Southern California’s Industry Speedway hosts a tremendous night of racing in honor of the late Connor Penhall.
Like he has so many times at countless speedway racing events since ending his professional motorcycle racing career over 30 years ago, two-time World Individual Speedway Champion walks through the VIP area at Industry Speedway, shaking hands and receiving hugs from VIPs and supporters who made the trek to Industry’s season-opening race.
This time, however, the circumstances are diametrically opposed to those under which he normally attends races in a motorcycle sport that made him a practical household name among race fans in the early 1980s. This time, instead of exercising his well-deserved celebrity to show support for the sport he dedicated his young life to, Penhall and his family are on hand to receive support from a tight-knit American speedway community—no, it’s a bona fide family—that has assembled to honor Penhall’s youngest son at the Connor Penhall Memorial Cup in Industry Hills, California, May 27. Three years ago, Connor Penhall’s life was cut short when he was struck by a drunk driver while working a Caltrans contract job as a concrete cutter in the Penhall family business. Connor was just 21 years old.
There’s an uncharacteristic melancholy in Penhall’s voice, and his eyes mist when he talks about the loss of Connor. The weight of that loss can still be measured in tons, easily enough to crush the heart of the reporter having to stand in front of him to ask uneasy questions to a boyhood idol that heretofore was viewed as superhuman, always upbeat and positive, a man who always found motivation in adversity and rose to meet whatever challenge he faced. But, of course, Penhall’s mood is understandable for the most obvious of reasons.
“When you lose a child, many people don’t realize how many lives that changes, and how drastically,” Penhall says. “Nobody who hasn’t gone through it understands what I and my family go through every single day. My son was 21. We go through a range of emotions every day. I can’t explain it to those who haven’t experienced it themselves.”
Tonight, that loss will be felt by the speedway community in a positive way. For although Connor Penhall chose not to become a professional speedway racer like his father, the tight bonds and legendary family name within a decidedly small and mostly California-based discipline brought him into contact with many of those who participate in it, and they are here to honor him, remember him and share their Connor stories with each other. Ask any of them and they’ll tell you that to know Connor was a gift. He was an amazing young man with a zest for life. He played hard, but he also displayed a trait that appears to be exceedingly rare, a clear head for responsibility and a relentless drive to work to achieve the goals he set for himself.
Connor displayed many of these characteristics as a motorcycle racer. In light of his father’s legendary career, it would be a surprise if Connor hadn’t been bit by the motorcycle bug at an early age. Riding alongside Dad and older brother/best friend, Ryan, Connor exuded a talent that is clearly inherent in the family genes as he earned a California State Championship in the sport of motocross at a very early age. He would go on to success as an off-road racer as well, joining the elite ranks of SCORE Baja racers who brave the grueling test of the SCORE Baja 1000. As members of a strong Kawasaki effort put together by his family, Connor, Ryan, Robby Bell and Steve Hengeveld came within 3 minutes of ending the mighty factory Honda team’s reign in the 2009 Baja 1000.
But Connor was more than just a talented racer. He was a kind and caring young man who loved all things motorcycles and the people who rode them. He loved to play pranks, and he didn’t mind being roasted himself. Ryan Penhall said that not a day goes by when he doesn’t think about his brother.
“It’s just really difficult,” Ryan said. “Every day you just have to figure out ways to work around it. He was my best friend, my teammate, and I miss everything about him…his personality, his athletic ability, his skills on a dirtbike…You don’t get over it, you just get stronger as you try to work around it. He was a great kid, and there are so many great stories I could tell about him.”
Yet even in adversity as bitter as this, the Penhall family is finding the motivation and drive to make a difference in the wake of Connor’s tragic loss. That drive is aimed in two distinct directions: The first is to relentlessly reiterate the often-ignored message, “Don’t Drink and Drive.” The sad result of that ignorance still costs the lives of over 10,000 men, women and children each year. The other message is one that is heard far less but should be taken just as seriously: As drivers, we need to be completely aware of the road construction crews and equipment that we pass almost on a daily basis.
“It’s not like we are trying to be heroes, and…I hate to sound clichéd, but if we can save one life because somebody heard our message and they didn’t drink and drive, it’s worth the effort,” Bruce penhall said. “Also, from my point of view—and I have been in construction for 35, 40 years—they don’t take enough safety precautions to take care of the men and women working on our highways and byways.”
