canadian speedway

The night was warm and sunny, and track conditions were perfect for some great speedway.

Heat 1:

Kyle Legault and John Kehoe got the start with Legault taking the lead out of corner 2, pulling away from Kehoe on lap two. Lap 3 saw Kehoe close in and after an immense tight battle, Kehoe passed Legault to take the win. Behind them, Zack Peters also got a good start and led Terry Rideout by just 1/2 a bike length all heat to beat hom to the line, Gary Moody missed the start but was in a great position to watch the action in front of him!

1. Kehoe 2. Legault 3. Peters 4. Rideout 5.Moody

Heat 2.

Kyle Legault led from the tapes but a hard charging Terry Rideout gave him a rn for his money! John Kehoe was holding a comfortable 3rd place when his chain link let go and he was forced to retire, leaving Zach Peters and Gary Moody to pass him on lap 4.

1. Legault 2. Rideout 3. Peters 4. Moody 5. Kehoe (DNF)

Final.

An amazingly fast gate by Zach Peters proved to be his best run of the night, Kyle Legault pulled ahead and Peters followed his lead. John Kehoe chased hard and battled for the last two laps side by side with Peters, but the young US rider held his nerve and beat Kehoe to the line! Terry Rideout suffering from clutch problems, missed the start but held off Gary Moody to take fourth place.

1. Legault 2. Peters 3. Kehoe 4. Rideout 5. Moody

A highly entertaining night of speedway was the order of the night at the Welland Speedway Track. The night filled with thrills and a huge spectacular spill, that left the crowd with lots to buzz about!

The field of riders were grouped together for the night which gave everyone a chance to ride hard and fast!

Kyle Legault left his best ride of the night for the important main final event, where he completely dominated the from the gate, and American youngster Zack Peters on one of Kyle's bikes, also did a great job from the gate to win the Consi Final.

Heat One.

A spectacular crash on lap three caused a delay in the program, as Tommy Hensby became the innocent victim of a very hard crash as he careered into the fallen Gary Moody's bike, Hitting it hard he was thrown over the handlebars somersaulting into the hay bales. Moody's leg got run over by Hensby's bike and the ambulance was called out. After several minutes of treatment, both riders left the track unaided and walked back to the pits a bit battered and bruised. Their bikes however weren't so luck and Tommy Hensby was forced out of the event as his bike was a write off! Moody's bike was frantically worked on by many in the pits, enabling him to ride in the consi final. American Mike Buman won the heat with Terry Rideout and Allan Chisholm finishing behind.

Heat Two.

Current Canadian National Champion Aaron Hesmer came up against former and current Canadian Champions Kyle Legault and Mike Hammond, joined by American young sensation Zack Peters the heat saw Hesmer pass Legault on lap 3 down the front straight, smooth as silk, Hammond kept pace as Peters finishes a respectable distance behind.

Heat Three.

Mike Buman got a good start and led out of the first corner, with Aaron Hesmer and Terry Rideout right with him, as they entered lap two, Hesmer made his move and went under Buman to grab the lead, and Buman was left to chase hard and also defend his spot from a hard pressing Terry Rideout, then disaster for Buman as his primary chain gave out leaving him to pull up, as Rideout and Allan Chisholm cruised by to the chequred flag.

Heat Four.

From the gate, Kyle Legault led Mike Hammond and Zack Peters.

Consi Final:

Zack aboard Kyle Legault's second bike, flew to the front and held a good lead to the finish line from Moody and Chisholm.

Main Final

Kyle Legault came out flying and led comfortably to the chequred flag. Behind him Aaron Hesmer was being chased by Mike Hammond and Mike Buman, Hammond made an unforced error in the final corner and Buman flew underneath him to grab third place as Terry Rideout enjoyed the show just behind them!

Consi Final

1: Zack Peters

2: Gary Moody

3: Allan Chisholm

Main Final:

1: Kyle Legault

2: Aaron Hesmer

3: Mike Buman

4: Mike Hammond

5: Terry Rideout

On a hot sticky summers night, the Niagara Motorcycle Raceway was surrounded with thunderstorms and heavy rain, but to everyone's relief the weather avoided the track area!

Flat Track Canada promoted their second event for 2013, and it was a huge success!

The speedway class which comprised of Mike Hammond, Kyle Legault, Terry Rideout, Allan Chisholm, Gary Moody, Zack Peters and Tommy Hensby, put on a great show with some superb support from within!

Heat One:

Terry Rideout kept just a bike length away from Kyle Legault for two laps, then Legault showed his pace and took off. Zack Peters tucked in behind Rideout and Allan Chisholm duplicated the same to the line.

Heat Two:

Tommy Hensby's back-up bike gave up with ignition problems and Terry Rideout stepped forward with the loan of his bike. Straight off his heat, he gave Tommy the bike, fueled up and Hensby was away to compete against Mike Hammond and Gary Moody, Hammond and Moody got the gate as Hensby snaked away from the line, Moody looking a bit nervous after his big crash last weekend was passed by Hensby on lap 2 in corner 3, but Hammond was comfortably far enough away for Hensby not to catch him!

Heat Three:

With no bike and Terry Rideout in the same heat, Tommy Hensby sat this one out! Mike Hammond led the way with Rideout only just behind for the four laps with Allan Chisholm taking third place and more valuable points on the night!

Heat Four:

Kyle Legault flew away and took a commanding lead from Zack Peters and Gary Moody to the line.

The finals were run backwards due to Kyle Legault's final Flat Track race being directly after the scheduled final, to allow him time to get ready.

Final:

Legault gated and quickly built a lead from Mike Hammond, Terry Rideout pushed hard only to be rewarded in that Hammond's bike suffered mechanical problems on lap 3, and he pulled off the track. USA Young gun Zack Peters also benefited in grabbing 3rd place!

Consi-Final:

The race of the night was left till last! Tommy Hensby, Allan Chisholm and Gary Moody took to the track. Hensby got a flyer and pulled ahead of Moody into the first corner, Moody gained huge momentum and chased hard being less that a bike length away from Hensby to whole four laps however, with so much momentum he was forced to back off in the last corner to avoid a repeat of last week's huge crash, and Hensby pulled away to take the chequred flag. Allan Chisholm said after the race, "I had the best seat in the house!"

Main Final

1: Kyle Legault

2: Terry Rideout

3: Zack Peters

4: Mike Hammond (DNF)

Consi Final:

1: Tommy Hensby

2: Gary Moody

3: Allan Chisholm

As Nigel Pearson would say, "a night of speedway from the top draw" was enjoyed by the large enthusiastic crowd at the Welland Speedway track.

With a large meeting being held in the USA, the ridership was an all Canadian affair and the six riders produced some awesome racing.

Heat One:

Mike Hammond got the trap just inches ahead of Tommy Hensby and Allan Chisholm, leading the race by a bike length from Hensby to the chequred flag.

Heat Two:

Terry Rideout enjoy a lightening start against Kyle Legault and Gary Moody, Legault pushed him wide and shot underneath to take off, sadly for Rideout he was overzealous and slid out on lap 2 but remounted to complete the race as Moody passed him to grab second place. His ankle however was caught under the primary chain guard and the mounting bolt ripped his boot open and caused a nasty swell on his ankle bone. After attention from the track medical staff, he was deemed fit to continue for the rest of the night.

Heat Three:

A tight first corner then led to an evenly spread out field of Legault, Hammond and Hensby.

Heat Four:

Terry Rideout came out blazing following his crash and took a comfortable win ahead of Gary Moody and Allan Chisholm.

FINAL:

Kyle Legault took the outer gate and swooped in front of Tommy Hensby leaving Mike Hammond to grab the lead into the first bend, keeping the lead until corner 2 of lap two, as Legault used his track knowledge and swooped under Hammond to grab the lead to the end, as he was pushed hard by Hammond! Terry Rideout and Tommy Hensby battled hard as Hensby hunted Rideout down and capitalized on a last corner error, as Rideout left a gap for Hensby to shoot inside and grab a well deserved third place! Gary Moody showed his pace with the best seat in the house to watch the battle in front!

FINAL:

1st : Kyle Legault

2nd : Mike Hammond

3rd : Tommy Hensby

4th : Terry Rideout

5th : Gary Moody

A spectacular crash in the main final of the night pumped up the riders, and after two restarts, a great race ensued!

Eight riders gave the crowd a good night of fast and explosive action with a tapes malfunction, leading to the riders using a light for lift-off!

Heat One:

Tommy Hensby got a flying start to lead home Mike Hammond, Zack Peters and Allan Chisholm.

Heat Two:

Kyle Legault and Aaron Hesmer battled out a good first lap until Legault hit the groove and took off. Terry Rideout and Gary Moody followed in to complete the heat.

Heat Three:

Tommy Hensby's reactions were too quick in the green light and he was put back 15 yards, again Legault and Hesmer hit the front leading Zack Peters, who was passed on the outside by Hensby on lap 2, Legault once again led the way to the flag from Hesmer as Hensby closed in.

Heat Four:

Terry Rideout got a flyer and anticipated the light to take a great win ahead of Mike Hammond, Gary Moody and Allan Chisholm followed through to the chequered flag.

Consi-Final:

Gary Moody spun at the start leaving Zack Peters to take the lead into corner 1, Moody passed Allan Chisholm and hunted down Peters, passing him on the outside on corner 3, and he never looked back and took a commanding lead to the flag! Great riding!

Final:

Aaron Hesmer lined up close to Legault who was in gate 5, with Mike Hammond in gate 1, the three of them charged to the tapes and spectacularly smashed together, as Tommy Hensby and Terry Rideout stayed on the inside line and avoided being added to the carnage! After a short break, the riders were all up battered and bruised, and bikes were given the ok, a restart ensued. This time it was Rideout's turn to fall in the first turn, and with hopes that he hadn't reinjured his injury from last week's fall when his ankle was injured by his primary chain cover retaining bolt, he stayed down and all was well! The third restart saw Hesmer move over close to Hensby, but this didn't phase the 17-year old who gated well, Rideout went off the 15 yard line and was unable to catch the flying Hensby. Kyle Legault pushed hard and led Hesmer and Hammond to the Chequered flag as the field was all evenly spaced to the end!

CONSI: 1: Gary Moody 2: Zack Peters 3: Allan Chisholm FINAL: 1st : Kyle Legault 2nd : Aaron Hesmer 3rd : Mike Hammond 4th : Tommy Hensby 5th: Terry Rideout

Kyle Legault's winning streak was stopped by an ex-Canadian Champion who ironically only came to test his bike in the practice session!

John Kehoe donned his steel shoe and took to the track after a positive practice session and he joined Kyle Legault, Aaron Hesmer, Tommy Hensby, Gary Moody, Terry Rideout, Allan Chisholm and talented USA youngster Zack Peters on a very hot and humid night, to provide the added entertainment for the largest crowd of the season!

Heat One:

Kyle Legault gated well just enough to hold off the hard charging Aaron Hesmer and Terry Rideout, as they hit the first corner. As the race progressed, Legault and Hesmer pulled ahead slightly of Rideout who was comfortably hold back Zack Peters. Hesmer pushed all race, but Legault proved again to be too hard to pass and won the heat.

Heat Two:

Tommy Hensby gated ahead of the pack only to be rounded by a fast looking John Kehoe coming out of corner 2. Hensby pressed hard but was unable to reel in Kehoe over the four laps! Gary Moody was holding his own behind Hensby, until his primary chain imploded mid corner, leaving Moody to do a good save and pull up. Allan Chisholm said thank you, and shot passed to grab third place.

Heat Three:

Aaron Hesmer gated well and took a lead to the first corner from Terry Rideout and Gary Moody, Hesmer was too strong and led to the chequered flag well ahead of Rideout, Moody and Chisholm.

Heat Four:

An evenly paced heat with Legault winning ahead of Kehoe, Hensby and Peters.

Consi Final:

Zack Peters lost all grip on the line and spun toward Allan Chisholm, Gary Moody pulled ahead and led all the way home, as Peters and Chisholm followed in to round out their night iof racing!

Final: No problems for the riders into the first corner this week as Kyle Legault and John Kehoe bunched in the first corner, Hesmer, Rideout and Hensby were right in that action just behind the front two leaders. Hensby was closing in on Rideout when he suffered a mechanical problem on lap 2 and was forced out of the race, but pushed his bike over the line to grab his final position. John Kehoe waited patiently and pulled a great move to pass Legault on lap 3, and held off a late challenge to kill Legault's 2013 winning streak!

Consi Final 1: Gary Moody 2: Zack Peters 3: Allan Chisholm

Main Final: 1: John Kehoe 2: Kyle Legault 3: Aaron Hesmer 4: Terry Rideout 5: Tommy Hensby

A night of punctures, blown engines, chain breaks and crashes was witnessed by a large near capacity crowd to celebrate the 2013 Canadian Speedway Championship at Welland Speedway.

A new style program was run for 2013, which eliminated riders throughout the program going down to the top five riders, who then disputed a four heat finals to bring out the eventual winner! Only one rider was able to complete the night without dropping a point and that was Canadian Professional rider Kyle Legault. Kyle celebrated his crown in the last final heat race, and led the other riders to the chequred flag, to be crowned the 2013 Canadian Speedway Champion, his fourth time winning this coveted title.

14 riders participated in the event which included American aces, Jeremy Parson, Mikey Buman, Casey Donholt, Jim Terchila and Youngster Zack Peters. The Canadian riders were Kyle Legault, Mike Hammond, Aaron Hesmer, Allan Chisholm, Gary Moody, Tommy Hensby, Terry Rideout , Glen Brown and Josh Barrick. The heat rounds were fast and furious, with the American riders battling hard to stamp their mark on the event. The top four riders Kyle Legault, Jeremy Parsons, Mike Hammond and Aaron Hesmer progressed into the final event through qualification. The last chance selection of five riders, Mikey Buman, Terry Rideout, Tommy Hensby, Zack Peters and Glen Brown was battled out with Mikey Buman winning his qualification into the five man finals.

The night saw Zack Peters rear up both at the start gate and leaving the gate, both times going down hard to stop the races. Tommy Hensby suffered a puncture in one of his heats and Casey Donholt remarkably did the same but in two heats! Gary Moody also sustained a puncture and lost his main chain in two heats, and Jeremy Parsons blew an engine! The finals were all won by Legault, but they did provide some awesome close racing. Unfortunately the riders suffered with crashes in these final heats. In the first final heat, Aaron Hesmer was going round Mike Hammond in corner one, when Hammond suddenly gained some extra grip and they both slid out hard into the hay bales! The second final heat saw a huge chain reaction first corner crash with all riders going down very hard.

The restart saw Legault win from the tapes minus an injured Mike Hammond. The third final heat saw Jeremy Parson suddenly pull up with a blown motor! The fourth and final heat was a great race for second and third as Legault had sped away, Buman and Hesmer were side by side for three laps with neither giving an inch, but eventually Buman just pushed harder and gained the second spot. Parsons on one of Zack Peters bikes, was off the main pace much to his frustration, but still managed to take third place ahead of a charging Hesmer!

Final Placings: 1: Kyle Legault 2: Mike Buman 3: Jeremy Parsons 4: Aaron Hesmer 5: Mike Hammond 6: Terry Rideout 7: Glen Brown 8: Tommy Hensby 9: Zack Peters 10: Casey Donholt 11: Josh Barrick 12: Jim Terchila 13: Gary Moody 14: Allan Chisholm

Mike Hammond's first night of defense of his National Title, were quashed by former Champion Aaron Hesmer at the Welland Motorcycle Club on Saturday night. The field of riders Aaron Hesmer, Mike Hammond, Tommy Hensby, Gary Moody, Rob Dixon, Glen Brown and John Bennett all welcomed an amazingly smooth and consistent track. The riders all competed at in a Division 1 class and the fun began!

Heat 1:

John Bennett battled with Gary Moody for all four laps, while Tommy Hensby was forced out on lap 2 with mechanical problems.

Heat 2:

From the gate, Aaron Hesmer gated well and held back Mike Hammond, Rob Dixon and Glen Brown.

Heat 3:

Tommy Hensby was drawn against the big guns, but it was not to be for him as he again suffered fuel problems and was forced out of the heat. Aaron Hesmer again gated well to grab that added advantage in front of a hard chasing Glen Brown, Brown made an error on lap 3 as he went wide and Dixon took him inside after pressing him hard , but it was too late for Dixon, to catch the fast looking Hesmer!

Heat 4:

Mike Hammond took a commanding lead ahead of John Bennett, as Gary Moody also suffered mechanical woes, but was able to finish the race!

Consi Final:

Glen Brown was awarded the win without racing, as Tommy Hensby was forced to withdraw with mechanical problems.

Final:

Aaron Hesmer gated hard and fast from gate two, and led Mike Hammond to the checkered flag by one bike length! Rob Dixon finished third, with John Bennett and Gary Moody completing a good night of racing!

Final: 1: Aaron Hesmer 2: Mike Hammond 3: Rob Dixon 4: John Bennett 5: Gary Moody

A warm humid night welcomed the riders to another night of fun at the Welland Speedway track! 7 riders were in attendance for what turned out to be a cracking night of methanol fuelled fun! The riders were split into two groups, four in a Division 1 class and 3 in a Division 2 class. Aaron Hesmer, Mike Hammond, Glen Brown and John Bennett grouped for the D1 class and Tommy Hensby, Gary Moody and the returning Allan Chisholm completed the D2 grouping.

