SCFTA Awards and Practice day - February 25th

Text by Jamey Blunt - Photos by Janice Blunt

The S.C.F.T.A. 2011 awards were held at Perris Raceway on what turned out to be a beautiful day.
What do dirt track racers like more than anything else? Riding of course! So, with that in mind the
powers that be at Perris held a practice on the 1/4 mile oval prior to the Freddie Edwards feast,
giving all who chose to ride the opportunity to do so until 12:30 in the early afternoon. By one p.m.
the food was ready and the long line of the hungry was established. After everyone had ample time
to return for seconds and the tables cleaned and cleared the awards ceremony started around two p.m.
For the next hour and a half fifty five racers that made up the recipients of the twenty classes that
had awards coming to them for all their hard work, were called up in front of those present and given
the opportunity to thank sponsors, family, parents, or anyone and everyone who made a difference
in their success. After the completion of the awards and a short break everyone was back for the rafell
of the many prizes offered from the S.C.F.T.A. As in years past no one seems to have better luck of the
draw than Jim & Laura Wood who walked away with seven prizes, to once again top the list of most
items won. The 2012 season kicks off with a double header on the weekend of March 24th& 25th
and promises to surpass last years attendance in both riders and spectators.



Trophies were handed out in twenty classes with the class champions also getting a championship jacket from the SCFTA
  

Travis Petton the fourth rode all three Youth classes. He ran away with the championship in the 50cc class, finished third in the 65cc class and finished sixth in the 85cc field.

Alyssa Flores was on happy camper. She rode her heart out all season and it payed off. Alyssa won the champion- ship in the Youth 65cc class over her brother Frank and finished fifth in the Youth 85cc class as well.

David Bush successfully defended his Open Pro number one plate. Bush won the Open Pro championship for the second year in a row by riding consistent.

Jeff Apple is constantly being harassed by the announcer, but takes it all in stride and is always fun at the races. In 2011 Apple put it all together and won the Classic Vintage 500-750cc Championship.

Monica Gil won a year long battle for the championship in the Youth 85cc class. You can see by the look on her  face just how much this championship meant to her!

Billy Katkov was definitely a crowd favorite. Katkov won the  class championship for the hard fought Men's 4-stroke class.  He received his award and class championship jacket to a  standing ovation.

Vince Graves won the Vet Super Senior +60 championship. Graves who's a very behind the sceen kind of nice guy  actually addressed the crowd on hand with heart felt  thanks to the riders for making the dream come true.

Donna Edwards (the driving force at Perris) Presented track announcer Jamey Blunt with a championship jacket. Jamey announced his first ever motorcycle race at Perris for Grace  & Gerry Burton way back in 1970 at the old scrambles track.

Photo Line

Two time Grand National Champion Dick Mann payed a visit to Perris. Shown here with Vince Graves the current owner of Perris. Mann stated "I always loved the dirt here at Perris, and looked forward to racing here during  my career."

Dick Mann posed with anyone who wanted a photo. Here Colleen Douglas (turn three & four corner worker) gets her photo with Mann.

Celebrities seen at Perris!

In what was a surprise to the over five hundred in attendance for the 2011 S.C.F.T.A. awards cermony, Kay and Dick "Bugsy" Mann made an appearence. Perris Raceway was the setting and the seventy eight year old two time Grand National Champion (1963 & 1971) with some twenty four national victories to his credit was the star of the day! Mann was born in Salt Lake City Utah in 1934, in 1995 he was awarded the prestigious AMA Dud Perkins award for his contributions to the sport and was the 1998 inductee in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of fame. Bugsy as he was nicknamed was thirty seven when he won his last championship and was voted the Most Popular Rider of the Year for 1971.Mann was also the first rider ever to win the Daytona 200 on a machine built in the land of the rising sun, (Honda). At that point he had competed in the 200 for fifteen years and finished second three times. In 1970 when it all came together Mann gave Honda and the CB750 the victory in the Big One! Also in 1971 Mann became the first rider ever to complete motorcycle racing's Grand Slam where a rider garners wins at a national level in all forms of Grand National Championship racing: Mile, Half-Mile, Short Track, TT and Road Racing (which was part of the championship in Mann's day). The list of his accomplishments, innovations, and inventions is endless as was his genorousity at Perris as he gladly stood for photos with adoring fans and eagerly meet their request for whatever they wanted of him. It was a great day at Perris indeed. Any day with Dick "Bugsy" Mann is a good day.

Ken Maely, the "Shoe Man" is best known for making steel shoes for almost all of the top AMA Grand National and World Championship speedway competitors from the 1950's until his death late in 2003. Well; behind every great man is a great woman, and Ken's was his wife Judy. In the early days Ken and Judy ran a flat-track training facility on their ranch located just outside Corona, Calif. city limits. Many Grand National Champions and World Champions stayed at, trained at, and learned at the Maely ranch. Through all this Judy would take loving care of riders from Kenny Roberts to the lowest novice by cooking for them, cleaning, and even easing Ken's "Tough Love" ways. Judy was always there with a sandwich or something cold to drink. Flash forward to the 2011 S.C.F.T.A. awards cermony held at Perris raceway and who should put in an apperaence? Yep, Judy Maely / Whitson, looking just as slim and fit as ever with her long straight hair. Today Judy sits on the board of directors for the Trailblazers and is behind the scenes in everything they do. Needless to say it did many a heart good to see Judy at Perris as she has touched so many lives over the years in such a positive way.

Richard Pollock sent along this photo of Dick talking to Wayne Rainey, while not so much  a celeb,
 but nice guy and decent racer Jeff Johnson, listens to real racers.