1: Jeff - 2: Chris - 3: Rob - 4: Gary

"B" Main Final

Terry Rideout had last pick of the gates and took the outside. What a great idea! He flew out of the gate like a rocket and kept both Gary Hesmer and Rob Dixon to fight between themselves behind him. Gary pushed Terry hard on the last lap and was only a bike length away from the win!

1: Terry - 2: Gary - 3: Rob - 4: Tim

"A" Main Final

This was poised to be a great race and we were not disappointed! From the gate Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer, John Kehoe, Joe Heye and Chris Hesmer were all side by side, with Jeff gaining the front spot coming out of turn 2. Aaron Hesmer pushed away from John Kehoe who kept both the battling Joe heye and Chris Hesmer behind him. Aaron Hesmer went on a great battle to dive up and under Jeff Orosz, not giving him an inch! Jeff Orosz did all he could and kept Aaron behind him by a wheel at the finish! WOW!!!

1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: - John - 4: Joe - 5: Chris

Saturday June 21st 2008

With the forecast of rain coming toward Welland later in the evening, the events were pushed quickly through the night by referee John Franic. A field of 10 riders Terry Rideout, Jeff Orosz, Tim Murray, Aaron Hesmer, Chris Hesmer, Joe Heye, Katalin Davis, Rob Dixon, John Kehoe and the return to the track for a vacationing Jon Bennett produced a great night of racing.

Speedway was represented with 2 heats and 2 final races.

The night's events were mixed with some great racing, run-off qualifications and gate position toss ups.

Round 1 - Heat One:

Chris Hesmer and John Kehoe came out the gate side by side, with John Kehoe hitting the front into corner one, Chris Hesmer quickly pulled around the outside and pulled ahead of John Kehoe. With Joe Heye close behind, Joe Kehoe had a race on hand from both directions. Jon Bennett and Katalin Davis had their own battle behind the leading pack. John Bennett slide off on corner 2 and left Katalin Davis to grab a good comfortable 4th place. The battle was up front with Chris Hesmer covering the track to keep John Kehoe behind him. Joe Heye laid back like a lion on his prey for any mistakes and he got this on lap 3 John Kehoe was forced out wide and Joe Heye nipped under him only to hit a grip less piece of track and John Kehoe came around to grab 2nd place behind the fast looking Chris Hesmer.

1: Chris - 2: John- 3: Joe - 4: Katalin - 5: Jon B

Round 1 - Heat Two:

The on-track battle of the titans continued with Aaron Hesmer and Jeff Orosz taking to the track for heat 2. The start was a close one, with Aaron Hesmer putting all his weight back onto the driving rear wheel to pulled along side Jeff Orosz into the first bend. Jeff Orosz pulled away coming out of turn 2 and led a strong race throughout keeping Aaron Hesmer behind him. Rob Dixon and Terry Rideout enjoyed their own battle for 3rd and 4th place with Rob Dixon celebrating ahead of Terry Rideout and Tim Murray.

1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: Rob - 4: Terry - 5: Tim

Round 2 - Heat One:

The battled continued for round 2 for the Hesmer/Orosz battle! Aaron Hesmer didn't get a good start and Jeff Orosz capitalized on this. Gaining a good lead by the middle of lap one, he was soon feeling the heat though with Aaron Hesmer all over him for the remainder of the race! Also the Dixon/Rideout duel was played out behind the two front runners. Close racing until Rob Dixon pulled away to grab 3rd place on lap 3. Jon Bennett showing some tiredness after his recent huge bike trip followed up the rear.

1: Jeff- 2: Aaron - 3: Rob - 4: Terry - 5: Jon B

Round 2 - Heat Two:

A tremendous start by both Chris Hesmer and John Kehoe saw them also continue their battle from heat 1. Side by side action around turn 1 with Chris Hesmer pulling ahead. They both battled hard to use all of the track to find that grip to gain that extra inch. Great racing! Joe Heye also joined in on lap 3 giving John Kehoe some pressure, but it was not to be! Katalin Davis and Tim Murray also enjoyed a good race behind the leaders, with Katalin Davis grabbing 4th place ahead of Tim Murray.