Heat 1:

A flying start from all three riders led into the first corner by Gary Moody, holding the lead well with Tommy Hensby and Allan Chisholm well spread out.

Heat 2:

A good first lap battle ensued between Aaron Hesmer and Mike Hammond, only to lead to a needed restart as John Bennet slid out in corner 2 on lap 2, John was unable to get up and clear the track, so the ref was forced to put on the red light! Battered and bruised the tumbling Bennett remounted, and the heat restarted. Again Hesmer and Hammond duelled it out for two laps, with Glen Brown closely chasing hard, Hammond's bike was misfiring badly, but he managed to save the second place finish just ahead of Brown and Bennett!

Heat 3:

A rocket start from Tommy Hensby gave him the lead into corner one, holding his line he did all he could to hold off the fast looking Gary Moody, but the pressure was too much coming into lap 2 and Moody went outside of Hensby to take the lead. Chisholm was looking fast and kept Hensby on his toes for him to hold the second place position.

Heat 4:

A cracking race, with all four riders pushing hard, Aaron Hesmer had to pull all the tricks out of his bag to get passed a fast looking Hammond, and on lap 2 he passed on the outside on corner 2, Glen Brown was being pushed by John Bennett as he sensed that Hammond had some mechanical problems, and passed him on the line to grab a well deserved second place!

Consi Final:

A two lap consi final was run between Tommy Hensby and Allan Chisholm. Again, Hensby had a flyer from the line and held back a charging Chisholm to the line to celebrate his first full trouble free meeting of 2012, following his nightmare of mechanical woes in the previous weeks!

Final:

Aaron Hesmer again showed his dominance of the Welland track, and pulled away fast and hard to grab the win! Gary Moody was awarded a move into the D1 final under the qualification of winning his D2 heats, but sadly hit a rut in turn 3 and lost his momentum as he was pressing John Bennett! Mike Hammond blew his motor as he crossed the line to just take second place ahead of Glen Brown, to round off a night of mechanical problems! A great show and racing from these riders, roll on next week!

Consi Final 1: Tommy Hensby 2: Allan Chisholm Final: 1: Aaron Hesmer 2: Mike Hammond 3: Glen Brown 4: John Bennett 5: Gary Moody

A wonderfully warm night welcomed the riders to the Welland Speedway track! With a reduced show of riders, they all did a fabulous job of putting on a great show for the paying public in their heats and final!

Heat 1:

Aaron Hesmer commandingly controlled this heat from hard charging Mike Hammond and Glen Brown, as he pulled clear coming onto lap 2 and never looked back!

Heat 2:

Tommy Hensby continued his rise in confidence by taking a good lead from the tapes for two laps, until Gary's pressure was too much and he passed to take the win, as Alan Chisholm pushed hard to catch Hensby, but to no avail!

Heat 3:

The track was watered prior to this heat and the track became very grippy, Tommy Hensby again gated well ahead of Glen Brown and Alan Chisholm, Brown was out of shape in turn one letting Hensby pull away, again a 2 lap lead was taken away, as Brown powered around in the dirt on lap 3, leaving Hensby to fend off Chisholm once again to the line!

Heat 4:

Mike Hammond was out to grab the win and gave Aaon Hesmer a hard go of it, as he battled to hold him back, but again Hesmer pushed hard and passed Hammond to take the win!

Final:

Tommy Hensby entered his first ever main final with an inside gate draw, proving to be a good gate, he powered into corner one ahead of Glen Brown and Gary M. but a bunched group left him at the back of the pack coming out of corner 2, Aaron Hesmer and Mike Hammond took control and led to the tapes, as Brown and Gary were cha sed hard by Hensby to round out a very entertaining and successful night!

Final Result: 1: Aaron Hesmer 2: Mike Hammond 3: Glen Brown 4: Gary M. 5: Tommy Hensby

Both Mike Hammond and Tommy Hensby came to the Welland track on a very warm humid night with set goals! To win! Joined by Aaron Hesmer, Glen Brown, Rob Dixon, Allan Chisholm, Gary Moody and the return by the newly-wed Terry Rideout, the night saw some cracking close racing and a few close shaves!

Heat 1:

The track was wet and very grippy, leading to the riders riding with caution, but it still gave a good performance from Gary Moody to hold off a fast pressing Tommy Hensby, with Allan Chisholm following up the rear!

Heat 2:

Pressure was too much fro Mike Hammond as he lost his line twice and paid for the track position! Firstly on lap 3, Aaron Hesmer powered around Hammond as he went inside too soon coming into corner 1, and as he left corner 4, Rob Dixon grabbed the run to the line leaving Hammond with a third place finish! Rideout and Brown had a ding-dong battle of their own, as they raced for 4th and 5th places. A good solid race enjoyed by the large enthusiastic crowd!

Heat 3:

A rocket start from Tommy Hensby gave him the lead into corner one, which he held to the line! Moody tried all he could, but couldn't catch Hensby, and then disaster, as his back tire imploded on lap 3, leaving Chisholm to grab a good 2nd place!

Heat 4:

This race was superb! Aaron Hesmer and Mike Hammond were neck and neck for 4 laps, with Hesmer pulling out to become the eventual winner! Rob dixon and Glen Brown came together on lap 2 in corner 4, and both went down, they remounted to finish the race, as Terry Rideout enjoyed a solid 3rd place avoiding all the fun!

Division 1 Final:

The track had been watered early in the evening, and with the humidity levels high, the track turned sticky and grippy, the flat track riders couldn't get it to work, so the track staff consulted the speedway riders, and they took to the track and gave a few laps and decided that they would run their final early, to kick start the track back into action! So The Division 1 riders lined up, with Mike Hammond in gate 3, they flew from the gate with Hammond taking full control, Aaron Hesmer pushed hard but looked uncomfortable on the grippy surface, and was lucky to hold on to second place as Rob Dixon nearly pipped him on the line! Terry Rideout and Glen Brown continued their own battle, with Rideout coming out the winner of that one to finish fourth!

Division 2 Final:

Allan Chisholm withdrew from the final, leaving Tommy Hensby and Gary Moody to fight it out! Disaster struck Hensby as he sat at the pit gate, as his bike cut out and wouldn't restart! So Terry Rideout offered his bike and the final began! The 16 year old and 21 year old riders flew from the gate with Hensby taking the lead, Moody pushed hard and slowly reeled Hensby in, but as he raced hard into corner 3, he lost momentum as Hensby closed the door and slid off, leaving Tommy Hensby to take the checkered flag for the second time in 2012! A superb display of close hard riding enjoyed by everyone!

Division 2 Final 1: Tommy Hensby 2: Gary Moody 3: Allan Chisholm (DNS)

Division 1 Final: 1: Mike Hammond 2: Aaron Hesmer 3: Rob Dixon 4: Terry Rideout 5: Glen Brown

Former Canadian Speedway and National Champion, John Kehoe made a surprising return to the Welland Speedway track on Saturday night after an absence of over 2 years. He did so with an amazing win in his first heat race! He was joined by Aaron Hesmer, Mike Hammond, Terry Rideout and Glen Brown in the Division 1 class. Tommy Hensby, Alan Chisholm, and Gary Moody continued their Division 2 campaign, with the addition of Kristy Dulaj for some great racing!

Heat 1:

Tommy Hensby got a flyer into corner one and looked certain for a heat win, when Kristy Dulaj took a bad hard tumble coming into turn 1 on lap 2, the race was stopped as Dulaj on the borrowed bike of Glen Brown was left shaken up. The bike was a wreck leaving Brown to seek alternative machinery in his first heat! The re-run saw Gary Moody determined to beat out the electric Hensby to the first corner, which he did to keep both Hensby and Chisholm behind him!

Heat 2:

Glen Brown borrowed Mike Hammond's second bike and looked fast and controlled aboard this loaner bike. Terry Rideout got a flying start, but was taken back as the red light came on, as the referee spotted a leaking bike on the race line from Aaron Hesmer, after some quick fixes to Hesmer's bile, they lined up again, John Kehoe got a fast clean getaway and held the lead to crown a great first heat return! Mike Hammond pushed Kehoe hard but was unable to catch him! Both Hammond and Terry Rideout seemed to pull up as pulled away from the tapes, after seeing a red light ahead, but released that it was something other than a real red light, they pressed onward! Hesmer was suffering from lack of power, but did a good job of hunting and passing Brown and Rideout to take a good solid third place!

Heat 3:

The track was watered prior this speedway heat and a few safety laps were performed to ensure that the clay surface was ok! This time Hensby made sure that his start was there to take the heat win, with Moody and Chisholm equally spaced behind him!

Heat 4:

Mike Hammond proved his worth in this heat, as he powered ahead of Glen Brown on his other bike, both bikes looked fast! John Kehoe battled hard with Terry Rideout coming out the third place winner. Aaron Hesmer suffered mechanical problems on lap 3 forcing a DNF!

Division 1 Final:

A crash filled Flat Track final prior to a late track watering, forced a delay of the final, the referee decided that the Division 1 final should go ahead of the Division 2 final, and with the delays the anticipation rose as John Kehoe was forced to withdraw from the final as his bike suffered mechanical problems! Aaron Hesmer gated and held the lead ahead of Mike Hammond, who struggled with the grippy surface, with Glen Brown dueling with Terry Rideout behind for 4 laps, he grabbed the well-deserved 3rd place!

Division 2 Final:

Gary Moody and Allan Chisholm withdrew from the final, leaving Tommy Hensby as the only qualifier for the final, so he was awarded the win by the referee, without even starting his engine!

Division 2 Final 1: Tommy Hensby 2: Gary Moody (DNS) 3: Allan Chisholm (DNS)

Division 1 Final: 1: Aaron Hesmer 2: Mike Hammond 3: Glen Brown 4: Terry Rideout 5: John Kehoe (DNS)

With the Canadian Speedway Championship race just a week away, the opportunity to group all divisions for some great racing proved a good choice for the riders and crowd alike! Eight riders competed on the night, Mike Hammond, Aaron Hesmer, Glen Brown, Gary Moody, Alan Chisholm, Terry Rideout, John Bennett and Tommy Hensby.

Heat 1:

Aaron Hesmer gated well with Glen Brown, Brown pushed him hard for two laps before Hesmer took off to take the win, however, Brown had to contend on holding back a hard charging Terry Rideout to keep second place as Rideout just missed out at the line! Gary Moody suffered a disastrous first heat as his rear tire went flat causing him to DNF.

Heat 2:

Tommy Hensby and Mike Hammond gated hard with Hammond getting the edge coming into turn two, and led Hensby by just two bike lengths all 4 laps! John Bennett and Alan Chisholm enjoyed their own race behind, with Bennett coming out the winner of this battle to secure third place!

Heat 3:

A rocket start from Tommy Hensby led a three man deep first corner, as Aaron Hesmer and Terry Rideout maneuvered inside Hensby, Rideout who was being pushed hard by Hensby as he chased Hesmer, unfortunately slid out on lap two on corner 4, which left Hensby to chase Hesmer to the line! Alan Chisholm couldn't believe his luck as Rideout was out of the race, and set about chasing Hensby hard, a great effort by all the riders!

Heat 4:

Mike Hammond led from the tapes, with John Bennett grabbing a valuable second place, as Glen Brown and Gary Moody both suffered mechanical problems and were forced out on lap 2.

Consi Final:

Terry Rideout secured the win ahead of Gary Moody on a borrowed bike from GT Tuning Canada, with Alan Chisholm pushing Moody for final place.

Main Final:

The tapes flew in the main final with Tommy Hensby in gate 5 leading into the first bend, he went wide leaving a gap for Mike Hammond, Aaron Hesmer and Glen Brown to get by, Hensby closed the door however on John Bennett to keep him behind him, Mike Hammond pulled out a good lead ahead of Hesmer leaving a great battle to ensue for the third spot, Tommy Hensby hunted Glen Brown getting closer and closer, and the run to the line saw Brown secure the third spot by just half a wheel! Superb racing! Based upon the night's events, the Speedway Championship next weekend will be a cracker!!!

Consi Final 1: Terry Rideout 2: Gary Moody 3: Allan Chisholm Main Final: 1: Mike Hammond 2: Aaron Hesmer 3: Glen Brown 4: Tommy Hensby 5: John Bennett

The 2012 Canadian National Speedway Championship was poised to be a great event even before it began! A field of riders from as far as Florida and Ohio in the USA, to Bowmanville and Muskoka in Ontario Canada, the 20 man field was split into rider ability levels for heat and qualifying schedules. A Division 1 and Division 2 class saw 13 riders in Division 1 (D1) and 7 in Division 2 (D2). A warm and pleasant night welcomed a packed house of spectators to see who would be crowned the Champion of the night in each division? The event began with the Division 2 riders taking to the Line:

Heat 1:(D2) Hensby - Moody - Chisholm - Dulaj Tommy Hensby gated well holding back Gary Moody to the tapes, Alan Chisholm and Kristy Dulaj following in close behind. Result: Hensby - Moody - Chisholm - Dulaj

Heat 2:(D2) Thompson - Barrick - Davis Dale Thompson did a great job looking fast and smooth to hold off a fast paced Katalin Davis to the checkered flag, Josh Barrick was on the pace but looked uneasy! Result: Thompson - Davis - Barrick

Heat 3:(D1) Legault - Parsons - Rideout - Meldrum Kyle Legault in his first Canadian appearance for a few years, came out flying and led the way to the flag, Jeremy Parsons pushed Terry Rideout hard and passed him on lap 3 to grab second place, leaving Brit David Meldrum to fight out the last place with Rideout as Parsons pulled clear. Result: Legault - Parsons - Rideout - Meldrum

Heat 4:(D1) Hesmer - Dixon - Donholt - Carr Aaron Hesmer pushed Rob Dixon wide in turn one to take the lead, leaving Casey Donholt and Josh Carr to finish in third and fourth respectively. Result: Hesmer - Dixon - Donholt - Carr

Heat 5:(D1) Hammond - Buman - Brown - Terchila - Bennett Mike Hammond the defending Canadian Champion made his debut on the night, was leading into lap 2 as Mike Buman cut in front and shut the door, Hammond slid out, but remounted and made a valiant effort to pass Jim Terchila and set about John Bennett, but was unable to gain the third spot from Bennett. Result: Buman - Brown - Bennett - Hammond - Terchila

Heat 6:(D2) Moody - Chisholm - Dulaj - Thompson Gary Moody on a borrowed bike pulled up as the tapes rose, which left Dale Thompson to take a good lead ahead of Kristy Dulaj and Alan Chisholm, Chisholm however, had the ride of his life, as he passed Dulaj on lap 2 and set about Thompson and passed him to the crowd's delight on lap 4, to take a well-deserved checkered flag! Result: Chisholm - Thompson - Dulaj - Moody (DNF)

Heat 7:(D2) Barrick - Davis - Hensby Another cracking race ensued as Tommy Hensby went wide coming into corner 1 leaving a gap for Katalin Davis to take the lead, Hensby pursued Davis and passed her coming out of corner 4 to take the win! Josh Barrick with the best seat in the house enjoyed a fast heat. Result: Hensby - Davis - Barrick

Heat 8:(D1) Carr – Brown - Dixon - Legault One of the best races of the night! Kyle Legault took the lead into corner 1, with Glen Brown being closely chased by both Rob Dixon and Josh Carr. Brown kept immense pressure on Legault, and squeezed inside him on lap 3 to take the lead, leaving Legault to hold back Dixon and Carr to the tapes. Result: Brown - Legault - Dixon - Carr

Heat 9:(D1) Rideout - Hesmer - Terchila - Buman Mike Buman pressed Aaron Hesmer hard for two laps, before passing him into corner 3 leaving Rideout to press Hesmer to the line. Jim Terchila also ended the heat pressing Rideout to end a great heat race! Result: Buman - Hesmer - Rideout - Terchila

Heat 10:(D1) Donholt - Bennett - Meldrum - Parsons - Hammond Another close race with Mike Hammond taking the lead leaving Jeremy Parsons to battle with David Meldrum, Casey Donholt held his own for fourth as John Bennett completed to line up. Result: Hammond - Meldrum - Parsons - Donholt - Bennett

Heat 11:(D2) Chisholm - Thompson - Barrick No heroics from Alan Chisholm in this one, as he fell behind the fast duo of Dale Thompson and Josh Barrick as they fought to the line! Result: Thompson - Barrick - Chisholm

Heat 12:(D2) Davis - Hensby - Moody Gary Moody on another bike, also suffered some sporadic problems leaving Katalin Davis to once again content with the very fast looking Tommy Hensby, he managed to pass on lap 2 as Davis went wide. Davis pushed hard with Hensby winning by just a bike length! Result: Hensby - Davis - Moody

Heat 13:(D1) Parsons - Legault - Buman - Dixon Kyle Legault once again had a flyer, and led into turn one, but then disaster, his engine seemed to lose power and he fell back the 4th , he continued to ride out the race at a slow pace for the valuable points! Meanwhile, Jeremy Parsons led the way as Mike Buman and Rob Dixon battled for position behind him! Result: Parsons - Buman - Dixon - Legault

Heat 14:(D1) Brown - Rideout - Hesmer - Donholt Casey Donholt pushed Aaron Hesmer wide on corner 2 to gain the important lead as Glen Brown spent two laps pushing Hesmer, but Hesmer's pace was too much and Brown pulled back to defend his position from the hard charging Rideout. Result: Donholt - Hesmer - Brown - Rideout