The Connor Penhall Memorial Cup is just one effort to get those messages out, and when the concept was first hatched, Industry Speedway promoter Kelly Inman jumped on board full force. Inman stressed that it was a team effort.
“It’s a really big team of people that put this together, and it is quite an honor for us,” Inman said. “It’s a special event for a special kid. This [spectator] turnout just shows that there are a lot of people that loved Connor.”
Indeed, the turnout was strong both inside and outside the paddock. Three-time and reigning World Individual Speedway Champion Greg Hancock flew all the way from his home base in Sweden to serve as the event’s Grand Marshall. Speedway legends from the Team USA’s early glory years of the 1980s, such as two-time World Best Pairs Champion and two-time U.S. National Champion Bobby Schwartz, John Cook and their former Team USA teammate, Penhall’s off-shore powerboat championship partner Dennis Sigalos, were just a few of the greats who showed up to pay their respects to Connor. Bruce Penhall’s former “CHiPs” co-stars Larry Wilcox (Jon Baker) and Robert Pine (Sergeant Joe Getraer) were among the non-racing celebrities who attended the event as well.
“Anytime a family loses a child, it just tears my heart up,” Wilcox said. “If there is anything that I can humbly do in some simple way…God bless them. The DUI issue is something that people need to be aware of, especially young people. It’s a major issue. People make bad choices sometimes, and the end result could be something you won’t want to live with. I’m really happy that Bruce is trying to perpetuate this education in every way that he can.”
The theme for the Connor Penhall Memorial Cup was “Live, Ride, Race,” and if racing can be therapeutic, then the inaugural event was truly good for the soul. Inman and his team assembled a star-studded cast of racers, including current National Champion Billy Janniro, former World and National Champion Billy Hamill, former National Champion Charlie Venegas, ageless speedway veteran Shawn McConnell and a host of hungry young lions such as Broc Nicol, Max Ruml, Jason Ramirez and others to battle for the lion’s share of the $10,000 Pro purse. Although Connor did not choose speedway racing as a career, he was a huge advocate for junior speedway, and promoter Inman honored that dedication by including two strong junior speedway divisions and a pee wee class on the night’s program.
And race they did, with the Pros doing battle in a hotly contested championship-style format in which the riders faced off in each of the 20 heats that awarded three points for a win, two for second and one for third. The top eight points earners advanced into two semis in which the top two finishers earned the right to race for the Connor Penhall Memorial Trophy, a brilliant Troy Lee Designs creation that featured one of Lee’s world-renowned custom-painted helmets as its crown jewel.
Speedway’s trademark, sideways, wheel-to-wheel, bar-banging action was prevalent all evening on an Industry track that was groomed to perfection. The elite riders didn’t disappoint, as Hamill and Janniro waged war at the top of the points sheet all night. A final-heat crash by Hamill ultimately dropped him behind Janniro in the points, but Hamill still earned enough to land a berth in one of the semis. In a potential preview of the Cup final, Janniro outran Hamill in their semi, with both riders advancing, while talented Southern California speedway regular Buck Blair and ultra-fast teen sensation Nicol sailed through to the Cup final in their semi.
Typical of the intensity witnessed all evening, there were fireworks in the Cup final when Janniro got a less-than-perfect start out of his inside starting position, hooked up and wheelied into Blair, sending Blair crashing to the ground and necessitating a complete restart. The air was tense as Blair was down for several minutes, but he eventually got to his feet and made his way back to the starting gate. Janniro took full advantage of his second opportunity to blast out of the gate on the restart, and he ran four clean laps to distance himself from Nicoll, while Hamill came from the far outside starting position to finish third, with Blair fourth. The 34-year-old Janniro, who hails from Vallejo, California, has won a lot of big races in his career, but he counts the Connor Penhall Memorial Cup win as one of the biggest.
“To tell you the truth, this is huge,” Janniro said. “Look at the effort that was put into this event. It isn’t a National Championship, but it is on that level. It’s pretty awesome. I just hooked up going into the corner on the first start, got into Buck, and he went down pretty hard. I feel bad for him because he went down pretty hard. On the restart I just made a great a start, put my head down and took off. Four laps, a few grand, and we’re happy.”
