2024 Connor Penhall Memorial Cup Results

| June 15, 2024

On Saturday night, June 8, 2024, at California’s Grand Arena Industry Hills Expo Center in the City of Industry hosted the eighth annual Connor Penhall Memorial Cup.

2024 Connor Penhall Memorial Cup — **Left to right: Broc Nicol, Kelly Inman (the event promoter), Max Ruml and Louie Mersaroli.**

Words and Photos by Richard Haight

The Memorial Cup honors World Speedway Champion Bruce Penhall’s late son, Connor. Connor was killed by a drunk driver while working on a highway project for the Penhall Company, and the World lost a bright, up-and-coming star.

Great weather and a huge and enthusiastic crowd welcomed the racers to one of the richest purses in Speedway racing.

It would be interesting to say that someone other than with the last name Ruml had taken the win, but the best way to describe it is, The Beat Goes On and “Mad Max” Ruml was declared the winner yet again.

Ruml, the current National Champion, has been on a tear as of late, but was faced with some stiff competition, both local and from the rest of the state. Broc Nicol, frequently a bridesmaid, but never a bride, was fired up, as was previous Penhall Memorial winner Austin Novratil.

In addition, the Sidecars were there to thrill the crowd. They are even more nuts than the solo riders. From the second the gates went go up they are sideways at max rpm 100 percent of the time, showering the crowd with what little of the track is left after being ripped up by 1000cc race motors.

After the 20 heat-race format is run, with riders scoring on a 3, 2, 1 and 0 points basis, the eight top scorers move on to two semi-main events to set the four-man field for the final. For once, it was not a Max Ruml runaway, as Broc Nicol managed to whip Mad Max in their heat race and he finished with 14 points to Ruml’s 13. Quite a feat, as no one has managed to best Max so far this year.

Two from each semi transfer to the four-man final. Frequently a runaway for Ruml, both semis were nail-biters, with Nicol and Louie Mersaroli taking the top two spots in semi one, and Ruml and Novratil battling it out elbow to elbow in semi two.

But the sidecars were next up and multi-time national champs Jones & Summer nailed it from the gate with a runaway win over Kale Hernandez and Holman Farnsworth.

Jones and Summers — **Multi-time national champs Jones & Summer took a runaway win over Kale Hernandez and Holman Farnsworth in sidecars.**

After the introductions, the riders picked their starting gates in order of their points scores, and Ruml strangely picked the outside gate number four. When the gate flew up, it was a two-man elbows-out fight. Ruml chose to run a close line, while Nicol carried the speed around the outside, going deep to carry momentum. At the end, Nicol swung wide, and came within a bikelength of passing Mad Max at the line. In the end, Ruml was the overall winner, Nicol settled for second, Louie Mersaroli fourth, with Novratil just missing out on the podium with a fourth. There is always next year.