Heat 15:(D1) Meldrum - Terchila - Carr - Bennett – Hammond A flying start from John Bennett led to a tight first corner with Bennett crashing out with David Meldrum laying it down with Mike Hammond. The restart saw John Bennett being penalized for the restart and he started on the 15-yard line. Sadly for David Meldrum, he went down in the same spot, but was able to keep it going and he remounted way back from the field. Mike Hammond was leading the race again, but slid out in corner 2 again, and managed to remount and somehow keep the lead, but Josh Carr could sense a win and passed Hammond to take a well-deserved win! Result: Carr - Hammond - Terchila - Bennett - Meldrum

Heat 16:(D2) Dulaj - Thompson - Barrick - Davis Mechanical problems caused Kristy Dulaj and Dale Thompson to withdraw, leaving Josh Barrick and Katalin Davis to enjoy a great battle! Four 4 laps Josh Barrick kept Katalin Davis behind him, but her experience and track knowledge pushed her into 1 st place as Barrick went wide in corner 2. Result: Davis - Barrick - Thompson (DNS) - Dulaj (DNS)

Heat 17:(D2) Hensby - Moody - Chisholm Gary Moody's mechanical woes continued as his bike spluttered at the line, leaving Tommy Hensby to take a big lead ahead of Alan Chisholm, Moody's bike did however pick up, and he caught Chisholm on lap 3 to take the 2nd position. Result: Hensby - Moody - Chisholm

Heat 18:(D1) Buman - Hesmer - Legault - Hammond A heat race bringing old rivals Hesmer and Legault together raised the anticipation of the pits and crowd! But everyone forgot about Mike Hammond who got a flyer slicing everyone in the first corner. Kyle Legault pushed hard all race but was unable to get passed Hammond, who closed all the doors on him! Aaron Hesmer pushed Legault as Buman watched the action as they crossed the line! Result: Hammond - Legault - Hesmer - Buman

Heat 19:(D1) Dixon - Donholt - Meldrum - Brown A good battled ensued between Casey Donholt and David Meldrum, as the duelled for position. Rob Dixon joined in and took Meldrum, but the pass was reciprocated on lap 3, leaving Dixon to hold off Glen Brown, a great heat race! Result: Donholt - Meldrum - Dixon - Brown

Heat 20:(D1) Terchila - Carr - Bennett - Rideout – Parsons Jeremy Parsons took a commanding lead as Terry Rideout did a good job to hold back Bennett, Terchila and Carr. Result: Parsons - Rideout - Bennett -Terchila - Carr

The finals were based upon the total points of the night. The four lowest went into the first final, the next four in the second final and the top point riders went through to the main final

FINALS: D2 – Main Final: Hensby - Davis - Thompson - Barrick - Moody Gary moody was forced out of the final event with his mechanical woes continuing, but he jumped in with both feet to assist Tommy Hensby. The tapes rose with Tommy Hensby taking the lead, but as they entered turn 2 disaster struck for all and Katalin Davis went down wiping out Hensby's back wheel, leading him to bale into the boards, and Josh Barrick and Dale Thompson went down in a heap hitting Davis's bike. After some medical attention by the St. John's Ambulance and some urgent bike repairs, they all returned to the gate for the rerun except Thompson who was forced out with bike damage. Tommy Hensby from gate 2 flew from the tapes and securely closed the door leaving Josh Barrick to fend off Katalin Davis on her spare bike, while Hensby pulled away from the pack and looked smooth and confident, as he took the checkered flag for the final time crowning him the Division 2 Champion!

Results: Champion - TOMMY HENSBY - Josh Barrick-- Katalin Davis - Dale Thompson (DNF)

D1 – Final C - Terchila - Bennett - Carr - Meldrum David Meldrum suffered from Clutch failure at the tapes, and used the two minute allowance to get it fixed to take the start, but despite his valiant efforts, his bike suffered technical problems and he withdrew from the race in corner 2! Josh Carr and Jim Terchila battled hard for the win with Carr succeeding with John Bennett unable to make the ground to put pressure on them. Result: Carr - Terchila - Bennett - Meldrum (DNF)

D1 – Final B – Legault - Brown - Dixon - Rideout Kyle Legault saved his most impressive ride of the night for the final! Hitting it hard from the gate, he left Terry Rideout to race against Rob Dixon and Glen Brown, Rideout was ahead of the game when he made a mistake and went wide in corner 2 and Rob Dixon who had been putting immense pressure on Rideout, made a clean pass on the inside to grab 2 nd place, Glen Brown despite his earlier heat win, was unable to keep the pressure on to catch the Dixon and Rideout. Result: Legault - Dixon - Rideout - Brown

D1 – Main Final - Parsons - Hammond - Donholt - Buman - Hesmer Anticipation for the final were high, the night's event had been clean and fast and the crowd waited in anticipation to see who would come out and be crowed Canadian Champion for 2012? The gates rose with Mike Hammond making his best ever start, he closed the door hard and fast, to lead into the first lap, with Aaron Hesmer being pushed hard by Casey Donholt, Hammond pulled away by two bike lengths which proved to be his blessing, as on lap 3 he came into corner 1 and started to lose control and to slide out, with some quick thinking, he able to maintain his composure! Casey Donholt however, was pressing Hesmer really hard and passed him on lap 4 to grab a great well-deserved 2nd place leaving Hesmer to keep back both Parsons and Buman! Congratulations to Mike Hammond, on retaining his crown of Canadian Champion for 2012! A well-deserved reward for a night of smart hard riding! Results: Champion - MIKE HAMMOND - Casey Donholt - Aaron Hesmer - Jeremy Parsons - Mike Buman

FINAL STANDINGS:

A selection of speedway riders Aaron Hesmer, Terry Rideout, Mike Hammond, Glenn Brown, John Bennett and Allan Chisholm, all did a fabulous job and a great night of racing ensued!

Round 1 - Heat 1:

Hammond, Brown and Rideout took to the gate, and Brown took a good lead and completed the win ahead of a great battle between Hammond and Rideout. On the final lap both riders swapped places with Hammond grabbing the 2nd place on the last corner.

Heat 2:

Hesmer, Bennett and Chisholm took off and finished in this order from the gate.

Round 2 - Heat 1: Hesmer, Brown and Chisholm finished from the gate.

Heat 2: Bennett had a great view of the race ahead of him, as Hammond led 2 laps and went wide on lap 3 allowing Rideout to slip inside to grab a good solid win.

Final: Bennett, Brown, Hammond, Hesmer, and Rideout took to the gate for the final of the night. Hesmer took off chased hard by Hammond, but Hesmer was too fast and determined and Hammond fell back, Rideout passed Brown on lap 3 to grab third place, leaving Brown to hold of Bennett to complete the night!

A warm and humid night welcomed a good field of riders and a large crowd to the second race night of the 2011 season. American riders, Casey Donholt and Dave Clark, were in attendance to successfully join in the festivities of the night. The speedway class was split into two divisional classes, the Division 2 class with John Bennett, Gary Moody and Allan Chisholm were joined by the Division 1 class of Aaron Hesmer, Mike Hammond, Casey Donholt, Dave Clark, Glenn Brown and the return to the track of Rob Dixon. Six heat heats and a final events were set, and the Division 2 class began the night. Bennett, Chisholm and Moody taking to the line.

Heat 1:

Bennett led from the tapes as Moody adjusted to the track condition's and to finish second, with Chisholm following up the rear.

Heat 2:

Dave Clark gated well with Mike Hammond pushing Glenn Brown who took a good second place, Brown was only two bike lengths from Clark, when he went wide on the last corner, leaving Hammond's efforts being rewarded by a good 2nd place finish as he swooped under Brown.

Heat 3.

Casey Donholt and Aaron Hesmer were side by side for 1 lap with Rob Dixon following very closely, Donholt seemed to be having some problems and Dixon took full advantage and grabbed 2nd place, whilst Hesmer took off in front. Donholt suffered a flattening tire and fuel problems, and was unable to complete his first heat!

Heat 4:

Again, Bennett showed his dominance of the Division 2 class, and led for a good win with Moody and Chisholm following behind.

Heat 5:

Aaron Hesmer flew from the tapes and was looking unbeatable on the night, Glenn Brown suffered some mechanical problems, upon which Mike Hammond capitalized and took a good second place.

Heat 6:

A superb race ensued with Rob Dixon getting the better of Casey Donholt on lap 2, as they followed close behind a fast looking Dave Clark. Good clean racing was enjoyed by all!

Final: Division 2 - John Bennett was chased hard by Gary Moody and if not for a last lap error by Moody on turn 3, a great ending would have ensued, but the smooth and consistent Bennett enjoyed his checkered flag win, with Moody and Chisholm following close behind.

Sadly prior to the final of the Division 1 class, Canadian Champion Aaron Hesmer had entered into one of the flat track classes, he was very unfortunate as he became a victim of close contact racing, which left him face down in turn 2 following a restart from another resulting accident. Hesmer was injured in the crash, and has a suspected broken hand and a slight concussion from the impact. This left him hospital-bound and out of the final race of the night! Despite Hesmer's absence, Dixon, Clark, Hammond and Brown had a great battle. Dixon was pressing Clark for 3 laps hard as Hammond and Brown spread themselves apart behind them.

On lap 3 Dixon went out wide . and lost some valuable grip, which allowed American Dave Clark, to enjoy a great win on Canadian soil for the first time!

Rob Dixon has been riding in the top-flite of Canadian speedway for many years, and Saturday night his years of experience and efforts were rewarded with the top honors of the night being awarded to Rob, as he crossed the line to take his first main final checkered flag at the Welland Speedway event, creating a personal historic moment in his racing career. Having been a runner-up podium finisher on many occasions throughout his speedway career, Rob's night proved to be his best yet!

The night was poised under dark heavy clouds, with a lower than usual crowd due to the dodgy looking sky, the speedway class welcomed back Joe Heye to the Welland track for the first time in 2011. Confident and happy to be back, Heye showed his determination throughout the night to do well. He was joined by Mike "Sandvik Man" Hammond, John Bennett, Alan Chisholm, Glen Brown and Rob Dixon in a complete Division 1 classified class. The track was offering some challenges throughout the night to all the classes ridden, as it was very bumpy and had some nasty grooves appearing as the night progressed.

Heat 1: Heye, Hammond and Bennett took to the line, Heye and Hammond came out side by side, with Bennett close behind, but Heye showed his dominance in lap 2 and pulled away from Hammond and Bennett, to win well.

Heat 2: Dixon, Chisholm and Brown lined up and from the gate, they finished in this order.

Heat 3: Hammond, Bennett and Chisholm had a good race with "Sandvik Man" Hammond winning well!

Heat 4: A superb race ensued between Dixon and Heye with Glen Brown having the best seat in the house! Heye and Dixon were side by side for two laps, when Dixon lifted on bend 1 leaving Heye to pull away, but a determined Dixon reeled Heye in on lap 3, and the pressure was too much for Heye, and Dixon swooped under Heye to grab a great win!

Final: With Chisholm out of the qualification for the final event, the other five guys came out for the final race of the night. Gate positions were chosen with Bennett in 1, Hammond in 2, Brown in 3, Heye in 4 and Dixon in 5. Dixon missed the gate and Heye pulled ahead with Hammond alongside him, Dixon went in between them coming out of turn 2, and the three of them were close together coming into turn 3, when Heye hit a rut with his left foot , sending it under his bike causing the bike to career towards the boards and he crashed hard. The ambulance was called out, and Heye was treated for a badly sprained left ankle, leaving his return to Welland on a sour note!

Restart: Dixon benefited from Heye's gate being open and flew into the first bend with Hammond alongside him, shoulder to shoulder they bounced off each other in turn two, with Dixon driving hard to clear away from Hammond. Brown and Bennett enjoyed their own battle just behind the leaders giving two close races in one, as lap 3 came, the field spread out leaving Dixon to take his historic personal win as he crossed the line pumping the air in celebration!

Mike "Sandvik Man" Hammond enjoyed one of his best nights at the Welland Speedway track since joining the top-flite of racers.Joined by Rob Dixon, Glen Brown, Terry Rideout and John Bennett, the Division 1 class was set for some great close racing.

Heat 1:

Rob Dixon was toyed into a false start by Glen Brown and was penalized by a 15-yard start. The re-run saw Mike Hammond take a lead from the tapes, followed closely by Glen Brown and John Bennett, Terry Rideout missed the start and had left himself a hard job ahead! Dixon wound his way through the pack to finish a respectable bike length behind Hammond. Rideout too, fought hard and passed both Brown and Bennett to grab a good solid third spot, with John Bennett showing some great passing moves on Brown, to take 4th on the last lap.

Heat 2:

The roles reversed with Dixon gating ahead of Hammond to secure a good win, as Bennett once again fought hard to grab a well deserved 3rd place, Brown and Rideout kept the fans alive with some close bumping and grinding with Brown just pipping Rideout to the last turn!

Final:

A cracking final ensued with "Sandvik Man" Hammond taking the advantage of the drive line on the track, to get to first place ahead of the fast paced Dixon, Bennett was holding 3rd spot, but was taken underneath by Rideout and then Brown as he went wide and left the door open! Hammond and Dixon were level pegged with Dixon unable to get the gap closed, Rideout held 3rd spot, but the thriller was on the line as Bennett drove hard alongside Brown to grab his 4th place success!The Night saw the introduction of 15-year old Tommy Hensby to the Welland Speedway track. Joining him in the Divison 2 class was Alan Chisholm and Gary Moody.

Heat 1:

From the tapes Moody pulled ahead of Hensby and Chisholm, holding his position, won well with Hensby and Chisholm finishing in 2nd and 3rd.

Heat 2:

All three riders entered the first corner together, with Moody once again pulling away form Hensby on the second lap, who in turn pulled away from Chisholm as his confidence grew in his new surroundings.

Final:

The pick of the gate on the outside proved to be the downfall of Moody as they pulled up to start. The tapes rose and Moody flipped hard and careered down the track slamming backwards onto the track. Unable to restart, Tommy Hensby took off and led Alan Chisholm to the line, to enjoy his first win and the final win of his very successful initiation to the Welland Speedway track!

With an 11 rider turnout including USA rider Mike Buman, the field was set for the Welland Speedway Track Championship. The two Divisions were set with six Division 1 riders and five Division 2 riders. Division 1 riders: Mike Buman (USA) Terry Rideout, Rob Dixon, John Bennett, Glen Brown and Mike "Mr. Sandvik man" Hammond.

Division 2: Gary Moody, Scott Thompson, Tommy Hensby, Kristy Dulaj, and Allan Chisholm.

Round 1:

Heat 1: Division 2: Gary Moody looked good as he pulled well ahead to win well, ahead of Thompson, Dulaj, Hensby and Chisholm.

Heat 2: Division 1: After a three wide corner, Mike Hammond pulled away from hard charging Terry Rideout and John Bennett.

Heat 3: Division 1: Good hard race with Rob Dixon leading Mike Buman to the line with just a bike length win! Glen Brown looked smooth right behind them.

Round 2:

Heat 1: Division 2: Tommy Hensby in gate one got a flyer, held the lead until Gary Moody powered round him coming out of turn 2, Hensby pushed very hard and just missed out on a win on the run to the line! Kristy Dulaj and Scott Thompson had their own battle with Thompson pulling through for a third place finish. Allan Chisholm finished well.

Heat 2: Division 1: Roles reversed in the Buman and Dixon battle, with US rider Buman holding the line to fend off Dixon's many charges! Terry Rideout was not too far behind, just waiting for any opportunity to pounce had the two in front made any errors!

Heat 3: Division 1: From the gate, Mike Hammond, Glen Brown and John Bennett

Round 3:

Heat 1: Division 2: Scott Thompson took full advantage of Gary Moody's mechanical problems on lap four, the pressure for 3-1/2 laps was rewarded with a last corner pass to grab his first heat win of the night, Moody held the second place ahead of Kristy Dulaj, Tommy Hensby and Allan Chisholm.

Heat 2: Division 1: A superb race ensued with Terry Rideout passing Mike Hammond on lap 2 corner 2, close hard racing was enjoyed and witnessed by John Bennett right behind on third place. Heat 3:

Division 1: Every riders nightmare was seen in the heat, with Mike Buman, Rob Dixon and Glen Brown flying from the start, coming onto the first corner, Buman had a good line, but Dixon careered uncharactistically into Buman's back wheel forcing them both over the handlebars, Dixon landing on his back hard and Buman rolled along the track into the fence. Glen Brown showed his skills with the most perfect lay down seen on many years! Mike Buman was up but quite shaken, but Dixon was less fortunate and lay on the track for a while, Following treatment from the ambulance staff, he was transported to hospital with suspected broken ribs. The restart saw Buman go passed Brown on lap 2, to hold the win.

Final:

Division 2: With all five riders bunching in the first corner, Scott Thompson came ahead in front with Gary Moody chasing him hard, Kristy Dulaj grabbed third spot but had a hard time all race holding back Tommy Hensby as he pushed her, Allan Chisholm enjoyed his night as he finished in 5th . But the fun was all at the front, Thompson led for 3 laps, but Moody's determination was too much, and he managed a sweet pass and took the checkered flag, to become the Division 2 Welland Track Champion for 2011! This class was also privy to two extra awards of $100.00 each for the top two riders. Peter Lapp of Lapp Cycle and Parts Ltd. Gave two cheques for the $100.00 in reward for the efforts shown. Many thanks to him from us all for his very kind generosity!