Nicol’s runner-up finish was impressive, and it won’t be a surprise if he continues to develop into a world-class rider someday. All he lacks is experience.
“It’s awesome, especially on a night like this, to finish where I did,” Nicol said. “I’m learning a lot every night from all the riders, and my season is going great. I’m happy. This event was great. They put it on for a great guy, and it was really cool.”
Hamill, whose competitive drive hasn’t diminished with age, was disappointed to finish third but grateful for the opportunity to take part in the event, as he was just coming back to speedway after suffering serious injuries while riding his motocross bike.
“It is what it is,” Hamill said with a smile. “I’ve been off for three months, and this was my first race back, so I’ve got to be pretty happy with that.”
By all accounts, the inaugural Connor Penhall Memorial Cup was a tremendous success. The fans were treated to four great divisions of racing with a thrilling final the likes of which Connor Penhall would have loved. It was a fitting tribute to a young man who left us before his time but still lives in the hearts and minds of those who knew him or knew of him.
“The support we received tonight was awesome,” Bruce Penhall said. “It’s a bummer that it has to be a memorial for my son, but to see the support, to see everybody working hard and to feel their energy kind of overruled the sadness for tonight. It was really cool.”
It was the kind of race night that undoubtedly would have put a smile on Connor Penhall’s face, and that is reason enough to come back and do it all again next year.
Connor Penhall Memorial Cup
Industry Hills Expo Center
City of Industry, California
Results: May 27, 2015
Pee Wee Main
25 – Travis Horn
16 – Cole Ayers
3 – Levi Leutz
6 – Gavin Dryfkin
16 – Glenn Geist
5 – Conner Salazar (non starter)
48 – Jose Navarette (non starter)
Mini 150 Consolation
66n – Charlie Trana 0
96 – Andrew Russell 0
43 – Keelan Venegas 10 (non starter)
Mini 150 Main
30n – Alex Martin 20
31n – Sterling Martin 30
22n – Enzo Sorani 0
28 – Slater Lightcap 20
419 – Dakota Shockley 0
27 – Luke Whitcomb 10
Junior 250 Main Event (restarted)
18 – Sebastian Palmese 30
14 – Sara Cords 0
16 – Jake Isaac 10
214 – Michael Wells 10
14n – Dylan Wagner 0 (non starter)
Connor Penhall Memorial Cup Scorechart
1 – Billy Janniro 3 2 3 3 3 14 3 3 20
4 – Broc Nicol 3 3 3 2 2 13 3 2 18
5 – Max Ruml 2 3 2 2 3 12 1 – 13
6 – Shawn McConnell 0 2 E F E 2 – – 2
22n – Luke Becker 1 0 2 Fx 2 5 – – 5
39 – Buck Blair 3 3 1 3 3 13 2 R 15
43 – Charlie Venegas 2 Fx 3 F 1 6 – – 6
46 – Aaron Fox 2 2 2 Fx 3 9 0 – 9
48 – Tyson Talkington 0 1 1 2 1 5 – – 5
66 – Jason Ramirez 1 2 1 1 2 7 Fx – 7
104 – Billy Hamill 3 3 3 3 F 12 2 1 15
110 – Gage Geist 1 0 0 2 0 3 – – 3
111 – Dillon Ruml 0 1 2 3 1 7 1 – 8
126 – Rocco Scopellite 0 1 0 1 1 3 – – 3
130 – Braydan Galvin 1 1 1 1 N 4 – – 4
321 – Russell Green 2 0 0 1 2 5 – – 5
222 – Dalton Leedy (R) 0 0 0
178 – Eloy Medellin (R) Did Not Ride
Semi #1
1 – Billy Janniro
104 – Billy Hamill
111 – Dillon Ruml
46 – Aaron Fox
Semi #2 (restarted)
4 – Broc Nicol
39 – Buck Blair
5 – Max Ruml
66 – Jason Ramirez (fell, excluded)
Connor Penhall Memorial Cup Final (restarted)
1 – Billy Janniro
4 – Broc Nicol
104 – Billy Hamill
39 – Buck Blair (retired)
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