Troubled Start Doesn’t Hurt Venegas

It was a rocky start for Charlie Venegas.

But he said the ending made it worthwhile Friday night at Ventura Raceway when the International Speedway Motorcycles made their annual stop at the one-quarter-mile clay oval at the Ventura Fairgrounds.

After spilling from his speedway motorcycle in the scratch main event, race officials allowed him to compete in a restart and he made the most of the opportunity.

Despite having to race on a bike borrowed from Randy DiFrancesco, the San Bernardino resident led almost from start to finish to win the event for the second year in a row.

“I was last year’s champ here and I wanted to come back and support the sport here,” Venegas said.

Local favorite Eddie Castro of Ojai easily won all three of his heats heading into the final but finished fourth in the main event.

“I messed up in the [restart] and I lost it at the start,” Castro said. “I thought I was going to get it on the first start. I was running real well on the first three races and then the track kind of slickened up for the last one.”

There also was a restart in the support main event, which was won by Bill McCarley.

Mark Hitchcock led most of the way until McCarley passed him on the final turn.

Richard Pollock finished ahead of Sidney Payne to take the 600cc dirt track main event and the team of Bob Brayton and Dwayne King won the sidecar main.