Division 1:

All eyes were on the fast US Rider Mike Buman, but one man was to spoil Buman's night! Mike "Mr Sandvik Man" Hammond, gated like a rocket and held off Buman's push to the checkered flag, Terry Rideout was looking superb in third place right behind them when his chain came off on lap 3 leaving him to ride on the grass throwing down his bike in pure frustration! Glen Brown came through to take third place ahead of the ever popular rider John Bennett, to complete the final race of the night!

Congratulations to Mike Hammond for a solid performance and for being crowned the 2011 Welland Track Speedway Champion!

Another hot and humid day greeted the riders to the Welland Speedway track. With two Division in place the night of fun began!

Round 1 - Division 2

Heat 1: Kristy Dulaj launches off the start and takes a clean way into corner one. Gary Moody try's to stay up and battle Kristy for first but kristy slowly puts distance between them. Scott Thompson gets the feeling of the track and attempts to pass Gary Moody but eaves it too late! Allan Chisholm follows up close behind. Kristy makes her way proudly to the finish line first along with the others not far behind.

Division 1

Heat 2: A great take off from the line, as Mike Hammond makes his way to corner one first. Glen Brown stays close behind but just can't seem to catch him. on the last lap Mike Hammond struggles to keep his position as they go handle bar to handle bar into corner 3 with Glen Brown, but Hammond was too strong. John Bennett having a smooth ride on the track makes his way to try to beat Glen Brown at the line. A very close and exciting race!

Round 2 - Division 2

Heat 1: Allan Chisholm missed the start, leaving Kristy Dulaj in the lead into corner 1. Gary Moody almost passing Kristy on lap 2,but was in turn passed on lap 3 by Scott Thompson, Allan Chisholm back on the pace followed closely just can't quite catch Moody. Kristy Dulaj winning by a hair from both Thompson and Moody!

Division 1

Heat 2: From the tapes they race to corner one. John Bennett taking the lead and Mike Hammond chased hard. A steady race until Hammond catches Bennett in corner 3 of lap 2. Bennett falls back leaving Glen Brown to catch him and they have a great fight for the second place spot. Bennett taking it closely at the line from Brown.

FINALS

Division 2 Once again, Kristy Dulaj has a great start with Scott Thompson was right behind her. Handle bar to handle bar all the way around corner 1/2. They continue to race and Kristy holds on her place. Thompson passes her on lap two going into the back straight. Gary Moody trying everything he can, to get around Kristy Dulaj, while she in turn is pushing hard to get the lead back. Allan Chisholm was having a really strong ride behind the battle. Scott holds onto his position as they come around corner 4 for the checkered flag. Allan tries to catch Gary but takes the 4th place position.

Division 1

Tapes go up and Mike Hammond and Glen Brown fight to get to corner one first. Hammond pushing to make the distance. John Bennett chased hard right behind them. Mike Hammond took off and made a big distance, leaving Bennett and Brown to battle for second place. Glen Brown won the battle and took a good second place followed by John Bennett

Mike "Sandvik Man" Hammond began the night just a few points ahead of Glen Brown in the race for the National #1 plate, and after an emotional and dramatic night Mike Hammond qualified ahead of Brown to tale the #1 plate for 2011! Congratulations to him in this great feat in his short speedway career! Mike was joined by returning from injury riders Rob Dixon and Aaron Hesmer with Glen Brown, Terry Rideout, Gary Moody, John Bennett, Allan Chisholm, Bart Moskala and US rider Mike Buman joining in the fun!The practice session was marred with a nasty crash by Bart Moskala, coming into turn 2 Moskala was thrown over his handlebars on a very sticky and hard to ride track, and fell awkwardly landing on his right shoulder. he suffered a broken collar bone, two ribs and an arm injury.The planned heat schedules were revamped, to accommodate the absent Moskala and the night began!

Heat 1: Mike Hammond took the lead ahead of Rob Dixon, John Bennett, Allan Chisholm and Terry Rideout for the first lap, but on the very sticky track hammond was having troubles which left the door open for Dixon to take the lead into lap 2 and hold to the end. Hammond spent the rest of the race holding back Rideout as Bennett and Chisholm finished well.

Heat 2: Aaron Hesmer took the lead ahead of Mike Buman, as Glen Brown and Gary Moody spread out to the line.

Heat 3: A close race between Hesmer and Rob Dixon ensued with Hesmer took the win by a bike length! Glen Brown chased John Bennett and went passed him on lap 3 as Gary Moody followed in.

Heat 4: Mike Buman looked strong as he passed Mike hammond on lap 2, and led Hammond to the line. Terry Rideout pushed Hammond, but was unable to pass him, as Alan Chisholm held his own to the end.

The final event was cancelled due to bad crash in the youth flat track class, which pushed the event over the curfew hours. So With the points completed, Mike Hammond completes the season on top of the pile and takes the #1 plate!

The opening night at Welland Speedway prepped the crowd for another exciting season of speedway racing. With a reduced field of riders, Mike Hammond offered to step back into Division 2 to balance numbers and allow a smooth program to move forward.

The opening race with John Bennett, Gary Moody and Mike Hammond, left Hammond at the gate, and Bennett flew into a good lead to hold till the end, despite Moody losing some grip through turn 3 every lap, Hammond was unable to capitalize upon it. Division 1 riders, Rob Dixon, C.J. Hesmer, Terry Rideout, Aaron Hesmer and current Canadian Speedway Champion Jeff Orosz, took to the line. C.J. Hesmer took a flying lead into bend one and held it for the race. Behind him Orosz was battling to find the line to take advantage then disaster, Orosz mistook the flag on lap 3 as the final flag and slowed before rejoining the race to beat out Terry Rideout for a fourth place. Aaron Hesmer could not get passed a fast looking Rob Dixon, no matter what he tried! Round 2 saw Mike Hammond come back hard, and won the heat convincingly with Moody and Bennett left to battle it out behind him all race. Bennett passed Moody on lap 2, which left Moody to chase hard to the line, but it was not to be!

The Division 1 race was dominated by Jeff Orosz, forgetting his error in heat 1, he took a solid lead and never looked back. C. J. Hesmer was unable to get the momentum to catch Orosz's pace. The race was again between Aaron Hesmer and Rob Dixon, this time Hesmer held of a dodging and diving Dixon to gain a third place with Terry Rideout close behind.

The finals were set with John Bennett left spinning on the line, despite this he pushed Gary Moody all race, Mike Hammond left them both in his dust, proving that his move from Division 2 to Division 1 in 2010 is well-deserved!

With just minutes to the final race, Aaron Hesmer was working frantically with C.J. Hesmer and Terry Rideout to replace a sticking clutch, the teamwork paid off and Aaron was able to enter the race. The division 1 riders lined up with C.J. Hesmer on the inside gate, sadly for him his success in heat 1 was not repeated with Jeff Orosz and Aaron Hesmer out gated him into the first corner, and this left him stuck in third place for the whole race. Aaron Hesmer could do nothing to close the one bike length gap, no matter what he did, although he pushed hard, he could do nothing as Orosz completed his mission. Rod Dixon and Terry Rideout were also having their own battle behind with Dixon taking the fourth place at the line!

A great night of fast and entertaining speedway!

Welland speedway was poised to be a great night. With the weather forecasters getting it wrong in our favor, the night was humid and clear.

Jeff Orosz came ready to race, and with Tim Murray's bike as a back-up following his second bike being destroyed at Paris Speedway the previous night, Orosz did not disappoint!

For the first time in 2010, a full division 1 class was run with John Bennett and Gary Moody joining C.J. Hesmer, Rob Dixon, Gary Hesmer, Terry Rideout, Aaron Hesmer, Mike Hammond and Jeff Orosz in the racing class. Junior rider Tommy Hensby was also poised as chief pusher for most riders, which kept him fit on the night!

The first heat of the night, including Rideout, Moody, G. Hesmer, Bennett and Dixon was completely dominated by a fast Rob Dixon. He took a commanding lead and never looked back, but he now wishes he did, as one of the races of the night was building behind him. Gary hesmer took a solid second place with Terry Rideout behind him chasing like a cheetah after it's prey! Rideout pushed and pushed and coming out of turn four for the last time, he was side by side with Hesmer and grabbed the important second place by a tire width! While Bennett and Moody raced hard with Bennett grabbing 4th spot.

The second heat also had the fans gasping for air in another climatic finish. Orosz, A. Hesmer, C.J. Hesmer and Hammond came to the tapes and they all came out hard. C.J. Hesmer pushed to the front and led a hard charging Jeff Orosz for three laps, then on the last corner Orosz's push was just too much and he passed Hesmer coming onto the race to the line and took the checkered flag to win! Superb racing! Aaron Hesmer took a comfortable third ahead of Mike Hammond.

Round two saw more exciting action with Bennett, A. Hesmer, Dixon, Hammond and Rideout starting in heat 1. From the tapes it was close to end, with Aaron Hesmer holding back a fast and ever dangerous Rob Dixon, with Mike Hammond leading Terry Rideout for two laps, until Rideout outpaced Hammond into turn 3. Rideout then chased Dixon but it was not meant to be. Another C.J. Hesmer / Orosz battle ensued in heat 2, but this time Orosz was too strong and held the lead to the end. Gary Hesmer pulled of an amazing third place ahead of Gary Moody as his back tire came of the wheel at the start line, and he completed the race with a loose back tire! The finals were set, the Consi-Final with Gary Hesmer, Mike Hammond, Gary Moody and John Bennett was ready to go. The start was fast and hard and all four riders came in together with Gary Hesmer pulling ahead of Mike Hammond. Hammond pushed hard again and was catching Hesmer for three laps, but then lost some momentum to leave Gary Hesmer to get the important win! Both Bennett and Moody finishing in that order enjoyed their night riding with the top guns!

The air was thick with anticipation as the main final came into play. Jeff Orosz, C.J. Hesmer, Aaron Hesmer, Rob Dixon and Terry Rideout all came out after great personal performances to battle it out for the last time. From the tapes Orosz picked the line to hold C.J. Hesmer behind him to the tapes. But the action was behind them with Rob Dixon holding Aaron Hesmer for 3 laps, until Hesmer's traction took him passed on lap 3 to take a well deserved third place. Dixon then had to hold back Terry Rideout who really showed some new energy and confidence to take the final place of an amazing night of speedway!

With the absence of two riders due to injury, Gary Hesmer and John Bennett missed out on a great night of final heat racing.

The reduced field of Aaron Hesmer, Mike Hammond, Gary Moody, C.J. Hesmer, Rob Dixon, Terry Rideout and Jeff Orosz, had a mixed bag on the night as they attempted to gain control on a very grippy track.

The first heat with Hammond, C.J. Hesmer, Rideout and Dixon, saw Hammond get too much grip at the start and controlled a looping start really well. Hesmer took the lead for two laps before Dixon went round him to take the win on lap 2. Rideout pushed as hard as he could, but the track conditions would not allow him to get close to Hesmer! The combination of both Division 1 and 2 classs, gave Gary Moody another chance to shine in the limelight, and his first heat was a dream! He found himself slotted in between the current Canadian speedway champion Jeff Orosz, and former champion Aaron Hesmer. However, the race was very spread out as Orosz left Hesmer and Moody in his dust as they bounced and bobbed on the sticky surface.

Round 2 saw Rideout, Hammond, Aaron Hesmer and Dixon come to the line. Dixon got the start and led the hard charging Hesmer to the line to take his second win of the night. Rideout and Hammond both rode well, but did nothing to challenge each other. Gary Moody had Jeff Orosz and C.J. Hesmer this heat. He held his own and did a great job behind the winning Orosz and charging Hesmer. Final positions were decided on coin tosses with some riders being level on points after the two heat rounds. With these completed, the finals were set and what finals they were! The consi-final of two riders only, proved to be one of the major highlights of the complete night's racing! Mike Hammond and Gary Moody left the tapes side-by-side and stayed that way for the whole 4 laps, with both riders easing ahead by only half a wheel at a time. It was an amazing display of close racing by these two riders! The climax came at the line as Mike Hammond won by a tire! Simply amazing racing that had the crowd on its feet in gratitude on their cool down lap! The final race with C.J. Hesmer, Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer, Terry Rideout and Rob Dixon was poised to be a cracker. The track was getting better as the night went on and the last race proved what a difference it can make to the show! From the gate Rob Dixon got too much traction and lost his momentum to leave C.J. Hesmer gaining a slight lead coming into turn one, chased hard by Aaron Hesmer and Jeff Orosz. Orosz uncharacteristically lost control of his bike in turn 4 and was lucky to hang on, this left the Hesmer boys to battle it out with C.J. just hanging on to grab his first final win of the year! Dixon gained his composure and passed Rideout on lap 4 to get fourth place, but it was too late to gain any ground on third place Orosz.

Gordon Bennington missed his son Simon get onto his 1000cc speedway sidecar for the first time driving around the Welland track. The last visit of this spectacular machine Gordon was driving and Simon was the passenger! Speedway rider Terry Rideout jumped in to help Simon as his passenger and he did a great job. The crowd enjoyed a demonstration by Simon and Terry leaving them cheering and clapping to the roaring sounds of this machine blasting around the track. A great treat by all to end a great night!

Mike Hammond arrived to the Welland track on a lovely warm summer night, full of spirit for his love of speedway racing. His spirit and courage were shown to their fullest in his final heat race, as he took the lead ahead of a flying Jeff Orosz, Gary Hesmer and John Bennett. He kept his nerve to keep the ducking and diving Orosz off his back to take an historical first heat win in Division 1 racing at the Welland Track.

This was only one highlight of a great night of racing! The race schedule was set for an all Division 1 night, with the absence of Gary Moody with a fractured collar bone following his crash at Paris Speedway on Friday night, John Bennett was moved upward to ride with the 'big guns'! Glenn Brown made a welcomed return to the track after a short absence on his newly acquired Jawa, to join in the fun. Round one started with Rob Dixon being squeezed out in first corner bunching and he slid out into the fence. The referee correctly put all four riders back and Rob Dixon got a flyer against a fast Gary Hesmer. Mike Hammond and John Bennett were close behind battling it out when Hammond slid off on turn 3, he remounted and dramatically grabbed the third place off Bennett at the line, which proved to be another highlight for Hammond! In the next heat, Katalin Davis suffered some mechanical woes a continuation of the night before, and she retired for the night after just 2 laps. Jeff Orosz gated alongside Aaron and C.J. Hesmer, Orosz pulled away chased by the Hesmer boys, and both settled for their 2nd and 3rd spots respectively ahead of Glenn Brown. Round 2 saw that amazing feat by Mike Hammond and the second heat, saw C.J. Hesmer grab the lead in the first corner ahead of Aaron Hesmer. Rob Dixon and Glenn Brown were unable to to make any headway on the Hesmer lead.

The finals set up some good racing. With 4 riders all equal on points some coin-tosses were performed, and schedules were set. The Consi-Final with Gary Hesmer, Glenn Brown and John Bennett was led by Hesmer to the tapes despite a valiant effort by Brown to get within half a bike at the checkered flag!

With Aaron Hesmer having the last pick of the gates in the final, his concerns were very evident as he mounted his bike for the last time this night. He took the last inside gate position along side, Jeff Orosz, C.J. Hesmer, Rob Dixon and for the first time ever, Mike Hammond. The tapes flew and Aaron pushed hard and lots of elbows were flying into the first corner, and he gained that important first place and never looked back. If he had, he would have seen a great battle between Jeff Orosz and C.J. Hesmer ensuing as they battled for position. C.J. held the line as Orosz went inside and outside to try for the line to gain that important 2nd place, Orosz's work was rewarded coming up the inside of turn 2 on lap 3 and C.J. was left to commiserate on the 3rd spot. Rob Dixon missed the start and was penalized for this in a 4th spot, just ahead of the great looking Hammond! A two-night win for Aaron Hesmer who once again showed that he really is a top class rider, when his back is against the wall!

With the Canadian Speedway Championship event just a week away, the anticipation of this event was evident in the pit conversations and the riders, in their preparations of their bikes.

The event saw a welcomed return to Terry Rideout was back from a short well-deserved vacation. He was joined by Mike Hammond, C.J. Hesmer, John Bennett, Jeff Orosz, Gary Hesmer, Glenn Brown, Aaron Hesmer and Rob Dixon to complete in a single class of Division 1 racing. Round one, began with Brown, Rideout, Dixon, C.J. Hesmer and Hammond taking to the line. C.J. Hesmer took the line and held it to lead the way in front of a charging Hammond, sadly Hammond's over zealous attempt led to a slide out on turn 2, but he was able to remount and complete the race. With Hesmer leading, Rob Dixon pushed hard but was unable to catch him, leaving Glenn Brown to finish in 3rd and Rideout in 4th .

Heat two had Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer, John Bennett and Gary Hesmer to entertain the crowd. This they did with a from the tapes, with win for Orosz ahead of Aaron Hesmer, Gary Hesmer and John Bennett in that order. Round two, saw Mike Hammond sensibly riding in front of a great battle between Terry Rideout and Glenn Brown. Brown was leading Rideout for 3 laps, but was unable to hold back a ‘Gollob' style sweep by Rideout to gain the 4 th spot. Aaron Hesmer comfortably held back Orosz the grab the win. Heat 2 with Rob Dixon, C.J. Hesmer, Gary Hesmer and John Bennett took centre stage for a great race. Dixon charged hard to get to the corner first, but Hesmer was too much as they came onto the back straight, this gave Dixon a real push and they duelled all race, but Hesmer kept his head and took the win. Gary Hesmer well ahead of a well-paced Bennett suffered a last bend mechanical woe to coast over the line, but still grabbed the important 3 rd place. As in previous weeks, coin tosses in the pits were in place for gate positions in the finals, and they all worked out well for the winning riders. The Consi-Final with Glenn Brown, Mike Hammond, Terry Rideout and John Bennett ensued to be a solid win for the returning Rideout, Hammond again having problems on the turn 3 into 4, slid out twice and was lapped by Bennett to end a miserable night for himself. Glenn Brown also showed that his 2 nd outing of the season was a good one with a solid 2 nd place finish.