1: Chris - 2: John - 3: Joe - 4: Katalin - 5: Tim

"A" Final Qualification Run-off

Both Joe Heye and Rob Dixon finished their heat on the same points and needed to race off in a 2-lap qualifier. Unfortunately, it was run just after a soaking from that track staff and this led to a very quick and easy win for Joe Heye to qualify for the main "A" final.

"B" Main Final

Rob Dixon took to the gate a man looking to win. Having lost his place in the run-off qualification. He took the gate along side Terry Rideout and shoulder to shoulder they came out of the gate and then Rob Dixon took off and took a smooth comfortable win! The rest of the race was basically from the gate.

1: Rob - 2: Terry - 3: Tim - 4: Jon B - 5: Katalin

For the first time in 2008, we had a tie on points for gate pick selection in the main "A" final. Which led to a coin toss in the pits for Chris Hesmer & Jeff Orosz (Chris won) and Aaron Hesmer & John Kehoe (Aaron won) So the selection was:

1st pick - Chris Hesmer - 2nd pick - Jeff Orosz - 3rd Pick - Aaron Hesmer - 4th pick - John Kehoe - 5th Pick - Joe Heye

"A" Main Final

The tension was high as they took to the start line, everyone expected a repeat of the past weeks final with Aaron Hesmer and Jeff Orosz to dominate the final, but to our great surprise, Chris Hesmer had a flyer and took a good first turn to take the lead. Chased hard by his Brother Aaron Hesmer, Chris Hesmer lost his lead on lap 2, this left Jeff Orosz to battle hard with Chris Hesmer to gain a 2nd place on lap 3, but it was too late to catch the flying Aaron Hesmer who took the checkered flag with his infamous finger wiggle to his fans as he crossed the line. Joe Heye and John Kehoe simply were unable to do anything to catch these 3 riders!

1: Aaron - 2: Jeff - 3: - Chris - 4: Joe - 5: John

Saturday June 28th 2008 (Cancelled Rain Logged Track)

Saturday July 5th 2008

Welland welcomed two new riders to it's event on a hot beautiful summer's night. Gary Moody and Mike Hammond joined Jon Bennett and Tim Murray in the Division 2 portion of the night's program. The Division 1 riders were represented by Aaron Hesmer, Rob Dixon, Terry Rideout, Jeff Orosz, Katalin Davis and Joe Heye. Drew Kehoe was sadly forced out of the action with a mechanical problem that was not able to be resolved by tapes-up!!!

With 2 heats and a final race poised to entertain the crowd for both divisions, CMA referee Ian March and assistants, David and Emily Hensby kept the the night's excitement going for all the racing classes.

Round 1 - Heat One: (Division 2)

Tim Murray, Jon Bennett, Mike hammond all flew away from the start with the new rider, Gary Moody sensibly staying behind them. Tim Murray led well into turn 1, leaving Jon Bennett and Mike hammond to battle it out, but Mike Hammond ended up crashing hard into the straw bale barrier coming out of turn 2. The race was restarted after Mike Hammond was checked over and he restarted from 10 yards. The restart was a replica with Tim Murray pulling ahead. Jon Bennett spent the time chasing Tim Murray Hard and keeping Mike Hammond behind him, then the action all changed with Tim Murray going wide coming out of turn 2 letting Jon Bennett to scoop smartly under him, and Mike hammond suffered a wayward chain, leaving him at the side of the track. Gary Moody successfully gained 2 points in his first ever ride!!

1: Jon B- 2: Tim - 3: - Gary 4: - Mike (DNF)

Round 1 - Heat Two: (Division 1)

Terry Rideout had a flying start and out gated Aaron Hesmer, Katalin Davis and Joe Heye. Aaron Hesmer got himself into the groove very quickly and took a good lead coming out of turn 3 and never looked back. Terry Rideout spent the next 2 laps holding off Joe Heye and made an error coming out of turn 2 and both Joe Heye and Katalin Davis took advantage and flew by!

1: Aaron - 2: Joe - 3: - Katalin 4: - Terry

Round 1 - Heat Three: (Division 1)

Jeff Orosz and Rob Dixon took to the track minus the withdrawn Drew Kehoe. The race was from the gate as Jeff Orosz comfortably led the stylish looking Rob Dixon.

