Racers from Gene Romero's West Coast Flat Track Series thrilled 2,000-plus spectators with a display of daredevil motorcycle racing last Friday evening at Willamette Speedway. It was the first time the bikes have raced at the Speedway, but judging from the enthusiastic response of Romero and the speedway's owners it won't be the last.

"We got to show our fans some awesome racing they don't normally get to see," said Lori Arnold, speedway co-owner.

Arnold said many of the spectators were coming to Willamette Speedway for the first time.

"It was exciting to watch. We're going to Cottage Grove tomorrow to watch them race again," said Jim Essman, who along with his wife Joan, came from Pleasant Hill to watch the bikes race.

Romero has sponsored the flat track series for 10 years, holding between six and 12 events a year, most in southern California. About 40 riders are regulars on the circuit with local riders rounding out the roster.

Rob Lanoy, 52, traveled from Antioch, Calif., to race his 1979 Yamaha TT 500 in the Saddleman Vintage Class Friday. Lanoy raced from 1968 to 1975 before giving up the sport. He didn't start racing again until 2004.

"It was a mid-life crisis. It was either this or red Corvette or new wife, so I took the motorcycle," Lanoy said with a laugh of his reason for taking up racing again.

Lanoy, the reigning amateur national champion in his class, finished seventh in the A-Main race Friday.

At the other end of the age range was 12-year-old Scott Hampton of Hollister, Calif., who took third in the A-Main 250 Sportsman and second in the C-Main event. Hampton started racing in pee-wee races when he was four.

"I like the speed the best," Hampton said.

Afterward, many of the racers said they were happy with the track and look forward to racing in Lebanon again.

"It's big and really smooth. We'd definitely race here again," said Danielle Diaz, 15, of Caruthers, Calif. Diaz took fourth in the A-Main events of the 250 Sportsmen and Top Gun 450 classes.

"We have to have a great surface to put on a great show, and I had no doubt Bill Arnold would do a great job," Romero said, adding he'd like to make Lebanon a regular stop on the flat track racing circuit.

Results of races

Classic Vintage

4-Stroke Twins Class

A-Main 01 - 1. Koby Todd, Bucklrey, Wash.; 2. Kam Todd, Longview, Wash.

Heat 01 - 1. Koby Todd, Bucklrey, Wash.; 2. Kam Todd, Longview, Wash.

Open Class

A-Main 01 - 1. Brady Mueller, Port Orchard, Wash.; 2. Beau Brown, Newburg, Ore.; 3. Rex Fisher, Warren, Wash. 4. Kayl Kolkman, Ventura, Calif.; 5. Dustin Pruczinski, Mountlake Terr., Wash.; 6. Ryan Anderson, Portland, Ore.; 7. Wyatt Maguire, Mead, Wash.; 8. Ian Foulds, Mira Loma, Calif.; 9. Mike Besemer, Cupertino, Calif.; 10. Jamie Aguilar, Lodi, Calif.; 11. Shawn Raggio, Stockton, Calif.; 12. Dennis Trentman, Merced, Calif.; 13. Shelby Miller, Kirkland, Wash.; 14. Jermaine Bacosa, Livermore, Calif.; 15. Tim Ricketts, Jr., Salem, Ore.

B-Main 01 - 1. Dennis Trentman, Merced, Calif.; 2. Shelby Miller, Kirkland, Wash.; 3. Tim Ricketts, Jr., Salem, Ore.; 4. Jermaine Bacosa, Livermore, Calif.; 5. Cody Shipley, Castle Rock, Wash.; 6. Jesse Miller, Prospect, Ore.; 7. Dennis Pinheiro, Roseburg, Ore.; 8. Kay Bell, Cottage Grove, Ore.

C-Main 01 - 1. Kayl Kolkman, Ventura, Calif.; 2. Mike Besemer, Cupertino, Calif.; 3. Jamie Aguilar, Lodi, Calif.; 4. Ian Foulds, Mira Loma, Calif.; 5. Dennis Trentman, Merced, Calif.; 6. Jermaine Bacosa, Livermore, Calif.; 7. Tim Ricketts, Jr., Salem, Ore.; 8. Kay Bell, Cottage Grove, Ore.

C-Main 02 - 1. Brady Mueller, Port Orchard, Wash.; 2. Wyatt Maguire, Mead, Wash.; 3. Dustin Pruczinski, Mountlake Terr., Wash.; 4. Shawn Raggio, Stockton, Calif.; 5. Shelby Miller, Kirkland, Wash.; 6. Jesse Miller, Prospect, Ore.; 7. Cody Shipley, Castle Rock, Wash.; 8. Dennis Pinheiro, Roseburg, Ore.

Heat 01 -1. Rex Fisher, Warren, Wash.; 2. Mike Besemer, Cupertino, Calif.; 3. Shawn Raggio, Stockton, Calif.; 4. Ian Foulds, Mira Loma, Calif.; 5. Shelby Miller, Kirkland, Wash.; 6. Jermaine Bacosa, Livermore, Calif.; 7. Cody Shipley, Castle Rock, Wash.

Heat 02 - 1. Ryan Anderson, Portland, Ore.; 2. Jamie Aguilar, Lodi, Calif.; 3. Wyatt Maguire, Mead, Wash.; 4. Dennis Trentman, Merced, Calif.; 5. Jesse Miller, Prospect, Ore.; 6. Kay Bell, Cottage Grove, Ore.

Heat 03 -1. Beau Brown, Newburg, Ore.; 2. Brady Mueller, Port Orchard, Wash.; 3. Kayl Kolkman, Ventura, Calif.; 4. Dustin Pruczinski, Mountlake Terr., Wash.; 5. Tim Ricketts, Jr., Salem, Ore.; 6. Dennis Pinheiro, Roseburg, Ore.