The final was set, as a maybe final for the Championship next week. Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer, Rob Dixon, Gary Hesmer and C.J. Hesmer. The crowd took a big breath as the tapes rose to see Aaron Hesmer shoot to the front ahead of Jeff Orosz, C.J Hesmer, Rob Dixon and Gary Hesmer. The evenly spaced race proved to be just that, and congratulations are in order to Aaron Hesmer for a second week of success at the Welland Speedway track!

The 2010 Canadian Speedway Championship looked doomed for cancellation just 2 hours before the event started. A severe thunderstorm had been hovering around the southern Ontario area spread for many miles wide. But with very strong winds prevailing, the storms avoided the Welland Speedway track, and the event formally went full steam ahead! With a field of 14 riders from Canada and the USA, the night was set to be a good one.

The field of riders listed in finishing order of the night is shown below:

With addition show action including the very welcomed return to the Welland track of the ATV class, the little P50 and the P65 guys, and Simon Bennington's 1000cc Speedway sidecar, the night was set for action. The night began on a bad note however, local St. Catharines rider and father of professional rider Kyle Legault, Freddie, was involved in a nasty incident in his first race of the night.As he was making a hard passing move on Glenn Brown in turn 3, his chain came of an literally threw him over the handlebars, sliding into the fence, leaving Terry Rideout to superbly lay the bike down to avoid Fred, but the bike careered into the stricken Legault. After a lengthy delay, the reports of an upper left broken arm were confirmed by the ambulance officials, as well as, their concern for the impact from Rideout's bike, which hit him in the back of the head area. They sensibly took their time and he was taken to the local hospital for more treatment.

Most of the heat races were processional due to the mix of the program with upper and lower skilled rider competing together. This all changed as the night entered the final rounds. Ironically the top contenders all met each other later in the program and this led to some get close and fast racing, enjoyed by the large enthusiast crowd. One of the best heat races was Rob Dixon's closing of the door on Aaron Hesmer in turn 1. His delight of holding the hard charging Hesmer behind him, which was very evident as he crossed the line to take the checkered flag! American rider Mike Buman, used the night to gain maximum experience of the clay surface. He was very spectacular in his control of some anxious looking slides as the bike gained unexpected grip, as he went passed many riders. A great entertaining display from the very talented young rider!

Terry Rideout had a very up and down night literally, his demise of corner 4 was felt twice and he crashed hard into the safety fence after Mike Hammond went wide, pushing his front wheel into the engine. The crowd cheered him on as he got up and attempted to push the bike over for the important points, but the wheel was too far back and he literally threw the bike down in disgust, once realizing that all was in vain! After some frantic work by his fellow riders and pit crew, the front end was straightened and only for him to slide out again on the same corner in the next race. This time he was up and the bike was ok! The return to the Welland track for Doug Beaumont and Americans Greg Starcevic and Mark Engel saw them a little shaky, but they did a commendable job and their efforts were well appreciated by all involved.

The final race was poised, based upon total points tallied and gate picks, we were set. Aaron Hesmer, Jeff Orosz, Rob Dixon, C.J. Hesmer and Mike Buman lined up to the tapes with much anticipation. From the gate they flew into corner 1 with elbows banging, Aaron Hesmer, C.J. Hesmer and Jeff Orosz were 3 abreast, and something had to give! Orosz slid out into the safety fence and the race was stopped. All five riders were bought back to the line and the second attempt was ready. Again the Hesmer boys and Orosz were neck and neck with Buman and Dixon only inches away. Aaron Hesmer pulled out of turn 2 ahead and never looked back, despite Orosz's last lap pushed, Hesmer crossed the line punching the air and nodding his head, to complete the very well deserved crown of 2010 Canadian Speedway Champion!

A good selection of speedway riders were poised to battle it out, at the final "Fall Classic" event at the Welland Speedway track on Saturday night!

The riders including one from the USA were; Mike Buman (USA) Jeff Orosz, C.J. Hesmer, Aaron Hesmer, Gary Moody, Terry Rideout, Rob Dixon, Mike Hammond and Glenn Brown. They all did a fabulous job and a great night of racing ensued! Mike Hammond, Glenn Brown, Gary Moody, Aaron Hesmer and Mike Buman lined up at the tapes for first heat, Aaron Hesmer got a great start and led into corner 1 with Mike Buman losing valuable space behind, this left Mike Hammond and Glenn Brown a great opportunity to capitalize upon this and get past, but Buman fought hard to get back past Brown on lap 2 and then hunt down Hammond on lap 3, unfortunately the fast looking Buman was unable to reel in the ever impressive Aaron Hesmer, who took a good win!

Heat 2 saw Terry Rideout, Rob Dixon, Jeff Orosz and C.J. Hesmer begin their battle. Coming into turn one Jeff Orosz was leading when Rob Dixon slid out and was narrowly missed by Terry Rideout! The restart saw C.J. Hesmer hold off many charges from a fired up Orosz to gain the win, Both Dixon and Rideout were evenly paced and finished in that order. Round 2 started with Orosz, Dixon, Moody, Aaron Hesmer, and Brown in the first heat. Aaron Hesmer got a great start, but was chased hard by Brown, Dixon and Orosz, with Orosz getting the better of them all on lap 2 to hold off Hesmer to the checkered flag. Both Dixon and Brown worked hard against each other, with Dixon finishing ahead of Brown and Moody. Hammond, Rideout, C.J. Hesmer and Buman began heat 2 with a huge 30-foot wheelie from the gate by Mike Hammond. C.J. Hesmer chased Buman for 4 laps but was unsuccessful in his bid to win the heat! Then the fun really began! With 4 riders all equal on points and qualification to the final event set, but with positional places being discussed, a 2-lap run-off between Hammond and Dixon was needed to see who would be elected into the 5 th and final spot of the main final. Again Hammond pulled a long wheelie to lose ground, and Dixon won well to take the important place in the final. The Consi-Final including Hammond, Brown, Rideout and Moody began with Brown taking a good lead into turn 1 and he never looked back, he looked fast and in control the whole race! Terry Rideout tried too hard to catch Mike Hammond and on turn 3, lap 3, he hooked up and lost his speed leaving Hammond to grab 2 nd spot, from Rideout and Moody.

With the point's tally being equal and qualification positions being unfair, it was decided to draw from a hat the gate positions for the final heat. Firstly Aaron Hesmer chose gate 4, Jeff Orosz, gate 1, Mike Buman, gate 5, C.J. Hesmer, gate 2 and Rob Dixon, gate 3. The tapes flew and Jeff Orosz bumped with C.J. Hesmer who in turn lifted going into turn 1 losing traction and position. Aaron Hesmer dropped right behind Orosz, but was unable to catch him to the checkered flag! Mike Buman went passed C.J. Hesmer and fought tooth and nail with Rob Dixon in a great battle. Sadly for the American rider, Dixon was just too quick on the racing line and he grabbed the important third place, leaving Buman to take fourth and C.J. Hesmer fifth, to finalized the places.

With the Canadian Speedway season now complete, the Canadian Speedway Racing Association would like to sincerely each and everyone of the riders, for their passion and contribution to some superb racing at all tracks throughout the 2010 racing campaign, and we look forward to a great new year in 2011!

A beautiful night welcomed the opening event at the Welland Speedway. All the classes of Flat Track, Junior and Speedway entertained the bumper crowd.

The Canadian Speedway Racing Association took full control of the speedway program and it was a huge success!

The night began with 9 Division 1 and 5 Division 2 riders. The First race presented by the Division 2 riders, Mike Hammond, Tim Murray, Gary Moody, John Bennett and Allan Chisholm was a great opener. Tim Murray grabbed a commanding lead from the tapes and led for 2 laps, until a hard charging Mike Hammond took the lead to leave Tim Murray, to battle it out with John Bennett to a close finish with Gary Moody, leaving Allan Chisholm following up the rear. The first round of the 2 Division 1 heats began with Joe Heye, C.J. Hesmer, Gary Hesmer, Aaron Hesmer and Terry Rideout respectively gating in this order. C.J. Hesmer flew from gate 2 to take the lead and leave the others to battle it out. Unfortunately for Aaron Hesmer, turn 3 caught him out and he slid out and remounted to finish in last place. Joe Heye finished second with Terry Rideout and Gary Hesmer close behind! The second round saw Fred Legault, Jeff Orosz, Glen Brown and Rob Dixon take to the track. Jeff Orosz, who always looks sharp at Welland, took a commanding lead from the tapes. Behind him, the battle between Rob Dixon and Fred Legault was the attraction with them side by side for 2 laps, eventually leaving Rob Dixon to pass Fred Legault on turn 3, to grab a comfortable second place. Glen Brown seemed to be underpowered and finished in last place. Round 2, gave the fans something to talk about! The Division 2 guys gave a great race; Mike Hammond flew away leaving Tim Murray holding back an aggressive Gary Moody, behind a comfortable 2nd placed John Bennett. Tim Murray made a big mistake on lap 3 and Gary Moody was ready and flew passed him to gain a well-deserved 3 rd place. Allan Chisholm who was off the pace finished last. Gary Hesmer, C.J.Hesmer, Terry Rideout and Jeff Orosz began their second Division 1 round. Again Jeff Orosz was flying and left C.J. Hesmer and cousin Gary Hesmer to fight it out! Terry Rideout did a fantastic job of keeping the race interesting by mixing himself into the duel! The outcome though, was a second place for C.J. Hesmer, third for Gary Hesmer and a fourth for Terry Rideout.

The second Division 1 race proved to be a crowd attention grabber! Fred Legault, Aaron Hesmer, Joe Heye, Rob Dixon, and Glen Brown all took off neck and neck into turn 1, Aaron Hesmer held his line from gate 2 and pulled away, but Fred Legault and Joe Heye clashed and fell in corner 2 leaving Rob Dixon to lay down his machine in fantastic fashion. He is the master of this, and it was superb to see this manoeuvre performed perfectly reducing any problems! Glen Brown also was able to avoid any contact!

The restart with all 5 riders to the line was finished from the tapes with Aaron Hesmer taking a good win ahead of Joe Heye, Fred Legault, Rob Dixon and Glen Brown respectively! The final events also produced so great racing. The Division 2 final was completely dominated by Mike Hammond who looked very calm and composed to win ahead of John Bennett, Tim Murray, Gary Moody and Glen Brown. The Division 1 B-Main was a cracker! Gary Hesmer led from the tapes, but Rob Dixon would not give up as he spent four laps right on Gary Hesmer's shoulder right to the line! Terry Rideout and Glen Brown had a good battle for the 3 rd place until Glen Brown was forced to retire with mechanical problems.

The A-Main final was delayed due to the ambulance being utilized following a previous huge flat track crash. Following a patient transfer to the regular ambulance, Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer, C. J. Hesmer, Joe Heye and Fred Legault rolled up to the line. C.J. Hesmer and Jeff Orosz were side by side for nearly a lap until Jeff Orosz took off and led to the final flag! Aaron Hesmer pushed really hard from third place to keep Terry Rideout behind him, while Fred Legault pushed Terry Rideout to the end. Aaron Hesmer pushed C.J. Hesmer to the line, but he was unable to get the required drive off the last corner to make the final successful move!

A superb night of speedway racing, which left the crowd definitely wanting to come back next week!

A bumper crowd enjoyed a spetacular night of thrills and spills from all aspects of the racing at Welland.

With another solid field of speedway riders from both Division 1 and Division 2; the night was poised to be a good one!

The night began with our Division 2 riders, Tim Murray, Mike Hammond, Gary Moody, Allan Chisholm and John Bennett taking to the track. Tim Murray took a commanding lead from the gate leaving John Bennett and Mike Hammond to battle it out for 2 nd place. Gary Moody joined into the fun as the race progressed and kept Mike Hammond busy! The result ended with Tim Murray, John Bennett, Mike Hammond, Gary Moody and Allan Chisholm finishing in this order.

The first Division 1 race with Aaron Hesmer, C.J. Hesmer, Fred Legault and Terry Rideout positioned in this order at the gate. C.J. Hesmer took a good lead ahead of Fred Legault with Aaron Hesmer and Terry Rideout off the pace, coming into the 3 rd Terry Rideout slid out and the race was stopped. On the restart. Aaron Hesmer pushed ahead of C.J. Hesmer to lead to a win from the tapes. The 2nd Division 1 race was worthy of any race of world-class standards! Jeff Orosz, Joe Heye, Rob Dixon and Gary Hesmer lined up and all flew from the tapes. Jeff Orosz gained the first corner but was being pushed hard by Joe Heye. The battle behind them from Rob Dixon and Gary Hesmer was as entertaining as the duel in front of them. The crowd enjoyed 2 races in one with Rob Dixon taking 3 laps to push his way past Gary Hesmer to grab 3rd place. In front of him, a battle of skill and track knowledge was being played out with Joe Heye all over Jeff Orosz for all 4 laps. The most exciting conclusion to the race was the final run to line, with Joe Heye grabbing the win by less than half a wheel! Superb racing by all these riders!

Round 2 began with the Division 2 riders Tim Murray, Mike Hammond, Gary Moody, Allan Chisholm and John Bennett lining up to give another good display of speedway racing. Mike Hammond in gate 4 took a commanding lead for the whole race, which left Tim Murray to push John Bennett for 2 laps, then passing him on lap 3, but with John Bennett pushing hard, Tim Murray went of the racing line and both John Bennett and Gary Moody raced past leaving Tim to capture 4th spot ahead of Allan Chisholm.

Division 1 with Jeff Orosz, C.J. Hesmer, Aaron Hesmer and Fred Legault proved to be the normal race of the night with them all finishing in this order from the tapes. Joe Heye, Gary Hesmer, Terry Rideout and Rob Dixon began their final heat race with Joe Heye flying ahead of the others. With them all pushing hard, Terry Rideout was pushing too hard and once again, slid out to stop the race.

The restart allowed Terry Rideout to capitalize upon the 10-yard penalty, by charging after both Gary Hesmer and Rob Dixon; he managed to split them on lap 2 but was unable to get to the flying Joe Heye. The Finals were sadly dampened by two bad crashes in the same race. The Division 2 final was poised to be a good one. Tim Murray took off from gate one like a rocket into turn 1 with Mike Hammond in hard pursuit. Sadly for Tim Murray, Mike Hammond's momentum was too hard and he hit Tim Murray's back wheel in full turn, throwing Tim Murray into the air in spectacular fashion leaving him crashing down on his right leg. The immediate diagnosis was that he may have broken his knee or leg, but we are awaiting the final report. Kyle Legault was first to assist in the care for Tim Murray trackside, himself recovering from a broken leg injury. The delay was long to allow the ambulance to care to Tim. The race restart with Mike Hammond 10 yards back was going really well with Mike Hammond getting into a good race with Gary Moody, but then disaster happened, Gary Moody came out of corner 4 hard and lost the race line at the start/finish line and smashed hard into the boards and safety fence, amazingly, Mike Hammond who was literally right behind him, raced between the fallen Moody and the fence to avoid another collision. Gary Moody proved that safety equipment is essential to the safety of the riders, and after some medical treatment, stood up and waved to the crowd. His crash helmet however, didn't come off so well as it was spilt nearly in half! John Bennett was awarded the well-deserved win as 3 laps had been completed.

The B-Main Division 1 final was between Fred Legault, Rob Dixon and Terry Rideout. From the tapes Fred Legault took the lead ahead of Rob Dixon, who pushed Fred Legault to the line, great race between these two racers! Terry Rideout sadly had mechanical problems and coasted home. The main final was again run late in the night and the riders were keen to get racing!

Jeff Orosz, Joe Heye, Aaron Hesmer, C.J. Hesmer and Gary Hesmer all lined up for the; last race of the night! Jeff Orosz took gate 1 and flew ahead of the pack being chased hard by Joe Heye, C.J. Hesmer kept on the pace until Aaron Hesmer passed him on lap 2, thus leaving a finish and win for Jeff Orosz for the second week in succession.

The weather gods were on the racing side with a beautiful sunny warm night at Welland Speedway. A 12-man schedule was in place, to once again produce a world-class night of speedway racing.

The night began with the Division 2 riders, John Bennett, Mike Hammond, Allan Chisholm and Gary Moody, back after a complete bike rebuilt following his bad crash in the previous event! The race was won from the tapes in a processional race with John Bennett holding off Mike Hammond, Gary Moody and Allan Chisholm. Division 1 had 8 riders on the schedule and they were split into two 4 man heats.

Heat 1 saw Joe Heye, Fred Legault, Gary Hesmer and Terry Rideout take to the tapes. From the gate Fred Legault took a good lead out of turn 2 ahead of Gary Hesmer, Joe Heye started to pushed Gary Hesmer and on lap 2 went past Hesmer on the back straight and reeled a fast paced Fred Legault to beat him on the line! Terry Rideout looked off the pace until the last lap, where his last ditch effort to pass Gary Hesmer was unsuccessful. The second Division 1 race saw Aaron Hesmer, C.J. Hesmer, Rob Dixon and Jeff Orosz start another heat. This race was from the tapes as Jeff Orosz, C.J. Hesmer, Aaron Hesmer and Rob Dixon finished in this order.