1: Jeff- 2: Rob

Round 2 - Heat One: (Division 2)

This race began where the other left off, with Tim Murray taking a great start leading both Jon Bennett and Mike Hammond and the sensible riding Gary Moody. The riders all enjoyed some close racing with Tim Murray successfully holding off the charging Jon Bennett. Mike Hammond completed his first race and looked very fast and composed as he tussled with Jon Bennett for the last 2 laps.

1: Tim - 2: Jon B - 3: Mike - 4: Gary

Round 2 - Heat Two: (Division 1)

Terry Rideout, Katalin Davis and Rob Dixon all had a good start, but Rob Dixon looked very comfortable as he took the lead to the end. Terry Rideout and Katalin Davis took the chance to have a few laps side by side, but Terry Rideout stretched a good second placed finish.

1: Rob - 2: Terry - 3: - Katalin

Round 2 - Heat Three: (Division 1) VIDEO BELOW............

The crowd had been waiting for this race! Jeff Orosz and Aaron Hesmer lined up side by side at the tapes with Joe Heye. From the gate they all flew into turn one. Jeff Orosz squeezed out Aaron Hesmer as he did the same to Joe Heye. Jeff Orosz covered every line in front of the severely charging Aaron Hesmer, then on lap 2 as they both came out of turn 2, they came together and bumped leaving the crowd gasping as Aaron Hesmer went careering towards the straw bale barrier and he somehow rode on this and the boards to gain control. Joe Heye took advantage and raced past to grab second place as Aaron Hesmer looked a bit shaken up as he finished in third place.

1: Jeff - 2: Joe - 3: - Aaron

"Division 2" Main Final

Jon Bennett continued his winning form as Tim Murray pushed him hard from the gate. Mike Hammond and Gary Moody both complete the race in that order to round of a great night of racing for the Division 2 riders!

1: Jon B- 2: Tim- 3: Mike - 4: Gary

"Division 1 " Main Final

With Katalin Davis just 1 point off the 5 rider qualification for the final race. She was left to watch Aaron Hesmer, Jeff Orosz, Rob Dixon, Terry Rideout and Joe Heye to battle it out! The stage was set for a cracker and that's what we got! Jeff orosz chose the outside gate and he was right, as he pulled ahead of the pack. Aaron Hesmer pushed really hard and gave the crowd a great display of racing! He sadly was unable to penetrate Jeff Orosz's control and racing line. Joe Heye, Terry Rideout and Rob Dixon all completed the race from the gate.

1: Jeff - 2: Aaron - 3: - Joe - 4: Terry - 5: Rob

Saturday July 19th 2008 (Cancelled Rain Logged Track)

Saturday July 26th 2008

The night looked to be spoiled once again, as thunderstorms rolled over the track a few hours prior to tapes-up. But under a watchful eye of the track staff and organizers, the storms passed and left a terrific race night to take place!

With Aaron Hesmer in the USA National event, the night was poised for Jeff Orosz to extend his current points lead.

The night was a superb display of speedway from both Division 1 and Division 2 riders especially from the amazingly fast and focused Chris Hesmer.

Sadly, the night was dampened not by the weather, but a freak accident that Jon Bennett experienced, with him slamming hard in a high side crash on turn 1 in a heat race.

Round 1 - Heat One: (Division 2)

The Division 2 riders consisted of returning sensation Glen Brown, Tim Murray, Jon Bennett, Gary Moody and Mike Hammond. The heat began with Jon Bennett taking a firm hold on corner 1 and pulling away by corner 2. But with Glen Brown in third spot behind Tim Murray the race began. Glen Brown passed Tim Murray on a the second lap over the start/finish line and then set about Jon Bennett. Mike Hammond was finding his bike set-up not to his liking and pulled back away from the pack until Tim Murray made a few errors, upon which he capitalized and took a good third place spot, and Gary Moody was left to push his bike back to the pits after a mechanical problem on lap 4. The fast Glen Brown did a fantastic swoop under Jon Bennett on lap 4 to take a well deserved checkered flag in his first returning heat ride for many years!