Time Trial - 1. Rex Fisher, Warren, Wash.

Trophy Dash 01 - 1. Rex Fisher, Warren, Wash.; 2. Beau Brown, Newburg, Ore.; 3. Shawn Raggio, Stockton, Calif.; 4. Kayl Kolkman, Ventura, Calif.; 5. Ryan Anderson, Portland, Ore.; 6. Jamie Aguilar, Lodi, Calif.

250 Sportsmen

A-Main 01 - 1. Michael Avila, Madera, Calif.; 2. Life Kelley, Herald, Calif.; 3. Scott Hampton, Hollister, Calif.; 4. Danielle Diaz, Caruthers, Calif.; 5. Wyatt Anderson, Colbert, Wash.; 6. Evan Diaz, Caruthers, Calif..

C-Main 01 - 1. Michael Avila, Madera, Calif.; 2. Scott Hampton, Hollister, Calif.; 3. Life Kelley, Herald; 4. Danielle Diaz,

Caruthers, Calif.; 5. Wyatt Anderson, Colbert, Wash.; 6. Evan Diaz, Caruthers, Calif..

Heat 01 -1. Michael Avila, Madera, Calif.; 2. Scott Hampton, Hollister, Calif.; 3. Life Kelley, Herald, Calif.; 4. Danielle Diaz, Caruthers, Calif.; 5. Wyatt Anderson, Colbert, Wash.

Top Gun 450 Class

A-Main 01 -1. Wyatt Maguire, Mead, Wash.; 2. Michael Avila, Madera, Calif.; 3. Amy Lee Pruczinski, Mountlake Terr. Wash.; 4. Danielle Diaz, Caruthers, Calif.; 5. Kayl Kolkman, Ventura, Calif.; 6. Ian Foulds, Mira Loma, Calif.; 7. Troy Milligan Jr, Seaside, Ore.; 8. Dennis Trentman, Merced, Calif.; 9. Life Kelley, Herald, Calif.; 10. Shelby Miller, Kirkland, Wash.; 11. Jermaine Bacosa, Livermore, Calif.; 12. Lee Davidson, Martinez, Calif.; 13. Ron Curtis, Orting, Wash.; 14. Jerry Swartz, Vancouver, Wash.

C-Main 01 - 1. Shelby Miller, Kirkland, Wash.; 2. Life Kelley, Herald, Calif.; 3. Jermaine Bacosa, Livermore, Calif.; 4. Lee Davidson, Martinez, Calif.; 5. Ron Curtis, Orting, Wash.; 6. Jerry Swartz, Vancouver, Wash.

Heat 01 - 1. Kayl Kolkman, Ventura, Calif.; 2. Ian Foulds, Mira Loma, Calif.; 3. Michael Avila, Madera, Calif.; 4. Dennis Trentman, Merced, Calif.; 5. Life Kelley, Herald, Calif.; 6. Jerry Swartz, Vancouver, Wash.; 7. Jamie Nicely, Reno, Nev.; 8. Robert Bacosa, Livermore, Calif.

Heat 02 - 1. Danielle Diaz, Caruthers, Calif.; 2. Wyatt Maguire, Mead, Wash.; 3. Amy Lee Pruczinski, Mountlake Terr., Wash.; 4. Troy Milligan Jr, Seaside; 5. Shelby Miller, Kirkland, Wash.; 6. Jermaine Bacosa, Livermore, Calif.; 7. Lee Davidson, Martinez, Calif.; 8. Ron Curtis, Orting, Wash.

Saddlemen Vintage Class

A-Main 01 - 1. Steve Hall, Manteca; 2. Mike Besemer, Cupertino, Calif.; 3. Jeff Hiatt, Camano Island, Wash.; 4. Wayne Karcich, Pleasanton, Calif.; 5. Randy Kremlacek, Hayward, Calif.; 6. A.J. Neelings, Danville, Calif.; 7. Robert Lanoy, Antioch, Calif.; 8. James Torpey, Corvallis, Ore.; 9. Jeff Johnson, Pinon Hills, Calif.; 10. Kam Todd, Longview, Wash.; 11. Drummond Evans, Pleasant Hill, Ore.; 12. Koby Todd, Bucklrey, Wash.

C-Main 01 - 1. Robert Lanoy, Antioch, Calif.; 2. James Torpey, Corvallis, Ore.; 3. Randy Kremlacek, Hayward, Calif.; 4. Jeff Johnson, Pinon Hills, Calif.; 5. A.J. Neelings, Danville, Calif.; 6. Drummond Evans, Pleasant Hill, Ore.; 7. Koby Todd, Bucklrey, Wash.; 8. Kam Todd, Longview, Wash.

Heat 01 -1. Steve Hall, Manteca, Calif.; 2. Wayne Karcich, Pleasanton, Calif.; 3. Randy Kremlacek, Hayward, Calif.; 4. A.J. Neelings, Danville, Calif.; 5. Kam Todd, Longview, Wash.; 6. Drummond Evans, Pleasant Hill, Ore.

Heat 02 -1. Mike Besemer, Cupertino, Calif.; 2. Jeff Hiatt, Camano Island, Wash.; 3. Robert Lanoy, Antioch, Calif.; 4. Jeff Johnson, Pinon Hills, Calif.; 5. James Torpey, Corvallis, Ore.

Time Trial -1. Rex Fisher, Warren, Wash.

Trophy Dash 01 - 1. Mike Besemer, Cupertino, Calif.; 2. Jeff Hiatt, Camano Island, Wash.; 3. Wayne Karcich, Pleasanton, Calif.; 4. Steve Hall, Manteca, Calif.