Round 2 began with the Division 2 guys racing to another from the tapes race with John Bennett claiming his second win of the night, with Mike Hammond, Gary Moody and Allan Chisholm finishing behind him. Division 1 round 2 was a heat of two races in one. Jeff Orosz spent the race holding off Aaron Hesmer to gain the win, while Terry Rideout pushed Fred Legault all race to unsuccessfully finish in 4th place. Joe Heye took a commanding lead in his second round heat, ahead of C.J. Hesmer. Rob Dixon took 3 laps to get past Gary Hesmer to grab 3 rd place. Excellent racing from all the guys! The final races produced the best of the night!

The Divivon 2 final was all John Bennett until Mike Hammond passed John Bennett on lap 3, turn 3. John Bennett went slightly of line and a hard charging Mike Hammond went under Bennett to take a good win. Gary Moody and Allan Chisholm followe up the rear.

The crowd was excited for the Division 1 finals, but little did they know of the class they would see! A three-man 'B' Main saw Rob Dixon, Gary Hesmer and Terry Rideout take to the tapes. Rob Dixon got a flyer into turn 1 ahead of Gary Hesmer and Terry Rideout. On lap 3 Gary Hesmer charged past Rob Dixon to grab a well-deserved lead, leaving Dixon to fend off Terry Rideout for second place, he did everything in his power to hold him back, but on corner 3 of the last lap, Rideout passed Dixon to grab second place. A race worthy of any audience appreciation, superb!

The main event was drawn with Jeff Orosz and Joe Heye both tied on points and wins on the night. A toss of the coin decided the first gate pick and Orosz was successful. Aaron Hesmer, C.J. Hesmer and Fred Legault joined the party! From the tapes, Jeff Orosz took the lead with Aaron Hesmer breathing hard on his right shoulder, Joe Heye was off the pace from the front runners, but had his own battle holding C.J. Hesmer and Fred Legault behind him! The tension was building as Aaron Hesmer closed closer and closer to Jeff Orosz and on the final bend, Hesmer proved too much and pulled out of corner 4 ahead of Orosz to take a superb win! Superb racing and worthy of the standing ovation received from the crowd!

Another warm summer's night welcomed a good-sized crowd to the mid season race at Welland speedway.

The night began with a field of 11 riders in both Division 1 and Division 2. Sadly Terry Rideout was forced out of the night's event due to re-injuring himself at the Paris Speedway event the previous night, and John Bennett was also holding an injury that would force him out of the racing after his first heat.

The Division 2 class began the night with Mike Hammond, John Bennett, Allan Chisholm and Gary Moody all ready to go. Mike Hammond who was still pumped up from last weekends success, pulled away from the pack and led to a good win, sadly though, John Bennett's courageous attempt to hold 2 nd place was short lived, as Gary Moody grabbed this on lap 3 and Allan Chisholm followed in closely to complete the race.

The Division 1 first round heat saw Aaron Hesmer, Joe Heye, Rob Dixon and Gary Hesmer come to the tapes. During the practice session Joe Heye and Aaron Hesmer had a coming together leaving Joe Heye on the floor, so we were expecting some fireworks from the race between these two, but this was not to be, as Aaron Hesmer, Gary Hesmer and Joe Heye all spread out after corner 1, Rob Dixon nursing a newly re-built engine followed up the rear at this point. Dixon pushed hard on lap 3 to grab third place off Gary Hesmer, while cousin Aaron Hesmer took a good chequered flag win! C.J. Hesmer, Fred Legault and Jeff Orosz presented the second heat of the Division 1 racing. The race was dominated by Jeff Orosz to take the win, but behind him Legault and Hesmer duelled all race, to duck and dive under and around each other, with Hesmer coming out on top on lap 4, going under Legault to take a well-deserved second place!

Round 2 saw John Bennett withdraw from the event leaving Mike Hammond, Gary Moody and Allan Chisholm to race the Division 2 heat, with them finishing from the gate in this order. Drama was seen at the start of the Division 1 second round, as Jeff Orosz's clutch seized at the line, leaving him to grab his back-up bike to start the heat. He left the gate ahead of Aaron and Gary Hesmer, Aaron Hesmer pushed Jeff Orosz all race, but Orosz was too strong on his back-up bike to pass! The race of the night was presented in the second Division 1 heat. Fred Legault, Joe Heye, C.J. Hesmer and Rob Dixon. Dixon got a flying first corner only to be passed by the pack coming out of turn 2, the pack of Hesmer, Heye and Legault were three abreast going into turn 3 and without incident, Legault took the lead ahead of Heye and Dixon manoeuvred passed Hesmer, the race proceeded with Fred Legault battling to hold off Joe Heye and Rob Dixon duplicating this with C.J. Hesmer. Joe Heye's hard charging was too much for Fred Legault and on lap 2, Heye passed on the back straight. Dixon went out of shape on lap 4 and Hesmer passed him on turn 3 to complete a fantastic race! The final events were poised to be crackers, and they did not disappoint the crowd! Mike Hammond once again, defended his reign of the Division 2 racing night, by completing a good solid performance from the tapes, as Allan Chisholm proved his worth by taking a well-deserved second place ahead of a determined Gary Moody.

A consolation race-off between Gary Hesmer and Rob Dixon took place, with Rob Dixon's newly rebuilt engine finally coming into full power mode, and he performed a nice display of bike control and speed for the crowd ahead of Gary Hesmer.

The main 'A' final saw Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer, C.J. Hesmer, Fred Legault and Joe Heye draw for gate positions. Orosz won the first pick and his gate proved to be the winning one! Out of the tapes Aaron Hesmer pushed Jeff Orosz as Joe Heye pushed Aaron Hesmer, a close race between these three was spoiled when Aaron Hesmer's chain came off on lap 3 leaving him to coast to a stop. Joe Heye grabbed that second place spot with Fred Legault in third and C.J. Hesmer in fourth.

A good night of racing enjoyed by all, and we look forward to the next Welland Speedway event on July 18th , which is the 2009 Canadian Speedway Championship. The 2008 event was forcibly cancelled due to rain, but the question will be, can the 2007 Champion Aaron Hesmer retain his title? Watch this space and you will find out!

With the weather threatening to spoil hours before the Canadian Speedway Championship, the memories of 2008 were looming that a cancellation may happen again, but the winds changed and the blue skies appeared as well as a capacity crowd, to enjoy a superb night of speedway racing at the Welland speedway track. A full 16-man rider turnout provided some exhilarating racing and pure excitement, which ended with a newly crowned Canadian Speedway Champion for 2009!

The European GP format was used for the first time in this Championship, due to the reduced number of riders. Riders in attendance Aaron Hesmer Rob Dixon John Bennett Gary Moody Jeff Orosz Gary Hesmer Bart Moskala C. J. Hesmer Glenn Brown Allan Chisholm Fred Legault Terry Rideout Bobby Muszynski Mike Hammond Doug Beaumont Joe Heye

Full Race Report

Round 1 - Heat 1 . Line-up: Rob Dixon - Aaron Hesmer - Jeff Orosz - C. J. Hesmer Jeff Orosz took a good lead from the tapes ahead of C. J. Hesmer who felt the heat from Aaron Hesmer all race, Rob Dixon was close on the heels of Aaron Hesmer until he went out of shape on lap 3 and the pack pulled away. Result - Jeff Orosz - Aaron Hesmer - C. J. Hesmer - Rob Dixon

Round 1 - Heat 2. Line-up: Bobby Muszynski - Gary Hesmer - Fred Legault - Joe Heye B obby Muszynski got a flyer out of gate 4 with Joe Heye hard under him into turn 1. Gary Hesmer pushed hard ahead of Fred Legault, The race was in two, Muszynski fought of a hard pressing Heye and Hesmer was pushed by Legault all race, until Legault went out of shape on turn 4 during lap 3 and Hesmer retained a comfortable 3 rd place. Result - Bobby Muszynski - Joe Heye - Gary Hesmer - Fred Legault

Round 1 - Heat 3 Line-up: Glenn Brown - Terry Rideout - Allan Chisholm - Gary Moody From the gate, Terry Rideout grabbed his first win of the season at Welland ahead of Glenn Brown, with Allan Chisholm and Gary Moody following up the rear. Result - Terry Rideout - Glenn Brown - Allan Chisholm - Gary Moody

Round 1 - Heat 4 Line-up: John Bennett - Mike Hammond - Bart Moskala - Doug Beaumont The race was dominated by a fast looking Mike Hammond ahead of John Bennett, the returning to racing Doug Beaumont and Bart Moskala both were off the pace, with Moskala having some bike problems. Result - Mike Hammond - John Bennett - Doug Beaumont - Bart Moskala

Round 2 - Heat 1 Line-up: Jeff Orosz - Mike Hammond - Gary Hesmer - Glenn Brown The start was a cracker with Jeff Orosz being forced tight into corner one by both Gary Hesmer and Glenn Brown, Orosz pushed back hard and drove in bike hard under both riders and pulled ahead coming into corner 3. Mike Hammond enjoyed the view from the rear of Glenn Brown chasing hard at Gary Hesmer. Result - Jeff Orosz - Gary Hesmer - Glenn Brown - Mike Hammond

Round 2 - Heat 2 Line-up: Aaron Hesmer - Joe Heye - Bart Moskala - Allan Chisholm Allan Chisholm was a non-starter with technical problems leaving Aaron Hesmer to chase Joe Heye from the tapes. Bart Moskala's mechanical woes sadly continued. Result - Joe Heye - Aaron Hesmer - Bart Moskala - Allan Chisholm (DNS)

Round 2 - Heat 3 Line-up: C.J.Hesmer - Doug Beaumont - Fred Legault - Gary Moody A good race with C. J. Hesmer taking a lead from the tapes ahead of a hard charging Fred Legault, Legault's persistence was rewarded with a pass on Hesmer on lap 2 to take the lead with Gary Moody duplicating the move by passing Doug Beaumont on lap 3. Result-– Fred Legault - C. J. Hesmer - Gary Moody - Doug Beaumont

Round 2 - Heat 4 Line-up: Bobby Muszynski - Terry Rideout - Rob Dixon - John Bennett Both Rob Dixon and Bobby Muszynski hit the first bend side by side, they tussled hard with Bobby Muszynski taking the lead. Terry Rideout pushed Rob Dixon hard to get 2nd place but even with Dixon getting out of shape on the last bend, Rideout was unable to gain the ground. John Bennett followed up the rear. Result - Bobby Muszynski - Rob Dixon - Terry Rideout - John Bennett

Round 3 - Heat 1 Line-up: Joe Heye - Bobby Muszynski - Jeff Orosz - Gary Moody A fast race with Jeff Orosz grabbing the lead out of turn 2 with Bobby Muszynski alongside Joe Heye going into turn 3, Heye pulled ahead leaving Moody to follow the pack to the end. Result - Jeff Orosz - Joe Heye - Bobby Muszynski - Gary Moody

Round 3 - Heat 2 Line-up: Aaron Hesmer - John Bennett - Doug Beaumont - Gary Hesmer From the tapes, Aaron Hesmer gained control and lead the way. Result - Aaron Hesmer - Gary Hesmer - John Bennett - Doug Beaumont

Round 3 - Heat 3 Line-up: C. J. Hesmer - Bart Moskala - Glenn Brown - Terry Rideout Terry Rideout again proved his status amongst the top guns by leading the way for 3 laps ahead of C. J. Hesmer, who had escaped the grips of Glenn Brown. Hesmer led the last lap with Moskala again proving that bike mechanical problems can be very frustrating! Result - C. J. Hesmer - Terry Rideout - Glenn Brown - Bart Moskala

Round 3 - Heat 4 Line-up: Rob Dixon - Fred Legault - Mike Hammond - Allan Chisholm Allan Chisholm came to the line and his bike died, so with him sidelined, Mike Hammond had the ride of his life, he led Fred Legault and Rob Dixon for 1 lap, until the pace of Legault and Dixon was too much and they passed him on the beginning of lap 2. Fred Legault did a good job of holding back Rob Dixon to end a great race! Result- Fred Legault - Rob Dixon - Mike Hammond - Allan Chisholm (DNS)

Round 4- Heat 1 Line-up: John Bennett - Jeff Orosz - Bart Moskala - Fred Legault Fred Legault held off Jeff Orosz in turn 1 and 2 only to see Orosz pull away on the back straight. Orosz was displaying a Champion performance as he once again produced a picture perfect win! Result - Jeff Orosz - Fred Legault - John Bennett - Bart Moskala

Round 4 - Heat 2 Line-up: Aaron Hesmer - Terry Rideout - Mike Hammond - Gary Moody Another 2-race heat, Aaron Hesmer held back a good-looking Terry Rideout while Mike Hammond and Gary Moody duplicated the same race behind. A good race for the fans! Result - Aaron Hesmer - Terry Rideout - Mike Hammond - Gary Moody

Round 4 - Heat 3 Line-up: Bobby Muszynski - C. J. Hesmer - Allan Chisholm - Gary Hesmer A super race between 3 good riders, was spoiled when disaster happen on lap 3. Bobby Muszynski had been running hard with C. J. Hesmer for 2 laps while holding off Gary Hesmer, when his clutch exploded mid turn in corner 1-2. Bobby Muszynski did well to control the bike as it weaved and wobbled to a stop with him in agony as the parts had hit his leg with tremendous force. After a ride back to pits on the back of C.J.Hesmer's bike, he was left nursing a badly bruised calf muscle! Up to that point, this was a superb race with C. J. Hesmer showing great Champion form! Result - C. J. Hesmer - Gary Hesmer - Bobby Muszynski (DNF) - Allan Chisholm (DNS)

Round 4 - Heat 4 Line-up: Terry Rideout - Jeff Orosz - Doug Beaumont - Allan Chisholm From the gate Result - Jeff Orosz - Terry Rideout - Doug Beaumont - Allan Chisholm (DNS)

Round 5 - Heat 1 Line-up: Terry Rideout - Jeff Orosz - Doug Beaumont - Allan Chisholm From the gate Result - Jeff Orosz - Terry Rideout - Doug Beaumont - Allan Chisholm (DNS)

Round 5 - Heat 2 Line-up: Aaron Hesmer - Glenn Brown - Fred Legault - Bobby Muszynski A closely matched race with Aaron Hesmer holding his own as he kept back Fred Legault and Glenn Brown behind him. Result - Aaron Hesmer - Fred Legault - Glenn Brown - Bobby Muszynski (DNS)

Round 5 - Heat 3 Line-up: John Bennett - Mike Hammond - C. J. Hesmer - Joe Heye Again, Mike Hammond showed that his level is rising fast with a good race with C. J. Hesmer and Joe Heye. Result - C. J. Hesmer - Joe Heye - Mike Hammond - John Bennett

Round 5 - Heat 4 Line-up: Gary Hesmer - Rob Dixon - Gary Moody - Bart Moskala The closest finish was left to the Hesmer/Dixon show for another spectacular push by Rob Dixon. The two riders continue to try and outrace each other all season right to the final flag! Gary Hesmer took the lead form the tapes with Rob Dixon pushing hard all races. The final corner push by Dixon left the crowd breathless as Hesmer dashed his last gasp attempt by half a wheel! Great racing! Result – Gary Hesmer – Rob Dixon – Gary Moody - Bart Moskala With the points fully tallied, the semi-finals were ready to go with the first two riders moving forward into the final race. Semi Final - 1 Line-up: Jeff Orosz - Aaron Hesmer - Fred Legault - Gary Hesmer Defending Champion Aaron Hesmer grabbed a lead from Jeff Orosz to the tapes, leaving these two to enter the final heat. Result - Aaron Hesmer - Jeff Orosz - Fred Legault (OUT) - Gary Hesmer (OUT)

Semi Final - 2 Line-up: C. J. Hesmer - Joe Heye - Terry Rideout - Rob Dixon Joe Heye pushed a hard charging C.J.Hesmer as Terry Rideout passed Rob Dixon on lap 3, then disaster for Joe Heye on lap for coming onto turn 1, his chain flies off and lies steaming in the night on the track, as he is passed by Terry Rideout to grab that dream final place! Result - C. J. Hesmer - Terry Rideout - Rob Dixon (OUT) - Joe Heye (DNF) (OUT) The final to be decided on points. was poised to be a great race.

Points into the final: Jeff Orosz - 17 C.J.Hesmer - 16 Aaron Hesmer - 15 Terry Rideout - 13

Canadian Speedway Championship Final Line-up: C. J. Hesmer - Aaron Hesmer - Jeff Orosz - Terry Rideout.

The tapes rose to defending Champion Aaron Hesmer pushing Jeff Orosz hard to the inside, but sadly for Hesmer it was not hard enough to allow Orosz the opportunity to grab the lead. C. J. Hesmer was struggling to get the power down as he defended his third place to Terry Rideout. The race from Aaron Hesmer to duck and dive using every inch of the track was commendable and nothing short of heroic to defend his title, but it was not to be, as Jeff Orosz flew over the final line leading the points scores for the night and becoming the 2009 Canadian Speedway Champion to piggyback on the title he won in 1997 - Congratulations to Jeff Orosz for a great job done!

Result - Jeff Orosz - Aaron Hesmer - C. J. Hesmer - Terry Rideout

The final speedway event at the Welland County Motorcycle Club event was a huge success!