1st: Glen - 2nd: Jon - 3rd: Mike - 4th: Tim - 5th: Gary (DNF)

Round 1 - Heat Two: (Division 1)

Jeff Orosz, Chris Hesmer, Rob Dixon, Terry Rideout and veteran Fred legault took to the track for their first race of the night. The gate was fast and Jeff Orosz took the lead into turn 1. Chris Hesmer, Terry Rideout, Fred Legault and Rob Dixon were side by side, when Chris Hesmer pulled away and left Fred Legault with Terry Rideout pushing him hard. Rob Dixon dropped back slightly for two laps but then found his groove and gave Terry Rideout a real race for the last lap! Chris Hesmer and Jeff Orosz rode a picture perfect race for the fans! They pushed hard with Jeff Orosz holding the ducking and diving Chris Hesmer to take the first win of this Division for the night.

1st: Jeff - 2nd: Chris - 3rd: Fred - 4th: Terry - 5th: Rob

Round 2 - Heat One: (Division 2)

Tim Murray took a flying start, the big guy really got the weight onto the back wheel and flew ahead of the pack into turn 1. Mike Hammond got his bike gremlins out of the way and pushed passed Tim Murray, but as Jon Bennett turned into turn 1 on lap 2, his bike lost the grip of the surface and the bike hooked up badly and Jon took a very nasty looking tumble as he high-sided over the bike. His left leg was trapped under the bike and sadly for Jon, his night was over as he was attended to by the ambulance. The race was bought back to the start for the re-run.

RE-RUN:

Glen Brown was again the highlight of the race! He was slow out of the gate with Gary Moody, but as Mike Hammond and Tim Murray fought out the lead, he coolly blasted by them both to take a very commanding lead to the end!

1st: Glen - 2nd: Mike - 3rd: Tim - 4th: Gary - 5th: Jon (DNF)

Round 2 - Heat Two: (Division 1)

A tremendous start by both Chris Hesmer and Jeff Orosz saw them also continue their battle from heat 1. Side by side action around turn 1 with Chris Hesmer pulling ahead. They both battled hard to use all of the track to find that grip to gain that extra inch. Rob Dixon kept the aggressive Terry Rideout behind him somehow! Fred Legault took the final place looking very cool and composed behind the action ahead. Chris Hesmer rode a perfect race holding Jeff Orosz off for all four laps. Great display by all 5 riders why speedway is the best sport in the world!

1st: Chris - 2nd: Jeff - 3rd: Rob - 4th: Terry - 5th: Fred

"Division 2 " Main Final

Glen Brown showed that he has lost none of his skills and passion! he dominated this race from his first lap sweep of Tim Murray, Mike Hammond and Gary Moody! Mike Hammond slid off on lap 2 on turn 4, but was able to resume his race and was left to chase Gary Moody to take him on the line for third place!

1st: Glen - 2nd: Tim - 3rd: Mike - 4th: Gary

"Division 1 " Main Final

The air was thick with anticipation for this final! Chris Hesmer with the first gate pick took the outside gate and Jeff Orosz, the inside. Terry Rideout, Rob Dixon and Fred Legault all lined up along side each other and the tapes flew! Jeff Orosz took a slight lead into turn 1 as Chris Hesmer lost some slight grip as he positioned himself behind Jeff Orosz. Fred Legault also had a superb start, he took the third place position and did a fantastic job of holding back both Terry Rideout and Rob Dixon. The race was into two races, with Fred Legault having to defend his position while chasing the diving and dodging Chris Hesmer. Jeff Orosz was used to having Aaron Hesmer all over him in past weeks, but Chris Hesmer is different. His knowledge and experience of the track pushed both Jeff Orosz and Chris Hesmer to the very edge of their limits. It was a fantastic battle of wits and courage as they flew shoulder to shoulder into the last turn, the crowd was on it's feet as Jeff Orosz held his line coming out of turn 4, pushing Chris out with nowhere to go but to take a very rewarding second place. This race was greeted by the biggest cheer of the season by everyone!! Absolutely Brilliant!!!

1st: Jeff - 2nd: Chris - 3rd: Fred - 4th: Terry - 5th: Rob