The addition of two new riders allowed Mike Hammond to join Aaron Hesmer, C.J. Hesmer, Terry Rideout, Fred Legault, Rob Dixon, Joe Heye and Jeff Orosz in the Division 1 class.

Allan Chisholm was joined in Division 2 by Jim Carver a top moto-x rider and flat track specialist Scott Thompson to try their skills in speedway racing!

The night began with Jim Carver unable to get the borrowed bike started. Despite having it running pre-race, it just wouldn't go! This left both Allan Chisholm and Scott Thompson to battle it with Thompson getting his first win! Round 1 of the Division 1 heats saw Fred Legault dominated from the tapes. Behind him Terry Rideout and Joe Heye battled for 3 laps until Heye passed on turn 2 to take second place. Mike Hammond was on the pace well until he slid out on lap 3, remounted and finished well! The next heat saw the season long battle continue between Jeff Orosz and Aaron Hesmer. C.J. Hesmer and Rob Dixon joined in the fun as Orosz took a good solid lead ahead of the two Hesmer boys who fought for all 4 laps in a race of their own! Dixon followed very closely behind to complete the field. Round 2 in Division 2 saw all three riders start the race. Scott Thompson took the lead as Allan Chisholm followed. Jim Carver's inexperience of speedway clutch starts, led to him trail for the heat.

The Division 1 heat was won from the gate. Jeff Orosz took the first turn and never looked back! Joe heye pushed C.J. Hesmer but was unsuccessful in his attempts to grab second place. Terry Rideout also pushed Heye, but all too late to make an impact! Round two for Aaron Hesmer brought good fortune, he dominated the field of Rob Dixon, Fred Legault and Mike Hammond.

The final races of the night bought some excitement for the fans! The Division 2 final, again saw Chisholm, Thompson and Carver at the line. Scott Thompson again flew to grab the lead, with Allan Chisholm chewing at his heels, Jim carver was having some bike troubles and fell awkwardly in turn 4 on lap 2 but was able to get up and with sportsman like class, allow the race to continue. Thompson looked to have control of the race until turn 3 of lap 3, when he got his leg caught in the wheel and began a high speed wheel wobble, amazingly he maintained control but this allowed Allan Chisholm to take his first Divisional win for 2009! The Division 1 consi was run with Rob Dixon, Mike Hammond and Terry Rideout. Rideout took the lead from the tapes and Dixon paced himself well to grab a good solid pass on lap 3 on the back straight, Ron Dixon maintained his pace to take a well =deserved checkered flag! Also a worthy note must be mentioned of Mike Hammond's attempt to assist the cause and race with the 'top guns', he really showed that his riding level has risen to the level required to continue his racing in 2010 against these guys!

The main 'A' Final was set with a five man race. Aaron Hesmer, C.J. Hesmer, Fred Legault, Jeff Orosz and Joe Heye all took their place at the tapes to fly into turn 1 with Jeff Orosz pulling away from the pack and he never looked back to see the Hesmer boys at it again! This time Aaron proved too much and took the second place away from C.J. Joe Heye tried to gain pace on C.J. but to no avail, settling for a fourth place with Fred Legault disappointing finishing in fifth place.

A great night and the class of riding was fitting of the standards that have been set for 2009! Good job done by all!

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 6: 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

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

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

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. 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 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

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

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

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

The Welland motorcyle clubs' season opener was blessed with perfect racing conditions.

Seven Divison 1 and 4 Divison 2 riders enjoyed an accident free race night. Until, unbeaten, Jeff Orosz slid off in turn one of the final and was placed back on the 10 yard line for the restart. John Kehoe was untroubled in the restart and led from start to finish to take the D1 final win with Aaron Hesmer, Joe Heye, Jeff Orosz and Rob Dixon following him home. Fred Legault and Gary Hesmer both failed to make the D1 final.

John Bennett, Tim Murray, Terry Rideout and Al Chisholm completed the field, all riding in D2.

On a night that started quite windy and cloudy, turned into a still perfect night for racing. With a field of nine Division 1 riders and four Division 2 riders, the program format allowed for some great racing. Speedway has the terms, thrills, chills and spills and at Welland we had them all!

The Divison 2 riders started the program and with Tim Murray keeping up his magnificent starting record going. Out of the gate like a light he took a good lead into the third turn, where Terry Rideout took over the control of the race and never looked back! In their second race, Tim once again exploded off the line only to have Terry do the same thing and take the race. But the race of this heat was John Bennett's continued push to get pass a very fast Tim Murray, but as is so often in speedway racing, he need 1 more lap to get by!

Heat 1 of the Division 1 riders saw the first spill of the night. Off the line, Joe Heye was along side John Kehoe, into the first bend Joe pushed in front of John, leaving John to hook up leaving Rob Dixon nowhere to go but into John. He went down hard and Chris Hesmer did a good job of avoiding a major accident! Upon the restart, Joe and John were again side by side, but an ignited Kehoe opened up the throttle and took and held a good lead from a battling Heye.

The second heat between Aaron Hesmer, Gary Hesmer, Marc Gauthier and Jeff Orosz was also a cracker behind the leader. Jeff Orosz took a commanding lead and left Aaron to be chased by Gary and Marc, Marc spent the whole race so close to Gary that he could have smelt the rubber off his back wheel. Gary did a great job in holding Marc back - good racing!

Round 2 of the Division 1 heats saw Jeff Orosz and Drew Kehoe up against the Hesmer boys - They all got a good start and Jeff once again pulled away to leave the Hesmer's to duel with Drew. Gary Hesmer pulled a rabbit out of his hat and kept a bobbing Aaron right behind him to take a great 2nd place. The second heat was also spectacular - Again John Kehoe was still fired up and he got in front of Marc Gauthier, Joe Heye and Rob Dixon. Marc took a good 2nd place for 2 laps but a hard charging Joe went passed him as he went wide as did Rob. Marc didn't give up the fight though and was all over Rob as he tried to get passed Joe. A well received cheer was granted by the crowd at the checkered flag!

The B-Main Final provided the crowd with some exciting events. The track had become very slippery and the previous races of the flat-trackers had seen a few spills. With an absent Chris Hesmer due to ignition problems, Drew Kehoe decided enough was enough and that he would show what he was made of! Drew had the best gate of the year and pulled into a good 1st place, with Rob Dixon going past him on bend 3-4, he pulled out slightly and Marc Gauthier took them both, Marc going into 1st place. On lap 3 Rob Dixon was flat out coming into corner 1 when uncharacteristically, Rob's back wheel went out from under him leaving Rob to tumble awkwardly across the track. Following a few minutes to get his breath back - Rob got up and pushed his bike back to the pits, the race was called complete, crowning Marc Gauthier the winner.

The Division 2 final was the crowd's highlight of the night! - Once again Tim Murray blew his opponents, John Bennett, Terry Rideout and Allan Chisholm away at the start! On the 3-4 bend of the first lap Terry Rideout slide out trying to pass John Bennett and the race was stopped. With a few minutes delay, Terry got his bike back together and restarted 10 yards back. Upon the restart, Tim again was ahead and John Bennett was in second, Terry Rideout charged passed John and was a man on a mission, but this mission became a bad one for him, he went under Tim Murray thinking Tim would move out, but Tim holding his line bounced off Terry on bend 2 and Terry ended up face-first into the hay bales. Rising to see and feel his left hand hurting and his bike looking worse for wear - Terry walked back into the pits. So for the 3rd time the race was started for a 2 lap race. John Bennett for the first time this year beat Tim out of the gate, and looked certain to win, but Tim charged and took John on the last bend to win the night! Great racing!

The Main Division 1 race was poised to be good with John Kehoe, Joe Heye, Aaron Hesmer, Gary Hesmer and Jeff Orosz taking their places at the tapes. Jeff Orosz flew out of the gate and took a firm winning lead over John Kehoe and left Aaron and Gary to chase Joe Heye to the checkered flag. A good night of racing that leaves some great expectations for the Championship race in 2 weeks!

On a nice comfortable cool night at Welland Speedway, John Bennett was the star of the show! John saw a frustrated Chris Hesmer push his bike off the track after 2 laps of practice, with the return of his nightmare mechanical gremlins! Without question, John jumped up to the plate and offered the use of his second bike to Chris - In minutes they were stripping this down and getting it prepared with Chris's set-up ready for the night's action. John himself also received the biggest cheer of the night from an enthusiastic crowd after falling twice on the same corner. As John stayed upright on his 3rd attempt to restart the race, the crowd cheered loudly to his success! John also made some great moves to come from a 15 yard penalty to a good second place finish.

With Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer and Marc Gauthier riding in Quebec at the St. Alexis Canadian Championship Round, the field looked to be slim, but with the return of Drew Kehoe, and the addition of Casey Donholt from the US,. the event was a close match for all. The heats started with division 2 riders battling it out. US rider Dee Holden looped at the gate and fellow rider Casey Donholt ran out with his bike to allow this young lady to have another go! With this restart and John Bennett's two falls, it took four starts to get Terry Rideout his first win of the night.

Division 1 was split into 7 riders, Joe Heye, Rob Dixon, Casey Donholt, Gary Hesmer, Chris Hesmer, John and Drew Kehoe. Gary Hesmer came focused and determined to win - his first heat gave the competition something too see! He got his lead and defended perfectly from the charging pack! The second heat saw another disappointment for Chris Hesmer. Just as he was coming to the start line the clutch assembly came loose and he had no control, so he was forced to sit and watch John Kehoe beat Casey Donholt. Not allowing this to phase him, Chris came out in his next heat and showed why he is a threat at Welland, with a superb win.

The Division 2 night was all Terry Rideout. Terry showing that his grit and determination will make him a very popular and solid rider. In the second heat, he nearly became a victim of a racing accident, when Dee Holden's primary chain snapped mid-way through turn one, Terry was challenging side by side and Dee did very well to control a wobbling bike and avoid Terry! Terry did however, cruise along all night and took the final checkered flag in the final! In the second round of Divison 1 racing, Joe Heye also took a good lead in front of a dueling Rob Dixon and Gary Hesmer, to gain a slot in the final group.

After the two heats, we had a points tie between, Rob Dixon, Casey Donholt and Chris Hesmer - This allowed for a run-off to see which 2 would join John Kehoe, Joe Heye and Gary Hesmer in the final. This run-off was all Chris Hesmer, cool and smooth, he held Rob and Casey behind to take the win and put himself and Rob into the final.

The Final was a cracker! - With John Kehoe leaving a big long black tire line on the inside gate and Gary Hesmer also suffering from this tire spin too, this left Chris Hesmer and Joe Heye, to push all the way around the track, with the others pushing hard to catch them.

But in fine style, Chris Hesmer aboard John Bennett's loaner bike took the checkered flag and with great gesture, gave John a trip aboard the bike on his lap of honor! Another great Welland show!

Aaron Hesmer lifts the Crown! Welland's logo of 'Thrills - Chills - Spills' were perfectly aligned with the stars this night!

A great night of speedway racing was presented to a very large enthusiastic crowd, giving them lots of things to discuss on the way home!

With a good solid field of 20 riders ranging from California, US to St, Cuthbert, Quebec, the cast was set for the night. Mark Engel - Rob Dixon - Gary Hesmer - Chris Hesmer - Aaron Hesmer - John Bennett - Terry Rideout - Allan Chisholm - Nick Fafard - Fred Legault - Shawn McConnell - Josh Carr - Mike Buman - Casey Donholt - Katalin Davis - Tim Murray - John Dmytrow - Cole Farewell -Joe Heye - Jeff Orosz At 5:00pm, local boy - John "Crash" Dmytrow arrived at the gate with a spare bike in case anyone needed it.

fter some discussion of riders being held at the border from the US, Crash signed up and said he would ride. He stated that he hasn't ridden in a long while and will take it easy - yeah right! - John won every single start he was in!!! His reflexes were great and he put on a superb show for the crowd - We would like to say thanks to "Crash" for his very kind help in balancing the night's program and for giving the crowd something to cheer for in their home town!

The night began with the first race being temporarily suspended due to an over watered track being deemed unsafe - a few riders were not happy with their safety concerns and so the track was dried and packed. The first selection of heats were all close in their racing and the track still caught a few out, which included Jeff Orosz who usually looks very composed at Welland having to settle for 3rd place in one heat.

Nick Fafard was on hand to show his great skill. Sadly for Nick, he was leading a race well when his chain came flying off mid-turn and he kept it upright very well. He returned in his next race aboard Tim Murray's bike and took a huge lead to give the crowd a race to remember, in true Nick style he was waving to the crowd and finished the race doing the infamous wheelie across the line!

Shawn McConnell from California put on some great racing. With his Mickey Mouse ears on his helmet, he ensured that they flapped in the winning air a few times to keep the crowd on their feet! A pure showman and we thank him for making the long trip to Canada! As the heats progressed so did the tension, the racing was fast and furious. Joe Heye was a man on a mission and took some very good leads. but sadly went too hard into turn 3-4 and lost control, this caused Fred Legault to lay his bike down and end up in the safety barrier. The heat was called complete as it was on the last turn, but it was a sad end to the heat for both Joe and Fred as they had been doing so well.

Chris Hesmer and Katalin Davis also produced the 'Spill' part of the program. Chris was coming hard out of turn 4 when his back wheel suddenly went out of control and on the front straight he twisted badly and fell, his bike launching across the open track leaving Katalin David nowhere to go! She hit the bike head-on and was left to dramatically tumble down the track. With a broken helmet and some bumps and bruises, both she and Chris were back up their feet after a visit from the St. John's Ambulance. Katalin withdrew from the program for the night, and Chris took part on his back-up bike to re-start the heat and finish the night of racing.

Rob Dixon who has been working hard to get his engine tuning right, did so! He took to the track and produced some amazing heats with a new attitude to go with the newly tuned engine. He looked very cool and controlled against some very strong opposition and proved that he is a rider who is still a big threat around the Welland! track! The semi-finals were set, and the riders came out to gain their place in the much desired grand final. Aaron Hesmer took his lead and did just what he had to do to ensure his place in the final, Terry Rideout riding for the first time this year against the top guys was holding his own against Gary Hesmer but suddenly he lost some traction and almost put gary through the boards, Gary's quick reactions saved the day and he went onward without any further incident.

Joe Heye also went to the front in the second semifinal. He held his line and won ahead of a battling Shawn McConnell. The final 5 were poised to go! Aaron Hesmer, Shawn McConnell, Jeff Orosz, Joe Heye and Casey Donholt enjoyed their introductions from Wes Pierce, and took to their bikes for the last time - The points totals were all in Aaron Hesmer's hands, all he had to do was finish the race and he would take the title! The tapes went up and Aaron Hesmer took to the front ahead of Jeff Orosz, Casy Donholt, Shawn McConnell and Joe Heye.

The race was for 2nd and 3rd, Casey was all over Jeff who did a great job to keep the US youngster from grabbing second place from him. But the man who needed only to finish the race did so in-style. He crossed the finish line with fist pumping in the air putting behind him the bad memories of his chain failure while chasing Kyle Legault last year, to lift the coveted crown as the 2007 Canadian Speedway Champion!!!

Saturday night was the final event at Welland Speedway for 2007, and the riders let the crowd see why speedway racing is the most thrilling sport in the world!

A 14 man/lady line-up rose to the occasion, and from the get-go gave their all! The first heat saw John "Crash" Dymtrow in a fiery mood to take a good lead in front of John Bennett, John did an excellent job in keeping Tim Murray and Terry Rideout from passing him! Their second heat was a cracker, "Crash" was pushed to his limit by Terry Rideout, Terry did everything in his powers to get by "Crash" but just couldn't do it! The final for the Division 2 riders was full of fun, Tim Murray came out of the gate like a rocket, he held the lead up to lap 2 until Terry Rideout went flying past on the back straight, then "Crash" took Tim on the next bend with Tim's bike suddenly lacking power, John Bennett and Allan Chisholm also passed Tim to take 3rd and 4th place respectively. Tim coasted home in last place with a sad sounding engine! Congratulations to Terry Rideout for the winning this final event and continuing on in a great way, in his rookie year at Welland! Division 1 riders, Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer, Gary Hesmer, Joe Heye, John Kehoe, Drew Kehoe, Rob Dixon, Katalin Davis and Fred Legault, did a superb job in their own show this night!

Heat 1 action saw Gary Hesmer have a great start, he took the lead ahead of Aaron Hesmer, but lost this to Aaron on lap 1, then he lost power and was unexpectedly left to chase Rob Dixon, Joe Heye and Fred Legault! He found out after the heat, that he had lost power from his rear tire coming off the rim!!!!!

Heat 2 was a cracker, John Kehoe and Jeff Orosz were side by side from the start and battled like this all the way round lap 1, but on lap 2 Jeff took the lead holding it to the end. Round 2 saw Katalin Davis suffer another Welland misery, on the start of lap 2, Drew Kehoe was passing Katalin Davis when Katalin on Tim Murray's bike suddenly went into an aggressive speed-wobble and landed face first on bend 1-2. She arose feeling a bit shaky and withdrew from the night! The re-run was superb!!!! Gary Hesmer, Rob Dixon and John Kehoe were side by side for 2 laps at which point Rob Dixon took the lead leaving John Kehoe and Gary Hesmer to battle the second position, John Kehoe having none of this pushed passed Gary into second and launched toward Rob and on a last lap gasp, he threw himself alongside Rob and beat him on the line by a wheel!!! Brilliant racing!!!!!!!!! The next heat saw Aaron Hesmer having to pull a rabbit out of hat! Jeff Orosz, Joe Heye, Aaron Hesmer and Fred Legault were all having a great race when Fred suffered a mechanical problem and pulled off the track, leaving Aaron to blast past the leading Joe Heye on lap 3, Joe did a great solid job of holding back a "Jumping" Jeff Orosz! The B Final was between, Drew Kehoe, Gary Hesmer and Fred Legault. From the gate Drew Kehoe took a comfortable lead ahead of Fred legault to win comfortably!

The main Final event saw Aaron Hesmer, John Kehoe, Jeff Orosz, Rob Dixon and Joe Heye take to the stage! Aaron Hesmer took the lead for lap one, he was closely followed by hard chasing John Kehoe, Joe Heye and Rob Dixon, sadly Joe Heye dropped back after being taken by John Kehoe as Jeff went by Rob, Jeff took Aaron in hand and took the lead on lap 2 on the back straight, leaving Rob Dixon to chase down Aaron, this he did on the start of lap 4 to hold a good second place!

Congratulations to Jeff Orosz for adding another great win to his Welland results and to all the riders for providing a great season at Welland Speedway. The CSRA run races for 2007 have proven to be very successful and thanks to Karen Hanshaw for her dedication throughout the season!

With a huge full crowd, the event looked to be a funfilled night. The weather was perfect with the clouds clearing a few hours prior to the start of the night, which gave the track time to dry out.

A great turnout once again to the Welland track by all riders classes, gave the night that extra special Fall Classic feel. With Katalin Davis up from the States, George Lavender on Doug Beaumonts bike and Trevor Farrington making his Welland debut, good things were to come. Heat 1.  George Lavender, John Bennett and Trevor Farrington came out first. John Bennett took a huge lead and won well.

Heat 2.  Katalin Davis, Terry Rideout, Tim Murray and Alan Chisholm took to the track. Katalin Davis took an early lead and was not challenged. She did however have a scary moment coming over the line in a bad front wheel wobble! Heat 3. John Kehoe, Rob Dixon, Drew Kehoe and Philip Small - Drew Kehoe went down while in second place on the first bend, got back up and continued but was looking as if he damaged his machine. Rob Dixon had a ride of his life, fast cool and composed to beat John Kehoe well.

Heat 4. Aaron Hesmer, Fred Legault, Jeff Orosz and Chris Hesmer . Back to the big track for Chris Hesmer, but not a winning one. Aaron Hesmer took the lead and on turn 2 Jeff Orosz powered his way under Aaron to take the lead. Aaron took a final lap run at Jeff and the crossed the line with Jeff winning by a wheel!!! Brilliant racing!

Heat 5. Tim Murray, Katalin Davis, George Lavender - Katalin had a bad start, she missed the launch, but made up for it by chasing both the boys down hard. Tim Murray wasn't going to let this lady through as he battled to hold track position. But on the 3rd lap she got by him and away she went to win well.

Heat 6. Terry Rideout, John Bennett, Trevor Farrington and Alan Chisholm - Terry Rideout took a good lead to keep John Bennett back behind him, but John's knowledge and speed was a factor that helped him pass Terry and win well.

Heat 7. John Kehoe, Chris Hesmer, Rob Dixon and Fred Legault - Chris Hesmer and Rob Dixon left both Fred Legault and John Kehoe at the line, they powered away from these two guys and had a good race. Chris won well.

Heat 8. Jeff Orosz, Aaron Hesmer, Drew Kehoe and Philip Small - The start was held by the referee a long time? Once they were away, Drew took no time passing Philip Small, but was unable to catch the hard charging Jeff Orosz and Aaron Hesmer. Jeff took a good lead to the end.

D1 Consi. Philip Small, Fred Legault and Drew Kehoe - Fred had a cracking start and pulled away from Drew Kehoe, Drew chased him hard and passed Fred on turn 3, lap 2. Philip Small smelling that Fred was not going as fast later in the race shot at him on the last bend only to lose by a bike length. D2 Consi. John Bennett, Alan Chisholm, Katalin Davis, Terry Rideout, Tim Murray and George Lavender - They all lined up at the tapes in pea thick fog! from the stands we could only see the main straight!!! Tim Murray decided that it was unsafe for him and withdrew. The race began and appearing out of the fog came John Bennett in the lead in front of Terry Rideout, on the second lap Katalin Davis had passed them when they reappeared to take the lead. This she kept unchallenged to the end!

D1 Final. Aaron Hesmer, John Kehoe, Rod Dixon, Jeff Orosz and Chris Hesmer - All lined up on a fog free track??? The fog had come and gone just as quick! Aaron Hesmer got a bad start and was last leaving the gate, the bunch went into turn one all together, but coming out of turn 2, John Kehoe grabbed traction and veered violently upward and careered into the hay bales and fence. He was down for a few minutes and got up to find his bike beaten and bent. His Father got Drew Kehoe's bike for John to take another go at it. Unfortunately John had to start 15 yards back on a bike that is not set-up for him, so his win was looking in jeopardy. They restarted and Jeff Orosz and Aaron Hesmer took the front, Aaron's Brother Chris was having none of this and passed him on lap 2, he was chasing a flying Jeff Orosz hard. On the last corner he was close enough to have a last gasp run, but his engine blew and cost him this come back win!

Twenty years after they staged the first one in 1984, the Welland club had the usual packed house for their annual Speedway Nationals.

With four of last year's top six finishers missing this time around the overall quality of theCanadians in the field was down from last year. Fortunately this was also the secondround of the 2004 Blendzall sponsored ECSS and this attracted a number of top Americans riders to add spice to the program. When it was all over the fans went home happy relishing both both the memory of a fantastic final race that alone was worth the price of admission and a hugely popular result as localyoungster Kyle Legault held off a strong American challenge to retain his title.

For the second year in a row, by the time the riders came out for the final race, the title was going to go to either Legault or American Craig Estelle. Last year they were tied on points but this year Legault had a single point advantage. However this meant little, as any tie in the final standings would be broken bythe result of the last race. Legault chose the outside gate, Estelle the inside one and it was Legault who had the advantage as they reached the first turn and Estelle was left with a lot of work to do as Parsons found the drive to get around him to take second as they emerged from turn two. With the crowd cheering Legault on to the title Parsons turned it into a race to be remembered. He was close coming out of turn four and with Legault having the inside line covered, spent the rest of the race trying to find the extra drive to get around him, not an east thing to do at Welland. As they crossed the line at the end of lap two he was only a length behind and another powerful burst around turn four cut this even more as they started the final lap. It looked as if Legault would hold on for the win but having come close twice Parsons got it just right at the third attempt and found that little bit of extra drive to get around his rival and scorch over the line for a narrow win. An absolutely fabulous race to end the night and one which earned him a well deserved checkered flag ride to receive the crowd's applause before Legault then took his as the meeting winner.

Behind them, almost unnoticed by the crowd, John Kehoe picked off Estelle for third place but fourth was still enough for the latter to take second overallone point ahead of Parsons. Kehoe finished two points further back with young Brian Hollenbeck in fifth place for his best result yet in Canada.

The track was a little too tacky in the earlier heats and took rather longer than usual to come around. This caused some problems for the D2 riders taking part and the racing in some of the earlier heats suffered as a result. Action in the first round went pretty much to form apart from veteran 'Hot Dog' Fred Legault who rode for the first time this season and showed that he can still race with the best when he parlayed a good start to a win ahead of Hollenbeck and a subdued Aaron Hesmer.

The first meeting of the top riders came at the end of the second round and (Kyle) Legault showed he was ready to defend his title with a comfortable win. Behind him Estelle took second and Kehoe overtook Parsons for the vital third place that kept him in the top scorers race for round three. American Alex Heath, on his first visit to Welland, endeared himself to the fans in the next round. A spirited full throttle ride had him comfortably ahead on the final lap only to lose his chain between turns three and four. He coasted as far as he could then jumped off to try to push it home only to be passed by the other riders no more than twenty yards from the tapes. He got a good hand from the crowd for his effort. Parsons kept his hopes alive with a 1-2 finish with Aaron Hesmer before the top scorers were back on the track. Another win for Legault saw him open up a three point lead over both Kehoe who came second and third placed Estelle.

Heath, Dixon and Hollenbeck notched wins in round four before the fast guys hit the track again. This time it was the Americans in control with Parsons getting the win from Estelle while behind them Legault dove inside Kehoe on the third lap to take third place. This proved to be a very important point as it kept him one point ahead and eventually allowed him his choice of starting position in the final race.

There were no surprises in the semis, just good fast action with Estelle and Parsons entertaining the crowd by going shoulder to shoulder down the front straight before the former pulled ahead for the win. As it turned out the extra point earned here proved to be the margin that separated them for second place at the end of the night. Then came the final to bring the curtain down. Apart from top four, two riders at the opposite ends of their career caught the eye. Young Brian Hollenbeck rode impressively throughout the meeting and fully earned his fifth place finish. It was also a gutsy effort. He had a hard spill midway through the night when he looped at the start.

Although he finished last in the restart of that race he did not let it affect him and came back to win his next heat. He is definitely one to watch for in the future. At the other end of the spectrum is the 'Hot Dog" himself, Fred Legault, who came out of retirement to ride when needed because of injuries to several riders. He showed he hasn't forgotten the fast way around the Welland track and rode well all night to the delight of his many fans. A pillion ride on son Kyle's victory lap was the icing on the cake for an enjoyable night for him. Another rider to catch the eye was Alex Heath. Were it not for two mechanical failures he would have doubled his score. He is a character as he proved when he won his final race and then did his cool down lap at full throttle and waved to the referee as he zoomed bye. Let's hope he comes back next year to entertain us.

Unfortunately the wet weather which caused last week's season opener to be cancelled was still a factor this week.  The ground had still not dried out and the result was a very heavy, extremely tacky track which was ok for the flat-track and ATV  classes but was completely unsuitable for speedway.  The result was a meeting best forgotten, with the track being so  tacky that it was hardly possible to get the bike sideways through the turns so that most riders had to resort to a semi-flat track style of riding. This produced a series of processional races with the riders usually well spread out.   Exciting it wasn't!                                   

All three D2 races were similar with Lee Charland and Phil Small well ahead of John Bennett and the only pass was in the second race when Charland was able to catch and pass Small.                                   
The action in Division 1 was a bit better but offered little entertainment.Heat 1:  The riders were well spread out with Kyle Legault leading Nick Fafard only to come to a halt on the third lap when he blew the motor on the bike he bought in the UK to race in the U-21 championship.

Heat 2:  Just how difficult the track conditions were became clear when John Kehoe, bothered by a sore shoulder,  zipped from the gate and emerged from turn two with a comfortable lead, only to pull to the inside of the track on the back straight, let the other riders pass him and then simply coasted around to complete his four laps.  Joe Heye took the win ahead of Aaron Hesmer but the riders were far apart. 

Heat 3: Drew Kehoe led from the gate and took the win.  Joe Heye slowed on the final lap with his engine misfiring and Rob Dixon caught and passed him for second place on the run to the line.

Heat 4: Best race of the night with Kyle Legault, on his dad's bike, chasing race leader Nick Fafard for all four laps. However the track simply did not allow for safe racing and his efforts got him into and out of trouble more than once during the race and showed why John Kehoe opted again to cruise around and settle for a most uncharacteristic fourth place finish.

FINAL: The result was a most unusual line-up for the final with neither of the Legaults or John Kehoe qualifying.  Nick Fafard led from the first turn and ran away from the rest of the field to win by a wide margin.  Behind him Drew Kehoe passed Joe Heye to earn his best finish yet.                                   
Congratulations go to the riders for doing their best on a very difficult track but in the end probably only Nick Fafard and Drew Kehoe can take much satisfaction from the night.   Fafard rode well and had to be pleased with his first main event  win at Welland while Drew Kehoe handled the conditions extremely well and appears to be much improved from last year.                                   

However it was an expensive and unhappy night for Kyle Legault with the destruction of his motor while it wasn't much of a night  for Andy Delimat who made the long trip from his Wisconsin home to ride here for the first time since he broke his leg here several years ago only to find such a difficult track and to make things worse miss his first ride due to bike problems.

A good track and an excellent crowd for what was originally planned as the final night of the season.  It started off in an unusual way with a wedding ceremony taking place on the track before the start of racing.   Quite a change from last week's Nationals field as there were only eight riders on hand this week.

Racing in the heats was fairly pedestrian but the final changed all that with an exciting three man four lap battle that would have been a fitting climax to the season were it the last race as originally intended. Heat 1:  Jeff Orosz was first to the turn and won comfortably.  Behind him John Kehoe got past Aaron Hesmer on the first lap and finished second although Hesmer was not far behind at the end.                                    
Heat 2:  Kyle Legault was an easy winner with the field well spread out behind him.                                      
Heat 3:  Ragged start with some riders moving before the  tapes went up and Rob Dixon left far behind.  Legault had a rather easy win with the action focused on the race for second place.  Kehoe went around the outside of Hesmer on turns three four on the second lap and completed the pass on the front straight to clinch his place in the final.                                   

Heat 4:   John Bennett went down at turn two on the first lap and finished a long slide in the hay bales.  He received treatment for an ankle injury and did not come out for the restart.  In this a very quick looking Orosz ran away from the rest of the field.                                     
With four riders tied on four points the Consi race was used to break the tie, with the top two from this transferring to the final.

Consi:  More problems in the first turn when Drew Kehoe highsided it and came down hard.  This brought the St John ambulance out again only this time they were a little to quick as they pulled onto the track in front of Hesmer and Dixon, fortunately  without further incident.  Kehoe was not able to make the restart which Hesmer won from Dixon while Phil Small's third place finish brought him a sixth place finish overall and his first payday in D1 racing.                                     

Final:  Legault chose the outside gate and used this to advantage to grab the early lead from Kehoe and Orosz.   Kehoe came  close as he tried to come through on the inside out of turn four but couldn't get enough drive to do so.  With the inside line blocked to him Orosz spent the entire race looking for enough drive to sweep around the outside but it simply wasn't there.  However, his efforts to power around the turns thrilled the crowd and although he often lost ground doing so, he seemed to have the fastest bike and continually made up ground for another challenge.   His efforts helped Legault as Kehoe had to pay attention to him rather than concentrate on catching the leader.  In the end there were no position changes although these three stayed close throughout the race.  Hesmer took fourth while Dixon appeared to get entangled with the pipe marking the inside line at turn three and went down on the final lap.

The Welland club was rewarded for their gamble in staging an extra meeting in September to offset those lost in their traditional race season when they attracted a crowd that easily exceeded the 1,000 level and was the biggest for a race there in several years.  The start of the official portion of the program featured a tribute to young flat-tracker Chris Miller who was killed in a racing accident at the half-mile event race at Barrie late last month.                                                                       
The track was slick and dry and as a result passing was very difficult on what was basically a single line track although Jeff Orosz certainly did his best to prove otherwise.  The younger generation of riders had to take a back seat on the night as veterans John Kehoe and Jeff Orosz showed they still have what it takes and provided almost all the entertainment with a couple of great races including the final.  It was a vintage performance by Kehoe who was a little faster to the first turn and parlayed this into an unbeaten night.     

Chris Houtby turned out on a speedway bike for the first time at Welland and as a result a D2 class was run despite this having only three entrants. Unfortunately Houtby had bike problems and did not take part after the first heat.  With only one of three, Phil Small, being a genuine D2 rider, it meant that he had clinched the season's D2 High Points title before racing began.                                                                       
Heat 1:  Easy win for Small.  Houtby looked good as he overtook Bennett but his motor started spluttering and he could only manage to coast home.                                                                         
Heat 2:   Legault gated first but Orosz caught up and drove around him at turn three and went on to win comfortably by a dozen lengths.                                                                        

Heat 3:   Heye touched tapes but race allowed to continue.  Race well spread out with Kehoe taking an easy win. Heat 4: Only two starters.  No competition for Small who won by a quarter of a lap.                                                                                                                                                
Heat 5: Best race so far.  John Kehoe and Orosz were shoulder to shoulder on the back straight on lap 1 before Kehoe moved ahead.  For the rest of the race Orosz never stopped trying but Kehoe had control of the race line and had a couple of lengths to spare at the end.                                                                           
Heat 6: Most of the action was at the beginning of the race.  Legault lifted as he came off the line and was last into the first turn.  Drew Kehoe was leading when he picked up some extra traction, lifted in the middle of the turn and moved wide as he fought for control. He did well to keep control while Heye and Hesmer went past him on either side while Legault took advantage of the vacated inside line and nipped past all of them.  Hesmer got close to Legault later in the race only to lose ground when he went wide at turn three.                                                                                                                                               
Heat 7: Rob Dixon and Drew Kehoe had a good race as they battled for sixth place. Dixon led from start to finish with a fast smooth effort to take the win while Kehoe kept things interesting by staying close throughout. Heat 8: Again only two starters and Small won by an even larger margin than last time.                                                                                                                                               
FINAL:   Kehoe led from Orosz, Heye. Legault and Hesmer going into turn three when Legault tried to power inside Heye.  Contact many have been and Hesmer laid his bike down to avoid trouble only to have it and him skate across the track and into the hay bales.  He borrowed David Hensby's bike for the restart.  Again Kehoe grabbed the lead off the line and the race quickly became a two man affair.  He was hounded for all four laps by Orosz who gave it everything he had but Kehoe fought off each challenge and crossed the line with a Orosz a mere yard behind his rear tire.  

All in all a great race to mark the close of the Canadian season.